It’s obvious that the focus of this offseason has been the offense. We traded for one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL in Tyreek Hill. We brought in hands down the best LT available in free agency in Terron Armstead. We signed free agent RB’s Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, as well as tendering Salvon Ahmed. We signed FA WR Cedrick Wilson formerly of the Dallas Cowboys. The huge contracts and majority of trades and signings happened on the offensive side of the ball, but we very quietly brought back our entire starting 11 on defense, as well as most of the depth players behind them. You can ask “Was our defense that great last year that we stand pat?” Yes, and no would be my answer. I think we have a great mix of young and veteran players, and most of our veteran players are still young.
Our RDE Christian Wilkins had an elite year, and there’s no reason to think he won’t either play as well or better this season. We have some young players that just started to show how good they can be such as SLB/DE Jaelan Phillips and safeties Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones. Raekwon Davis came off an early injury and wasn’t 100% last year and I expect bigger things from our young NT. Our veteran CB duo is still among the best CB tandems in the NFL if not the best. While X is the big playmaker, whether it’s an INT, a forced fumble or fumble recovery, he’s always around the football making plays. Byron Jones is a very underated cover corner. A lot of teams just avoid X and throw at Jones, and Jones is a top 10 rated CB on PFF, if you care about such things. Jones isn’t a WR playing CB, he’s a CB who just blankets his guy. Zero INT’s, but he rarely gets beat bad. Our two young safeties Holland and Jones looked better as the season went on and Eric Rowe is also a fine player. Jerome Baker is another underrated player, he plays every down and and does it all, from making the routine tackles to blitzing, to covering RB’s and TE’s, #55 is there. CB Nik Needham is one of my favorites and just a guy who steps in and gets it done. AVG hasn’t really busted out, and he may never do it, but he’s a guy that gets a lot of pressure, in fact he had the second most QB hits on the defense with 20 behind Emmanuel Ogbah, who we re-signed to a big contract. He’s worth every penny.
One thing that is easy to skip past is that the huge investment in the offense will help the defense. If we can keep the chains moving and score more than we did last year, which I believe is nearly certain, then the defense will be on the field less, and won’t be forced to carry the team as often as it did. If we can jump on some teams and take some leads for a change, that puts the pressure on the opposing offense and makes them more one dimensional, and will play right into our strength, better pass rush and lockdown, playmaking secondary. We were 22nd in points scored and 16th in points allowed. Say we go up to midpack or better in scoring points, to 16th or better, I’m almost going to guarantee you that our points allowed will drop into the top 10.
This team should be a lot of fun to watch. The speed on the offense with Mostert, Hill, Waddle and Gesicki is going to be fun. All of a sudden, that left side of the line with Armstead and Williams will be plowing spaces for the run game, the screen game, and add in FB Alec Ingold, you just have to expect a better result running the football. We brought back blocking TE Durham Smythe, Michael Deiter is our C, and our best OL from last season, RG Robert Hunt should stay right there. There should be a fierce battle for the RT spot, between Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, Larnell Coleman and Robert Jones, and potentially another player who is not yet on the roster, either a draftee or post June cut. I understand we have a new system but I feel we’re in good hands with Mike McDaniel. I don’t expect him to struggle implementing his system. The players like him, listen to him. he r-e-l-a-t-e-s to them. They get him. He’s charismatic. Our team will be all in, and we will be much better on offense, we have so much more talent. Talent wins. So while the offense will be much better, don’t overlook the Dolphins defense!
#stangerstrong
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Sign Morecroft for his experience.
Nice write up MikeE..
I had a similar thing as your Walmart experience at a local Home Depot..
Probably 10?years ago..Was buying CFL Lightbulbs and there was a stack of cases on floor with $4.98 tag on the case of 96 ? Bulbs
I grabbed a case and figured if it rang up as each box of 8, I would claim ignorance and say oh then just I box please.. the case rang up at 4.98… I promptly put it in car , went back in and grabbed another case… I am finally on my last box now….
Thanks Toba – I really had no idea it was two until I got home, pulled it out out of the back of the van and saw that it was inside the other one. Not a big deal, Walmart will probably somehow stay in business. 🙂
Well, he’s got talent, sign him to a non guaranteed prove it deal and see if he makes the 53, nothing to lose
I’m really happy they signed Morecroft. Team needed a reliable experienced Punter. Got their man.
Nice write up Mike.
Thanks!
