Deluscious Patisserie

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke plans to go diving in Bora Bora on summer vacation http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/darren-woodson-jersey , and when he returns he'll really start trying to figure out who should play where this season.

Burke and the rest of the defensive staff have been experimenting and evaluating during spring non-contact drills. But when asked Wednesday how much he can tell before players don pads, he responded with a slight smile.

"Nothing," Burke said.

Minicamp does offer a chance to assess agility and how well players are absorbing the system, he said. But it will be August before Burke and the Dolphins have a true sense regarding what kind of defense they'll be in 2018.

"Everything has an asterisk on it until we put pads on," Burke said.

Miami hopes and need to be much better on defense than last season, Burke's first as a coordinator under coach Adam Gase. The Dolphins ranked 29th in points allowed at 24.6 per game, and then parted with their best defensive player, five-time Pro Bowl tackle Ndamukong Suh.

On the plus side, they added veteran Robert Quinn at defensive end and first-round draft pick Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety. Raekwon McMillan, a 2017 second-round pick, returns to start at middle linebacker after missing his entire rookie season because of a knee injury. And depth appears improved at end, linebacker and safety.

"We don't have any positions set in stone right now," Burke said. "We're rolling a lot of guys at a lot of positions."

Fitzpatrick, for example, is splitting his time among the free safety http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/taco-charlton-jersey , strong safety and nickel back positions.

"He's probably about as advertised," Burke said. "He's really sharp. He's thirsty for knowledge. We're trying to overload him, and he keeps taking it. We are moving him around at some different spots and trying to get a feel for what his best fit is. He has responded well."

At defensive end, the rotation will include Quinn, Cameron Wake, Andre Branch, William Hayes and 2017 first-round pick Charles Harris.

"Our plan would be to rotate different groups," Burke said. "We feel we'll be better off having fresh guys, whether it's for two, three or four snaps at a time, and then send the next group in. Building depth there was important to us. We want guys going full speed."

The Dolphins have four more practices scheduled next week and then break until training camp, allowing the 42-year-old Burke to embark on his latest exotic vacation in Bora Bora, a small island in the South Pacific. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, done charity work in Uganda, and taken a safari in three other African countries.

Burke joked in the past about Gase calling him during vacation with football questions Thurman Thomas Jersey , and had a quick response when asked if the boss will be able to reach him this time.

"Whether I have cellphone service or not," Burke said, "the answer is no."

Decisions about who's playing where will have to wait.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Following a lengthy training camp and five meaningless preseason outings, the Baltimore Ravens finally got the chance to evaluate themselves in a game that counts.

Judging by their 47-3 rout of the Buffalo Bills on a rainy Sunday, the Ravens might be pretty darn good.

Then again, that might be tough to determine: The Bills looked absolutely awful.

Baltimore harassed and embarrassed Buffalo quarterback Nathan Peterman, and the Ravens got three touchdown passes from Joe Flacco in an opener worth savoring.

“Anytime you go get a win in Week 1, it’s great,” Flacco said. “Anytime you have a performance like we did, it’s great. We just have to make sure we build on this.”

Flacco’s TD passes were distributed to each of the three new receivers Baltimore added during the offseason to enhance a lackluster passing attack.

The 11-year veteran went 25 for 34 for 236 yards before being replaced in the third quarter by rookie Lamar Jackson, who did little more than hand off the ball after entering with a 40-0 lead.

Making their debut under defensive coordinator Don Martindale, the Ravens held Buffalo to 33 yards and no first downs in going up 26-0 at the half.

“Whatever they threw at us, we were able to answer,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said.

LeSean McCoy finished with 22 yards on seven carries and the Bills had 70 yards passing.

“LeSean McCoy is a threat. You have to start with that,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Then you have to get to the quarterback and make him throw quick. That’s what our guys were able to do today.”

Making his third NFL start Cody Whitehair Jersey , Peterman went 5 for 18 for 24 yards and two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 0.0.

After Baltimore followed two Buffalo miscues with a pair of touchdowns for a 40-0 lead, coach Sean McDermott turned to rookie Josh Allen, who went 6 for 15 for 74 yards in Buffalo’s most lopsided defeat since a 56-10 loss to New England in November 2007.

“Obviously, it wasn’t a good showing,” Peterman said. “We’ve got to do a lot better, starting with me.”

There’s a quarterback controversy brewing in Buffalo. Asked about a possible change in starters, McDermott replied, “I’m going to look at everything. … It’s too early to go one way or another.”

If that was Buffalo’s only problem, it might be easier to overcome.

“We need to focus more on the entire team, not just the quarterback,” receiver Zay Jones said. “Offensive line, running backs, wide receivers, defense. We have to do better.”

Baltimore had six sacks and limited Buffalo to 153 yards.

The Ravens and Bills both finished 9-7 last year, but Buffalo won the tiebreaker and earned its first playoff berth since 1999. Since then http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/stephen-hauschka-jersey , however, the Bills sent quarterback Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland and had to replace two starting offensive linemen.

The new-look Bills were not very pretty.

Buffalo won the opening coin toss, deferred until the second half and subsequently offered little resistance while Baltimore mounted a 10-play drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by Alex Collins.

Baltimore quickly added a 7-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to John Brown, who was signed as a free agent after playing with Arizona last year.

A 51-yard punt return by rookie Janarion Grant set up a field goal in the second quarter, and Baltimore added another field goal after an interception by Tony Jefferson in Buffalo territory.

Michael Crabtree made a tippy-toe catch in the back corner of the end zone for a 12-yard TD late in the half, and Willie Snead scored on a 13-yard catch to make it 33-0 in the third quarter.

Crabtree was signed in March after a three-year run with Oakland, and Snead was secured as a restricted free agent from New Orleans.

SPREAD THE WEALTH

To get touchdowns from each of their new receivers was gratifying to Harbaugh, who hopes his team can end a three-year playoff drought.

“To see Joe spread the ball around like that, and to see all the guys step up and play plays was the thing I’m most excited about,” the coach said.

INJURIES

Bills: CB Taron Johnson left with a shoulder injury and did not return.

ROOKIE WATCH

Bills: Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is the first Bills rookie with a sack in the season opener since 2002 and first with a forced fumble since 2013.

Ravens: Before entering in the third quarter, Jackson was used sporadically — mostly as a decoy, although he did run once (for no gain) and throw an incomplete pass.

UP NEXT

Buffalo opens its home schedule against the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday afternoon.

Baltimore travels to Cincinnati for a Thursday night matchup between AFC North rivals.

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