Finsmob Unleashed

OK FMU, the schedule is out and that means it’s time to start thinking about “The Fest”. We took a one year hiatus last year, and rightfully so. The direction of our team last season clearly downward under Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel and the mascot for not how to play to win but try and stay healthy, QB Tua Tagovailoa. All of them gone, ALL OF THEM!!! Just like our cap space, which is at rock bottom, the roster has been purged, and purged and purged some more and then we added lots of players, some drafted, some undrafted, but there will be a huge influx of young talent on this roster. To me that’s exciting. I think Sully and Haf have given us a corps of players to root for and I’m genuinely excited. Sully and Haf have preached they want a physical football team that can play anywhere in any kind of weather and this year’s schedule will put that to the test!

We will have plenty of cold games to prove that this team can play anywhere, beginning with a late November game up in Week 11 at Buffalo 11/22. If that’s not quite cold enough, how about playing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 20th? The cherry on top of the Sundae (Sunday?) will be the season finale against the New England Patriots at Gillette Field in Week 18 which is yet to be determined when it occurs, but it will likely be pretty darn cold up in Foxborough. What we won’t have this season, and it’s fine with me is a lot of real hot games in Miami where the heat will be our home team advantage. Week 3 on 9/27 at home against the Chiefs will be the best game for a chance of sweltering and swampy weather. There will only be one game in October, Week 5 against the Bengals. 2 games in November, but the temps will have subsided by then, and the heat advantage is no longer significant at that time.

All that is fine with me, this is a rebuilding year, a culture change season where we more than likely will not be contending for either a divisional crown or even a wild card berth, unless we really shock the NFL. Vegas likes us winning no more than handful of games, and some sites have us less than 5. We won’t be tanking this season, but even if things go better than expected, I don’t believe we’ll be winning more games than last season. I’d be pleasantly surprised if we did, and you’d have to give major props to both Sully and Haf if we do after turning over nearly the entire roster in one season. What’s great for me is I have no expectations. I won’t be holding this team accountable for any particular win total, I just want to see that this team is no longer soft, I want to see us compete and that means at every position and every facet of the game. I want a tough team, one that other NFL teams won’t look forward to playing. I truly believe we were the type of team that teams felt they could bully and dominate. I want opposing teams to say “Oh fuck, we’re playing the Dolphins this week, they really bring it”. This was a soft, pathetic team, born from their Capri pant wearing buddy Head Coach, who didn’t really command the type of respect a Head Coach should get. Also, a QB who was playing not to win every play but instead to stay on the field and play out the entire season, a QB who never stepped out of the comfort zone or put himself in danger in 2025.

Did we do enough to fix the O-line, a problem that has plagued this team for what seems like a decade? I feel very comfortable with the left side of the like with LT Patrick Paul and LG rookie Kadyn Proctor, and of course with borderline All-Pro C Aaron Brewer. Where it gets muddy is the right side. Last year’s 2nd RD trade up Jonah (2 picks) Savaiinaea will be moving to RG, and then RT will go back to Austin Jackson, who played in only 6 games last season. Clearly, the right side has lots of question marks, will Savaiinaea not be a turnstile on the right side and how many games can RT Austin Jackson give us? If Jackson misses time, will rookie 1st RD pick Kadyn Proctor move to RT or do they keep the rookie at one position to make things easier and then have one of the veterans like Charlie Heck or Jamaree Salyer move to RT? I know what I would do, I’d move the rookie Proctor to RT and give us a nice pair of bookend tackles in Paul and Proctor, and then either OG DJ Campbell or maybe Jamaree Salyer can take over the LG spot. I almost feel like it’s inevitable that Jackson will miss time, he’s missed 20 games total the last 2 seasons. It’s almost as inevitable as Tua sliding a yard or two short of a first down on a 3rd down only to watch him pop up in celebratory fashion and do the “First Down” arm gesture.

For those of you who think we’re going to tank this season, that’s NOT how you change the culture. They’ve done what they can in one season infusing the roster with players they believe want to be here and want to work and will adapt the tough personality of their Head Coach Jeff Hafley. Tanking is not the way to change the culture at all, they will be striving to win. Whether we have enough talent to execute wins remains to be seen, but we will not be laying down to try and secure a top 5 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. That doesn’t mean it won’t turn out that way, but I would not be surprised if we win as many games as we did last season, 7. What are your thoughts? Do you think I’m crazy and we’re lucky if we win 5? Let me know, I want to hear about it . . .

GO DOLPHINS!!!