Yeremiah Bell discusses 2004, 2007 and today's Dolphins

I still find it hard to believe the Dolphins are winless. I seriously never would have believed this team to be winless midway through the season's second month. SMH.

And yet, here they are. The Miami Dolphins are 0-4 and they are not exactly favored to win their Monday night meeting with the New York Jets. Again, hard to believe.

But as I showed you in an earlier post, this season so far does have some significant parallels to the troubling and terrible 2004 and 2007 seasons. I wrote a post on the similarities last week. (Check the archive or scroll back.)

I got to talking with safety Yeremiah Bell about this topic on Tuesday. He survived 2004 and 2007. He's living this season's travails. I wanted to see if he was equally surprised or shaken by this seemingly talented enough team's inability to win even once.

This is what Yeremiah Bell had to say:

Comments

[Joe Schmoe]

Oscar, I personally agree with yesterday. This team has very little talent.

Our D line, our supposed strength, cannot generate a pass rush, nor stop the run. The only one worth anything is Starks & that's only because of what he did 2 years ago.

All this talk about Langford really blossoming and deserving an extension is nonsense. He's an average DE. As is Merling, as is McDaniel, as is Odrick, as is Soliai as a NT.

It's hard to argue that the only people worth keeping are Long, Bess, Marshall(even though he is underperforming), Dansby(see Marshall) & Wake.

No one should be saying "Oh, we need him" in regards to anyone else on this roster. They are ALL replacable. After 4 offseasons of FA & drafts, we have 5-6 guys to rave about. Consider that only 4 of them were drafted here.

This is a team sorely lacking in talent.

[Betty Crocker]

Herbert Cain?

NO MAS, PLEASE!

[Mark in Toronto]

Joe, not so sure the talent is as bad as you say. With average NFL coaching this team is 2 and 2. That being said, I'm glad we have horrible coaching and will finally land a franchise qbs because 2I and 2the is average. I don't want to be average and sometimes you have to take a step back to go 2 steps forward.

[PriceMaster]

Joe,
Whether Dansby, Marshall, Long & Bush are worth keeping doesn't matter because they are un-tradeable due to the size of thier contracts.
When we draft Luck his contract will use up the rest of the cap room.
That means the following positions will manned by rookies next season:
QB
RT
RG
NT
OLB
FS

[ralph ortega]

PriceMaster,

as luck would have it, draft pick rookies no longer sign for ridiculous amounts of money.

[oscar canosa]

Rebuilding? We are not rebuilding anything here. We have the Stuff. With good management we would be competing with NE, now.

[finsfan72]

FUNNIEST POST OF THE DAY-

Take Long out for the year, let him get healthy. Move Columbo to left tackle, then the entertainment begins.

Posted by: Poizen | October 12, 2011 at 10:50 AM

Yes, we NEED a good laugh at this point...Thanks!

[Joe Schmoe]

Mark, it is that bad. Not many agreed with me last year that S. Smith & Clemmons sucked. We debated that plenty. What's the verdict this year? What I saw in those 2 guys last year is what I see all over the roster.

I just touched on the d-line, the results speak for themselves. We've gone through the oline a thousand times. We know the TE's & the Qb's. The LB'ers are not very good cept for Wake & Dansby. RB's? We have Thomas but who else? Everyon elses practice squad fodder or cuts like Slaton?

Aside from the 5-6 guys I mentioned, where's the talent?

Now, I do understand that the Sparano saga at the end of the year has had a negative impact & should be factored in but, come on!

Price,

Rookie contracts are tiny compared to what they were. 2ndly, I would not consider trading or cutting any of the guys I mentioned because they are the best this team has. Why on earth would we get rid of them? Unless we want to assure not winning a game next season.

FYI - Bush is wortless. No one will miss him. he is certainly not one of the better players on this team. Name recognition can only get him so far in the NFL.

[oscar canosa]

What do you want, Joe, Pro-Bowlers at every spot?

[Joe Schmoe]

Oscar, no. Decent starters would suffice.

[Dirk the Diggler]

Oscar, no. Decent starters would suffice.

