Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry threw a sticky gauntlet at the Super Bowl champions this offseason, telling a London crowd this week that his team will beat the New England Patriots twice in 2017.
He expanded on those comments to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.
As fans of non-Patriot teams in the AFC East are painfully aware, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have -- capital D -- Dominated the division since 2001. Over those 16 seasons, New England has won the division 14 times (the two they lost were on a tie-breaker), including the past eight straight. The last time a non-Pats team won the AFC East was the 2008 Dolphins.
When asked what gave Landry the gumption to believe this is finally the year the Patriots will be knocked off the pedestal, the receiver pointed to one man: Adam Gase.
"Coach Gase," Landry said. "He's flipped the switch with us. New England's won the division 14 of the last 16 years, something like that? It's ridiculous. It's a problem. We cannot let that happen anymore. What I've seen is, when we play that game, sometimes we focus on the guys on the other side of the line instead of just focusing on us. And I want to be part of that change. I want to go into the games against New England expecting to win -- that's something we need to do."
The Dolphins have given the Pats their most recent trouble within the division, splitting contests from 2013 to 2015, but Miami was swept by New England last season, Gase's first in control.
After winning the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion, Belichick rebuilt his roster this offseason, adding Brandin Cooks, Stephon Gilmore, Rex Burkhead, Lawrence Guy and re-signing Dont'a Hightower.
The Patriots could boast their most complete roster in years.
That won't -- and shouldn't -- stop Landry from entering the season with the confidence that the Dolphins can finally swipe the AFC East Throne.
