NFL Network Analysts Need To Leave Brandon Marshall Alone

It is incredible how much people use a microscope on Brandon Marshall.

Even after he has an incredible performance for the Miami Dolphins it wasn't enough for analysts on NFL Network. Marshall had 10 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure that those are good statistics for a receiver.

In the video on NFL.com the analysts talk about how Marshall is a playmaker and he needs to be ready to make a play, but doesn't because he is tired after a long game. While that may seem like a good argument on their part, it actually isn't.

Here is the video

If you watch the video, you will notice that Chad Henne hardly even looks Marshall's way. Marshall is used as more of a decoy than anything else. Henne threw the ball to the opposite side of Marshall on two of the three plays including the last play.

The Dolphins were expecting the Jets to put extra coverage on Marshall, so they wanted to throw it to somebody else who New York wouldn't have expected them to.

While it didn't work, it was still a good idea. I know we all wanted Henne to throw it to Marshall, but the Jets were ready for them with their best coverage men against him.


I just don't think it is fair to slam Marshall after such a good game. It seems like the Dolphins have their passing plays already mapped out ahead of time, and maybe Marshall was not supposed to be thrown to during any of the plays except the first fade.

That's all for now. Do you agree with the analysts, or do you think they are being too critical? Let me know what you think.

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Special Teams Play Is The Miami Dolphins Biggest Weakness

Despite all of the talk about the Miami Dolphins needing to remove the wildcat from their offense, there is a bigger problem they have to deal with.

Poor special teams.

Special teams has been overlooked for the Dolphins this week because of the wildcat's recent ineffectiveness, and while the wildcat still is a problem it has not hurt Miami nearly as much as poor special teams has.

At Least Dan Carpenter Makes Most Of These

A big reason Miami lost to the New York Jets was our special teams play. From poor kickoff and punt coverage to kicking the ball out of bounds on kickoffs to having a punt blocked deep in their own territory, the Dolphins might as well have just handed the Jets the win.

There is nothing like always having to play defense on a short field and always having to play offense on a long one. You can have a great defense, but that defense can only do so much when they have a short field to work with.

This hasn't been a recent thing, either. It was a problem last year, too. Ted Ginn Jr.'s two kick return TDs against the Jets may have masked the special teams poor performance during the rest of the year, but it was still bad.

It seemed to me like our return game would have improved with the addition of Clifton Smith at the beginning of this season, but that was short-lived as the Dolphins released him after Week 2.

Miami's Special Teams Coordinator John Bonamego has not been impressive thus far, and I can't help but wonder how long he will be with the team. I hope he will be able to pick up the special teams for his sake as well as the teams, but I am not so sure how long he will last.

But, I don't care how they do it. I just want the Miami Dolphins to fix their special teams because I hate seeing them do well on offense and defense only to lose it on special teams.

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Should The Miami Dolphins Scrap The Wildcat?

This Cat Needs To Go Away For A Little While

The Wildcat has been great for the Miami Dolphins since they brought it in two years ago, but recently is has been a hindrance more than a help for the Dolphins offense.

No other team has been able to successfully run the wildcat with any consistency like Miami has, and a large part of that has been because Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have put a lot of time and effort into learning and running it well. It has also been able to work so well because of the Miami Dolphins commitment to staying with and continuing to develop it.

But, even after all the work that the Miami Dolphins had put in it, it has only seemed to get in the way this season. More than anything else, the wildcat has just interrupted the momentum that we gained from the passing offense.

Every time the offense has been in a rhythm and able to get the ball moving the Dolphins would run the wildcat and instantly kill all of their momentum.

It has become an unwelcome visitor to many people like me who want to see the Dolphins develop into a passing team, and many fans have already called for its permanent removal from the offense.

So, here is my proposal for a different idea that would probably work out the best for Miami's offense:

The Miami Dolphins need to put the wildcat away for at least a few, and maybe as many as 10, weeks.

Our passing offense has finally become what we were hoping it could be, so why would we bother keeping the wildcat in? Putting the wildcat away will give the passing offense more opportunities.

I don't know if people realize it, but we have a lot of incredible receivers. Brandon Marshall is a beast, but we also have a great supporting cast with him. Davone Bess doesn't drop anything, and Brian Hartline can be a threat deep at almost any time.

You may or may not remember, but the Dolphins offense opened up on the first play against New York on Sunday night with a bomb from Chad Henne to Brian Hartline, and Hartline would have had a huge catch for a gain if Henne had not overthrown him by a couple of inches.

