Don't worry, beach happy. It's finally week one and the Patriots have taken their talents to South Florida to kick off the regular season against the Miami Dolphins.
With the starters getting very few snaps in the preseason there are still a lot of questions, primarily on offense, going into the season.
At the start of camp, all eyes were on how the defense would adjust with the departure of veterans such as J.C. Jackson, Kyle Van Noy and Dont'a Hightower but now the million dollar question is how the offense will look without Josh McDaniels.
While the installation of a new offense in addition to the lack of naming an offensive coordinator have been the headlines for New England throughout the Summer, I caught up with National NFL Network Reporter, Cameron Wolfe to get the scoop on the Dolphins heading into game one.
Parallel to the Patriots, Wolfe pointed to Miami's offense as the point of emphasis going into the season.
"The big obvious question going into this season is Tua [Tagovailoa], there's no bigger question than him. He's going into year three in the NFL. I believe he's the most polarizing quarterback in the league. Everyone has a hardline take it's either he's a terrible quarterback or he's been great and just held back," said the NFL Network reporter.
Wolfe believes he's somewhere in the middle and he has to prove it now with the weapons around him to succeed like the addition of Tyreek Hill who was traded by the Chiefs to the Dolphins in March.
The six-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion gives Tagovailoa a true No.1 wide receiver to support his growth this season.
"I watched Tyreek as a Chief but you don't realize how fast he is until you see him up close everyday in practice. The thing that surprised me but he works in practice like he does in the game. He's had the best training camp of any player in Miami. It builds confidence in the quarterback and the connection with him looks smooth and natural. I think Tyreek has brought some confidence and swagger in Tua that I haven't seen in his first few years in the NFL," said Wolfe.
Outside of the obvious storylines going into week 1, Wolfe indicates that the Dolphins offensive line is the biggest concern that he's observed. He referred to Pro Football Focus reporting that the Dolphins have had one of the worst offensive lines in regards to the pass protection and run blocking.
"They brought in Terron Armstead from the Saints and Connor Williams from the Cowboys and they've moved some of their long offensive linemen's positions. Their hope is they got more athletic and they can transition to the new zone scheme," said Wolfe.
While the Dolphins added the pieces to help improve Tua's protection, Wolfe did note that Williams was moved to center this season but he's played left guard his entire career and Terron was being treated throughout camp so he wasn't always practicing. All things considered that is why he has flagged the trenches as something to keep an eye out on in Sunday's matchup.
Coincidently, the Patriots offensive line will be something to flag in the season premiere. New England spent the offseason rebuilding the offensive line with the departure of Shaq Mason and Ted Karras, and changed roles for Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn too.
The jury is still out on what the Patriots will look like this season with a plethora of changes on offense but Sunday marks the beginning of a new era in New England without McDaniels and the show must go on.