Posted by: Joe Schmoe | October 12, 2011 at 12:11 PM

Its funny, Joe. On a winless team there are people who actually think the talent level is good enough.

This team needs a FS, SS, DB x 2, OLB, ILB, TE, QB, LG, RG, RT

But, yea....the talent is good! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[oscar canosa]

What do you call a decent starter, Joe? You talked of Langford, and to my eyes, he has been just that, a decent starter. Perhaps, on a Team that develos his talents, he could be more than that.

[oscar canosa]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think this Team is much better personnel-wise than the 2007 Team.

[Dolfan_Luck]

Speaking of Langford has anyone ever seen him lineup at RDE instead of LDE. He seems to always be in the same spot. Is it scheme for some of these guys or talent???

[oscar canosa]

Hey, Armando, try to get all these defeatists outta here because, in the end, they are going to make you look bad.

[Dolfan_Luck]

We also need a NT that will get double teams consistently freeing up 1 of the DE's for 1 on 1. I am not sure Solai does that or warrants that.

[Ohio Dolfan]

I saw the report that Daniel Thomas practiced yesterday.........that's good news. Jets have been giving up a lot of rushing yards....for what it's worth anyway

[Mark in Toronto]

Joe, on the best teams in the league there are only 5-6 pro bowlers and some of those make it on reputation. Now, I'm not going to say the Dolphins have 5-6 pro bowlers but they have a decent enough supporting cast. Of all the starters outside of QB, you can only really say maybe the right side of the o line are not nfl caliber. The rest would be re-signed as starters somewhere in this league. Take Kevin Burnett for example. How does a 100 tackle ILB with sacks and picks suddenly become a pile of crap? It's not like the talent disappears. Football is the biggest scheme and system sport on the continent. Coaching matters more here than anywhere else. Not saying the team is a contender on paper but they belong nowhere near the suck for luck sweepstakes. They shoudl be at worst what they were last year 7-9. Considering they did it two years in a row, had a young team and had players on the upsides of their careers. Now something beyond the field has sabotaged this team.

[Dolgirl Crying]

Not surprised by Fins offense problems. VERY surprised with their defense problems! I mean, what happened?

From last season, why is there such a major drop-off?

Honestly, I don't want to "Suck For Luck". The season is still young and I want my team to compete.

[Dolfan_Luck]

Oscar, your hope and optimism will soon be crushed. BUT with LUCK that will return next year.

[DKM]

The problem with Langford is he's not a speed rusher. He fits the mold of Parcells where he's a strong guy buy not fast, therefore he can't get off his blocks when he's engaged. All in all just another bust.

[tommy]

What has happened here is that Miami has stayed the same and everyone else has improved. The team that went 7-9 (and should have done better if they could have won more than one home game) is now a 4-12 team at best.

It doesn't take long in the No Fun League. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse.

[Home 4 Gruden 2012]

Remember Folks,

Home picked Mike Iupati 2 yrs ago in the draft

Mike Iupati is TEARING IT UP in San Fran who just dismantled the Bucs 48-3

Mike Iupati will soon be in the Pro Bowl as he not only blocks DL but then mauls LBs at the second level

Iupati would have have played right next to Jake Long for the next decade

Instead Ireland went with the bone weakened Jared Broken'Dick who sat out the entire first year w a brittle broken leg and has yet to make even one sack or be an impact player on the NFL's worst defense

Yes,
Instead Jeff Ireland went w that tub of lard in the video standing behind Y-Bell "John Jelly Belly" and what a bust "Jelly" has been

Oh Well
Amazing a like HOME can pick a Pro Bowler for our offensive line and Jeff "the expert" Ireland comes up w "Jelly" for the same position

By the way, "Jelly" does NOT start and is now labeled a Dolphin bust

Look for Gruden in 2012

Go Phins!

have a HAARPy day :(

[DevilsAdvocate]

Player evaluation is really difficult when you have such a thoroughly incompetent coach. Ross would not have tried to replace Sparano without having received a significant recommendation to do so from the insiders that know best.

