Dolphins-Jets Preview

By Ronn Burner • on September 23, 2010

The 2-0 Miami Dolphins have wisely done their talking on the field and plan to do just that when they graciously host Rex Ryan and his colorful, to say the least, 1-1 New York Jets Sunday night on National television. Snooki and Angelina get along better than these two and for good reason.

The history is rich let alone all that has transpired over the past year including Ryan flipping his big fat Pterodactyl middle finger off at Dolfans during an MMA event, the acquisition of the best defensive player in Miami team history, Jason Taylor, the 2 day signing of our WR castoff Patrick Turner strictly for download purposes and of course the glitz and glamor that comes with being glorified on HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. I assure you, Miami is using all of that as fuel to the fire. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if every single Dolphins player has burned every green item of clothing they own just to cleanse themselves of the filthy thought of “that green team up north”.

Conversely, I’m sure New York has not forgotten the that the Dolphins swept the Jets last season in large part due to the play of Ted Ginn. You heard me, that Ted Ginn. Imagine that. The same Ted Ginn that makes “Rudy” look like Lawrence Taylor. Motivation isn’t an issue. Both teams will undoubtedly bring their A-game. Hatred alone assures that.

I do have a confession to make though. I like Rex Ryan. There I’ve said it. I don’t care that he’s on the most hated nemesis imaginable. Don’t get me wrong, I hate him in New York and hope he loses every game he ever coaches there and gets publicly embarrassed and falls victim to a classless firing. But I’ll like him when he’s gone. He’s that guy you loathe unless he’s on your team. Since he’s not, I hope he burn in hell. For all those Dolfans that want to kill me for liking Ryan just need to have a coke and a smile and remember that Chad Pennington once just as much of an enemy as Ryan.

WHEN MIAMI HAS THE BALL: Not much good news here, folks, when you look at the numbers. The Dolphins and their vaunted 27th ranked offense face a Jets defense that has allowed only 1 touchdown and 1.8 yards per carry on the ground in 55 rushes against them. That’s impressive in the NFL against the bottom feeders let alone the Ravens and Patriots.

Miami must play Dolphins football, which is a mistake free, ball control approach to win the field position battle and obviously not to turn the ball over. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will be stubbornly run regardless of their effectiveness and I think that’s a good thing despite the backlash from fans bashing the play-calling of OC Dan Henning. This defense is not the defense you want to open it up and start slinging it all over the place even without Derrelle Revis playing. Miami fully anticipates to win this game in a low scoring field position battle and are not going to jeopardize things by taking huge risks against one of the best defensive units in the league.

I do think, however, Chad Henne, will be asked to go deep on a few occasions to Brandon Marshall and I fully anticipate a trick play out of the Wildcat to be called. Henne will need to maintain his decent 85.1 rating and should have plenty of opportunity on the quick stuff underneath to Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano in an attempt to avoid the big drops that may result in sacks and turnovers.

Henne should beware though because our old friend Jason Taylor will likely play a great game coming home with a huge point to prove to the Dolphins organization and Bill Parcells specifically. It will be key to not let JT get an edge and make a game changing play like he’s done so many times wearing the orange and aqua.

WHEN NEW YORK HAS THE BALL: Far better news here, folks, when you consider that the Jets are the 29th ranked offense and the Dolphins defense has only allowed 20 points this season. Mark Sanchez boast an impressive 96.3 rating and DC Mike Nolan will look to stop the run early forcing Sanchez to make plays for his team to win. The way the Dolphins secondary has played thus far lead by the resurrection of Jason Allen and the star making of Vontae Davis I like this match up.

Koa Misi and Cameron Wake will have their chances to make plays with the Jets offensive line in disarray with the absence of Alan Faneca. The pressure is on D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Damien Woody to prevent the big plays on the outside. Woody struggles against speed rushers, Wake must be licking his chops. Nolan will exploit that weakness until they prove they can block it. I suspect a massive mix of creative stunts and blitzes both inside and out from Nolan and most likely things that Dolphins have yet to run this season that they saved just for this game, which is often the case when these teams play. It goes both ways, for that matter, on both sides of the ball as well. Generally makes for a heck of a football game.

Karlos Dansby could put up massive numbers in this game in all area. The Jets will pound it on the ground and Dansby will mop up much of that as well as rushing the passer and dropping back into coverage. If Dansby plays a monster game the Dolphins should be in good shape defensively.

KEY MATCH-UP: Brandon Marshall Vs. Antonio Cromartie This is an interesting battle from the standpoint of finding out exactly how much Ryan believe in Cromartie. Obviously the Dolphins plan to exploit the Jets through the air with The Beast and how they defend it just might determine the game. If Cromartie can handle Marshall one-on-one it allows the Jets to stay true themselves and show off that exotic blitz package of theirs. If Marshall proves to be too much to handle the Jets will be forced to drop backers into coverage to help Cromartie and protect from the big play. This game just may come down to one big play so will Rex gamble? I say he does, that’s Rex. I also say he gets burned because Marshall is too physical and just too damn good to stop one-on-one. This is the game Marshall scores his first Dolphins touchdown and show the league exactly why they gave up two 2nd rounders to get him. Because he changes games.

FEARLESS PREDICTION:

As much as both teams hate to admit it, these teams are mirror images of each other. Run the football, smothering defenses and extremely physical on both sides of the ball. These teams are so evenly matched that I truly believe that Brandon Marshall will prove to be a lethal weapon. Another certainty is the team that turns the football over has no chance. This game will come down to one play and that play will be a huge turnover. Who gets it?

