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MIAMI (AP) — Since last season the Miami Dolphins have parted with their top three quarterbacks Zach Brown Jersey , their leading rusher and top receiver, three veteran defensive ends and three starting offensive linemen, while adding no marquee free agents.They went 7-9 in 2018 and are widely expected to be worse next season. Heading into the draft, the Dolphins’ odds for winning the Super Bowl are 250 to 1, longest in the NFL.Even so, they say they’re not tanking under new coach Brian Flores, who replaced Adam Gase.“From Day 1, when we made the change, we talked about building the foundation and building it up the right way,” general manager Chris Grier says. “So that’s all it is. There’s no tanking.”Flores bristles at the word.“To disrespect the game and use that term, it stirs something inside of me, to put that nicely,” Flores says.So the Dolphins say they want to win now. But as they pare payroll and stockpile 2020 draft picks Devin Bush Jersey , personnel decisions are being made with the goal to win later.Here’s how that approach will dictate decisions in the draft:QUARTERBACKSThe Dolphins haven’t been to the Super Bowl since the 1984 season, and in that time they’ve drafted one quarterback in the first round.Coincidence?Probably not, but the trend is unlikely to change this year.The Dolphins have the 13th pick, which probably puts the potential franchise QBs out of reach. So they’re expected to wait until 2020 to use their top choice on a quarterback, which is why a lot of losses this season could have a huge long-term payoff in the form of a high pick.Well-traveled veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick signed in March, and the Dolphins acknowledge he’s merely a caretaker QB.“At that position, you can never be satisfied until you have the guy you really feel can give you a chance to win a championship,” Grier says.Fitzpatrick replaces Ryan Tannehill, who failed to deliver a playoff win as the only quarterback to be drafted in the first round by Miami since Dan Marino.IN CHARGEGrier joined the Dolphins as a scout in 2000, which happens to be the most recent season they won a playoff game.While Miami has been mired in mediocrity, Grier has climbed the company ladder and was promoted in February to oversee football operations. He has had final say on draft choices the past three years, but says he emphasizes collaboration.“I’m not going to force a coach to take a player, because that doesn’t work Diontae Johnson Jersey ,” Grier says. “It creates animosity and distrust.”Chances of a war room clash between Grier and Flores are slim because they’ve enjoyed a long friendship. Each started his NFL career as a scout for the Dolphins’ AFC East nemesis, New England.NOT SEXYThe Dolphins will need a lot of bulk to rebuild. Draft prognosticators have listed at least 10 offensive and defensive linemen as potential first-round picks by Miami.The draft is deep in defensive linemen, and the best bet is Miami will take one from Clemson, with former Tigers teammates Clelin Ferrell and tackle Christian Wilkins both possibilities.MOVING DOWN OR UPThe Dolphins might continue their accumulation of 2020 picks — they now have 10 — by trading down in the first round.With so many roster holes to fill, it’s unlikely they’ll trade away multiple picks to move up.“If there is a guy there that we like this year that we feel we need to go get, yeah, we will be aggressive trying to get him,” Grier says. “But we’ll also be smart about it. There is a limit to what you should do.”RECENT HISTORYBad draft decisions are a big reason for the Dolphins missing the playoffs 15 of the past 17 seasons. They haven’t had a first-round pick make the Pro Bowl since center Mike Pouncey, who was drafted in 2011. On the field, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots are right where they want to be heading into the postseason.

As the AFC’s top seed and the owners of a first-round bye, the 13-3 Patriots will get to rest up during the opening weekend of the playoffs. But as they prepare to begin their latest run, their biggest opponent might be the perception of a fracturing relationship between arguably the franchise’s three most important pieces.

The Patriots dismissed as ”flat-out inaccurate” a report suggesting a rift involving owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady on Friday.

The three released a joint statement hours after an ESPN report Justin Layne Jersey , citing undisclosed sources, detailed an array of tension.

The story highlighted purported disputes concerning Brady’s personal body coach, Alex Guerrero, in player-medical affairs. Also mentioned is a supposed difference between Kraft and Belichick over the decision to trade backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The story implied Brady has taken issue with a lack of praise from Belichick this season.

The statement said the three have had a ”very good and productive working relationship” for 18 years and they regret having to ”respond to these fallacies.”

Brady and Belichick both eschewed questions last month about a chasm between and Belichick and Guerrero.

Belichick wouldn’t address the validity of a Boston Globe report that Guerrero had been banned from the sideline or travelling on the team plane, but said ”there are different relationships, different situations with dozens of other people.”

Brady also took issue with a reporter last month who asked whether the quarterback and Belichick had talked about an adjustment to Guerrero’s access to the team.

”I have a lot of conversations with him. Those are private between he and I, and I don’t think anyone knows what we talk about,” Brady said then. ”Certainly I’ve never talked about it. He’s never talked about it.”

Despite the reported off the field issues, the Patriots have thrived on it.

Even after losing receiver Julian Edelman in the preseason to a knee injury and linebacker Dont’a Hightower in October to a season-ending pectoral injury, they enter the playoffs with the NFL’s top-ranked offense and a defense that is allowing just 18.5 points per game.

Brady is also an MVP candidate, and passed Brett Favre for the most wins in one season for a quarterback after turning 40 years old.

Still, there are questions about Brady’s durability heading in his 15th postseason.

He threw for a league-leading 4,577 yards passing and 32 touchdowns Benny Snell Jr. Jersey , but he also got hit a lot more than he did last season (32 sacks in 2017 after just 15 in 2016).

It didn’t stop the Patriots from averaging 28.6 points. And certainly having a healthy Rob Gronkowski, who missed last year’s playoffs, has given the Patriots a huge lift with 69 catches for 1,084 yards. Not to mention the boost of offseason addition Brandin Cooks with 65 receptions for 1,082 yards.

Minus a favorite target in Edelman, receiver Chris Hogan (shoulder) and running backs James White (ankle), Rex Burkhead (knee) and Mike GIllislee (knee) have all dealt injuries down the stretch.

And Brady himself showed some of his first flecks of football mortality over the final four games. He had four of his eight interceptions during that stretch, and saw his passer rating dip to as low as 59.5 in a 27-20 loss at Miami.

Brady threw just two interceptions in 2016 and had a passer rating below 89 only once. But he also had the unexpected benefit of resting for four games at the start of the season because of his ”Deflategate” suspension.

Whether related or not, it was also during the final six games of this season that Brady began dealing with both Achilles tendon and left shoulder issues.

Brady said this week that his health is ”good.”

”I mean, I’m hoping next week I’ll feel just great and be 100 percent ready to go,” he said. ”So, I’m excited for that.”

Jets coach Todd Bowles said while Brady was less accurate late in the year, he thinks it’s unfair scrutiny for a guy that is judged by such a high standard.

”If he makes a tiny mistake everybody jumps all over it Zach Gentry Jersey , but the guy plays outstanding football. I don’t worry about him because he usually goes down and makes the plays to win the games,” he said. ”The guy is one of the greatest to ever play the game and he’s still doing it at a very high level.”

Brady said his mind hasn’t been far from the football field this week.

”I think it’s just trying to stay sharp. You know, it’s still football season, so it’s not a week off at all,” Brady said Thursday. ”We’re trying to stay sharp and we’ve worked hard to get to this point, but there’s still a lot more to go. You know, we’re still writing our story, and hopefully we write a good one.”

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