We're on to October and the conclusion of the first quarter of the season -- well, technically the first 24 percent of the new 17-game schedule -- but the point remains, football season is out of the blocks in the blink of an eye.
The Dolphins can even their season mark at 2-2 with a victory in what promises to be a revved up Hard Rock Stadium crowd coming off Saturday's celebration of life for the NFL's all-time winningest coach, Don Shula.
Shula's two former teams are in search of much-needed wins under the South Florida sunshine for the second Dolphins home game this season.
Practices for the week are in the books, players and coaches have assessed the opponent and the final game status report is up.
Michael Deiter was injured in practice on Wednesday, per Head Coach Brian Flores, who indicated it's likely the Miami center will go on injured reserve and the Dolphins will assess his progress and rehab at that time. He would be eligible to return for the Falcons game in Week 7.
Here's what the Dolphins are saying about their Week 4 opponent.
Brian Flores on preparing for a banged up team: "Two very good players up front. Hard to move both guys. DeForest, it's hard to move him. He's very quick. He's obviously very talented. A tough guy to block. Then next to Grover, it's hard to move Grover. Then they've got Tyquan Lewis that goes in there and does a good job. They've got some good players really across the board. They do a nice job defensively. They really do a nice job across the board – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Specifically the defense, it's a tough front to play against. They do a lot of things to create confusion schematically. They're well coached. I think Coach (Matt) Eberflus has done a very nice job since he's been there. We'll have our hands full, that's for sure."
Flores on DTs DeForest Buckner an Grover Stewart: "I think first and foremost, we try to prepare for really everyone and assume that they all will be out there. Until we get the word, which a lot of guys don't practice or are limited on Wednesday and Thursday and then practice on Friday. We probably won't have a – we don't get a game status until today. We prepare for everyone but in a situation like this, there are more guys you are preparing for. More guys, more of their offensive linemen, more of the – it looks like some injuries in other places. You're just preparing for more guys. Our guys know that whoever is in there will be well coached, have good fundamentals, good techniques, are going to know what they are doing, are going to play fast. This team plays fast really in all three phases. This is the National Football League, so everybody is good. Our team knows that. Our team understands that. We know this will be a tough 60-minute ball game."
Jacoby Brissett on facing his former team: "I'm not here for like a revenge game or anything like that. I want to go win just because I'm playing football and I'm playing in the National Football League. We need a win so that's what the purpose of this game is."
John Jenkins on Colts RB Jonathan Taylor: "He's a strong runner. Shifty. I had the opportunity to play with a lot of good running backs. Pierre Thomas, Saquon (Barkley) in his rookie year in New York and this guy is of that caliber. He's a great, great runner. We just have to be more in-tune with our blocks, with our eyes and stay stout."
Come celebrate the life of Don Shula Saturday at 4:30 at Hard Rock Stadium. The free event is open to the public and will feature remarks from the Shula family with panel discussions from several Dolphins alumni. Attending fans will also receive a special commemorative Don Shula 347 patch. Registration is now open at Dolphins.com/don-shula.
