Here come the Dolphins, another Jets' opponent in disarray ~

Here come the Dolphins, another Jets' opponent in disarray ~ Sept 30, 2015 10:23:01 GMT -5

Quote

Post by I definitely have a cock~~~ on Sept 30, 2015 10:23:01 GMT -5

Ten things to know about the Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets' opponent this Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London :

1. The Dolphins are similar to last week's foe, the Philadelphia Eagles: They're in crisis mode, battling a two-game losing streak, with slings and arrows coming from every direction. After struggling to beat the mediocre Washington Redskins, the Dolphins (1-2) fell to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and got blown out by the Buffalo Bills. They're hoping to reinvent themselves in London. Hey, they did it last year, lugging a 1-2 record across the pond and beating the Oakland Raiders to keep their season alive.

2. After three straight non-winning seasons, Joe Philbin is coaching for his job this year -- maybe this week. The Dolphins have faced 10-0, 17-6 and 27-0 deficits in the first three games, and that screams "lack of preparation." The media in South Florida are speculating that Philbin could be a goner if they get embarrassed by the Jets. Like the Jets, the Dolphins have a bye next week, which would give ownership a chance to make a coaching change if it so desires.

3. The $114 million man -- Ndamukong Suh -- is off to a sluggish start, with only five solo tackles and no sacks in three games. In free agency, the Dolphins stepped up and paid franchise-quarterback money for the All-World defensive tackle, guaranteeing $60 million over six years. Consider: Suh is making $26.5 million this year, which is half of the combined 2015 salaries of the Jets' 11 starters on defense. Suh was a non-factor in the first two games, but he perked up against the Bills. He's supposed to galvanize their run defense, but they're ranked 31st in the league, yielding 145 yards per game.

4. Suh has a big fan in billionaire Warren Buffett, who attended last week's game and wore a Suh jersey (complete with shoulder pads) on the field during the pregame celebrity schmooze. If Suh can get Prince Charles to show up this Sunday in one of his jerseys, we'd really be impressed.

5. Like the Jets, the Dolphins have a lot of talent on their defensive line -- Suh, Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon and Earl Mitchell. But where are the sacks? The front four has yet to register a sack. In fact, the Dolphins have only one as a team. As a result, they aren't scaring any quarterbacks. They've allowed a 101.8 passer rating against three mediocre (at best) quarterbacks -- Kirk Cousins, Blake Bortles and Tyrod Taylor.

6. In the spring, the Dolphins signed quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a long-term extension (through 2020) even though he had two years remaining on his rookie deal. It seemed a bit impulsive, considering the cost ($96 million, including $45 million guaranteed) and the fact that he's never had a winning year. They were betting on his upside. So far, he hasn't delivered much bang for the buck -- five touchdowns, three interceptions and an 85.5 passer rating. He looked positively rattled by the Bills' pass rush. Look for Todd Bowles to send his blitzers after him -- hard.

7. The Dolphins' receiving corps has a chance to be really good, with Jarvis Landry (24 catches), No. 1 pick DeVante Parker and Rishard Matthews, who has five touchdowns in his last 24 catches. The problem is that Tannehill (seven sacks) isn't getting enough time to throw. They really need left tackle Branden Albert, who was inactive last week with a hamstring injury.

8. Technically, this is a Dolphins' home game. They'll lose their home-field advantage on a neutral site, but it hasn't been much of an advantage against the Jets. The Jets won the past three meetings in Miami, including the 2014 finale -- Rex Ryan's final game.

9. How desperate are the Dolphins? This is what center Mike Pouncey said after the Buffalo debacle: "We gotta win next week. Next week is a must-win. If we don't win next week, man, there will be a lot of pissed off guys around here."

10. This is Part II of Mike Tannenbaum's two-game redemption tour. Part I didn't go so well. The former Jets general manager, the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, watched his team get humiliated last week by his former Jets coach, Rex Ryan. Now he gets a crack at the team that employed him for 16 years.

> espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/54625/here-come-the-dolphins-another-jets-opponent-in-disarray

Here come the Dolphins, another Jets' opponent in disarray ~ Sept 30, 2015 10:43:42 GMT -5

Quote

Post by I definitely have a cock~~~ on Sept 30, 2015 10:43:42 GMT -5

For ex-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, it's just business, nothing personal

Mike Tannenbaum was fired more than two years ago by the New York Jets, but that old Trader Mike aggressiveness still is felt at One Jets Drive. Examining his impact on the current roster is like looking at a teenager's iPad screen -- it's covered with fingerprints. Eleven Jets starters were drafted or signed by Tannenbaum, including eight on defense.

He enjoyed a nice, seven-year run as the Jets' general manager, with the team compiling a 57-55 record and three playoff appearances, but things turned sideways and he was the scapegoat after a disastrous, Tim Tebow-flawed season in 2012. Bill Parcells' former capologist became Jerry Maguire for a couple of years, working as a sports agent, but now he's back in the NFL appearing on the Jets' radar once again.

This week, Tannenbaum's new team faces his old team, adding another juicy layer to the storied Jets-Miami Dolphins rivalry. He's a big shot in South Florida, the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, and you have to believe he has redemption on the brain. What discharged employee wouldn't love to stick it to his old boss? It's human nature.Tannenbaum declined to speak about his old ties to the Jets, saying he wants the focus to remain on the game. He's getting bombarded with media requests these days, especially with mounting speculation the coach he inherited in Miami -- Joe Philbin -- is in jeopardy of getting fired.Know this about Tannenbaum: He's as competitive as any player or coach working under him and, yes, he'd enjoy some measure of satisfaction by beating the Jets on Sunday in London, he told friends. But those same people say he has moved on from the firing, that he harbors no bitterness toward Jets owner Woody Johnson or the organization. He's had pleasant interactions with Johnson at league functions and he hosted several current Jets employees at a going-away party in New Jersey a few months ago.

Tannenbaum spent 16 years with the Jets, the equivalent of a lifetime in NFL years. He recognized long ago that very few people in the business remain in their first big job and retire with a gold watch. No doubt, there's a part of him that believes he deserved another shot after the 6-10 season in 2012. He did a lot for the franchise -- back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010 -- but he was victimized by an impatient owner who felt like he had to do something to satisfy an angry fan base.Johnson had four choices: Fire Tannenbaum. Fire coach Rex Ryan. Fire them both. Keep them both. He should've picked one of the last two options, but he sent the franchise into the abyss for two years by pairing Ryan with John Idzik.Tannenbaum was crushed by his ouster, but he still had enough class on the day he was fired to visit the Jets' media room for an emotional goodbye. He was in a funk for a few days, but then two things happened to change that. First, he got a call from Parcells, his mentor, who delivered a 90-second pep talk. Basically, Parcells told him: The best people -- the true champions -- are able to accomplish a lot after they get knocked down. Let's see what you've got.

Another key moment occurred when a friend recommended "The Traveler's Gift," a 2002 novel by Andy Andrews. It's about a man who loses his job and money but makes a comeback after he's magically transported to key moments in history.Tannenbaum, once the youngest GM in the league at age 36, has reinvented himself at 46. He's the Dolphins' football czar, working above general manager Dennis Hickey. Never a wallflower at the free-agent party, Tannenbaum made one of the splashiest moves of the offseason by signing Ndamukong Suh to a six-year, $114 million contract. Tannenbaum made another bold move by giving a $95 million extension to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who still hasn't appeared in the postseason.

Tannenbaum operated with the same aggressiveness while running the Jets. Many of his moves worked -- the 2010 team was loaded with talent -- but some didn't. The trade for Tebow backfired, and Tannenbaum never got much return on a $40 million extension for Mark Sanchez. His biggest regret, though, was releasing Jerricho Cotchery before the 2011 season. Tannenbaum underestimated Cotchery's intangibles, what he meant to team chemistry -- and it became a major issue that season. You can bet he'll learn from that mistake, keeping it in mind as he reshapes the Dolphins.But a lot of Tannenbaum's handiwork remains intact, including the Jets' core players: Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Darrelle Revis, Muhammad Wilkerson and David Harris. Heck, he's responsible for the entire linebacking corps. All told, 16 of the 53 players on the Jets' roster are Tannenbaum gets, if you count the second tours of Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
On Sunday, we'll find out if Tannenbaum's new team is good enough to beat the one he helped assemble.

> espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/54616/for-ex-jets-gm-mike-tannenbaum-its-just-business-nothing-personal