Category: Miami Dolphins

Three bold predictions for Dolphins’ Week 11 contest vs. Bills

What happens when the Bills and Dolphins take the field today? What kind of unexpected might we expect?

The Dolphins enter Week 11 as a 2-7 football team, which typically indicates a rough season with little optimism. But this isn’t your typical 2-7 football team — these Miami Dolphins are riding a two-game win streak entering Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills. And the Bills? The Bills were embarrassed by the Cleveland Browns last week in poor showing all around, which dropped the team to 6-3.

The last showing between these two teams featured 52 points in a 31-21 victory for the Bills in Orchard Park — but the Dolphins dictated the pace of the game for the first 40 minutes of game action. What twists and turns will the game bring us this week? Here are three bold predictions for the Dolphins’ home showdown with the Bills.

Dolphins sack Bills QB Josh Allen four times

Four sacks would be a season high. Miami totaled 5 sacks through the team’s first 5 games — and has tallied 8 in the four games since. That progression? It’s pretty promising. And the Dolphins have found success in dialing up their exotic blitz packages to create confusion for opposing teams. Miami will bring the heat on Josh Allen — and after getting him twice last time these two teams played, the Dolphins will get home more this time around. 

The Dolphins have no turnovers

Miami last accomplished this feat two weeks ago against the Jets — but it is the only time this season the Dolphins have protected the football for 60 minutes. The Dolphins finished 5 games in 2018 without a turnover — for a little bit of context here. 

But Miami’s point of emphasis coming into this game has to be the fact that Miami had the Bills where they wanted them last time until turnovers did them in. The end result? Extra focus on ball security to give the Dolphins the best chance possible to win the game.

Kalen Ballage breaks a 20+ yard run

This may not be the most bold prediction in the book — but Ballage could really use a big play to hopefully kickstart his play. Ballage was fed 20 carries last week against the Colts and totaled 43 rushing yards, he needs to start creating some missed tackles and getting extra yards out of his runs.

A downhill run directly at the Bills’ defense could produce some nice results, especially considering how much success the Dolphins had running the ball on the Bills the last time out. Look for Ballage to break a big gain and have more room to work today against the Bills.

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Dolphins sign WR Allen Hurns to 2-year extension

The Miami Dolphins have extended wide receiver Allen Hurns for an additional two years.

The Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver room endured a big loss with the injury to WR Preston Williams against the New York Jets. Williams’ presence and physical play allowed him to bully defensive backs en route to piling up some impressive receptions and yardage through the first half of the season.

But the Dolphins have been fortunate enough to have one of their select few veterans on the team in WR Allen Hurns, Has Hurns’ play netted any significant production on the gridiron? No, it hasn’t. But Hurns’ work back from a gruesome leg injury last postseason and the subsequent bounce back from an ugly concussion suffered this September at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys is a testament to the toughness and commitment Hurns brings to the Miami locker room.

And the Dolphins have seen enough to know that Hurns is the type of role model Miami wants their young players to have around for the foreseeable future — they’ve signed him to a 2-year contract extension through the end of the 2021 season.

Whether or not Hurns returns to the form that once saw him eclipse 1,000 yards in a season is yet to be seen — but for now Hurns will continue to operate as Miami’s second perimeter wide receiver, working opposite DeVante Parker and looking to keep the Dolphins’ passing offense on schedule with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. Hurns isn’t the player the Dolphins are going to run their offense through in 2019 (or 2020), but when someone needs to make a play, Hurns has proven that he’s ready to step up at any notice.

The “next man up” mentality has provided good results for Miami thus far in recent weeks — locking a few of those players in on team friendly deals makes plenty of sense for young team that’s only going to get younger.

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Dolphins’ pursuit of a franchise QB just got turned upside down

The Dolphins are in hot pursuit of a quarterback but the one they’ve reportedly had their eyes on suffered a significant injury last night.

The Miami Dolphins have made it well known for months that their intent is to invest in a potential franchise quarterback this upcoming spring. That was all a part of their process — strip down the roster, accumulate assets and then proceed to target and pursue the quarterback of their choice. And all along the way, the QB the Dolphins have had eyes on has been Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, a Samoan lefty with sharp wit, quick feet and a humble demeanor.

But the pairing of Tua and the NFL may have to wait. Tagovailoa, who came back from an ankle injury to play last week in a shootout against the LSU Tigers, was a game-time decision against the Mississippi State Bulldogs yesterday before shredding the Bulldogs secondary in the first half — until disaster struck.

