Positives from the Indianapolis Colts game:

With the Indianapolis Colts expected to easily take care of the “tanking” Miami Dolphins, the Dolphins were the ones victorious on Sunday afternoon. Although the Colts were picked by 10.5 by many oddsmakers, the Dolphins team rallied around their coach and rallied against the various people expecting, and hoping for, a Dolphins loss. As this season progresses, the Miami Dolphins therapy, which is intended with this column, may be more geared towards the fans pulling for team losses in order to pick a quarterback instead of fans frustrated by losses.

The positives are beginning to increase as each game is played. The positives from the game against the Indianapolis Colts were:

  • Six weeks ago, the general consensus around the NFL was that the Miami Dolphins were not only intentionally losing, but also putting players health in jeopardy along the way. The win against the Colts solidifies the case that the team that Coach Flores and company are bringing onto the field each week are not looking for ways to lose. Instead, they are finding ways to win, and they don’t care for losing.
  • If someone were to ask you while walking along the street to name three Miami Dolphins offensive linemen, you’d probably have a hard time doing it. But, the beauty is that, although the current offensive line does not have any high priced or well known individuals on the squad, the line is improving as a unit. Although Ryan Fitzpatrick did not throw many yards or the running backs didn’t pick up a lot on the ground, this unit is clearly starting to gel, and it is a testament to the coaching they are receiving. As the season progresses, the team will have an opportunity to find out which of the guys on the line will be coming back for future seasons.
  • Through 9 games, the Dolphins continue to be the least penalized team in the entire league. Maybe it was the TNT wall that Coach Flores created during preseason, or maybe it’s the work being put in during the week. Whatever it is, if this is a staple of the Coach Flores regime, team success will continue to grow. To put it into perspective, the last time the Dolphins were close to being the best team in not committing penalties was during the 2010 season, when they were the second best in the league.
  • Enough can’t be said about the performance by the Miami Dolphins defense. They made impact plays throughout the game, with Jerome Baker leader the blitzing charge up the middle and leading the team in tackles. Then, it was Steven Parker, Nik Needham, and Bobby McCain making interceptions at key moments during the game. This young nucleus of players may be exactly the foundation that the Miami Dolphins need for the next few season. What was more impressive was that Pro Bowlers Rashad Jones and Xavien Howard were not in this game, but the defense was still aggressive and successful.
  • The game ball from this game went to Jason Sanders. He was perfect on the day, and helped solidify the win for the game in the 4th quarter. It is pleasant to see a kicker who is mostly consistent, compared to other kickers who are struggling mightily.

He’s A Keeper…

This week’s keeper is Rookie Cornerback Nik Needham.

I will be the first to admit, when I first heard the name Nik Needham, it was in the preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Needham was being torched by opposing backup wide receivers on multiple occasions. I remember thinking that there’s no chance this kid makes the squad.

However, during the press conference after the game, Coach Flores specifically discussed Needham’s performance. Although admitting he had a bad night, Flores was confident that Nik had the skills and took the coaches feedback which would help him improve over time.

Fast forward to the game against the Indianapolis Colts, the rookie out of UTEP had the best game of his short NFL career. He was physical all game long while knocking down three passes to receivers he was covering, and he also intercepted an additional pass.

Needham continues to develop through Brian Flores’s system and should be welcomed back next season. All I can say is, what a pleasant surprise Nick Needham has become.

 

It Could Be Worse…

You could be a fan of the 0-9 Cincinnati Bengals.

Not much was expected with this seasons Bengals team. In fact, due to the team hiring new coach, and one-time Miami Dolphins assistant, Zach Taylor, the team was expected to be bad. But, they weren’t expected to be “worst team ever” bad.

The consensus among news outlets was for the Bengals to end the season around 4-12, which also happened to be the expected record for the Dolphins by many analysts. However, due to bad offensive line play, injuries, and lack of talent, the team is staring down the barrel of a winless season.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, they do not have some of the future luxuries that the Miami Dolphins have already set up for themselves. While the Miami Dolphins have an anticipated 13 picks in this coming draft, the Bengals will have almost have that amount, with 7 picks upcoming. And, the Dolphins will have over $110 million in expected cap space while the Bengals only have a little over $60 million.

The good news for the Bengals will be that they are looking each week to be the recipients of the first overall draft pick during the upcoming draft. The bad news would be that if they took a quarterback with their first pick, which seems to be the case, the chances of his success would be dampened due to a lack of talent around him, and the likelihood that a new coach will be leading the team. With no money to spend and not a lot of rookies joining the team, the Bengals may be turning back into the Cincinnati Bungals yet again.

 

Will the Dolphins win this weekend?

The Miami Dolphins are on a winning streak. Who would have thunk it. If you would have told me after the New England Patriots game in week 2 that the Dolphins would have won one game, let alone two games in a row, I would not have believed it.

However, Coach Flores is making a statement to the fanbase and to the NFL. Basically, he has coached this team to believe that they can win each week by stating that regardless of how the team is constructed, or who’s out due to injury, or whatever the circumstances are, this Miami Dolphins team can be victorious. And, he’s making it clear that this team will compete each week, and will compete to win.

This weekend, the Miami Dolphins are playing at home against the Buffalo Bills. The last game these two teams met, the Dolphins started the game strong but couldn’t finish during the second half and ended up losing the game. However, the Bills are coming off a somewhat embarrassing loss against the Cleveland Browns last week, and the Dolphins are still building momentum from their two game winning streak.

With this being a home game for the Dolphins, and with the team riding high with the “we don’t care what you think” attitude, look for the Dolphins to win their third game in a row.

As mentioned during last week’s column, winning is contagious, and it will continue for the Fins.

 

The Dolphins upcoming Draft Picks

The Miami Dolphins will have the following draft picks in the upcoming 2020 draft:

Round 1, picks:

4 (same from last week)

22 (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

26 (from Houston Texans)

 

Round 2, picks:

38

59 (from New Orleans Saints)

 

Round 3, picks:

69

 

Round 4, picks:

Compensatory pick – Ja’Wuan James

 

Round 5, picks:

150 (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

Compensatory pick – Cameron Wake

 

Round 6, picks:

165

182 (From Dallas Cowboys)

 

Round 7, picks:

196

215 (From Kansas City Chiefs)

 

College Quarterback Updates…

As it appears that the Miami Dolphins are destined to draft a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, we will keep an eye on the top quarterbacks who should be available in the upcoming draft.

  • Joe Burrows solidified his name as the top Heisman Trophy candidate this season after he led the #2 LSU Tigers to a 46-41 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. He ended the game with 393 yards through the air and 64 yards on the ground while throwing for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Joe showed great pocket awareness and a strong arm during the game, and his leadership was evident during the game and after the game. He appears to be on his way to a successful NFL career as one of the top 2 quarterbacks selected in the draft.
  • Although Tua Tagovailoa’s team lost against the Tigers, Tua also proved why he is still being considered as the top quarterback expected to be taken in the upcoming draft. During the game, he threw for 418 yards with 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 1 fumble in the red zone. All of this while clearly not being 100% healthy. With his ankle surgery occurring 3 weeks before the game, his limping was very evident towards the end of the game. The Dolphins would benefit with either Burrows or Tagovailoa.
  • Justin Herbert –The next game for the Ducks will be next Saturday, November 16th , against Arizona. Dolphins fans may need to start paying attention to Herbert’s play, as it is appearing more clear that the organization may not be able to pick up Burrows or Tagovailoa.

 

Mailbag. . your turn.

If you have any questions that you would like to see here next week or in future weeks, tweet at me or send a DM via Twitter to @ian693.

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