lets do this, lets have a good season, we've got good players, pretty decent qb with some upside left, got ourselves a young mike with good instincts, best dtackle in the game..lets see what they got in Gases first year..no expectations for me this year but 10 wins would be sweet.
Just want to go into every game pumped with the feeling that we can win against the good teams...and will win against the lesser.
good protection, got ourselves a real mike..we really didnt lose that much...we upgraded our two main weaknesses..line and mike.
Why not? Thats about what I expect too. Id much rather go into the season with real hope and get hurt than lose interest before the season even starts.
Was Lionel Richie mentioned in that rap? Yeah, probably not the best choice for a hype video. I like the Neville Hewitt Dolphin highlight video rap song...
I'm hyped for the season. Anything can happen, injuries happen to all teams, so I will be looking on the bright side going into the season. Last year we trotted out Jason Fox, Dallas Thomas, a rookie Douglas at center who couldn't even snap a ball correctly for a couple games...not to mention Albert was probably not really ready to start the year and was either on a knee sucking wind or semi-injured in the first 4 or 5 games (he did ultimately play well though). Now we have all our guys back (plus Albert 2 years post ACL) and you throw in a top 5 type player in Tunsil and some actual depth...and we are looking good. Parker is back. I know some disagree a little bit but I see a bona-fide #1 WR with some true elite qualities. In terms of skills I am not sure we have had this kind of guy in a LONG time. Carroo was supposedly their #2 WR on their board. If true, they must have some high internal expectations of this guy. I wanted Miller back as much as everyone else, but Ajayi was a more highly touted prospect coming out of school and was a TD machine. His athleticism is a little under appreciated IMO....combining that production with a 39 inch vertical at his size is pretty sick. We lost Vernon. Will miss him out there, will not miss the dumb penalties. We signed Williams (better player than Vernon IMO), extended Wake, got depth in Jones and Branch (who were just aso efficient as OV when looking at sacks per snap).....all for the price of Vernon basically. Jordan Phillips to me is that guy that nobody is expecting it....but then he's on the top 100 players list next year because he had a bunch of sacks and deflections from the DT position. That's what he did last year with less playing time. There was risk but the trade back was masterful the way it worked out. Maxwell was highly coveted a year ago for a reason, now he is a scheme fit here. Kiko was one of the best players in the entire league (in his rookie season!) at one point in time...imagine getting that guy? We signed Suh, remember guys? Lol... If any defensive end can tear his Achilles and still play til age 40 it's Cameron Wake. I don't know where he ranks as an all-time Dolphin....but as my fan favorite him and Zach are top dawgs for a long time. Walt Aikens was bad as a safety last year so pretty much anything IAQ does is an improvement. We have some interesting wildcards. Can Grant or Drake bring some explosiveness? Will there be a surprise contributor like a Duarte or one of UDFA? Is Ifo healthy enough to become the guy who was going to go first round? Is it possible Dion Jordan is reinstated and actually plays? Is Gase the real deal? I don't see where we lost a ton of talent, meanwhile the Patriots are without Brady for 4. Jets have no set QB in place. The Bills are dealing with injuries already. Now is as good a time as any to make serious strides.
@Linus, good post. I feel the same way. Especially about Parker. He's an artist with his catches. I think there will be a circus-like environment with our receivers (which means everybody on offense not named tackle, guard or center...Heck, even our QB played wide receiver ). I envision pure chaos in the opposing secondaries. I'm even warming up to Drake. I'm beginning to see why he was drafted so high. Saban told everyone that Drake would be highly sought after weeks prior to the draft. He's more explosive and stable upon rewatching his highlights. Thomas Duarte could absolutely surprise under Gase. He's such a smooth receiver. I'm just going to come out and say it...Jakeem Grant will have an instant following. I predict he comes into training camp and has a "refrigerator" Perry type buzz following him into the season. I am probably anticipating the Dream's entrance into the league moreso than anyone else. It's the child in me, no doubt. Carroo's game is straight gangsta. I have a hard time believing his skill set won't translate immediately in the NFL. Ajayi has been busting his arse to get into premium condition. He's actually lost weight and gained more wiggle. He's always been a good receiver. Tunsil was best case scenario, period. I don't feel as good as I do about our offense without his aquisition. Finally, some solid depth for our tackles.
