Expectations will be high in 2017
DAVIE — The NFL offseason is designed to sell hope. It makes fans believe that their favorite team is prepared to take a step forward, and is headed in the right direction.
Executives, coaches and players have worked since the start of the offseason to address their team’s shortcomings, say.
Every player has identified his issues, and is blossoming into the player they have the potential to be, say.
New players are added to address weaknesses, and new schemes and plays are implemented in offseason workouts to highlight strengths and ensure improvement, say. Progress being made,
say. The question is, are you buying what’s being sold?
When we purchase something there should be reasonable expectations placed on that product. So think of the Miami Dolphins as a major purchase. What are your expectations of this 2016 playoff team?
The standard should be high, right? At least it is internally. Even, Jarvis Landry’s talking about playing in the Super Bowl.
“You think you’ve accomplished something and when you have veterans that make guys realize, ‘We’re starting over and nobody cares what you did last year,’ when you got that mentality, it gives you a chance,” head coach Adam Gase said heading into this week’s threeday mandatory minicamp, which begins today and concludes the team’s offseason work.
At this point we should expect to see growth from Gase and his staff considering they blew everyone away with the Dolphins’ turnaround is last year. They have a season of working together as a staff and with the players under their belt. Chemistry should be established.
At this point we should expect Ryan Tannehill to resemble an upper-echelon quarterback since this will be his sixth season as an NFL starter. Tannehill has started 77 games since 2012, so the “he’s young,” or “lacks experience,” excuse have used expired a while ago.
Tannehill’s entering the second-year in Gase’s offense, so he should become more comfortable and take ownership of it. And he arguably possesses one of the best skill units in the NFL considering he has former Pro Bowlers at receiver (Landry), tailback (Jay Ajayi) and tight end (Julius Thomas).
Miami’s offense should finish in the top 16 in offensive efficiency and points scored in 2017.
And it should be reasonable to expect the Dolphins’ defense to improve from last year’s franchise-worst 6,122 yards allowed. The Dolphins added new players on every level of that unit — 12 including the undrafted rookies — and get back safety Reshad Jones from the season-ending shoulder injury that limited him to six games last season.
On paper the Dolphins improved the roster this offseason.
But major additions like Thomas, linebacker Lawrence Timmons, defensive end William Hayes and safeties Nate Allen and T.J. McDonald, who are all respected veteran starters, should enhance the team’s talent base. As does the infusion of young, promising draftees like Charles Harris, Raekwon McMillan, Cordrea Tankersley, Isaac Asaiata, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor.