Dolfan Satisfaction Meter: 1.7%; plus Miami falls 23-20 at Jacksonville; also the new Hot Button Top 10 (updated) & more
GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21. Random Evidence the Sunday notes column has retired (click on Random Evidence for last week's farewell) but its Top 5 list goes on! Click on Hot Button Top 5 for the latest edition. Our Hot Button Top 10 (here below) is an updated, expanded version found exclusively in this blog every Sunday. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hurricanes beat Nebraska, CSM poll, other Collball Week 3 & more. 3) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram, Vine and Periscope.
Canesfan Satisfaction Meter results: See blogpost directly below for latest CSM results, showing a modest upturn. Click on This Won't Help Golden Much for my column off the UM-Nebraska game.
Sorry about that...: A computer glitch tonight caused our Dolphins-Jaguars in-game blog to disappear. It also caused our latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter poll to do the same. We have reinstalled the poll, now open for voting. Thanks for the patience.
DOLFAN SATISFACTION METER: G2: Results are certified in the latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll, and they show 1.7 percent overall satisfaction (a combination of "very" and "somewhat" satisfied) in the wake of Sunday's 23-20 loss at Jacksonville putting Miami's season record at 1-1. The DSM, in its eighth year, is a continuous weekly gauge of how fans are feeling about the Dolphins and their direction. Right after each game I invite you to share your overall degree of satisfaction. Criteria for voting is your own, but I suggest fans consider the most recent game's performance and caliber of opponent, season as a whole, direction the club is heading and your overall degree of optimism -- all in the context of reasonable expectations. Results are certified official the morning after one full day of voting. In this case that was around 7 a.m. today/Tuesday.
2015 DSM Results
Game 1: 31.0% (following 17-10 victory at Washington)
Game 2: 1.7% (following 23-20 loss at Jacksonville)
Next poll: Sept. 27 (following game vs. Buffalo)
Interpreting the vote: It doesn't get much lower than 1.7 percent. Literally. An Internet poll could ask "Would your rather be happy and wealthy or miserable and destitute?" and you might not have a majority like this one.
G2: JACKSONVILLE 23, DOLPHINS 20: Note: With apologies, a computer glitch has erased our live in-game blog. Original post: There are no gimmies in the NFL, granted. No Bethune-Cookmans. But Washington and now Jacksonville is about as soft a season-opening road quiniela as any NFL team or its fans should have the right to hope for. Dolphins were so-so last week and still beat the Redskins 17-10. The Jaguars are worse than the Skins. I expect a better performance today, and a more impressive win at Jacksonville, where I also expect the Traveling Wilburys traveling Dolfans will make it feel almost like a home game for Miami. What I expect most is that Ndamukong Suh and his defensive-line mates, who didn't defend the run very well last week, will be much better today. I wouldn't want to be Blake Bortles. In general, but especially today. I don't buy, though, that today is any sort of Litmus test for the Dolphins. The opponent isn't up to that challenge. The first of those tests looks like next week's home opener vs. Rex Ryan's revitalized, defense-strong Bills. But let's take 'em one game at a time, shall we? My pick: Dolphins, 30-10.
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPT. 20): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead:
1. HURRICANES: UM dominates, almost blows, then survives Nebraska visit: Canes are 3-0, barely, after blowing a 23-point lead and escaping Nebraska in overtime last night, 36-33, thanks to goalline interception by Corn Elder. Odds, please, that team named Cornhuskers would be beaten by man named Corn? Two programs with five national titles each were trying to recapture old mojo. Arguable which team needed the win more, although I’m confident UM coach Al Golden and his many critics would have dominated that debate.
2. DOLPHINS: Miami 1-1 after crushing upset loss at lowly Jacksonville: Bad defense, not enough offense and costly penalties cost Miami dearly in a 23-20 loss to the underdog Jaguars. Just when a Dolfan thinks it's different this time we get The Return of the S.O.D. -- Same Ol' Dolphins.
3. MARLINS: Just shut Stanton down, already!: As Fish prepare to open the season's final homestand on Tuesday they have locked up third place in NL East but are well out of wild-card hunt. So why not shut down Giancarlo Stanton and the “abnormal” scar tissue in his healing hand for the rest of the year? No gain in rushing him back now. See you on Opening Day 2016.
4. NCAA: Loss by No. 2 Alabama tops college football's wild weekend: Gators and Seminoles survived defensive struggles (and FIU won!), but it was second-ranked Alabama losing to Ole Miss that topped the national news in college football Week 3. Having a bad day? Lift your spirits by picturing Nick Saban sad.
5. NFL: Patriots at Rex Ryan. Delicioso!: Patriots edging Buffalo was our NFL Week 2 Game of the Week pick. And that was even before Rex Ryan and the Bills tweaked New England for its Deflategate scandal by selling ball-inflating needle pumps this week in its team store.
6. PANTHERS: Cat Skate Fever! Hockey’s back, eh?: So Fla puckheads are happy. The Panthers made their preseason debut Sunday by splitting a pair of exhibitions in Nashville and now play their first home exhibition Tuesday. ESPN says the Panthers “could be the surprise team in the Eastern Conference.” So it has come to that. When your team hasn’t won a playoff series since 1996, the expectation of its success is surprising.
7. HEAT: Team eyes major improvement as training camp nears: With preseason practices starting next week, expect a big change at Media Day a week from today. Last year, every other question concerned LeBron leaving. This year, only about a third of them will.
8. NASCAR: Homestead awaits as 'The Chase' begins: With the Nov. 22 finale in Homestead-Miami Speedway the prize, race teams started winnowing the field in the first "Chase" race Sunday in Chicago won by Denny Hamlin. Gentlemen, start your drama.
9. TIGER WOODS: More back surgery for the former great one: The ebbing PGA Tour season was cut short for Tiger Woods when he elected to have more back surgery and set his sights on a 2016 return. The ultimate favorite has turned himself into the ultimate underdog.
10. WNBA: Playoffs underway in women's basketball: I'll give you a dollar if you can name who's in the this year's playoffs. Another buck if you can tell me who won last year's WNBA championship. (Hint: Phoenix Mercury).
THE HOT LIST: DOLPHINS VS. THE STATE: How Miami has fared in NFL regular-season and playoff games vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and today's opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars. All are regular season except 2000 playoff loss to Jags:
MIA W-L Wins Losses
Vs. JAC 4-4 2003-09-12-14 1998-00-06-15
Vs. TB 5-5 1976-85-88-91-09 1982-97-00-05-13
Seasons Playoffs Championships
MIA 49 22 2: 1972, 73
TB 39 10 1: 2002
JAC 20 6 0
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