Eight "ifs" will tell who's right about 2017 Dolphins

[BSQ]

Greg Cote, Miami Herald sports writer, wrote today that of the 12 play off teams from last year, the Dolphins are the only team with a sub 500% projection from the sports books in Las Vegas. The 7.5 victory prediction ties for 23rd in the NFL. He points out eight major factors that will swing the season in one direction or another.

They are: 1, run defense-we allowed over 140 yds. per game with a league worst 4.8 yards per carry.
2, Charles Harris- is he going to make an instant impact. Can he take over for Cam Wake?
3, Cornerback Play-ascension of Howard a must
4, Outside Linebacker-do we have enough skill and speed
5, DeVante Parker- will he be a big-play #1 receiver
6, interior of o-line
7, Julius Thomas- which player are we getting
8, Jay Ajayi- will he continue to improve

 

[j-off-her-doll]

1. Should improve
2. No and no - funny that people are more concerned with a poor-tackling CB than a DE who is useless against the run
3. Should improve some
4. Much better but still well below high-level
5. Most overrated position in football, but 50/50 chance
6. Should be improved but not great
7. If healthy, should be closer to Denver Thomas
8. If healthy, yes

 

[Eesti]

1. Hayes will help but we still need a quality #2 DT.
2. Charles Harris is not a strong side DE, nor should he ever be IMO. That spot will be filled next year at the earliest.
3. Not worried.
4. Not worried.
5. Optimistic.
6. Who will emerge as the #2 center and play 8 games?
7. Optimistic. Were Jax coaches and offense up to par? Greg Olson? Gus Bradley? Blake Bortles?
8. Improve? He just needs to pick up where he left off. Improvement is a bonus.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Those are all fair questions.

DT next to Suh is critical for #1 to improve. The linebackers should be quite a bit better, but is there a run stopper next to Suh?

The offense has a really good chance to take off in year two of Adam Gase. Specifically, Ryan Tannehill should begin the season near the level he ended playing last year.

The ultimate question for me, though, is if Miami matches up any better with New England. On paper, I think the run defense will be at least a little better, but I don't see improvement in the slot. For that reason, I think the Dolphins are still playing for a wildcard berth.

 

[susser2000]

I think Ajayi thrives behind a (Hopefully) healthy offensive line.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Solid and legitimate concerns for the team.

I don't expect much improvement vs the run with Burke referring to the "wide 9" as a defense. :facepalmRegardless of talent, the gym shorts wide set front has always been in the bottom half of the league for yards per carry.

CB play will be interesting b/c we continue to acquire guys that can't/won't tackle for ****. Can tackling technique be improved? Of course, but it's also a mentality. One that Tankersely seems to be severely lacking. Maxwell seemed a little more involved in the process towards seasons end and I like Howard's mindset there.

Assuming McMillan takes the reigns at MLB, we've got two vet patches on the outside so speed and effectiveness will continue to be an issue.

Concerning the offense, if Gase truly is an offensive guru (which he has proved to be) I don't worry as much about the individual pieces for success.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Solid and legitimate concerns for the team.

I don't expect much improvement vs the run with Burke referring to the "wide 9" as a defense. :facepalmRegardless of talent, the gym shorts wide set front has always been in the bottom half of the league for yards per carry.

CB play will be interesting b/c we continue to acquire guys that can't/won't tackle for ****. Can tackling technique be improved? Of course, but it's also a mentality. One that Tankersely seems to be severely lacking. Maxwell seemed a little more involved in the process towards seasons end and I like Howard's mindset there.

Assuming McMillan takes the reigns at MLB, we've got two vet patches on the outside so speed and effectiveness will continue to be an issue.

Concerning the offense, if Gase truly is an offensive guru (which he has proved to be) I don't worry as much about the individual pieces for success.

It was an interesting group of corners in this draft, SOS. Seems most of the top guys aren't very physical in run support. I do like Tankersley when the ball is in the air.

To me, it still looks like Miami's defense is based on playing with a lead. So those slow starts on offense have to become a thing of the past.

 

[BSQ]

In the Gase interview with Joe Rose he mentioned a few times that this is the second year in the system and guys on both sides of the ball will be reacting much faster to the football. Also, I'm betting that we do quite a lot of things differently on defense, we're just not going to telegraph our game plans. I envision Gase and Burke getting their heads together and adding some wrinkles to a system that did poorly last year. We finally have coaches that are smart, what a pleasure!

 

[BlueFin]

1. Should improve
2. No and no - funny that people are more concerned with a poor-tackling CB than a DE who is useless against the run
3. Should improve some
4. Much better but still well below high-level
5. Most overrated position in football, but 50/50 chance
6. Should be improved but not great
7. If healthy, should be closer to Denver Thomas
8. If healthy, yes

 

[Sons Of Shula]

In the Gase interview with Joe Rose he mentioned a few times that this is the second year in the system and guys on both sides of the ball will be reacting much faster to the football. Also, I'm betting that we do quite a lot of things differently on defense, we're just not going to telegraph our game plans. I envision Gase and Burke getting their heads together and adding some wrinkles to a system that did poorly last year. We finally have coaches that are smart, what a pleasure!

I wouldn't throw away money like that if I was you.