It’s hard to consider the Miami Dolphins a title threat this NFL season, but are they a team on the verge? Will 2015 be the Miami Dolphins year, or will this team continue to tease its fans with slightly above average football? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
DAN:
Why do the Miami Dolphins tease their fans with moments of great football season after season, only to end the year as expected, as an average team usually on the outside of the playoff picture?
The Dolphins defeated the Patriots, an excellent team, and absolutely humiliated the San Diego Chargers, who everyone thought was a good team until that Miami game. Yet losses to Buffalo, Kansas City, Green Bay, and Detroit make it painfully obvious that the Miami Dolphins are not true title contenders, at least not yet.
I won’t pretend to like the Dolphins. But the Miami fans deserve better. There is a lot to like about this football team, and a lot that they are doing right. Yet season after season they consistently come up short.
It’s not simply their quarterback. In fact Ryan Tannehill continues to impress me with his ability to be better than I think he is. His 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio is exactly what you want from a starter, at least at a minimum. And the Dolphins as a team are 7th in rushing offense, the perfect complement to his style of quarterback play.
Add in a highly ranked defense, 2nd in passing and 10th in rushing, and this Miami Dolphins team is formidable on paper. But be honest, does anyone believe they are taking down New England for the AFC East division title? And the AFC wildcard is fully crowded with good teams, teams like Buffalo and Kansas City that defeated Miami.
What do the Dolphins need to do in order to get over the hump next season? They are certainly not out of it this year and have a solid shot at a playoff berth. But looking ahead, can they make moves to be a true Super Bowl contender in the near future?
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TODD:
This Miami Dolphins team is a little different/better than past iterations, even if the results appear similar.
Miami might have the best collection of losses out of anyone in the league. There’s no bad showing there, and the Bills and Chiefs L’s came way back in weeks two and three of the season. However, the fact that the Dolphins have accumulated “good” losses does nothing to aid them in an attempt at a wildcard spot. As you pointed out, KC and Buffalo already have the edge on them for the time being.
They also still have the following teams on their agenda: Bills again (this week), Broncos on the road, Ravens at home and Patriots on the road. Oof. But even more important than the schedule, Miami is trying to advance with Lamar Miller well below 100 percent and left tackle Brandon Albert now gone for the season. That running game you talked up may be due for a steep decline.
The future is brighter though because I do like Tannehill as well. He’s an athlete back there thanks to his time playing wide receiver in college. Every quarterback has his ups and downs, Tannehill being no exception, but I see nothing to make me believe he can’t be the long-term answer there for Miami. And this team’s offensive line should be even better in 2015 assuming Albert comes back healthy. Rookie Ja’Wuan James, now being forced to slide over to left tackle, has been stellar on the right side. Mike Pouncey and Daryn Colledge are big names at the guard spots as well.
Really what more do you need for high hopes in the future than a quarterback, offensive line and a pass rush? Thanks to Cameron Wake and company, Miami should have all three moving forward. With so much turnover in this league, those three segments are all anyone needs to have confidence in their foundation. Then, the difference between 9-7 and 12-4 is a little bit of luck with the schedule and with injuries, and a couple of players improving their games.
But a positive outlook does little to please Dolphins’ fans this season. There isn’t a spot for them in the 2014 playoffs. Three more losses are all but guaranteed, and that is assuming they take care of business against teams they should beat.