Guts Check: Head over Heels for Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler

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Welcome back to Guts Check. A weekly Miami Heat column aimed at bringing readers my perspective on all the hot topics surrounding the team. You can expect a regular balance of sourced information, analysis and an expression of the soul of the Heat fan base. In the name of Trusting the Spocess, let’s call these weekly columns position-less.

Since we last touched base:

  • Heat beat the Hawks 112-97 & 106-97 in a home and home series.
  • Dominated the Houston Rockets from start to finish in a 129-100 route on Sunday.

Let’s review a few of my key takeaways from the undefeated week of Heat basketball that was.

Jimmy Butler: The Human Embodiment of Heat Culture

“The group of guys we have is the group of guys I want to play with.”

That was one of many quotes from the recent interview with Yahoo’s Chris Haynes.

Jimmy Butler has Heat fans ready to run through brick walls for him at this point.

I would argue that no player in Heat history has arrived on the scene in Miami and become as endeared by (and connected to) the fan base as Jimmy. Not Alonzo, not Timmie, not even Dwyane or Lebron James. Shaquille O’Neal was endeared by all, but for far different reasons.

Jimmy resonates with this fan base because he brings to life the things even the most cynical of Heat Culture critics tend to scoff at. The doubters who scoffed, have largely been left to praise. Butler reinforces so much of what the organization has built its reputation on. He talks and walks the Miami Heat way. Pat Riley has found his next Alonzo Mourning.

Whether it be winning that introductory press conference alongside Riles, to posting 3AM workout videos with Heat rookie sensation Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler has been incredibly vested to the success of the team since day one. Fans notice the way Butler goes out of his way to prop up the young players he is surrounded by. He chose this group, because they approach the game the same way he does.

Speaking of Herro, Heat fans wanted as many reasons to embrace the Bucket Bros as they could find. Being co-signed by Butler was the icing on the cake that allowed fans to fall firmly in love.

 

This all goes back to one thing. Jimmy Butler has all the guts. He is exactly who this organization needed. His arrival was perfect timing for both player and team.

Heat fans were desperate for a star, literally any star, to come to Miami and remind them this organization mattered. Not only did they get a star, they got one who is reminding the NBA that the Heat matter, but especially in all the ways the Heat view as most important.

Erik Spoelstra appears rejuvenated, and we can understand why.

Coach Spo looks like a man who has had a 235 lb. weight lifted off his shoulders. He just has a different look in his eyes when he talks about this group. He likes this team and all its elements. (well, almost all of them)

As we watched the team this week, we saw multiple players put in position for major contributions. Spoelstra finally has a roster that fits the way he wants to play, and it shows in the way Spoelstra has been able to mix and match lineups and tinker on the fly as he finds combinations he likes best.

Although they all feel like they involve Bam & Jimmy don’t they?

The Heat’s potent bench depth is surely going to be a needed boost on Western Conference road trips against high powered offenses, such as the one that starts in Denver tonight and ends in Los Angeles against Lebron’s Lakers on Friday.

Spoelstra having the ability to go full “mad scientist” on the rest of the league with 3 or 4 cyborgs on the court at all times is a distinct advantage he was not awarded in recent seasons.

Most of all though, Spo looks reinvigorated and rejuvenated. In my opinion, it has a lot to do with who has relocated.

Quick Hits:

  • The Heat continue to quietly communicate that Dion Waiters is available via trade. The Detroit Pistons, who have a further depleted back court with the injury to Reggie Jackson, is a team that continues to be mentioned according to a source. The Charlotte Hornets are also a team to watch as a willing trade partner it if means securing an asset.
  • Marvin Williams and Jae Crowder, both players the organization has shown interest in previously, are potential targets that could entice the Heat to eventually package an asset (such as Derrick Jones Jr.) with Dion Waiters to find the shooting guard a new home. Such a trade would likely need to involve a third team, and the Heat prefers not to surrender any asset in such a move at this time according to a source. The reemergence of James Johnson would also cool off any interest in Williams or Crowder for the time being.
  • Although the Heat remain open minded to all trade scenarios, the team is by no means actively pursuing any major trades at this point, according to a league source. The team, as expected, is pleased with its 5-1 start and prefers to be patient. Check back in mid December, when more than half the league will become available via trade due to free agent restrictions that lift on 12/15, as that seems to be a more realistic reevaluation date for trade options.

