Miami, FL
Allen: Miami season a failure without a trophy
Inter Miami CF defender Noah Allen insists the team enters the MLS Cup playoffs with high expectations, emphasizing that anything less than lifting the trophy would be considered a failure.
“Yeah [it’s a failure for if Inter Miami don’t win MLS Cup]. We have high expectations for ourselves,” Allen said.
“I feel like we have the highest standard in ourselves and we want to win every trophy possible. Yeah, we want to win.”
Inter Miami concluded the MLS regular season in third place on the Eastern Conference table with 65 points, drawing Nashville SC for the best-of-three Round One playoff series.
The Herons will host Nashville on Friday night at Chase Stadium for the first match, and secured home-field advantage for the potential third game due to table placement.
“I’m very excited about the playoffs. I have confidence in my team; we have the best of all time, and well, we’re really excited,” Rodrigo De Paul said.
“But football doesn’t always win the best or the one who deserves it most. We have to keep that percentage of luck as low as possible, and whatever work it takes, give everything we have to do our best so that the playoffs go our way.”
Inter Miami are familiar with their Round One opponent, concluding the regular-season campaign with a 5-2 triumph over Nashville on Oct. 18. Now the team will prepare for at least two more games against the same rival.
Lionel Messi, who scored three goals against Nashville in the final game to secure the 2025 MLS Golden Boot, failed to train in the first 15 minutes of the session on Oct. 21. The reason behind his absence is unknown.
Inter Miami were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2024 which has motivated them for this year’s post-season.
– MLS Cup playoff Power Rankings: Bet against Miami at your own peril
– 2025 MLS Cup Wild Card preview: Who’s moving on to Round 1?
– Messi’s final-day hat trick clinches MLS Golden Boot
“I feel like we have a good relationship between each other and I feel like we play good football with the ball. We keep a lot of possession and I just feel like we have to have that confidence that we are the best team in the league,” Allen said.
“Yeah, it’s not a sense of urgency. There’s not a panic or anything. It’s more of a motivation, right? And especially the guys that were here last year, I think everyone remembers it.
“And I think it’s been a message around the whole offense that everyone can understand is that it’s difficult, right?
“It’s not traditional, some players may agree, some players may not agree, but we have to do it. We have to win two games.”
Miami, FL
Miami Dolphins Discussion: Who’s Going To Be There Edition
When our Miami Dolphins are struggling, the attendance of their games at home naturally dips quite a bit. This, of course, comes with the territory, especially for the fans that reside in South Florida, where there’s always plenty of other things you can be doing with your time and money almost any day of the year. Now, though, we are facing a new season, and we do not expect the team to be great, but due to the new regime and the massive overhaul of the roster, there is, at the very least, a ton of curiosity among many of us fans. We all want to see what theis new coaching staff and new players will give us even if the final product is still at least another season or a couple of seasons away.
So this evenings Phinsider Question Of The Day is:
Which of you will, or will try to either go to a home and/or away Miami Dolphins game in person for this upcoming season?
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-
Miami, FL
Dolphins OC fuels breakout buzz for underused second-year playmaker
Few would disagree that the Miami Dolphins’ best overall player, pound-for-pound, is running back De’Von Achane. There’ll be no argument from me on that front. A player who could get some votes from defensive-minded fans might be linebacker Jordyn Brooks — another fantastic contributor who’s been the heart and soul of the defense for the past two seasons.
Ahead of the 2025 season, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was consistently drawing rave reviews from reporters covering practice sessions. He made good on that billing by excelling in the team’s exhibition games. While fans lamented his lack of playing time, the reality was he was buried behind Brooks and the rock-solid Tyrel Dodson on the depth chart. The situation was painfully similar for second-year running back Ollie Gordon II.
Despite showing some flashes early in the season in short-yardage situations, Gordon’s usage was sporadic. He only reached double-digit carries once, in the Week 8 demolition of the Atlanta Falcons. On one hand, it’s a fantastic thing that De’Von Achane was healthy for 16 of 17 games — on the other, Gordon represents a perfect complement to the diminutive and speedy Achane, and increased usage could make good on that potential.
The Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, used evocative language that forecasts a bigger role for Gordon in 2026, should he seize the opportunity.
“The biggest thing with Ollie is not only is he big — he runs big. When we have pads on, you’re going to hear him run. It’s not one where he’s just going to silently kind of sneak through the line of scrimmage. Everyone’s going to feel — it’s going to sound like trash cans are banging back there. There’s something to that. The O-Line gets energy from that when they feel the physicality from a runner.”