Tagovailoa was tackled awkwardly in the final moments of the first half, a hit that knocked his helmet from his head and left him bloodied on the field — but with a devastating hip injury that has ended his season and potentially put his longevity as a football player at risk.

Tagovailoa was formally diagnosed with a dislocated hip, which casts into doubt what Tagovailoa will ultimately decide to do this offseason. Declare? Return to school and redshirt? The most important thing for Tagovailoa is to do everything he can to return to full health and get back onto the football field. It’s where his all of his time and energy should go, one the doctors are able to sift through the damage and set him on a course for recovery.

And for the Dolphins? The injury will dramatically change the landscape of the 2020 quarterback class no matter what Tagovailoa’s decision is in the coming weeks. The Dolphins’ pursuit of a quarterback will continue onward, that much is sure — but it may have to proceed without one of the top targets in the race.

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Steelers, Browns melee may help Dolphins’ NFL Draft situation

The suspensions handed down in the Steelers/Browns melee will ultimately help assist the Dolphins’ hunt for higher draft picks.

The brawl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football was an ugly look for the NFL. The league made sure to make it abundantly clear that this kind of behavior wouldn’t be tolerated, suspending Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi, as well as Pittsburgh’s Maurkice Pouncey and fining both teams a combined $500k.

There are no silver lining for any of the parties involved — but the ugliness of the incident will potentially provide benefit to the Miami Dolphins in their hunt for higher draft picks. Is it ideal for the Dolphins to play the Browns next weekend without half of their starting defensive line? No, of course not. But the Browns will sorely miss Garrett for the rest of the season — losing him could potentially neutralize a late-season push from the Browns and help the Dolphins’ strength of schedule for any final record ties in the NFL Draft order.

And losing Maurkice Pouncey for three games is notable for Pittsburgh as well — especially given the lingering health issues with RB James Conner. The Steelers came into Thursday Night Football riding a 4 game win streak. The streak is over and the Steelers offense without Conner looked awful. Mason Rudolph folded under pressure against the Browns, and now Rudolph will play without one of Pittsburgh’s best offensive linemen for the next three games. Pittsburgh’s own push for the postseason is hurt by Pouncey’s suspension (and possibly by the NFL’s decision not to suspend Rudolph, given how poorly he played) and as a result, the Dolphins may see that Steelers’ 1st-round pick start to climb back up the NFL Draft order. The Steelers play Cincinnati, Cleveland and Arizona in their next three games without Pouncey — if his absence contributes to even one extra loss for the Steelers, it may be the difference in 3-5 spots in the draft order this spring for the Dolphins.

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Former Dolphins DL relives practice fight with Mike Pouncey

After Myles Garrett’s helmet swing, former Dolphins DL A.J. Francis relived a fight with Mike Pouncey in which a helmet was involved.

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The transgressions of Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett left the football world buzzing yesterday. In case you missed it, Garrett and Steelers QB Mason Rudolph got into a scuffle on the ground with just seconds remaining in Cleveland’s 21-7 win against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football — which culminated with Garrett swinging Rudolph’s helmet at the quarterback, hitting him atop the head with it. The ensuing chaos included Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey tackling Garrett to the ground and landing haymakers to defend his quarterback.

The NFL wasted little time handing out discipline, with Garrett getting an indefinite suspension that will include a minimum of the rest of the 2019 season, Pouncey getting a 3-game suspension and both teams being fined $250k.

Everyone had an opinion on the manner. Including former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman A.J. Francis, who was prompted by the incident to tell a story of how he and former Dolphins center Mike Pouncey got into a fight during organized team activities (OTAs) and how Pouncey nearly used a helmet as a weapon.

It’s a super fun read — all 14 tweets worth of it. Some of the highlights from Francis include:

  • Joe Philbin’s Dolphins circumventing the collective bargaining agreement and conducting illegal contact drills during OTAs
  • Then DL coach Kacy Rodgers encouraging Francis to stand his ground to Pouncey during one on one drills and show some fire
  • Francis bull rushing Pouncey to kickstart an offensive line versus defensive line melee, where Pouncey ends up pulling Francis’ helmet off before winding up to take a swing with it — before discarding it and punching Francis in the face

Ultimately, Francis culminates his story by pointing out that Mike Pouncey, in a fit of anger, still had the judgement to avoid using Francis’ helmet as a weapon in a fight — and that any NFL player should be able to maintain their judgement in the heat of the battle.

Saturday mornings are great for light reading, so go swing over to Francis’ timeline and read the story for yourself!

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Dolphins final injury report for Week 11 versus Buffalo

Will the Dolphins be without key starters against Buffalo in Week 11? The team has released their final injury report for this week.