 

Player development key to Manny Diaz tenure in Miami

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The Miami Hurricanes are coming off a high after two straight impressive road wins at Pittsburgh and Florida State. They have already impressed before when they defeated ranked Virginia but that came before the Georgia Tech loss.

“We’d be very foolish, given some of our past performances, to think we’ve got everything figured out,” Miami head coach Manny Diaz said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “We know hard work and attention to detail give us a chance to win.”

The defense took a hit after safely Bubba Bolden’s injury removed him from the remainder of the season. He intercepted a pass in Miami’s 27-10 win against Florida State and fellow safety Gurvan Hall leaped in celebration and crashed into him, causing him to landed awkwardly and suffer an apparent ankle injury.

“Unfortunately, he’ll be out for the season, which is tough on our defense because he was really, really starting to play at a very high level,” Diaz said. “We’ll have to do what we always do. We’ll rely on the depth we have at the safety position and move on.”

Part of that depth includes veteran safety Rob Knowles, who has already played a vital role to the defense. Diaz considered the senior safety as “a testament to player development.” 

“Rob Knowles is so important to our football team,” Diaz said. “I don’t know where we’d be without him. I don’t know how many wins we’d have without him.”

Player development has been the theme of the press conference, something that may seem like a lost art in college football when players who are recruited to be starters lose their time and transfer somewhere else in search of that opportunity. 

He’s the guy right now in college football that’s not sticking and staying,” Diaz said. “He’s the guy that doesn’t look player development in the eye that wants to leave and wants to go someplace else because of the assumption that it will be easier somewhere else.”

Diaz said Knowles is more athletic that he’s ever been and other players have followed suit. To him, recruiting is half the battle, development is the more crucial half.

“Not all players walk on to campus ready to play from Day 1,” Diaz said, “but it’s our jobs as coaches to get them to be the best versions of themselves that they can be.

Another example is redshirt freshman defensive end Greg Rousseau, who won ACC defensive lineman of the week after posting a career-high four sacks, a career-high five tackles for loss and a career-high eight tackles against Florida State.

“Greg’s a guy that didn’t know a whole lot about playing defensive end when he came here,” Diaz said. “And obviously he had to spend some time being hurt, so getting a guy like that to transform his body. The way he looks now is not the way he looked when he was dropped off on our campus 18 months ago.”

Junior running back DeeJay Dallas rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown along with 44 receiving yards against Florida State. Surprisingly enough, being Miami’s featured back wasn’t the original plan when he came to campus. He was a high school quarterback when he committed to Miami.

“You always try to find ways to get these guys to maximize their potential and thats one of the things we take as much pride on as a coach,” Diaz said. “Coaches a lot of times like to beat their chest about this one was a first rounder, this guy was a first rounder. Sometimes getting that guy that became an undrafted free agent that was not gonna be that, one of the most awesome stories in the last three-four years was Adrian Colbert. He’s still in the National Football League and was left basically out of football at Texas and came here and had a great 2016. As coaches you just love advancing those guys, just getting them to be the best they can be, whatever’s out there for them. That’s as much of a success story as a guy that becomes a first rounder.”

The Hurricanes will be closing out the home slate of the season on Saturday with a Louisville team that is coming out of a bye week. It will be both their homecoming and senior day.

“We play a very dangerous Louisville team that had a week off to do nothing but think about the Miami Hurricanes,” Diaz said.

