Dolphins Progress Report

This team can be as confusing as it's 4-3 record (4-0 on the road, 0-3 at home). This team should at least be 5-2, but we can thank the Pittsburgh Referees I mean Steelers for that. There are reasons for hope, and reasons for doubt. This team is tough, but still an unfinished product. Below I will break down (to the best of my limited knowledge) my views on the offense, defense, and special teams.

Offense:
Anyone who is rallying against Chad Henne, needs to be slapped in the back of the head, or maybe thumped on the forehead. No, he doesn't have flashy stats, but we have yet to lose a game because of him, or win a game in spite of him. They seemed to have pounded this idea of not turning the ball over into his head, which seems like it makes him apprehensive at times. But take an example of that last drive against the Bengals. In 2:49, he marched them 96 yards for the score by Ricky Williams. He ripped off big gains of 26, 30, and 22 yards with the efficiency of a sniper. Whenever they take the handcuffs off, and put the game in his hands, he more often than not has delivered. The shortcomings of the passing game are not Henne's fault. We don't have a receiver that can stretch the field. We have a top 3 wideout, Brandon Marshall, who was never known for streaking down the field, but rather creating after the catch, which he hasn't done so far this year. Davone Bess is beginning to get notice as the best slot receiver in the NFL, and Hartline is starting to show inconsistency. What we need, get ready to scream at your computer screen, is someone like Ted Ginn. I said it before, and I still believe it, trading Ginn was a mistake. Marshall and Ginn could've been a perfect combination. Offensive line is solid, the running game although not stellar this year, is always a threat. I think the lack of yards is due more to the play calling favoring the pass this year. In short, there is an explosive offense somewhere in there, they just need to turn Henne and the boys loose. Time to kick the training wheels off.

Defense:
Mike Nolan has taken a group that was near the bottom of the league, and brought them up to 8th overall at this point in the season. Cameron Wake has more sacks than the now departed Jason Taylor, and Joey Porter combined. They've got a scary group of young talent, that should keep us in games for the next 5 or 6 years at least. The only weak link is still the safety position, but it's not as dire as it was a year ago. Vontae Davis has earned respect league wide. So much so that when they asked Brett Favre how Jason Allen was able to intercept him twice, he responded, "I was trying to stay away from 21". That's the ultimate respect, and he's not the only QB to sing his praises. The addition of Karlos Dansby has lived up to the hype, some of you may remember him stopping Adrian Peterson on 4th and goal earlier this year, sealing up a victory. This side of the ball is the teams backbone right now, and it's definitely only going to get better.

Special Teams:
Well they certainly were "special" at the beginning weren't they? After the firing of Special Teams coach Joe Bonamengo, they've shown significant improvement. I think the opposing teams average starting field position has been diminished by about 8 yards. Which is huge in terms of field position. Punter Brandon Fields is like Johnny, dude could kick a hole in the sky it seems like. Placekicker Dan Carpenter just may be the best kicker in the NFL right now. All in all they went from bottom feeders. to an above average unit.

You have to like where this team is going. We finally have something that is built for the long haul. It's still in it's infancy, but with just a little more fine tuning, this team will be something to watch in the VERY near future. Perhaps even the second half of this season.

Oh, and everyone can stop crying over Randy Moss. He would have only been here for the rest of this year, and probably would not have been happy with the prospect of being a rent-a-player. He's not the kind of player at this point that gives out long term deals to players his age. If that was so, Jason Taylor wouldn't be a Jet. That being said, I would've done it, but I'm just a selfish fan.