Miami Dolphins to face the QB many fans thought they should go all in for
By Brian Miller
Miami Dolphins fans are a rabid bunch when it comes to quarterback and this Sunday the team will face the QB most fans thought should have been drafted.
It hasn’t been that long for Miami Dolphins fans, Baker Mayfield was “the” quarterback of the future, that can’t miss prospect that would cure all of the Dolphins’ woes. Miami simply didn’t draft high enough and the Cleveland Browns did. Now, the Dolphins face that former draft target for the first time.
There is always a top quarterback prospect that many Miami fans bang their heads on walls for. There was Andrew Luck but when Luck suddenly was out of reach the next big “can’t miss prospect” was Robert Griffin, III. When Miami didn’t draft him they reached for Ryan Tannehill.
Luck retired before this season started, RGIII has been better as a back-up than a starter, Tannehill is closing in on taking the Titans to the playoffs, and Dolphins fans point to the missed opportunity to draft Russel Wilson. This year, that QB is Tua Tagovailoa. Last year it was Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray but in 2018 it was all about Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield has been given the reigns of a team that has the talent to be great on both sides of the ball but they are far from being great. He has two of the leagues best receivers and the offense can’t score points. Is it a simple sophomore slump for Mayfield or is it coaching or something else?
That answer we don’t know yet but what we do know is that the Dolphins will enter Cleveland with a 2 win record and the Browns have only two more wins than that.
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Cleveland enters the weekend on a two game winning streak having beaten the Bills and Steelers. Miami lost to the Bills last weekend. Cleveland’s other two wins came against the NY Jets and the Ravens. How they beat the Ravens is a head scratcher but they posted 40 points on the team that many believe will be in the Super Bowl this year.
As for Mayfield, he has only eclipsed 300 yards passing twice this season and has four games under 200 yards passing. If Mayfield struggles, the Browns will too. Miami has to get to the quarterback and confuse him. The Dolphins have been doing a good job of mixing up their blitz packages and that needs to continue this week as well.
Mayfield has a very good running back in Nick Chubb and the Dolphins are not very good at stopping the run so Mayfield may not have to throw a lot of passes on Sunday as Chubb can give Cleveland ball control and chunk yards.
In reality, it won’t matter what Chubb does, Miami fans will have their eyes on the quarterback that they wanted with an eye on this years quarterback that they want. Miami may or may not have to lose to get Tagovailoa but Dolphins fans are not wanting to take any chance.
One does have to wonder though. Has Mayfield been that QB everyone thought he would be or is he a letdown? His stats last year were good and they were promising but this year he hasn’t emerged as the “leader” everyone expected. What do you think of Mayfield? Tell us in the comments.