Cleveland Browns

Browns vs. Dolphins: Q&A with Phin Phanatic

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins will stage a battle of 0-2 teams on Sunday. We learn more about the Dolphins in a Q&A with Phin Phanatic.

The Cleveland Browns will head to Florida on Sunday to face the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

It will be the home opener for the Dolphins who, like the Browns, enter the contest with an 0-2 record under new head coach Adam Gase.

The Dolphins still have their opening day starting quarterback, however, and a defensive front that could potentially cause problems for the Browns and rookie quarterback Cody Kessler, who will be making his NFL debut.

The Browns won on their last trip to Miami, a 13-10 victory in 2010, but are just 2-5 all-time against the Dolphins on the road.

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To learn a bit more about the Dolphins, we sat down with Brian Miller from Phin Phanatic for a virtual Q&A.

Question: The Dolphins are off to an 0-2 start under head coach Adam Gase. Are the fans starting to turn on Gase yet?

Brian: Honestly, fans seem to really like Gase overall and are simply attributing the rough start to him being a rookie head coach. I don’t think anyone will call for his head this year, but a loss to Cleveland on Sunday could change that.

Question: Miami signed Arian Foster in the off-season to help the running game but he’s now battling a groin injury. If he can’t go on Sunday, are the Browns catching a break in Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake?

Brian: Not sure I would say a “break.” Foster really hasn’t done much since he arrived and frankly I thought it was a bit of wasted money. I’m not surprised that he is missing time and likely will all year. As for Ajayi, to be honest with you I don’t know what he brings to the table. There have been flashes of what he can do, but he is so inconsistent at doing them. Miami’s rushing attack is abysmal. (The Dolphins currently rank 27th in the league in rushing, averaging 3.7 yards per carry and 67 rushing yards.)

Question: This is Ryan Tannehill’s fifth season in the NFL. Has he reached the point where he is the unquestioned guy at quarterback?

Brian: No. Tannehill has a long way to go and last week against New England showed that. His first half was atrocious and the second half he looked like a stud franchise quarterback. The Miami fan base is pretty split down he middle, with half wanting him gone and the other half undecided or thinks he is the guy.

Sep 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron (84) celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Question: There was some angst last season when tight end Jordan Cameron left the Browns in free agency to sign with the Dolphins. Two games into his second season in Miami, is that angst still warranted?

Brian: Yeah, you guys can have him back. Miami doesn’t know how to use the tight end in the passing game and when they do target him he tends to drop more than he catches. He was unimpressive last year and so far this year he isn’t changing a lot of minds.

Question: Miami’s defense looked good in the opener against Seattle, but not so good last week against New England. Which game paints a more-accurate picture?

Brian: Don’t know, to tell you the truth. Miami still can’t seem to stop the run consistently, and after seeing what Seattle failed to do against the Rams I’m not sure if Seattle just isn’t as good as many had thought. The Dolphins are so inconsistent on defense right now it’s impossible to know what unit will show up or even if they will show up for the entire game. The Dolphins can’t finish.

Question: What’s the prediction for Sunday?

Brian: I think the Dolphins will win but they won’t clear the spread. My guess is a 27-23 win and the game will be much closer than anyone is expecting it to be.

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