Las Vegas bettors bullish on Miami Dolphins. And Dolphins personnel notes
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Thursday:
▪ Las Vegas casinos are once again bustling as the nation’s COVID vaccination rates rise. And the majority of those choosing to wager on the Miami Dolphins in recent weeks believe Brian Flores’ team will surpass the betting line expectations.
At The Mirage and a bunch of other casinos under the MGM umbrella, the Dolphins’ over-under for wins was recently raised from 9 to 9.5.
According to the sports book chief at Bet MGM, twice as many people have been betting that the Dolphins will win more than their listed over/under (9.5 wins) than those who have bet that they will win fewer.
Three times as much money has been bet on the over for the Dolphins than the under.
So bettors are largely bullish on the Dolphins.
Only seven teams have had more “over” action than the Dolphins. That list is topped by the Los Angeles Rams; their over/under for wins in 10.5, and most people are betting they will top that.
Bet MGM’s over/under for wins for the other AFC East teams: Buffalo 10.5, New England 9.5 (more people are betting that the Patriots will win fewer than 9.5 games) and the Jets at 6.
The Dolphins are listed at 30-to-1 to win the Super Bowl — the same odds given to the Patriots, Chargers and Saints.
Just ahead of the Dolphins at 25-to-1 are Seattle, Tennessee and Indianapolis.
The teams just behind the Dolphins (longer odds to win the Super Bowl) are Dallas, Pittsburgh and Cleveland at 40-to-1, according to MGM Bet.
▪ The Dolphins, in recent months, have extended two members of their 2018 draft class — kicker Jason Sanders and linebacker Jerome Baker — but we hear there is nothing percolating on the contract front with tight end Mike Gesicki at this time.
It’s unclear what to make of that. Perhaps the Dolphins are waiting until everyone gets back from vacation. Perhaps they’re waiting to see how Gesicki and rookie third-round pick Hunter Long play this year.
Regardless, Gesicki is in good position to snag a very good contract in free agency next March if he doesn’t re-sign with the Dolphins before that.
The projected 2022 franchise tag for tight ends is $11.3 million, according to overthecap.com. Slapping the tag on Gesicki would be one option next spring.
▪ Dolphins rookie first-round pick Jaelan Phillips, who was primarily a defensive end at UM, said his move to linebacker has gone smoothly.
He noted there are nuances to learn with regard to communication — and more peering over his shoulder to see what’s happening behind him in the back end of the defense — that are different from playing defensive end, but Phillips is excited about it.
Todd Stroud, Phillips’ defensive line coach at Miami, told me in this piece that Phillips had his hand on the ground 60 percent of the time at UM and “40 percent he was a stand-up [player]. He’s comfortable playing a hybrid linebacker that stands up and awesome on third down with his hand on the ground.”
▪ Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin, appearing on Sports Radio 950 in Seattle, said his “biggest takeaway” from the offseason program is that the Dolphins now have “a lot of speed on the outside. We’ve got Jakeem [Grant], Jaylen Waddle, Will Fuller. We’ve got some fast dudes so I’m excited to see that.”
▪ A piece by ESPN and Pro Football Focus asserts that the Dolphins have only the 22nd-best roster in football — ahead of Chicago, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Carolina, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, the Jets, Detroit and Houston.
The piece identifies offensive line as the Dolphins’ biggest weakness and says the passing game is Miami’s biggest X factor, noting that Fuller and Waddle “add a vertical dimension to this offense, but their speed and ability to separate should also provide more open targets over the middle of the field for Tua Tagovailoa.
“Tagovailoa’s 67.9% completion percentage on throws between the numbers last season ranked 30th among 32 qualifiers ahead of only Drew Lock and Carson Wentz.”
▪ The Dolphins, like the Heat and Marlins and Panthers, have taken an active role in helping in the aftermath of the collapse of a condominium in Surfside.
Last week, Waddle and Baker delivered supplies to families and first responders; Baker paid for the meals on June 25.
The Dolphins also delivered meals to first responders, paying for them on June 24. The Dolphins also will pay for 500 meals for Miami-Dade fire rescue workers for a week beginning Friday.
The Dolphins and Heat are among those helping victims through this web site.
Also commendable: South Florida-based agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents a bunch of Dolphins and players who grew up in South Florida, and his wife Lisa Thomson of The Thomson team are raising funds for families of the Champlain Tower collapse; they had raised more than $10,000 for the displaced families as of Wednesday and also made a personal contribution.
Donations are being taken through Venmo at @lisa-Thomson-4.
