Well, it's finally here! What seemed like an eternity of waiting, will culminate with the kick-off of the 2010 Miami Dolphins' season at 1:00 Sunday afternoon. There are just as many reasons for optimism, as there is for concern. But the bottom line is that everyone is 0-0 right now, and even the Rams have hope.
Defense:
The Dolphins indeed bolstered their linebacking corps with the addition of Karlos Dansby, a perennial 100+ tackle player. They also lost a key player, in Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, in a youth movement that is all over the defense (notice the exclusion of blowhard Joey Porter). Defensive back Sean Smith seems to have taken a step back, while Vontae Davis looks like a world beater, possibly giving us the shut down corner we've lacked since the Surtain/Madison era. The pass rush will have to come in the form of Cameron Wake, who has shown improved, but still limited ability to go side to side to cover the pass. But hey, if he can deliver double digit sacks, I'll take his one dimensional game. Also a minor concern is the transition of Randy Starks from defensive end, to nose tackle. Which may work in our favor with his heightened athleticism against lesser interior lineman, but he may get mauled by the premier centers of the NFL. Paul Soliai needs to step up as he did in the preseason, to help alleviate some of that concern. I think the surprise player of this defense will be special teams ace Jason Allen (replacing Sean Smith). Has the light finally turned on for him? We'll see if his stellar play carries over to the regular season. I did not mention the rookies (Koa Misi, Jared Odrick) because until the big lights come on, who really knows what they're gonna do. The bottom line is, this defense is young, but full of potential. Full of great athletes, but we'll see if that translates to success on the football field.
Offense:
We all know the addition of Brandon Marshall makes them better by default, but they will still need to execute. This is still a downhill power running team, as it should be. When healthy, the Dolphins have the best backfield in football. Ricky Williams is an ageless wonder, as evidenced by last year's performance. The then 33 year old Williams carried the ball 241 times for 1,121 yards (4.7 avg), and 11 touchdowns. Williams also caught 35 passes, all in only 7 starts. That being said, if Ronnie Brown is healthy, he is the alpha running back for the Dolphins. When healthy, Brown is simply a beast, and the best wildcat triggerman in the league (it's not a gimmick anymore guys, so all the critics should shut their mouths). Have you ever seen Ronnie Brown fall backwards since coming here? I can't remember such a time. If the R & R Express (spread the word people, let's get the name to stick, lol) is in full effect, it'll make life that much easier for the offense. Back to Marshall now. He will eliminate the defenses ability to simply stack 8 men in the box to stop the Express. By default opening the middle of the field for clear running lanes, an already dangerous slot receiver in Davone Bess, and a pretty good pass receiving tight end with Anthony Fasano. This brings us to the most important Dolphin player of 2010, Chad Henne. This team will only go as far as Chad Henne can throw us. If he cannot be effective, opponents can revert to stacking the line against the run. He has shown flashes of the player we want, and think he cold be. But, he still shows the inconsistency of a young quarterback. Improvement on the touch throws, and the ability to look off the defense are the key issues for Henne. He has shown a propensity for locking on to a target, giving the lurking safties plenty of time to make the right move. All of the tools, and talent are his for the taking. We can be successful with average QB play. But we can be great, explosive even, if Henne can settle into this offense, and become the leader he needs to be. Don't be surprised to see Pennington play if Henne struggles. He's shown even in limited action that he can still lead us down the field.
This team could be 13-3 just as easily as it could be 8-8. My prediction is somewhere in the 9, to 11 win category. We will see some of the explosiveness on offense, but with a young (albeit talented) defense, we could see some letdowns on that side of the ball. Either way, we are going to witness the funnest team we've had down here for a while. What do you think?
:::UPDATE:::
Bill Parcells stepping down to a consultant role for the Dolphins. Don't freak out, this was always the plan. Jeff Ireland will assume 100% control over the personnel decisions. If he fails this year, ex Chiefs President Carl Peterson will take over. I'm 99% certain about that.
Defense:
The Dolphins indeed bolstered their linebacking corps with the addition of Karlos Dansby, a perennial 100+ tackle player. They also lost a key player, in Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, in a youth movement that is all over the defense (notice the exclusion of blowhard Joey Porter). Defensive back Sean Smith seems to have taken a step back, while Vontae Davis looks like a world beater, possibly giving us the shut down corner we've lacked since the Surtain/Madison era. The pass rush will have to come in the form of Cameron Wake, who has shown improved, but still limited ability to go side to side to cover the pass. But hey, if he can deliver double digit sacks, I'll take his one dimensional game. Also a minor concern is the transition of Randy Starks from defensive end, to nose tackle. Which may work in our favor with his heightened athleticism against lesser interior lineman, but he may get mauled by the premier centers of the NFL. Paul Soliai needs to step up as he did in the preseason, to help alleviate some of that concern. I think the surprise player of this defense will be special teams ace Jason Allen (replacing Sean Smith). Has the light finally turned on for him? We'll see if his stellar play carries over to the regular season. I did not mention the rookies (Koa Misi, Jared Odrick) because until the big lights come on, who really knows what they're gonna do. The bottom line is, this defense is young, but full of potential. Full of great athletes, but we'll see if that translates to success on the football field.
Offense:
We all know the addition of Brandon Marshall makes them better by default, but they will still need to execute. This is still a downhill power running team, as it should be. When healthy, the Dolphins have the best backfield in football. Ricky Williams is an ageless wonder, as evidenced by last year's performance. The then 33 year old Williams carried the ball 241 times for 1,121 yards (4.7 avg), and 11 touchdowns. Williams also caught 35 passes, all in only 7 starts. That being said, if Ronnie Brown is healthy, he is the alpha running back for the Dolphins. When healthy, Brown is simply a beast, and the best wildcat triggerman in the league (it's not a gimmick anymore guys, so all the critics should shut their mouths). Have you ever seen Ronnie Brown fall backwards since coming here? I can't remember such a time. If the R & R Express (spread the word people, let's get the name to stick, lol) is in full effect, it'll make life that much easier for the offense. Back to Marshall now. He will eliminate the defenses ability to simply stack 8 men in the box to stop the Express. By default opening the middle of the field for clear running lanes, an already dangerous slot receiver in Davone Bess, and a pretty good pass receiving tight end with Anthony Fasano. This brings us to the most important Dolphin player of 2010, Chad Henne. This team will only go as far as Chad Henne can throw us. If he cannot be effective, opponents can revert to stacking the line against the run. He has shown flashes of the player we want, and think he cold be. But, he still shows the inconsistency of a young quarterback. Improvement on the touch throws, and the ability to look off the defense are the key issues for Henne. He has shown a propensity for locking on to a target, giving the lurking safties plenty of time to make the right move. All of the tools, and talent are his for the taking. We can be successful with average QB play. But we can be great, explosive even, if Henne can settle into this offense, and become the leader he needs to be. Don't be surprised to see Pennington play if Henne struggles. He's shown even in limited action that he can still lead us down the field.
This team could be 13-3 just as easily as it could be 8-8. My prediction is somewhere in the 9, to 11 win category. We will see some of the explosiveness on offense, but with a young (albeit talented) defense, we could see some letdowns on that side of the ball. Either way, we are going to witness the funnest team we've had down here for a while. What do you think?
:::UPDATE:::
Bill Parcells stepping down to a consultant role for the Dolphins. Don't freak out, this was always the plan. Jeff Ireland will assume 100% control over the personnel decisions. If he fails this year, ex Chiefs President Carl Peterson will take over. I'm 99% certain about that.
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