Dolphins 20-13

Dolphins Do Us All a Favre

By Ronn Burner • on September 21, 2010

The Miami Dolphins did the unthinkable by going into Minnesota and knocking off Brett Favre and the Vikings 14-10. If you read my game Preview than you would know that I’m not surprised in the slightest by this, not because I think the Dolphins are that good but because the situation was that one-sided to make me think things will go the other way i.e. Saints at 49ers MNF this week or Chargers at Chiefs last week. Call it the “Vegas Theory” or whatever you want to call it but in the National Football League when one talented team has no chance to win, I really like their chances. No need to re-hash situations so lets get to what really counts and that’s the play on the field.

Defense was the story here and you you can’t talk about the play on the field and not talk about, wait for it… Jason Allen. No, that is not a Jared Allen type-o. Jason Allen played like the 1st Rd. and 16th overall selection we used on him in 2006 amassing 11 tackles, 3 pass break ups and 2 interceptions not to mention another one that was wiped out by by penalty that had nothing to do with the play. Allen has been the biggest surprise by miles on the Dolphins team beginning with his bludgeoning Sean Smith right out of the starting lineup, which is even more impressive when you consider that Smith was seemingly etched in stone as the starting corner opposite Vontae Davis. I am thoroughly convinced that the newly covered in ink Allen owes all of his success to the tattoos. Tats bring swagger, baby! Of course, I only say this because I too am sleeved. Deion Sanders said it best and who could argue?

“You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good. You play good, they pay good.”

Speaking of lock down game changing corners, Davis (6 tackles, 2 pass break ups and an interception) moved one step closer to reaching that top 5 at his position potential. Favre himself acknowledged Davis’ abilities by saying

“Number 21, I felt like, was one of the best corners in this league, especially that no one knows about, Number 32 (Allen) is more physical and kind of a safety-type guy. I thought a back-shoulder throw against him with Bernard would be a right play. But just in general, 21 I was less apt to challenge.”

The Dolphins played very well on defense in sort of a bend but don’t break mentality orchestrated by DC Mike Nolan and his band of merry men. The Vikings were inside the Dolphins 27 yard line 5 times without reaching the end zone and on four of those trips they were inside the 15 and the Dolphins still didn’t allow them to score a single point. Spectacular performance defensively and since we’re in the quoting mood how about this gem from the Quentin Tarantino.

“Let’s not start sucking each others #$@&% just yet, fellas.”

The Dolphins won and improved their record to 2-0 with both wins coming on the road despite being dominated statistically in Time of Possession 35:48 to 24:12, Total Yards 364 to 226, First Downs 22 to 12 and Total Plays 72 to 46. Those numbers generally translate into a loss but Miami managed to flip the tables by winning the “Mistake Battle”, which include a +2 Turnover advantage, two huge 4th and 1 and 2 stops and Miami had only 2 penalties for 15 yards compared to the 7 for 44 the Vikings had. One of the turnovers directly resulted in a touchdown when Cameron Wake (5 tackles, 1.5 sacks and this forced fumble) got the edge stripping Favre in the end zone that Koa Misi (2 QB Hurries and this fumble recovery) pounced on for the score.

Other defensive studs for the Dolphins were FS Yeremiah Bell led the team with 12 tackles, Karlos Dansby with 9 of his own and LB Quentin Moses who also contributed 5 tackles and 1 QB hit. Clearly the individual efforts were there but the defensive chemistry was even more impressive. Rallying at the goal line to stop Minnesota on 4th and Goal from the 1 with 2:21 remaining in the game following a Ricky Williams fumble was the second time in the game (Ronnie Brown also fumbles deep in our own territory) that the offense coughed up the football immediately following an Allen interception yet the defense allowed only a field goal, which speaks volumes about this unit.

Offensively there are issues but contrary to some fan believe play-calling is not one of them. I’m a firm believer in “it’s not the play-calling, it’s the execution” mantra. The Wildcat still serves a great purpose for us despite it’s lack of a huge play thus far. It’s essentially still a simple I-formation anyway so why all the fuss? The biggest thing is it causes team to waste their valuable time fearing it. If nothing else, that’s a lot!

How is this for scary? The offense is tied for 21st in scoring and 27th in total yards. Seventh in rushing and 28th in passing. Chad Henne has set a franchise record in futility with his 5 attempts in the 1st half surpassing, I mean failing to surpass the 7 Jay Fiedler threw in Cleveland on Nov. 20, 2005. Henne has only thrown 49 passes this season and Miami is ranked 31st in that category. How the hell are we 2-0?

The lone star offensively has to be LT Jake Long and his phenomenal performance against arguably the best defensive lineman in the league, Jared Allen. Allen leads the NFL in sacks with 72 over the past 6 years but was almost non-existent against Long. Statistically speaking Allen still managed to get a sack that really was the result of Kevin Williams blasting through John Jerry causing Henne to scramble out of the pocket and into Allen’s clutches.

The game eerily had the 2009 Dolphins vibe to it when we lost heart breakers to the Chargers, Colts and Saints after holding late leads only to collapse offensively putting the defense back onto the field until they finally collapsed. This time the Dolphins prevailed and sent a message across the league and the AFC East that they can beat any one, any time and any place.

Next up, our arch nemesis New York Jets come to town for our home opener. No motivation needed here. And to think, the Dolphins could beat in consecutive weeks both teams that played in the Conference Championship Game last season.

