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Miami Dolphins: Zach Thomas named Hall of Fame finalist

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The Miami Dolphins legend is one step closer to the pinnacle of football.

A Miami Dolphins legend is one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Linebacker Zach Thomas was announced as a finalist for the 2020 class on Thursday.  Thomas was named a semifinalist in November.

Zach Thomas had a tremendous career with the Miami Dolphins. He recorded 1,633 tackles with the Dolphins in a 12-year career. He started in 182 out of the 184 games he played in. His best year came in 2006. Recording 165 tackles, he also registered three sacks. Playing in all 16 games that year, he was truly a workhorse.

Thomas made the Associated Press All-Pro First Team six times. He made the Second Team once in 2001 as an inside linebacker.

The Texas Tech standout joins a class that includes Steve Hutchinson, Alan Faneca, Torry Holt, Troy Polamalu, Richard Seymour, and Reggie Wayne.

It’s time for the Miami Dolphins great to be in Canton

I have to say this, it’s about time. He truly was a tremendous linebacker for the Miami Dolphins. He was truly consistent year in and year out. Thomas never took place off, and was a tremendous part of the Miami defense. Thomas recorded six seasons of at least 150 tackles in a row. Not only that, he started in every single game five times in his career. With how ferociously he played the game, that is also remarkable.

Not only that, he played both the inside and middle linebacker positions. He was truly somebody defenses had to watch out for, and he was someone they had to gameplan against. Thomas was one of my favorite linebackers to watch growing up, and it’s great to see him get this nod. Hopefully, he will be able to get his call to the Hall. He is going up against a stacked class. I will just say this: Getting the opportunity to watch a potential acceptance speech in Canton would be pretty sweet.

 

Running Back, not QB, may be Bigger Need for Dolphins

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December 29th marked the end of the 2019 season for the Miami Dolphins.

Welcome to the offseason.

Each day it seems a new rumor or theory rises to the surface. How will the Dolphins rebuild the roster?

Fans, and owner Stephen Ross, agree that the Dolphins are in need of a franchise quarterback.

While it is undeniable that a franchise quarterback is needed in order to create a franchise worthy of competing for a Super Bowl, is finding a quarterback the top priority?

It seemed that the Dolphins were starting three or four new players each and every week. Some continuity within the roster proved Miami wasn’t as awful as some thought.

The Dolphins defeated two division winners in December (Philadelphia and New England) and saying that Ryan Fitzpatrick was the best quarterback in the AFC East may not be too farfetched.

 

Fitzpatrick completed 62 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and 3,529 yards. He had more passing touchdowns than Sam Darnold and tied Josh Allen, but threw for roughly 500 more yards.

Tom Brady threw for four more touchdowns and roughly 500 more yards, but started two more games than Fitzpatrick. It is important to keep in mind that the point here isn’t to say that Fitzpatrick is better than one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

However, bringing Fitzpatrick back would likely be a better option for the Dolphins than forcing a top-pick on a player Chris Grier and Miami’s front office is not sold on.

There is one stat from Fitzpatrick that must change headed into next season.

The Dolphins need to address the running back room

Fitzpatrick’s 243 yards on the ground was the most by any player by the Miami Dolphins in 2019.

The Dolphins started the season with Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake and Mark Walton as the team’s top backs. The room quickly crumbled.

Drake was traded after reports came out that he didn’t want to re-sign with the team.

Walton had a few strong games, but will likely never be on a football field again after some legal issues.

Ballage finished the season with three touchdowns with a steady 1.8 yards per attempt on 74 attempts on the year before suffering a season-ending injury.

Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin and Samaje Perine were alright in limited time, but the Dolphins have the salary cap space and draft capital to give the position a major facelift.

Eight of the top 11 rushing teams earned a spot in the NFL playoffs. Despite the modern day “pass happy” NFL, there is still plenty of reasons to establish the run.

Fans want to a quarterback and who could blame them?  What would help a young signal caller more than an established running game? For that, it should be reasonable to want the Dolphins to pick one or maybe even two running backs in the first five rounds of the NFL draft.

If the Dolphins don’t want to “waste” the picks in the backfield, there are already some interesting rumors around the free agent class of backs.