This Miami Heat team feels V E R Y different

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Well this has just gotten off to a ridiculous start hasn’t it? The Miami Heat early in this season have probably been the best story in the NBA. The team had an off-season with substantial turnover for the first time in quite a few seasons and it resulted in the injection of a lot of changes happening very quickly. The most impressive change they’ve made, in my opinion, is this:

Heat Pace (League Rank)

2019-20: 106.6 possessions per 48 min (6th) – fun aside – Hawks led the league in Pace at 104.6 last season! The league is running wild.

2018-19: 98.7 possessions per 48 min (23rd)

Heat Offensive Rating (League Rank)

2019-20: 108.4 points per 100 possessions (9th)

2018-19: 106.7 points per 100 possessions (26th)

The Heat increasing their offensive pace by 8% over last season with the team increasing their efficiency on top of that is recipe for massive success. The returns are already historic in the context of the franchise’s history, as the Heat have now started the season with 6 straight games scoring at least 106 points. According to nbastats.com Team Streak Search, this is the 3rd longest streak of games where the Heat scores 106 points in the franchise’s entire history. It’ll be interesting to see if this combination of pace and success is going to be sustainable.

We obviously need to discuss the biggest change to this team: transitioning from the leadership of Dwyane Wade to his close personal friend and off-season trade acquisition, Jimmy Buckets. Butler come over in the series of transactions this off-season that resulted in Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside going out and Jimmy and Meyers Leonard coming back to the Heat.

He’s had a bit of a bumpy road in the NBA the past few years as the Heat are his 4th team in the past 3 seasons, with concerns voiced surrounding him across the national media that he always seemed to find problems where he’d been. Based on the first action we’ve seen, it seems like he’s been waiting to be a Heat all along.

Here are some of the things he’s been doing in his first three games in a Heat uniform:

  • 3 Heat Wins
  • He’s averaging 15-points, 7-rebounds, 7-assists, 4-steals, 1-block per game which is just an absolute abundance of culture
  • He currently leads in the league in Defensive Rating and he’s 2nd in both total steals and total plus-minus in the NBA, despite having missed half the season
  • Helped create one of the most historic gifs in Heat Twitter history

 

Butler’s mentality and the Heat’s organization approach seem to be blending well together and it’s paying dividends across the entire team. Meyers Leonard post game after a Heat’s Sunday night win against the Rockets said to Fox Sports’ Jason Jackson that the team’s mentality has come from Jimmy Butler because he’s completely unselfish. He doesn’t care about scoring and he plays hard on both ends of the floor.

That kind of mentality, especially when executed with the tenacity that Jimmy brings, is infectious.

The Heat are currently 4th in the NBA in Defensive Rating allowing 98.2 points per 100 possessions, which is great to see that they’re maintaining elite level defense with this increase in pace they’ve taken on.

Synergy Sports currently has Jimmy in the 81st percentile defensively, holding opponents to 0.74 points per possession and causing them to turn the ball over 31% of the time. He is a nightmare defensively to go along with fellow nightmares Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow that will create a real problem for NBA teams that don’t have quite a few scoring options on the court.

Jimmy Buckets is doing all the right things early on.

Small Sample Size Theater

  • Kendrick Nunn, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo, and Meyers Leonard currently is the second best lineup in the league in terms of plus-mins, as the Heat have outscored opponents by 38 points in the 25 minutes this lineup has been on the court. This lineup is dominating in almost every facet of the game:
    • 53% FG
    • 46% 3P
    • 88% FT
    • 23 assists on their 27 field goals
    • 8 steals and 9 blocks in a little more than half a game of basketball
  • Kendrick Nunn, Jimmy Butler, Meyers Leonard, and Bam Adebayo currently have the highest plus-mins in the NBA at +61 among 4-man lineups
  • The 4 best 3-man lineups in the NBA in terms of plus-minus are just a mix of the same 4 guys above this. They have all really stood out early on for Miami.
  • The Miami Heat have actually had a better defensive rating with Meyers Leonard on the court than off through the first 6 games, which was the main concern with him coming in.
  • Not a single player on the roster that has played at least 20 minutes has a negative plus-minus. Heat are winning with everyone.
  • The Heat currently have FOUR shooters that are in the 90th percentile or better in Synergy Sports Spot Up shooting rankings:
    • Robinson – 1.57 PPP (98th percentile)
    • Herro – 1.41 PPP (93rd percentile)
    • Nunn – 1.43 PPP (94th percentile)
    • Leonard – 1.39 PPP (90th percentile)

