Miami Dolphins Fact or Fiction: Bye Week Edition with Habib & Schad

The Dolphins are 6-7.

Playoffs? Playoffs? Why not? It is true that no team has ever begun a season 1-7 and made the NFL playoffs, but who's to say this won't be special?

It could be argued that this is a terrible time for a bye, the Dolphins having won five in a row. But we'll take the Rest & Relaxation.

"I think we can get better, continue to get better, find ways to get better, and that’s what this bye gives us," quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. "A chance to self-scout, look at the things that we can clean up, work on, and then implement it when we play the Jets."

What is self-scout, anyway?: Dolphins plan to use bye to self-scout. We explain.

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The last time we paused to assess the Dolphins, Miami was 3-7. Things are looking a lot better now, aren't they?

Who's to say Miami can't run the table? Well, if they do, their playoff odds jump from 11 percent to 74 percent, according to fivethirtyeight.com.

So we thought this was a great time for our Hal Habib and Joe Schad to reflect on what they've seen and where they think it's headed.

Here are Hal and Joe's "Bye Week Fact or Fiction."

No copping out for this one. It's fact. Or it's fiction. We'll see who's right.

1. Tua Tagovailoa has shown the Dolphins enough this season that they won't pursue Deshaun Watson, or any other quarterback, for 2022.

Hal: FACT. The guy has been more accurate than any QB except Kyler Murray and he’s slowly slipping off the training wheels when it comes to the length of his passes. Deshaun Watson’s status is still up in the air. Take the sure thing.

Joe: FICTION. On Nov. 3, Dolphins GM Chris Grier said of Deshaun Watson: "If a player is available around the league that is viewed as being one of the top players in the league at any position, I think you look at it and go for it or try to go for it." Tagovailoa is an accurate, developing, improving talent and it's entirely possible Miami chooses to build around him. But almost all NFL teams are constantly exploring perceived quarterback upgrade options and Miami will be no different.

2. The Dolphins' offensive line will require massive change in order to even be deemed league-average in 2022.

Hal: FACT. The line has improved as the season has gone on, which isn’t saying much. I see no probable Pro Bowl blockers on this team.

Joe: FICTION. Miami will need to add one premier offensive tackle through the draft or free agency. And it is certainly possible that they add another solid tackle, too. But with time and proper coaching, Liam Eichenberg (at one tackle spot), left guard Austin Jackson, center Michael Deiter and right guard Robert Hunt have the talent to rise to at least league-average performers.

3. Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland will all reach Pro Bowl status:

Hal: FACT. I’m prepared to declare this the best collective season by three rookies in Dolphins history, and you’d have to go back to 1968 (Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, Dick Anderson) for the trio they had to top. Big statement, I know, but big production from three guys who keep getting better.

Joe: FACT. It's true. Grier has selected potentially one of the best 1-2-3 draft-pick trios in team history. Waddle is more than just a speedster and has Stefon Diggs-potential. Phillips, if healthy, can be among the NFL's sack leaders. And Holland is already among the most talented safeties in the league.

4. The Dolphins will sign Mike Gesicki and Emmanuel Ogbah to long-term contracts before next season:

Hal: FICTION. Should they? Yes. But the Dolphins have a spotty history when it comes to re-signing guys. Not that it should be this way, but I fear that Gesicki averaging 33 yards during the win streak might work against him in negotiations.

Joe: FICTION. Ogbah may make about $10.1 million a year for three years, according to Spotrac which is very reasonable. Let's say Miami gets a deal done in that range. According to Spotrac, Mike Gesicki is slated for $11 million on a four-year deal. While I would sign off on that, I'll guess a long-term deal would come in higher and so Gesicki will be franchise-tagged.

5. Miami will draft a running back in the first three rounds in April:

Hal: FICTION, only because it's time for the Dolphins to really splurge and go running back in the first two rounds, not three. Enough messing around with being so one dimensional.

Joe: FACT: The last time Miami spent a high draft pick on a running back was Kenyan Drake in the third round in 2016. Since then it's been four seventh-rounders and a fourth-rounder, Kalen Ballage. We'll say the Dolphins roll with a runner in Round 2 or 3.

6. Xavien Howard will be starting for the Dolphins in Week 1 next season:

Hal: FACT. They just coughed up a few more million and added incentives to make him happy. He's making game-changing plays, which makes them happy. If everybody's happy, why change?

Joe: FACT. The Dolphins have been rewarded by their decision to tweak Howard's contract in unprecedented fashion. Yes, Howard not long ago requested a trade. But is any team going to offer two first-rounders for him, and is Noah Igbinoghene ready to succeed a future Hall of Famer?

7. Brian Flores and Chris Grier will both return in 2022:

Hal: FACT. A few weeks ago I would have said FICTION, but this resurgence helps Grier. Question is, how will they revamp the way they evaluate offensive linemen? Because what they've been doing isn't working.

Joe: FACT. Flores is a good football coach and owner Stephen Ross knows it. The 2021 draft class looks as good for Grier as the 2020 class appears in question. Whether this team finishes 10-7 or 7-10, I fully expect Flo-G to run it back.

8. Miami will overhaul its offensive coaching staff:

Hal: FACT. That's not necessarily based on performance but the fact that staff stability hasn't been a hallmark of the Flores regime. I do think there will be (and must be) one offensive coordinator moving forward.

Joe: FACT. Flores passed on four offensive coordinator candidates not on staff, a decision he may very well regret now. And if he was going to go with George Godsey, it seems it would have had a better shot to succeed if he were sole play-caller from the start, without another co-offensive coordinator in title and a quarterbacks coach in the middle of the process.

9. Miami would have been better off with a Week 7 bye:

Hal: FICTION. This is definitely not what I would have said before the season. But to think they would have had a bye after losing to the Jaguars, who'd lost their previous 837 games? There's no recovering from that.

Joe: FACT. Howard said this week he would have preferred an earlier bye and surely he's not the only player who felt that way. It has to be a very challenging turnaround to play in London on a Sunday and then play the following Sunday.

10. The Dolphins will make the NFL playoffs:

Hal: FICTION. All the Dolphins have to do is catch the Chargers, Bengals or Bills. Catching the Bills won't happen because they swept the Dolphins, but the Chargers and Bengals have tough games coming up, which offers hope. My hunch is it comes down to the Dolphins needing to beat the Patriots in the finale but coming up just short.

Joe: FICTION. It would be a great story. But 1-7 is just too deep a hole for any team to climb back from. It says here the Dolphins will beat the Jets and split with the Saints and Titans. If they somehow win all three, it's 41 percent playoff odds (fivethirtyeight.com) entering home finale vs. New England, but we fear they'd fail to finish the job. A winning season would still be impressive.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins Bye Week Fact or Fiction with Joe Schad, Hal Habib