What’s your predictions for the Dolphins this year?

19-0! SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!

 

I hope for #1 but I'm going with #6.I know it' not listed.

 

I usually do a season prediction around this time every year, but this season is different on so many levels there's not even room to guess. My only prediction is that we start the season 1-0 by beating New England...I have nothing for the other 15 games.

 

The only right answer

 

4-12. Its going to be a rough season. I think that the OL will take a while to round into form, and that our defense will be better than last year, but still below average. We probably get swept by both the Bills and Patriots, and maybe go 1-7 on the road with a win at either Jacksonville or New Jersey.

 

7-9

 

8-8 is probably their ceiling but I'll say 6-10.

Who's getting to the quarterback?

 

I think that both pass rush and run defense are going to struggle.

 

Heart says 7-9, head says 5-11.

 

Covid is going to mess up the first half of the season badly due to disrupted practices and the flow ons from that. All predictions are going to be off this year.

Last year the roster was gutted and torn down. This year some key contributors have been acquired in FA, however the draft was focussed on long term projects, younger than average draftees with high ceilings who will take some time to develop into NFL players. Which is also the draft path taken in 2019. Our QB of the future, whether Tua or Rosen, is not ready to be the starting QB for game 1 of the season.

As I see it the pieces are in place for a return to the playoffs in 2021.

So better than last year, but not good enough for the playoffs. 7-9 or 8-8 is what I’d expect in a normal year,

 

I like our continuity at QB and 1/2 the players should have a good handle on the defense to start the year.

6-10 is the floor, with the ceiling being eeking into one of those new playoff spots.

 

It is such a strange year to try and predict. Winning five games last year with expansion team level talent was a really solid job of coaching. I can't believe that with the influx of talent that Miami can't win 3-4 more games this year. Unless Fitzmagic and Tua go down with injuries and/or illness and Rosen plays at least half the season I think 9-7 is very possible.

So, probably a playoff season?

 

I think they are both going to significantly improve.

I think the team will get more pressures and sacks, but I think it will be more of a sack and pressure by committee thing. Also, a lot of our off season signings were guys who can set the edge, which was sorely needed. They will force stuff inside and let the DTs, LBs and even the Ss eat that s--t up. It's not really a D where they need that one more pure, classic kind of speedy, edge rusher type. I think these guys will get their sacks and pressures, but it's not going to be one guy with some gaudy sack numbers. It will be more of that committee type of thing and then factoring in all of the multiple DB sets Co Flo likes to run, they will probably get more DB pressures and sacks and that will be a significant part of their D scheme. The LBs too will probably be schemed into more opportunities for pressures and sacks.

 

I think that six or seven wins could have been plausible in a normal year. With a full OTA session, a full training camp, no Covid hanging over everything, and then of course good health on top of it all. Had that all happened and the Patriots not signed Newton, I might have said an even higher number could be possible with luck.

But that's not what happened. Things are sideways. And yes, they're sideways for everyone else too, but the Dolphins are dealing with a lot more turnover than the Patriots and Bills are. We have new coordinators on both sides of the ball, a rookie QB that might get playing time who's coming off of a very severe injury, a largely unproven WR corps, four new starters on the offensive line, two new RBs getting the majority of the work, and a score of new players on defense. Its a lot. And just expecting it all to come together under these circumstances, under a head coach who himself is still learning his way, is just too much for me.

I'm looking it at as a developmental year. Learn and grow, gradually get better hopefully, and then get ready to challenge for a winning record in 2021 if everything goes well.

 

For info, Vegas has us winning 6, with more than 6 wins being slightly more likely than less than 6 wins.

Worth noting that Vegas has been fairly accurate with the Dolphins the last several years. Closing win total odds in 2017 was 7 (we won 6), in 2018 it was 6.5 (we won 7) and in 2019 it was 4.5 (we won 5).