The Heat will have a definite test coming up, as they embark on a West Coast trip where they will be facing the Nuggets, Suns, and Lakers (combined 13-5 records) in a matter of 4 days. If they can maintain this level of play through a stretch that difficult, we might really have to start reevaluating how good this team can really be.

In summation:

*unless otherwise credited, all statistics came from stats.nba.com*

Some fans question the tanking objective. (Tony Capobianco for Five Reasons Sports)

Dolphins’ victory worth celebrating despite draft implications

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It’s OK, Dolphins fans, to take a much-needed victory lap. And a brief break from fixating on next year’s draft.

Everyone’s psyche in South Florida needed that 26-18 win against the New York Jets, perhaps as much as the Dolphins can use the first overall pick in 2020.

No matter how much one may have become invested in #TankForTua, there was no way to hang on to any semblance of aqua-and-orange allegiance and root for a loss to the much-despised Jets. Especially when the coach on the opposing sideline was Adam Gase, who was such a disappointment in three seasons in Miami and is doing even worst with New York.

This hoping for losses to bolster draft position hasn’t been any fun for anyone. It’s tedious and burdensome.

Dolphins may not be done winning

Jockeying for draft position is far from settled. Halfway through the season, the Bengals, lone remaining winless team (0-8) is positioned to take touted Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa or whoever they may want.

The 1-7 Dolphins are just one of several one-win teams and now have a tie-breaker edge on the 1-7 Jets — which means the Jets have the advantage on Miami in the draft.

The Dolphins, with the Bengals and a rematch with the Jets in the Meadowlands remaining on the schedule, may not be done winning. The Bengals and Jets also face each other.

It’s pointless to fret about the implications for next April’s draft. As fans, it’s not your job.

As much attention as has been directed at Tagovailoa, it is unknown if Dolphins brass is convinced he is the next Marino.

Is Tua even best choice?

It is uncertain if Tua is even the best choice. That he has had significant injuries to both ankles since late last season raises some questions about durability and how he may hold up in the NFL.

What hasn’t changed is the Dolphins must come away from the next draft with a quarterback to lead a resurgence of the franchise. So they better pick a good one. It’s the task of general manager Chris Grier and his assistants to make that happen.

Grier and Co. have stockpiled a boatload of draft picks over the next two years, including three first-rounders in 2020 and two in 2021. How they play those chess pieces will be more interesting than anything that happens on the field in the next two months.

Sunday’s result doesn’t mean this Dolphins team is going anywhere notable this season. It was a sanity saver to get a day off from humiliation, particularly in light of recent events:

Not only did they squander a 14-point lead last Monday at Pittsburgh, Minkah Fitzpatrick, the 2018 first-round pick they traded away, intercepted two passes for the Steelers.

Then Thursday, Kenyan Drake, another discard who was an underutilized asset in Miami, ran wild in his debut with Arizona (110 yards rushing, 52 yards receiving and a touchdown).

Perhaps toughest to swallow, Ryan Tannehill was playing at an elite level in winning his first two starts for the Titans before losing Sunday to Carolina.

This win feels like miracle too

Nothing good had happened for the Dolphins since the Miami Miracle win against the Patriots on Dec. 9. Of the four players involved in the wild, multi-lateral desperation touchdown dash, only DeVante Parker remains. Drake, who finished it, Tannehill, who started it, and Kenny Stills, who kept it going, are all gone.

