Miami Dolphins receiver Brian Hartline only needed two words to describe his team's overhauled offense.
"Championship offense," he told the Sun Sentinel on Tuesday at a team volunteering event.
"I think we got every move we needed to make," he elaborated. "We probably could add some depth at certain positions, but we've got all the pieces to the car, now we've just got to put it altogether."
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The Dolphins made a splash on the first day of free agency, signing free agent receiver Mike Wallace away from the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the team also notably let RB Reggie Bush and LT Jake Long, both starters and anchors of the team's 2012 offense, walk via free agency when their price tags grew too big for general manager Jeff Ireland.
The Dolphins think second-year players Lamar Miller and Jonathan Martin can replace Bush and Long, respectively. The team also added depth at receiver by signing free agent Brandon Gibson, and upgraded at tight end by replacing Anthony Fasano with former New York Jet Dustin Keller.
Add up all these changes, and the Dolphins hope it will equal an offense capable of stretching the field for big plays.
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Hartline's teammates are also excited, though they did not use the word "championship" on Tuesday.
"It's going to be real explosive," center Mike Pouncey said. "I think we had a lot of explosive plays [last year]. We were just short a few players. We lost a great tight end, but we've got a guy now [Keller] that can stretch the field at tight end. We've got a guy now that can obviously stretch the field at receiver [Wallace], so I think that'll be good for our offense."
Fellow offensive lineman Richie Incognito added, "I think the moves we made were great."
The Dolphins offense certainly looks better on paper, but NFL history is littered with teams who made big free agent signings over the offseason then sputtered on the field (most recently, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles, who were crowned offseason champs but then failed to make the playoffs).
Hartline could be setting himself up for future embarrassment if the Dolphins do not live up to his optimism, or he could just be very prescient. Dolphins fans won't know which is the case for another five months.
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Photo Credit: AP