NFL Odds: Miami Dolphins

The quarterback carousel continues in Miami as they draft Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill as the heir-not-so-apparent to a throne left vacant since the retirement of Dan Marino. Will Reggie Bush be the featured back in new coach Joe Philbin's offense?

 

 

The Fins commence training camp on July 26^th and they will welcome Chad Johnson into the fold as Ochocinco no longer exists. It appears as though Johnson now realizes that a middle aged man with one name just isn't all that cool, especially considering he is now entering the twilight of his career.   

The Dolphins are going to have a tough road in front of them in a division that sees the Patriots armed to the teeth once again, a New York Jets team that is equipped to make a postseason run, and a vastly improved Buffalo Bills squad.  Perhaps the biggest concern is that training camp will not be used to smooth out the rough edges for the passer to receiver combinations, but will instead be a genuine competition between veterans Matt Moore, David Garrard and 1^st round pick Ryan Tannehill. 

With the departure of Brandon Marshall to Chicago, the Dolphins will have to keep their fingers crossed that Reggie Bush will - at the very least - duplicate his career year in 2011 and shoulder the offensive burden. That's a lot to ask in this day and age of the vaunted aerial assault teams throughout the league. Fins fans can only hope that their team's run stop unit is as prolific as last season while the other facets of their game catch up. There are many questions with only few answers but there is no doubt that training camp will begin to tell the tale.

 

 

The big question entering the Fins training camp is whether Ryan Tannehill start on opening day? It should be noted that over the past five years, 13 QB's were picked in the 1^st round but only six started in Week 1. Those quarterbacks who did start right away were basically their team's best option. In 2008, Joe Flacco started for the Ravens and Matt Ryan for the Falcons, in 2009 Mark Sanchez got the nod for the New York Jets and Matthew Stafford for the Lions, in 2010 Sam Bradford started for the Rams and finally Cam Newton electrified the Panthers' fans last season. 

All those quarterbacks had two things in common. They were all 1^st round picks and none of them had any real competition to speak of. That's the big difference with Tannehill, he does have serious competition in Matt Moore and David Garrard for the starting assignment. Who will emerge the victor? Stay tuned because training camp awaits.

 

 

While it's exciting to see new faces and a new coaching staff in South Beach, let's not kid ourselves into believing the new vibe will magically take hold and the playoffs are within grasp for the Fins this year.  The quarterback situation is unsettled and if their top pick, quarterback Ryan Tannehill does beat out the veterans, there will be a learning curve before he produces in bunches.

The Dolphins get the pleasure of traveling to the great state of Texas to play the Houston Texans in their own backyard.  That's quite the challenge as Houston is loaded and although the only bright spot last year for Miami was their run defense, the Texans happen to have arguably the best back on the planet in Arian Foster and complemented by a fearsome aerial assault led by Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson.

The Dolphins will not get a walk in the park when going against the Texans defense either who ranked 3^rd and 4^th respectively against the pass and the run.  The entire season will be a huge test for the Dolphins and nobody can expect much other than a good solid effort and a few bright spots along the way.  Unfortunately they line up against a team in their opening game that may be a dark horse to win the Super Bowl.  Play Houston -7.

 

 

HBO's Hard Knocks documentary series comes to South Beach this summer to give fans an inside look at life inside an NFL training camp.  The Jets were offered another opportunity to star but they declined and so the Dolphins were chosen to participate and fortunately for all of those who can't get enough of the series, Miami accepted.

Count NFL Films executive and this season's director of Hard Knocks Rob Gehring as a big fan of new Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin.  As most rabid NFL fans know, Philbin was the architect of the prolific offense run by the Packers and now takes his talents to South Beach.

Gehring offered this after meeting with the new coach and his staff during mini-camp in preparation of the film production during training camp, "When you're around him, you're kind of like, OK, this is a guy who can turn this thing around.  He's a leader. I almost  equate him to a field general. After having just been around him for less than a month, I'm like, I'll run through a wall for that guy." 

 

 

The Fins may not have a clear cut starter at the quarterback position but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a pool of talent to choose from.  Matt Moore, David Garrard and their 2012 1^st round pick Ryan Tannehill will compete for the top spot but as of this writing, no one has been deemed the guy.