A 3-0 start, 2-0 in the division with consecutive wins over two teams seconds from the Super Bowl and I may have to disregard Tarantino’s classic line.

Dolphins-Vikings Preview

By Ronn Burner • on September 16, 2010

Your (1-0) Miami Dolphins hit the road for the second consecutive week to open the 2010 NFL season looking to upset the Brett Favre led (0-1) Minnesota Vikings. As far as circumstances are concerned this one is pretty heavily weighted in the Vikings favor.

Granted, Miami is coming off a road victory within the division but still, it was the anemic Buffalo Bills and we still eeked out a win. At least that’s what the 15-10 score would lead you to believe. Just like the 14-9 Saints-Vikings score would indicate that Minnesota nearly defeated the Super Bowl Champs in their house. Well, I got news for you. Score “indications” are about as reliable as Teddy Ginn on a 3rd and 10. Oh stop it, I’m going to bash him until I scrape every last particle of #9 overall bust out of him like a crack head scrapes out resin.

The point I was trying to make until Ginn screwed that up too was those scores are about as much of a reflection on those games as Rex Ryan is on P90X. The true story is it took the Dolphins four, yes, four incredibly boneheaded plays to keep that Buffalo score from being a 34-3 final There are no “ifs” in sports and obviously you can dissect the crap out of every game but still the point being that Miami dominated the trenches and though they weren’t lighting up the scoreboard offensively they controlled the ball and, therefore, the game. Minnesota was also a couple plays away from being dump trucked 27-9. Again, New Orleans dominated the entire game despite the close score.

The deck is absolutely stacked against Miami when you consider that in addition to “barely” beating the lowly Bill and the Vikings “barely” losing to the Super Bowl Champions on their home field the Dolphins have to travel another 1,500 miles, on top of the 3,000 round trip to Buffalo, to face an angry Vikings team desperately in need of a win, in their home opener on turf with 10 days rest. Mel Gibson has a better chance of winning Husband of the Year than Miami does of winning this game.

What a disaster, right? Wrong. It’s the perfect situation you want to be in. Okay, maybe not the circumstances but as far as the public opinion is concerned it’s ideal. A team that nobody gives a shot to win is a dangerous team. I also refer to Las Vegas because I do study gambling and since I’m still doing this charity work writing these articles it should be crystal clear — scratch that I know who my readers are — that I’m not raking it in. But the one game on the board right now that is getting pounced on like Paris Hilton on… well, any night… is Minnesota -5.5. It’s a colossal landslide in favor of Minnesota. It’s damn year the Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock of the Century that the Vikings beat the Dolphins on Sunday. I may not win a lot of money gambling and I’m not saying the Dolphins pull off the upset but I can tell you that anytime a game sets up like this one does the underdog always and I mean always makes the favorite sweat like their blind date was just interrupted by Chris Hansen walking into their kitchen.

WHEN MIAMI HAS THE BALL: These are not the Purple People Eaters but they are going to be a purple wall lead by All-Pro Jared Allen. Luckily we got a pretty good one of our own in Jake Long that will have the unenviable task of lining up across from good ole #69. Running lanes will be at a premium for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams so they have to take advantage of the creases when they are there. Kevin Williams is a run stopping plug in the middle alongside Allen though Miami will have to be balanced and committed to the run I suspect that Chad Henne will be unleashed.

Dan Henning stated he wanted to go deep twice last week but Henne was sacked, which isn’t a ringing endorsement to attempt that again this week but I do think the Dolphins attack the Vikings suspect secondary through the air with 3 step drops. Antoine Winfield is their only established player in their secondary but expect him to be avoided so Brandon Marshall can feast on rookie corner Chris Cook and the pedestrian Cedric Griffin. Marshall could have a monster game here demanding double coverage opening the seam for the revived Anthony Fasano and the underneath stuff for the reliable Davone Bess. Brian Hartline should also get plenty of chances to redeem himself for his lackluster play thus far in camp and last week.

WHEN MINNESOTA HAS THE BALL: Obviously stopping Adrian Petersen is of paramount importance and to do that it will take solid gang tackling from all eleven guys. Without that, nothing else will matter aside from him fumbling 5 times and/or the Dolphins offense putting 45 on the board. Neither of those are going to happen. Number two on the defensive agenda will be to get to #4 as often as possible. Stop the run and rush the passer, it’s not rocket science I know but it is the key to success. Cameron Wake and Koa Misi putting pressure on Favre from the outside and Randy Starks and Kendall Langford inside not only disrupts their offense tremendously but with his gunslinger mentality it greatly increases the chance of a defensive score or at least a turnover that puts the offense in a favorable position. I also expect Mike Nolan to put Karlos Dansby into situations allowing him to make plays all over the field.

Chris Clemons, Vontae Davis and Jared Allen all played great football last week but will have to be better this week. There is no place in the Metrodome that Favre can’t put a football and if he manages to buy himself time it will put a ton of pressure on the secondary to stay with their guys longer. Percy Harvin will be a game time decision leaving Bernard Berrian and our old friend Greg Camarillo as his primary receivers. Not exactly lethal but certainly capable of hurting Miami.

KEY MATCH-UP: Jake Long Vs. Jared Allen – Rarely do you get a match-up of this magnitude. Long has reached the Pro Bowl in both his seasons in the league and Jared Allen is widely considered the best defensive lineman in the game. They have actually banged heads previously but it was in Hawaii so it will be interesting to see what, if any, tricks they have up their sleeves for one another. I can’t even venture a guess as to who will win this match-up, I suspect Allen will find a way to make plays like superstars in this league do but I do think Long will step up and against the best defender he’s ever faced and show why he is easily a top three left tackle in football.

