Miami Dolphins: 5 Bold Predictions for the Upcoming 2012 NFL Season

The NFL season may still be months away, but with the draft over, it's time to begin focusing on the regular season. After all, it'll be here before you know it.

The Miami Dolphins head into the season with a lot of optimism. They have a new head coach in Joe Philbin, who looks to take this franchise back to the top. They also have a quarterback in Matt Moore, who showed some promise last season, a star running back in Reggie Bush and a defense that has as many question marks as potential.

But even with the issues this team heads into the season with, it should be a very interesting year for this Miami team.

With offseason workouts under way and the regular season inching closer, here are five bold predictions for the Miami Dolphins' 2012 season.

Sean Smith Intercepts at Least 5 Passes

It's really no secret: Cornerback Sean Smith wasn't very good last season, and quarterbacks in the league knew it. According to Pro Football Focus, he was thrown at 104 times, while only 10 other corners were picked on more. Out of those 104 pass attempts, Smith allowed over 58 percent of them to be completed. 

Despite the poor performance by the defense as a whole last season, Smith remains one of the biggest playmakers for this Dolphins defense. Sure, he hasn't quite fulfilled his potential since he was drafted in 2009—but the guy is 6'3", has terrific ball skills since he played receiver at times in high school and in college, and should have his biggest season yet with three years now under his belt.

There have even been talks about him possibly even moving to the safety position this year. Whichever position he ends up at this season, fans can expect a big year from the guy who gets his hands on everything but just can't seem to hold onto the football.

There hasn't been a Dolphin to finish the year with five interceptions since Andre' Goodman did it back in 2008. I expect to see a big year from Smith, as he does his part to back up what Vontae Davis said last season.

Davone Bess Will Reach 1,000 Receiving Yards

The Dolphins got rid of Wes Welker after the 2006 season and Davone Bess arrived in 2008. Now, Bess isn't exactly Welker-caliber, but he is one of the more productive and underrated slot receivers in the league. Since 2008, his 260 career catches is ranked 15th in the league, which is more than players like Santonio Holmes, DeSean Jackson and Chad Ochocinco.

Last year was a big drop-off from the 2010 season, but you can blame a lot of that on a solid running game, inconsistent quarterback play throughout the year and Brandon Marshall.  Now that quarterback Matt Moore has been on the roster for a year and has built some chemistry with Bess, you should expect his biggest year yet.

Add the fact that Miami doesn't have a true No. 1 wide receiver, and Bess should blossom into something special his fifth year in a Dolphins uniform.

David Garrard Proves He Has Something Left in the Tank

Believe it or not, David Garrard has been a solid player throughout his career. Sure, his numbers aren't off the charts, but he's played for some brutal Jacksonville Jaguars teams over the years and has had limited weapons.

He's thrown 85 career touchdowns in six seasons as a full-time starter (not including the first three years of his career, where he was a backup). He also has a 61.6 career completion percentage, which is good for 20th all-time.

Garrard is coming off an injury that kept him out the entire 2011 season, but he's always been a decent NFL quarterback. He's a leader off and on the field, and his mobility (1,746 career rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns) is attractive.

While everyone is focused on when Ryan Tannehill will get his shot, don't be surprised if the 34-year-old turns some heads and earns a backup role, with a good chance to play at some point in the year.

Will Beat the Houston Texans Week 1

The Miami Dolphins have beaten every team in the league at least once except the Houston Texans (0-6 against them all-time). This year they meet up for the first game of the season in Reliant Stadium. The Texans beat the Dolphins last year by a score of 23-13, but Miami did show some positives they could build on.

Houston had the fourth best run defense last season, allowing just 96 yards on the ground a game, but Miami managed to rack up 153 yards, including a 5.5 yards per carry average.

This was also a game where Chad Henne was the starting quarterback and only completed 40 percent of his passes and threw an interception. I think it's safe to say Miami's passing game has improved since Matt Moore has been named the starter.

The defense was also able to generate pressure throughout the game, as they sacked Matt Schaub three times and hit him eight times. 

The two Miami turnovers to none played a huge outcome in last year's meeting, and with a new quarterback running the show, I like their chances. After the first week of the season, the Dolphins should be able to say they've beaten every NFL team.

Dolphis Earn a Wild-Card Spot

Matt Moore played well enough last season to retain his starting position, and also showed that he can lead this team to great things. The last nine games of the year, Miami finished with a 6-3 record—just imagine if he was the starter the entire year. I guarantee Miami wouldn't have started the season with seven straight losses and ended their season before it began. 

Sure, he finished the year 6-6 as a starter, with four of those losses by a field goal or less. Don't you think that with a complete offseason with this team and a year under his belt Moore will be able to seal the deal on those close games?

The Dolphins also have a running game that should be one of the best in the league, especially with rookie Lamar Miller coming on board, as he only adds depth to the position. Don't be surprised if this team averages around 150 yards on the ground a game (this would be a 26-yard improvement from last season).

Then you have the defense, which is much more talented than what they showed a year ago. The defensive line needs to drastically improve their pass rush, but you have a top-notch linebacker in Karlos Dansby and a solid secondary led by Vontae Davis and Sean Smith.

But the schedule is what really stands out, as they play five of their final eight games at home and play several teams that didn't make the playoffs last season. Sure, they still have to play three tough AFC East teams, but if they're truly a playoff team, they should at least split those games to begin with.

Miami hasn't made the playoffs since 2008, but with the talent on this roster and a subpar schedule, things could finally begin to look up for this franchise.