South Floridians with a tour group visiting Kenya recently were pleased to encounter a young boy who emerged from a mud hut wearing a Miami Dolphins shirt Authentic Derek Forbort Jersey Kids , the only NFL apparel evident in his village.

Alas, while the Dolphins might rank No. 1 in at least one part of Africa, they're bringing up the rear in preseason prognostications stateside.

One TV network places them 32nd and last. Another web site ranks their Super Bowl chances ahead of only the New York Jets. Oddsmakers put the over-under for victories at 6.5, which would be a slight improvement on last year's 6-10 record.

"We're not being talked about," running back Kenyan Drake said. "If you look at our home schedule this year, we have all 1 o'clock games. That shows that the league doesn't see us as a prime-time matchup for anybody."

Low expectations are nothing new for a franchise that has played one postseason game since 2008.

Here are things to know about the once-again under-the-radar Dolphins:

THE QB: Ryan Tannehill returns after missing the past 20 games because of left knee issues, and keeping him healthy will be the No. 1 priority.

He's fine with the notion the season hinges on him.

"I love feeling that responsibility, because I know that I can handle it," Tannehill said. "We can do something special. Being able to captain that ship, so to speak, is a lot of fun."

The offensive line could be the best Tannehill has played behind, which improves the chances the Dolphins can keep him in the lineup.

THE COACH: Adam Gase was considered a keeper after he led Miami's overachieving 2016 team to 10 wins and the playoffs as a rookie NFL coach. The luster faded last year, when the Dolphins were inconsistent and undisciplined and lost eight of their final 10 games.

Gase remains supremely confident in his ability to lead the Dolphins to their first postseason win since 2000 鈥?and more.

"It's a new start," he said. "That's the beauty of this league. You never know what personality a team's going to take on, what their characteristics are going to be, how they are going to handle adversity. You have those teams where nobody thinks they were going to do anything Youth John Moore Jersey , and all of a sudden you're talking about them in January."

SHAKING IT UP: Under Gase, the Dolphins have committed more penalties than any other team in the past two seasons.

There were disciplinary issues off the field as well last year, which is partly why Miami bid adieu to three players with Pro Bowl resumes: defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, receiver Jarvis Landry and center Mike Pouncey.

Gase brought in running back Frank Gore and receiver Danny Amendola, both veterans with reputations as leaders. The season will determine whether an improved culture can compensate for the loss of talent.

SHAKING IT UP II: Middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will assume significant roles despite having no NFL experience. McMillan, Miami's most promising rookie a year ago, is back after a knee injury in the first exhibition game ended his 2017 season.

Fitzpatrick is expected to make an immediate impact after being taken with the 11th overall pick in April.

Two other rookies, tight end Mike Gesicki and outside linebacker Jerome Baker, also made strong bids for starting jobs in training camp. Altogether the Dolphins could have 10 new starters.

STOPPING THE RUN: A winning season is unlikely unless Miami significantly improves a run defense that was awful the second half of last season, and early indications for 2018 are worrisome. In the second exhibition game, the Dolphins allowed 226 yards rushing to Carolina, including 71 on one play.

It was so bad Suh poked fun at his former team on Instagram.

"Lol," he wrote.

The Dolphins will formulate their response beginning Sept. 9 against Tennessee.

AP freelancer Paul Gereffi at Amboseli National Park in Kenya contributed to this report.

— Saints left tackle Terron Armstead rattles off travel destinations that — unfortunately for him — have nothing to do with the kind of jet-setting leisure a big NFL contract affords.

Rather, New Orleans’ second-highest-paid offensive player has been on a protracted search for answers about how to stay healthy.

“I’ve done pretty much everything as far as injury prevention. I’ve been a lot of places, you know, out of the country Jimmy Howard Jersey , spent a lot of time with different doctors, just trying to get over that hump,” Armstead said, listing trips to Germany, New York, Minnesota, Texas and Florida, among others. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere.”

During the early days of training camp, Armstead — one of the players most responsible for protecting quarterback Drew Brees from potentially devastating blind-side hits — has sounded confident that his journey back to optimum health is nearly complete.

“I was able to start the offseason getting stronger in areas that were injured before,” Armstead said, explaining that in the past, he wasn’t able to train the way he wanted to because previous injuries were still healing. “So being able to start the offseason getting stronger in areas that I haven’t been able to, that was the difference.”

Armstead has missed 15 regular-season games since the Saints signed him to a five-year extension worth about $65 million in 2016. He sat out six games last season and nine the season before that. And when he has played, he often has fought through pain to do so. Last season, he was bothered by a hip injury after coming back from a shoulder injury.

Earlier in his career, he struggled with knee soreness Womens JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , which led him to seek out the same type of plasma therapy in Germany sought out by high-profile athletes such as former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

During the first days of training camp, coaches and teammates have commented on Armstead’s apparent improvements in strength, form and vigor.

“He’s not rehabbing. He was training,” coach Sean Payton said. “The guys that have been injured have not been really on the ground. You can be on a treadmill or a bike, but it’s different when you’re actually on the ground playing. So it’s good to have him. He’s not only an important player for us, but also an important leader.

“He’s always been a really good athlete and he’s playing well.”

The Saints selected Armstead in the third round of the 2013 draft and elevated him to starter at the end of his rookie season. While Armstead spent his college career largely out of the limelight at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, NFL personnel took notice when he ran 40 yards in 4.71 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. In other words, when healthy, he moves well for someone listed at 6-foot-5, 304 pounds.

Veteran guard Larry Warford, now in his second season in New Orleans, describes Armstead’s recent form as “unbelievable.”

“Even compared to last year, I think he’s vastly improved — and that’s saying a lot because he was damn good last year,” Warford said. “I’m excited to see him this season because I think he’s going to be a dominant player.

“It’s hard to appreciate if you’re not an offensive lineman, but just the intent of everything he does is superior. It’s top-notch,” Warford continued. “There’s a lot of natural ability that goes into that as well Womens Anze Kopitar Jersey , but you can see that he’s been working. I know he’s felt bad about missing (games in past seasons) and so he just got his body right and got healthy.”

Armstead’s athleticism doesn’t merely present challenges for defensive ends trying to pressure Brees. His ability to move fast thwarts linebackers chasing running plays across the field.

Saints second-year linebacker Alex Anzalone said he’s seen Armstead do plenty of that in practice.

“For a big guy, he rolls really well,” Anzalone said.

Armstead said that earlier in his career, he “never knew why things kept happening” to take him out of action. And while he knows there’s no guaranteeing one’s health in the NFL, he asserts that his grasp of everything from how muscle groups work together to injury prevention is far superior to what it was a few years ago.

“I mean, it’s football,” Armstead said. “Things happen for sure, but I’m on top of anything I can do to prevent it and be out there for my team.”

Notes: Saints first-round draft choice, defensive end Marcus Davenport, and veteran tight end Ben Watson both missed their fourth straight practices with undisclosed ailments on Saturday. Also not practicing were OL John Fullington, DB JT Gray, TE Micheal Hoomanawanui, DB Kamrin Moore, C Cameron Tom and RB Shane Vereen.

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