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FINHEAVEN STAFF MAKE THEIR 2012 DOLPHINS PREDICTIONS 
The Miami Dolphins last Wednesday wrapped up their preseason schedule with a 30-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and finished the preseason with an 0-4 record. Two days days later the 53 man roster was set and the Dolphins record is back to 0-0 as the 2012 regular season will kick off in less than a week. Next Sunday, the Dolphins will open up their new season on the road against the Houston Texans. How will the Dolphins do in the first year under head coach Joe Philbin and returning GM Jeff Ireland? Will they make the playoffs? Will this be a disappointing season that ultimately ends in a change at GM? How will rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill do after he won the starting job? We are all about to find out after months of waiting. Below are some predictions from FinHeaven staff members of what fans should expect this upcoming season. fin-atic FinHeaven Admin: 2012 Record: 6-10
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Lamar Miller
Brief Statement: An entirely new system and coaches, and a void of talent make for another tough year for the Dolphins, and Fin fans will lose patience. I expect Tannehill to start but take such a beating behind this offensive line, that Matt Moore relieves him by week #8. Moore will pull out a few but we will go into off season with more questions than answers. Not good. Nublar7, FinHeaven Admin: 2012 Record: 7-9
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: The Dolphins are officially rebuilding. The team lack talent at some key spots on the offense, especially at wide receiver, and depth is an issue on both sides of the ball. With an easier schedule than in 2011, the team does have the opportunity to string together some wins and surprise people, as long as injuries don't become a major issue. The Dolphins are playing for 2013 and beyond, and with 5 picks in the first three rounds next April, and $50 million+ in cap space, things could improve fast for this team. The 2012 season though seems to be a bump in the road to perhaps great things in the near future. The question is though, will Jeff Ireland still be the GM in January? CedarPhin, FinHeaven Admin: 2012 Record: 6-10
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Sean Smith
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: It's a rebuilding year, not expecting much. Should be fun to watch the team's development over the year, though. Wildbill3, FinHeaven Admin: 2012 Record: 7-9
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Sean Smith
Offensive Player Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Rookie Of The Year: Lamar Miller
Brief Statement: As others have said, new coaches, new system on both sides of the ball, and many new faces does not a winner make. I firmly believe we could easily be in for the same rough start we had last season, as we have players who aren't quite ready, who need experience and time to gel. In particular I see an issue on the right side of the line, one which will cause us to have to use two TE sets just so we can keep someone like Fasano in to help with pass pro. Another long season with glimmers of hope for the future. d-day, FinHeaven Admin: 2012 Record: 10-6
Playoffs: Yes
Defensive Player Of The Year: Sean Smith
Offensive Player Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: They say everything happens in 3's. The Heat are current world champs. The Marlins are terrible this year. And the Panthers wont be able to compete with the upper echelon NHL teams. That leaves the U and the Fins! Dolfan3773, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 4-12
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: No surprises here. I honestly do feel this year the team is "rebuilding" as opposed to the previous years. Tannehill will show us the he's the future but it will be a long year with Reggie Bush being the only offensive weapon for him. Thank God for the Miami Heat. Bumpus, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 5-11
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: This is looking to shape up as a loooong year. Tannehill starts from day one, and gets through the growing pains of his rookie season. Phins look to draft WR early and often next year. Gonzo, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 5-11
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: Simple, where are the points going to come from? The defense could be the best in the league, but you still have to score more points than the other guy, and in today's league, it usually takes a lot of them even with the best defenses. I have no illusions about this season. I'm planning on watching Tannehill develop, seeing if Philbin can manage a game well, hoping we play spoiler to a rival or two, and drinking a lot of beer. Ireland isn't going anywhere this season and likely isn't going anywhere next season, like it or not (should have been gone with Sparano, but that's neither here nor there). Given that, he is out of excuses. It has already taken WAY too long. It no longer takes a decade to turn a team around, no matter how bad it is. It now only takes 1 or 2 years with a solid GM and a good coach that understand what is important in this league (hint: QB and POINTS). All high picks and cash should be spent on getting Tannehill weapons. Yes, every last dime, I don't care how bad the right guard might be (that's what late round picks are for, not WRs). There's no more excuses for the line as they've had years and spent 3 high round picks on it. Focus from here on out: Playmakers. Playmakers. Playmakers. Will Ireland see that? I have no reason whatsoever to believe he will, but I would love to be proven wrong. tylerdolphin, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 5-11
