New to the dolphins, new to the sport, all the way from the UK

Welcome to the board! As has been stated numerous times, you certainly picked the right team. And yes, Ricky Williams and Chad Henne do indeed have oodles of talent You picked a great time to join us, as Henne is only in his 2nd year as a pro, and will be great for us for many years to come. Ricky is one of our longest tenured players, who's had some ups and downs, but what a great player he is!

 

Sure, I'll give you a little rundown.

Offense:

Quarterback: The QB is arguably the most important position on offense. This is the leader of the team. His job is to pass the ball. His job is to study the defense and make adjustments (audibles) to the offense if he sees fit. If you have a great QB, you can win any given game. Our QB Chad Henne has a lot of potential. He has a hell of an arm, and doesn't seem to make too many mistakes.

Running Back: Their main job is to take handoffs out of the backfield and run the ball. Ricky Williams whom you mentioned plays this position. The starter, who is out for the rest of the year with an injury, is Ronnie Brown, and another great player he is. RB's also catch passes out of the backfield, as well as help block for the QB, when extra blocking is needed. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are as good as any RB duo in the league, we refer to them as the R&R Express.

Fullback: The fullback is another form of Runningback. He usually plays in front of the RB, and behind the QB. He does the same things RB's do, but his main purpose is to block for the RB, allowing them to get more yards. Our FB Lousaka Polite is establishing himself as one of the best lead blockers in the NFL. Not only that, he's money on short yardage situations. Keep an eye on him, his bone crushing blocks are a thing of beauty!

Wide Reciever: These guys play on the outsides of the offense. Their main purpose is to catch the balls thrown by the QB. We have one of the fastest WR's in the NFL in Ted Ginn, though he's inconsistent. We have some very reliable WR's in Camarillo and Bess. We have two rookies in Hartline and Turner. We don't have the best WR's in the NFL, that's for sure, but expect that to change in the offseason (hopefully).

Tight End: These guys are basically bigger WR's. They usually line up next to the lineman. They catch passes, they block. Our Tight Ends (Fasano, Haynos, Sperry) are all considered blocking Tight Ends. Their not very good recievers, but are great at blocking.

Offensive Tackles: Tackles play on the ends of the Offensive Line. Their job is to block. They block to open up lanes for RB's to run through. They block to keep the QB from getting sacked. Left Tackle is one of the most important positions in football. Most QB's are right handed, so often times, the LT has to block the QB's blindside. If they allow a defender to to get to the QB from his blindside, bad things tend to happen. Our srarting tackles are Jake Long (Left Tackle), and Vernon Carey (Right Tackle). Both are very good.

Guards: These guys play on the offensive line as well. They play inside the tackles. Their job is to block as well. Our starting Guards are Justin Smiley and Donald Thomas. They too, are pretty good.

Center: The center is the last position on the offensive line. He plays in the middle. His job is to snap the ball to the QB, and block. Our starting Center is Jake Grove. He's been one of the best Centers in the NFL this year.


Defense:

We run a 3-4 Defense. This means there are 3 lineman, and 4 linebackers.

Nose Tackle: The Nose Tacke plays in the middle of the defensive line. His job is to take up blockers, allowing the other defenders to get to the ball carrier. His job is very important. Our starting NT, Jason Ferguson is very good. Unfortunately, he is done for the year with an injury. Taking his place is Paul Soliai who has been very solid this year.

Defensive End: In a 3-4, their job is to take care of blockers and help in run support. Our starting DE's are Randy Starks and Kendall Langford. Starks is one of the best 3-4 DE in the NFL. Langford is only in his 2nd year, and has turned into a very good run stuffer.

Outside Linebacker: The job of a OLB in the 3-4, is to rush the QB. If they can get to the Quarterback, they can get sacks, force bad passes, cause fumbles. Pass Rushers are VERY important in the NFL. A consistent pass rush is the difference between a great defense and a bad one. Our main OLB's are Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, and Cameron Wake. Porter and Taylor have been 2 of the best pass rushers the last decade. Taylor is fan favorite, and the longest tenured player on our roster. Cam Wake is a young guy who looks to be yet another elite pass rusher. The guy just always finds his way to the QB.

Inside Linebacker: The ILB's job is to cover the pass and provide run support. Our starting ILB's are Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele. Both are average at best.

Cornerback: The main job of the CB's are to cover the Wide Receivers. They want to stop them from catching passes. Our best CB, Will Allen, is done for the year with a knee injury. Our 2 starters are Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. Both our rookies and have oodles of talent. They will be a great tandem for years. Our Nickle Back (3rd CB) is Nate Jones. He has had a very good season as well.

Free Safety. The FS plays at the back of the defense. As is name suggests, he's a safety net to the defense. The FS's main job is to help in coverage. They often cover Tight Ends, or play a zone on a certain side of the field. Our starting FS is Gibril Wilson. He is more of a run stuffer. We have a rookie FS named Chris Clemons who has some talent and looks promising.

Strong Safety: The SS is the other safety who usually is good in run support. Our SS is Yeremiah Bell, he is very, very good in run support. Our two safeties are both very good in run support. It's like they're two extra linebackers.


Special Teams

Kick Returner: At the beginning of games and after scores, the scoring team team kicks the ball off to the other team. The KR is the guy who fields the ball. His job is to get as many yards as possible, leaving his team with good field position. We have a very good KR in Ted Ginn Jr.

Punt Returner: When a team can't get a 1st down on offense on 3rd down, they often punt. Which is like a kickoff. The PR has the same job as the KR. Our PR is Devonne Bess, he isn't a very good one.

Punter: This is the guy who kicks the punts. Our punter is Brandon Fields. He has a very strong leg, but tends to shank punts at times.

Kicker: The kickers job is to kick field goals. When a team can't score a touchdown, but are close enough to the other teams goal, they will often choose to kick a field goal for 3 points, rather than punt. Our kicker is Dan Carpenter. He has been very good for us. He also kicks the kickoffs as well.

Everone else's job on ST is to pretty much either block for the returners, or try to tackle the returners.

Hope this helps!

 

Greetings Chocky,glad you joined us. My wife is originally from Preston,Lancashire. Looks like you two were practically neighbors. We`ll be taking a trip to England to visit her family again sometime after the holidays. I enjoyed myself there last time,especially the pubs.

 

It sure is! My wife just told me her sister used to live in Garstang.

 

No problem. Any other questions just feel free to ask It's always good seeing the NFL becoming more popular abroad.

 

Welcome Chocky!
I can tell you, I've been a lifelong fan and you picked the best NFL team for sure...trust me!

 

Greetings from the Philippines, and welcome to the family! You have found an incredible site to learn all about the greatest team in the NFL -- the folks here are amazing, and as so many have stated, if you have a question, all you need to do is ask.

There is an endless fountain of information contained in these threads, presented by some of the best personalities you will ever encounter. This is a group of diehard fans who just eat, sleep and breathe football -- a new NFL fan could not have found a better place to call home.

Welcome, kick back and enjoy the rest of the season with your new friends.

~ Sue