The Miami Dolphins have made it through free agency & the draft. It is likely that the overwhelming majority of the players that will be on this year’s roster are currently on the team.
While I have had some issues with moves in both free agency & the draft, I am generally happy with their off season. Now it is time to see how the pieces fit & more importantly, how the coaching staff uses them to get the most out of them.
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Coach Gase is a welcome breath of fresh air over the lifeless Joe Philbin. It is clear that this a guy who prefers that his players be aggressive on both sides of the ball and attack their opponent’s weaknesses. The only “system” here is tailoring the game plan for your opponent. it is what good coaches do.
Gase obviously has no issues with his players expressing confidence either. While I am of the opinion to let your actions speak louder than your words, it is clear that the players seem to embrace this philosophy vs Philbin’s, who would rather coach robots that keep the field clean.
The talent on the offensive side of the ball is very good. Lots of different parts with different skill sets. This is a no excuse year for our QB. He is finally going to get the quality coaching and personnel groupings that he needs to succeed. If he truly has the skills that a lot of us think he does, he should flourish in this offense. From a personnel & talent standpoint, I feel that the offense is far ahead of the defense. It will need to be the driver for this team to contend for a playoff spot.
I expect the defense to be average but create more big plays than they have recently. I am concerned with their general lack of size in the front 7 & inexperience in the secondary. But, if the secondary can show major improvement, it could transform this defense quicker than expected.
So where does this lead me? I think that as Dolphin fans, we have forgotten what good coaching looks like. Not much separates the majority of teams in this league. A break or 2, an injury or 2 can turn a team from 6 to 10 wins and vice versa. So, the question is, do we have a coach that can squeeze the best out of these players & make this team a playoff contender? Not my style to be optimistic, but everything I have seen so far leads me to say yes.
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