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Jake Long
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: In short, we just dont have anywhere near the talent on the offensive side of the ball needed to be a contender. The defense should be pretty good, but not the elite unit it would need to be to carry this offense. Its gonna be a long year. The only consolation here is that it will hopefully get Ireland ousted which is long overdue. NY8123, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 8-8
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: Joe Philbin knows his long term success rests squarely on Tannehill's arm. Out of the gates the rookie goes through some growing pains and losses until he settles down and plays better in the second half of the season and that leads to a better second half record. If the team plays above its ability 10-6 is a maybe, if the team believes the media and gives up 6-10 is probable but if Tannehill leads and the team keeps grinding 8-8 is where I think they finish and as bad as that sounds it looks better at the end of the year because of the way the team finishes the season, with a statement. PhinsPhan11, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 5-11
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: This isn't going to be a fun year to watch our beloved Dolphins. Hopefully the future is Tannehill, but this year they are going to struggle. Having a rookie QB with no real weapons to throw to won't bode well for the season. This team desperately needs a receiver, but it looks like it will have to wait until next year. The defense will be good, but it can only keep them in so many games since the offense isn't going to be putting up that many points. Hopefully this is a bad season we have to endure in order to have long term success. JCane, FinHeaven SuperMod: 2012 Record: 5-11
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: We have new coaches in a new system. We're starting guys at skill positions that would probably be 4th string on any championship contending team and we're asking a rookie QB to get those guys the football. Teams will stack the box and force us to run the football until Tannehill proves that he can beat teams with the passing game. Because of this, I don't think Reggie Bush can stay 100% healthy this season. I know he did it last season, but this is another year and another heavy workload. This stuff takes its toll on the body. All of this does not translate to a lot of wins but the two bright spots for this team are that the schedule is favorable as we don't play many teams that have an elite level QB and as a result, our defense will keep us in a lot of games. However, going back to what I said previously, we don't have a lot of answers on offense. Outside of Reggie Bush and Lamar Miller on special teams, we don't have legitimate scoring threats. Despite the fact that I believe we're headed in the right direction (for now), we're in for another poor season in 2012. ROADRUNNER, FinHeaven Mod: 2012 Record: 5-11
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Sean Smith
Offensive Player Of The Year: Davone Bess
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: We are in trouble this year, but looking good for next year. rob19, FinHeaven Mod: 2012 Record: 6-10
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Karlos Dansy
Offensive Player Of The Year: Jake Long
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: Not a lot of talent on offense at the receiver position for Tannehill to work with. Inversely Tannehill is a rookie and is bound to go through the customary rookie growing pains; I just don't see the talent at receiver or tight-end to predict he'll have a Cam Newton/ Andy Dalton-esque season. Reggie Bush is going to be solid, but I think he topped out last year at 1,000 yards. I don't foresee him producing too much beyond that, given that he'll be sharing carries with Thomas & Miller. -- The effectiveness of the defense is going to rely heavily on the pressure they can produce from the defensive line. There were big stretches of games this preseason where Cam Wake was the only player applying heat on a consistent basis. Vernon & Odrick are going to have to step-up from a pass-rushing standpoint if we're going to be an effective defense. I'm not really worried about the run-defense, I think Big Paul & Starks, along with our solid line-backing corps will probably have this unit finish in the top 10 in rush-defense. Our top offseason needs are probably going to be 2-3 talented receivers either by draft or FA, & a corner to replace Vontae. Phinatic8u, FinHeaven Mod: 2012 Record: 6-10
Playoffs: No
Defensive Player Of The Year: Cameron Wake
Offensive Player Of The Year: Reggie Bush
Rookie Of The Year: Ryan Tannehill
Brief Statement: Rebuilding so don't expect much, but we'll be better than most though once we play. But still a sad year for the Phins. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK IN THE FINHEAVEN FORUMS! |
