5 Reasons Miami Dolphins Will Be Even Better In 2017

[Fin Fan in Cali]

http://nflspinzone.com/2017/02/11/5-reasons-miami-dolphins-even-better-2017/

[h=3]5. Ryan Tannehill’s Second Season in Adam Gase’s System[/h] Tannehill is still just 28 years old and is finally looking like he may reach his potential and have a bright future. Another year in quarterback guru Adam Gase’s system should only make things go more seamlessly in 2017.

There is no doubt he was off to a rough start in 2016. Nevertheless, he really turned things around after the first five games. All of a sudden, he was playing mistake-free football and was even hitting the deep ball, an ability that had eluded him throughout his career.
In those first five games, he threw just six touchdowns to seven interceptions. Over the next eight games prior to his ACL injury, he didn’t throw a pick in five games and was outstanding with the exception of his three-pick debacle in Baltimore.
Excluding that game, in the other seven final games, which were all wins, he threw 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. His completion percentage also rose to nearly 70 percent during that span and he finished the season looking like a franchise quarterback. With another full offseason under Gase, he may just become a legitimate franchise quarterback.


[h=3]2. Improved Approaches to Free Agency and the Draft[/h] For the first time in a long time last season, the Dolphins had a great offseason. They made subtle but crucial moves in free agency and had a fantastic draft. They fleeced the Philadelphia Eagles by just trading back a few spots in the first round. As a result, Miami ended up with Laremy Tunsil, Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell.

Maxwell gets a lot of flak, nonetheless, he was a contributor and made some huge plays for Miami. Alonso was arguably the team’s best defender, definitely the best defender not named Cameron Wake or Ndamukong Suh. Had they not whiffed on Mario Williams, this offseason would have been almost perfect.

In the draft they acquired Tunsil, Xavien Howard, Kenyan Drake, Leonte Carro and Jakeem Grant with their first five picks. All of which were immediate contributors or are poised to play major roles this season. This comes off a solid 2015 NFL Draft in which they picked up Parker, Jordan Phillips and the duo of Ajayi and Lippett in the fifth round among others.
Let’s not understate how important the hiring of Adam Gase was either. That may turn out to be the most important of all. It’s been a long time since this team has had a premier coach.

 

[39wildman]

we better draft good and pick up some player too. because our schedule is going be hard... last yr schedule was not that bad...so if u living off 2016 beware....

 

[Fin Fan in Cali]

1. Adam Gase Changing the Culture

The most important thing a Dolphins coach can do is change this losing culture. You can almost pinpoint Miami’s collapse as a franchise to the moment Ricky Williams suddenly retired. Of course, there was more to it than just that, but that was the most notable moment that led to this franchises spiral heading into the next season.

Hopefully Gase can continue to change the culture and the Dolphins will once again be a proud franchise. Miami really didn’t know hard times from the end of the 1960s to the mid-2000s. This is in no way a bad franchise, they’ve just gotten off track over the past 15 years or so. And while they may not be ostensibly bad, getting back on track is often the far more difficult task than going off the rails.

Miami fans have high hopes that Gase will be the man to turn it all around and it’s hard to argue with their optimism at this point. Only time will tell where their current head coach will lead this team, but the hope is he will lead them somewhere they haven’t been since 1985. A nine-game winning streak and a long-awaited playoff appearance was a solid start. Now it’s time to take the next step.

 

[thefieds]

I hear you about the schedule but it looked much harder than it was this year too. Every season plays out differently.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

To me, there are really just a couple of keys for Miami.

One, the team needs to become a dominant running team. The Dolphins are actually pretty close in that regard with how Jay Ajayi emerged as a power runner. If the team can dictate the running game more frequently, that will keep the defense off the field and keep drives going. To get to that level Miami needs to add a physical guard, maybe two. Converting short-yardage runs at a better than average NFL rate should get this team pretty far.

Secondly, I think Adam Gase is going to have to put his stamp on the defense. I like where the offense is heading under his direction and the creativity and flexibility he showed on that side of the ball. The next step is to do the same on defense. It may take Gase a while to get there, but if he's going to challenge Bill Bellichick than the stakes are high on both sides of the ball.

Agree with the article on the development of Ryan Tannehill. He played extremely well after a rough start and the team should have that kind of play from the get-go in 2017. I think the approach to free agency is on target as well. I'd nail down the guard spot and concentrate on defense in the draft.

 

[ChrisTRD]

Adam ****in Gase! Best addition.