Miami's Mediocre Mind-Set

The Miami Dolphins have a problem and it isn’t the fact that they currently sit at 0-2. It has nothing to do with their time management issue which Dan Henning took responsibility for…at least part of it. Nothing to do with rookies, play calling, QB’s, or the “Wild Cat”. It does however have to do with this quote from Dan Henning

 

“Chad made a great read on the ball that he threw to [Ted Ginn Jr.] down in the end zone, and I would expect that Teddy feels that five out of 10 times he’s going to come down with that ball,” Henning said, referring to the possible 42-yard touchdown pass Ginn dropped. “If he had [caught the ball] we wouldn’t have said anything about the two-minute (drive) then.

So therein lies the problem. Expecations. The comments that Dan Henning made is a microcosm of what this franchise has become over the last decade and something that the Miami Dolphins fans have come to expect on the field. Mediocrity. Ted Ginn would have been “expected” to make that catch 5 out of 10 times? What’s the matter with 8 out of 10. Or God forbid 9 out of 10. Again, this is the problem with the Dolphins.

How can Ted Ginn expect more from himself if the coaching staff doesn’t expect more from him? Is the quote by Henning taken to literal by me instead of taking it as a simple quote and nothing more in regards to the rest of his sentence…”had Ginn caught the ball”? The arguments along these lines are a decade old. Jay Fiedler was a tough SOB but he wasn’t a great QB. Chris Chambers made fantastic catches but couldn’t make the ones that were easy, the ones that don’t make the highlight reel.

The point is simple, and yes I know that I own a rather well known disdain for the WR, but Ted Ginn is mediocre and the comment by Henning tends to back that assessment up. Last year this team did very well but they did so on the shoulders of the Wildcat and smart play, what wasn’t a huge part of that season was of course the play of Ted Ginn, our number 1 WR.

The Dolphins will not accept mediocrity in their seasonal record. They bark that they are there to win it all. They fight to go further and get better. They strive for perfection but they do so with imperfect decisions. They do so with the understanding that this is the best they have to work with and they seem to accept that.

I have nothing personal against Ginn other than the fact that I don’t think he possesses the heart to play at this level. That is not a knock because many football players don’t. It’s not his fault he was drafted number 9 overall or drafted at all for that matter. If the Dolphins said they wanted to draft me number 1 this year, I would let them and then I would proceed to laugh to the bank. I don’t think Ted Ginn is laughing.

Ginn is a nice kid but an NFL superstar or even a future star he is not. When he learns to take the hits, then he will have a chance to become a better WR. Unfortunately, I don’t think he can anymore. That time has passed. So has, in my opinion, the years of mediocrity. If the staff expects perfection then they need to have individuals on the team that expect perfection from themselves. Ted Ginn’s days are over and the coaching staff needs to stop thinking 50 percent is o.k. 5 of 10 is not going to cut it. The reality of the world may be 50% but you have to expect more. The Dolphins, or at least the taken out of context quote by Dan Henning suggests otherwise.

 

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O.K. I got what I wanted. Penny injured and the future of the Dolphins begins next week Vs. Bills.
When a surgically repaired Rt. shoulder (twice) gets injured, your done! This will give Mgt. the green light to pour everything into Henne. The MRI will reveal seperation, detatched labrum, rotator cuff tear etc.. Great guy nice career, future QB coach.
Parcells will sign Vinny Testaverde as back-up, don't laugh. I still would like to see what P.White can do for a half. Its a mess, but Penny was just a stop gap. Keep fighting fish and phans. Develop Henne or white and get a nice '10 draft pick. Henne reminds me of P.Rivers. Keep fingers crossed. The offense must go vertical, the side to side passing is nauseating. Lets Get Turner out there also, see what he's got, Ginn a ghost.

Ok Brian Let me tell you how things are going to go, again last week I gave everyone the colts and over.Now it will be SD and the over, because Penny is sooo done. Fish run on 3rd and 6 with 3min. to go in game because deep down the staff doesn't want Penny throwing in a big spot and possibly sacrifice the chip shot FG. The run game was strong, but you must take a shot downfield. Penny confidence shot, he seems very somber this season. Ginn catch would have been nice of course, he should have agressively pulled it down. If anyone watches that play closely, Ginn was being grabbed on right shoulder pad during leap. Many, Many, teams at home get that interference call in the NFL , Not here. Chad Henne will start week 4 after fish get rocked 38-16, and finally we have a big arm behind center. Mix in a little P.White and away we go. What the hell are we waiting for? Please stop micro analizing and come up with a real solution, which I now have since the week one debacle, which will rear its ugly head again on the west coast with Chad "can't win the big one" Pennington. The fans and writers must put the heat on King Parcells who is married to Penny to make this God Damn Change!!!!!! 6-10 season best

Sorry man, but that catch is made 50 times on Sunday by 3rd string WR's.  Elite WR's make those catches look simple.  Ted Ginn was afraid he would get hit.  And it is a mediocre mind set right now.  Channing Crowder is a good LB but not  that much better than average, same with Vernon Carey and Y. Bell.  This is a trend.

Joe:  I agree, we are heading in the right direction but these guys need to start getting playmakers and getting rid of those that are not.

thers no dought about it we are heading the right way i do believe ths coaching staff is giving ginn all the cances to prove hes number 1 wr but we all know hes not i do belive he be gone after this season

That catch would have "spectacular" by any receiver in this league. That means they are not often made by anyone!!! If anything 50% is optimistic, as we seen with Holmes in the SB. 9 times out of 10 he would have dropped it. Ted is not an elite wideout, but in this particular case, to reduce the whole organization's character to one miss by one player on a speculative lob into tight coverage says more about the impatience and petulance of us as fans than what we really are about as a team in 2009.

The difference in week one to week two's performance was enough after the initial disappointment of MNF to make me realize that we are heading in the right direction. Keep Believing!

Nice article Brian...I thought the exact same thing when I read that quote in the Sun.  What is it the say...Great minds Drink alike!!

So true though, 50% is not a great result.  As long as we accept 50% we will never be a great team.  Well done my man.