Offensive tackle Jake Long is the only Dolphin to make the NFL Network’s Top 100 list and that is an indictment of the woeful season that Fish fans had to suffer through in 2011.    And speaking of the NFL Network, analyst Solomon Wilcots had this to say about Tannehill.

“I can see how they came away just in love with Ryan Tannehill. I can see how they came away saying, ‘He may not be right for everybody, he’s right for us.’  His knowledge in this offense allows him to be more confident. He’s not a rookie with his head spinning, because I think he feels very comfortable, at least in this stage of the game, with what they’re doing offensively.”

Miami fans hope the early reports are a good omen for things to come.

 

 

Ochocinco and South Beach seem like a match made in reality TV heaven. The recently exiled Patriot didn't take long to catch on with a team that believes he still has the goods. If minicamp is any indication then the Patriots may just regret letting number eighty-five wander into the open market and into the lovin' arms of a divisional rival.

Ochocinco made several nice catches but none better than an over the back shoulder grab beating cornerback Sean Smith. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Ocho's early reviews is that his speed appears to be in full throttle. He has run slant routes and created a nice target as he has flashed the brilliant quickness and speed that made him one of the most feared receivers in the game.

Quarterback Matt Moore had this to say, "It's been good. He's come in, he's done his work, he's trying to learn and it's been business as usual. He's fast, that's for sure. He's quick and he's just got that attacking mentality you love in a wide receiver. He's got a lot of good things and hopefully we can use those things in the future." 

 

 

2012 Draft 

The Miami Dolphins tried to lure the biggest free agent of all time, Peyton Manning, to ply his trade in the bright lights of South Beach. Manning decided on the clean, crisp air of Mile High instead, and the Dolphins were left wondering if free agent signal callers Alex Smith or former Packer Matt Flynn would be the right fit. Smith opted to remain with San Francisco and Flynn wound up in Seattle. The Dolphins brass then eyed moving up from their 8^th position in the first round to select franchise-maker Robert Griffin III, but it was not to be as the Redskins mortgaged the future and traded with the Rams to get the highly coveted RG3 as the number two pick in the draft.

Obviously, the Dolphins were not willing to gamble that other teams would follow the status quo and wait for the next level of quarterbacks, behind Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, to drop to the second round. In retrospect they were right. The Cleveland Browns surprised many when they tapped Brandon Weeden as the 22^nd pick in the first round. Cleveland will of course declare they wanted Weeden all along but, had Tannehill been available, it’s a pretty good possibility that Tannehill would be in a Browns uniform this season. Yet the pundits will insist that even a modest drop in the first round would have yielded not only Tannehill but additional picks in the draft. We will never know.

Miami continued to play it safe when they chose offensive tackle Jonathan Martin of Stanford, a solid though unspectacular choice, to join a Miami offensive line responsible for protecting either Matt Moore or Tannehill, whoever emerges as the starter.

The Fins then looked to the defensive side of the ball in the 3^rd round, tapping Olivier Vernon of Miami as a defensive end or outside linebacker to bring more heat to a pass rush that ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks. With their next pick, in the 3^rd round as well, they drafted Missouri’s Michael Egnew at tight end. Egnew is known primarily for his ability to catch the ball, which is really more of a priority than a big body who can pass block. 

Miami wrapped up the draft by selecting Lamar Miller, running back from Miami (4^th round), Josh Kaddu, linebacker from Oregon (5^th round), BJ Cunnignham, wide receiver from Michigan State (6^th round), Kheeston Randall, defensive tackle from Texas (7^th round) and finally Rishard Matthews, wide receiver from Nevada (7^th round). 

Will the Dolphins improve in 2012?

When you are 6-10, you have to hope so. The football odds makers are putting their total wins at 7 ½ this season and, if the Fins play .500 football, that will certainly be a big step in the right direction. While it may not placate the fans because an 8-8 team certainly won’t win the division in the rugged AFC East, it will bode well for a franchise that has struggled in recent memory.

Joe Philbin, former offensive coordinator for the high flying Green Bay Packers, will bring a new culture to a franchise desperately seeking a return to prominence. The Dolphins are looking to make Reggie Bush the cornerstone of an offense with few high profile weapons at their disposal. It is rumored that Miami is committed to a hyper-tempo offense, keeping Bush on the field and giving him touches on the ground and through the air. If he stays healthy, it may be exactly what the Dolphins need to contend for the first time in a long time.