Over the past decade and a half when it comes to talking about the AFC East, conversation has mostly been about which team can come close to challenging the New England Patriots reign over the division.
And over that same time-span with no legitimate contender has been able to steal and keep the AFC East crown away from Brady & Belichick.
After a stunning and unexpected run to the NFL Playoffs in 2016, the Miami Dolphins have many people wondering if they can be the first real “challenge” to the Pats in years.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the Super Bowl Champions and to be in awe of the legends of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh says his team is far from intimidated.
During an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” Suh stated that the Dolphins have “never been scared” of the Pats and “never will be.”
“I think we respect all opponents we have” Suh said (h/t CBS Sports).
“We obviously start the season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and look forward to that. We have many more games prior to [New England] that are going to be big focuses.
“But we understand that New England is at the top of the [AFC] East of the right now. And we understand that we need to have certain particular gameplans for them as they do for us.
“One great thing about Miami and this team is we’ve never been scared of the New England Patriots and we never will be. With that being said when we play them late in the season we’ll be prepared.”
If the Dolphins can keep quarterback Ryan Tannehill both upright and healthy, DeVante Parker takes the leap that everyone is expecting him to, Jay Ajayi can maintain his Pro Bowl level and the defense can improve an abysmal run-defense, Miami could have a shot at taking a big win away from the Patriots.
Suh certainly is confident that the 2017 version of the Dolphins can do that, and more.