Phins Phorward: Same Old Story for the Miami Dolphins
Jason Picks
Phins Phorward
Edition #75
Same Old Story
I’ve been a Dolphins fan long enough to recognize the same old script. New faces in the front office. New coach preaching toughness. A quarterback who has never started a full season. A roster stripped for parts.
And a delusional chorus telling me this is the “smart” way to lose.
Well, forgive me if I don’t stand and applaud.
Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley arrived from Green Bay with the usual new-hire language: process, culture, physicality.
Ok sure, fine.
Well, the last regime sold speed and scheme until the speed left and the scheme stopped scoring. Now we’re supposed to believe in Malik Willis, who’s trying to figure out how to be a starting quarterback on the fly. Willis has a live arm and can run. He also has a thin body of work and an even thinner receiving group.
De’Von Achane is literally our only bona fide playmaker on offense and will be a problem for defenses, IF he doesn’t get hurt due to extreme overuse. One back, no matter how talented, can’t carry a completely rebuilt team on his own back through a 17-game schedule.
The money is the part that should make every fan wince. This team is paying a fortune in dead cap for players who aren’t here anymore. That’s not a viable short-term strategy. That’s an expensive admission that the last plan failed. Eating nearly $180 million so you can hope to be “flexible” in 2027 is the definition of throwing your hands up in the air and hoping for the best. Remember, the patchwork product on the field this fall still has to play 17 games against one of the league’s hardest slates.
People will point to the 13-pick draft class and call it a foundation. Some of those kids will play. A few will even start Week 1 at Las Vegas. Rookies starting because the veterans were cut is not the same as rookies starting because they earned it. We have no choice but to start them.
The secondary already looks like the weakest part of the operation. The offensive line is unproven. The pass rush is a mix of short-term veterans and unproven edges. Hafley can talk about identity all he wants, but identity doesn’t cover a receiver on third and 8.
The projected win total sits at around four for a reason. The preseason was 0-3. The opener is winnable only if you squint. Then come the 49ers, Chiefs, Vikings, Bengals, and a stretch of games after the bye week that look designed to teach humility.
A 7-10 “surprise” season is the super optimistic outlook, but I’m definitely not buying it with this group. The more likely version is a team that learns hard lessons in public and hopes the 2027 cap sheet and another high pick make the 2026 growing pains look intentional.
I want this to work; I really do. I also remember every other reset that was going to be different. Culture is a word coaches use when they don’t have enough proven players. Process is what you sell when the scoreboard is going to be ugly. I’ll of course watch and I’ll even look for the small signs of hope: Achane exploding, a rookie making a big play, Willis putting together a clean half. But I’m not buying the rebuilding brochure just yet, until proven otherwise.
Year 1 of a reset in Miami smells familiar. We’ll know soon enough whether this one is actually building something, or just another expensive way to start over.
Phins Phorward: Same Old Story for the Miami Dolphins
Phins Phorward
Edition #75
Same Old Story
I’ve been a Dolphins fan long enough to recognize the same old script. New faces in the front office. New coach preaching toughness. A quarterback who has never started a full season. A roster stripped for parts.
And a delusional chorus telling me this is the “smart” way to lose.
Well, forgive me if I don’t stand and applaud.
Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley arrived from Green Bay with the usual new-hire language: process, culture, physicality.
Ok sure, fine.
Well, the last regime sold speed and scheme until the speed left and the scheme stopped scoring. Now we’re supposed to believe in Malik Willis, who’s trying to figure out how to be a starting quarterback on the fly. Willis has a live arm and can run. He also has a thin body of work and an even thinner receiving group.
De’Von Achane is literally our only bona fide playmaker on offense and will be a problem for defenses, IF he doesn’t get hurt due to extreme overuse. One back, no matter how talented, can’t carry a completely rebuilt team on his own back through a 17-game schedule.
The money is the part that should make every fan wince. This team is paying a fortune in dead cap for players who aren’t here anymore. That’s not a viable short-term strategy. That’s an expensive admission that the last plan failed. Eating nearly $180 million so you can hope to be “flexible” in 2027 is the definition of throwing your hands up in the air and hoping for the best. Remember, the patchwork product on the field this fall still has to play 17 games against one of the league’s hardest slates.
People will point to the 13-pick draft class and call it a foundation. Some of those kids will play. A few will even start Week 1 at Las Vegas. Rookies starting because the veterans were cut is not the same as rookies starting because they earned it. We have no choice but to start them.
The secondary already looks like the weakest part of the operation. The offensive line is unproven. The pass rush is a mix of short-term veterans and unproven edges. Hafley can talk about identity all he wants, but identity doesn’t cover a receiver on third and 8.
The projected win total sits at around four for a reason. The preseason was 0-3. The opener is winnable only if you squint. Then come the 49ers, Chiefs, Vikings, Bengals, and a stretch of games after the bye week that look designed to teach humility.
A 7-10 “surprise” season is the super optimistic outlook, but I’m definitely not buying it with this group. The more likely version is a team that learns hard lessons in public and hopes the 2027 cap sheet and another high pick make the 2026 growing pains look intentional.
I want this to work; I really do. I also remember every other reset that was going to be different. Culture is a word coaches use when they don’t have enough proven players. Process is what you sell when the scoreboard is going to be ugly. I’ll of course watch and I’ll even look for the small signs of hope: Achane exploding, a rookie making a big play, Willis putting together a clean half. But I’m not buying the rebuilding brochure just yet, until proven otherwise.
Year 1 of a reset in Miami smells familiar. We’ll know soon enough whether this one is actually building something, or just another expensive way to start over.
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