Dolphins to Reshuffle Offense Ahead of State Rivalry Games

September 28, 2021 | Suncoast Post Staff | Great Reading

Miami Dolphins are set to make a significant frontline change after a bumpy start to their NFL campaign.

An early win against the Patriots saw Brian Flores’s side struggle against the Bills, failing to score in the first blank of the season. According to the Miami Herald, the 35-0 score line ‘stung more than usual’, and it has prompted Flores to consider making offensive changes.

Many observers feel Solomon Kindley is set to drop to the bench, despite starting the first two games of the season. The team is looking to build upon an acceptable 1-1- record thus far but is not taking any chances with their offense after the shutout. In comes Liam Eichenberg once again after he started the season opener at left tackle. That was because Austin Jackson had only been activated from the COVID-19 reserve list the previous day.

The other option that has been suggested is Jackson shifting to left guard, with Robert Hunt moving from right guard to right tackle and Eichenberg settling at right tackle. That would leave Jesse Davis to take over at left guard, resulting in Kindley dropping to the bench. With just two games to go before that huge rivalry game against the Buccaneers on October 10, the Dolphins are keen to get the offense right and win bragging rights in the big interstate clash.

The rivalry with the Buccaneers has not been kind to the Dolphins in recent seasons, with just a single win from the last seven encounters. The Dolphins beat their state rivals in 2014, ironically by a 20-14 score line, but you have to go back to 2010 for a home win. However, the overall series between the two teams is poised at 17-15 in the Dolphins favor, and it would be even better for Miami had the Buccaneers been around when the Dolphins were at their peak. They lifted the Super Bowl title in 1972 and 1973, and those two wins and two subsequent final appearances place them in Bwin’s list of top-ranking NFL franchises. They’re still the most successful Florida team, with the Buccaneers also winning two Super Bowl titles, the most recent of which came earlier this year. They are still behind the Dolphins in terms of successful franchises, as they only appeared in the two finals. As for Jacksonville, they’re the poor relation of the state, having never reached a Super Bowl.

History is all well and good, but teams are judged on their performances this season, and with the Buccaneers already 2-0, there will be panic in the Dolphins dressing room looking ahead to that clash in October. The week after, on October 17, Flores’s team gets to assert some further state dominance when they pay a visit to the Jaguars, who are already 0-2. While that game should already be money in the bank, it could be a tricky time for the Dolphins if the offense isn’t shaken up after the Bills debacle.

Few believe that Miami can reach Super Bowl LVI, which will be played on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. However, fans of the team would like to see them regain some pride in the three-team state rivalry and maybe use that as a springboard in the AFC East, which they have only won twice since the turn of the century. If that means early tweaks to the offensive line, so be it.