For the Miami Dolphins, Everything Is Looking Up—Or Nearly Everything

After a dismal 0-3 start for the Miami Dolphins, they have been able to turn things around and get a few wins under their belts—one of those being against the very good division rival New York Jets.

If we can keep things up after this bye week, we should be able to beat the undefeated (so far) New Orleans Saints.

There are a lot of things that Miami has been able to do well. Chad Henne is showing a lot of promise, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are running all over opposing defenses, and our run defense is among the best in the NFL. A lot seems to be going right for Miami now.

But, there are still two very evident weaknesses that need to be fixed if the Dolphins ever want to make noise in the postseason this year, which I think they are very capable of doing because of the bountiful talent on this year’s roster.

Those two weaknesses are our passing defense and kick/punt returns.

Our passing defense is a measly 19th-best in yards allowed this season. We have a terrible habit of giving up huge gains in a single pass play while we are nursing only a small lead. It cost us the game against the Colts a few weeks ago, and it almost cost us the game a few times in the most recent victory against the Jets.

A lot of focus was put into the Dolphins secondary this offseason to help strengthen our passing defense. We added a lot of talent with the drafting of rookies Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. So we have talent; the problem is that the talent is not always enough in the NFL. Experience is just as important.

Davis and Smith will have to take every possible tidbit of experience they can get in order to develop in the speed Miami needs them to. Do not be worried though, because things can only get better from here.

Our other weakness is kick and punt returns. We are unable to give our offense good field position the majority of the time because of our horrible return yardage. Thankfully our offense is so strong that we can drive down the field from anywhere, but it would be a lot easier and less tiring for our offense if we could just give them a smaller distance to travel.

With the season-ending injury to Patrick Cobbs, we have to get a new return man. That will probably end up being Ted Ginn Jr., so hopefully he can make something happen and make things easier for our offense.

If the Miami Dolphins are able to improve their pass defense and return kicks and punts farther, then we can really start making a mark and go deep into the playoffs. Everything else is already there—we just need to add those two little aspects to complete the circle of success.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Addressing The Miami Dolphins’ QB Situation

As you may know by now, the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback Chad Pennington is out for the season because of a shoulder injury sustained against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. So, I feel like I should analyze the Dolphins’ “new” quarterback situation.

The most likely starter is quarterback Chad Henne, who played excellently in college for Michigan. Henne has a strong arm and has been studying under Pennington long enough to know what he needs to do. Hopefully with the added arm strength, Miami will be able to be more of a deep threat in the passing game.

When Pennington led the offense, Miami would only throw for short passes and gains. Their offense was very possession-oriented with no regard to a big gain. This offense was moderately successful, but it left too much room for error, simply because of the massive amount of plays they ran.

My hope is that offensive coordinator Dan Henning will alter our passing game philosophy to a more aggressive scheme. The run game is there, we just need a more potent passing offense to go with it.

One question is how Miami will incorporate Pat White. If they started White, then he would add a running threat that could be very dangerous for opposing defenses. White also has a stronger arm than Pennington, so that would be a plus.

With the very recent addition of Tyler Thigpen, the Dolphins have added more experience to the mix. I do not personally think that Thigpen should be starting because of the potential we have from Henne and White, but Thigpen is a good quarterback who would help the Dolphins a lot more than he would hurt them. So, I am glad that we got him.

While White, Henne, and also Thigpen will add more arm strength to Miami’s offense, there is no replacing Pennington’s accuracy. He leads the NFL in all-time completion percentage, and by “leads the NFL” I mean since the formation of the league.

The National Football League has never seen a more accurate passer than Pennington in its entire existence. That is pretty amazing. But, I am willing to give up that immaculate completion percentage for the more risky tactics that we will most likely have with Henne or White. It will definitely be more interesting to watch.

So, while Pennington’s injury may at first look like a curse, it could end up being a blessing because of the added deep pass threat we will get from our other quarterbacks.

Now, aside from all of this conservative thinking, what I would really love to see is Pat White as a starter. We already know about his great running skills, but a lot of people forget that he was still a great passer when he played for West Virginia. People just figure that because he runs so well he must be a mediocre passer, but he is really not. With White in, Miami would have a lot of dangerous threats in their offense that opposing defenses would have to worry about. It would be an amazing thing to watch.

No matter what I say, it all comes down to the coaches’ decision, though. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully Tony Sparano, Bill Parcells, Dan Henning, and whoever the other masterminds in Miami are that design everything can make this quarterback situation work out in the end.

I’ll just be along for the ride.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins’ Ted Ginn, Jr.: Big-Time Receiver or Possession Receiver?

After the Miami Dolphins’ Monday Night Football loss against the Indianapolis Colts, there are a lot of good points to build off of, but there are also some major problems on the team.  Among those glaring problems was Ted Ginn, Jr.’s inability to make a big play when he was needed most.