So I'll go with 6. Doesn't really matter to me though as I also see this as a developmental year. The year 2021 is the reality check year for me with Flores. There are absolutely no excuses in 2021 as far as I'm concerned. If Flores doesn't have a winning record in 2021 I think he needs to go. But this year I can stomach a losing year if necessary.

 

I'd predict Fitz playing the year and contending for a wildcard spot, probably behind NE and Buff. I'd like to see Tua's career to go about like Brady's has gone...

 

It's really hard to say because of the way things have been this year, but my prediction has been that we will hover around .500 most of the year and not be eliminated entirely from playoff contention until at minimum week 15 of the season.

I could also see us starting out really slowly and ruining my prediction, coming on late. It's a question of how our new additions gel into the system early on.

 

9-7 is my uneducated guess.

 

7-9, maybe 6-10.

 

Predictions? No idea, maybe 8-8 but, I predict the games are so exciting to watch that the Tannehill thread disappears before the end of October.

 

As a SWAG, probably somewhere in the vicinity of 6-10 to 8-8. We have more talent this year, but still have some holes with rookies probably being brought into play for experience. A lot will depend upon how the Ancient Slinger will play. [Refer to an 'oulde' John Wayne movie "The High and the Mighty!"] Hopefully, he will provide enough space and leadership, and grace to allow Tagovailoa a chance to break in a little easier than being thrown to the hounds. It may also give the new personnel on the line time to learn how to play together enough to make next years edition a more solid unit. I just hope we get back into relevance in time that THIS "Ancient Pelican" can enjoy it.

 

Screw this!

 

I want to now add the caveat that with Rosen gone, if Fitz gets injured I'd guess we wont win a single game from that point on.

 

Six wins. But I expect us to be much better by week 10. If Flo is going to develop all of his rookie talent, we're going to lose a few games early. Wouldn't surprise me if we win 12 games next season, though.

 

best case: a positive win/loss record
worst case: a losing win/loss record


so probably the status quo 8-8

at least this is the last year we'll ever see 8-8. no more .500 seasons.

 

6-10. I think we are similar to last season where we start sorta slow, but heat up at the end. We have a lot more talent, but we are super young and have not played together. I feel like every year, I say this, but, "It is not Madden."

We could actually even improve, but get worse. I am not expecting lights out when Tua gets into the game. Again, he is a rookie... We gotta be patient.

 

Week 10 is nearing the end of what should be the easier part of the schedule. I expect that most of the games we do end up winning will likely come between Week 7 and Week 13.

 

We'll see. I just think that we'll be coming together from a chemistry standpoint later in the season. If we can manage to split the first 8 games, I think we'll make the playoffs. With that being said, if we can get off to any sort of a decent start, we'll see Tua take the reins in 2021.

I wouldn't be mad with that result.

 

I'm really not going to count on that. I think that a 1-5 start looks pretty likely. And heck, they might follow that with a 5-1 run after that to get our hopes up, but they're probably going to finish 0-4 in the last month. I see 6-10 as the high water mark if everything goes well, but I still think 4-12 is more likely because the ball will bounce the other way a few times and we have no real margin for error.

 

I believe that our offense and defense will both improve dramatically in every facet by the end of the season.

By the 8th game we will be the team that no other NFL team will want to play against.

How will that effect Wins & Losses? I believe we will win 2-3 of our 1st 8 games and then win 5-7 of our last 8 games. This leaves me with a worst case W-L of 7-9 and a best case W-L of 10-6. This also leaves me with an average of 8 +/- 1/2 games won and 8 -/+ 1/2 games (7-9 to 9-7) if there are no ties.

 

4 wins.

 

Be realistic, we might lose one or two more.

 

I'm feeling pretty confidant with my 4-12 call today.

 

15-1 all the way! SUPERBOWL!

 

For now I'm going to stick with my, we hover somewhere around .500 most of the year prediction.

If Fitz looks bad next week, I mean if we as a whole look this bad next week, win or lose I'll have to revise my thoughts.

 

I will go 4-12