OK, Punter signed, no holes left. Now it’s just BPA, although in reality, it was probably always BPA
dud looks like me except he has more hair
Just read they’re meeting with Reuben Foster the ILB. Over his knee injury now. Could be interesting.
Wyo
do I owe you a beer now? Damn long way to send you one though.
I’ll pick it up sometime or other no need to send it! 😉
6th rated punter last year? Why wasn’t he on a team already?
Age
Ahh, cheers
Don’t overlook the defense that contributed heavily to 1-7 last year. I wonder which version will show up. I still want that dynamic ILB. Still think C is a weakness. Hopefully our captain planet backfield will be better than the last several years of iterations.
As for the offense, McDaniel knows he can’t do it alone, that’s why he brought in a lot of good coaches he can lean on to implement the offense. We won’t see him sitting by himself on the bench during the fourth quarter with equations floating over his head as he figures out what went wrong. lol
Hopefully they learned why the D was so bad the first half, my concern is can Boyer be the man without Flonase
So much for my Matt Araiza dreams.
And just figured out he wore #2 in college…. that was a sign from god. 🙂
So we signed P Thomas Morhead, you guys will have a field day with that one
Stanger – Just a one year deal for Morstead. Araiza or some other punter may still be in play
I can only hope, but seems would be a harsh move to sign an established player only to draft the “punt god” and cut the other one. Not our style.
Thanks for the new piece Mike and I agree, even if the team break our hearts this year, it should at least be fun watching them try?
I asked piggy if he could come up with a name for the D and he came up with the legion of ………
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1512419471507566593
Unlike the pig himself, I don’t think this one’s going to fly?
LOL UK – Probably not
Cool, got a punter. Foster has not played any games for a couple years. Not sure what he could bring to the table. He was really good coming out of college.
Morestead has been around a long time but last year was one of his best seasons. He can still boom it.
I like it. He’s one of the guys I hoped we were eyeing later.
If we shore up ILB and OC prior to the draft, who knows.
This!!!!!!!!!!
^
I was actually about to type that myself 😊
Reuben Foster. He’s injury prone but could be a good rotational player. We only have 7 LB’s on the roster right now anyway. Most of them being OLB’s.
I could see a 1 year prove it deal.
Hits like a truck, at least he used to
SB – Our offense was so bad during the first 7 games, especially when Brissett was the QB. That definitely played its part in why the defense was so bad also. I know they don’t mutually have to suck at the same time, but we weren’t scoring, we were taking so many sacks, the defense was in a really bad situation too often
^ during the 7 game losing streak
True, but we saw how bad they played against Falcons, especially the last drive
Actually, I didn’t. I was heading to the airport. Wasn’t happy either way. 😦
The coaches admitted that we played a different scheme in the first half. You could tell from the first game something was off. No doubt there were some smaller factors, but the largest part was a change in the way the defense was called.
Morstead makes reaching for Araiza unlikely, but with one our 7ths…
Foster 6’1″ and 240 pounds with 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash
I’d take a shot, but why didn’t the other teams try him out?
He was suspended for two games at the start of the 2018 season for violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, coming back to start six games before the 49ers waived him following a domestic violence arrest. The Washington Commanders franchise claimed him, with the NFL continuing their investigation into his arrest.
He was not suspended for the arrest and the charges were eventually dropped, with both the Florida State Attorney’s Office and the NFL concluding there was not enough evidence for any action. Foster returned to practice with Washington in May 2019, but sustained a torn ACL that cost him both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Foster has had multiple workouts with teams since recovering from his knee injury, but he has yet to be signed by anyone.
In his two seasons of action, Foster has appeared in 16 games, starting all of them, with 101 tackles and two passes defended. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was the run game coordinator for the 49ers during Foster’s time in San Francisco.
I keep seeing posts about Mahomes having the 2nd most passes behind the LOS in reference to Tyreek Hill going deep and it took me a while to figure out that people were referencing passes like Screens. My dumb butt was like aren’t all passes thrown from behind the LOS otherwise it’s a penalty?
You’re not that dumb…usually
The crucial game was the loss to the Jags in London. People forget we had both X and Jones out that game.
Flonez gave that one away going for it on 4th down late
Two Russian precision missiles hit a train station filled with people looking to flee the Eastern Ukraine today. So no doubt the station was the target.
At least 30 people were killed and over 100 were injured. Part of one missile was recovered intact (below). In case your Russian is rusty, “For the Children” is scrawled on it. Bastards.
Nice write Mike. Thank you for all of your hard work on this blog!
