Dolphins reserve heart Michael Deiter walks into the locker room these days and experiences a distinct feeling than previous years.
“I think with this group this year everyone’s probably been more positive than in past years,” he stated. “Guys have a little more upbeatness to them, if that’s a word. More positivity. And guys are excited and not so worried about stuff.”
For one factor, after years of roster churning guys aren’t apprehensive about who’s staying and who’s going.
“You kind of know who’s here to stay,” linebacker Jerome Baker stated.
So, sure, there’s a little bit of a distinct feeling within the 2022 Miami Dolphins locker room.
The Dolphins, who’ve simply 4 playoff appearances previously 22 seasons, assume they’ve their greatest roster in a very long time.
“I do,” common supervisor Chris Grier stated, later including, “We feel like we got a good deep group.”
That’s why that is “The Year” for the Dolphins. They’ve labored arduous to get thus far, typically fracturing a rule or two (the pursuit of Tom Brady), typically sticking a toe into controversial waters (the reported pursuit of quarterback DeShaun Watson whereas he was navigating troubled waters), and typically hurting some emotions (quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s concerning the Brady and Watson pursuits).
But they obtained right here.
They’re so satisfied they’ve the proper guys they return 20 of the 22 starters from final 12 months’s season finale at New England, a Dolphins workforce that completed with a 9-8 file, narrowly lacking the playoffs. Only large receiver DeVante Parker and operating again Duke Johnson aren’t again amongst these starters.
“We’ve definitely got a lot of talent everywhere,” tight finish Mike Gesicki stated. “But I think that we’ve had a lot of talent. It’s all about going out there and putting that talent to the test on Sundays and making plays. That’s the biggest thing.”
Granted, each workforce thinks it’s discovered the proper males yearly.
The 2022 Dolphins, nevertheless, assume they collected so many high-quality gamers that even the gamers they lower in coaching camp might be signed by different groups.
“That wasn’t the case here for a while,” Grier stated, “but we felt we’ve been building it up and we feel good about the roster and we’re excited for what it could be in the future.”
No one is mentioning “Super Bowl” in the identical sentence with “Miami Dolphins,” however expectations are sky excessive with the additions of gamers equivalent to large receiver Tyreek Hill, a six-time Pro Bowl choice, and left deal with Terron Armstead, a three-time Pro Bowl choice.
Players really feel these heightened expectations.
“You can’t really hide from it,” Deiter stated. “When you add some superstars there’s going to be some hype, and rightfully so because they’ve earned that, and you want them to bring that to your team.”
There’s additionally a brand new coach in Mike McDaniel. He does issues in a different way from his predecessor, Brian Flores. McDaniel, as a result of he’s completely different from Flores, additionally supplies a distinct really feel for the 2022 Dolphins.
“Everybody’s got a different method to their madness,” linebacker Sam Eguavoen stated. “Mike, he’s holding it down. He’s got our respect. I appreciate everything he does for us. This is going to be a good year. Interesting.”
To hear gamers inform it, the arrow is hovering upward proper now.
“There’s a lot to be excited about and to be happy about,” Deiter stated. “If we’re going out there consistently, and the offense is turning the ball over, and the defense isn’t stopping us, it’s not exciting because it’s like, ‘Man, we’ve got some question marks.’ But I feel everyone’s done a good job — defense, offense, special teams. Everyone’s making plays and it’s been consistent enough that it’s been exciting.”
So, there you go. There’s genuinely a distinct feeling across the these Dolphins.
There’s extra expertise, extra positivity, and a way that, due to all of the arduous work and preparation of earlier seasons, that is “The Year.”
There’s only one factor that is still — residing as much as the hype.
“I said it a month ago, and I’ll say it now,” Gesicki stated. “We look good on paper. We’ve got to go out and do it.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com