Finsmob Unleashed

The summer, for all intents and purposes, is over. Sad times for me, but the saving grace is always that with the end of summer comes the beginning of a new NFL season. That time has now arrived, and while in the north east, you can still wear shorts and a t-shirt, the “catch some rays” mindset is gone, and Sunday has become the most important day. Well sort of, and I only say that because the NFL has chosen to saturate and litter the week with games on Thursday, Sunday, Sunday Night and and then again on Monday Night. Which game is supposed to be the marquis matchup? The NFL doesn’t even know anymore. Regardless, Dolphins fans, Sunday is approaching, and we’ll get a look at our new squad against a very familiar squad, our division foe New England Patriots. Over the last 5 seasons, the Dolphins have won 6 and lost 4, but more recently, the Dolphins swept both games last season, 17-16 opening day, and then 33-24 in the season finale.

If I’m going to be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure what to expect from our team, mostly from the offensive side of the team. Will we still be a pass dominant team with Mike McDaniel? When we run the ball, will Chase Edmonds get the majority of carries, or will we be splitting it among 3 or 4 guys, including Raheem Mostert, Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed? Will the Dolphins be able to get the ball to speed merchant Tyreek Hill downfield? Jaylen Waddle caught 104 balls last season, will he still be a high volume receiver? TE Mike Gesicki was 2nd in targets (112) to Waddle’s (140), will he get even half as many this season? This game alone won’t tell the entire story because you gameplan against a specific opponent each and every week in the NFL. The funny thing is after watching (some) of the Bills vs Rams game, I see that the Bills just do the same thing every week and beat you. That’s when you know have an elite offense when you dictate the terms, and you don’t need to alter the gameplan to match up to a particular opponent.

I expect the defense to give the Patriots a tough time, I don’t expect any letdown on that side of the ball. I actually feel like we might have a special defense this season, and I think the NFL is kind of sleeping on us in that regard. The one caveat is that we’re out one of our top starters at CB, Byron Jones until week 5, so someone is going to have to step up and solidify that spot. Noah Igbinoghene will probably be that guy on the boundary while Nik Needham remains mostly inside. If Iggy struggles, there are a few guys who may get an opportunity, such as Keion Crossen and UDFA Kader Kohou, already somewhat of a fan fave. The Dolphins have relied on having that stout secondary with Howard and Jones at CB, so it will be interesting to see if we make some adjustments early on to protect the secondary by being less aggressive with blitzes which can leave DB’s vulnerable if they get burned. We have quietly added some nice veteran players to rush the passer and defend the edge such as Melvin Ingram and Trey Flowers. LB Jaelan Phillips is poised to have a great season and build on the success he had late in the season. DE’s Emmanuel Ogbah and Christian Wilkins were about as consistent as can be, and both had very good seasons last year. I believe that both Ogbah and Phillips will both have double digit sack counts this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Phillips exceeded 15. He just has such athletic ability, size, speed and a pretty good repertoire of pass rush moves for a young player.

Game 1 will be the first time we see WR Jaylen Waddle in game action. He may be the lucky recipient of a lot more one on one coverage, unless NE plays zone coverage, which is definitely a possibility. In any case, Waddle is just coming off a leg injury, so there may be a snap count for him, it’s a long season. Cedrick Wilson Jr., who came over from the Cowboys may see a lot of looks, especially if the defense gives Hill and Waddle extra attention. Perhaps the rookie Erik Ezukanma gets some playing time Sunday as well, especially if Waddle is limited. The biggest question of all and the most important one, is will the O-line be improved, will Tua have more time, and can the O-line give our RB’s some space to run. I realize that’s more than one question, but it’s really all one question, can the O-line get it done after struggling so much last season. Terron Armstead and Connor Williams will help that cause significantly, as and year LG is now surrounded by better players and can just focus on doing his own job. RT Austin Jackson will have the benefit of playing next to RG Robert Hunt who may have been the Dolphins best offensive lineman last season.

I think the Dolphins will win on Sunday, I think we’re the better team. The Patriots WR corps will have starters DeVante Parker and Nelson Agholor. We know Parker better than anyone, and know what he’s capable of and how he will be used, but when DeVante is healthy, he can still dominate. Damien Harris led the Pats last season with 202 carries for 929 yards and a ridiculous 15 TD’s. Rhamondre Stevenson got more action later in the season and proved to be a load to bring down. Both rushers averaged over 4.5YPC. The Patriots also use their two TE’s they picked up last offseason, Johnnu Smith and Hunter Henry, and the latter gets the majority of the targets. I think the Patriots will try to keep the ball away from our offense by running the ball as much as possible. If the Patriots have 40 or more rushes, that will probably mean we had a bad day, so let’s hope our run defense is up to the task. I think the additions of Ingram and Flowers will help defend the run and I think Elandon Roberts may have a ton of tackles. We know Raekwon Davis has lost a lot of weight, and while that may help his speed, it may not help him anchor the D-line, so they may be running right at Davis, which means #52 may be really busy!

#stangerstrong

GO DOLPHINS!!!!