Thanks Boulder! Appreciate the kind words
The amended lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York. It asks for, among other things, increased transparency in NFL hiring, incentives for hiring Black coaches and increased visibility for Black assistant coaches.
In other words they want privilege, just because…
“Van Ginkel finished the year eighth in the league in quarterback knockdowns. Of the seven who finished above him in 2021 in this stat, six were named to the Pro Bowl.”
He got off to a slow start, but maybe he didn’t really sleep on last year all that much.
Can a turnstile let a door hit him in the ass as he leaves? Hmmm 🤔
Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door
Tyreek plays like a man among little girls.
———–
102: Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky
125: Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
Note: Brandon Smith, LB, PSU, went to KC @ 121
Why is Dan Campbell telling Dolphins stories?
Maybe it’s his Vietnam.
LOL
He’s still salty over being interim HC and then not getting the job.
My best guess as to whom Dan Campbell is talking about without naming him? Either Dark Richie or DeVante Parker. Many rumors about both of them being drinkers.
I don’t think Campbell should have let this cat out of the bag… very unprofessional.
And who runs a story about it? None other than our friends over at PFT (Mike Florio’s baby).
I’m actually being unprofessional by even wagering a guess as to who he’s talking about. For that, I apologize. It’s now a story and everybody is trying to guess who it is.
There is no hypocrisy there IMO. You’re just commenting about it on a blog, not running a story out there for millions to hear or read.
If Reuben Foster has put his demons behind him and he’s finally healthy, he would be a great signing. Yes, it should be a 1-year ‘prove it’ deal. He certainly looks healthy enough to tear the head off of somebody, that’s for sure.
Guys have been playing in football games while drunk since the sport started.
Seriously.
In the 1890s almost all of the players would meet at a tavern to get loose before walking down to play in a full contact game with basically no pads.
At least one of the old GB Packers from the 1960s was mostly drunk for a Championship game.
Our NT when I was in high school was drunk for every single game, but he was the baddest ass dude in the whole league so not even the coaches tried to give him orders.
Excellent capsule of the moment Mike E. Very smoothly written.
Thanks Naples! Appreciate it
Mike E,
Forgive my manners! Agreed with Naples, excellent capsule of the moment. Realize that I 100% agree with ya on Byron Jones, too: he’s probably our most under-appreciated asset. Without him, we’d be bleeding yardage every game. He may not be a turnover machine, but he’s VERY good at what he does.
Thanks M!
I don’t know what to make of Reuben Foster. Does a guy who hasn’t played football in 4 years come in here and beat out any of our guys? I know how good he was, but that’s a lot to ask, don’t you think?
ILB is a spot that comes up weak to most. Depends on how he looks in workouts, but would have no problem at all if they threw him into camp. He doesn’t work out then he doesn’t.
I can’t explain why, but I have a feeling our Oline is going to be very good this year. Again I have no reason to feel this way, I just do. I think we may just see the “potential” come to fruition.
Our very young players are going to blossom and the talent we added to the left side is going to shine.
Watching Tua highlights from 2020 the OL was at least average
Last year the maroon got rid of the 2 vets, now we have 2 better ones, should equate to at least an average OL
Is it Friday yet?
Let me start it off with an absolute classic
In the days of my youth I was told what it means to be a man
Nice write Mike E! I think you nailed it. Thank you!
Thanks Krishna!
Happy 2nd opening day!
I had to refresh the blog to make sure I didn’t accidentally load a blog from 2017
What’s with the Rueben Foster discussion?
Did I go back in time?
He’s working out for the team now
Extensive medicals I imagine!
Yeah like making sure he still has a pulse…
So how many people here are going to watch day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft?
It’s football, what the hell.
That’s a solid probably?????
I may skip day one, since we don’t have any picks. I hate watching all the other teams getting players I would have wanted. Then again, that happens most of the time even when we do have picks. lol
Here’s your next article Mike E! 😉
LOL – Same results!
Good write, Mike. We have a lot of talent on defense and I think the continuity they have playing together is important. This unit has top 10 potential.
I see we signed the vet punter. At the least we have to have one. The offseason additions really rounded out our team. Now let’s go win a lot of games and make the playoffs. 🙂
Thanks Tim!
CavalierKong says:
April 8, 2022 at 3:20 pm
There is no hypocrisy there IMO. You’re just commenting about it on a blog, not running a story out there for millions to hear or read.
————
Thanks, Bro, but people with such problems should remain anonymous to the public, IMO. The airing of one’s dirty laundry isn’t cool in my book, and I should not have participated in trying to guess who Campbell was talking about. I feel like I fell into the trap that PFT (Mike Florio) was setting.
