Well I was wrong about the Dolphins going into New England and stealing a victory. Who would have thought that? Miami was 17-point underdogs heading into the game, with practice squad players starting on Defense. The Phins got the win, didn’t lose any draft position (sticking at 5) and cost the Patriots the 2nd seed in the playoffs. That is a trifecta in my book. We have until March to speculate of what direction the franchise will go. Here is my take:
Chan Gailey is back running the Offense, that bodes well for having Fitzpatrick coming back for another season. When Gailey was with the Jets, Fitzpatrick tossed 30 touchdowns to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. The following year, he was awful and got benched multiple times. I did enjoy watching the team under the tutelage of a veteran leader like Fitz. However, if we are banking on Fitzpatrick next year leading Miami to a good season then we’re sadly mistaken. History with him is that he is up and down, loses more than wins. But the guys like playing with him, he is a gunslinger and tough as nails. If the plan is to draft Tua at 5 and redshirt him his rookie year than Okay, I get the move.
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) January 3, 2020
We heard it before, if Miami passes on Tua he will be a Hall of Fame Quarterback. If Miami takes him then he will be injury prone and won’t be available when they need him. Would I risk a top 5 pick for an injury prone player? Yes, 100% if they think he can be special. Everyone that plays football is one hit away from never playing again. So, I am ok with taking a gamble on a generational talent and leader like Tua. If it works then what a steal, if it doesn’t than we keep looking. You miss every shot that you don’t take. Also, with three 1st round picks this year and 2 next year they can take a chance at greatness, instead of being mediocre for the next decade. The “tank” was for Tua, not for a lineman or cornerback, right?
In free agency, I see Miami being aggressive, yet smart. It would be nice to try and grab a corner and pair him with Howard. Maybe a Trae Wayne’s from the Vikings. Still in his mid-20’s he can provide a dynamic duo that the Dolphins haven’t had since Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. Possibly an edge rusher like a Leonard Williams to set the edge and stop the run. Plus, a young player with his best years still ahead. They may have to overpay for a lineman like Brandon Scherff or Anthony Costanzo but that’s ok. If they grabbed a lineman like that and grabbed 2 other offensive linemen in the early rounds in the upcoming draft wouldn’t that solve a huge problem?
https://t.co/jTLjtUE3tr Daily for THURSDAY JANUARY 2nd: Dolphins Quarterback Situation & Melvin Gordon to Miami? … – https://t.co/qboxbYyc9X #iTunes
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) January 2, 2020
Finally, after all these years of shuffling coaches, I believe the Dolphins have finally found a man to lead the team in Brian Flores. Winning 5 games with less talent than every team in the league was impressive. After a disastrous month of September, nobody saw this team winning any games let alone a handful. When it looked like he was going to lose the team before he got into midseason, he steered the ship and had them play hard. In years past, Miami would try to fix their flaws with high priced free agents (Wallace, Ellerbee, Suh, Wheeler, Brandon Albert, Jordan Cameron,) to name few. It looks like they’re building a foundation of success that will be sustainable for years to come. Not to win 10 games every 6-7 years. To be a consistent contender every year. It’s year 1 of Miami’s rebuild and I couldn’t be more excited and optimistic for the future.
The next 9 months will be telling in what direction the franchise is heading into. An improvement to 8 wins next year would be great, then two more 1st round picks in the 2021 draft will make them stronger.
The rebuild has started and we can put 2019 behind us. The next decade will be one for the Dolphins, we have waited long enough.
As always, Phins up!
What all of us witnessed with Fitz this year wasn’t the Fitz of years ago. He is still aloud to mature and get better at his age. You definitely get smarter and more experienced, but the question is, can your body keep up? I say Fitz is pretty fit.
I like how you talk about posible FAs and then the draft. They say the Dolphins have draft power. That means they can take all three of their 1st round and “possibly” make a deal for 1st over all pick, if they want Burrow. I don’t think they will do that, but it is a option.
I’ve been saying for months, Tua is a Junior and might stay in school. But a lot of people keep putting him in the mock draft. We’ll find out very soon when he announces and I think he returns to Alabama.