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The Miami Dolphins were road warriors in 2010, finishing with a 6-2 away record including wins against the Vikings, Jets, Raiders, and Super Bowl champion Packers. The trouble for Miami was finishing games at Sun Life Stadium where they posted a 1-7 record. 5 of those losses came in heartbreaking fashion by one score or less. Poor play by Chad Henne and Tyler Thigpen prevented the Dolphins from turning the losses into wins. However, if the preseason is any indication and, they should be improved in the quarterback department.
Miami sought a replacement for Chad Henne during the off-season, nearly pulling off a trade for Denver’s Kyle Orton. The trade fell through at the last minute and Miami signed former Panther Matt Moore instead. Henne held onto his starting job and has looked good so far this preseason; completing 64% of his passes for 446 yards with 2 touchdowns through 3 games. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is giving Henne a lot more freedom to audible at the line of scrimmage this year, and the signal-caller is excited to shoulder the additional responsibilities. A year with a more focused Brandon Marshall, coming off an underwhelming 2010 campaign where he grabbed only 3 TDs, will only benefit Henne. Also returning are possession receiver Davone Bess (79 catches, 5 TDs) and tight end Anthony Fasano (39 catches, 4 TDs). Miami has a huge hole to fill in the backfield with the departure of both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Former number 2 overall pick Reggie Bush was brought in to fill the void. Though it is questionable whether Bush can grind out yards between the tackles and also comes with a lengthy injury history, he should be another weapon for Henne out of the backfield. Big back Daniel Thomas (6’0, 230) was taken in the second round out of Kansas State, but has yet to show his physicality in the preseason. Expect these two backs to handle the bulk of the load. Thus far through the preseason the offensive line has been a tale of two tapes. The left side, All-pro Jake Long and Richie Incognito, have been solid. The same cannot be said for the right side (Marc Colombo and Vernon Carey). Colombo’s struggles show why he was not retained by Dallas after last year. Carey, on the other hand, could not cut it at tackle and was moved inside to guard where he continues to disappoint. Some of the problems could be a result of rookie center Mike Pouncey incorrectly identifying defenses. If so look for the o-line to improve through the course of the season as he learns how defenses like to attack.
In 2010, the Miami defense was a huge strength for the team finishing in the top 10 for both passing and rush defense. A young core of players should allow the defense to continue to be the strength of this franchise. Starters Kendall Langford and Jared Odrick on the defensive line, Sean Smith and Vontae Davis at cornerback, and linebackers Cameron Wake and Koa Misi all have 4 years or less of experience. Reshad Jones (2 years) and Chris Clemons (3 years) are competing fiercely for the starting free safety position. The more experience they garner, the more they should develop and progress as a unit. What helps even more is that they were all drafted by the Dolphins showing that management had a vision for these specific players. The young pups are complimented very nicely with veterans. Karlos Dansby has been a very disruptive player throughout his career and mans one of the MLB slots. Also in the middle is former Cowboy Kevin Burnett. Safety Yeremiah Bell brings veteran savvy and leadership to the back end of this defense. Look for another strong year from the Miami defense. Long-time Dolphin Jason Taylor returns to the team, but figures to play more of a back-up and mentoring role.
The 2011 Miami Dolphins should be improved from their 2010 version, but still have a tough task ahead of them. Their division foes New England and New York will be tough outs and not make life easy. Facing off against a very strong slate of NFC East opponents is no walk in the park either. Miami will need to continue their road success and the Chad Henne of the preseason if they are to compete for a Wild Card berth. If not, look for another season towards the middle of the pack for Miami.
The NFL is and has been chock-full of snap decisions by owners and coaches. That is the case yet again this year. The Saints pulled their kicker Garrett Hartley in light of his inability to make a game-winner among other woes. That move seemed to pay off, as his replacement in John Carney nailed three kicks, with the third winning the game for the Saints against the Panthers.
Now the Dolphins have fired John Bonamego, their special teams coordinator in the wake of the embarrassing debacle against the Patriots in which their special unit scored 21 points. First there was a 103-yard kick return by Brandon Tate to start the second half and it was all downhill from there for the Phins. Two blocked kicks by Patrick Chung and three touchdowns later, the Pats were up 34-14 after a 7-6 halftime deficit. The eventually won the game 41-14.