After Gordon there are a still a few other names to keep an eye on.

The Dolphins have plenty of work to do this offseason. It is clear that the team needs to find the quarterback of the future, but running it back with Fitzpatrick wouldn’t be the worst outcome for the franchise.

The Dolphins cannot afford to average a league-worse 72 yards per game on the ground in 2020.

Sergei Bobrovsky looking for fresh start against Senators

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Sergei Bobrovsky needs to be better for the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers will play their first game of the new year on Thursday night against Ottawa. Hopefully, it will be a bounce-back game for Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. He had a rough return to Columbus on Tuesday night.

Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 28 shots in 58:15 of ice time. This marked the third game in a row that he has given up at least four goals. He gave up five to Montréal on December 29 and six the night before against Detroit. He has been struggling as of late. Thursday could be the perfect game for him to turn things around.

The last time he faced Ottawa was on December 16. He was superb in that game. Giving up one goal on 30 shots, he saw 68 minutes of ice time.  For the season, he is first in goals allowed with 96. Carey Price is second in that category with 95.

Sergei Bobrovsky struggling for Florida Panthers

There is no doubt he is struggling. His statistics reflect that. He allows 3.29 goals per game. That is second only to Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings.  His save percentage is not exactly terrible, but it’s not where it needs to be either. He carries an .897 save percentage into Thursday’s game. That ranks 10th-worst in the league.

There is no doubt he is struggling right now, and Thursday’s game against Ottawa could be the perfect bounce-back game. The Senators  are eighth-worst in the league at scoring. They have 111 goals on the season, tied with the New York Islanders. In addition, they have the worst power play conversion percentage in the league. They score a goal on 11.2% of their power plays.

Thursday could be the perfect bounce back game for Bobrovsky. The Florida Panthers definitely need him to play better. A win against Ottawa would be a nice place to start.

Recap of The Marlins Offseason Before The 2020 Season

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The Marlins have had a rather successful offseason despite not reeling in any of the prized free agents. From the start, attracting big free agents such as Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strausburg, and Anthony Rendon was never in the Marlins plans for this offseason. Bringing in veterans on short term deals while upgrading the line-up has been the plan. Low risk, high reward.

Staring The Offseason 

To start off their offseason, the Marlins designated two players for assignment, J.T Riddle, and Tayron Guerrero. J.T Riddle elected free agency while Tayron Guerrero was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. The Marlins grew weary of Guerrero’s inability to throw strikes consistently. throwing 100mph does no good if it isn’t in the zone. Designating Riddle for assignment was to make room on the 40 man roster.

Adding Bats

After subtracting two players from their team, it was time the Marlins added to their team. The team made a trade with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire Jonathan Villar for Minor League left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas.

Villar hit for a .274 average, 24 home runs, 73 runs batted in, and he stole 40 bases for the Orioles last season. Villar has the speed and power combination that is perfect for Marlins Park especially now that the fences have been brought in. His power side is hitting from the left side and hitting a home run to left field is easier to do than to right field.

Villar can play a multitude of positions including second base, shortstop, third base, and some outfield if he needed to.

Shortly after acquiring Jonathan Villar from the Orioles, the Marlins claimed first baseman, Jesus Aguilar, from the Tampa Bay Rays off waivers. The Marlins needed to fill a power hole in their line up. They ranked last in all of Major League Baseball in hitting home runs and desperately need some power bats in their line up.

Aguilar did not have a spectacular year last season but he does have a reputation to be an elite power hitter like he was in Milwaukee back in the 2017 season. He hit for a .236 average, 12 home runs, and 50 RBIs last season for the Rays.

With the hiring of new hitting coach/offensive coordinator  James Rowson, it’s possible that we see an upstep in production from underproducing hitters like Aguilar.

Hitting the Free Agent Market

After making trades and claiming players off waivers, the Marlins finally dug into the free-agent market. They started off free agency by bringing in strike-throwing reliever Yimi Garcia on a two-year deal. Garcia was previously with the Los Angeles Dodgers and in 62.1 innings pitched, he posted a 3.61 ERA with a .178 opponent batting average against him.

After signing Garcia, the Marlins went and signed more bats. Bringing in outfielder Matt Kemp on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Kemp hardly played last season but in 2018 he hit for a .290 average while hitting 21 home runs and driving in 85 RBIs and leading the Dodgers to the World Series.