The Miami Dolphins’ lack of depth is starting to get tested, but you’d never know it based on the product the team has fielded over the last two weeks. Miami is playing tough, scrappy football — they’re never going to blow anyone out but they’ve very much embraced the “next man up” mentality on both sides of the football.

There may be a few men up next this week against the Buffalo Bills — because the Dolphins’ injury report for Week 11 against Buffalo is extensive. And that’s putting it mildly.

All things considered, it is a win for the Dolphins to see just one confirmed player out in CB Ken Webster. And after several weeks of inactivity, the expectation for both DE Avery Moss and S Reshad Jones is that they’ll both dress and be ready to go this week against Buffalo.

But there are some important Dolphins included on this report, several of which would be killer losses for Miami in their hopes to secure a third consecutive win. Among them is LB Raekwon McMillan, who was limited all week at practice and is formally a game-time decision. So, too, is DE Taco Charlton, Miami’s sack leader through nine games this season.

And with offensive absences like WR Preston Williams (ACL) and RB Mark Walton (suspension), the Dolphins are strained on both sides of the ball. No NFL game is easy — but being stretched this thin with injuries after already having a roster devoid of talent is a pretty brutal development. In order to absorb the blow, Miami must continue to do the little things right: tackle, protect the ball, don’t get penalties and stay ahead of the chains.

How effective will they be in doing so with the “next man up”? We’ll find out tomorrow.

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1972 Dolphins named the greatest team in NFL history

How do you beat perfection? You don’t. Which is why the 1972 Dolphins have been named the best team in NFL history.

“Perfection is perfection. Close, get a cigar. There’s only one team that drinks the champagne.”

Larry Csonka’s words exude pride, and why shouldn’t they. As the NFL’s only undefeated Super Bowl champions, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are in a league of their own — and the NFL officially agrees. To celebrate the 100th year of NFL football, the league has been doing a bunch of top 100 series to commemorate the rich history of a century of the game. Yesterday was the culmination of the league’s series honoring the 100 best individual teams in NFL history.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins were ranked as the best team in NFL history.

The videos of Lombardi trophy glory and playoff wins are a far cry from the Miami Dolphins fans of younger generations have come to know — but regardless of if one were alive to see the perfect season or only has read the news clippings and watched the highlights, Dolphins fans have a unique source of pride that ultimately no other team does: perfection. And as Larry Csonka points out during the video honoring the 1972 Dolphins, there have been no shortage of great teams to pass through the NFL over the years — they’ve all just lost a football game along the way.

Seeing a young coach embolden young talent the way we’ve seen Brian Flores do in recent weeks is a fitting tribute to the rich history of the Dolphins at the end of the NFL’s 100th season. Once upon a time, before Don Shula, the Dolphins were a miserable expansion franchise who lacked direction. Shula came in, coached and developed the team and the rest is history. Hopefully Flores is the man to return the Dolphins to that level of glory — there’s inspiration all around him in South Florida.

Because no one is forgetting the greatest team in NFL history.

Dolphins Dive: Storylines for Week 11 versus the Bills

What are the key storylines to watch this week for the Miami Dolphins in Week 11?

The Miami Dolphins have gone from a winless tank job (or so many would have you believe) to holding back-to-back victories. And if the Dolphins can come back home this week and prevail in their second matchup of the year against the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins will officially be streaking with three straight wins for the first time since the beginning of the 2018 season.

The Bills represent a winnable game for Miami, based on each team’s play at this time. In fact, in the 31-21 decision on October 20th earlier this year in Buffalo, they played each other fairly close. The Dolphins were better on third down with fewer penalties. But unfortunately, the Bills didn’t give the ball away — while Miami had two turnovers. Step one to achieving streaking status will be protecting the football.

Ball security will be something to watch — but here are three more storylines in this week’s Dolphins Dive for NFL Week 11.

Mike Gesicki heating up

While critics have called tight end Mike Gesicki a late bloomer, since the departure of running back Kenyan Drake the second year tight end has become more involved when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to check down from a primary target.

In this past two games, Gesicki has caught 9 passes for 123 yards — but he also logged a fumble against the Colts. Can we see Gesicki log a touchdown next?

 Jerome Baker has been on a roll

There have been signs of improvement from the Miami Dolphins as the year has gone on. This is in part thanks to the consistency of linebacker Jerome Baker.

Turning in eight tackles and a forced fumble last week against the Colts, Baker recorded his third straight contest with seven or more tackles posted. His communication and versatility are proving to be key as the Dolphins bank on him to cover a lot of ground and fill a lot of roles. Continuing this pattern would be helpful in securing the ‘W’ over Buffalo.

 Frank Gore needs 73 more

 In addition to facing his former team for the second time this season, future Hall of Fame running back Frank Gore is close to beefing up his resume for gold jacket glory. Should he gain 73 yards on Sunday in South Florida, Gore will have passed former Detroit Lion and NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for third-highest career rushing yard total. Gore has slowly been phased out of the Bills offense in favor of Devin Singletary — but he’s one big run away from third place on the all-time rushing list.

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Miami Dolphins 2020 4-round mock draft

What might the Miami Dolphins’ draft plans look like? Here’s one scenario for Miami’s first four rounds for the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Miami Dolphins are facing a critical offseason this winter — if they hit on a majority of their moves, this team will be on the rebound quicker than you can wave goodbye to 2018 Dolphins being traded away this season. And if they don’t, well — then Miami fans will find themselves in familiar waters: floating around in mediocrity. With so much ammunition in the 2020 NFL Draft at the team’s disposal, Miami has the mobility to move up or down as they please.

So long as they find their guys, the team can do whatever they’d like. But what might that blueprint look like? We decided to run through the early portions of the 2020 NFL Draft to come up with a hypothetical scenario for the Dolphins’ draft class.

1st-round

4th overall – QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama Crimson Tide

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

This may come as a bit of a surprise, but the Dolphins are still in favorable position to draft Tua Tagovailoa. The competition for the first quarterback taken, the Cincinnati Bengals, may gravitate towards LSU QB Joe Burrow with the top pick, given his transcendent season and how he may fit into head coach Zac Taylor’s offensive system. That leaves the Dolphins as the next team in line based on the current order to need a quarterback.

15th overall (via Pittsburgh) – RT Jedrick Wills, Alabama Crimson Tide

Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

What better player to pair with Tagovailoa than his college teammate and blind side protector in Wills? Wills is a hot name in draft circles right now and would be an obvious fit for the Dolphins, given their offensive tackle status and the chemistry he’ll have already established with Tagovailoa.

26th overall (via Houston) – DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU Tigers

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Remember this summer when the Dolphins pursued Houston’s Jadeveon Clowney? Chaisson is cut from the same cloth — he’s raw as a pass rusher but a moveable chess piece on defense that makes all kinds of sense for the Dolphins as the centerpiece of their exotic pressure looks. He had an elite showing against the Alabama Crimson Tide this past weekend.

1st Round – 2nd Round  – 3rd and 4th Rounds

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Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick checks in at 26 on starting QB rankings

Remember a few months ago when the Dolphins’ QB situation was the worst in the NFL? That’s not the case anymore according to NFL.com.

The Dolphins’ quarterback situation has been a roller coaster of emotions going all the way back to last March when the team first signed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. There was joy that the Ryan Tannehill era was over, followed by the doubt of signing Fitzpatrick if the goal was to “tank”. And then there was the cautious optimism of trading for QB Josh Rosen, followed by the frustration of Miami’s handling of Rosen and the decision to start Fitzpatrick over him to open the season.

Fast forward a month from there and it was Rosen’s show and while things weren’t all that much better on the scoreboard, Rosen had some promising flashes and was declared the starter for the rest of the season. That declaration lasted less than three quarters and Fitzpatrick hasn’t looked back, since leading the Dolphins to two consecutive wins.

The most impressive twist to this story? Fitzpatrick has played pretty good — staying within himself, using his legs to extend plays and doing a great job of working around a balky offensive line to pick up third downs and extend drives. There isn’t the same reckless abandon to his game that NFL fans have been so accustomed to seeing. And it is getting noticed.

No one is going to confuse Ryan Fitzpatrick as a long-term answer for the Dolphins, Father Time will see to that. But getting quarterback play that’s not among the five or six worst situations in the NFL is great progress from where this team started the season in September. And that’s exactly where Fitzpatrick ranks among NFL starters according to an NFL.com panel: 26th in the league.

The “Fitzmagic” hasn’t had the peaks of recent years, but the outbursts and flurries of first downs have positioned the Dolphins to notch two straight wins — and the ranking is well deserved. Heck, Fitzpatrick probably deserves to be even higher on the list! You can make the case that he’s playing better than Daniel Jones and Jared Goff at this point in time, especially considering the supporting casts.

But for now, Dolphins fans can enjoy QB play that’s on the rise — and hope that trend continues next year with another fresh face in the room.

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