Mike E. says:
April 8, 2022 at 5:18 pm
So how many people here are going to watch day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft?
—————-
I’ll watch it as a Phins fan for one reason: ya NEVER know when we might make a move to trade up into the 1st round. If I’m not there for it, I’ll feel HORRIBLE!
I’ll watch it because I enjoy it. I like seeing the prospects living their dream.
^ That too! I agree.
M – You know what’s strange – I read your reply and the first couple of times I read it I thought you said hat if the Dolphins do something awful like trade into the first round and you missed it you’d feel terrible. Nowhere did you imply that. That either means I think you would be upset by it or maybe subliminally I don’t like it. Hmmm
I would be VERY upset if I missed us trading into the 1st round and I missed it, that’s all. Nothing implied one way or the other, I just want to be there should we trade up! 🙂
I won’t be watching the draft as I’m sure there are more interesting things to do.
Some people are just bigger football fans.
Tim,
Over the last couple of months, we’ve hired two diehard G-Men fans who LOVE to talk football. They appreciate me (and they’d appreciate any of us on this board) for our love of football in general.
I keep telling them, if he’s there for the taking, DRAFT Evan Neal to protect their QB (whoever it may be, including the future) and to spring Saquon… they dig it after wanting to trade up for Aidan Hutchinson.
After that, take the BPA Defensive player on the board.
If nothing more, I hope GM M13 can help the G-Men! I’ll be watching the Draft for that alone! 🙂
Giants vs Dolphins Super Bowl let’s go.
Danny Dimes vs Tua? LET’S GO!!! 😀
I want to see the Giants draft one of the OTs and one of the Edge guys. They need both and the value is there.
Don’t know why, but I continue to see Kayvon Thibodeaux’s stock drop. If the G-Men can snag him @ R1P7, he’s worth said ‘risk’. Neal and Thibodeaux in the first would be WINNING!!!
And if Evan Neal is already off the board @ R1P5, Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi, would be a great consolation prize.
*Mississippi State
One of the OTs at #5 and maybe a guy like Jermaine Johnson at #7. There’s been some rumors the Giants may trade down with at least on those picks. New GM and HC and we know what that means. New roster.
I saw a mock draft where the Eagles selected Jameson Williams. That would be SICK for Philly and Jalen Hurts!
I also saw a mock draft where the Chefs* selected Jameson Williams (to replace the speed of Tyreek Hill). That would be SICK for KC and Mahomes!
Yes, I’ll be watching the Draft!
The Giants #5 pick could be a target for a team that likes one of the QBs and wants to jump Carolina at #6.
Malik Willis is going to go top 10. Maybe even higher than that. He needs some development but he has the tools – very good arm and running ability.
I think Kenny Pickett is going top 10 as well.
When it looked like there would be no QB’s taken in the top 10. I am starting to hear chatter there will be. What was that mock earlier that had the Saints trading up for Pickett. I think it will pick up steam.
If we’re cool with the draft we have and just go BPA with the few picks we have and then adding UDFAs to compete for roster spots, I’m cool with that. We could already pick a 53 man roster that’s pretty damn good as is.
^
Don’t believe that for a second TPP 😜
Was supposed to be a reply to Tim’s last post
Won’t have to watch the first 2 days of the draft, I’ll just come here to see if something happened
A little pissed, that we don’t have a 1st, but at 29…would’ve had to hang out all night at the Belagio, just to see us pick
That’s the same Belagio, that pig stayed at when he was here a few years ago
Tim Knight says:
April 8, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Malik Willis is going to go top 10. Maybe even higher than that.
———–
I LOVE that kid! He’s going to be good in this league.
Friday night music time
Today’s theme: best opening to a song
Here’s my submission
Awesome tune!!! Thanks for that, I haven’t listened to this in awhile. The roots of this song is based on the song I’ll post. That song comes from the roots of an old blues tune.
Please play the tunes…thank you rockphin!
Crazy with the Mets vs Nats series. Game 2 tonight and Lindor gets plunked in the head after Nats pitchers hit 3 Mets batters, including one that hit C James McCann in the shoulder and Alonso in the head. Nats pitcher ejected although I think it was accidental.
3 guys were hit last night. Lindor is the first Met hit tonight. Wondering if there will be a retaliation hit
If you fuckers want other music you need to post it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You’re doing just fine! Keep ’em coming!
