Oooooh I'm scared.

 

"We are talking about PRACTICE..."

Seriously, nobody can evaluate a team based on offseason practice. Otherwise the Browns should have sleepless nights about Vernon, Jordan, Odrick based on our practice reports. They don't need to care about Wake on the other hand... :shifty:

 

First of all, it's the HOF game, who cares who wins.
RT will play one or two series, probably a few runs to keep the pass rush off him.

 

I'll take an ounce.

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Why are we talking about the Browns?

 

You make some good points and I agree, Cleveland has a chance to be an improved team. My point is that Pat Kirwan is showing up to camp for a day or two, making a few observations and then basically piggybacking off of what the local reporters are telling him. Nice article and all but you shouldn't be worried about it. It was basically a fluff piece IMO. There was actually another article out talking about how the offense (Weeden) was struggling under Turner's new system and I don't take that one seriously either.


On paper Cleveland is a decent team that just doesn't match up well with us. They need the run game to set the table for their offense and any team like that is going to struggle vs our defense. I like they're defense but w/o an offense that can move the ball and eat some clock they will wear down. And I don't care who the DC is, it's hard to be hyper aggressive when your offense isn't scoring any points and defenders know that one mistake can lose them the game. I'm seeing a game that is relatively low scoring and close for a half or three quarters w/ Miami slowly taking control in the 2nd half. 21-10, 24-14 or something like that.

 

All I know is that the game against the Browns just may end up being the single most important game of the season for the Dolphins. It is a must win, as far as I am concerned. A loss to the Browns in the first game of the season could mean that the Dolphins will probably be 0-5 or at best, 1-4 after the first five games of the season.

Right now I think the Dolphins are the better team but we will have to wait until game day to see if that is true.

 

Because we open the regular season against them and have some very tough games following....

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Browns game is only important to the fan base. Dolphins could lose to the Browns and still very much keep their season on track for what insiders project which is about 8-8. However the fan reaction to losing against the Browns would be massive. It would destroy much of the good will the team has built up over the off season because perception is (agree or not) that the Browns are a bad football team. However, they would have a chance the very next week to erase that bad taste BEFORE the home opener, if they can steal one up in Indy. Week 1 tends to be an odd week sometimes as far as teams doing or not doing as they should. If the Dolphins drop the Browns game that could mean they take the Indy game in response. That would certainly help from a playoff tiebreak standpoint.

If the Dolphins walk into their home opener 0-2 and playing a very tough Atlanta team...that would be bad. Very bad. Season could STILL end up 8-8 but the fans would be gone.

 

While I agree with most of your comments regarding this game. I think the Browns game is more important to the Dolphin players than it is to the Dolphin fans. They are expected to win this game and a loss to an inferior opponent in the first game of the season would be an ominous negative sign for this team. Especially with the schedule they play over the following four weeks.

I have felt all along that the Dolphins may start the season 1-4 or possibly 2-3. One of those projected victories has to be considered the Browns. A loss to the Browns could very easily lead to an 0-5 start to the season. I just don't see the Dolphins going into Indy and beating the Colts, no matter what they do against the Browns. Going 1-2 against the Falcons, Saints, and Ravens is about the best we can expect from the Dolphins at this time.

 

I could see 8-8 if things go horribly wrong, but I don't see 0-2 at all. Neither of those teams match up well with the Dolphins, Indy especially.

 

And yes absolutely the Cleveland Browns' pass rush will be fearsome. They have Paul Kruger, Desmond Bryant, Jabaal Sheard and Barkevious Mingo to toss in at the quarterback...and the Dolphins have a big question mark at left tackle.

The Dolphins themselves have a real good pass rush they can throw at the Browns, but with Joe Thomas and Mitchel Schwartz guarding the wings, they're better equipped to handle it.

