Dolphins Talk Upcoming Season with Fans

The Miami Dolphins Brian Hartline, Jared Odrick, and Austin Spitler talked about the upcoming season and the progress that the team has made during OTAs.

This year the team will be doing a few things differently as compared to last season. The team is stressing a  fast start and a strong finish. They want to win games up front and not down the stretch; start hard and finish harder. Odrick commented that the team has “put a big emphasis on two-minute drills” in which Ryan Tannehill steps up as a QB, showing his true leadership skills. It will be easier for Tannehill to step up this season because of the amount of new talent that the Dolphins have acquired.

The newly found competition has improved the players’ drive to fight for their spots as starters. As Hartline noted, these friendly contests are what will help the Dolphins win games off the start. Just as fans feel, Hartline also stated that they “always come down the season and wish [they] would have had a game or two back.”

All the players were extremely content with the way the management has been handling the off season. The coaches have added new additions and depth in all areas of the team. Both Hartline and Odrick are excited about the young players who are stepping up their game to add leadership and competition to the locker room. In the end all three players emphasized that it is about winning football games and any addition to the roster is a step in that direction.
One of the main concerns that both fans and coaches have is Miami’s ability to throw and cover the deep ball. In OTAs the Dolphins are working hard at perfecting those skills. During the offseason, they acquired secondary help that will help with the deep threat and hopefully eradicate touchdowns converted off of those type of plays. Hartline has been working on his ability to explode off of the line to make deep passes an option.  Both Odrick and Spitler said he is doing a fantastic job of practicing this and is having a great off season.

Another area in which the Dolphins have trouble converting yards into touchdowns is when they are in the red zone. During the off season, they are focusing on making plays within the red zone that are long enough to earn them a touchdown. They are working toward making explosive plays that go for more than 50 yards per play. This will ensure that they make it within the 5-yard line or at least into the red zone, where their probability of scoring is much greater. They all agreed that the coaches are harping on them to not “shoot themselves in the foot” when it comes to the red zone; this means no dropped balls, fumbles, penalties, or interceptions.

Overall, all three players agreed that the demeanor of the team has changed during the off season. Spitler commented that the “team as a whole is different, it feels much more like a team. No one complains” and they are a”very cohesive as a defensive unit.” When commenting on the common feeling within the locker room, Brent Grimes was mentioned as one of the new defensive leaders; he is young, but gives it his all.

With training camp just around the corner, fans should be getting excited. The players themselves are looking forward to all the fans coming out and seeing what they have worked so hard to achieve. Spitler sees no reason why fans should not want to come out because the talent level is so high that fans would not want to miss out on such an opportunity. Hartline also noted that “it’s free,” so dedicated fans should take the time to come out and see what the Dolphins will be bringing to the table this upcoming season.