Late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Chad Pennington threw the ball to Ginn in the end zone, who was only in single coverage.  The ball was perfectly placed and it hit Ginn right in the hands, but it bounced right out for an incompletion.  Every receiver is taught that whenever the football touches your hand, you should catch it.  Ginn didn’t, and it cost Miami the game.

Since the beginning of last season, everyone has been watching Ginn to see if he can develop into the star receiver that he was drafted to be.  He has shown a lot of improvement since his first season in the NFL, but will he continue that improvement until he develops into a star receiver?  Or, will he just be a possession receiver without any big play-making ability?

Ginn was definitely more of a possession receiver against Indianapolis, catching many key passes to help move the chains.  But I do not think that this will be the case for Ted Ginn’s entire career.  I can see him developing into a star, and he may develop sooner than you think. He was a big-time receiver when he played college football at Ohio State, and as he gets more comfortable in the NFL he should be able to take on the big-time role like he had in college.

And, before anyone starts talking about looking for a new receiver to take the number one spot in Miami, consider this: Despite what you want to think, Ginn had a great game against the Colts.  Except for that one play, he caught pretty much every ball that was thrown his way.  If that play had never even occurred, then we would be talking about his amazing performance instead of wanting him to be replaced.

All I ask is that you give Ginn a little more time before you start looking at possibilities to replace him.  You can probably expect a big rebound when the Dolphins head to San Diego to face the Chargers.  After a dismal Week One for Miami’s offensive line, they rebounded very well against the Colts.  I bet the coaching staff had a lot to do with that rebound, so they will be looking to motivate Ginn to rebound from that catch for next week.

Please also note that I am not at all okay with Ginn’s dropped catch Monday.  I guarantee you that I was just as much, or even more, mad than anyone reading this right now when Ginn dropped that pass.  I have replayed it bouncing off of both of his hands hundreds of times in my head.  I probably will not forgive him for it for quite some time, but I just don’t think that it will be an indicator for the rest of his career.

So, back to the original question: Will Ted Ginn ever be a big-time receiver, or will he always be a possession receiver?

My answer is that yes, he will end up being a big-time receiver.  He will just take some time to develop into one.  There are too many reasons for why he will be a big-time receiver, one of them being his extremely successful career with the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Expect Ted Ginn, Jr. to have a big rebound week against the Chargers Sunday, but he will probably take until next season to really develop into a star receiver in the NFL.

But, please, do not count Ted Ginn, Jr. out yet.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Will Plaxico Burress’ Fate Be Similar To That of Michael Vick’s?

As probably everyone reading this already knows, Michael Vick was recently signed by the Philadelphia Eagles after serving an 18-month prison sentence for bankrolling a dog-fighting ring among other things. Now, almost as many of you also probably know that Plaxico Burress will be serving around two years in prison for accidentally shooting himself with an unlicensed gun. Both Burress and Vick were premier players in the NFL before having to serve prison time.

My question is: Will Plaxico Burress be welcome back like Michael Vick was when he gets out of jail?

My short answer is: Probably, most people consider Burress’ crime to be less “horrible” than Vick’s crime.

Now for a more detailed answer: Burress will most likely be welcomed back to the NFL much more willingly by teams and fans because what he did did not involve taking any lives whereas Vick killed and was responsible for the deaths of multiple animals. That should be reason enough for people to let Burress back.

 

Burress’ Intentions

One argument against Burress’ case is that he may have had the gun with the intention of using it against someone later. He can just say that he was carrying the gun for self-defense even if that was not his intention because there is nothing to prove otherwise. If that is a legitimate argument, then you are comparing human lives against animal lives.

I will let you decide which is more “important” because this article is on sports and not ethics.

 

Skill Comparison

After a long period of time in jail, any athlete is very likely to lose at least some of their athletic ability. It is just a fact of the human body. If you cannot practice certain aspects of football, then you will be weaker in those aspects than what you were able to practice. 

From what I have heard, Vick has still retained a lot of the talent that he had before he served his prison time. It will be interesting to see how much talent Plaxico Burress is able to keep after an even longer sentence than Vick. Talent will obviously be a huge factor in Burress signing with a team.

 

Opposition

A huge part of the challenge for Vick to come back was all of the opposition that he faced from animal lovers and groups like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Burress will not have nearly the same resistance from people who are against guns than Vick had from people who are against animal cruelty.

 

Random Factors

There are also a few other factors that were key in Vick making his return, that Burress will also have to do something similar to. For one thing, Vick had the respected Tony Dungy mentoring him throughout his progress back into the NFL. If Burress can find someone who is willing to mentor him throughout his progress into the NFL, then he should be much more likely to play professional football.

Another key to Vick’s journey back to the NFL was his ability to prove that he felt remorse for the crimes he committed. This may not sound as important for Burress to do as it was for Vick, but it is pretty close to the same importance. That is because you want Burress to learn that he should not carry around anything illegal (especially a weapon) and to prevent it from happening again.

 

If Burress is able to show that he will be able stay out of trouble, and if he can keep the majority of his previous talent then we should see Burress in an NFL uniform around two years from now.

A Look at The Miami Dolphins’ Upcoming Schedule: Part Two

Here is part two of my 2009-10 Miami Dolphins preview. Once again, I will not bore you with details of the past, but with predictions for the future. That is what you came to read.

So without further ado, let’s begin:

 

Week 5: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

The Jets are coming off of a disappointing season last year because of a certain prima donna that should be retired and at home right now. They now have a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez, and have kept the same depth in the running back position with Leon Washington and Thomas Jones sharing carries.

The key to this game will be Miami’s ability to shut down the running game. Jones and Washington are a big reason the Jets did well last year, so if the Dolphins can cut off that part of the Jets offense then they should win the game.

 

Week 6: Bye

 

Week 7: New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins

The Saints have a great passing attack with quarterback Drew Brees slinging the ball long. Brees almost broke the record for most passing yards in a season last year, so he really knows how to move the ball down the field. Miami’s cornerbacks need to step up in Week Seven to contain Brees’ high powered passing attack.

New Orleans was one of the top-10 worst teams in passing yards allowed last season, so if Chad Pennington is able to throw over the Saints, then there is a good chance they can win in Week Seven.

 

Week 8: Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

The two teams meet up again in New York just three weeks after their last meeting. Look for this game to be much more intense as one of these teams try to get back at the other for losing the previous game.

The Jets also had the third-worst rushing defense in the NFL last year. So look for Miami to heavily utilize the running game. This game will most likely depend on Miami’s run offense and how well the Dolphins can gain yards on the ground.

 

The biggest key of this part of the season is how well Miami can play against the Jets. If they are able to beat the Jets once, then they can probably beat them again. So, there is a good chance that the Week Five game will determine how the Week Eight game goes as well.

A Look at the Miami Dolphins’ Upcoming Schedule: Part One

Everyone knows about how well the Miami Dolphins did last year and how much they surprised everyone, so I will not bore you with yet another overview of what happened in 2008-2009. You clicked on my link (which was hopefully on the top of the Dolphins page) to read about this year and not last, so that is what I will give you.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my 2009-2010 Miami Dolphins Preview Part One. So sit back, relax, and feel free to post whatever confrontational comments you need at the bottom. I will not post my predicted outcome of the game because I know that I would be very biased and pick the Dolphins to win every game.

Oh, and I will try and keep it short and sweet for those of you BRers with a short attention span.

 

Week One: Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons

This game will be a huge deciding factor for both teams. The Falcons are also coming off of an amazing turnaround season last year, so this game will help determine whether either team has been able to build off of last year’s success.

A big battle will be between a promising young quarterback who did great last year (Matt Ryan) and an inconsistent veteran who also did exceptionally well last year (Chad Pennington). The battle that most people will be watching is the running game.

The Falcons have a premier running back in Michael Turner, and the Dolphins have a premiere running and now passing scheme with the Wildcat formation and multiple players able to run the ball well.

The key to Miami winning is to keep up the scoring from last year. If they can consistently score, then the defense will most likely hold up its side of the bargain.

 

Week Two: Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins open their first home game of the year against the Colts. Peyton Manning had a mediocre season compared to what he usually has last year. I believe that this year will not be much better because he is no longer underneath Tony Dungy. Yes, I know that Jim Caldwell (Colts head coach) used to be the Colts’ offensive coordinator.

I just do not feel that they can do as much without Dungy. If Miami wants to win, they should focus on shutting Manning down.

 

Week Three: Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers

The Chargers were a very mediocre team last year even though they made the playoffs. They went 8-8 and won the wild-card game in the playoffs last year. They are the best pick to win the AFC west, but that is not saying too much.

The Chargers’ RB LaDainian Tomlinson has really gone down from a few years ago when he was the best running back. Chargers QB Phillip Rivers had a great year in which he should have made the Pro Bowl.

But, that is a different story (which I have so kindly given you the link to). Rivers should provide a challenge for the Dolphins new revamped secondary, so we will see whether they are up to it. If Miami can stop Rivers then they will probably get the W.

 

Week Four: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

The Bills had a very disappointing season last year. They started off on a really great run and then just started losing. They have a mediocre quarterback in Trent Edwards, but they have a great running game with running back Marshawn Lynch. The game will most likely depend on the Bills’ defense, though.

The Bills had one of the worst defenses in the league last year, but have added numerous new players to help restart their once weak defensive efforts. If Miami can exploit the holes in the Bills’ defense, then they should be able to get a reasonably easy win.

 

I hope you enjoyed Part One of my Dolphins season preview. I enjoy a good argument, so please feel the urge to post below. Make sure to look for Part Two coming soon.

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010