Minnesota surprised everyone last year with a record breaking season from Peterson while the Dolphins new logo might just make a post-season appearance.
Miami Dolphins:
Last season: Kinda boring from the Fins. They beat the teams they were supposed to beat, and lost to the teams you’d expect them to lose to. They lost a lot of close ones, two of them in OT, so they weren’t awful but they weren’t great either. Never really in with a shot of making the playoffs, it was another losing season (7-9) for the Dolphins.
This season: The definite high point for Miami last year was the fact that rookie QB Ryan Tannehill proved he was actually pretty good, and he should be better again this year. They shored up a leaky pass defence in the draft and they added in Baltimore Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who was fantastic in the Ravens run to the Super Bowl last year.
Most importantly, they brought in Steelers receiver Mike Wallace, giving Tannehill a Pro Bowl level receiver to throw to.
Oh yeah, and they got a new logo. Trust us, it’s different.
A decent, slightly unlucky team last year, the Dolphins will be better in 2013, the question is, how much?
Verdict: In the same division as the awful Jets, and the always struggling Bills, Miami should pick up some handy wins. They have a tough start to the season though, three out of four away to the Browns, Colts and Saints. If they get through that, and break even with the Patriots, they have a wildcard shot this year.
Minnesota Vikings
Last season: Adrian Peterson went about gettin’ ‘er done, as they say, and had an incredible year. He carried the ball (and the team) to a wild card game against the Packers, but they couldn’t overcome Rodgers and Green Bay.
This season: This is a big year for Christian Ponder. He’s got a massive weapon that can take the pressure of him in AP, but the fact that it is, as has been stated over and over again, a passing league, they can’t rely on him to do everything, or to have as good a season as he did last year.
Once again, Peterson has been on the sidelines for almost the entire preseason, and while wrapping him in cotton wool worked last year, it’s possible that won’t happen again. That hasn’t stopped Peterson from claiming that he’s definitely going to take the all-time rushing record though.
However, the players that Ponder has to pass to (not to mention the QB himself) are the real issue. Percy Harvin (their leading WR last year) is gone, and while Greg Jennings has come in from Green Bay, he’s been pretty busy shooting his mouth off about why he didn’t like Aaron Rodgers. Cordarrelle Patterson was their early draft pick, and while he had a good preseason, that might not be the best guide as to how he’ll get on in the big league, with a lot of expectation on him.
Ponder struggled in stretches last year, and while he was kept as the started because there was no reliable option, now that Matt Cassel is there he’ll either be pushed by a good backup or crumble under the pressure of having someone on his shoulder waiting to take his spot.
They still have Jared Allen, who’s charismatic and an important leader, and corner back Harrison Smith had a good year last year that he’ll hope to improve on for the defence.
They start their season at the Lions, and have tough games against the Steelers, Giants, Redskins and Seahawks, as well as the inevitable two against Green Bay. That’s a tough gig in anyone’s book.
Verdict: It looks increasingly improbable (after a preseason where they picked up three losses) that they’ll be able to advance on what they had last season, and will probably regress. At a push they might get 8-8, but maybe 7-9 is a bit more realistic. Although they proved everyone wrong last year…