However, they will not have Josh Gordon to throw the football to. They will challenge Phil Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe in the flats by throwing the football to the backs at least 10 or 11 times in the game. Wheeler right now in practice is all over the place guarding the pass. He started out rough by all reports but has really come on. They will also challenge Ellerbe up the seam with Kellen Davis and Cameron Jordan. If they're able to isolate him schematically, that will be a mismatch in their favor. Thing is I can't get over how unreliable their wide receivers are going to be on the outside against Brent Grimes. I don't think Richard Marshall or Dimitri Patterson will be especially good on the outside but they'll be facing off with bad outside receivers. If they try throwing to Greg Little on Brent Grimes, that could easily be a pick as Little just gives up on the football.

They're also going to try and run the football on Miami's base defense. It isn't Norv Turner's style to get cute and try and establish the ground game by bringing Miami's nickel defense on the field and then trying to run it that way. They're going to slam the ground game with all their might into what may be the biggest strength of the Miami defense...it's base run defense. That's not going to go well for them, I don't think...Trent Richardson or not. The best they could hope for is a wearing down effect...trying to keep the game close with their defense and then those 2 or 3 yard runs in the first three quarters turn into 4 or 5 yard runs in the fourth quarter. That could work if Miami's offense is stumbling a lot and they play into it.

But will they? I fear the Browns' pass rush with Miami's offensive line the way it is but this could turn out to be a big day for Lamar Miller. I think Miami will regularly do what Turner will probably refuse to do on the other side, which is bring the Cleveland nickel defense onto the field so that they can run at them. They're going to test Desmond Bryant and Paul Kruger on the defensive line, see if they can reliably stop the run from the nickel. And if the past is an indication, neither of them will stand out against the run from nickel. They'll test D'Qwell Jackson and James-Michael Johnson as well, and again if the past is an indication they could have a difficult time. They'll need to bring T.J. Ward up to help against the run a lot and that should open up some opportunities for Mike Wallace over top.

I guess the big question to me is what the Browns do from a personnel standpoint if Miami brings out Lamar Miller, Brandon Gibson, Dustin Keller, Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace. What would be the Browns' response to that on 1st down? On 3rd down? If the Browns bring out the nickel defense then Miami could try and run from that package. If the Browns adapt their personnel package according to the situation rather than the personnel, you could see Miami throw on that or try and hurry them up on 3rd down so that they can't sub players out and get their pass rushers on the field. In one case I think Lamar Miller is the beneficiary and in another case Keller and Gibson have the sombrero on them. I'm more confident in the former than the latter.

 

Football is about matchups, of the 1st five games Atlanta is the only team that has a matchup advantage, and even the Falcons should be concerned b/c they're defense is horrible.

 

Why are the Browns an inferior opponent? They may be this year's Cinderella & win 10 games, like last year's Colts. The Browns have had a pretty good offseason & looks like they are continuing on what they started two years ago. They're division is pretty much built on strong defense, they added some nice pieces & may end up holding opponents to 13 points a game.

Indy ain't got noth'n.... I think your chances of beating Indy is better than beating Cleveland (though I think both games are winnable). Atlanta may be tough, the Saints may be tough.... The Ravens, early in the season is a lot more winnable than you think.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Dolphins are 4-1 going into the bye.

I bet there are going to be a lot of surprises in the NFL this year & I'm betting on the Dolphins to be one of them.

 

That's not a serious question at all. You're just trying to attack the man for sharing his opinion.

 

IMO Cleveland is a lot more reliant on the run game than Miami. Without Gordon to stretch the field Jones and/or Clemons will be able to set up shop in the box, if needed. I agree that both teams will have success rushing the passer however there are three factors that favor Miami. The first is that Miami's offense is designed around the quick game, Hartline, Gibson and Keller all excel in the short to intermediate area; meanwhile Cleveland lacks those types of dependable receivers and Turner's offense is predicated more on the down field passing game. Two, Tannehill is much better at dealing with pressure than Weeden, who struggles mightily under duress and will often throw the ball into coverage. Third, I think Miami will be able to do enough in the run game to at least keep Cleveland honest. The personnel group I'm looking forward to is the Wallace-Hartline-Keller-Clay-Miller package. Clay and Keller can both line up anywhere on the field to create matchups in the pass game and they're decent enough blockers to handle both run blocking and blitz pickups, especially if Cleveland decides to go nickel.

