Like a lot of Miami Dolphin fans, I can’t wait to start the season and prove the experts wrong. Seeing ESPN’s Bill Barnwell rank all 32 team’s skill positions just made me sick. The Dolphins are ranked 31. Really 31? I find it so hard to believe the Dolphins have the 31st rank skilled position in the entire NFL. Yes, the Dolphins made some changes like all teams, like trading their top receiver Jarvis Landry and quite frankly it was time for a change.
Landry wanted to get paid and the Dolphins weren’t going to break the bank. Without Landry, I still like some of the receivers the Dolphins have. I don’t agree with Barnwell’s assessment of Kenny Stills not being able to take on a larger role. Stills had more receptions and receiving yards than the previous season despite the change at quarterback. DeVante Parker I won’t dispute he has been a disappointment since coming into the league and it’s a big year this year because the Dolphins can pull the 5th option when the new league year begins next year barring he passes a physical. Jakeem Grant is lost in the shuffle he really came on last year and made some big plays the last month of the season proving he could be more than a return guy.
The Dolphins added Danny Amendola, who will add great work ethic and professionalism and has been a clutch player in big games, and Albert Wilson, who is a slot receiver who has breakaway speed something Landry didn’t have. The Dolphins might have lost some production with Landry gone, but they added more speed and big play ability.
Since when did Jay Ajayi become Jim Brown? Ever since he got traded last year all I hear is the Dolphins were dumb for making that move. Ajayi didn’t exactly light it up with the Eagles, he was their number 3 running back and would have been 4th if Darren Sproles was healthy. Plus, the Dolphins ran the ball better with Kenyan Drake, once Adam Gase gave him a bigger work load. Drake has home run speed and can take it the distance anytime he touches the ball and he also can be a great mismatch as a receiver something Ajayi wasn’t. I think this year we will find out who came out better in this deal. The Dolphins added Frank Gore, who can be a mentor to Drake and still contribute, and drafted Kalen Ballage, who can get carries as a change of pace back.
The Dolphins needed to do something drastic at tight end, so they dumped Julius Thomas, who is done as a player and couldn’t do jack spit last year. They were smart to get a tight end early in the draft in Mike Gesicki, who is an athletic tight end that can create mismatches against the defense and if he works on his blocking that’s a bonus, but the Dolphins haven’t had a seam threat tight end in so long. I also like the Dolphins drafting Durham Smythe, who is an excellent in line blocker and an underrated pass catcher. It was refreshing to see the Dolphins double down on tight end in the draft instead of going after a free agent like Thomas or Jordan Cameron, whose best days were behind them.
As a Dolphins fan, I like the Dolphins potential and it’s not like they were destroying people on offense with Ajayi, Landry, and Thomas on offense, but I look at some of the teams Barnwell has ahead of the Dolphins and just laugh. The Buffalo Bills he has ahead of the Dolphins really? Outside of Shady McCoy who do the Bills have? Nobody that’s who. This offense couldn’t score one offensive touchdown against the New England Patriots last year. Don’t get me started oh they made the playoffs. Yeah with a lot of luck.
First the Dolphins played them in the season finale last year like it was a preseason game passing on field goals and playing inexperienced players. On top of that they got a miracle from Cincinnati hitting a 4th and forever against the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills haven’t done anything this off season to upgrade their skill positions and this offense don’t scare me. Plus, you have Seattle who has a bunch of pedestrian receivers and who are their running backs? The Indianapolis Colts are ahead of the Dolphins and they have no running backs or legitimate tight ends. I’ll give you TY Hilton, but outside of that nothing. What are Barnwell and some of these so called experts thinking?
Those are just a few examples of teams whose skills players aren’t better than the Dolphins. I think Barnwell and some of the other so called experts who cover the NFL need to take a real look at what the Dolphins added instead of what they lost. I like what the Dolphins did under the circumstances this year. They had to shake things up a little and if that means trading your best receiver so be it. The Patriots lose players and I don’t see anyone criticize them, but I forgot they are the Patriots and the Dolphins are the Dolphins. Let’s get this season started and prove these experts wrong.
We can sneak into the playoffs (just like we did in 2016); the other teams and media wrongly estimated us then too. Lol
Fuck ESPN. Do they really have any credibility left? In Barnwell’s article he says Gore was brought in to replace Ajayi. Really? I thought we already had his replacement in Drake. Gore wasn’t brought in to replace Ajayi, he was brought in for depth and veteran leadership. He’s not going to carry the load.
And I’m soooo tired of hearing about Landry. Yes he caught 400 passes, but how many were bubble screens or shuffle passes? Yes he made some big plays and he also made a lot of bone headed plays. NOT worth what he is getting paid. Go ahead and take your me first attitude and your stupid penalties to Cleveland.
Stills was less efficient last year because he had lazy ass Jay Cutler throwing to him. People tend to overlook how well Tannehill was playing before he was injured.
I’m not saying Miami is going to light it up and sail into the playoffs, but I don’t think this is a 5 or 6 win team.
Yeah, Barnwell has been anti-Dolphins for some time, so his article didn’t totally surprise me, but the 31st ranking for playmakers was a joke. There really no effort put into this on his part.
I like what they added in the off-season and all your points are spot on. The media made fun of Dolphins picking up veterans that have had good presence in the locker room and/or good work ethic, cause they were at the tail end of the careers and looking for a pay day. I think all these guys were great additions and will have a positive effect for the young talent they have.