Coaches get most of the blame for the on the field missteps. It’s really unfortunate. As head coach Tony Sparano so eloquently put it: “Our players also need to take responsibility.” The whole viewpoint and subsequent approach to this decision is backwards. If a player misses his assignment, not once, but on multiple plays that cost the team, that should be on the individual. Take them out of the game. Don’t punish the guy who’s trying his darnedest to get the job done.
If parents raise their kid with morals, beliefs, and values as they grow up but they rebel against them anyway and they become a murderer, should the parents be held responsible? No. That’s how I feel when it comes to coach firings in sports. Coaches are given very few chances. If you don’t perform under the tremendous pressure and criticism, you’re gone.
Out of 32 teams in the NFL, only eight currently have coaches that have been around for six years or more (John Fox, Panthers; Lovie Smith, Bears; Marvin Lewis, Bengals; Jack Del Rio, Jaguars; Bill Belichick, Patriots; Tom Coughlin, Giants; Andy Reid, Eagles; Jeff Fisher, Titans). Coaches are under the microscope more than any other, even arguably more than the players on the field.
Maybe the Dolphins were just alarmed by Belichick actually smiling and making jokes for the first time since, well, ever. That was the last straw. If our team’s performance was that bad that it delighted our division rival grouch of a coach, then it’s time to make a change. We’ll see if the firing makes sense for the Dolphins in the long run. Monday night can’t happen again if they want to compete in the AFC East. That is for certain.
By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network
An intriguing team to watch this year is a team that is buried in the AFC East behind the Jets and Patriots. That team is the Dolphins. Upon Chad Pennington’s injury last year, the other Chad, Chad Henne, came in and did a serviceable job replacing him. This team has a couple tricks up its sleeve. Ricky Williams showed he can sill produce in the NFL when he gets focused. Ronnie Brown, barring another injury plagued season, has showed in the past that he can put up the numbers as well. Their running game looks to be in good shape for this year.
Also, with the acquisition of Brandon Marshall, Henne has a pretty decent target to throw the ball to. Davone Bess should have another pretty good year. He will most likely serve as the second receiver and draw some of the attention off Marshall.
The Dolphins’ division makes this season a lot tougher than if they were in the AFC West for example. I expect them to finish third in the AFC East with a 9-7 record, narrowly missing the postseason.
By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network
The AFC East will have a new champion this season. The Patriots are no longer the team to beat in the division. Read on to see what team from the AFC East has a good chance of going to the Super Bowl.
3. Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins will not be better than the Jets or Patriots this season, but I still think they will have a better season than last year, just barely. Chad Henne is now the starting quarterback for the Dolphins. After Chad Pennington went down for the season last year, Henne stepped up and proved that he is ready for the NFL. The Dolphins mainly use the wildcat offense, they do it better than any other team in the league. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are the keys to the Dolphins wildcat offense. Last season the Dolphins beat teams that were a lot better than them because of their trickery. When they weren’t in the wildcat, Henne proved that he has a cannon of an arm when he aired the ball out to Tedd Ginn Jr. Ginn was traded to the 49ers this season, but they also traded for one of the best receivers in the league in Brandon Marshall. The Dolphins also have a great defense led by newcomer Carlos Dansby. The Dolphins will be a dangerous team this season and they could possibly do better than third place this season, but before we get to far ahead of ourselves, on paper they will be 8-8 this season.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
From the season opener, the Dolphins proudly placed their much improved run defense as a cornerstone of their identity. That cornerstone has been crumbling the past two games, and December is no time for an identity crisis in the NFL.
Buffalo running back Fred Jackson ran for 73 yards on 15 carries, 61 on 11 in the second half, as part of the Bills 129 rushing yards Sunday. The week before, Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams raced through the Dolphins for 122 yards on 13 carries. Had Carolina not kept putting the game in the interception-prone hands of quarterback Jake Delhomme, the Dolphins might be on a two-game losing streak.
Once among the top five in stopping the run, the Dolphins have sunk to 12th and are down to 11th in yards per carry allowed. Ahead on the schedule are run heavy Jacksonville and Tennessee, as well as Pittsburgh, which might be getting back to its ground roots after half a season relying on Ben Roethlisberger’s arm.
“We’re not executing, we’re not tackling well,” inside linebacker Reggie Torbor said. “You get in the backfield and it should be a 2-yard loss or 1-yard gain, ends up falling forward for 5 or 6 yards. From an offensive standpoint, second and 10 is a lot different from second and two.
Click here to read the full article – By Miami Herald
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