FEARLESS PREDICTION:

MIAMI 20-16

Miami Dolphins Defeated in Victory over Buffalo Bills?

By Ronn Burner • on September 14, 2010

1:00 PM ET, September 12, 2010 Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, NY

Chad Henne and the Miami Dolphins escaped Buffalo with a “W” but didn’t look very good in doing so and at times looked downright awful. I think ESPN uber-dork John Clayton pretty much summed up this entire game recap with his powerful and succinct NFL Power Rankings comment:

“To barely win in Buffalo isn’t a great start for the Dolphins.”

I concur. No matter how you spin this nothing can possibly ring more true than that statement. So what though? Our mission was simple. To get on that plane back to Miami sitting at 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the mighty AFC East, right? Mission accomplished. No matter how dominating Miami played in Buffalo Sunday the best possible result would still have been 1-0.

Not even Dan Marino could do better than 1-0 after Week 1. Put THAT quote in your pipe and smoke it, John Clayton!

The offense appeared stagnant most of the afternoon and although the Dolphins defense played great football during that same span they still collapsed when it mattered most blowing a coverage and allowing Trent Edwards, who only had 21 yards passing in the entire first half, to look like Joe Montana finding Roscoe Parrish running down the field like he was the only one playing on 4th and 11 for a 31-yard touchdown bringing Buffalo within a field goal, 13-10.

Miami came out of the gates with a 5:08 9 play drive for 37 yards capped off with a Dan Carpenter 32-yard field goal. From there Henne and the Dolphins offense struggled to find their bearings amassing only 164 passing yards and 132 rushing yards for 296 total. Not a horrible number but when you consider the Dolphins had the ball for nearly 37 minutes due to the defense forcing the Bills off the field on 11 of 14 3rd downs you would expect the offense to put together more than three scoring drives and only one touchdown.

The Good:

Ronnie Brown looked fresh, healthy and darn good on his 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown despite the lack of production out of the Wildcat. I’ll take 5.0 yards per carry any day of the week, especially Sunday and sometimes Monday. Point is, he’s healthy which is truly the key ingredient to the success of the Dolphins offensively regardless of all the Brandon Marshall hype. Okay, it’s close and they both open different things for other players but Ronnie runs the Wildcat, relieves Ricky Williams of shouldering the entire load, punishes opposing defenses and is a threat on every play running, blocking or receiving.

Jason Allen fared very well starting at corner in place of Sean Smith, last years starter benched in the preseason by Head Coach Tony Sparano. Allen had 6 tackles and 1 pass defensed that had he not flat out dropped it he could have skipped into the end zone saying na na na na na you can’t catch me. Baby steps I guess. At least he didn’t get toasted or commit a crucial pass interference penalty.

Three penalties for fifteen yards total. Very impressive for a Week 1 game.

Koa Misi (4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits), Cameron Wake (3 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 2 pass defense) and Karlos Dansby (8 tackles, 1 sack, and 3 QB hits) all put relentless pressure on Edwards and answered the call thus far as to how effective could they be.

The Bad:

Despite the dominance of the defense the game was still very much in question with only a couple minutes remaining in the 4th after a mis-communication between apparently the entire secondary.

Henne to Marshall as made more news because of what they’re not doing rather than the next great quarterback, receiver tandem they are expected to be. Henne badly under threw a wide open Marshall racing down the field and after he adjusted and still should have made and potentially scored on the play Marshall gave his best Ted Ginn impersonation. Result: 2nd and 10.

Benny Sapp and Jason Allen each treated a gift wrapped Pick-6 like it would have given them chlamydia had they taken it. The result a 15-10 nail biter rather than the 27-10 snoozer it should have been, and that’s not even including the defensive blunder given Buffalo their only touchdown and the Moe and Curly put on by Henne and Marshall on that certain touchdown that would have made it 34-3. There are no “ifs” in sports. Just saying. 34 to friggin’ 3 wasn’t only possible but should have been the case. It took 4 Dolphins bone head plays to keep that from happening.

The Ugly:

The rest. It’s been said many times that the NFL is not a Beauty Contest and it’s a darn good thing because we are butt ugly. And you can bet you’re trophy wife there are 16 other teams around the league right now that wished they were as ugly as we are.

Including Minnesota, where we will head to face a grumpy Vikings team licking their chops at the thought of treating us as their “Slump Buster”.

Dolphins Preseason Reveals Questions, not Answers

By Ronn Burner • on August 29, 2010

Hopefully Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano has never heard the expression “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck” because if he has than he’s probably not getting much sleep these days. Let’s not sugar coat this and pawn it all off on the preseason though I would hope to god that has a lot to do with it. Nevertheless, significant strides towards ironing out the obvious wrinkles and finding answers for the same questions we had heading into the preseason is the ultimate goal..

There’s no real reason for full on panic but it is undeniable that we need to get a lot better before we head to Buffalo. Without overtly disrespecting the Bills I think it speaks volumes that Las Vegas has set the line for that game at Miami -3. That speaks less to the Bills tenacity than it does to the Dolphins expectations. Vegas also set the Dolphins season win total at 8.5. Another alarming number that is Las Vegas flat our DARING you to take Miami -3 in Week 1 and BEGGING you to bet the over on the win total.