 

I won't stoop to your level. I will merely point out that you have a right to your opinion, just as I have a right to mine. Fortunately the season will begin in a little over a month and we will see after the first five game where the Dolphins stand.

I do hope you are right and I am wrong, but right now I just don't see the Dolphins being any better than 2-3 after those first five games.

 

LOL shame on me.

 

We'll beat the Browns, all the article does is point out that every team in the league has talent, that is not enough to win football games consistently.

They don't have an answer for Keller or Clay for example, and Wallace v Haden will be a good matchup but one that Wallace will win more than lose.

 

My opinion is that if you're going to bad mouth your own team you should at least know what you're talking about. If you change your mind and decide to "stoop" to my level you can visit https://gamerewind.nfl.com/nflgr/secure/schedule and watch some Browns, Colts, Saints, Falcons, Ravens, Dolphins games.

 

Yeah I can see Keller and Clay giving the Browns serious problems w/ their versatility. If they think Kruger and Sheard are going to be good enough in coverage vs those two they're going to have a looooong day.

 

I think he watches a lot of football, the Browns have a lot of young talent and should be improved, then after that we have the Colts, Falcon, Saints and Ravens. That is 2 playoff teams, the super bowl champion and a talented Saints team with their head coach back. We have a young team with a lot of questions, it is very fair to think we may go 2-3 or 1-4 out of the gate. I personally think we take the Browns, Colts and one of the other 3 and start out of the gate at 3-2, but I think jw3102 has a very valid opinion.

 

The browns will have a solid defense. Their defense against our offense doesn't scare me as much as our defense against their offense excites me. We'll win.

 

Talkin' bout practice. We talkin' bout practice? We talking bout practice man.

 

Since I have been going to Dolphin games since 1966 and I watch many games on Sunday's through the NFL ticket, I would assume I have watched far more games in my lifetime than you have.

I don't see my comments as bad mouthing the Dolphins. I hope they win all their games this season and I will be attending every home game, as well as the game they play against the Saints in New Orleans. My expectations for this season is that the team should improve as the season goes along, but I will be very surprised if they make the playoffs or if they are any better than 2-3 after their first five games.

I have felt all along that they are at least one more season away from being a legitimate playoff team. Even though I feel this way, it didn't stop me from purchasing four season tickets this year or from traveling to New Orleans to watch the game there. With the purchase of the season tickets, parking passes, plane ticket and hotel room for the Saints game, I figure I will be spending nearly $6000.00 this year to support the team you think I am bad mouthing.

I respect the fact you may not agree with my opinion, but nothing you have said makes me feel any different about this coming season. Hopefully the Dolphins will prove me wrong and I can also end up purchasing tickets to a home playoff game this year.

 

What leads you to believe that? He says we have no chance vs Indy, based on...? 1-2 is the best we can hope for vs Nawlins, ATL and Baltimore, based on...? If we don't beat Cleveland it could easily be 0-5? The Cleveland game is more important to the players than the fans, seriously? What's next training camp is more important to the veterans than it is to the rookies?

If you think we'll lose to the Colts and you've "watched a lot of football" then tell us why. Don't just say we have no chance. Makes me think you don't know what the hell you're talking about. The Ravens won the Super Bowl and promptly lost half their team. Boldin, Pitta and Birk are gone on offense. Lewis, Reed, Williams, Kruger, Ellerbe and Pollard are gone on defense. That's 3/4ths of their LBs, 3/4ths of their secondary and their 2 most reliable receivers, if you're counting. I think the Patriots lost a few receivers this offseason as well, but I digress. You think Jon Martin is bad at LT? How about Charles Brown? And I don't mean the cartoon character. Sean Payton is back, OMG OMG OMG. Does he coach defense though? Cause that was Nawlins' problem last year and Rob Ryan is there to fix it. Just like he came to fix Dallas' defense. They're switching to the 3-4 this season. Who's gonna play NT? They're starting OLB is out for the season, the other OLB is Will Smith, a converted DE who's never played the position.

