Dein erstes Forum » Ravens at Dolphins: What to watch for Miami in 2018

Preseason Week 3 The Miami Dolphins will host the Baltimore Ravens tonight in the third week of the preseason. This game should feature the starters for both teams more than any other game during the preseason http://www.dolphinscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-frank-gore-jersey , with the clubs using this as a chance to make sure everything is ready for the regular season before protecting their key contributors next week during the fourth preseason game. A lot has to be answered still for the Dolphins, and hopefully this game will give us all a better understanding of what will happen this year.After a 10-6 season in 2016, landing in the playoffs, the Dolphins regressed in 2017, falling to 6-10 in one of the most unusual seasons ever. Included in the insanity was the training camp/preseason loss of both the offensive play caller, quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and defensive play caller, then-rookie linebacker Raekwon McMillan. Now, as the team looks toward 2018, they have both of those players back and will hope that is a big part of their struggles from last season.What should we be watching for in this week’s game? Those two are a big part of it.1. Ryan Tannehill, David Fales, and Brock Osweiler.Tannehill has to prove the offense is ready for the regular season. He has played fairly well so far this preseason, at times making throws that look like there is still some rust to work out, but solid play thus far. The offense has proven it can speed up the tempo of play and they have shown they are capable of moving the ball up-and-down the field. The problem is, they have not shown they can score yet. Miami is relying on field goals a lot during the preseason. Part of that is head coach Adam Gase admitting they are not calling red zone offense plays, but at some point, the first team has to get the ball into the end zone.Behind Tannehill, Fales and Osweiler need to establish who will be the backup quarterback this year. Fales jumped out to an early lead, but Osweiler has not gone away. One of the two of them need to come out hot tonight and show they are the player Miami can rely upon should the need arise.2. LinebackersMcMillan is a large part of this, and he needs to quickly move from looking like a player on the field for the first time on defense - which he is, but has to get through that - and start looking more like the middle linebacker in charge of the defense. Maybe it is unfair to McMillan, but it is what is needed right now.Next to McMillan, Kiko Alonso resumes his role on the outside and he is healthy, so hopefully he will be able to compliment McMillan and be ready for a better 2018. Rookie Jerome Baker appears to be the other starting outside linebacker, but he is going to make rookie mistakes. The linebackers as a whole have to come together and figure out how to support each other and the defensive line, and tonight may be the best chance for them to figure that out astray will likely see the most game snaps they will see this year.Behind those three Ja'Wuan James Jersey , players like Stephone Anthony, Chase Allen, and Quentin Poling need to step up and show they can be the depth options Miami will need at some point this year.3. Mike GesickiThe Dolphins have not really involved rookie tight end Mike Gesicki much this preseason. He was targeted twice in the team’s preseason opener, but was overthrown both times. He was not targeted last week. The Dolphins have seemed to be more interested in having Gesicki block in the preseason, working on his technique and giving him experience there, but at some point, the team is going to have to get him involved in the passing attack more than just in practice. 4. Defensive tacklesThis almost feels like the same situation as the linebackers, where younger players are being asked to step up and perform, and now they need to do it. Jordan Phillips has been battling an injury, but Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor need to step up and prove that they can be a starter and a depth option, respectively. Akeem Spence should be locked in as one starter, with either Godchaux or Phillips playing in the other spot. Whatever the case, the team was gashed up the middle last week against the Carolina Panthers, and they need to show that they can plug up those holes this week against the Ravens.5. CornerbacksA few weeks ago, it appeared the Dolphins were set to have a dynamic set of cornerbacks, with starting caliber players buried behind other starters on the depth chart. Now, Xavien Howard is one starter, and the rest of the group is a mess. No one seems to want to claim the other starting position. After allowing Cordrea Tankersley, Tony Lippett, and Torry McTyer all have shots as the top player opposite Howard, Miami last week moved nickel cornerback Bobby McCain outside, with rookie safety Minkah Fitzpatrick moving up to play in the nickel. Will that combination actually work? Will someone else finally step up and claim the spot? The Dolphins need to get this settled and tonight would be a great time for that.Honorable mention: PenaltiesWe have talked about penalties a lot, especially pre-snap penalties. Miami needs to get them under control. So, yeah, that game sucked. No other way to describe it. Any sliver of hope for a playoff run was ended after that horribly embarrassing display of football by the Dolphins on Sunday. Let’s be honest. I wasn’t expecting the game to be that good, but I wanted something better than what we all witnessed. We lost to the Jaguars at home. The Jaguars. In our “supposed lucky” throwback uniforms too. Just let that sink in.The TailgateThe game was terrible Cheap Xavien Howard Jersey , but at least tailgating with friends made the trip worth it. I’ve said it before, but this is why tailgating is crucial to a football game. If your team loses, you still at least have those few hours beforehand with your friends and family. I mean we’re Dolphins’ fans. We literally never know how our team will play, so you better believe I’m going to make sure to at least make part of the day enjoyable. I made my rounds to say goodbye to many of my friends that I will probably not see again till