Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots: Dolphins' Week 1 Preview
The regular season is already here, as the Miami Dolphins will kick it off on Sunday by hosting their AFC East rivals the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. on CBS.
The Dolphins are hoping to improve from an 8-8 record in 2013 that saw the team choke away a playoff spot with a two-game losing streak to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Their final win prior to the start of the losing streak was at home to these Patriots.
It will be a different Patriots team this Sunday, one that will have back Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo and Rob Gronkowski, as well as the addition of Darrelle Revis.
The Dolphins are also a different team from their meeting last December. Game hero Michael Thomas is still in Miami, but his time on the field will be limited. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have a revamped offensive line and a new face in the backfield in Knowshon Moreno.
The losing streak to end the season isn't the only thing the Dolphins are hoping to erase from 2013, as they're moving on from a perceived lack of leadership from last season, which Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports includes a revamping of their leadership council.
"Unlike last year, the Dolphins are not voting on the leadership council. And unlike last year, it's not about a five-man council -- that last year included Pouncey and Richie Incognito.
The way the council (remember, they're not calling it this) was decided upon this year was simply by picking the one or two most senior members of a position group to take leadership.
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How a new leadership council will affect this team will play out through the season, but starting the year off with a home victory over the Patriots will be a crucial first step to a season of redemption in 2014.
Miami Dolphins Preseason Week 4 Recap
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Before we step into the 2014 regular season, let's take a look at the final game of the 2014 preseason, which the Miami Dolphins won by the score of 14-13. The only possible Week 1 starters featured in the game were right guard Dallas Thomas, kicker Caleb Sturgis and punter Brandon Fields.
Overall, Miami finished the preseason at 3-1, but it didn't look as promising as the final record would indicate. Miami's linebackers looked to be in poor form when attempting to tackle, while the offense was at best inconsistent and at worst awful.
Ryan Tannehill finished the preseason with only one touchdown and one interception, completing 28 of 41 passes for 291 yards and a quarterback rating of 86.5.
Miami used the preseason in order to get adjusted to a new offensive scheme, one the team hopes can catch New England off guard with speed.
On defense, the Dolphins had their issues with their linebackers and secondary, but their front line performed very well, especially in creating pressure.
News and Notes
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Dolphins Have To Make Tough Decision About Wheeler
The Dolphins have a problem at linebacker, especially at the strong-side position manned by Philip Wheeler.
The problem isn't Wheeler (although that's arguable) but with the nagging injury he is dealing with on his right thumb.
Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel reports that Wheeler has been struggling with the injury for the last two weeks, and only recently were his other fingers exposed from the cast.
Tackling is hard to do with only one arm (and at times Wheeler makes it look like it's tough with two arms). If Wheeler is still struggling with the cast on his arm, it could cause more problems for the Dolphins linebackers.
However, Kelly also points out that the Dolphins do have options if Wheeler is a no-go on Sunday. Jelani Jenkins, Jason Trusnik and Jonathan Freeny are all possibilities.
If healthy (which right now is a huge question mark), preseason star rookie Chris McCain might also be an option.
It's a decision the Dolphins will have to make on game day, and it will greatly impact the defense.
Smith To Start at Right Guard
The biggest preseason battle for the Dolphins was at the right guard position between free-agent pickup Shelley Smith and second-year player Dallas Thomas.
During the preseason it looked like Smith was dominating that battle. That has been confirmed by head coach Joe Philbin, who, as Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post reports, named Smith the starter.
Daryn Colledge won the starting left guard job as well, and according to Abramson, Philbin said this about the two players: “Now, it is all about performance. You have to go out each and every Sunday and perform at a high level, and this is Week 1. I’m very confident. I think they deserved it and earned it.”
For right now, these are the two best players for their respective jobs. Smith was a lot better than Thomas, while in Colledge's case, it was a matter of rookie Billy Turner not being quite ready for the job yet, despite playing well in the preseason.
Brandon Gibson Is Ready For a 2014 Comeback but Is Not Yet at 100 Percent
One of the darkest parts of Miami's 2013 season was losing wide receiver Brandon Gibson halfway through the season in an October game against the Patriots.
Gibson is now ready to begin his 2014 season against those same Patriots.
However, don't expect him at 100 percent, as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes: "Just because he’s well enough to return to action doesn’t mean he’s 100 percent."