Coach Brian Flores, who finally got his first Dolphins win Sunday — along with the requisite Gatorade bath and game ball from the players — was a defensive coach on the other side that day.

Flores has a team that looked in the early weeks like one of the worst ever assembled in NFL duds showing marginal improvement the past three weeks. That is important for various reasons, even with the organizational objective clearly remains in the tank.

The habit of losing can become so ingrained it is tough to break even when the talent has been upgraded. The over-hyped Browns are a case in point.

In addition, you can’t draft an entire team in one or even two years. Something must be mined from this season.

Players on the rise

There are encouraging signs. Tight end Mike Gesicki, who has been much better in his second season, had his best NFL performance Sunday with six catches (on six targets) for 95 yards. Rookie receiver Preston Williams had receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns (though he injured his knee and reportedly will have an MRI Monday).

Parker, the much-maligned 2015 first-rounder, had a TD catch and is putting together a respectable season.

Last year’s top pick, Christian Wilkins, may have had his best game, with five tackles (three solo) including his first career sack.

Driven by some old-fashioned FitzMagic — veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had three touchdown passes and a 118.8 passer rating — it added up to the Dolphins’ sixth win in the past seven meetings with the rival Jets. That’s never a bad thing if you favor aqua over green.

Fitzpatrick said: “To do it with these guys, the things that we’ve had to fight through and all the negativity that is surrounding from the outside looking in, the way that guys have decided to be positive, decided to practice well, decided to come to work every single day and work hard, that’s what makes this one so special.”

So go ahead, Dolfans, toss aside the paper bags. Let someone else bury their heads in shame for a change.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

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Canes Chances of Winning the ACC Coastal are Slim

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Note: Photo courtesy of Tony Capobianco.

Two weeks ago, when Miami fell to Georgia Tech, ACC Coastal dreams were a distant memory. A win over Pitt and a dominant destruction of Florida State has Canes fans getting out their abaci to try and calculate their ACC Coastal odds.

Unfortunately, the Canes winning the ACC Coastal will take a minor miracle. The reason? There are essentially 4 teams (excluding Miami), in the mix (or of concern to Miami. Duke is hanging around but the Canes still have to play them): North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. And while the Canes have gone 2-2 against those teams, they have a big problem, which is their ACC Coastal record.

North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech are guaranteed to finish with better ACC Coastal records in a situation where they end up tied with the Canes, and Pitt at best would tie Miami. The Canes minimized their ACC Coastal record.

This is important because after head-to-head, ACC Coastal record is the tiebreaker. The Canes poor ACC Coastal record eliminates all 3-team tiebreaker scenarios involving North Carolina or Virginia Tech. There are some really wacky 4-team ties where Miami ends up tied with Pittsburgh, Virginia, and one of North Carolina or Virginia Tech where they could win on head-to-head, but those are really outlandish. Not only would there need to be a 4-way tie, but the specific losses would have to be such that North Carolina/Virginia Tech are eliminated on head-to-head 4-way record prior to ACC Coastal record coming into play.

There is a 3-team tiebreaker which Miami wouldwin, and that is a tiebreaker where the Canes end up tied with Pittsburgh and Virginia. And while that doesn’t seem too far-fetched, the following would have to occur:

  • Virginia loses one game.
  • Pittsburgh loses one game.
  • North Carolina loses one game.
  • Virginia Tech loses two games.
  • Miami beats Louisville and Duke.

Even that doesn’t tell the full story, which is only apparent when looking at schedules:

  • UVA: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
  • UNC: at Pittsburgh, at NC State
  • Pitt: North Carolina, at Virginia Tech, Boston College
  • VT: Wake Forest, at Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, at Virginia

With so many games between the contenders, it’s hard to have them collectively lose the requisite games.

Perhaps the most realistic scenario would be Pittsburgh beating North Carolina and Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech losing to Wake Forest but beating Virginia. That would tick all the boxes and seems realistic. If that were to happen and the Canes beat Louisville and Duke, they win a 3-team tiebreaker over Pitt and Virginia. You want a cold does of reality? There is a 0.496% chance of that “realistic” scenario happening according to ESPN’s FPI.

