Sobriety Check Thursday?

The Dolphins are riding a two game winning streak while playing some of the best football we have seen from a Miami Dolphin team in many years. It should be noted that they have had this stellar play against two teams with losing records, and it will take a more worthy opponent than the Titans and Texans to see how good they really are. Luckily for Miami Dolphins news fans, the wait won’t be very long, because the Dolphins travel to New England this Thursday to play the current Super Bowl Champion Patriots.

Playing a primetime game against the Patriots in New England is the ultimate test to see what the ceiling for the Dolphins really is. Going against top teams is the only way to really see if you are included on that very short list of the “best teams” in the league. Dolphin fans are betting that Dan Campbell and the Dolphins are salivating at the chance to prove to the world that the Dolphins are for real because the Patriots have started this season where they left off last season: winning. The Patriots are 6-0, and if you include last season, they have won their last 9 games in a row. Their last loss came against the Buffalo Bills on December 28^th 2014  when Tom Brady and most of the starters were give the week off to rest.

The key for the Dolphins in this upcoming game is for them to play a full 60 minute game.  It sounds basic, but it isn’t. Miami is facing a team in the Patriots that has made a dynasty out of actually playing a full 60 minutes – regardless of where you stand on their cheating. If you just look at the Patriots close games this season, any football gambling fan will be able to see that the Patriots found ways to make plays at the end of the game to seal the victory. To be able to close out games like the Patriots do, they nearly always start out strong on offense, make adjustments at halftime, keep mental mistakes and penalties extremely low and in the process wait for the other team to slip up. The Patriots make it look easy because they have one of the best QB’s of all time, and one of the best coaches of all time – Even a Dolphins fan has to admit, despite all their controversy swirling around them, they are top notch at their craft.

On defense, the Dolphins need to look at the Patriots two Super Bowl loses against the New York Giants and what the Giants did against Brady. The Giants put constant pressure on Brady, and crafted the one blueprint (no pun intended) to beat Brady. Brady is great, however, his greatest weakness is that he is extra susceptible to duress. While it is very difficult to get to him, when sufficient pressure is applied his play can be made pedestrian. This sort of pressure must not simply be front pressure, but back end as well. Pass defenders must also force Brady “off schedule”, out of first option short routes, and into the four second plus range for the pressure to arrive. This is why Gronk is so important as he is a mismatch nightmare and opens a large security blanket with mid-progression options when Brady gets “off schedule”.

Due to the Dolphins warts on “D” , they must also be on their game offensively if they want to be in position to have a chance at winning against the Patriots. Miami must jump out to a quick start, establish a running game early, get Lamar Miller involved in the passing game, let Tannehill do his dink and dunk passes that get the ball quickly to his playmakers and let them make plays.

They must play a complete game on both sides of the ball completely sold out for 60 minutes. They can beat the Patriots, but will they? What does the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans think about the Dolphins chances of knocking of the former Super Bowl Champs.

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