The first biggest free-agent signing made by this new ownership is the signing of outfielder Corey Dickerson. The Marlins signed Dickerson to a two-year $17.5 million dollar deal. In 2019, Dickerson hit for a .304 average, 12 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 260 at-bats.

The Marlins recently signed veteran catcher Francisco Cervelli to a one year contract. Cervelli will provide a veteran catcher presence and will help develop our young pitchers into potential aces. 

Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft wasn’t very exciting this year. The Marlins’ biggest move however from the draft was selecting RHP Sterling Sharp from the Washington Nationals. Sharp is an excellent pickup who will go directly into the Marlins bullpen to start the 2020 season if he is healthy. Sharp produced a 3.53 ERA in 58.1 innings pitched while allowing only ONE homerun. He is a groundball specialist and will prove to be very useful for the Marlins bullpen needs.

 

Miami Dolphins NFL 100 Presence Profound

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The Miami Dolphins organization has left their footprint on the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

Over the course of the NFL’s 100 years in existence, the Miami Dolphins have fielded legendary teams and players.

Those legends take us back to a time when Miami stood at the NFL pinnacle.

The Miami Dolphins were born in 1966 and for a while seemed comical and lovable in their ineptitude.

Until one man changed the course of an entire franchise for the next three decades.

Shula Builds Winner in his Image

As present day observers of the Miami Dolphins will attest, the formula for success starts at the top.

The NFL’s all-time winningest coach (347), Shula’s rise to prominence was steady yet many challenges befell him along the way.

Don Shula joined the Dolphins in 1970 after a successful, if unfulfilled six year tenure with the Baltimore Colts.

He finished with a stellar 71-23-4 record in the regular season, but his legacy there was defined by missed opportunities.

The Colts went just 2-3 in the postseason under Shula, including upset losses in the 1964 NFL Championship and the famous 1969 Super Bowl against Joe Namath and the New York Jets.

It looked like the failures of years past would continue to haunt Shula, he lost in 1970 to Oakland in the Divisional round.

The following year Shula would guide the 1971 team to their first Super Bowl where they would fall to Dallas.

Despite that defeat, Shula and the Miami Dolphins were on the brink of history.

One team annually reminds the world that they were the first, and to this day, only undefeated Super Bowl champions.

The 1972 Dolphins were the culmination of Shula’s steady ascension to greatness.

A team so complete and unwavering in their identity, that destiny did not have a chance.

Seventeen teams tried to defeat them, with each finding a different path to failure.

Shula put all the components together for sustained success.

Combining a powerful running game with timely execution through the air, Miami bulldozed their way to perfection.

Those teams were built from the inside-out, with Hall of Fame talent on the offensive line and across the defense.

Miami would win their second (and most recent) Super Bowl the following year against Minnesota and were a consistent winner the entire decade.

The Dolphins would win at least 10 games in all but one season throughout the 1970’s, yet the slow shift to the passing attack league-wide was hastening.

Shula would embrace the new offensive climate as time went on, and his next chapter would be forever linked with Miami’s second player on this list.

Dan Marino

The standard by which every Dolphins quarterback is measured.

 

Marino not only set the bar for a franchise, he elevated the statistical requirements needed to be considered an elite modern NFL quarterback.

When Marino retired he owned most, if not all, significant records at the position.

Completions (4967)

Attempts (8358)

Passing yards (61,361)

Touchdowns (420)

More importantly, he won.

A lot.

Marino still ranks fifth all time in wins with 147, and led the Dolphins to the postseason 10 times in his career.

After an MVP campaign in 1984 which ended with a loss to San Francisco in the Super Bowl, nothing seemed impossible for the Dolphins.

Along with Coach Shula, Marino gave the organization a second era of consistent excellence and stability which has yet to be captured again.

He never made it to the Super Bowl after 1984, but his legacy is without doubt when you set foot in Hard Rock Stadium.

His number 13 is one of only three to be retired for the Miami Dolphins, along with Bob Griese (12) and Larry Czonka (39).

For two decades the Miami Dolphins have tried to find his heir apparent as a true franchise quarterback.