Miami blew it in the Georgia Tech game. Not only did they throw that game away, but they lost an ACC Coastal game to the field, with Georgia Tech looking like finishing 1-7 in the ACC. If Miami had won that game, they’d simply need one Virginia Tech loss to control their own destiny. Instead, they need 5 combined losses across 4 teams. The Canes can still have a decent season, and finish with a nice winning streak to carry some momentum into recruiting and 2020. But the ACC Coastal will take a series of results breaking their way that are extremely low probability.

Guts Check: Introduction + Early Miami Heat Observations

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Welcome to the first edition of Guts Check. A weekly column aimed at bringing readers my perspective on all the hot topics surrounding the Miami Heat. You can expect a regular balance of intel, analysis and a window into the mind of the fan base. Hopefully it can develop into a weekly thermometer of just how much the Heat is on.

My intention is for this to stay fresh. One week it may be player performance focused, the next week rumor heavy or discussion on rotations. We probably will even take some trips down memory lane or spend time hope trafficking about the future. Let’s call it position-less. Trust the Spocess.

In the spirit of having the Guts (as The Godfather so eloquently put it) this is going to be the genuine authority on all things Miami Heat.

That’s the intro, now IT IS TIME. (as Jax so emphatically puts it)

#JustiseBetter still….

Justise Winslow has arrived.

It could be argued that no player has benefited from Jimmy Butler’s absence in the early going as much as Winslow. Not because he or the team is better without Butler of course, but more because I think it allowed him to build up the confidence that has proven to be so vital to his ability to flourish.  I believe these moments as the alpha are going to help as the season progresses and Butler looks for other “dogs” (as Winslow calls them) to depend upon.

Despite the stellar start for Bam Adebayo and the emergence of Kendrick Nunn (more on both of those guys in a moment), I believe Justise Winslow has been the best player through 3 games for the Heat.

Winslow has done it all and aside from some free throw struggles, has continued to be BETTER than he was even at the end of last season when he appeared to find his game.

These two plays essentially sum up the type of all-around excellence Winslow has provided the team through 3 games:

On offense:

On defense:

The trio of Nunn, Winslow and Butler in the starting lineup is particularly intriguing when you consider Nunn’s ability to score in bunches combined with the defensive versatility of the trio to switch everything. We can’t wait to see this trio on Tuesday night.

BAE – The Bam Adebayo Experience

Since the moment Adebayo was drafted, people around the Heat have considered Bam the recent Heat draftee with the highest ceiling. That showed itself in countless ways the first week of the season for the Heat.

Whether it was making quick work of a double-double in a opening night win versus Memphis, having an absolutely masterful performance versus Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, to his defense on Karl Anthony Towns in the last 3 quarters of Sunday’s matchup, Adebayo has been awesome.

It helps that he is also putting in a good word for HEAT Culture to the current Bucks star after the game on Saturday:

If Adebayo continues this play, he is quickly going to be vying for Most Improved Player.

Any idea how to stop Kendrick? Answer: Nunn.

Heat rookies have had 1 good game to begin a season before, Willie Burton comes to mind. (I am showing my age). But make no mistake, Nunn is not Burton, this kid can play. The question has become, is this closer to a flash in the pan, or panning out like Flash?

I know, I am getting way ahead of myself. However, from summer league to preseason and the first 3 games of the regular season, has Nunn had a bad game? The answer is likely no. Spoelstra just can’t keep him off the floor.

If Nunn proves to be this type of scoring threat all season, it dramatically changes the ceiling of this Heat team. If not for Trae Young starting the season unconscious from every angle of the court, Nunn would have likely won Eastern Conference Player of the week. He has been that good.

Side note: Nunn vs Young is coming up twice this week. FUN.

