Prediction: Miami Dolphins Win/Loss Record 2015 Season

[Spider-Dan]

What's different from last year to this year?

I expect MIA's best offensive linemen Albert and Pouncey both to play 16 games.
I expect MIA's squeezably soft run defense in the second half to improve dramatically.
As far as MIA's passing game goes:

- I expect Tannehill and Landry to improve with more experience
- I think Jennings is an upgrade over Hartline
- I believe (hope?) that Parker/Stills/Cameron will be more productive than Wallace/Clay

I mean, how many wins do you think MIA will improve by having a healthy Albert/Pouncey and adding Suh?  1?  2?

[MikeO]

To me the season comes down to LB's and Guards.

If those 2 guards suck beyond belief (which is very possible)....this is a 6-8 win team at best. If we can't protect Tannehill or be good enough to run the ball well enough, forget it this offense is DOA.

At linebacker they have zero depth and Misi is always hurt. Only bit of hope is Zach Vigil seems to be legit. If Vigil keeps performing in practice and is productive in 3 more preseason games like he was vs Chicago he could get a lot of playing time and push to start at some point this year. 

If the guards and LB's are ok, this is a 10 win team. If both are marginal...this team has the potential to be average to bad. I will hold off on the "formal" prediction till before week 1 of the season to see what the roster looks like

[Spider-Dan]

Let me frame the question this way:

If you had to select a position to have the worst starters on your team, which position would it be?

QB, RB, WR, CB, DE, T are all pretty important.  So where would you prefer to stash your worst starters... TE?  DT?  S?  C?  You can't have Pro Bowlers at every position.

[Tenshot13]

Let me frame the question this way:

If you had to select a position to have the worst starters on your team, which position would it be?

None.  Don't you know we have to have pro bowlers at every position for people to be happy?

[MikeO]

Let me frame the question this way:

If you had to select a position to have the worst starters on your team, which position would it be?

QB, RB, WR, CB, DE, T are all pretty important.  So where would you prefer to stash your worst starters... TE?  DT?  S?  C?  You can't have Pro Bowlers at every position.

Don't need pro bowlers at every position but need competent players who are adequate. You can get by without a top end TE, RB and a lackluster Safety (not counting punters and kickers here either.) RB is the least important position on a team these days lets be honest. I think CB is an overrated position these days, with all the rule changes CB's can't do anything but chase guys down and tackle for the most part. Still has some importance but not like it once did.

The lines (both sides) are too important. Without quality DT's teams run down your throat and you are toast (look at Miami end of last year) and Center is the same (if pressure is up the middle to your QB, good night, can't win)

[CF DolFan]

The lines (both sides) are too important. Without quality DT's teams run down your throat and you are toast (look at Miami end of last year) and Center is the same (if pressure is up the middle to your QB, good night, can't win)

I guess the good news is no one ever says the game is won and lost in the trenches. Wait a minute ... oh crap!! That's exactly what they say!!!!

[Dave Gray]

Let me frame the question this way:

If you had to select a position to have the worst starters on your team, which position would it be?

QB, RB, WR, CB, DE, T are all pretty important.  So where would you prefer to stash your worst starters... TE?  DT?  S?  C?  You can't have Pro Bowlers at every position.

I agree with Mike about CB.  And I think that RB doesn't really matter all that much.

[Brian Fein]

^^ The Vikings might disagree. 

RB matters if you have a good o-line.  A good o-line and a crap RB is still a crap running game.  A mediocre o-line and a great RB is still a good running game.

Its more about game plan and utilizing talent.  Injuries will be key for Miami this year - I don't see a lot of depth at any position.  An o-lineman gets hurt, any player other than D-line, and the team is up the river.

Jordan Cameron is a good player but an injury risk.
Branden Albert is coming off major knee rehab
What if Lamar Miller tweaks an ankle - who's his backup?

Also, the Hartline vs Jennings debate in an interesting one.  I think, in this offense, I'd almost lean towards Hartline right now.  But Jennings can prove me wrong by participating in this offense.

[MikeO]

^^ The Vikings might disagree. 

RB matters if you have a good o-line.  A good o-line and a crap RB is still a crap running game.  A mediocre o-line and a great RB is still a good running game.

Its more about game plan and utilizing talent.  Injuries will be key for Miami this year - I don't see a lot of depth at any position.  An o-lineman gets hurt, any player other than D-line, and the team is up the river.

Jordan Cameron is a good player but an injury risk.
Branden Albert is coming off major knee rehab
What if Lamar Miller tweaks an ankle - who's his backup?

Also, the Hartline vs Jennings debate in an interesting one.  I think, in this offense, I'd almost lean towards Hartline right now.  But Jennings can prove me wrong by participating in this offense.

Hartline sucks. Guy catches most balls and trips over his own two feet these days and just falls down. Jennings is a better player in the year 2015. And in "this offense" last year he was horrible. Had his worst year as a pro. "This Offense" doesn't fit his skills.

RB is a position you can get by without. It's a worthless position these days and teams don't break the bank for RB's. The Packers won a SB a few years back with a RB out of the University of Buffalo who was a 6th round pick and started him for 3 playoff games after he did little all season. The Vikings have an all world RB probably the best RB in the league and still won 7 games last year without him last year and replaced him just fine with a trio of guys. When Peyton Manning was injured and off the Colts for a year they won 2 games and had the #1 pick in the draft.  All you need to know about the RB position.  You can find a guy off the scrap heap to fill in and be productive immediately. Almost no other position can you do that.

