At last Miami Dolphins training camp is finally here!!!

Well, we actually made it. We got through the off-season and have officially made it to the “real” beginning of the season. After one of the most tumultuous off-seasons we’ve ever been through, after all the constant verbal civil warfare that almost(not really) turned into actual civil warfare, the Miami Dolphins will be opening up training camp.

To say there were peaks and valleys since the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots on January 9th, would be a major slap in the face to peaks and valleys. It’s been a Great Bear level of roller coasting with each day acting as potential armageddon. A little dramatic perhaps, but I don’t think anyone can say things were too calm the last seven months.

Brian Flores got fired on January 10th, he sues the Miami Dolphins and the NFL, the Deshuan Watson stuff hung over the franchise for months, Mike McDaniel gets hired, the team signs Terron Armstead, sign Alec Ingold, reports of Tom Brady and Sean Payton to Miami surface, and then they trade for Tyreek Hill. It was a jam-packed off-season that, to me, when the dust settled ended up being the most productive off-season in decades.

Now it’s time to see all these moves put into motion. The time for talk is over even if you’ve recently started your own podcast. The time for zen, swag, and a terrific dry sense of humor is over. The time for questions about your work ethic, your physical abilities, and worrying about whether or not the team will move off from you if you don’t put it together are over. How about just shutting everybody up with improved, solid, consistent play? I’d go with that.

We’re going to freak out when anyone on the Miami Dolphins does any kind of cool play in training camp. We’re going to make a much bigger deal about it than we should be. To all the folks that want to crap on all of us getting excited about one-handed catches with no defense around, we get it. We know it’s only practice and it only matters if it happens in a game. I wish some of you would just let us have fun with sports and this team but whatever. I and most others aren’t going to let you ruin our good time.

Also, you’re going to see a bunch of articles written that go into stuff that happens at training camp by guys, like me, who aren’t even there. Cry about it if you’d like, but there is no escaping that. If you can’t take the words of a guy from Scranton PA giving his opinions on stuff happening 1,300 miles away as gospel, I don’t know what to tell you besides go and rethink your priorities.

I don’t want to say this year feels different from past years in terms of expectations because even last year we had high expectations but you can’t tell me that this year’s roster isn’t stacked from top to bottom. Yes, we know the quarterback has to bring it for this to pan out but if he does, there’s so much talent to pick up other areas on the team if one unit is having an off game. That’s the league, having enough talent throughout your team that when part of your team is getting beat that multiple units on your team can pick up the slack. This team has that on both sides of the ball.

Even with all the upgrades on offense, to me, it’s the defense that will dictate how far this team goes. There aren’t many glaring holes on the defense. It’s why there weren’t really any upgrades outside of drafting Channing Tindall and Cameron Goode. It already was excellent. If you want to make the case that the MLBs are a bit thin, go for it. I don’t think there is any team that doesn’t have some sort of weak spot on either side of the ball.

But make no mistake, the emergence of what I think and hope this offense can be with Mike McDaniel installing his vision will only help the defense be more fierce. The idea is that since the offense can’t possibly be worse than last year’s offense that the defense won’t always have to be asked to win the game. That sounds nice for a change. Like in the Matrix when Tank is excited to see what Neo can do before he starts uploading everything into him because he knows if he’s the One what it could mean, I can’t wait to see what McDaniel can do with Hill, Waddle, Gesicki, Edmonds, Cedrick Wilson, and an upgraded offensive line.

Let’s hope for a healthy training camp or as healthy as it could possibly be. Let’s hope that the gelling and learning that come with new coaches, players, and a new system goes as swimmingly as it could be. The speed at which everyone gets on the same page is probably going to be one of the biggest factors that determine the ultimate fate of this team. The AFC is too good to have everything click in week five. It kind of has to happen for week one possibly two.

I can’t wait for this season and I am very optimistic if you haven’t picked up on that. I realize this is the Miami Dolphins we’re talking about and all I know is disappointment and being let down. Trust me, I fully understand that I am setting myself up for a great fall. At this point on July 26th, I don’t care. Future me will deal with the heartache if that’s what happens.

Here’s to a successful training camp. Hope everyone enjoys it. Can’t wait to see all the irrational freakouts when Tua throws that first INT in practice. It’s gonna be awesome.

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