I'm not ready to believe so many of our average players could not be much better if used properly. We have seen time and again the fins send average players away that end up playing above average on another team.

In a nutshell, I'm inclined to believe we have a few more players worth keeping than some realize.

[tommy]

I might add that preseason I thought the ceiling for this team was 8-8. I saw that a 1-4 start was pretty much guaranteed. However, I felt that this team would improve and take advantage of the weaker schedule that began at game 6.

In light of the loss at Cleveland and the resurgent Buffalo Bills, that 8-8 prediction has to be scaled back to 4-12. Instead of improving, this team will be struggling just to win and the negativity that surrounds the abysmal start will hold it back.

[2 watt]

mark, sd was 1st in d last season. thay have a dl,makes it easier for the lbs.the phins have a coconut at nt.lol

[ralph ortega]

Rocko! Nice to hear from you....where have you been?

Do we have any Pro Bowlers at all?
The gimpy Long? Our punter?
Certainly not our franchise player Soliai.

[Joe Schmoe]

Oscar, who's a defeatist? A defeatist would want to suck for luck. I'm not calling for that. Because Im a realist, nothing that's transpired this year is a surprise or a shock. How about you? Defeatist or optimist, whatever you wanna call it, doesn't trump reality.

Mark, I do agree with you to some degree. However, factor this into your equation. This D wasn't that good last year. #6 statistically my as*. Anyone watching the games last year so spotty coverage, awful 3rd down defense & inability to pressure without a blitz.

You're giving the players the benefit of the doubt saying they aren't as bad because they were good stat wise last year, maybe?

Look a little deeper into how they actually played against good teams & you'll see the results are the same. Same D, same coach, tougher opponents, same bad results. It's not a coincidence.

Regarding Burnett, he was a castoff in Dallas who did nothing there for 4 years & went to SD & only started & had 1 good season. The burden of proof in his play is that he's had more unproductive NFL seasons than productive.

[Rex Ryan]

JETS JETS JETS

The sardines are starting to smell bad....

Jets 45 Miami 3

We Will make it to the Super Bowl. Don't let a slow start fool you. 3-3 after monday night and 5-3 and ultimately 12-4.

Dollgirls 0-16

Praise the rulers of your world,

JETS JETS JETS

[Poizen]

Rex, you sure that's not your wifes feet?

[Rex Ryan]

Who doesn't want to jizz on their wife feet?

[Joe Schmoe]

Trudy? Natalie? Those are the only 2 I remember...

[Poizen]

I don't remember, But Joe was hotter then Blair.

Oh crap, I do remember.

[bnofal]

Natalie, Tootie, Blair

[Joe Schmoe]

Poizen, I think it would be Jo. Joe would be rather mannish for a female.

[Poizen]

Good point

[Poizen]

She was hot though! HOT! I was a little boy once. :)

[Tony Suckrano]

Well, the trade deadline is up this week. Mando, why no trades? Do they honestly think they have all the players they need to turn this team around this year?

[Poizen]

Tony, No cowboys are on the block at the moment.

[Bait & Switch]

Why no trades? A theory would be that you don't spend money on more groceries unless you know what the new cook's recipe looks like.

Although, I'm in the camp that says there are some positions that could be safely upgraded.

[DC Dolfan]

oscar, following off Joe, you're not a supporter, you're an IDIOT! I'm sick and tired of fans coming on here, "oh, nobody's for the team, I support the Dolphins, blah blah blah..." IDIOTIC!

You're the type of moron that goes down with a sinking ship. You're the type of moron that goes down the SAME street, EVERYDAY, hit the SAME pothole, and NEVER reports it so it can get fixed.

You're no fan by supporting a loser team. You're no fan by keeping your mouth shut when there are OBVIOUS MAJOR ISSUES with the situation in Miami right now. You don't have heart because you've accepted MEDIOCRITY!!! You're an IDIOT because you've accepted MEDIOCRITY!!!

And guess what IDIOT, you're outnumbered. All the TRUE FANS on this site see it the other way. I'm talking the guy who's been a fan since the 60's to the kid who's 18 and doesn't even remember the Marino-era. It's like 99% to you and few other imbeciles. Are you seriously saying YOU'RE the only TRUE fan on here? Poizen's not a fan? Craig M? Joe Schmoe? 2watt? DA? Home?