I could go on but there's really no need to. The problem is that Dolphin fans, fans in general I suppose, seem to know every little flaw about their own team and next to nothing about the teams that their team will be facing. You yourself said Cleveland has "a lot of young talent and should be improved" but then a second later the Dolphins "have a young team with a lot of questions". That's why I suggest people spend some time watching these teams before they swear up and down that they are going to kick our asses. We're not the only team in the league with weaknesses.

 

Tip of the cap to you, sir. I hope you get you money's worth. And I assume you will b/c this team is better than any Dolphins team I've seen in a long, long, time.

 

I believe we shall beat the Browns b/c:
-Better Cb play
-Weeden is not a good Qb yet
-We can stuff the run
-Offense should be greatly improved with Keller+Wallace+Gibson

We blew a lead at Indy last yr, and imo they have not significantly improved over 2012

Falcons have our number, and the Saints in NOLA will be tough, imo we start out 2-2.

 

Your too intelligent of a poster to make a ridiculous statement like that. Surely you don't mean exactly what you said.

 

Browns game we should win, but a young team on the road in a hostile environment may not respond well. But I like Philbin's ability to have his team ready to play.

I see a low scoring game in Cleveland, kind of game we will need our starting K to do his job.

 

I get what he's saying. If Miami loses to the Browns, that's a pretty bad sign based on the prognostications of fans (especially on here it seems) and experts. Couple that with a loss at Indy (who beat Miami last year), and you're staring 0-2 in the face with Atlanta, at New Orleans, and Baltimore due up. That's ugly. Really ugly. Remember how few fans showed up at that Tennessee game last year after Miami fell to 4-4 after the Indy loss? I think the drop off would be worse this time around due to heightened expectations.

As far as playoff implications go, if Miami loses to Cleveland but still ends up 1-1 with a win over Indy; in the long-term scheme of the season, that's probably a more valuable win to have in your back pocket as far as playoff implications go down the line.

 

I agree that on paper, this is probably the best team the Dolphins have had in a number of years. What concerns me the most is Martin at LT and the youth of the overall team. I expect the team to improve as the season goes along, but with the number of new starters on the team, along with what I consider a major weakness at LT, I just feel that it is going to be difficult for the Dolphins to have a winning record after their first five games.

Of course I could be completely wrong and the Dolphins could be start the season a lot better than I predict they will. I would love to see them with a winning record after the first five games. As far as the Colts are concerned. I think Luck will end the season as one of the top five QB's in the NFL. If the game was being played in Miami, I think the Dolphins would win the game. I feel the home field and Luck will give the Colts the edge when these two teams meet in the second weeks of the regular season.

Obviously I want the Dolphins to win every game they play. I feel I am being realistic in regards to this season and I feel that 8-8 or possibly 9-7 is where the Dolphins will finish. With the drafting of a LT in the first round of the 2014 draft and a year of playing together, I expect the 2014 Dolphins to be a strong playoff contender. If it happens in 2013, all the better.

 

There are 16 games in the regular season they ALL are important to anyone involved. From a different perspective it's not a division game or likely a team we would lose a HU tiebreaker against, but it IS a divisional game and that's much more important than any Saints/Falcons game.

Now if I could choose a game to win between Indy/Cle I choose the Colts game and don't blink an eye...then again what's wrong with winning both? You don't need motivation to come out and play hard opening week, and the coaches can sell that Indy game as the turning point in the season last year (because it was). Good revenge spot.

 

It's a conference game, but your point is noted. Yes, I'd rather Miami win all of their games and personally I think they'll beat the Browns. But, if they don't, that's going to sting down the road from both the team's perspective and the fan's perspective.

From the fan's perspective though, this team is still struggling to sell tickets. How damaging is a Browns loss going to be? How bad would losses to both the Browns and Colts be?

 

2-3 after the first five would be rather promising IMO.

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It will hurt, but honestly they don't receive much support at home anyway.

A home opener SHOULD be a hot ticket regardless.