I don't know anyone on here that does not think Parker can be elite WR IF his ankle holds up. Just curious, but how long have you been a fan if Wake and Zack are your 2 favorites?
It would be easy to get hyped for this season, but I'm resisting............so far. I keep going back to the........it takes a QB 8 games to 'get it' in a new system, or whatever it is. Maybe we can sneak in a few of the earlier games with scheming, (and no, I'm not expecting 0-8 to start off) but I'm aiming for the next year to be hyped. I am hyped about our new OL though.............FINALLY. and we have some depth too, so one injury shouldn't be the end of the season. We seem to have a great set of WR's also. I expect Gase to have some 'figuring out to do' as the NEW HC. It should be a fun season to watch, at least, and that's a welcome change.
Well, I think that its pretty easy to argue that Zach and Wake are the best defensive players that the team has had after Jason Taylor in the last 30 years or so. Linus is 9-10 years younger than me, and those two are among my favorites.
There's plenty of people who thought he would not be as good as the other top guys in his draft, Cooper or White. I think he is right there with them and can be a top 5 WR in the league. I don't think everyone thinks that. I am 29 years old so 29 years. When I was little I had a Tazmanian Devil stuffed animal that I had my dad write "Cox" on, my favorite player to draw was Richmond Webb, and my favorite all-time t-shirt as a kid was one with Offerdahl, Byars, and Keith Jackson charicatures. My childhood memories and timelines are remembered and based around Dolphins games (both good ones and heartbreaking ones). I live in upstate NY on the VT border and my first live game was in first grade in Foxborough on Cabbage Night 1994, Dolphins won 23-3 and Troy Vincent had an interception (my second game being a trip to Lambeau for the OT win in 2010 when Wake was a monster). The missed Stoyanovich kick against the Chargers was truly painful for me as a little boy....and the year on Thanksgiving that my mom had to work, it was just my dad, brother, and I watching the Leon Lett/snow game and when we got the re-kick it was probably one of the happiest moments with my dad and one I still think about every football season/holiday-time to this day nearing 25 years later. I am not as knowledgeable about the game as a lot of guys on this board, but I do love the team (even understanding that it is just a game and doesn't matter in the grand scheme) and it plays a big part in my life, with my family, holidays, etc. And from all the guys I have watched, Wake and ZT are two top talents who do things the right way against all odds. One is a guy without the size to even be considered an NFL player by most teams but put so much into his craft/film work that he became one of the best LBers in the league who could someday end up in the HOF. He also still loves the Dolphins, supports them like a fan, and wouldn't sign with the Patriots when given the chance. The other is a guy who is the hardest worker, was knocked down and out of the league, and came back with a vengeance and has one of the best work ethics to the point he is out fully-practicing 6 months removed from an achilles tear in his mid-30s. He is a team first guy, never held out or demanded trades even when he was on bad teams or was being underpaid. He took his lumps like a man and worked to better himself. These are two made-for-the-movies stories from guys on my team who became top players in the league....and are guys I would want my kids to look up to/emulate in whatever they choose to do.
Nice post. Growing up it was Csonka and Jake Scott for me. Zack and JT I am huge fans of too. Not so much with Wake, but I think that has more to do with the team and the lack of their success since he as been around. Taking nothing away from him because he is an awesome player.
Because I refuse to be sucked in this year like the last few years! After last season I am in full on prove it mode with my beloved Fins! I agree that on paper we should easily be a better team - only real loss to me is Miller. I like the coaching staff and love what they have to say. I'm just not going to get sucked in this year by the hype machine that's all. Go Phins!!!