I mean, ARE YOU BLIND, DEAF AND DUMB!!!

You must be, because you're crying to Mando, and he's the biggest CRITIC of us all!!!

So do everyone a favor, go back into your cave, shut the door, cover your eyes, cover your ears, and scream, "I don't care what anyone says, Miami is the best" over and over again so you can enjoy your little FANTASY WORLD!!!

Then the rest of us and do what needs to be done. Pressure the organization to do what's right, clean house, find a HC who knows HOW to produce a WINNING team, and build up to WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS.

And when we get there, I don't want to hear SH*T from you but "THANK YOU, FANS, THANK YOU DOLPHINS IN DEPTH POSTERS, I was an idiot who was fine with being the worst franchise in the NFL, but you people knew what was up, you knew something was rotten in Denmark, and you were smart enough or not too CHICKENSH*T to speak truth to power."

Can you feel the passion in THAT? Was that enough HEART for you? Or was I too aggressive with you wallflower, LOVER OF LOSING?

[tony S]

Trades?

Maybe we could trade Soliai to the Colts. Looks like they need help.

[DC Dolfan]

FYI, I've thrown down the gauntlet. I'm done with some of you idiots on here. If someone wants to claim they're the true fan (or more of a fan) because they can't accept CRITICISM (JUSTIFIED) of their crap team, then I hope you're packin' because I'm training my 12 gauge Mossberg right at your temples you good-for-nothing, shouldn't-be-wasting-the-precious-air-I-breathe, SH*TKICKERS!!!

[GOD]

Keep the seat warm Tony !!!

[Dolfan_Luck]

Hey DC don't beat around the bush tell it like it is....haha

[MiamiDouche]

LMFAO @ DC. Only an idiot could care that much about something he has absolutely no control over and is meant for entertainment. Oops sorry, I meant IDIOT! LOL.

"I'm talking the guy who's been a fan since the 60's to the kid who's 18 and doesn't even remember the Marino-era."

This is the problem with the Dolphins. They attract no new fans because they haven't won in over a decade. So you get a bunch of tourists and wheel chair bound grandpas filling half the seats. What an atmosphere! Fins Up DC. Don't forget your diapers!

[Poizen]

Did you hear that? Yep, I heard it to.

DC finally snapped.

I right there with ya my friend.

[2 watt]

i liked the old broad.lol

[Joe Schmoe]

DC has come out all guns blazing.

[budtki]

everyone is saying that if you DON'T have a superstar quarterback, your NOT going anywhere. i disagree, sure everyone wants the best QB playing on their team, and a great QB does help a great deal, but those who are saying you need a SUPERSTAR QB don't know jack shi* ! as dolphin fans we all DISAGREE with that belief, look no further then DAN MARINO for proof! that being said, who thought miami would be 0-4, who thought the eagles would be 1-4, and just to make a point, who thought the bills would be 4-1 ???.. fitzpatrick is NOT a great QB, nor are the bills a great team, but come game day these guys play as if their livelyhoods depended on it! BELL said part of it but left out the part that miami plays flat, uninspired, and lazy football. the bills are a testement to the fact that if miami came out playing fast and hard, and set a tempo and intesnsity that the opponant can NOT match, we could very well be at 12-4 come seasons end. this is a TEAM game, does anyone remember the rams vs. pats superbowl, does anyone remeber how unstoppable the greatest show on turf appeared? does anybody remember the INTENSITY the patriots brought to that game? did the patriots take a play off? did they let up at all? NO! and that is exactly what is absent from this team every year they miss the play-offs, and every year we don't go to the superbowl. heck, the patriots don't even have that intensity anymore, and that's why they haven't been to the superbowl lately, the great QB will win you some games, but it was that intensity that the pat's had that beat the rams, it was that intensity the giants had when they bet the pat's. it's the will of the team to set a tempo and intensity that the opponant can NOT match that will win the game. TONY, your team obviously has never been shown the level of intensity required to make it to the superbowl, or at least win ONE game, maybe if they watched a replay of THAT superbowl that featured the greatest show on turf vs. pats they would have an example to follow. but it must be that superbowl, cause that game showed exactly how the unstoppable giant was beaten by sheer will and intensity!