[Spider-Dan]

So all you have to do is have a top-3 QB in the league and RB doesn't matter.  Got it.

Miami spent a boatload of money last season getting the best free agent LT and another boatload of money this season getting the best DT in the league; I think they are paying plenty of attention to the trenches.  I'm sure there are plenty of teams that would love to talk about trading MIA a guard for Landry or Grimes or Reshad.

But I am glad to hear that apparently, we can all agree that LB is, and should be, a low priority... as is the second CB.  Maybe they just need a third Pro Bowler on each line.

I don't understand how both RB and CB can be "unimportant" positions.  It seems to me that if you devalue one, you must necessarily value the other.

[MikeO]

So all you have to do is have a top-3 QB in the league and RB doesn't matter.  Got it.

Nobody said that. But in the past 10 years only 1 team has won a Super Bowl with a so called "Franchise Running Back" (Seattle). Other than that its a bunch of teams that use RB by committee that get to the big game and win the big game.....Giants (Jacobs/Bradshaw), Pats (use everyone and nobody that is a star), Colts (Rhodes/Addai), Pitt (Bettis/Parker) (Mendenhall/Moore/Redman), Denver (Moreno/Ball), Saints (Thomas/Bush)

Other good teams over that time span...Jets (2 AFC Title games, used RB by committee with a terrible QB), Atlanta (Turner/Rogers), Colts last year (Trent/Herron)...the list is endless. These are all "good teams" who had big years that use RB's in time-shares for the most part and don't need a RB by committee. And not everyone of these teams have a Top 3 QB. (ala Eli, Big Ben, Sanchez, Ryan..etc). It's a devalued position across the board.

And the teams who invested in the "big-time Franchise RB" in recent years ...other than Seattle don't win shit. KC (Charles), Philly (McCoy), SD (Tomlinson), Houston (Foster)

[MikeO]

I don't understand how both RB and CB can be "unimportant" positions.  It seems to me that if you devalue one, you must necessarily value the other.

Look at the rulebook. League is all about passing and tilted the rules that way. DB's not being able to touch the WR's anymore devalues their position. Best way to stop a passing game, Sack the QB or put enough pressure on him so he makes a bad pass. Since the rules favor passing, why invest in a RB. Simple concept, shocked you don't understand it

Miami spent a boatload of money last season getting the best free agent LT and another boatload of money this season getting the best DT in the league

Thanks for proving my entire point. Albert to protect our QB. Suh to sack the opponents QB and bring pressure

[Spider-Dan]

Nobody said that. But in the past 10 years only 1 team has won a Super Bowl with a so called "Franchise Running Back" (Seattle). Other than that its a bunch of teams that use RB by committee that get to the big game and win the big game.....Giants (Jacobs/Bradshaw), Pats (use everyone and nobody that is a star), Colts (Rhodes/Addai), Pitt (Bettis/Parker) (Mendenhall/Moore/Redman), Denver (Moreno/Ball), Saints (Thomas/Bush)

First of all: naming off teams with Brady/Peyton/Brees tells you nothing about the value of RBs.  Second, having two good RBs (Jacobs/Bradshaw) does not support the claim that RB is a position of low value.

Other good teams over that time span...Jets (2 AFC Title games, used RB by committee with a terrible QB)

You're citing the Rex Ryan Jets as proof that CBs and RBs are... unimportant?  Those teams were built around their CBs and RBs.

Finally: what franchise linemen did these SB teams sport?  Didn't NE jettison their All-Pro guard and promptly win it all?  MIA already has two Pro Bowlers on each line, so unless these teams have 3+ it would seem that MIA has invested plenty in the trenches.

Look at the rulebook. League is all about passing and tilted the rules that way.

If the league is "all about passing" then you need good CBs to stop it.  SEA doesn't just pray that opposing receivers drop the ball.

Thanks for proving my entire point. Albert to protect our QB. Suh to sack the opponents QB and bring pressure

But apparently, that's not enough because MIA needs to spend MORE resources on the lines.  Miami already has two Pro Bowlers and a first-round pick on the offensive line... should they keep spending until there's no one left to catch the football?

[MikeO]

If the league is "all about passing" then you need good CBs to stop it.  SEA doesn't just pray that opposing receivers drop the ball.

But apparently, that's not enough because MIA needs to spend MORE resources on the lines.  Miami already has two Pro Bowlers and a first-round pick on the offensive line... should they keep spending until there's no one left to catch the football?

No Seattle RUSHES the QB and brings pressure as good as anyone. That's why they were drafting the likes of Bruce Irvin in Rd 1, strictly a 1 trick pony who is a pss rusher.

And YES I would invest MORE money in offensive and defensive linemen and the Fins will. Miami is already talking about using the franchise tag on Vernon next offseason which would be wise.  And if the Turner/Thomas experiment this year blows up in the Fins face I would expect a 1st of 2nd round pick used on another o-linemen.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Generous considering your affiliation.

I make my prediction based on what I think will happen.  Not based on what I want to happen. 

Are you admitting your prediction is artificially high because you WANT the Dolphins to go 12-4, vs realistically believing that is what they will accomplish?