As a ninth-year veteran who has yet to experience a winning NFL season, Richie Incognito views offseason hype with the same eye-rolling dismissive demeanor that most voters reserve for politicians vowing to end the gridlock in Washington.

While it seems as though virtually every other member of the Miami Dolphins' organization has conspicuously talked up the team's 2013 prospects over the past two months, the Pro Bowl guard prefers an approach more consistent with his surname.

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"Yeah, I have noticed that everyone's looking through rosy-colored glasses," Incognito says. "It's a combination of things: We got more talent. We have our starting quarterback set. Our coaches and coordinators are back for another year. And we've got a good foundation here, and we work our asses off.

"But you know what? I definitely need to see it on the field before [talking about it]. I get it from my friends: 'How are you gonna do this year?' It's real easy to say in May, 'Hey, we're gonna win the Super Bowl.' But until you get to training camp and put on the pads and fight through injuries and tough losses and define yourself as a team, you really don't know how good you are."

In other words, though Incognito appreciates the excitement, he's not ready to call the Dolphins "great," as center Mike Pouncey did earlier this month while suggesting that Miami could unseat perennial AFC East champion New England.

Another Miami lineman, newly signed tackle Tyson Clabo, believes the Dolphins can "make some noise", while general manager Jeff Ireland has proclaimed that the Dolphins are better "because we've made some great moves to get younger, faster, more explosive, more physical."

The high-profile free-agent signing of former Pittsburgh Steelers speedster Mike Wallace inspired fellow wideout Brian Hartline to insist that the Dolphins have the best group of receivers in their division.

Wallace, in turn, heaped high praise upon second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill, comparing him to Ben Roethlisberger and saying "it won't take long for Ryan to be one of the great quarterbacks." Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who coached Tannehill at Texas A&M, declared that "this young man will be the most improved quarterback in the National Football League from year one to year two this year — I promise you that."

The bravado is so pronounced that on Wednesday, when linebacker Koa Misi told the Miami Herald that the Dolphins' defense "can be great", his teammates probably nicknamed him "Debbie Downer."

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