Patriots coach Bill Belichick always has nice things to say about the Dolphins before he plays them. But this week, he has reason to – not only because of the Dolphins’ respectable effort against Seattle, but also became Miami beat New England, 20-10, in the 2015 regular season finale.
Asked where the Dolphins have improved, Belichick said: "They were pretty good last time we played them. We couldn’t do much on our final game against them. They added a lot. [Dolphins executive] Mike Tannenbaum added a lot of quality talent, defensive linemen, players in the secondary, linebackers, offensive linemen, running backs [with] Arian Foster.
"It’s a good, talented team. They’re always strong on special teams and that’s certainly the case this year. Jakeem Grant has been impressive [on returns]. They’re very strong up front. A lot of explosive players on offense. Coach [Adam] Gase has a good system that gets everyone involved. Running backs, receivers, tight ends. They do a good job of making you defend everything."
And defensively, "they’re hard to move the ball against," Belichick said. "Other than the long run where James White broke a tackle, we barely had 100 yards in total offense [in that 2015 regular season finale]. They’re a very physical group, tough football team."
Belichick likes the two players Miami acquired from Philadelphia --- linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell.
Pro Football Focus rated Alonso the No. 1 linebacker against the run during opening weekend.
"Alonso is a really a productive player," Belichick said. "We saw him [when New England played] against Buffalo [in 2013], led the team in tackles. Great speed, range. Covers a lot of ground sideline to sideline. Good inside linebacker that could play mike or will [if needed].
"Maxwell is long, played against him in Seattle. Got good length, size. Good ball skills. You can’t be sloppy with your routes throwing the ball against him or he will make you pay. Good instincts. Productive player with good anticipation and skills. Smart player."
