5. The Dolphins entered the draft with three picks in the first two rounds and aren't going to get any help from them at season's start. I know the rookie class is judged after a few years. But a team needing an influx of talent isn't getting any to start this year.


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miam ... 4978.story



Hyde must be reading phinfever.

Last year the 1st round rookie couldn't start because he would be ruined for life(Which i might add the so called experts were dead wrong about). And a second round tackle that maybe was rushed a little in his progress because of an injury to Long..This year all the rookies must start because we need an influx of talent..

All that really matters is the team is better with these guys and they contribute.And they will and have in the preseason. The bottom line is we need to win more games.

The coaching staff needs to improve on last year and the qb needs to take charge..Thats what i'll be looking for.

See there is hope when you hit on a qb....Look at the bad drafting they have endured

4 Of the last 5 they have not got too much from and a couple left without a big impact

I think he is being generous, not so much because of draftees not starting, but because of all the change and the unknowns.


How is Wallace going to fit, is he trully a # 1 WR or did he benafite from the tallent in Pitt.
Can Miller be a feature back, and stay healthy
Can RT progress in his second year
Who will emerge opposite of Grimes
How will Martin do at T
Who will be the TE? If its Clay, can he step up his passing game...


There is not much of a safety blanket behind these guys, what you see is what you get..

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Your first question is hard to answer right now but Wallace has already shown in the preseason that he can do more than slants and go routes. He won't do as well without Keller stealing a safety in coverage.

Not sure Miller is supposed to be a feature back but more of a combo with Thomas. If they can be a poor man's version of Ricky and Ronnie then I think we'll all be satisfied.

RT is already showing some pretty good progression. 90 QB rating and 20 TD passes should be his goal.

Patterson appears to be doing fine as a starter. Nothing special but not a liability.

Same for Martin. Everyone should be satisfied with what they have seen so far.

TE issue is big but somewhat manageable. It will set the offense back a bit in their ability to score quickly.


This all adds up to a 9-7 team. In terms of depth, name another team that can easily replace key positions. Right now Matt Moore could step in and keep this team competitive so the most important position is covered.

I am with you on most of that jammer. I really didnt mean RT with the nothing behind him part, Moore is a great back up. But I hope we do not see him, that would mean RT is hurt.

The rest really hinders on others. If the o-line is effective, the run game and pass game will be. If we can have a threat on the ground, then it opens up the pass game. All the typical really.

The secondary will be a week to week thing for me, facing Atl, NO, Indy and Balto early will tell us plenty about our pass defense.
We were stingy last year and I expect the same, bend dont break. I think we were ranked in the high 20's against the pass, yet 7th in points allowed. If they can keep teams from scoring then we will be ok so long as the offense can score.
Last year our offense could not do that.

Thing is turnaraound, we are going into week one with a lot of new starters, so hard to expect them to be "better" as a unit. At least right out of the gate.
Then when I look at the first 5 games, I can see a 1-4 start, which may be tough for a young team to overcome.

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It is early and this defense is already showing signs of being on the same page. Maybe I'm reading the preseason tea leaves wrong but I think they will be a lot better than last years group. Secondary is vastly improved. DL is deep. The only concern I've seen in preseason is depth. They're still thin at LB and the 2nd unit still can't cover a TE. Outside of this, I don't see anyone putting up a lot of points on the defense

I agree it will be tough. I think Miami actually escapes with a 2-3 start. I see them beating Cleveland simply because I bet Weeden turtles once Miami really brings the pressure. Or, he gets too gutsy and trusts his vertical offense to the point where Grimes, Patterson and Jones get some picks. I also think Miami could steal one from Indy or Baltimore.

If we stay healthy.............I see a 10+ win season............however, injuries are part of the game.......we've already taken a huge hit. If I wasn't a fan...........I'd put the line at 9 wins.

Yeah thsi is a good way to put it. I think its unreasonable to expect starters not to miss time. We saw starters mixed with backups last week and the results were not real good. Defense bent a lot more and the offense sputtered to a halt. Areas where hits would hurt would be OL and LB.

Yup that is how I felt up til Keller got hurt. I know one player doesnt usually make or break a team, but I think we all know that the next in line will not see 1/2 his productivity. Heck Fasano was our best TE, and he was half as productive...

We are building through the draft tho, so we have a few young TE's that could always suprise.. I wouldnt hold my breathe, but I do expect to see some sort of development from more than just RT
Thats part of the deal to me, show me this staff is capable of developing young talent..

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