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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Titans will face the Miami Dolphins in the first game of the season Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Titans finished 9-7 last season and qualified for the playoffs.
The Dolphins finished 6-10 in 2017, and one of their victories took place in Week 5 on the Titans.
This week, I met with Armando Salguero, a professional football hall of fame elector who covers the Dolphins Miami Herald. You can follow Armando on Twitter @ArmandoSalguero and join nearly 68,000 others.
Here's how our conversation went:
Wyatt: Hey Armando. Well, it's gone again. The opening match of the regular season has now arrived. Leaving the door: Why should Titans care about Dolphins before the first week?
Salguero: Well, for starters, what the Titans are watching on tape from the pre-season is not what they'll see in the game. In the pre-season, they have not not seen much of Albert Wilson (the catcher) signed by the Kansas City Dolphins. Dolphins will have an Albert Wilson package on Sunday. They did not do much with Mike Gesicki, who is a second-round rookie choice. The dolphins have a lot of plans for him, especially in the red zone where, in practice, he has been a beast. He has 6-6 and has a vertical jump of 41 inches. So if that translates into regular season games, well, it's going to be something to watch. Obviously, their offensive line is reorganized and they think that is the strength of the team. Well, we'll see. There is no time like a regular season game to test what you think you have. Dolphins think that they have a very good offensive line. And it's obvious that they have a new quarterback, in their former quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, who has been away for more than 600 days – this is the last time he played in a football game. And they think it's going to be better than ever.
Wyatt: What are the biggest concerns about dolphins? Why should fans be cautious in their expectations?
Salguero: The body of linebackers is atrocious. It's not necessarily because they do not have talent. It's because they have no experience. Kiko Alonso is the veteran of the group, then they have Raekwon McMillan in the middle and he is a sophomore, but he missed his entire rookie season with an injury to the ACL. And Jerome Baker is their linebacker, and he's a rookie, a third-round pick. There will be a lot of difficulties with Baker and McMillan, and Kiko will have to bear the burden a lot of the time, especially at the beginning of the season. Last year, when Lawrence Timmons was lost almost all the time on the field, Kiko was overwhelmed trying to convince him, and he could not do it. So, it will be interesting to see if he can convince these young people.
Wyatt: Much has been said about the Dolphins who recruited former Titans quarterback Luke Falk on the 53-man line-up after his release during the wave of cuts. Speculation is that dolphins will try to pump it for information on Titans to get a benefit. So, do you think it was their plan?
Salguero: They would say no. They will tell you that there is not much to learn from your opponent because a player arrives a week before the match. And this player being a rookie, no less. But having said that, it's important that the Titans have a new coaching staff. And it's important that a lot of things are new to the Tennessee Titans, things they did not show in the pre-season, but have done in the past. Luke Falk has seen many of these things in practice, so I guess questions will be asked to Luke Falk. I do not know what they will do with the answers, but I guess the questions will be asked.
Wyatt: OK, just a little more here. The last time the Titans were in Miami, Jay Cutler was the quarterback of the Dolphins. Now, Tannehill is back in the saddle. How did he look and what do you expect from him this season?
Salguero: Well, he's a 30-year-old quarterback, and everyone expects him to be the new Ryan Tannehill, because we have not seen him for so long. In my opinion, he is: he is a quarter of 30 years old and you are under the age of 30 and you have not played for a year. I have the impression that it is going to be good, not great. In the outbreaks, it is going to be really good, and in other outbreaks, it is going to be oddly bad. So, I do not buy it all: it's a brand new day with Ryan Tannehill's story. I think it will be the same day, but it is not necessarily bad. But that does not mean that he will necessarily be elite. Tom Brady went from 24 touchdowns to 29 to 50 touchdowns at age 30. I do not think it's due to Tom Brady. That's because they had Randy Moss, and they signed Wes Welker and suddenly their racing game took off and they scored a ton of points. It's not because Tom Brady suddenly understood how to play football – he had already won a Super Bowl at that time.
Wyatt: So, what is your prediction for the 2018 Miami Dolphins?
Salguero: Of course, everything depends on the health status of your team, and if they stay healthy, if Ryan Tannehill is not rusty, and if Keny Drake shows up and becomes the player, the Dolphins are hoping that he will be racing. get out of the field of attack, they have a chance to go 9 and 7 and maybe if things get going for them, 10-6. Otherwise they will be halfway where they have been for a long time, at 7-9 or 8-8. I'm trying to be optimistic.
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