What the Dolphins are saying about the Patriots this week
"They've been talking trash the four years I've been there, so I'm excited to see if we both can back it up."
Amidst a peculiar preseason due to COVID-19, NFL football is back.
The Patriots will kick off the start of their season Sunday, taking on the Miami Dolphins on their home turf at Gillette Stadium. It will be their 110th matchup, with the Dolphins having defeated the Patriots 56 times.
Last September, the Patriots crushed the Dolphins in the first matchup, 43-0, but suffered a “disturbing” loss to them in Week 17. This season, however, looks different for both teams: the Patriots, without Tom Brady for the first time since 1999, are led by quarterback Cam Newton, while the Dolphins are in a “rebuilding” phase and have added young players to their roster.
Both teams also have ties to each other: Dolphins head coach Brian Flores had many roles on the Patriots over the 15 seasons he spent there. Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer was a position coach for the Patriots for 10 seasons.
During the offseason, former Patriots Kyle Van Noy, Ted Karras, and Elandon Roberts signed with Miami as free agents.
Some NFL experts are predicting the Patriots will win on Sunday, but don’t think that they’ll simply walk all over the Dolphins this time.
“Bizarre to say, but with no fans, no Tom Brady and some of the Patriots’ top-rated defensive players from last year now with the Dolphins, a lot of the things that made a trip to New England a problem are gone,” wrote the South Florida Sun Sentinel Staff. “New England lost eight starters to free agency and the pandemic opt-out. The Dolphins — even with all their changes — seem a more known commodity, especially on defense.”
Others think that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will find a way to compete, even amidst all of his team’s uncertainty.
“It’s easy to be down on the Patriots,” wrote Joe Giglio of NJ.com. “No Tom Brady. The most opt-outs in the league. Questions about Cam Newton at quarterback. Something tells me Bill Belichick will have this team way more competitive than anyone thinks, but doesn’t this line feel a little big for a team with so much uncertainty and a well-coached Dolphins team on the other side?”
Newton himself has expressed that everyone will just have to “tune in” to see what the Patriots offensive are capable of this season. But, what do their competitors think?
Here’s what the Dolphins are saying about the Patriots ahead of Sunday’s game:
On the Patriots as competitors
“Honestly, there’s not much relevance (to the Week 17 game). New England’s different. We’re different. It’s a new year. It’s a different year. So, there’ll be a different environment with no fans, so everything is just so different. We as an organization and as a team, we’re not looking at last year’s game and taking much from it. We’re just kind of focused on having a good practice today, string a few practices together this week and play a competitive game against a very good team.
“They are a good team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. With guys like Matt Slater from a special team standpoint, and (Stephon) Gilmore, (Devin) McCourty, Adam Butler, I mean they’ve got good players defensively and offensively starting with Cam. This is a solid team and they are well-coached. This will be a huge challenge and we’re going to have to play well. We’re going to go up there and play a competitive game.”
On Cam Newton:
“A mobile quarterback in New England, obviously that hasn’t been the case. Maybe a game here, a game there. We just kind of refer to mobile quarterback rules. You want to keep him in the pocket.
“Obviously, Cam is very explosive, he’s a very accomplished and established player in the league. He’s made a lot of plays with his legs, with his arm. We want to keep him in the pocket, try to limit those plays, at the same time, he’s going to create them one way or another. That’s the MO over the course of his career. It’ll be a great challenge.”
Davon Godchaux, nose tackle: “This dude was an MVP in our league. This dude was a Super Bowl runner-up. He still can make every throw. He still can outrun people. I’m still taking that same approach on Sunday. He’s a professional. He gets paid just like I do.”
Bobby McCain, safety: “Just understanding that [Cam Newton is] effective in both ways – in the run game and the pass game and making plays outside of the pocket. If a play breaks down, him being the athlete that he is, he can get out of the pocket and throw the ball downfield. So you have to understand as a safety, as deep defenders, as corners; you’ve got to plaster onto your guys and understand that the play’s not over until it’s over. Until the play’s blown dead, it’s not over because he is Cam. He is a good athlete. He can use his feet. He’s mobile and he’s got a good strong arm.”
Byron Jones, cornerback: “Cam is extremely talented. He’s a guy that’s going to make plays. Our job on defense is to read our keys, do what we’re taught, fundamentals. That’s what it’s really going to come down to, especially early in the season. Tackling, knowing the plays, understanding what the offense wants to do to the defense depending on the offensive set. It’s just a game of focus and attention to the details really.”
Thoughts on the Patriots defense:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback:
“They’re very talented on defense; very talented and experienced in the back end. So for us, it’s trying to throw to the open guy, trying to pick the best matchups. They do a great job of making sure that everything is contested and challenged on every play. We’ll have to play our best, whether it’s receivers, tight ends or backs, the way that I’m throwing the ball. Everything is going to have to be on point for us to be able to move the ball versus these guys.”
“Their best players are going to be on our best playmakers. So the way these games go, do their guys make more plays or do ours? Going into matchups like this, I just want to make sure that my guys know that I have the ultimate confidence in them, and I’m going to give them opportunities to go out there and make plays. That’s no secret to the defense. That’s no secret to my guys. That’s how we’ll figure out who is going to win the game – if our big playmakers show up and I can get them the ball or if they can’t.”
What the former Patriots are saying:
“We know they’re going to be tough and smart and know what they’re doing, and they’re going to have something unique for us that’s going to make us think. They’re going to challenge us every step of the way and it’s very exciting to go back. I know many of these players very personally, and to go back and compete now as a rival faction is very exciting. It’s going to be fun, but we’re going to have to bring our very best when it counts the most here Sunday afternoon.”
Kyle Van Noy, linebacker: “I know what winning looks like and structurally, Flores – I respect him a lot. He’s doing a really, really good job. We’re not taking any shortcuts. I wasn’t here last year but the guys, you can tell, work their ass off; and this year, we continued that. For me to be a part of that and to be elected a captain from my peers, I’m honored and just hope that we can take this first game – it’s a big game – and that’s what they want to do, that’s what we want to do.”
Dolphins’ linebacker Kyle Van Noy will take on his former team on Sunday.
He added: “Yeah, going against them, they’re familiar with me. I’m familiar with them. I’m excited for this task. They’ve been talking trash the four years I’ve been there, so I’m excited to see if we both can back it up. (laughter).
“Cam brings a Cam effect. That man is a gamer. (He’s a former) MVP, so he knows how to win. He knows how to play to his strengths. He’s a really good passer. He can throw on the run really, really well. But the Cam effect is definitely the running. Being able to have that as, I guess, your third option – hand the ball off, throw and then be able to run and create something out of nothing – it’s tough to guard. We have our hands full and we’re doing everything we can to prepare for it; but we’re excited for the challenge. We know how good he is and we respect him as a player.”
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