Until that happens, if it ever does, Marino’s accomplishments remain the pinnacle for this organization.

Marino was inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2000 and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Dwight Stephenson

The Miami Dolphins have had legendary offensive lineman such as Jim Langer and Larry Little, both NFL Hall of Famers.

Langer was the first great center to wear a Dolphins uniform, a true ironman he played 128 consecutive games. He worked his way up from a role player to a perennial All-Pro with incredible determination and work ethic.

Little redefined the guard position with his athleticism on pulls and grace in pass protection. Or he could simply power over an opponent on a sweep, then glide fast enough to escort Czonka, Kiick, or Morris to the house. Little was also a superb mentor to younger players and would later become a coach in the college ranks.

Stephenson epitomized both of them when he took hold of the starting center job in 1981, his second season. Defined by an unwavering drive, Stephenson never took a play off. He was an All-American at Alabama but was primarily a special teamer early on until an injury to starting center Mark Dennard in 1981 opened the door.

 

Despite a career cut short by injuries, Stephenson was regarded as the best center of his time. Marino’s battery mate, his consistency was a catalyst in the Dolphins offensive line allowing the fewest sacks in the NFL for six straight seasons. Stephenson is one of only four centers to make the NFL 100 list. He was added to the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1994 and selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Paul Warfield

Part of the 1972 undefeated team, Warfield was one of the first true NFL deep threats at wide receiver.

Warfield retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (85) and led the league in receiving scores on two occasions.

In an age where the air attack was still finding prominence, Warfield found the end zone at least 10 times in four different seasons.

 

Warfield would spend five seasons in Miami after playing his first six for the Cleveland Browns. He would make seven consecutive Pro Bowls (when it meant something), including all five of his years in Miami.

For his career Warfield caught 427 passes for 8,565 yards along with 85 touchdowns.

Warfield rejoined the Browns for his final three seasons and retired after the 1977 season. He would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1990.

Junior Seau

Seau played three seasons in Miami from 2003-2005 where he appeared in 30 games, registering five sacks. Most of Seau’s career was spent in San Diego where he was an eight time All-Pro and led the Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance. He would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame posthumously in 2015.

 

 

Perine lands on Dolphins draft radar after leading Gators to Orange Bowl win

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The Miami Dolphins might not have to look far and wide for their future running back.

Lamical Perine rushes for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries to lead the Florida Gators to a 36-28 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the Orange Bowl. He also gained 43 receiving yards and another touchdown.

Perine became the first Florida running back since Jacksonville Jaguars legend Fred Taylor in 1998 to earn bowl MVP honors.

The senior made a statement in his final career collegiate game in front of Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, who was at the game. One of the Dolphins’ last transactions of the regular season was to bring in Perine’s cousin Samaje, who spent the first three years of his NFL career with the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals.

Perine entered the bowl game with 538 rushing yards and 219 receiving yards with four touchdowns from both the air and the ground. He rushed for a career high 826 yards a year ago but his performance at Hard Rock Stadium proved that stats don’t tell the entire story.

“He’s one of the best backs in the country and came back his senior year,” Florida head coach Dan Mullen said, “and if you just purely look at stats and rushing yards, you might just kind of get a misread on it, but the reality is he’s one of the best backs in the country and he showed it out here tonight, running, catching.”

Perine immediately set the tone of the game with his first carry being a 61-yard touchdown run. The Gators were designated as the away team but the crowd said otherwise.

Perine’s second touchdown came on a 16-yard catch in which he had to shake off a defender on his way to the end zone.

His third touchdown was on a 10-yard run in the second quarter and he would’ve had a fourth one in the fourth quarter had the side of his foot wasn’t out of bounds on the one yard line. That allowed quarterback Kyle Trask to experience the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run.

Given the current state of running backs in the NFL Draft hierarchy, the Dolphins might not have to use one of their higher draft picks to select Perine. It would be ironic if the fifth round pick they acquired from the Arizona Cardinals in the  Kenyan Drake trade ends up being used on Perine.

Miami Dolphins part ways with several coaches on Black Monday

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The Miami Dolphins parted with several coaches on Monday.