Love this tune.
https://youtu.be/BVLqaGNJ2wE
You go Toba! Good tunes
Lmao
Poor 🐸
Please could someone tell me how to post music vids on here?
Use YouTube and copy the link.
Try this one:
All yi do is go to the video on your tub and copy from the share button and then post
Nope never worked. I’ll google it later.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I’m thinking it should just be COCK – Pro Football Talk – With our lead Cocksucker Mike Florio
Haha! So let me get this straight: if Ross is found to have tanked, he’s in major trouble? Thank God that douche bag broke that bit of news to us…
That’s pretty cool!
Then how will they be able to manipulate the spot of the ball?
Yeah, less wiggle room for them, but the refs will still have control over when the player is called down.
Think Dan Campbell was pissed he wasn’t retained and couldn’t use race as the reason
Maybe some of these guys just aren’t cut out to be an HC, no leadership qualities and no creativity
Dwayne Haskins RiP killed in a car accident
I just read that. Awful.
WOW! RIP
He got hit by a car in So. FL, terrible news
I can remember being so pissed that we never kept him as HC at the time. Who did we hire? Some loser I bet.
Bloody hell! Just saw the DH posts. What a tragedy.
Why was he a pedestrian on the inters t ate?
Best I could find was: ” According to a team source, he was apparently headed to the airport to return to Pittsburgh when the accident occurred.”
Also saw this (which might be the pedestrian): “Earlier in the day, a pedestrian was killed on I-595, but the Florida Highway Patrol had not confirmed Haskins identity. Authorities said it was a 24-year-old man.” And age is right.
It was 595 in browned county where it meets 195
Not a safe place to cross at all
There stuff like car rent al places etc across the interstate from airport in that area
Some one said he was having car trouble and pulled over
I just saw that Dwayne Haskins was struck and killed by a vehicle. That is awful. So sad.
Very sad
RIP, Dwayne Haskins. 😦
I’ve always liked Gil Brandt. But today, at 90-years old, he really stepped in some poop on Sirius NFL Radio regarding the death of Dwayne Haskins… OUCH. He’s probably finished after this…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APgkLbqDS00
No need to say that kind of stuff.
Oh my, what the fuck was that? Time for the pasture….geez, loueez
The split coconuts are overflowing with my beloved KAVA this evening in Miami!!!
Gil Brandt maybe should not have said what he said right now but I have to admit he said what I kind of think of Haskins
Are you sure you’re not confusing Dewayne Haskins with Jameis “Crab Legs” Winston?
Regardless, I don’t like people taking a crap on the dead… especially when their bodies aren’t even cold. That should only be reserved for the likes of a Hitler.
No
I should say say I am sure I am not confusing Haskins for Winston
Then I can’t help ya, Hulkster. A tragedy occurred as family, friends, and fans are in mourning. I do NOT like what Gil Brandt said or thought.
Time for the pasture….if you needed to say it, say it to his face, not when he’s dead….pretty simple.
^
Ken, maybe Haskins is a weird guy. But this has nothing to do with football. Just a sad loss of a young person. Brandt’s comments were strange to say the least.
I don’t disagree. I wouldn’t have made the comments but I have to admit I certainly had similar thoughts
Ken,
I don’t understand your disdain for Haskins, man. By almost every account, he was a very good, very clean, and a very jovial individual with a work ethic. THAT is why I thought you may have been mistaking him for “crab legs”… who stole, cheated, and has a very checkered past.
So you don’t like Jameis Winston?
I think Jameis has finally grown up, especially after going to the Saints and under the tutelage of Drew Brees and Sean Payton.
I was just wondering if Ken had harbored ill will towards him, mistaking Haskins for Jameis.
No he was a problem child with a poor work ethic. He was run out of Washington before the end of a season where the team was QB starved and had invested a number 1 pick in the kid. You have to be a pretty big fuck up for that too happen. It doesn’t mean his passing isn’t a tragedy, it certainly is.
I am not sure of the need to speak ill of a person on the day they tragically pass away, or ever for that matter, I guess.
100% agreed.
M13:
I have defended a fair number of wrongful death cases in my career. I am somewhat immune or hardened to the emotional aspect of cases like this. Part of what I do is to investigate and analyze the behavior of the deceased. Maybe that is why I come across as somewhat harsh in these type of circumstances
Understood. I’m just surprised at your lack of empathy (you usually have MUCH empathy, Brother!), regarding somebody who was touted as a really good guy, by most.
I’m not trying to call you out, I’m just very surprised, Hulkster. We’re good.
FWIW I am not a big fan of Winston