Will Dolphins Feature Gesicki Against Buccaneers? The Dolphins and Buccaneers play in both teams first preseason game Saturday night. How Miami uses tight end Mike Gesicki will be something to watch. Miami Head Coach Mike McDaniel wants tight ends to block first in his wide zone scheme. He now asks Gesicki, one NFL’s better receiving tight ends, to run block more. The additions of Tyreke Hill and Cedrick Wilson, reduce his targets in the passing game. Second year receiver Jaylen Waddle comes off a 104 catch season expecting the field to be opened up for him, thanks to Hill. That…
Author: Lee McManus
Clemson Tigers Most Important Game: At Notre Dame The Tigers lead the series against the Fighting Irish 4-2. The two teams might not have played often, but the games, especially recently, have been big. The two teams last faced each other in 2020 ACC Championship game, which the Tigers won 34-10. They also met in the 2018 CFP Semifinal which Clemson won as well, 30-3. This will sound like a broken record but everyone of these games comes down to how the offense performs. Expectations are that the Tigers offense, particularly passing, improved over last year. The Tigers defense expects…
Ross Suspended By NFL For Tampering The NFL suspended Stephen Ross today saying he attempted to tamper with both the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers teams. First Ross never received permission to talk with then Saints Head Coach Sean Payton. The Dolphins failed to notify the Saints that they were discussing Payton becoming Miami’s next coach before he had announced his retirement. Miami also had “Impermissible communications” with Payton in January of this year, according to Payton’s agent. The NFL fined Ross and Dolphins Vice Chairman Bruce Beal for these actions. The league also supspended from participating in…
McDaniel’s Play Calling: The Upside Miami Head Coach Mike McDaniel will call the offense this upcoming season. McDaniel takes on those duties for the first time. San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan called the offense, while McDaniel was the run game coordinator last season. McDaniel’s play calling and offense should not be that much different than what San Francisco ran last season. It makes sense to go with what you know. McDaniel’s knowledge of the offense makes him the right person to call the offense. It also streamlines the process, making things easier for Tua Tagovailoa. Last year Eric…
Eric Fisher Fits Miami’s Offense Eric Fisher is one of the three best linemen free agents still unsigned. Fisher started for the Kansas City Chiefs for eight seasons. The Chiefs drafted him first overall, and he made two Pro Bowls. He signed a one-year deal with Indianapolis Colts in 2021. Why is one of the best linemen free agents still unsigned? His rating, while not up to his Pro Bowl years, still was better than any Dolphins starter last year. His decline as a pass blocker hurts him with most teams, but Miami’s offense runs to set up the pass.…
Bridgewater’s Health Essential For Miami There are three Dolphins players who cannot get hurt, and of the three Teddy Bridgewater may be the most important of Miami’s backups. Signing this offseason as an insurance policy in case Tua Tagovailoa struggles or gets hurt, Bridgewater must stay healthy himself. His experience starting with three different teams is too valuable to lose. Tua has had injury issues his first two seasons so any games Bridgewater misses could prove costly. Howard, Miami’s Best Player, Must Not Get Hurt In Already Thin Secondary Bridgewater may be Miami’s best backup but the teams best player…
Jimmy Garoppolo, starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has reportedly attracted trade interest from the Dolphins. Does the move make sense for Miami? Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The One Reason Garoppolo To Miami Makes Sense The rumors about which quarterback replaces Tua Tagovailoa never end. A Jimmy Garoppolo trade, makes sense for the Miami Dolphins mainly because of new Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Garoppolo is the current starter for the San Francisco 49ers. McDaniel was the 49ers running game coordinator. There should not be much, if any new langauge, audibles, protections, or part of the playbook to learn for…
Mark Clayton’s Case For The Hall Of Fame Mark Clayton’s career as a wide receiver is tied to two people, Dan Marino and Mark Duper. For ten years the three of them changed offense in the NFL. The Marks Brothers, as Clayton and Duper were known, helped lead Miami to its last Super Bowl appearance in 1984. Thrity years later Marino to Clayton still ranks in the top five highest scoring quarterback wide receiver combinations. He also has one of the five best seasons for touchdowns receiving. At his peak Clayton made the Pro Bowl five times. He surpassed 1,000…
Most football fans would not consider an offensive line coach to be an important hire. Matt Applebaum, next to Head Coach Mike McDaniel, was the Dolphins most important coaching hire this offseason. The team’s struggles along the line go back to before Tua Tagovailoa being drafted. There are number of reasons why Applebaum needs to be a successful offensive line coach, and here are the three biggest ones, in order of importance. Matt Applebaum Has Work To Do With Worst Rated Line In NFL Pro Football Focus rated the Dolphins offensive line was rated 32nd, dead last in the NFL,…
The biggest games for any team are against their division rivals. The Miami Dolphins biggest games outside of the AFC East are all on the road. Week two they travel for one of the most important games of the season, the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore lost to Miami 22-10 last year in one of the best defensive efforts the Dolphins had. It turned Miami’s season around and led to a seven game winning streak. The Dolphins have often lost games to the Ravens that determined their playoff fate. Baltimore should be more healthy than last year, especially as this an early…
