Last year the Dolphins decided to make an investment in the Tight End position by signing free agent Dustin Keller and drafting Dion Sims. Keller got injured during a pre-season game, and Sims barely played or contributed, however it was 3rd year player Charles Clay that stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam for the phins. In 2012 he only had 18 receptions, for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns. Then in 2013 when his number was called he stepped up in a huge way, and had a breakout season with 69 receptions for 759 yards and 6 touchdowns. Not only did he rake in the stats, but he also played with a ferocious no quit attitude, by constantly breaking tackles and refusing to be tackled by just one person. Most football gambling fans would say that without a question, Clay was the most improved Phins player, that started to earn some respect as one of the up and coming tight ends in the league. The question and hope now is, which Dolphin in the upcoming season can have a similar style breakout season?
I think there are 3 players who are poised to have a breakout year, and 2 of which who will directly affect each other. It appears that the linebacker experiment of moving Koa Misi to the middle linebacker position and Ellerbe to the mike linebacker may be more than just a summer time experiment. The coaching staff keeps telling the media how Misi is underrated, and whenever they review film, he is one of the few players that constantly jumps out at you. That is a great trait for a middle linebacker, and this might just be the change he needs to actualize his specific skill set. Last season he had 54 tackles and 2 sacks with no forced fumbles, fumble recoveries or interceptions. It will be interesting to see if the coaches decide to make this change permanent, and if stepping into the middle linebacker role can help the team cause some turnovers.
The other two players are Mike Wallace and Ryan Tannehill. It’s fair to say that if one of these two have a breakout season, then they probably both will. If they can develop some chemistry in their second season together, then the Dolphins may be a dangerous team on offense. Going back over the tapes, there was probably around a dozen or so deep balls that were either over thrown, under thrown or flat out dropped. If half of those passes were caught, at least half of those would have been touchdowns and conservatively speaking would have amounted to at least 21 points. The Dolphins lost 4 games last season by a total of 12 points, one of those games would have been a victory, which would have meant the Dolphins would have been in the playoffs. If these two players can find some chemistry this off-season, then the Phins playoff drought may finally be over.
The key is touchdowns, because Wallace’s receptions of 73 last season were the most in his 5 year career, and his 930 yards ranked 3rd best in his career. The biggest dip in his production was his touchdowns. He only had 5 touchdowns compared to 8 in 2012 and 2011, and 10 in 2010. His yards per catch also took a big hit, which was a direct result of not connecting on the the long ball. The reason why I have hope is because of new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. Last year with his up-tempo, taking shots down the field offense he was able to help DeSean Jackson have a breakout pro bowl worthy season with 82 catches for 1,332 yards and 9 touchdowns. If Lazor can get this kind of production from Wallace, then Ryan Tannehill, and the rest of the Dolphins are going to have a big season, that will end in a playoff game.