Vegas is one of the most visually spectacular man made places on the planet and guess how they got that money? Yup, because you and every person reading this article is flat out flabbergasted at those lines. It’s easy money! Miami beating the stinking Bills by a measly field goal is a bonafide Stone Cold Guaranteed Lead Pipe Can’t Lose Lock! Eight and a half total wins? So let me get this straight, that’s one win right there and only 8 of the next 15 with Buffalo still scheduled one more time. So all we have to do is go 7-7 the rest of the way? That’s more of certainty than Dan Marino being inducted into Canton 5 years from the moment he retired.

And now to steal a coined phrase from the couldn’t possibly be more annoying Chris Berman, “That’s why they play the game.”

Vegas begging you to do something usually means the other side is the bet. In this case, Buffalo +3 and the Dolphins finishing at 8-8 is what they actually believe will, in fact, happen. I bring all of this up to make the point that despite all of the off season acquisitions that have to be considered huge up grades including Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan, Brandon Marshall, Karlos Dansby and Jared Odrick the Dolphins still may not be very good yet. Now of course I don’t believe that for a second, or at least I didn’t until the sub par if I’m being kind performances we have displayed thus far in the preseason.

What were, say ten, of our most pressing questions heading into the preseason?

1. Will Chris Clemons, Tyrone Culver or rookie Reshad Jones step up and play free safety at the level required to realistically compete for the division title?
2. Who will be the starting guards and center alongside RT Vernon Carey and Pro Bowl LT Jake Long?
3. Can Paul Soliai and Randy Starks effectively man the nose tackle position?
4. Can Cameron Wake earn his way onto the field as an every down player?
5. Can rookies Jared Odrick and Koa Misi step in immediately and help this team win?
6. Is Chad Henne ready to turn the corner and become a top 10 NFL quarterback?
7. Will the presence of Brandon Marshall open up the passing offense for Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and especially the invisible Anthony Fasano?
8. Are 2nd year corners Vontae Davis and Sean Smith ready to evolve into shut down players?
9. Will Mike Nolan‘s defensive scheme resurrect Channing Crowder and lead to a dominating return to the Pro Bowl for Karlos Dansby?
10. Will a healthy Will Allen, rookie Nolan Carroll or the lethargic Jason Allen earn the nickel back position role without allowing it to be the weak link?

After reading those questions and three preseason games not only have they not been answered but more questions have arose? If you take the rose colored glasses off there isn’t a whole lot to be dancing on Don Shula Expressway over. Maybe Vegas has a crystal ball after all. I can not definitively say that even one of the above questions has been answered by what we’ve seen thus far in three preseason games. The offense has been stale and the defense has been gouged, sounds a lot like 2009 doesn’t it? We were 7-9. Oh, and Buffalo kicked our ass once after we imploded in the 4th quarter.

Instead of answering the above questions the preseason has me scratching my head with a whole new slough of questions in addition to those original ten.

1. Will the trade of Greg Camarillo to Minnesota for Benny Sapp solve our nickel back troubles or will the loss of Camarillo destroy our depth at receiver? Sun-Sentinel Times Reporter and Dolphins Blogger Omar Kelly tweeted an excellent point in regards to the inexperience at receiver now should one of the big three go down with injury. Say Hartline’s injury against Atlanta Friday was serious leaving us with Marshall, Bess, Turner and Moore. Frightening thought. (It should also be noted that Omar Kelly does a top notch job of reporting Dolphins news and you can follow him on twitter at @omarkelly.)
2. Why can’t we run the ball? Another tweet from Kelly relayed some disturbing information about the three games so far: 2.6 yards per carry, 100 pass plays and 68 running plays. That’s not Dolphins football.
3. Why has Brandon Fields had a punt blocked in consecutive games?
4. Why has our special teams been awful in both the return game and kick coverage?
5. Are the shocking number of dropped passes just a fluke? Everyone’s guilty.

Are these valid questions and concerns? Absolutely. Is it any reason to think Vegas may be right. You bet. Does it mean we’re in for a long season? Maybe. What do I really think about all this preseason lackluster play and blah blah blah?

Well, I jumped all over Miami -3 and the over 8.5 faster than Paris Hilton yelled “That’s not mine!”

Miami Dolphins Official 2010-11 Season Preview

By Ronn Burner • on August 26, 2010

Quarterbacks: The Miami Dolphins are Chad Henne’s team regardless of any speculation that Tyler Thigpen and/or Chad Pennington are making a push to dethrone him as the #1 quarterback. It’s nothing more than the national media looking to stir the pot. Those closer to home laugh at the notion that he isn’t “the guy”. The regime has given Henne the keys to the castle and there will be no reigns on him as there were last season when he still managed to posted numbers (2,878 yards, 12 TD, 14 INT) in relief of the injured Pennington.

Henne has all the tools to become elite and will be given every opportunity to do so, there are no guarantees he will, however, there is no reason to believe he won’t. He’s a big strong leader with a cannon arm that has displayed he can be an effective gunslinger when necessary while also leading the team efficiently, like his nickname “Robot” would indicate, as he has mostly been asked to do early in his career. The knock has been his touch on his ball and his momentary lapses in decision-making displayed with careless turnovers. Those areas have been his focal point this off-season and are likely to be less of a problem. With another year of the coach’s confidence under his belt and Brandon Marshall in the spotlight as his new toy it’s hard to imagine Henne not putting up significantly better numbers this year.

I think it’s safe to assume Pat White is gone one way or another leaving Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen as the backups. Pennington (413 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) is a padded coach and a quality human being and without a doubt a tremendous asset to the entire ball club let alone the growth of Henne. Thigpen (83 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) brings a unique athleticism to the position creating flair when his opportunities arise. So much so that Dolphins brass is reminded of Tony Romo when watching him practice. He’s a skilled wildcard and quality back up quarterback likely to stay ahead of Pennington on the depth chart.

