The day we’ve waited so long to arrive will be here in 3 more days. Yeah, there’s a game on tonight, and may even be a good one, but I’m looking right past it to Sunday, 1PM, Hard Rock Stadium. This team has made a lot of changes and we will be relying on a lot young players, but if you look at the drafts we had last year and this year, I feel pretty confident.
On the offensive side of the ball, we brought in free agent LG Josh Sitton, I feel that is a clear upgrade. Returning at LT is Laremy Tunsil, and he will most definitely benefit by playing next to Sitton. At center, we said goodbye to Mike Pouncey, and traded for SF 49ers C Dan Kilgore. In theory, it will be nice to have all our starting OL practicing together and hopefully developing a rhythm and a chemistry. Kilgore will probably be an upgrade run blocking, but Pouncey was good last year pass blocking, and throughout his career, so Kilgore will have to play very well to in that regard.
Gone is the go-to-guy Jarvis Landry who caught over 400 passes in 4 years here in Miami, and in his place will be veteran WR Danny Amendola, as well as rookie TE Mike Gesicki, and WR Albert Wilson. 3 new faces for Tannehill, each with their own particular skill set. I never loved Amendola, but that guy is a clutch performer, helping the Patriots big time in the playoffs with excellent performances. Wilson was relatively underused in KC, and my hope is it’s not because he didn’t have the goods, it’s because they had too many weapons in KC with Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Gesicki can be the TE we’ve craved here for too long, at least as far as a receiver, his blocking is a work in progress. Gesicki brings athletic ability we haven’t had, and he’s a very talented pass catcher. We’ll also have the oft (minor injured) Devante Parker and Jakeem Grant as well. Grant will bring excitement, and Parker disappointment, just the way it usually is.
Ryan Tannehill returns from injury as he hasn’t played a regular season game since December 11th of 2016. Tannehill is acutely aware this is his team now, and if he can elevate his play, the team will come along as well. This is a great opportunity for him, I hope he makes the most of it. With Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore and Kalen Ballage, I think he has the tools to succeed. I think the backs will share a workload, but Kenyan Drake is the primary back. There won’t be a workhorse among the 3, but Drake is the lead, Gore next, and then Ballage and Senorise Perry.
On defense, we let go a pro-bowl caliber DT, one who played an exorbitant amount of plays for us, and he will be replaced by the frequent rotation of Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux, Akeem Spence and Vincent Taylor, with an occasional sprinkling of DE William Hayes. At LB, 2nd YR Rookie Raekwon McMillan returns after missing last season with an ACL injury. He’s joined by Kiko Alonso and and a combo of Jerome Baker, Stephone Anthony and Chase Allen. The biggest change is at CB, where Xavien Howard returns at RCB, but opposite him will be Bobby McCain, who was previously the slot and nickel corner. Depth wise, Cordrea Tankersley, Torry McTyer and rookie Cornell Armstrong round out the CB position. At safety, a few veterans return in Reshad Jones, T.J. McDonald, Walt Aikens, but they are joined by do it all rookie sensation Minkah Fitzpatrick. We’re going to see him on the field A LOT!
So on to the game! Tennessee will be lead by 5th YR QB Marcus Mariota, and the run game led by big back Derrick Henry (Kenyan Drake’s RB mate at ALA), former Patriots RB Dion Lewis, former Dolphins WR Rishard Matthews, 3rd YR WR Corey Davis and veteran TE Delanie Walker. The Titans like to impose their will with a power run game led by a tough OL with excellent bookends Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin. Henry had previously been splitting carries with RB DeMarco Murray, but with Murray out of the picture, Henry will be getting the lion’s share of carries. We have struggled defending the run, at least in the preseason, so we’ll see if we can hold here at home.
On offense, Devante Parker is OUT, so Albert Wilson will likely replace Parker as wideout. In the preseason, the offense was a fast pace, no huddle short pass game clinic. Not sure if that continues in the regular season, or if we’ll be more balanced with more of a rushing attack, and also get the TE’s more involved in the passing game as well. We have a rookie kicker, and supposedly Jason Sanders has ice running through his veins. Let’s hope we don’t need to find out!
MIA 30 – TEN 13
Finsmob Unleashed 
Kong – Polarized is the key word, and labels or categories that try to fit people like yourself, myself and many others into a much broader category, such as liberal, conservative is the big issue. Somehow, we’re basically forced to pick LEFT or RIGHT, CONSERVATIVE or LIBERAL, DEMOCRAT or REPUBLICAN. If a true 3rd or even a 3rd and 4th parties existed, that would make this less so. Like you, am more on one side for certain issues, but in general, I think I’m more moderate, because I’m on both sides. If I had to pick a label for myself I would probably pick conservative, but that doesn’t accurately define me across the board.
Good post, Mike. You describe how I feel when you talk about being forced into a category. And I am still LOLing about your ‘robust conservative laugh’ post from about a month ago. It was perfect satire.