Quick Hits:

  • Chris Silva has the Guts. Silva had to have been injected with UD’s blood at halftime of the home opener versus Memphis. Although Silva is likely heading to Sioux Falls relatively soon, it’s nice to see an additional big man in the pipeline that appears ready to contribute sooner rather than later.
  • Is Goran Dragic the 6th man of the year in the making? Likely to lead the team in scoring once every couple weeks (see that Bucks game). If he continues to flourish in his bench role, could he follow in the footsteps of Alonzo Mourning as a Heat All Star turned key cog off the bench on a contender? While Goran was certainly dangled in trades over the summer, and still carries a valuable expiring contract for potential future deals, his handling of this transition to the bench is the stuff Heat Lifers are made of.
  • Tyler Herro has quietly been very solid through the first 3 games as a starter. Despite his rookie mistakes, overall he just looks like he belongs and has had moments where you really see the intriguing potential. His move to the bench with the return of Jimmy Butler is going to make the reserve unit even more potent. Again, Tuesday’s match up versus Atlanta can’t come soon enough.

 

That’s all for this week Heat Nation. If you’ve got the guts you will be back next week.

 

Brian Flores

Coaching separating Miami Dolphins from worst of the worst

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The Miami Dolphins did everything they could to deprive the roster of talent for 2019. They traded almost every player with any possible value for draft picks, gearing up for 2020 and beyond. So far, things have gone according to plan. Miami is 0-6 (possibly 0-7 after Monday Night Football) and racing towards the first overall pick.

However, the Dolphins have competition to be the worst of the worst.

On paper, there’s no question which of these teams are the least talented. Miami is filled with scrappy young players, but very few are proven. Now, with the recent trade of Kenyan Drake to the Arizona Cardinals, there’s even less talent on the roster. How can the Miami Dolphins possibly have any competition to the rights for the first player off the board next offseason?

Simple answer. Coaching trumps talent.

Average players can be coached beyond their alleged limitations. However, talented players who are badly coached end up looking a lot worse than they really are. This is what is happening around the league now.

The Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of talent, but head coach Zac Taylor is not living up to expectations. It doesn’t help that veteran Andy Dalton is hindering his team at quarterback more than helping.

The Washington Redskins fired their head coach Jay Gruden, putting Bill Callahan as the interim. Gruden did not want to play rookie QB Dwayne Haskins, opting to put in veterans Case Keenum or Colt McCoy over the owner’s wishes.

And of course, the New York Jets, coached by former Dolphins coach Adam Gase.

Enough said.

Bad coaching can ruin football teams, and it really brings into question what the Dolphins could have accomplished if Gase was the coach he was originally advertised as. Could Miami have made it to the playoffs for two consecutive years? The talent was obviously there. But clearly, Gase is not a good coach. He wasn’t with Miami, and he’s not with New York.

So now Brian Flores takes command of a team with players who have undeveloped talent. Role players fill out the roster, but very few players are easily recognizable. Xavien Howard, Jerome Baker, Reshad Jones, Albert Wilson, maybe a few others. And yet, despite the lack of talent – and their winless record – the Dolphins are somehow trending up.

How is that possible?

Maybe, just maybe, Brian Flores is a good coach, teaching his players how to win in the face of challenges they don’t really have the talent to overcome.

“From the first play to the last play and every play in between, they all count.” Flores said on Thursday. “So you want to have high execution really on every play, and good communication, because you don’t know which one it’s going to be that is the difference between winning and losing. I think that mentality, that every play counts and if you dwell on previous plays – good or bad – that will affect the next play. So just having a next-play mentality and an every-play-counts mentality. That’s where I would start.

“To me, the next part is there are critical moments in the game. Let’s call it critical red-zone possession or a critical third down or a defensive possession after a score. There’s kind of critical points in the game. Again, every play counts and every play is critical; but there are critical moments and junctures in a game where as a team, we need to kind of recognize that and play our best football right then.”

