LoFi’s Lowdown: A Season of ‘What Ifs’ Begins and One Matters Most
The Miami Dolphins begin their season on the road against the Raiders this week. We are all excited to see our new young players play their first NFL game.
There are plenty of “what-ifs” to follow this season. Can Chop Robinson have a breakout season? Will Chris Johnson look like a future lockdown cornerback? Will the Dolphins’ wide receiver group surprise us with a big season? On a larger scale, can our defense get off the field and create some turnovers? Those are just a few.
What if Malik Willis has “it”?
But there is one “what-if” that takes center stage this week and each week after this one. I believe it takes this franchise in two extremely different directions. What if Malik Willis has “it”? Yes, “it.” Can Malik Willis elevate the players around him and make them better on this team? Can Malik Willis elevate his game in key moments to give us a chance to win tight games?
Malik Willis has everything to be great in the NFL. Malik Willis is the modern quarterback. He is what every NFL team wants but few have. Malik Willis has put in the time. He has shown that we have a dual-threat quarterback who has learned a lot of the nuances of playing quarterback in the NFL.
He looks ready to prove his place in the NFL. He has shown leadership and character and has checked every box you would want, maybe except a few inches in height, to be fair.
This season plays out in one of two ways. Malik Willis shows us he has “it” and claims his franchise quarterback worthiness, and we enter the draft and offseason focused on building around him. Or Malik Willis becomes our bridge quarterback who gets to play until our newly drafted quarterback is deemed ready to start for our Miami Dolphins. One path starts now, and the other starts two-plus years from now.
Add two years to your rookie contracts while playing for pride, and it is a challenging road to keeping a healthy locker room. We might not be seeing too many outspoken veterans on this team because we are in a so-called “rebuild.” If we miss on Malik Willis this year, even what we do next offseason completely changes in free agency.
I can’t see Sully making the Grier move and starting to overpay veterans to come to the Dolphins just to make us more competitive or sell more jerseys. I also can’t see him doing it to compensate for missed draft picks. The wallet shouldn’t completely open until you have “it” at quarterback.
If we are drafting and hoping to get the right quarterback, we are going to say we are doing things the “Green Bay way.” That quarterback will sit and be developed. Smart, but the Miami Dolphins are a business. The product being sold, if Malik is not “it,” will suffer while we continue the rebuild.
When “hopium” turns into direction
If we hit on Malik Willis this year, things can get exciting quickly, and “hopium” can turn into direction. Veterans will want to come to Miami, and those price tags could look a lot different. Most NFL players prefer to play for a contender. Most teams are just a quarterback away from being considered just that, a contender.
The draft and free agency turn into complementing your quarterback, not looking for one. So, the one “what-if” that matters most this year is the reason I believe Ross has Hafley and Sully calling the shots in Miami. They both believe Malik Willis can and will be the franchise quarterback of our Miami Dolphins.
Malik Willis, you are officially on LoFi’s must-watch list. Fins up!
