Hyde5: Five thoughts on a fair Dolphins schedule
Five thoughts on the Dolphins schedule:
1. We'll get an early litmus test of these Dolphins. New England always brings a referendum on where the Dolphins are and so playing the Patriots at home in the Sept. 7 opener will provide an early indicator just what these off-season moves mean. Tom Brady throwing against a secondary with new Dolphins cornerback Cortland Finnegan and safety Louis Delmas? The new offensive line against Bill Belichick's defense (remember the Patriots dialing up the blitz in Foxboro last year to sack Ryan Tannehill six times in the second half?) New England in the opener and Buffalo on the road in the second game offer familiar opponents to see just where the Dolphins stand early on.
2. The Dolphins rank 11th on strength of schedule, A caveat: Teams rise and fall in the NFL more than in any league, so the strength of schedule can be overly valued, But it's a general indicator of the strength of a division more than anything else. The NFC West, for instance, has four of the top strength of schedules (Oakland and Denver being one, two). The AFC South teams (with top draft-picking teams Houston and Jacksonville) have the four easiest schedules. The AFC East has tough outside-the-division opponents with schedules against the AFC West and the NFC North. They're lumped together on strength of schedule with the Jets (eighth), Patriots (ninth), Dolphins (11th) and Bills (13th) 3. The Dolphins aren't a marquee team as judged by TV decision-makers. No surprise there. When you've been out of the post-season conversation and national spotlight for as long as this franchise has, this is a natural fallout. The Dolphins are scheduled for two prime-time games (that can change with the flex scheduling), though one of them is the requisite Thursday night game. The marquee teams? These teams have five prime-time games scheduled: New England, Denver, Indianapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Dallas, New Orleans and the New York Giants.
4. The weather is a slight bonus in the schedule. Two of the first three games (New England, Kansas City) are at home when the September weather gives the Dolphins an advantage (or it should - remember Vontae Davis and Sean Smith cramping up in the 2012 opener?) Plus, the third game is at Buffalo on Sept. 14, meaning there won't be a frigid day this season in Buffalo. Also, three of the final four games are at home in December (the one away is at New England), so, again, the weather is more for than against the Dolphins.5. The Dolphins have a balanced and fair schedule. There's no great discrepancy or obvious built-in question. They don't play more than two consecutive games at home or on the road. New England, by comparison goes 35 days between road games (three home games and a bye are in that). Is that good? I don't know. Pittsburgh only leaves their time zone once. So that cuts down on travel wear and tear. The Dolphins get a bye week after the long trip to London. They also only play one team coming off a bye week (Detroit in week 10).
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