Tag: Lamar Miller

Have the Dolphins closed the gap on the Patriots?

Jun. 06 Opinion 3 comments

The Miami Dolphins  had one goal in mind this offseason: Catch-up to the Patriots.  Make no mistake about it, the Dolphins improvements this offseason were aimed at making the roster better, but the ultimate goal is to build a consistent winner.  To become a consistent winner, the Dolphins will need to catch the Patriots and surpass them.  Let’s face it, as much as we all hate the Patriots, they have been absolutely dominant in the AFC East since 2001.  Since then, the Patriots have won the AFC East 10 of the last 12 seasons.  They’ve also had double digit wins in 11 of those 12 seasons.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

A large part of that success is the successful combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.  We all hate them both, but there is no denying how good their Patriots teams have been.  Early on in their dynasty, the Patriots had both a great defense and a future Hall of Fame quarterback.  Now their defense is their weakness, but they still have an All-World quarterback who leads a face paced offense.  The Patriots defense is not great, but they do enough to keep the Patriots in games.

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How will the Dolphins use Mike Gillislee in 2013?

May. 14 Opinion no comments

The Miami Dolphins are in full offseason mode in mid-May.  The roster is pretty much set, so we know which players will be there when training camp starts in late July.  The Dolphins, for their part, are doing good in the community during their down time.  Today, the entire Dolphins team visited school children and spent the day with them at Dave and Buster’s.  Great work by the team!  While the Dolphins are enjoying their down time, we wanted to take a look at one of the Dolphins rookies, Mike Gillislee.  The Gillislee pick might not have made headlines, but I think he will be used quite a bit in 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Gillislee was drafted #164 overall by the Dolphins, in the 5th round of the NFL Draft.  He’s 5’11″, 208 lbs and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.55 seconds.  He’s not blazing fast like Lamar Miller and he didn’t have a ton of production at Florida, but Gillislee will compete for a spot on the Dolphins roster.  He didn’t become the starting running back at Florida until his senior season, when he carried 244 times for 1,152 yards and 10 TDs.  that’s over a 4.7 yard per carry average in the SEC, which isn’t too shabby.

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How much have the Dolphins improved this offseason?

Apr. 06 Opinion 2 comments

The Miami Dolphins have had a very busy offseason.  The Dolphins have jettisoned a number of team leaders, while getting both younger and faster at a number of key positions.  The Dolphins lost Jake Long, Sean Smith, and Reggie Bush to free agency and cut ties with 2 starting linebackers, Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett.  In exchange, the Dolphins have added Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson, Dustin Keller, Dannell Ellerbe, Philip Wheeler, Brent Grimes, Vaughn Martin and Lance Johnson to the roster.  The question everyone seems to be asking is whether or not the Dolphins improved their football team.  And if so, how much have they improved.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Let’s take a look at the players the Dolphins brought in and the positions the Dolphins have addressed and try to gauge where they have improved.  We’ll give each position a -3 to +3 rating.  Let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments section.

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Dolphins new jersey style leaked?

Apr. 04 News and Notes 16 comments

4-23-13 UPDATE: This post was written 3 weeks ago, Click here for the CONFIRMED Dolphins uniforms.

The Dolphins might have let their new logo slip out earlier than they wanted to.  But, they are trying to keep their new helmet and jerseys under wraps for as long as possible.  They are hoping to have a grand unveiling on the day of the Draft, April 25th.   Well, it seems that some one within the organization seems to have not gotten that memo.  Earlier today on Twitter (from @JCCampbell1), I saw the below mockup of the Dolphins new uniform.  Then, Ben Volin included it in his latest blog post.

Photo by @JCCampell1 via Twitter

Photo by @JCCampell1 via Twitter

Volin addresses this new jersey by saying the following:

“But we’ve been told by good authority what the uniforms look like (they’re tentatively going to be revealed on April 25, the same day as the first round of the NFL Draft). And let’s just say that you should get used to this look”

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Musings: Vote for Marino, plus a Mock Draft, inside info on Grimes, & Lamar Miller breakdown

Apr. 02 Miami Musings no comments

The Dolphins are in full poker mode, sending smokescreens and leaking the information they want to leak, all in an attempt to conceal their plans for the upcoming draft.  As such, there isn’t a lot of information coming out of Davie, FL.  So we thought we would take a moment and share some of the interesting things we’ve been reading, from other Dolphins blogs.

Miami Musings

Vote for Marino

Dan Marino may have retired 13 years ago, but he’s still loved by Dolphins fans.  He’s currently fighting for a spot on the cover of Madden this year.  He’s into the 3rd round after knocking off Reggie Wayne and Marshall Faulk.  Now he’s up against Joe Montana, a number 1 seed.  Marino needs your help to advance in the bracket, so please go here and vote!  Voting literally takes less than 10 seconds.  Please show your support for the greatest Miami Dolphin of all time!!!