QB BOLD PREDICTIONS: Henne leads Fins to 10 wins with 3,500 yards, 25 TD, 15 INT and in Pro Bowl discussion. Vaults into the top 8 quarterback in the league. White will get released or traded for endzone paint any day. Thigpen catches and throws a TD out of the Wildcat formation. Pennington doesn’t take a single snap this season but coaches Henne throughout.

Running Backs: The two headed monster of Ricky Williams (1,121 yards, 35 receptions, 13 TD) and Ronnie Brown (648 yards, 14 receptions, 8 TD) have gone on record stating that they each plan to break the 1,000 yard barrier and why not? Williams has fewer miles than any other 33 year old back and is in remarkable condition while Brown is the Wildcat formation and has proven that when healthy, he’s one of the best backs in the league.

Patrick Cobbs (36 yards) comes off a major knee injury, but appears healthy and will fight off Lex Hilliard (89 yards, 20 receptions, 3 TD) for touches in that role. If fully recovered, Cobbs is also likely to be the primary kick returner. Lousaka Polite (123 yards, 11 receptions) appeared in all 16 games for Miami at fullback last season, and is expected to remain in that role. He’s become a favorite of Sparano with his uncanny ability to convert on every single “and 1″ situation.

RB BOLD PREDICTIONS: Brown and Williams remain healthy and each have over 1,000 yards and combine for 20 TD’s. Polite converts on 100% of “and 1″ situations. Cobbs score at least 2 TD’s over 50 yards out of the Wildcat formation and one will win the game for Miami.

Receivers: Once the team’s weak link and now may become one of the strongest units on the squad. Adding Brandon Marshall to the mix clearly sways the scales considerably but each player brings a specific skill set that give Miami a well-rounded tenacious corps. Never mind Marshall’s 3 consecutive 100 reception, 1,000 yard seasons but the maturation of last years sole play-maker Brian Hartline (31 receptions, 3 TD), the grittiness of Davone Bess (76 receptions, 2 TD) underneath and the emergence this preseason of Patrick Turner (3^rd pick in 2009 that disappointed with no receptions last year) and the electrifying playmaker, Marlon Moore. Greg Camarillo was recently traded to Minnesota making room for Moore and another skilled but raw play-maker, Roberto Wallace, though I suspect he’s on the outside looking in.

Anthony Fasano (31 receptions, 2 TD) struggled mightily last season and will look to rebound this year and just to be sure the tight end position improves the Dolphins signed our old friend, David Martin, to add depth and competition. Kory Sperry was recently released leaving the door wide open for Joey Haynos (19 receptions, 2 TD) to step in and contribute though the acquisition of Martin immediately places Haynos third. Miami runs a lot of the double TE formation so depth and production is vital.

WR/TE BOLD PREDICTIONS: Marshall’s streak snaps as he only catches 85 balls for 1,100 yards but still catches 14 TD. Turner not only catches a pass this season but a TD. Hartline will make a play that wins a game this season. Bess also catches 80 balls. Fasano shines with the addition of Marshall and amasses 500 yards and 8 TD.

Offensive Line: Jake Long and Vernon Carey will be the starting left and right tackles respectively and beyond that I have no clue. What I do know is despite the musical chairs being played across the line there is really nothing to worry about. It proves we have versatility and depth, which is paramount to succeed the way we like to play football. Jake Grove was expected to be the starting center but Joe Berger had different idea and that appears to be very much still a battle. Grove has been battling injuries, which may have closed the gap a bit.

Last years starting guard, Nate Garner, looks to be the first off the bench at tackle and may still earn the starting guard nod but will be battling the mauler John Jerry (3^rd round pick) and volatile Richie Incognito (FA). Last year’s starter Donald Thomas and Cory Proctor are in the mix as well. A talented and deep unit that will be key to the team’s success..

OL BOLD PREDICTION: Long, Incognito, Grove, Jerry, Carey will start. Long improves yet again entrenching himself as one of the best in the game with another Pro Bowl effort. This unit will be one of the best in the league and will achieve 2,500 yards on the ground and 25 TD.

Defensive Line: The unit with the biggest question mark on the team by far… until I get to the free safeties anyway. The 3-man front that Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan (acquired from Denver) has implemented took a series of serious blows at NT with the sudden retirement of Jason Ferguson and the season ending Achilles injury to Phillip Merling. The line must now be built on the likes of an undersized NT, Paul Soliai (25 tackles), a rookie playing out of position, Jared Odrick (1^st round, PSU) and a player moved out of his original position and asked to plug the middle, Randy Starks (56 tackles, 7 sacks). The good news thus far this preseason is Soliai has been a beast playing considerable better than last season, Odrick looks to be every bit worthy of his lofty draft status and Starks has been up and down in the transition thus far. They are not yet dominating and need to improve to avoid being the weak link and ultimately a big reason why we make the playoffs or not.

Kendall Langford (43 tackles, 2.5 sacks), Marques Douglas (64 tackles, 1.5 sack w/NYJ) and Charles Grant (44 tackles, 5.5 sacks w/NO) are all consistent quality players that will look rotate and wreak havoc up front.

DL BOLD PREDICTIONS: The Dolphins will finish in the top 10 against the run.