That is the mark of a good coach. Good coaches take whatever they have and make the best of it. That is also what Bill Belichick has made a career out of. He turns otherwise nameless players and turns them into stars. True, he has Tom Brady to help make ends meet, but there are very few teams who can talk about the ‘next man up’ mentality, and actually apply it effectively.

Flores isn’t there yet. However, the fact that the Miami Dolphins are still competing in games and fighting to the very end to succeed, that’s coaching. Flores just might be Miami’s next great coach, but it will take some time for the talent to arrive before that judgment can be made. Belichick is successful with Tom Brady, and vice versa.

Wait until 2020 when Flores (hopefully) gets his version of Tom Brady, whoever that may be. Once the QB position has been firmly addressed, maybe Flores can build on what he’s doing with the players he has to make do with, and turn the Dolphins back into a true contender. His talentless team is trending up, while talented teams are falling on their face much worse. That speaks volumes.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Dan Marino

Dolphins dissed again as Dan Marino ranks 41st on NFL Game Changers

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It’s no secret that the national media has a bias against all things Miami. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Dolphins, the Heat, or the Marlins. Media members have called for action to be taken against the Dolphins for their apparent tanking efforts. Meanwhile, those same media members are saying teams like the Bengals would be wise to cut their losses and attempt to put themselves in a position for the number one overall pick.

In other words, tank 2019.

That double standard is something Miami sports fans have had to accept. However, when the greatness of Miami’s legends is disregarded as nothing more than average, then it’s time for heads to roll.

Ask almost any defender from the 80s and 90s who the toughest quarterback to defend against was, and they will probably tell you it was Dan Marino. He lacks a ring, but was no doubt the greatest passer to ever play in the NFL. Marino set records that wouldn’t be broken until the NFL took action to accommodate quarterback play. In just Marino’s second season, 1984, he threw for over 5,000 yards and 48 touchdowns. He then threw 44 touchdowns in 1986. Those numbers were unheard of back then. No QB would get to 40 touchdown passes for another 13 years (Kurt Warner, 1999). No QB would get to 5,000 yards for another 25 years (Drew Brees, 2008).

In many ways, Dan Marino is responsible for the type of play we see in the NFL today.

So how in the world can anyone make a top 100 list of things/players who changed the NFL as we know it, and only put Marino in 41st place?

Now, some would say that this is just an arbitrary list in order to put together a clip show. Perhaps, but then don’t make it a top 100 list. When someone makes a list like this, the placings matter. Anyone who watched Dan Marino play knows how ahead of his time he was. He had amazing velocity on throws. His release speed was unmatched. If he were in his prime today, Marino would likely break all the records again, and no one would be able to catch him this time.

But what makes this truly egregious is not where he’s placed. It’s who – or what – is ahead of him.

So they expect viewers to believe that a group of cheerleaders and fake grass (really, fake grass?) had more of an impact on the game of football than the man who turned the NFL into a passing league? The astroturf is the worst offender here, especially since a lot of teams are looking to transition back to normal grass. So, is the impact really still felt (literally) today?

Changing the game means forever, it means that it reshaped the NFL as we know it. Dan Marino did that. Dallas cheerleaders? All due respect to them, not really. Astroturf? Players don’t even like it and teams are going back to grass. How do they rank above the greatest passer in NFL history?

Either this is a result of a young intern who doesn’t know who Dan Marino is and thinks Patrick Mahomes is already the greatest QB of all time, or it’s a slap in the face to the legacy of the Miami Dolphins and their most legendary player. Either way, something needs to be done about this. If not now, then in future lists when discussing greatest anything. Dan Marino was the Patrick Mahomes of his era. The level of excitement fans had watching him across the nation prompted the NFL to change the rules to let future QBs have a chance of pulling the same feats.

41st overall, that’s the most blasphemous thing that can ever be said about the legend that is Dan Marino.

Well, except for the idea that he wasn’t good enough of a QB because he never won a championship. But that’s a discussion for another time.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung