The Miami Dolphins, as an organization, know full well what they’re getting into with tomorrow’s Week 1 showdown with the New England Patriots. But some of the Dolphins’ most prominent players aren’t so fortunate — and they hold much of the Dolphins’ responsibility in hopefully securing a win tomorrow afternoon. Because any time you play the Patriots, you know full well that you’re in for a war in the trenches. The Dolphins have added plenty of talent up front on both sides of the ball — but three of Miami’s rookie linemen will need to endure a baptism by fire in Week 1.
On the offensive side of the football, rookie tackle Austin Jackson (the No. 18 overall pick) and guard Solomon Kindley (a 4th-round pick) are currently pegged as starters entering Week 1 against the Patriots. Fortunately for Miami, veteran nose tackle Danny Shelton is now in Detroit and his replacement, Beau Allen, is on injured reserve. The Patriots will definitely have answers, however — and the Dolphins must be ready to rise to the occasion and handle New England’s slew of manufactured pressure looks and stunts up front. The challenge for the Dolphins rookies will be adjusting on the fly and not allowing the Patriots to break through gaps and consistently keep pressure on the Dolphins’ offensive backfield.
Jackson, working Ryan Fitzpatrick’s blindside, needs to stay dedicated to playing inside out. If the Patriots bring heat through the B-gap and work inside of Jackson’s face, it will be difficult for Ryan Fitzpatrick to find the space to extend plays. As they say: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That makes Kindley’s ability to stay sturdy and Jackson’s ability to protect his inside critical for the Dolphins’ offensive success.
Defensively, rookie Raekwon Davis (a 2nd-round pick), will also have a big role to play. But the Patriots aren’t missing any members of their accomplished interior trio: guards Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney will welcome back center David Andrews and provide the Patriots with an interior wall. Davis will need to help the Dolphins stay sturdy and keep their linebackers clean to flow to the football.
If Miami can get high quality play out of their trio of prominent rookie trench players, it could be a first class ticket to claiming a Week 1 win.