IT’S BACK!!! Competitive, Dolphins football is FINALLY BACK!!!

Our QB has weapons and a coach who believes in him. We kept all our main pieces as their contracts ran out. We signed an ELITE LT, we traded for an ELITE playmaker and drafted some mid to late round players who have caught the fanbase’s eye over pre-season. We have plenty of reasons to be optimistic after years of abject mediocrity. This is the most exciting I have been in about a year in some time!

And here we are at week 1, coming in hot with a massive game to start the season! The Patriots, divisional rivals, the old master at HC vs our new kid on the block. The return of Devante Parker, the continuation of Tua v Mac and the opportunity for Tua to extend his run over Belichick teams to 4-0. There are narratives and storylines wherever you look this week, what a way to start the season.

So I returned to my new pal Sara, a New England Patriots fan who I hooked up with in my pre-season preview articles. Sara, (@smarshxo) host of Hey Yo Foxboro and contributing writer at Musket Fire (@Musket_Fire) gave some great insight then and was an obvious choice for this follow-up. This time we sat down to talk Week 1, from both sides of the divide.

Hi Sara, thank you for coming back so soon. Not long since we last spoke, so is everything the same since then? How did pre-season go and has it changed your views on anything?

Hi again JMR! I would say for the most part, I feel close to the same as I did when I originally spoke with you. But Patriots fans, after watching the team struggle so much throughout preseason, are feeling much more pessimistic than usual.

It’s been known during the off-season/preseason that Bill Belichick was implementing a new offensive style and changed a lot of the terminology in the playbook. It wasn’t the most shocking news, since Josh McDaniels just left after spending about 17 years on and off in New England. But the re-hiring of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge set a lot of fans off. Even though most of them (not me) wanted McDaniels gone from Foxboro, people were hoping Belichick would bring in an experienced OC. So seeing Patricia and Judge return after failed head coaching tenures left many fans worried about the season.

That’s heightened over the last few weeks, especially because the Patriots struggled throughout practices and their preseason games. Although the coaches and players preached patience with the new system, a lot of Pats fans feel the season is going to be a failure already. I am not one of those people, shocking right? 🙂 I think we need to see how they do in the regular season before jumping to conclusions. They definitely have a hard schedule this year, so that’s not fun to look forward to. But they have a lot of great players on the team that are capable of elevating the team. So I am going to continue my optimistic viewpoint despite all the naysayers!

Of course mate, its only week one! You have to keep the optimism rolling until at least halftime! Haha. So not so confident this time? The last time we spoke we had our differences but both agreed it was between the two teams for 2nd and 3rd spot in the division. So considering we’re going up against each other for this first game, how excited are you? And how confident are you in getting off to a good start?

I am super excited! It’s a weird feeling because the off-season always feels SO LONG and then when the season is just a few days away I catch myself asking, “where did all the time go??”

I wouldn’t say I’m feeling the most confident to start the season. The Dolphins in Miami are always a hard game for the Pats, so that worries me every year. But it is just the first game, so there are a lot of lessons to be learned and both teams aren’t at their best yet. So if they win, awesome! If they don’t, it’s not the end of the world!

Hedging your bets there a little? But you’re right, one game doesn’t make a season. Last year we beat you guys week one in Boston, then didn’t win any of the next 7 games. So week one means little, UNLESS this is the first game of a playoff season charge, and I think it’s fair that both teams have that ambition at this stage at least.

So it sounds like it’s been a rough pre-season then? But surely it can’t all be doom and gloom? Have there been any positives? Have there been any spots where you look really good and that you could exploit over the coming weeks?

The defense was definitely the highlight of the summer, which was a bit unexpected. Because of the off-season additions of players on offense, it was assumed they were going to be the better side of the ball, especially seeing how the defense ended the season against the Bills in the playoffs. But it was actually the other way around.

From the draft and free agency signings, the defense has gotten a lot younger, faster, and more athletic. They’re looking like a much more physical and aggressive unit already and that’s exactly what they needed to become. Although it was only the preseason, they were breaking through tackles and getting to the quarterback and backfield. The was such a weakness last year and even years prior and in order for the Pats to keep up with the ever-evolving game, especially with the rise of mobile quarterbacks, they have to maintain this level of play.

If they can keep up with and even improve upon what they showed in the preseason, I’m really excited to see what they can do this year. With a lot of question marks surrounding the offense, it looks like the Pats may be another defensive-led team again.

That’s genuinely interesting to me. Those words you use to describe your defense… Faster, Younger and more athletic, these are all words we’ve been using to describe the offensive changes we’ve made. That will be really interesting going into this match-up, and seeing which of these faster, younger units come out on top.

