The Miami Dolphins have officially entered the regular season in what is a huge year for the current regime. After two mediocre seasons, Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin, starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill and others must make the playoffs.

Can the Dolphins end their five-year postseason drought? Here are three reasons for optimism:

1. Ryan Tannehill is improving

Analysis: I saw improvement from Tannehill in a few key areas during training camp and the preseason. The most important is Tannehill is playing faster and making quicker decisions. This was a weakness of his the past two seasons, where Tannehill had the tendency to hold the ball longer than necessary, especially if his first read was taken away. At times that resulted in sacks and turnovers. But new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has been pushing Tannehill hard on play speed and so far it has resonated. Second, Tannehill is playing with more consistency. He’s able to string together quality practices and games in the preseason. In fact, Miami’s quarterback play as a whole has been solid with Tannehill and backup quarterback Matt Moore. If Tannehill makes a nice jump in Year 3, that is the quickest way for Miami also to make a jump.

2. Bill Lazor

Analysis: We mentioned Lazor earlier. But not only has he helped Tannehill, Lazor’s no-nonsense approach has the potential to take Miami’s entire offense to a new level. Lazor is implementing interesting route combinations, a lot of motions to dictate mismatches and an increased tempo. These things should help players such as receiver Mike Wallace and running back Lamar Miller make more plays. Miami’s offense finished 27th last season and averaged just 19.8 points per game. If Lazor can get this team average to the 23-point mark, that could result in more victories.

3. Knowshon Moreno

Analysis: It was just one game. But Moreno showed enough in Miami’s third preseason game against Dallas to instill some confidence in the running game. The Dolphins’ offense had been stagnant on the ground until Moreno got healthy. He rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries (6.4-yard average). It’s still unknown if Moreno will start over incumbent Lamar Miller. But Moreno, who is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Denver Broncos, will get enough carries to have a chance to make an impact.