Firstly, the media contrives a notion that the team is in shambles. What happened? Is this not the same team we saw in week 2 of the preseason against the Jaguars? The team who put up some points—and we bragged on them accordingly? Let us try, as fans (or media), try to be reasonable with expectations and judgment in the preseason and realize the coaches and FO have the job of figuring things out such as personnel and playtime. I, for one, am a glass is half-full kind of guy, and feel this team is on the correct path. Injuries are bound to happen and as Belichick has been adequate at plugging guys in when required so to must Ireland/Sparano/Parcells! Derailed were the underachieving stars of the preseason such as Patrick Turner or Pat White, or the aged veterans who never were able to prove themselves as indispensible parts of a churning machine. Charles Grant, Marques Douglas and Charlie Anderson all had a different situation but none was able to open any eyes either. Additions came by way of the long list of preseason and training camp hopefuls who suddenly found themselves homeless. Moreover, by way of a redefined outlook and perhaps a new playbook the bottom half of the roster looks for continuity… Lights, camera, action, and on comes week 1 of a new season… The bold resonance of the dramatic flash that is the NFL delightfully penetrates our enamored eyes! Dan Marino as well as a throng of other nameless media bringing insight and excitement to the curtains draw. Miami @ Barfalo – Lee Evans… I may have possibly mentioned him once or twice amid my rants here and rightfully so as this Dolphins burner has yielded a host of painful visions upon us. He is our main priority in this game or possibly second to shutting down any idea they have of running the ball at us. Chan Gailey, remember this guy? He runs a pretty solid offense so Nolan better have his ducks in a row! Spiller, Jackson, Lynch, this backfield looks similar to Miami’s studs Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Pat Cobbs, though to a lesser degree. But they have speed a plenty with Evans, Spiller and a dose of Roscoe Parrish. Here are my revised Solutions to a Victory! (As Keys to the Game is protected by law, or at least by a couple friends of a friend) On Defense: Keep Edwards guessing - the Dolphins defense need to get that Nolan aggression moving and make Trent Edwards scared to move when behind center. Safety, LB, NT, DE—who knows who will be firing in next? Shut Down the Run – I know, cliché, but the Jills do have a stable of backs, just don’t know if they have the blockers? With Starks, Odrick, Langford holding down the front and Ike, Misi, Wake and Dansby supporting I feel confident the D will hold the line and win up front. Keep everything in Front - Last year the Dolphins defense was burnt WAY too often! This year they have to find a way to keep the play in front of them and that starts with plain and simple good tackling. How often did we see a TE shake off Wilson last year? On Offense: R&R Express – For this offense, it all starts with the running game. Ronnie Brown is a very dependable playmaker, when healthy, and Ricky Williams of course is a workhorse. Throw in Cobbs and you have a diverse group of hard runners. The Beast – This guy should make everything easier! He blocks like Hines Ward, breaks tackles like well-- like Brandon Marshall, as only this guy can and attacks the ball! What a decoy, blocker and weapon! Get him going a little early and watch the Jills tremble… Consistent QB – Much like his predecessor the youthful Chad Henne needs to limit his turnovers and play efficiently as his mentor Pennington would do. Make good decisions and see the whole field. Apply a dose of touch when needed and rocket out a few balls and we should be good! Lastly, the outcome – I believe Sparano will have the wolves ready for feeding time! The Dolphins role out to the first 1-0 season of this regime! Dolphins 31, Jills 13 Let's hear some predictions!
I think our offense doesn't get up to full speed but we still pull out the win with some Carpenter FGs Dolphins 23 - Bills 17
Miami's opponent in this game won't be Buffalo, it'll be penalties, turnovers, special teams play, and injuries. If we can avoid those things, we'll win by 2-3 scores. If not, anything is possible. See last year.
Henne is the key this season plain and simple. no one respected Pennington's arm so all the defenses had to do was crowd the box. I think they will do the same thing this year until Henne shows he can hit for big chunks of yards down field. This could be a make or break season for him as he will have to learn to trust his new weapon "the beast". Another big part is the play calling of Henning. I think at times the wildcat breaks momentum and rythnm. I hope that he give Henne the opportunity to get those big chunks and doesn't end up tying his hands. I was also pleased with our D in the preseason they had 3 INT's and forced 11 fumbles (5rec). I am excited to see all our young players step up. We will win many games this year if we keep that up though sometimes it does come down to how the ball bounces. All in all these games are always a battle with the Buff-a-blows being our biggest rival so don't underestimate them. I expect a close one early with the Fins pulling away in the second half..... Dolphins-24 Buff-a-blows-10
Yeah, good point. I think Sparano has right to be confident and the opening day roster looks a bit more impressive than last year IMHO. The Wildcat is sure to emerge as well, with possibly a wrinkle or two. They'd be unwise to stack the box in that scenario as Ronnie has a better arm this year... I could also see a scenario where our D bends mightily but manages to only allow one TD. I think our offense will get it going and show that urgency Sparano has been striving for.
Well, as long as we dont get cute in Red Zone and take away sure points, we shouldnt repeat what happened last year @BUF. I think if we minimize the mistakes and actually put points on the board when inside the RED ZONE we simply "out opportunity" the Bills. Meaning, they wont have many chances on their own to produce points, and as long as we put them on the board, the clock will be their enemy in the long run. But if we turn it over to remove "expected points" we actually contribute to their ability to steal a win.
Its what cost us in that game bigtime....not only did our pts go away....but we removed the need for them to score twice....once to tie, then again to take a lead. Instead, no points mean, they score and now we need to score twice. Missed opportunities are different than a back and forth battle....opportunities dont happen all the time, and blown ones cost twice as much it seems. Thats the battle many times, especially when we are dominating with the ground attack...minimize the mistakes that take points off the board and the ground game dominates them into submission, remove those points, and our ground game often is avoided cause we have to play catch up, etc.
Good, stack the box and we'll see what happens to the poor bastard who is covering Marshall one on one.