Thanks Kong – I thought your post was a good’un as well, and I should have mentioned that.
Id be happy if they completely removed the words and the concepts of liberal and conservative from the dictionary and any sort of political journals recorded from the beginning of time.
A major reason we are at odds with one another is the simple fact we take every opportunity to label ourselves and segregate our beliefs. In some ways its one of the things about religion that has made me not favor organized religion and opt for a more personal relationship and faith. Democrat, republican, catholic, jewish, muslim, black, white, gay, straight, do any of these help us understand the ones who have a different label, no they just make us continue to see our differences and not our similarities.
I think thats the big deal behind religion, public service, and the forwarding of civilization is to start seeing everyone as human beings, which is our unifying similarity, and start doing whats best for humans, and not liberal or conservative. Can only make one side happy when you do that shit, you make everyone happy when stop it.
Im just so damn tired of the shit going on, which looks like a completely hopeless mess headed for one of those reset button kind of finishes that eventually will right the system, but comes at a HUGE cost.
The problem is that there aren’t a whole lot of adults left in this world. They began to fade out four decades ago. It’s world full of old children.
Pretty great observation there SB7.
D — not that came up with the concept, but people got along better when there was just Walter Cronkite giving the news and they went from there instead of isolated silos that create their own truth. We are in the age where Alex Jones says Sandy Hook never happened and many of thousands of his followers believe it.
^
If Mike E was running to be mayor of my town….I would vote for him. Cause exactly how I feel. Had some inside looks on politicians and the ones I respected the most were the ones who just wanted to solve problems. The ones who had simple integrity.
Show me an elected politician who goes against his party stance on an issue and that is one I respect, even if his stance is not what was hoping for. Simple integrity. It’s the fanatics on the fringes from both sides and the patsies that do not get my respect.
If he’s not fully healthy out there, he’s a liability. We saw that last year. He’s a luxury at this point.
100% agreed, SB7.
Stanger,
are you trying to say that if this country would just have the Fest every year that things would get better?
Would that make Stanger the Russia to Mike’s Donald Trump?
More like Dennis Rodman.
LOL — not a bad idea….. and the Fest is one place in which I am fanatical about party dictates. 🙂
But like SB7 stated above, if DeVante isn’t 100%, he’s a liability… as we saw last year (and even before last year). Let the guy heal up so that he ISN’T a liability. I see no harm in keeping him out for another week or two.
Regarding Parker: It would be really nice to have that big, fast matchup problem creating WR that defenses have to account for to pair with all the quick and fast smaller guys. Gesicki may end up filling that roll, but I think he’s got a learning curve before he really starts impacting games (if ever).
Parker has all the talent, he just can’t seem to put it all together for more than glimpses at a time. If he can ever live up to that potential, our WR group will have every tool in the toolbox, and we should be a matchup nightmare every single game.
100% agreed on DeVante. And as I stated above, let him get back to 100% health before subjecting him to the rigors of this brutal game. A 75% DeVante is a liability.
The only positive I can think of, so as to rush DeVante back is this: pad his stats before the trade deadline in order to make a deal.
And I’m not sure a 75% DeVante will be able to have his stats padded.
Yep, totally agree, let him get healthy. I like what our receivers are doing right now.
^
Those Parker highlights are basically from the same 4 games when he was healthy. Schad’s not being intellectually honest, but then again I’m not seeing who’s he’s arguing against. If it’s twitter, I can only imagine.
This Offense of ours, as currently constituted with diminutive receivers, strangely reminds me of Hawaii’s Offense in 2007 under June Jones with Colt Brennan. Small, but FAST. Short-mid patterns, with YAC ability. Shotgun formation most of the time, generally a spread Offense. And when they ran, they were able to gain YUGE yardage (if not stuffed at the LOS, that is).
The NFL has certainly become the NCAA of a decade ago.
I refer to the labels as tribalism. I believe in individual thought.
I don’t like that progressive socialists stole the word liberal. But they’re getting real close to finally admitting that they’re socialist. That’s no longer a bad word and they’re about to have a party about it.
I agree with Rock though, this country has been engaged in socialist policies for quite some time. The word in itself isn’t a bad thing. But if the government is in control of all business and commerce, that’s when I have a problem. But all politics are made up of people. Sometimes each side treats the other as if they are aliens. LOL
NEW BLOG UP!!
Good conversation here though, keep that up! Stanger, thanks for the vote man, appreciate that, but I can’t be a politician. My dad was very active in politics, it’s brutal. Too much stress for me man, it would kill me.
I guess my opinion on using Parker this weekend comes down to how the coaches feel about the matchups. Perhaps a 75% Parker matches up better against the Yets than a 100% grAnt? (not saying he does, but MAYBE he does) I’ll leave that to the coaches. If he shows he can catch the ball consistently this week with the glove on, PLAY HIM! He is a better option (in the traditional sense for an outside WR) than Grant, although there is definitely a time and place to substitute grant as the X too.