In what is known as Black Monday in National Football League circles, the Miami Dolphins have parted ways with coaches of their own. According to multiple media reports, the team has parted ways with safeties coach Tony Oden, offensive line coach Dave Deguglielmo, and offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea.

Deguglielmo was promoted to offensive line coach during training camp. He served in the capacity of an analyst role prior to that, having been hired this spring. This was his third stint with the Miami Dolphins. He was the offensive line coach from 2009-2011 and was an offensive assistant in 2017.

The Dolphins offensive line gave up 58 sacks in  2019. That number was tied with the Carolina Panthers for the most in the National Football League. They also allowed 146 quarterback hits. That was the most in the league by far. The next closest team was the Atlanta Falcons with 135.

Oden was hired as the teams safeties coach on February 8, 2019. That was the same day head coach Brian Flores announced his entire coaching staff.

Although the Miami Dolphins were able to get production from the safety position, there was certainly room for improvement. Eric Rowe was by far the best for Miami. He had 54 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Stephen Parker was the starting strong safety. The rookie from Oklahoma had a decent year, recording 15 tackles and two interceptions.

Dolphins

O’Shea led offensive charge in first season with Miami Dolphins

This was O’Shea’s first season with the team. The Dolphins averaged 310 yards per game and recorded 34 total touchdowns on the year. They ranked 18th in the league with 19.7 first downs recorded per contest. Recording 94 offensive penalties, they ranked at the bottom of the league in that category.

It is certainly Black Monday for Miami Dolphins coaches. The organization obviously wants to go in a different direction, and it will be interesting to see who the replacements are. The foundation is there for the Miami Dolphins to succeed. Now, they want to take the next step.

Miami Hurricanes running back Lorenzo Lingard enters transfer portal

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Lingard is no longer a member of the Miami Hurricanes.

A former member of the Miami Hurricanes has entered the transfer portal. According to a report from Matt Zenitz of Alabama.com, running back Lorenzo Lingard has entered the portal.

Lingard certainly had promise as a recruit. He was ranked the 25th overall player in the 2018 class, and the second overall running back per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was also the sixth ranked overall player from the state of Florida. The running back committed to Miami on February 9, 2017.

He never really became a star out of Miami’s backfield. He carried the ball 17 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns in 2018. A 64-yard dash was his longest of the season. He did have a great game for the Hurricanes on against Savannah State. In that game, he carried the ball four times for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Appearing in only three games on the season, his final contribution would be against Florida International. Rushing the ball 10 times for 50 yards, a 17-yard rush would be his longest of the game.

Running back depth strong for Miami Hurricanes

Currently, the Miami Hurricanes have four running backs on their roster. They have also managed to get  some impact commitments 2020. Don Cheney Jr. headlines the 2020 class as a four-star recruit. He is the fifth overall running back and the sixth overall running back in the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Jaylan Knighton also figures to be a big part of the class. He is ranked the 10th overall running back in his class, and the 19th overall player in the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Although the position is relatively young, the Hurricanes do have talent at their disposal. The departure of Lorenzo Lingard should not hurt them much, if at all. It will be interesting to see which of the other players steps up. I think Cheney and Knighton will play big roles in the backfield in the coming years.

Xavien Howard reported to Miami Dolphins training camp but his contract demands remain unresolved.

Dolphins CB Xavien Howard arrested for domestic battery

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Per ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe, the Miami Dolphins’ star cornerback, Xavien Howard, was arrested on Sunday by the Davie police department on charges for domestic battery in an incident with his fiancée.

According to the police report, Howard and his fiancée got into a verbal argument about the recent purchase of a purse that wasn’t disclosed in the report. The incident became physical when Howard grabbed his fiancée’s arm and pushed her back against a mirrored glass wall in the hallway of their bedroom. Howard then released her, causing her to fall onto her right arm, landing on Howard’s crutches.

Howard’s fiancée suffered physical scratches as well as redness on her right wrist and forearm. Howard also complained of knee pain according to the report. He was then taken to the BSO jail by Davie police, where Howard currently is now. This is Howard’s first offense as his record has been clean up to this point.

Monday morning, the Miami Dolphins released a statement regarding Howard’s arrest.

“We are aware of the situation and currently gathering information. We will have no further comment at this time.”

