Will the Miami Dolphin’s be a Good ‘Hard Knocks’ Team?

As soon as I saw that the Dolphins would be on Hard Knocks I had no clue what to think of it. Though they have been a bad team for the past few years, the Dolphins’ late surge last season, and busy offseason might make this Hard Knocks pretty good. I want to emphasize the might, because the Dolphins are a team that lacks star power with Brandon Marshall gone. However, with a brand new head coach, as well as a ton of wide-open position battles, this season’s Hard Knocks may be able to survive without recent stars like Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Mark Sanchez, and Rex Ryan.

This season has the potential to create new fan favorites. One guy who fans already love is Reggie Bush, who is fresh off his first 1,000 yard rushing season. He will be competing with the Dolphins’ 1^st round pick of two years ago, Daniel Thomas, and 4^th round pick of this seasons draft, local Miami Hurricane star, Lamar Miller. Bush is likely to garner a lot of attention due to his past relationship with Kim Kardashian, and the USC football scandal.

A key storyline on the defensive side of the ball will be the corner tandem of Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. Before last season both were very vocal in thinking that they were the best corner tandems in the NFL. Vontae started off the season hurt, and they were never able to prove themselves. If the two corners still believe they are the best, Hard Knocks is the perfect forum for them to showoff their skills. The Dolphins also have switched back to a 4-3 defense that was a staple in the 90s and early 2000s with Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor running the show. How they adjust to the 4-3 will be vital for the Dolphins, because their defense will need to be stout to support their below-average offense. Watch out for star Cameron Wake’s switch to defensive end from outside linebacker.

The most important storyline for Hard Knocks will be the Quarterback competition. The Dolphins return Matt Moore, who finished the season 6-6 as a starter, but added ex-Jaguar QB, David Garrard, and 8^th overall pick in this past draft, Ryan Tannehill out of Texas A&M. In addition the Dolphins hired the Packers QB coach, Joe Philbin, as head coach, and Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman, as offensive coordinator. For those wondering, yes, new offensive coordinator, Mike Sherman, was new QB Ryan Tannehill’s head coach in college. With a completely wide-open QB battle consisting of two veterans and a rookie, it will be enticing to see how it unfolds and how the new coaching staff will manage it. The Dolphins’ emphasis on the Quarterback position this offseason, and their fans’ desire to have the next Marino will certainly be the focal point in what may be a surprisingly interesting series this summer despite the teams lack of star power.

-Abergel