The Achane–Gordon pairing at running back is oozing with potential — as long as the Miami Dolphins are willing to commit to it
De’Von Achane is listed officially at 5’9″ and 191 pounds, while Gordon II clocks in at 6’2″ and 225 pounds. The pairing is a perfect recipe to keep a defense as off-balance as possible. Achane is quick enough to dodge raindrops — for a defense to go from trying to catch a rabbit to bracing for a runaway train from one play to the next is the kind of offensive strategy that could pay huge dividends.
Gordon’s body of work in the NFL doesn’t jump off the page. His 70 carries for 199 yards (2.8 per-carry-average) with three TDs don’t necessarily scream superstar in the making. It’s important to note, though, that he often got the call in short-yardage situations.
Gordon had 25 rushes on downs where the line to gain was one, two, or three yards. After converting on eight of his first 10 attempts (80%), he only converted eight of the final 15 (53.3%). For the season, he converted on 64% of his short-yardage attempts. Among 68 running backs who had at least 10 attempts in short-yardage last season, Gordon’s 64% ranked 29th.
While hardly a comparison to these backs’ overall body of work, respected and proven stars such as Bijan Robinson (60.87%, 43rd), Saquon Barkley (59.38%, 47th), and Derrick Henry (55%, 55th) are prime examples that it’s not all on the RB. Anyone out there who chooses to label Derrick Henry a liability in short yardage should do so at their own risk. Once again, not a comparison. Just an observation.
The hope is that with first-round pick Kadyn Proctor joining the team, the Dolphins may see a surge from their interior offensive line. At 6’7″ and 352 pounds, Proctor will never fail due to a lack of size or athletic ability. This is truly a rare athlete with a unique build — he’ll go as far as his work ethic takes him. If you’ve started to notice a “largeness” theme emanating from South Florida, it’s intentional.
Jon-Eric Sullivan discussed the concept in one of his introductory press conferences, stating: “There’s a saying in our business, fast gets slow but big doesn’t get small.” Well, sir, we heard you, but after the draft and free agency, now we see you. We’ll have to wait to see how it translates, but no one can say Sullivan wasn’t about what he said.
Ollie Gordon II — Dolphins fans hope you’re listening. The marriage between Gordon’s playstyle and the new coaching staff’s tenets is a match made in heaven. If he makes good on his own athletic gifts and untapped potential, the Dolphins may well have their next Ricky Williams in the building.
Follow
Miami, FL
Miami Dolphins Discussion: Could He Be The One
In one of Kdog’s (Kevin Dolney, for the newer folks) recent editions of the Splash Zone, he pointed to an article by A to Z Sports. In the article, A to Z Sports points to Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane and how he could be the first player for the team and only the fourth player in NFL history to reach a thousand yards in both rushing and receiving. The only other players to ever accomplish this rare feat were the San Francisco 49ers’ Roger Craig in 1985, the St Louis Rams’ Marshall Faulk in 1999, and the Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey in 2019.
Achane, if you believe the reports or maybe just in the fact that he’s easily the most talented player on offense, will be, or at least should be, much of the focus on offense this coming season. Achane, if nothing else, has proven dependable and downright electric at times. What he lacks in size, he seems to make up for in durability and pure speed. Besides being clearly the best all-around running back on the team, he has also shown that he is one of the most dependable receivers on the roster. With the loss of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, he might be at this point the best receiver on the team, although I hope that title eventually goes to rookie Chris Bell once he returns from the injury that he suffered in his SR year at Louisville.
So this evening’s Phinsider Question Of The Day is:
Do you believe that Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane will enter the very exclusive club of players who have hit both 1,000 yards in both receiving and rushing for the 2026-2027 NFL season?
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-
-
World7 minutes agoPeru’s Sanchez visits jailed ex-president as votes are counted
-
News34 minutes ago
6 injured in stabbing at New York’s Penn Station | CNN
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours ago2 kids, 1 adult shot to death in Canoga Park
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoAir conditioner forecast: Metro Detroit heads into hot, sticky stretch
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoChicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants preview, Sunday 6/7, 7:30 CT
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoWhich Dallas Mavericks Player is Facing the Biggest Offseason?
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMiami Dolphins Discussion: Who’s Going To Be There Edition
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoExpect a brilliant blue sky for Monday with cooler readings. Enjoy it, because the heat returns this week. – The Boston Globe