The Dolphins will always go down in NFL betting history as the team with the perfect season, but lately they’ve been far from that. In fact the last time the Dolphins made the playoffs was back in 2008 when Tom Brady went down in Week 1 with a season-ending injury. In fact the past 15 years the other three teams have been playing quarterback catch-up with Brady casting a fearsome shadow over the AFC East. The Jets have missed the playoffs for five seasons straight, the Bills? 16. Miami’s had the likes of Cleo Lemon, Joey Harrington, and Chad Henne. The gap between the skill of these players and Brady is staggering. Throw coaching into the mix and you can see why they’ve had so few playoff appearances.
Legendary coach Don Shula spent 25 years as the Dolphins head coach. In the 20 year span since Shula’s disappearance the Dolphins have had nine coaches. This year they’re bringing in the 10th with Adam Gase. Gase knows he needs to improve the quarterback position and he might just be the man to do it. This year the Dolphins have the easiest schedule in the AFC East, due to the fact that they placed last year. They have skill on both sides of the ball and with some coaching adjustments they should be given some consideration for a playoff appearance. If online sportsbook users are looking to engage in NFL betting, the Dolphins might not be a terrible idea for a playoff wager.
Gase is certainly hoping to make a splash next season. Garnering a reputation as a quarterback guru after recently working with the likes of Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler, and Tim Tebow; he should be able to help Tannehill reach the next level of play. Tannehill had quarterback rating of 88.7 last season and 92.8 the year before. One thing Gase won’t have to worry about next season is his quarterback being pressured. The Dolphins have some of the best depth on the offensive line, including some notable Pro Bowlers. Over the last few years they’ve consistently drafted linemen in the early rounds and you can bet that this will pay off. Receiver wise the talent is there with Devante Parker and Jarvis Landry, the latter setting a team record for receptions last year with 110. In the backfield they have Jay Ajayi who spent most of last season on injured reserve. It’ll be interesting what Gase does with him, considering that he has a history of leaning on one running back. Gase is coming in as the new head coach but he’s not the only newcomer.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is also a new addition this season for Miami. Joseph is bringing in a new system and philosophy which can best be summed up with one word; Attack. Joseph is looking to implement a new alignment within in his scheme that is referred to as “Wide 9 defense”. “Wide 9” refers to the defensive gap outside of the tight end. This formation was first used by the 1999 Tennessee Titans under the guidance of Jim Schwartz and Jim Washburn. Washburn is the new senior defensive assistant/pass rush specialist for the Dolphins, so it’s safe to say that they have experience with this system. Ndamukong Suh and Jason Jones have both previously played in a system that implements this strategy, and the former has expressed his enjoyment of this system and that it suits his playing style well. The system is easy to learn but difficult to execute; it relies on your defensive line winning key matchups. With new philosophies on both sides of the ball the Miami Dolphins are betting to capitalize on an easy schedule in 2016.
