Today is a travel day for the Miami Dolphins. The team actually studied the results of other teams flying from the east coast to the west coast of this awesome country -- even ones in other sports -- to see how to optimize their travel plans.
So the team is flying today and practicing in Seattle Friday.
"With this being the first game of the year, we were actually able to do it," Gase said. "We felt like if we could get out there a day earlier than what we normally would do, we felt like we had a chance to get our guys out there and practice but we could use that Thursday as a travel day.
"We were able to do just a short meeting on Thursday, jump on the plane (and) get there. We’re going to do one thing to where we can kind of get guys just moving around a little bit, then practice Friday and then Saturday do our walkthrough. We just wanted to give our guys the best chance they could to feel as good as they could heading into Sunday.
So there is no morning practice update today, no injury report until later this evening, no major news to share, no media availability. And I'm just about plum out of opinions, too.
Except ...
It's time for the annual Salguero-screws-up-his-annual-NFL-predications post.
I know the records below won't add up because, Miami-Dade County Public School mathematics classes. But you should have a solid idea what I think is about to happen this NFL season, which, by the way, begins this evening!
Here we go ....
AFC East
1. New England 10-6 Tom Brady and the pass rush are missing. Brady returns after four games; the pass rush does not.
2. New York 9-7 Great defensive front and solid (yet aging) receivers. But no way Ryan Fitzpatrick matches 2015's career year.
3. Miami 8-8 Best case scenario is Adam Gase fixes Ryan Tannehill and the future brightens. But the future is not now.
4. Buffalo 6-10 Their training camp featured one drama after another and that's a bad omen. LeSean McCoy is awesome though.
AFC North
1. Pittsburgh 12-4 They have the best offense in the NFL once Le'Veon Bell returns from suspension.
2. Cincinnati 11-5 Solid talent up and down the roster.
3. Baltimore 8-8 This team is starting to get a little long in the tooth.
4. Cleveland 3-13 RG3 was a nice preseason story. The preseason is over.
AFC South
1. Houston 9-7 The best of the worst division in the NFL. J.J. Watt is not human. Just isn't.
2. Indianapolis 7-9 Perhaps the worst offensive line in the NFL. You know who coaches that offensive line?
3. Jacksonville 7-9 I love Blake Bortles. This team is a year away from being really good.
4. Tennessee 6-10 Solid along the lines of scrimmage; All the playmakers not named Marcus Mariota are unspectacular.
AFC West
1. Kansas City 11-5 They're well coached, don't make mistakes on offense and play solid defense.
2. Denver 9-7 Forgive me for not buying a Super Bowl repeat with Trevor Siemian at QB.
3. Oakland 7-9 Solid (which is better than it used to be) but still not quite ready to contend.
4. San Diego 6-10 They'll look good until their annual rash of injuries will waste another Phillip Rivers season.
NFC East
1. Washington 11-5 They found something on offense late last year and the defense is coming on.
2. Dallas 9-7 I was ready to pick the Cowboys to win the division until Tony Romo broke his back.
3. NY Giants 8-8 Giants must think you can build through free agency. They also think their OL is good. Wrong on both.
4. Philadelphia 4-12 Yeah, the Eagles proved this year they care more about future years.
NFC North
1. Green Bay 12-4 So, they have the best QB in the NFL on any given Sunday. Good enough.
2. Minnesota 10-6 I like Sam Bradford a whole lot more than the experts. Ignorance is bliss.
3. Detroit 7-9 Team reflects its city. Suh left. Johnson left. Buzz is gone. Best days in the rear view.
4. Chicago 6-10 John Fox really, really knows how to coach. But he doesn't play. Team needs more players.
NFC South
1. Carolina 12-4 Yes, they take a step back from 15-1. But this team is headed to the playoffs even with 2 rookie CBs.
2. Tampa Bay 9-7 Offense is really, really nice. Defense is really, really not. Who you blaming then, Miko?
3. New Orleans 6-10 Sean Payton is an elite coach but he no longer has an elite roster. Rebuilding.
4. Atlanta 6-10 Dan Quinn would like to run the Seattle defense but he doesn't have Seattle talent.
NFC West
1. Seattle 13-3 Pete Carroll kept 15 rookies on his roster so this team has experience and hungry young blood.
2. Arizona 9-7 Yeah, that whipping the Panthers put on them in the playoffs isn't going to wear off soon enough.
3. Los Angeles 6-10 Hollywood is used to big-money blockbusters that fizzle.
4. San Francisco 5-11 Their starting QB is Blaine Gabbert and his backup is such a driveling idiot he wore a Fidel Castro T-shirt on the day he was trying to make a statement against "oppression."
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