Perspective time for the Dolphins

The Dolphins went into Indy with a 3 game winning streak a 4-3 record and sky high with confidence, they left 4-4. First things first, The Sky isn’t falling!  The season isn’t over!  After a very tough loss against a potential playoff contender the Dolphins fan base came back to reality. After a tough loss like the Dolphins suffered its time to sit back and put things into perspective.

The Dolphins sit at 4-4, 2^nd in the AFC and still alive in the playoff hunt that being said this game was very much an eye opener for many reason.  Here are a couple of things that stuck out to me after watching this past Sunday’s game.

1. Andrew Luck is really really really good!

• Like when the Dolphins played Peyton Manning in the past, they had to fear the future HOFer every time they touched the ball, it seems the Dolphins are in store for the same thing against Luck. Luck proved this week that he is everything and more, while Ryan Tannehill has shown a lot of promise and potential he is not at the Andrew Luck status. While Tannehill has the capability of being a franchise QB it will be important the Dolphins surround him with talent the same way Andrew Luck has a strong young supporting cast in Indy.

2. The Dolphins need themselves a TY Hilton

• The Dolphins desperately need a deep threat option that can stretch the field. The ironic thing is that the Dolphins took TE Michael Egnew (yet to see the field) over Hilton who seems exactly what the doctor ordered in Miami. You guys can guess who is to blame for that decision. The Dolphins receiving options just aren’t good enough. While Bess and Hartline are keepers for sure, they aren’t nearly enough. The Dolphins need to upgrade at W1 and TE.
•  We all know this is a passing league, while the offensive line has struggled at times it remains pretty solid, the Dolphins need to make sure it is priority number 1 next year to find people who can make plays for Tannehill.

3. The Dolphins have very tough decisions ahead of them with Jake Long and Sean Smith

• I LOVE Jake Long. I met Jake on draft day and have loved him ever since, he has been everything I could have hoped for and has been awesome on and off the field, BUT the fact is his play has declined this year and probably even last year a bit too. Jake is going to demand big money in the offseason being a free agent and being honest he will not probably warrant the money he will receive. The Dolphins have a big decision ahead of them to find out what to do with Jake. Maybe he still isn’t healthy, maybe he needs to go back to the practice field and tweak his game who knows but he does need to be much better and he knows it too.

• Sean Smith might have had his worst game of his career against the Colts. While Smith has been better of late this season his inconsistent play has many doubting he can be a true shut down corner. Smith has his moments when you believe in him and also can sometime have you questioning how he even makes the roster. Smith is going to have to show consistency if he wants to take the next level. The game tape will generally show you that Smith is an average to good corner but far from great. Smith is most likely going to want top $’s, it will be very interesting to see what the Phins do with him.

4. The Dolphins just aren’t quite there yet

• While the Dolphins have showed a lot of promise and growth, this team isn’t ready to contend yet. While they are now 4-4 notes and haven’t exactly beat elite competition. The Dolphins showed that against an elite QB, they were not able to get off the field. While I am not telling you that the playoffs are out of the question, a more realistic time for the Dolphins to really take the next step is next year when they are loaded with draft picks and have 1 year of experience under Tannehill’s belt.