When life is tossing eggs and you can make an omelet out of it, that’s when you’re a winner. And that’s what the injury report for this week is doing – tossing eggs. But really, it’s an opportunity to see if coach Campbell can make an omelet. We need a coach that can take less and make more, because that’s exactly what a championship coach must do well and do often. The Dolphins are coming off an extended rest week, so they have had plenty of opportunity to go over the recipe and get it right!
The ‘Phins suffered two key injuries last week in Wake and James, and DeVante Parker, suffered a soft-tissue injury to his surgically repaired left foot in Thursday’s game. Though the extra time is not going to do anything in terms of getting them on the field. It will allow them to compensate in game plan and personnel adjustments to make do and be successful against the Bills.
Any Dolphins fan know Miami’s biggest injury occurred to Cameron Wake last week, and he will be out the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles. There is no other player on the roster that has Wake’s pass rushing talent and skill set, but the Dolphins are going to use a rotation of players of Shelby, Fede, and McCain to try to fill the void. Shelby has the most talent of the bunch, and he is an unrestricted free agent after this season, so this will be a great way for him to earn a solid contract for next year, if he can make plays. Fede is a bigger DE and he can actually do better against the run than Wake, although he isn’t on the same planet as Wake when it comes to pass rush.
Right Tackle Ja’Wuan James suffered a toe injury, and he is most likely going to be out of the lineup for the next 4-6 weeks. The original thought was that Jason Fox, who filled in for James during the Patriot game, would be filling in for James against the Bills, however, Dan Campbell may try something different. There are rumors that that Campbell is entertaining the idea of moving Dallas Thomas to Right Tackle, and then putting rookie Jamil Douglas in as the starting Left Guard. It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next week. This will be a huge call whatever he does and needs to be the right one for the Dolphins to have success.
The Dolphins are deep at wide receiver, and with Rishard Matthews rapid improvement this season, there is no need to rush Parker into the lineup. However, it is still extremely disappointing that the Dolphins first round pick, has been battling a foot injury the entire season, and as a result has fallen back on the depth chart. This year is looking like it is going to be a complete bust of a season for Parker, and unfortunately for Miami Dolphins News fans they will not get to see him in full form until next season.
Lastly the Dolphins other much talked about rookie, running back Jay Ajayi, has officially been removed from the injured reserve list, and is eligible to play this Sunday against the Bills. Big things were expected of Ajayi, but he had an up and down camp, and then in the preseason when he finally started to show some flashes, he broke his rib. He is going to have to put in a lot of work this week to get back into football playing shape, but he could be a nice addition to the Dolphins running game, but sports betting fans aren’t betting on it to make a huge impact. But, the Dolphins need to make sure they continue to commit to the running game, and now with another healthy back in the rotation, Ajayi could help add another dimension to the ‘Phins running attack.
This is where we truly get to see what this years Dolphins and coach Campbell are made of. With a short week, the injuries, the recently installed new regime, an away game and having to face the reigning champs would be a herculean task for even the best coaches in NFL history. This isn’t an excuse, rather simple fact. This week though is one that coach must make happen. This week is one that must be had. If not, the season will be lost in regards to playoffs and the risk of the team downshifting is higher. I believe in coach and that this team will dig down and keep the season alive while at the same time ending the Bills! GO FINS!!!
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