The Miami Dolphins did a lot of work this offseason to make the team championship contenders in 2013. The biggest move was signing free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace to one of the largest offseason contracts not given to a quarterback. Pairing the former Pittsburgh Steeler with quarterback Ryan Tannehill could be productive, but Wallace is not ready to predict playoffs just yet.
Wallace sees the other teams in Miami's division. While the New England Patriots may have had one of their worst offseasons to date with the Aaron Hernandez drama and the departure of Wes Welker, Wallace is not overlooking them. He believes it will take a lot to knock the team off the top of the NFC East.
"As long as they have No. 12 (Tom Brady) behind center, anything's possible," Wallace told USA Today. "As long as they have Coach Belichick up there, man, you never count those guys out."
Wallace understands that while Brady might be missing three of his top targets, the Patriots are still capable of anything. The team's wide receiving corps might not look as impressive on paper as it once did, Brady and Belichick have the football smarts to make it work.
"You never want to say, 'Oh, this happened and that happened,' because as soon as you say that, they come back at 12-4, 13-3," Wallace said. "You learn just to accept the Patriots for who they are. But at the same time, we're in the same division as them, and we want to win the division. If you're not playing to win, why are you playing the game?"
The Dolphins paid big money to get Wallace and beat the Patriots. He signed a contract that consists of $30 million in guaranteed money. They invested in tight end Dustin Keller and several big defensive players to help compete. Head coach Joe Philbin believes on paper the team is great, they just have to play that way.
"I think we have a better team on paper than we did last July 21st," Philbin said. "I expect us to improve. We told the team this is a developmental program. We expect to get better year to year, week to week and I expect us to be better. We should play better."
Wallace knows the team took a gamble on him with the size of contract they awarded the free agent, but he intends to pay that back in production. As he enters training camp, chemistry with Tannehill will be the key to success. The Dolphins gave both players a vote of confidence and expect them to prove why.