[Mr. Ross]

DC, don't call my team "crap". That really annoys me and you don't want to be around when I get (really) mad.

[DC Dolfan]

budtki you are an IDIOT. Intensity? Seriously? You think that is the difference between the Dolphins and other teams is intensity? IDIOT.

[Mad_Max]

Those are don't rock the boat comments. If he would have said something negative about the staff. He won't have a job. It is, what it is. They are just going to have a bad year. After it time to clean house and start all over again. Super Blow in 2016.

[DC Dolfan]

lol Luck, but aren't you sick of sh*t-for-brains comments like that? The team has been crap FOR OVER A DECADE!!!! I could understand if we had 1 or 2 bad years, but otherwise were winning. I could understand if we were elite for a while, then had a dry spell for a couple of years, but that's not the case. WE SUCK!! WE HAVE SUCKED!! We're no longer an winning franchise. We haven't been for a long, long time. We've gone through GMs/HCs/QBs like we're playing musical chairs. All along we've done nothing well but LOSE LOSE LOSE.

And some idiot, after 2 7-9 seasons, an 0-4 horrible start, wants to criticize the fans who don't accept this crap. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Have we lost so much self-respect we don't even recognize failure when we see it? Where mediocrity is acceptable? People talking about talent on a team that's become the laughingstock of the NFL? Is this acceptable to you? To ANYONE (other than the idiot oscar)?

People, open your eyes. Look at Detroit, look at the 49ers, look at Buffalo. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT FAILURE!!! We can demand COMPETENCE!!

I'm not being unrealistic, I don't want to go to the SB next year. Hell, I was predicting a 9-7 season this year, WITHOUT making the Playoffs, and I was content with that. It would mean progress (that was my thinking). I didn't want it all right now. 9-7. I thought we'd land somewhere between 7-9 and 9-7. At this point, those records would be a GODSEND! We're 0-4. ZERO wins. Let that sink in. Us and the team who lost their franchise QB. I've said it before, up here in DC, they LAUGH at the Dolphins on the radio. They are SALIVATING thinking about playing us. Dolphins are a running joke on Mike & Mike. On ESPN. In every corner of the NFL. A JOKE!!

But I'm wrong for thinking we can change this disaster. I'm wrong for not wanting more. I'm wrong for speaking up on why I believe this is self-inflicted wounds. This isn't the refs beating Miami, or a outside violent force illegally destroying Miami, this is a team that's done it to themselves. From the FO down, MIAMI is responsible for it's own failure. But, shhh, don't say anything, maybe no one will notice. Maybe on MNF, in front of a national audience, no one will see how much of a disgrace we are. Let's not tell, and maybe everyone will forget. Yeah right. Let me stop before I break my damn screen.

[DKM]

WTH are you guys talking about on this blog?

[Mark in Toronto]

Jo on facts of life is a lesbian, like who couldn't see that coming?

Joe Schmoe, we can agree to disagree. I think Miami is like SF last year. Decent talent, no qbs, crap coach. If I'm a coach in waiting, and Miami is 0 and 16 or thereabouts, I'm am tripping over myself to take this job. With Andrew luck and a good coaching staff this team wins 10 games easy. After all Atlanta did it with Ryan in their first year.

[DC Dolfan]

That wasn't me @ 2:48pm. Imposter. The rest, yeah, that was me.

[lp]

Andrew Luck is gonna need to put up 50 points a game the way this defense plays.

[Joe Schmoe]

The difference between the Miami Dolphins & every good team is simply, 2 things:

1. Coaching
2. Talent

For the most part, Sparano is coaching lousy players that Ireland & Parcells have given him.

Is it all his fault? No. Should Ireland suffer the same fate he does? Absolutely.

[Mark in Toronto]

DC, what are you trying to say?