Don't be too scared off by that declaration though, as Gibson told Beasley, "We’ll see how I get moving the next couple of months. But for me, I’m out there and I’m able to do what I can do."
Gibson added, “We’ll see when the season’s over how I make out. My thing is to make sure I’m on the field as much as possible and be there for my team.”
Gibson had a good preseason, catching four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown while also displaying his own rendition of the "shmoney dance." He looked ready when on the field, if not 100 percent.
Injury Report
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Here's a look at Miami's injury report for Week 1. Keep checking back in, as the report will have new updates up until game time.
Prior to the game, each player's level of participation in practice that day will be noted.
| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Walt Aikens | Cornerback | Probable |
| Terrence Fede | Defensive End | Out |
| Chris McCain | Linebacker | Probable |
| Koa Misi | Linebacker | Probable |
| Mike Pouncey | Center | Out |
| Jamar Taylor | Cornerback | Probable |
| Jordan Tripp | Linebacker | Out |
| Billy Turner | Guard | Doubtful |
| Philip Wheeler | Linebacker | Out |
All injury statuses from MiamiDolphins.com. Updated Saturday 9/6/2014
The biggest injury on this list right now is Philip Wheeler, which we already discussed in the news and notes section. Other than that, Mike Pouncey's status is what we expected of him in Week 1, while Terrence Fede and Jordan Tripp's injuries are a bit of a surprise.
Chris McCain is probable, and will likely play come Sunday. His role will be crucial, as he will likely replace Wheeler as the starting strong-side linebacker.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Mike Wallace vs. Darrelle Revis
It's going to be fun seeing these two matched up against each other twice per year, and it should be one of the better matchups to focus on Sunday.
Mike Wallace and Darrelle Revis have faced off four times, and in those four matchups, Revis only allowed Wallace to score one touchdown while keeping him under five catches in three of their four matchups. (The one outlier came in their first matchup in 2010, when Wallace made seven catches for 102 yards but no touchdowns).
History favors Revis, but Wallace claims to be prepared for Revis his time around, telling the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley: “If he does follow me, it will be an exciting matchup. I’ll have fun. Go after it all day long.”
It might be in the Dolphins' best interest for Revis to only follow Wallace, which would free up Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Charles Clay and the rest of Ryan Tannehill's other targets.
Rob Gronkowski vs. Miami's Linebackers
This is a matchup that we're still not quite sure will happen, as Phil Perry of CSN New England reports that the Patriots haven't made a decision on Gronkowski's Week 1 status.
I find it's smarter to assume he will be there, as New England playing around with the injury report is now as much a part of football as tailgating.
Gronkowski has always made Miami's linebackers pay, and that was when they were a pretty good unit. Now, you can't exactly say they're very good, so it will be a big question as to how they will shut him down.
Of course, Miami does have a player who covered Gronk well in his one matchup against him last season. Unfortunately, that player is suspended this week.
Miami's New-Look Offensive Line vs. New England's Defensive Line
Five new starters, plus missing a Pro Bowl center. That's not the combination up front anyone would want going into Week 1.
However, it's what the Dolphins have right now, and it will have to do against a Patriots defensive line that features the return of Vince Wilfork up the middle.
Wilfork is instrumental in stopping the run while also letting New England's pass-rushers go free. The question is, Can this new-look line get enough of a push up front to offset what Wilfork brings to the table?
X-Factor: Charles Clay
Charles Clay had a phenomenal 2013 season for Miami, but one team managed to stop him.
He only recorded six catches for 43 yards in two games against the Patriots; however, he did have one of the more important plays of the game in Miami's Week 15 victory over New England, converting a fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter.
He will have to produce big for the Dolphins in order to deflect some of the defense's attention off Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline. If he does that, Miami's offense is capable of moving on the Patriots defense.
Prediction
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These two teams aren't as far away from each other as you might think.
The teams are equal everywhere except at secondary, linebacker, quarterback and wide receiver.
The Patriots have the edge at the first three positions, while the Dolphins have the edge at the last position.
This will led to another one of many great and close games between these two teams, but unlike the last meeting, there will be no Michael Thomas heroics or heroics from any Dolphin.
It's not going to be as high-scoring a game as you might think either, as both teams will have more trouble moving the ball than one would think.
Prediction: Patriots 17, Dolphins 13
Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference and CBSSports.com.
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