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At this time last year, the Kansas City Chiefs were the hot name that everyone loved. This time around, it's the Miami Dolphins, but not everyone is sold on the team.
Dennis Green, yes that Dennis Green, thinks the Dolphins will have a tough time overcoming the losses of Reggie Bush and Jake Long.
"I don't think Ryan's [Tannehill] a great quarterback," Green said on Inside Training Camp Live. "So, the key is going to be, how can they overcome losing two great players.
"If you wanted your quarterback to be a good player and have a great year, then you should have signed the best players on your offense," Green continued. "And when you don't do that, you're going to have problems."
Green did acknowledge that the addition of Mike Wallace helps, but Wallace doesn't see the ball as often as Bush will, making him a less effective player.
If the Dolphins are who he thinks they are (sorry, I couldn't resist), Miami will be having a lot of difficulty scoring points.
If you watched the Hall of Fame game, you already know that figuring out pass protection should be the Dolphins' number one priority. The line was pretty terrible in the face of the Cowboys' pass rush, and Dallas was missing their headliner rushers to boot.
As for missing Reggie Bush, that's debatable. Bush just missed the 1,000 yard mark on the ground last year and only added an extra couple hundred receiving yards. He's always a big play threat, but it's completely possible to replace a 1,000 yard rusher in the NFL.
As for the team's prognosis, Dennis Green may be one of the few people to look intelligent by the end of the season. Even with a weakened receiving core, the Patriots will be tough to beat by any non-premium teams, and I don't think the Dolphins are what one would call "premium" just yet. In addition, many positive projections assume that Tannehill will take the next step in his development, and that's just not a given in the NFL.
The Dolphins should be a tough out for any team this year, but are they playoff material? The answer will come soon enough, but for now, I tend to side with Green. Probably not.