But it’s not just defense surely? As a team who has our QB under the microscope at every turn, we can’t help but notice how much praise Mac Jones has been getting. The two QBs will forever be linked after playing together in college and then being drafted to bitter rivals, so tell us, how good IS Mac Jones? The Media love him, you guys love him? Do you think you’ll see him take full control and return you to your glory days?

The preseason was a rough showing for the entire team, particularly the offense. Mac has a lot of adjusting to do which is unfortunate because it is only his sophomore season. He has two new offensive coaches, an all-new playbook, and a handful of new players to work with. So I think a lot of the struggles the offense, including Mac, faced during preseason can be attributed to that.

A lot of the media feels that Belichick made a mistake in having Patricia call the plays, and to a certain extent I can understand why. But I try to keep a positive view of things and hope for the best always. Football already controls my mood too much to get down in the trenches of misery over what ifs.

I think Mac will definitely take ownership this year. It was just announced he was named captain which further proves the belief his teammates have him. I’ve only heard glowing things about how Mac carries himself, how seriously he takes the game and how much work he puts in. It’s clear he’s made strides in the right direction coming into this season and his teammates support him 1000%.

This is where the disparity blows my mind. Tua is in a similar place. Just been named captain, and had 4 OCs in 3 years, and a new scheme to learn each year of his short career, yet those aren’t seen as excuses for Tua. He has a winning record, and a perfect record against the Patriots, yet he doesn’t seem to get the same grace as other QBs, like Mac. Although I guess the one sure-fire way to close all that down is if he makes that leap to dominant QB, hopefully, that starts Sunday.

But enough about Tua, for now, because you have a few ex-Dolphins on your roster, most notably the trade for Devante Parker. How has he been received since joining you and how much do you guys see him contributing?

Haha, I’ll go straight to the Parker question, in the interest of staying uncontroversial. It seemed like his trade to the Patriots was really well received. I was super excited, especially since he said he wanted to be in New England. He looked really good at the start of camp, and that quieted down a bit as the summer went on. But I think that made more to do with the number of receivers the team had competing, and still does, rather than a knock on what Parker was doing.

I think he can be a big factor for Mac Jones this year. We all know how good he is at making contested catches and how he can stretch the field. So I feel like he and Agholor can be big threats to opposing defenses. I’m not going to put too many expectations on him though since a lot of players can struggle in their first season in New England. But I think he has shown he can be an impactful player for them so far and I’m excited to see how it goes!

He always seemed to do well against you guys, playing in New England always seemed to suit him when he was wearing Aqua and Orange and you guys have seen his best from an opposition perspective. But you HAVE to keep him healthy. Almost every season he’s been around, he misses games at awkward times. If you want to see the best of him, keep him healthy.

So what do you think the Dolphins will look like without him? He’s been a major player against you over the years, but now we have a different vibe, a different team, and a different Head Coach. What do you guys expect of a Mike McDaniel offense?

From what I’ve seen the Dolphins have really rallied around their new coach. He seems to bring an energetic atmosphere to the team. He also seems to be enjoying his time as head coach so far and the players are of course thriving off that.

I think Miami feels determined to be great this year and you can tell already from their attitude leading up to this game. I expect them to play hard and aggressively. It’s the first game of the year and they’ll want to set the tone early, especially on their home turf. And who better to get their first win against the Patriots?

Haha, you got that right. After years of playing in your shadow, the fact there seems to be a cloud over New England right now, we definitely want to take advantage. You’re right about Coach Mike too, his energy is majorly infectious, the whole franchise feels different, looser, and ready.

It will be a baptism of fire for Coach, going up against the Yoda of the NFL in his first game, but if he has his players buying into his style, it could be a dream start.

So we have talked about Mac and DVP, but who have we not talked about? Who are the secret weapons that you guys are excited about that the rest of the league is underestimating?

If Ty Montgomery can play, I think he’s a good secret weapon for the Patriots. There is so much that he can do and with James White gone, the Pats really need a guy that can step up in his shoes.

Rhamondre Stevenson looks to have a breakout season as well. He worked on improving in the passing game this offseason and that’ll be huge for him to be implemented in that way.

On defense, I think guys like Sam Roberts and Jack Jones have been lost in the shuffle when talking about impactful players for this game. Both had great preseason performances. Roberts is an incredible athlete and has the quickness to get to the quarterback. Jones stood out throughout the summer making big plays and showing his versatility in the secondary.