next season. The last home game is always bittersweet. As fans, we are sad to be done with the Sunday tailgating shenanigans but glad to be done watching our team preform so badly. I know I was ready for last season to end and, after Sunday’s spectacle, I’m feeling the same about this one. I finally was able to meet up with The Phinsider’s Kevin Nogle Sunday morning before the game.We discussed the small 4% chance our team had to make the playoffs and both just hoping to not watch our team embarrass themselves. Well, that clearly didn’t go as expected. Oh well. Good thing the tailgating was a success. By the way, if you make it to a home game, you should swing by East 12, near row 208, and look for the van painted in aqua and orange with the Dolphins’ logo. Joe Karecki and his friends always host a great tailgate complete with themed shots for visiting fans. After there, I suggest hoping over two rows to East 22 (old East 32 tailgate) and look for the “East 32” Tailgate tents. My good friend, Cameron, and his crew put on good time as well. If you’re risky enough, ask to take a shot and turn on the bat. They fill a plastic baseball bat with beer, you chug it, turn how many times it took you to drink, and then try to hit a ball. It’s quite the entertainment as the drinks start flowing and the crowd grows. Those are just a couple of the spots I make sure to visit every home game. That is what I will miss. Those experiences make attending games more enjoyable. Maybe, just maybe, one day our Miami Dolphins’ season won’t come to an end so soon. But, I think it may be quite a while before we will experience that playoff bound joy. The Game It was terrible. Nothing good to say at all. Oh wait, I take that back. The field looked freaking awesome and the throwback uniforms were drool worthy. That’s about it, though. Our team looked like crap and Gase was just awful. I’m normally the fan that tries to find something positive, but not after that performance. Where do we go from here? What happens with the Dolphins? What does Ross want to do? If you open twitter or listen/ready any articles it seems nobody really knows. Gase basically blamed the team’s terrible performance and season on injuries.Yes, we have a lot of injuries Albert Wilson Jersey , but you can’t keep using that as a crutch. I even have to give up on that. Injuries happen and we can’t blame that as the only reason. Yes, it didn’t help us,but I feel like our team just didn’t care Sunday. It’s like the offense just kinda went into this game going, “You know what, I just don’t want to do this anymore.” That’s how it felt Sunday. Am I right? Even our fans at the stadium were booing the team. I think it happened maybe three times. That’s embarrassing. Our team is a mess again, and it’s just flat out embarrassing. Stop Being That FanI need to get this off my chest real quick. You know what else is embarrassing? When you attend a game and ask fellow fans to sit down on 3rd down. I wrote a whole article about this before, but stop being that kind of fan. I had a family behind me. I’m not 100% sure what team they were rooting for but I think Dolphins, because nobody had on any team related items (to each their own) and I stood up and cheered (which was encouraged by game day staff on the field) when our team was playing defense. It was 3rd down. Let me say it again: The Dolphins ask you to stand up on third down to help with home field advantage. Well, a man said to me, “This is why they made seats. To sit. You need to sit. The whole game.” I kindly responded back and said no. The family rolled their eyes at me, said a few unkindly things, and I turned back around to watch the game.I sit most the game as it is (in Miami), and I only try to stand when it’s defense or if others around me start to stand. Even then, I only try to stand up on 3rd down and am aware that people are behind me and don’t hold my flags up during plays. If you want to attend a football game, that’s great. I hope you do and you have a great experience. However, you do not have the right to tell someone to sit down the entire game. There are family sections and other sections made for people who want to sit the whole game. I just went to the Minnesota Vikings stadium. Nobody would dare tell you to sit there.Stop being that fan. I personally don’t understand people who never want to stand or cheer during a game, but I will respect your right to do so. You should show me the same respect in return. Post-Game and Last Game of SeasonThe best part of the game was being able to visit a couple friends of mine. They flew to Miami for the holiday and bought tickets to the Dolphins’ game. They are from England. It was their first NFL game. Of course I apologized to them, for the embarrassing display. They laughed and said they still loved the experience. This is us after the game. We caught up after the game at a local pub and they watched some of the evening games. Their response to the Chiefs game, “Oh, so those are good teams huh? That’s definitely a better game.” This time I laughed and hung my head low and said yes. When will our team be considered good? I thought this would be our year after our 3-0 start. We had some really good games and then some really really rough ones. I just want a season where we fans are upset because we only won 9-10 games. I want to have a team that is always expected to be in the playoffs. We were a great team many years ago. When will that happen again? A lot of things need to change this off season. Some fans want Gase fired. Some do not. Other fans think we’ll be cutting ties with Tannehill. Others do not. I’m not sure what needs to be done, but I just want the Dolphins to have a winning season. We have our last game on Sunday against the Bills. I want us to win, just to piss off the Bills’ fans. I don’t know if we will though. It’s going to be tough one. I guess I will just cross my fingers. Pray for a miracle and see what happens.I’ve been driving all over Florida just to make it to that game. I still have a seven hour drive on Christmas tomorrow to see my parents. I’m going to not think about my football team and just enjoy the next few days with family and friends. I hope you all do the same.Happy Holidays to you all and see you here next week!