Linebackers: Signing Karlos Dansby (Arizona) goes a long way in filling the void left on the outside by the losses of star veterans like Jason Taylor and Joey Porter and lesser known inside linebacker regular contributors Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor. Dansby is a high-octane motor that seeks and destroys from sideline to sideline. In addition to being an instant upgrade at the position his presence combined with DC Mike Nolan’s exotic blitz packages looks to be the perfect recipe for reigniting the fire under MLB Channing Crowder (51 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT). Tim Dobbins (53 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT w/SD) was acquired during the draft and will make an immediate impact on special teams and is physical and talented enough to make an impact inside if Crowder’s health continues to hamper him.

On the outside 2^nd Rd. rookie Koa Misi (Utah) has tremendous pressure on him to step in immediately and contribute at a high level. He’s shown flashes in camp and the preseason that he is ready for the challenge. CFL star Cameron Wake (23 tackles, 5.5 sacks) also gets vaulted into the starting lineup expected not only to rush the passer but also to evolve into a run stopping, pass defending player as well, which may be asking too much. We shall see.

Charlie Anderson (17 tackles, 2 sacks) and Ikaika Alama-Francis will be competing for a reserve job on the outside.

LB BOLD PREDICTIONS: Koa Misi is in the argument for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Dansby has a Pro Bowl year. Wake gets 15 sacks and earns his way into becoming every down player. Alama-Francis makes the team and will flash if someone gets injured.

Defensive Backs: Easily the most suspect unit on the team after last seasons embarrassing display of poor tackling, busted coverages and just flat out inability to stop big plays down the middle of the field. Second year corners Vontae Davis (52 tackles, 4 INT) and Sean Smith (39 tackles) are extremely talented with huge upside but they are still young and need to be more consistent. It won’t take long to discover how much progress they made since last season.

Reliable strong safety Yeremiah Bell (114 tackles, 3 INT, 1.5 sacks) made his first Pro Bowl last season and his consistent play should go along way in the progress of the secondary as a whole.

Chris Clemons (13 tackles) will almost certainly be the starter at free safety and has to be considered a significant upgrade at the position after the awful year turned in by Gibril Wilson last season. Fifth rounder Reshad Jones (Georgia) is another high ceiling guy but the pro game has proven to be far more complex than in college and he wasn’t exactly free of mental errors at that level.

Tyrone Culver (32 tackles, 1 INT) and special teams stud Jason Allen are best suited in backup roles. Raw and speedy 5^th rounder Nolan Carroll (Maryland) has showed his NFL potential in camp and was in line to fill the void left by the injured Will Allen (21 tackles, 1 INT) at the nickel back position. That now looks to be the reason WR Greg Camarillo was traded to the Vikings for DB Benny Sapp.

DB BOLD PREDICTIONS: This unit will combine for 20+ interceptions. Davis and Smith will each have at least one pick six.

Special Teams: Kicker Dan Carpenter (25-28 FG) and punter Brandon Fields (46.3 avg.) are both excellent players. It’s not the kicking that’s the problem, it’s the covering and the returning of kicks that worries me.

Reliable returners Davone Bess (7.5 punt return avg.) and Patrick Cobbs (22.6 kickoff return avg.) are likely to retain their jobs from last season. They’re not candidates to break the big one ala Ted Ginn but they can be trusted, which is ultimately the key. The fasted Dolphin Nolan Carroll may find himself in the mix also should he prove consistency in fielding punts.

Outlook: Miami finished last season 7-9 but had a 7-3 stretch that placed them right back in the AFC East title hunt until uncharacteristically imploding in the final 3 games. The good news is they finished 4-2 in the division and 3-1 against the Jets and Patriots including a sweep of the Jets. The pieces are in place aside from a few question marks on the defensive side of the ball so the potential to be a contender is real, however, it would have to be considered mildly surprising for them to contend based on the number of questions they do have. The schedule is a monster the first half of the season before it looks to soften a bit and the schedule maker didn’t do them any favors in regards to weather. They lose the advantage of hot early September games in Miami opening on the road for the first two weeks and they play in the cold at the Jets in December and at New England to close out the regular season. The Dolphins style of football should keep them in a position to conceivably win every game they play so the little things down the stretch will determine their ultimate fate. I have faith and think a 10 win playoff bound season should be the very least to expect. Frankly, anything less should be considered a disappointment.

BOLD SEASON OUTLOOK PROJECTIONS: Finish 10-6 (2^nd in AFC East, Lose tie-breaker to Patriots) and earn Wild Card birth. Predictions end there regarding Playoffs. Miami sweep Jets *again*. Offense and defense finish ranked in top 10. Dolphins lead the league in forced turnovers and sacks. Ronnie and Ricky are best two back combo in league in total yards and TD’s.

Sun Life Stadium
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard (NW 199 St.)
Miami Gardens, FL 33056

2009 Record: 7-9 (3rd, AFC East)

Last Playoff Appearance: 2008, lost to Baltimore, 27-9, in AFC Wild Card

Head Coach: Tony Sparano (18-14 in two seasons with Dolphins, 18-14 Overall Career)

General Manager: Jeff Ireland

Executive Vice President of Football Operations: Bill Parcells

Offensive Coordinator: Dan Henning

Defensive Coordinator: Mike Nolan

Key Offensive Addition: Brandon Marshall, WR (101 rec, 1120 yards, 10 TD (with Denver)

Key Defensive Addition: Karlos Dansby, LB (109 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack with Arizona)