Ah that’s a great answer, some cracking names in there for us to look out for this Sunday, and you are right, Stevenson aside I would say we are not fearing any of the others, so you are right about them going under the radar. Hopefully you’re not right about them having an impact haha.

What about our roster? Who do you guys worry about and who do you think poses the greatest threat on either side of the ball?

I would say that the Dolphins’ speedy receivers in Hill and Waddle are certainly a concern. They pose a big threat because of how fast they are and their abilities to make some absolutely insane catches. Although I feel good about the Patriots’ defense, they have younger/newer players in the secondary that could be concerning.

The Dolphins’ EDGE players are also eye-popping, especially with the addition of a fan-favorite former Patriot Trey Flowers. As the Pats’ offensive line struggled throughout camp and preseason to protect Mac and open gaps for the running backs, it is worrisome if that continues as the regular season begins.

And then of course there’s Xavien Howard. Obviously always a concern haha.

Ah yes, Xavien Howard, what a guy. I do expect Mac to keep the ball away from him though, or at least he should do. Bill is a smart man and he’ll keep it away from our CB1 I’m sure. I think the speedy WRs on our squad will take the majority of the attention but it’s a shrewd pick-up for our edge and rush players.
You talk about the obvious Trey Flowers link, but we expect him to be in depth with Melvin Ingram, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Jaelan Phillips all ahead of him. It’s an underrated strength of ours and I look forward to seeing it in full force on Sunday.

But I have to ask, I asked everyone last year, and I feel the need to again. Tua Tagovailoa. Controversy and divisive opinions surround him, so what does the Patriot fanbase think of him? Will the new coach, system and players finally bring the best from him, or do you expect him to fizzle out?

Well I know this week will have one phrase consistently repeated until the game starts: “Tua has never lost to Belichick”

I think some people underestimate Tua because he hasn’t always shown to be the most powerful or whatever it may be. But they made some good offseason moves and I think that can drastically elevate the Dolphins overall. Adding Tyreek Hill is a huge advantage over almost any other team in the league and we’ve heard all the great things he’s said about Tua since arriving in Miami. So I’m sure there’s quite a bit of truth there.

I don’t dislike Tua and I don’t know that a ton of Patriots fans do. I was rooting for him when all those rumors were swirling that the team didn’t want him anymore etc. This year is gonna be a big year for him and possibly dictate his future, so I think if he feels it’s all on the line this season then we should expect some great play from him.

Yeah, I think those rumors about Watson were destructive at the time, but I think he won some fans with how the old regime treated him within that time period. I feel like he has a staff that believes in him now and I think that could make all the difference in the world.

Since we lost one of our first-round picks in the Brian Flores complaint, the ability to replace Tua just got a lot harder if he isn’t the answer long-term. But I honestly feel like we are about to see him arrive. And like you said, he has never lost to Belichick!

So finally then, what’s the prediction? How do you see the match playing out?

I am so bad at predicting who’s going to win and lose haha! I try to avoid doing it because of that but also because I’m incredibly superstitious and try to avoid saying anything that could possibly jinx a game 🙂

I think the game could go either way. It’s the first game of the season. It’s a divisional rival. I know the Dolphins are amped up and ready to go so they’ll definitely be on their A-game. The Patriots have a lot to prove and seem eager to get things going.

I think the game will end up being a lot closer than people are anticipating or predicting. I know the Dolphins are favored by I think 3.5 right now, which wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if it happened that way. But I am hoping the Patriots can get a win over a difficult opponent.

It’s definitely going to be a test for the Pats to see where they’re at. I don’t feel the most confident but I’m just ready for the season to start!

Yeah, I get that, I am more excited than anything to don my aqua and orange jersey, sit in front of the TV screen, and watch those plays take place. I am wholly optimistic personally. I think we get the win. It won’t be easy, it never ever is where the Patriots are concerned, but I think we have more than we did last year, so this could be the start we’re looking for. I’m going to plump for 27-17 in favor of the Dolphins.

Thanks for joining me Sara, hopefully, you enjoy football being back, but selfishly, you don’t enjoy the result. But thanks again for a great talk and hopefully get together again for the reverse fixture.

Here we go then. The time for talking is almost over. Just over a day away, soon to be counting down hours instead of days or weeks.

This could be a spectacular week 1. Last year was pretty special and the way it ended in such a dramatic way, with the Dolphins getting that crucial stop to win the game. Yet this year we have speed, more speed than we can even understand. We have offensive creativity and all those other things that we have been talking about for months.

In no time at all we will see it all in action. It’s nearly here, it’s just around the corner… LET’S DO THIS!

Fins Up!