It's crunch time in South Florida, as the Sept. 8th season opener in Cleveland looms a mere 17 days away. Until then, the closest thing we'll have to an actual game will take place in Saturday night's home opener against Tampa Bay. The third preseason game (or in the Fins' case, the fourth) is known as the "dress rehearsal" game, which means the starters for both teams will play well into the second half.
This means that THIS game will be the biggest gauge we have of just where these 2013 Miami Dolphins are. So, with that being said, here's what I MUST see out of this team on Saturday night to really prove to me that they're a serious playoff contender this season. Because, in all honesty, I have NO idea the real identity of this team yet, and with two weeks until the games start to count that's a bit unsettling.
Lets start with the offense:
- I cannot stress this point enough- this unit MUST get off to a FAST start. This has been a huge focal point all throughout training camp, yet through the first three games all I've seen is a slow, sloppy unit out of the gate for the Dolphins. Against Dallas there was the Lamar Miller fumble. Against Jacksonville there was sack, after sack, after sack. And last week, despite the strong offensive showing, the first two drives were DUDS. I need to see Ryan Tannehill and company put up points on the OPENING drive; obviously a TD is preferable, but even a good, well executed drive ending in a FG will do. If we see this on Saturday night it will put a lot of minds to ease, including the guys who do it.
- The next thing I need to see is an UPRIGHT Ryan Tannehill. Jonathan Martin has quietly performed well thus far, but he'll even admit he could be better. However, Martin isn't even my biggest concern: The biggest thing that has me worried is the RT position. John Jerry has been recovering from his knee surgery, and Lance Louis has been recovering from his ACL tear a year ago. Both of these guys will play against the Buccaneers, which means the competition is ON. Josh Samuda has been filling in, but he's been a disaster, as Tannehill is a sitting duck with Samuda in there. Which one of these guys will step up and protect the second year QB Saturday night? This should be your focus when the starting unit is out there. We NEED to see a good pocket for Tannehill.
- How about the TE's? With Dustin Keller lost for the year, the third thing I must see is a tight end step up and break away from the pack. The candidates? Charles Clay, Dion Sims, and Michael Egnew. Each has his strengths and weaknesses. Clay can catch the ball over the middle, but can he block? Sims has excellent hands, but he's a rookie. Egnew has the most promise out of all three, and has progressed nicely after a poor rookie year, but can he put it all together now that he has the opportunity? One of these guys will HAVE to replace Keller if the Fins are to have success this season, and while my money's on Clay, if Michael Egnew can grab the proverbial bull by the horns here and separate himself, then this could become an interesting competition. We'll see.
- The final thing I need to see is a tilt in the RB competition. Listen, at this point, this has become a good problem for the Miami Dolphins. Going into training camp, Lamar Miller was all NFL guru's (including myself) could talk about. However, Daniel Thomas has been the better RB through the first three games. Thomas shined last week, making some big plays both on the ground and through the air. If you watch the film, the offense has done noticeably better when Thomas is in the game. Now, this doesn't mean I don't think Miller is the better RB, because I do, but you can't just ignore what Daniel Thomas has done. Mike Sherman acknowledged earlier this week that this competition is "neck and neck" right now, and also said that, if this were a regular season game, both guys would get plenty of carries. But the best thing for this team is for one of these guys to step up and prove to us that he's the guy for the job. So, who's it going to be? That's what I'll be looking for Saturday night.
Come back tomorrow for the defensive segment, because, despite the strong showing thus far, there are still certain things this unit MUST show us.
See you then.
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