Are the win predictions right about the Miami Dolphins?
By Brian Miller
Three weeks into training camp and the Miami Dolphins still haven’t shown much to change the minds of their detractors.
There are a lot of predictions for the Miami Dolphins this season. Most of them are not good. Some believe that the Dolphins will finish the season with enough losses to warrant a top five draft pick next April. Some believe that pick could go as high as number two.
In many other cases a .500 season is the best the Dolphins can accomplish and even the local beat writers are not so sure about where the Dolphins will finish this year. The continual discussion revolves around quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Now that the team is three weeks deep into camp have they shown enough on the field to warrant a change to those low predictions? That depends on what you believe should be the determining factor.
Ryan Tannehill is showing no signs of his previous knee issue that kept him out all of last season and every game after week 13 in 2016. He is running with conviction and he has taken some unnecessary hits in practice. His lone drive of pre-season game one was decent.
If the barometer is strictly Ryan Tannehill than the Dolphins should be moving up from that 2-6 win prediction.
Some have suggested that the Dolphins running-backs are the problem but again if you view this as a concern then the play of Kalen Ballage, Frank Gore, Kenyan Drake, and Sinorise Perry should quell any concerns. In fact the running backs who played last Thursday looked pretty good.
Miami’s biggest issue offensively has been the offensive line but the line has improved a lot over the last four to five years and this unit looks to be on the verge of becoming great. So if the dire season ahead is related to the offensive line, then yeah, it should trend North instead of South.
Questions about the tight-ends linger but Miami is in pretty good shape and may actually keep four tight-ends this season. Mike Gesicki is improving his blocking skills and Durham Smythe is showing he is more than just a blocking tight-end.
There have been concerns about the Dolphins receivers specifically the loss of Jarvis Landry but Albert Wilson is looking good and Danny Amendola and Ryan Tannehill have a good rapport. The only downward trending player is DeVante Parker.
Offensively the Dolphins running backs, offensive line, and quarterback are not as serious a concern as they were depicted prior to the start of camp but is it enough to bring a season win total above .500?