On The Beat: 5 questions with Dolphins writer Armando Salguero

In this week’s edition of “On the Beat,” we check in with Dolphins’ beat writer Armando Salguero, who covers the team for The Miami Herald. Check him out on Twitter here.

1. What sort of team are the Dolphins — the one that won three straight earlier in the season, or the one in the throes of a four-game losing skid right now?



The Dolphins are an incomplete team that has trouble playing complementary football and rarely (not in 2017) has gotten four full quarters from the offense and defense. They've been able to win games despite this, as those three wins show. But the inconsistency of the entire roster has also shown itself in the four consecutive losses.

2. Is there someone on the Miami roster who isn’t a household name who we could be talking about by the time the ballgame is over?

I was tempted to say, "No," and move on to the next question, but I won't do you like that. The Dolphins don't exactly come to Foxborough with a roster full of stars. The players you know -- Jay Cutler, Cameron Wake, Ndamukong Suh -- are all dealing with challenges. Suh's challenge has been a lingering knee issue. And the middle of the roster guys you probably never heard of such as Cordrea Tankersley and Kenyan Drake and Xavien Howard all have ability but are still figuring out how to play at a high level week-to-week. That means one of those guys would have to suddenly show something they haven't necessarily shown previously.

3. What is the biggest weakness on the Miami offense you expect the Patriots to try and exploit?

The biggest weakness of the Miami offense is an offensive line that doesn't play together as a unit. They have first-round draft picks in Mike Pouncey and Laremy Tunsil. They have free-agent signees such as Ted Larsen. They have talent. But they haven't had chemistry. They recently take turns making mistakes. It's a weakness teams such as Carolina and Baltimore enjoyed. I don't know if the Patriots can or will.

4. What’s the biggest weakness on the Miami defense you expect the Patriots to try and exploit?

My expectation is the Patriots will use their running backs against Miami's linebackers to their advantage. Dolphins linebackers have struggled in coverage this year. Lawrence Timmons, a signature free agent signing last offseason, was so bad at it last week he was taken off the field on most passing downs after being signed as a three-down linebacker.

5. The Dolphins win Sunday if …

The game is moved to Mongolia and the Patriots' plane diverts to Uganda.

My pick

The Dolphins, in the past, have matched up really well against the Patriots and that has led to some entertaining games, regardless of the outcome. I expect the Dolphins to treat this game as if it's their Super Bowl because, frankly, playing the defending Super Bowl champions might be as close as Miami gets to the game this season. As for my picking, I'm picking the cop out. Enjoy the game.