2009 Offensive Team Ranks: 4th rushing, 20th passing, 15th scoring

2009 Defensive Team Ranks: 18th rushing, 24th passing, t25th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: WR Brandon Marshall (Broncos), G Richie Incognito (Bills), OL Cory Procter (Cowboys), DE Marques Douglas (Jets), DE Charles Grant (Saints) LB Karlos Dansby (Cardinals), ILB Tim Dobbins (Chargers), DB Kevin Hobbs (Lions), Benny Sapp (Vikings)

KEY LOSSES: WR Ted Ginn Jr. (49ers), G Justin Smiley (Jaguars), NT Jason Ferguson (retired), DE Phillip Merling (out for season/injured), OLB Jason Taylor (Jets), OLB Joey Porter (to Cardinals), LB Akin Ayodele (Broncos), LB Reggie Torbor (Bills), CB Nathan Jones (Broncos), S Gibril Wilson (Bengals), Greg Camarillo (Vikings)

RD	PK(OVR)	PLAYER	POS	SCHOOL
1	28(28)	J. Odrick	DT	Penn State
2	8(40)	K. Misi	OLB	Utah
3	9(73)	J. Jerry	OG	Mississippi
4	21(119)	A. Edds	MLB	Iowa
5	14(145)	N. Carroll	CB	Maryland
5	32(163)	R. Jones	S	Georgia
7	5(212)	C. McCoy	OLB	Middle Tennessee State
7	45(252)	A. Spitler	OLB	Ohio State

Brandon Marshall, Miami Dolphins One Hot Mess

By Ronn Burner • on August 17, 2010

So much for the Brandon Marshall fireworks show scheduled after his first big play in a Miami Dolphins uniform. Don’t fret Dolfans, Miami is only two weeks into the 2010 NFL season with only one preseason game, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, under their belt so there’s no real reason to have emotions swaying heavily one way or the other. Marshall dropped two passes early and it didn’t get better from there but there is no reason to worry. It was a televised practice and like all practices, an opportunity to work on getting better for the games that count.

Our new #19 is not going to drop every pass thrown his way like our old #19 and our new undetermined starting free safety isn’t going to get beat like a tetherball like our old starting free safety. At least I hope not because if they do we’ll be lucky to win 6 games this year.

Preseason football is a necessary evil for the players and coaches and nothing more than a platform for the fans and media to shout, “The sky is falling!” or to break into song with “(Insert team here) is going to the Superrr Bowl!” Both are laughable commentary at this point, if not any point, in an NFL season. All we can do after the first preseason game is report what we see. Unfortunately for Miami there isn’t a lot of positives to report and the only certainty that came out of the game is there are still many questions to be answered and a lot more work to be done.

Miami (1-0) defeated Tampa (0-1), 10-7, in a game sloppier than the field conditions, which were as bad as any NFL game could possibly be. That’s what happens when torrential down pour meets the Dolphins Stadium, I mean LandShark, er wait Sun Life Stadium’s playing surface thanks to the Florida Marlins and that ridiculous infield that inevitably hampers the first month of every Dolphins season, thank god the Marlins are out of the playoff race this year and Phinatics lives forever next year.

The Dolphins played awful and they will be the first to admit that but let’s not lose sight of the fact that the preseason is simply to fill out the back of your roster and shake off the rust for the veterans and do it all injury free. If that’s the ultimate goal, Miami had a successful start to their season.

What I learned watching the Dolphins beat the Buccaneers Saturday night:

• Paul Solai showed his inner beast in dominating at the point of attack and even recovered a fumble.
• Rookie Nolan Carroll lived up to all the hype a 5^th round draft pick can receive by flying all over the field forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass. He is challenging for the nickel corner slot expected to be Will Allen’s, who is still hampered by that knee injury. Carroll also showed the kick return duties are likely his to lose.
• Pat White is history. Tyler Thigpen was clearly showcased for possible suitors as Pat White will be this week but the Dolphins see a lot of Tony Romo in Thigpen and just won’t give him away.
• The offensive line is talented on paper but the shuffling of positions throughout camp was clear by their sub par performance including a drive killer on a Vernon Carey holding call on a 3^rd and 1 and seemingly a first down picked up on a Ronnie Brown run.
• Chad Henne played the first four series without getting past his own 40-yard line. Carey’s penalty, the awful field conditions and several dropped passes certainly didn’t help.
• Marlon Moore and Patrick Turner showed glimpses of their potential and will be duking it out for that 5^th receiver roster spot. (Note: Apparently Greg Camarillo is a roster lock, which I disagree with especially considering his injury history.) I would not be shocked in the slightest to see Camarillo the odd man out.
• Nate Ness was clearly the Dolphins star with 4 tackles, 3 pass defenses and a fumble recovery. Opening the door for a real battle for the starting free safety position with Chris Clemons.
• Rookies Koa Misi and Jared Odrick contributed in a big way with 3 tackles and a fumble recovery respectively. For their first game action in the league they quickly erased any doubt Dolphins Nation had going in. They still have work to do for sure but they were not deer in the headlights, they were young aggressive NFL ready football players.
• Vontae Davis and Sean Smith are potential NFL stars and for every great play they make, they get toasted or make a mental mistake costing the team. They didn’t play horribly but they certainly will have to play better when it counts or it will be a long season. They will continue to get picked on by opposing quarterbacks until they make them pay for it.
• Channing Crowder looked like the man that will reap the benefits the most of Mike Nolan’s defensive schemes. The addition of Karlos Dansby certainly didn’t hurt but it was evident that the Crowder of last season is behind us.

Next up: Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars – Saturday, August 21^st at 7:30 EST