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Is Tavon Austin a possibility for the Dolphins at #12?

Apr. 01 Opinion 5 comments

The Miami Dolphins have been adding pieces to their offense this offseason, to help accelerate Ryan Tannehill’s development.  The Dolphins brought in Mike Wallace, Dustin Keller, and Brandon Gibson, all of which add firepower to a Dolphins offense that had very little last season.  In fact, the Dolphins let their best playmaker from 2012 leave via free agency (Reggie Bush).  The Dolphins believe that Lamar Miller will be an upgrade over Bush, but that remains to be seen.  It’s impossible to deny that the Dolphins receiving corps has gotten better this offseason…..at least on paper.  So why then would we propose that the Dolphins select a wide receiver at #12 in the 1st round?  Watch this video….then read on:

After watching that, all I can say is: WOW!  Tavon Austin is viewed by experts as the most dynamic offensive playmaker in this draft.  He is considered a 1st round talent, but no one seems to know exactly how high he will go.  He’s only helped himself this offseason, posting a 4.34 40-yard dash and lighting it up in the Combine position drills and during his Pro Day.

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Report: Reggie Bush ‘highly unlikely’ to resign with Dolphins

Jan. 28 News and Notes 1 comment

The Miami Dolphins are in full offseason mode, trying to determine which of their own free agents they want to resign to future contracts.  Tough decisions are being discussed regarding Jake Long, Reggie Bush, Sean Smith, Randy Starks, Brian Hartline, and Anthony Fasano.  With roughly $46 million in cap room, the amount the Dolphins will have to spend on other players will largely depend on which (and how many) of these free agents they resign.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Right now, we know the Dolphins are involved in complex negotiations with Jake Long.  But, with word coming out that Jake wants $10 mil per season, I think the chances of bit #77 coming back are growing slimmer by the day.  So the Dolphins would likely convert Jonathan Martin to LT to replace Long and address RT in free agency or the draft (at a much lower price than $10 mil per season).

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If I were Jeff Ireland……….Part 3 (Who to draft)

Jan. 24 Opinion 3 comments

Alright Dolphins fans, this is the third and final installment of our offseason plan.  The Dolphins haven’t even gotten to the point where they have resigned any of their own free agents and we’re about to finish our full offseason plan.  Can you tell we’re anxious for the offseason to get underway?!  If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of our plans, you can click on here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

Some Dolphins have posed some good questions regarding our plan, most notably about our desire to sign Jermichael Finley.  It’s a risk, I’ll admit that.  However, if he is released and will only cost money, I think the potential upside far outweighs the downside.  Besides, how many other seam threat tight ends are out there?

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Part 3 – Which players to draft

Alright, so we’ve made it this far in our offseason plan.  We’ve added some speed and explosiveness on offense, adding Mike Wallace and Jermichael Finley, while resigning Reggie Bush.  On defense, we’ve resigned Sean Smith and Randy Starks, but there are two big needs remaining as we enter the draft.  We need to find a starting cornerback and a defensive end that can provide some pass rush opposite Cameron Wake.  We will also be looking for a QB for depth and a young receiver to add to the mix.  The rest of the draft will focus on depth.

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Who will stay and who will go for the Dolphins?

Jan. 15 Opinion 6 comments

The Miami Dolphins are in the process of evaluating the talent they have on their current roster.  They are trying to map out a plan for this critical offseason that presents them with $40-$50 mil in cap room and 5 draft picks in the first 3 rounds of the draft.  The Dolphins have a lot of big decisions to make this offseason.  The big decisions that will come first will be to determine which of the Dolphins own free agents should be brought back for the 2013 season and beyond.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Let’s start by looking at each of the key Dolphins players that will be free agents in early March.  The salaries listed below are courtesy of SportsCity.com and can be found here.

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Dolphins Gameplan: Control the clock and get off the field!

Dec. 28 Dolphins Gameplan 3 comments

The Miami Dolphins wrap up their 2012 season against an opponent they saw earlier this month.  The Dolphins will head to Foxboro to take on the AFC East Champion New England Patriots for the second time in 4 weeks.  A tough task, right?  The task for the Dolphins is made more difficult by the fact that the Patriots have a lot to play for on Sunday.  While the Dolphins will immediately turn their attention towards the 2013 season on Monday, the Patriots will be doing work for their upcoming playoff matchup.  The Patriots have already secured a home game, but they are looking for more.  If the Patriots win and either the Texans or Broncos lose, the Patriots would have a bye next week.  If both of those teams lose and the Patriots win, the Patriots would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  So yeah, this game means something to them.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

For the Dolphins, this game is about ending the season with momentum.  I know, I know, momentum doesn’t necessarily carry over to the following season in the NFL.  But wouldn’t 8-8 feel better than 7-9?  Wouldn’t a win in Foxboro give Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill something to build on for next year?  Both are rookies at their positions and it would be encouraging to see them finish the season, winners of 3 straight games.

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