NFL Week One Picks

Week One Picks

I for one should probably not be making picks, but it’s week one, I’m excited and it’s my blog so here’s what I think is going to happen.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots

Everyone outside of New England hates that Tom Brady got off without a suspension and are ready for him to get his just deserts. So naturally the Patriots are going blow out the Steelers and we’re all going to be mad.

Miami Dolphins @ Washington Redskins

The Redskins have been the model of consistency over the last few years. Unfortunately they are consistently terrible and plagued by off the field issues. I expect them to keep with the trend and I’m going to have to go with Miami on this one.

Cleveland Browns@ New York Jets

In a real clash of the titans I have Cleveland edging out New York.

Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills

Andrew Luck has a great supporting cast this season, to go along with his awful facial hair. I think the Bills are going to pull this one out though.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans

The Kansas City Chiefs are lead by Alex “take no chances” Smith and Texans are lead by JJ “Holy Crap that’s a large man” Watt. Unfortunately I don’t think Watt can play quarterback and that leaves Brian “Hasn’t done anything to deserve a nickname” Hoyer to make plays and he won’t. Chalk one up for the Chiefs

Detroit Lions @ San Diego Chargers

Wow… what a boring match up. I’ll take the Lions I guess.

Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos  

We all know that Peyton Manning is done after his disappointing 4,727 yards and 39 TDs to 15 INTs last year. But never underestimate Joe Flacco’s ability to be incredibly mediocre in the regular season. Broncos and it’s not close.  

Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders

Andy Dalton is awful on the road, and it would be funny if the Raiders won. So you know what Raiders over Cincy!

Carolina Panthers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

There are playmakers all over the bench on this one, at least the Panthers have Cam Newton. Panthers obviously.

Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams

I’m really expecting big things out of the Rams this year… wait their QB is Nick Foles? What do you mean Gurley is still healing from a torn ACL? Okay Seahawks.

New Orleans Saints @ Arizona Cardinals

Neither team got better this off season, but the Saints got a lot worse. Cardinals.

Tennessee Titans @Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A possible Super Bowl preview? No. But I think despite problems up front the Buccaneers win this one.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

The Giants have been pretty bad the last few years yet people expect them to be good this year. I don’t see it. Cowboys all day.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons

People who hate defense and good football rejoice. Eagles over the Falcons.

Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers

Nobody had a worse off season that the 49ers, and I like the Vikings to be much improved. Vikings.

The Man After Dan

           The NFL is a quarterback driven league, and for much of the 21st century the Miami Dolphins haven’t had a good one. From 1983-1999 Dan Marino started 240 of 269 games for the Dolphins. Since that time, 240 games, 21 different quarterbacks have started a game for the Dolphins.

            The once proud franchise, owners of the only undefeated season in the Super Bowl era have languished between mediocrity and downright futility since Marino’s retirement.

Marino’s career record over those 240 starts 147-93, a winning percentage of 61 percent. The 21 quarterbacks who have come after him have gone 107-133, a winning percentage of 44 percent.

Marino brought the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs 10 times in his 17 year career. In the 14 completed season since his retirement the Dolphins have made the playoffs a resounding three times.

So who can save the Dolphins and their terrible track record post Marino? Well the answer is of course Marino.

Allow me to explain. In the 2012 NFL draft the Miami Dolphins held the 8th overall pick, they were not going to be able to trade up to draft Andrew Luck, or Robert Griffin III so they decided to draft Ryan Tannehill out of Texas A&M.

Most people saw this as an extreme reach, and Tannehill as a project at best. Someone who had all the pieces to the puzzle, but would need good coaching to fit them together. He won the starting job out of camp and became the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Dolphins. He played decently but didn’t blow the doors off of the NFL, in his 32 starts he went 25 and 17, passed for 7,207 yards with 36 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

These number aren’t too bad when it comes to rookie stats, but his mediocrity was compounded by the fact that his fellow quarterbacks drafted in 2012 had made the playoffs a combined 5 times, and won a Super Bowl.

The beginning of the 2014 season wasn’t great for Tannehill, after three games the Dolphins were 1-2 and head coach Joe Philbin was noncommittal when it came to whether Tannehill would continue to start for the Dolphins.

Enter Dan Marino, the Dolphins have quietly brought Marino in to mentor Tannehill at how to play quarterback in the NFL.

“It’s cool,” Tannehill said. “I appreciate the knowledge he has of the game, just little insights that he can point out and just him being around showing that he cares, it’s nice. He’s always just pointing out little things on tape, whether it’s a receiver’s routes or something I’m doing. He’s good at picking up little things and passing them along.” (profootballtalk.com)

Since Marino has come in the Dolphins have gone 5-2, and Tannehill has thrown for 1730 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. They are two late drives away from being 7-0 as they lost at the end to both the Packers and Lions after leading 24-20 and 16-13 respectively.

Tannehill has looked more than solid during this time, and you need look no further than Marino. He has helped out tremendously as Tannehill is playing the best football of his professional life, and has put the Dolphins in a position to not only make the playoffs, but also win the division. They are currently two games behind the Patriots who are 8-2, with one game against the Patriots remaining, and six games to play overall. 

Tannehill just won perhaps the biggest game of his career so far on Thursday night. A divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills, a team he had lost three straight against coming in, including a 29-10 lost earlier this year. The game served as a pseudo playoff game for the two teams, as both sat at 5-4. The Dolphins won in convincing fashion 22-9, as Tannehill went 26/34 for 240 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

It’s hard to say whether Tannehill will become the franchise quarterback the Dolphins have been looking for. According to Ian Rapoport the Dolphins are “cautiously optimistic” that he can become that guy. The real test will be this Sunday as the Dolphins take on the Broncos in Denver.

As for right now, Tannehill may not be Marino, but with Marino’s help he has a chance to become the man after Dan.