Howard’s camp has been silent regarding the incident, though Andy Slater of Fox Sports did reveal video of Howard – on crutches – appearing in court and refusing the counsel of a public defender.

Miami’s star player missed most of 2019 due to a knee injury that required surgery to repair. He’s now under a 5-year, $75 million dollar contract the Dolphins rewarded him with for his on-field performance.

Unquestionably, Xavien Howard is the best player on this Dolphins roster. He’s viewed as one of the cornerstone pieces of this long term rebuild. But incidents of domestic violence are inexcusable. Former Dolphins running back Mark Walton was unceremoniously waived after being arrested for aggravated battery of a pregnant woman back in mid-November.

Even if the Dolphins deem it fit to keep Howard after this incident, he will be subject to league discipline.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Dolphins Chris Grier

Pressure Point: Up to Chris Grier to build on Brian Flores’ good work

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Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores just made the job of general manager Chris Grier a whole lot tougher.

So be it.

How can you care at all about the Dolphins and not find delight in the stunning 27-24 upset they pulled off Sunday in Flores’ finale as a rookie head coach in his first visit to New England, where he worked for 15 years in the Belichick regime?

Especially when it mucks up Patriots playoff plans, denying them a first-round bye.

Also considering Miami hadn’t won at Foxborough since September 2008.

I know. I know. By winning five of their last nine to finish 5-11, the Dolphins strayed far from the tanking playbook — which Flores always claimed he wasn’t in on anyway. And there is no choice but to believe him now.

Win didn’t hurt draft standing

Sunday didn’t alter their standing in the draft order anyway.

Trying to win by losing has always been a cockamamie concept. Of greater importance, the win at New England was the latest in a growing stack of evidence that the Dolphins finally have a coach they can win with.

It was remarkable, really, coming to New England as 17-point underdogs and considering the 43-0 debacle in Miami in Week 2.

Sure, now Flores must show he can win more meaningful games when given the tools to work with. But he achieved far more with less than Adam Gase did in taking the 2016 Dolphins to the playoffs in his first season.

But he has a locker room full of believers, and likely much of the fan base.

Now that this most confusing of Dolphins seasons is over, speculation can shift from what they may or may not be trying to achieve on the field to what they must accomplish in the NFL draft.

Now it’s all about what Grier will do with those three first-round and assorted extra draft picks (14 total in 2020).

Finding the quarterback of the future remains the general manager’s mandate despite the team’s competitive gains behind the inspired play of veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Dolphins give Patriots a taste of their own medicine

Tua tough call as first-round pick

The Dolphins have the No. 5 pick next April and may have a chance to select Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa (provided he enters the draft), who must come back from a significant hip injury.

Maybe Tua will fare better than Bo Jackson, whose mercurial career was halted by a hip injury. Considering the injuries to both ankles that have also sidelined Tagovailoa, his durability is an issue.

Grier will spend more time poring over Tua’s medical reports than his game film. It will take conviction to make that choice or another available quarterback.

Regardless of whichever quarterback Grier chooses, bringing back Fitzpatrick would buy time in the development process.

Fitz reached folk hero status with what he accomplished leading an offense devoid of any reliable running game. That was cemented Sunday by outplaying Tom Brady and orchestrating the winning touchdown drive capped by the payoff pass to Mike Gesicki.

That doesn’t change that Grier must come away from the draft with a quarterback, but it’s just the top of a laundry list of needs.

Numerous needs on offense, defense

On offense, the challenge is to upgrade the line and add a featured running back, through draft picks and signings.

The receiving corps is respectable, with DeVante Parker having a breakout year and Gesicki making major strides in his second season. But pass protection and blocking for the running game needs to improve.

On defense, pass rushers are top priority, on the line and at linebacker. An ever-changing cast in the defensive backfield held its own against Tom Brady on Sunday, highlighted by former Patriot Eric Rowe’s pick-six. But Grier will be looking for another cornerback and likely a safety, especially if Reshad Jones isn’t brought back.

Grier is on the clock and on the spot for 2020.

As for 2019, which began with getting outscored 163-26 in the first four games, Sunday’s stunner made it almost sad to see time expire.

One thing for sure, the time for hoping for losses is thankfully over.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns