DAVIE, Fla. – The (0-1) Dolphins face a possible (0-2) hole to start the Adam Gase era as they visit the Patriots this Sunday, which is why quarterback Ryan Tannehill and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh both used the same word to describe their week two visit to New England, "huge."
Tannehill said, "division games are huge.
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You always want to start out strong and really play strong the whole year against your division so it's a big game for us, on the road, against a tough team.
It will be fun."
Suh said, "it's a huge game; a huge week.
(It's) very important for us to obviously get this first win in our division and kind of set the tone in that regard."
As he prepares for his first taste of the Dolphins - Patriots rivalry, Gase knows what to expect, "I know anytime these two teams match up, I feel like a lot of times there's -- at least from what I've seen over the years -- it seems to always be fairly tight."
After analyzing their week one loss in Seattle, Gase is feeling confident with how Tannehill is grasping his offense, "as far as (Tannehill) growing in this system, he has really taken it over, which obviously, when you're the play caller and a quarterback can do that, it makes your life a little easier."
The Dolphins will not be facing Pats quarterback Tom Brady, who is suspended because of deflate gate.
Instead, the Fins face Jimmy Garoppolo who led the Pats to an impressive win in their opener against the Cardinals.
Gase said of Garoppolo's week one performance, "obviously, he played very well, and he helped put those guys in position to win.
The guys, obviously rallied around him."
Coach Gase said that Mario Williams is in the NFL's concussion protocol and they are awaiting word from the league regarding his availability this weekend.
Williams did not practice Wednesday and neither did Mike Pouncey (hip), Jordan Phillips (ankle) and Arian Foster (hamstring).
However, coach Gase said Foster was simply taking a veteran's day off.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who missed last week's game, practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday.