Were he alive today, that great football prognosticator, Charles Dickens, would no doubt be reciting one of the more famous lines ever written by him; "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times". Except there would be no Sydney Carton, Charles Darnay or Madame Defarge acting as hero or protagonist; no, in our fable the heroes (or goats) have names like Lawrence, Mayfield and Willis. The respective lords of those grid-iron manors are (Liam) Coen, (Todd) Bowles and (Jeff) Hafley. Welcome to football, 2026 version, Florida style and in our annual preview of the upcoming season we will be presented with all manners of intrigue, questions and, ultimately, either W´s or L´s. Normally we would begin with the team with the best chance of success (in our opinion) but since we are primarily a South Florida publication, we´ll start close to home. And the picture aint´ pretty.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: Where to begin? I suppose after last year´s wave-the-white-flag finish, wherein their starting QB was benched, the best WR was lost to a horrific injury, and the head coach, general manager and almost everyone short of the janitor were fired it was expected this would be a rebuilding year. Not even close. This isn´t the rebuilding year - it´s the tear down year to get to a rebuilding year. Thanks to a grossly mismanaged salary cap, poor talent evaluation and ridiculous contracts, the new regime has to clean up the old regime´s mess before building their own brand. That means this year will be a test for a Fin fan, not just of patience but also their ability to google quickly the players on their favor team. In other words, expect a lot of "who´s that guy?" comments. QB Malik Willis, RB Devone Achane and LB Jordyn Brooks might be their best players, but they will need a lot of help. The AFC East is either really good (Buffalo, New England) or really bad (NY Jets, Miami) so the schedule is not overwhelming it they are a ways away, Prediction: 4-13.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: If the Dolphins are struggling, then up the road we have a different story playing out in Tampa Bay. Or more precisely not playing out as star QB Baker Mayfield has rejected a long-term contract, meaning he will play out his option year and could leave after this season. It´s possible the team will exercise its option to keep him, but should it really want a guy leading the team who doesn´t want to be here? Tough stuff. There are other questions on offense: how to replace perennial Pro Bowler Mike Evans at WR? Will RB back Bucky Irving stay healthy so he can contribute? On defense the health of veteran DT Vita Vea and the contributions of newcomers Alex Anzalaone and Reuben Bain, Jr at LB will go a long way towards determining the season´s success. The NFC South is not overwhelming, but this has more questions than a Double Jeopardy board, Prediction: 9-8.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: It´s not often we refer to the Jags as the best, but an 8-1 finish, plus the spunky enthusiasm of head man Liam Coen has me convinced. Quarterback Trevor Lawrenrce to is poised to ascend to the higher echelon of league QBs, and while not surrounded by pro bowlers, he has enough pieces to make it work. WRs Brian Thomas, Jr., Parker Washington (also a devastating KR man) and Jakobi Meyers are solid; former two-way star Travis Hunter will also see action. Losing RB1 Travis Etienne hurts, but I´m betting Coen´s innovative play calling will more than offset that loss. Losing star LB Devin Lloyd hurts, but solid playmakers abound plus they have the best kicker in football in Cam Little, a very underrated weapon, has me going with the swag of Duuuuval. Prediction: 12-5.
That´s it, and with a nod to Mr. Dickens, let´s see if Great Expectations are met in all these towns. Let´s kick it off!
