We are all about to find out a whole lot on Sunday.
Do I believe the Dolphins will beat the Seahawks? No. Sorry guys, that's my honest opinion, more on that in a minute.
Some observations I have seen during this offseason and throughout camp are promising, but again, we are looking at a rookie head coach and most of the staff are in new positions as well.
Some things that I love so far is that we finally SEEM to have figured out this offensive line. Whatever that line coach is doing is amazing. The transition from Pouncey to Steen at center has been really good so far which is a sign of a good, solid unit. Last year, we had a mess at center when Pouncey went down and it was widely reported so it is good news that we haven't heard anything on Steen dropping the ball in his new position. No news is good news.
Xavien Howard has some serious swag, it's borderline cocky. But I like it! He knows he will get picked on all year being a rookie. And he especially knows that Seattle will pick on him this weekend because he missed most of camp recovering. You know what his answer was when he was asked about all this?
"I know they are gonna pick on me and I just have to make them pay for that decision"
Wow.
Do I expect Howard to come out and set the world on fire and dominate? No, he will have rookie mistakes. But I do expect him to be a very very solid corner in this league. Hopefully he settles in quickly and stays healthy.
Speaking of Xavien Howard, I love how Gase handled that whole situation. Gase was asked what they plan to do with Howard now for the last preseason game since he was able to play. Gase's answer:
"We are gonna suit him up and send him out there to play press coverage on the guy in front of him. He has stayed up to speed with our scheme mentally during his recovery and covering receivers is something he has done his whole life, nothing new to him. What we do defensively is not complicated. He will be fine."
I applaud you Adam Gase. These higher draft picks should not be babied to death. We drafted him to start and that's exactly what they are gonna let him do. Let these rookies prove themselves and take off the floaties!
DeVante Parker. What else do we need to say? He is an athletic freak but needs help eating a good breakfast and drinking proper fluids. Adam Gase called him out and said he needs to be a pro and eventually he will get tired of being that guy on the sidelines. Again, good for you Adam Gase! Don't baby these players! Parker hasn't proven anything yet to get preferential treatment! Some vets deserve that but Parker? No, not yet.
What does all this add up to? Gase will not deal with bullshit. He is sending a message that he is here to coach and they are here to play. Period.
Tannehill actually has a say so in the playbook and game plan going into Sunday. Gase has confirmed this. He said that there have been times where he really likes a play but Tannehill doesn't so it gets scratched off the list for that week. Gase said, and I quote, "Ryan's comfort level will dictate my play calling, not my ego". That is huge in my opinion. I am not a professional athlete but I feel that in a lot of situations, if people in power would just allow the individuals to do their jobs, instead of dictating it for them, the results would be surprising. This is just my opinion.
All these things are great. Gase says AND does all the right things. Whether he can coach and make proper adjustments has yet to be seen. All signs point to yes but we are about to learn a whole lot on Sunday. All of Seattle's weaknesses play into our strengths. Our D-Line should dominate their O-Line. Our secondary has a lot of question marks but let's be honest, their receivers aren't exactly Julio Jones or Odell Beckham. I think they are pretty evenly matched there actually. Jimmy Graham is looking like he will play at least limited so our LBs shouldn't have to worry about covering him step for step on deep routes. Only thing that really worries me on defense is our ability to stop the run and that includes Russell Wilson and his ability to extend plays.
On offense. No damn clue. Gase needs to be pretty creative in order to move the ball. I have pondered how this can be done and I honestly don't know how this can be efficiently accomplished against that Seattle defense. We will see.
All this being said, I still don't expect Miami to win. Seattle's defense is just too solid and Russell Wilson will find a way to exposeour defense. However, I expect them to compete. I expect them to give Seattle a run for their money at home in the opener and lose by only 1 possession. If that is accomplished, I would be ecstatic. If they win, my mind would be blown. I see Miami as a 2 year project at this point.
Everyone enjoy the Panthers and Broncos tomorrow and welcome back football!
Phins Up!!!
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