Another benefit of putting it away is that we could bring it out in a crucial game when our opponent doesn't prepare for it because they believe it is gone for good. What helped the wildcat when it first came out against New England was the Patriots were not prepared at all for it.

Now teams are prepared for it, so it doesn't work as well.

I understand why the Dolphins coaches want to continue to run it, but there has to be a point where you realize that it is not working as well as you planned and it is time to leave it for a while.

It isn't like Miami won't be running the ball, either. They can still hand it off to Ronnie and Ricky, but it would be out of a normal offense when the defense still has to worry about the threat of a pass. Whenever they lined up at the wildcat defenses weren't as concerned with covering the pass because it was not a huge threat. The main threat was the run, and defenses are starting to really stop it.


That is just what I believe the Miami Dolphins should do. I don't honestly think they would be willing to drop the wildcat for any long period of time, but we will see.

Thanks for reading, and I apologize that I did not get this post up sooner. I had an extremely painful migraine last night, and I didn't feel well enough to sit up, let alone get on my computer.

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Brandon Marshall Is Everything The Miami Dolphins Want Him To Be And More

Who else is excited about Brandon Marshall's performance for the Miami Dolphins Sunday night?

I know I am. Marshall is three catches ahead of pace (22 receptions) if he wants to reach 100 this season. In his performance Sunday he had 166 receiving yards, 10 receptions, and a touchdown.

Marshall is a big reason Chad Henne looked great last night. Heck, he is a big reason the Miami Dolphins looked great on offense as a whole. He is worth every penny of that fat contract he was awarded when the Dolphins got him.

In all honesty I was concerned about how Marshall would be this year. I knew he would do as well as the offense would allow him to do, but I didn't think the offense would allow him to do as much as he did against the Jets.

He Plays Well In Orange I Think

I was also afraid that Chad Henne wouldn't be able to get Marshall the ball accurately. That has not been too much of a problem, but Marshall would have easily had two more touchdowns if Henne was able to put the ball on the mark in each of the first two games.

Not a problem, though. Marshall has emerged as a huge force for Miami despite the concerns surrounding the offense. It seems like a weird thing to think about, but I believe Miami is finally making a transformation to a more pass-oriented offense. It may still take a while for them to really become a pass-first offense, but we saw the beginnings of the shift to passing Sunday night.

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Miami Dolphins Secondary Falls Short In Close Loss To The New York Jets



The Running Game Did Not Fare Well Sunday Night



Oh, the highs and lows of professional football.

The Miami secondary and rushing offense was pretty unimpressive in the Miami Dolphins 23-31 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday Night.



Just one week removed from Jason Allen's breakout 2 interception performance against Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings he gave up a couple of big plays that could have ended the Jets drive late in the game.

It is a shame he couldn't make the big play because we probably would have won the game if he was able to.

I'm not concerned about the Dolphins defense just yet, though. It is only one game, and they were able to do pretty well if you exclude the Jets first two drives.

My concern is more for the offense, and especially the offensive playcalling. I understand the fact that you do not want to become one-dimensional in a game, but if the passing game is working why would the Miami Dolphins bother trying to run the Wildcat or another trick play?

Chad Henne was having a great night, so it puzzled me whenever Miami had momentum after a big pass and they would try and run the wildcat against a great run defense.

The wildcat is a great play, don't get me wrong, but it should not be what the Dolphins always try and run when they have some momentum. They ran it twice in a row last week in Minnesota right after a bomb to Brandon Marshall, and it seemed to me like they did it again a few times this week, too.

The passing game was working great, and I don't understand why they would try and switch to the run in the middle a successful drive throwing through the air.

Another complaint I have with the offense has to do with Chad Henne staring down who he is going to throw the ball to. I know I am not the only person who has noticed it. As soon as he hikes the ball you can tell who he is going to throw to immediately because he stares right at the receiver the entire play.

It actually worked out pretty well against the Jets, but I am not so sure it will always work. Let's just count on him developing out of that because it is not the greatest habit to keep as a quarterback.

Henne did have a great game, though. I like that type of offense a whole lot more than them running the ball a lot.

Now all we need the coaches to do is put the team in a mentality that they need to keep scoring and scoring and not just try and hold the other team off with defensive plays.

The Dolphins have too many close games, and it seems like they always play to the same level of whoever they are playing. I would like them to play at a higher level than some teams because they are capable of it. In close games all it takes is one mistake to lose it all, so why keep it close?

Miami fans need to give their team a break every once in a while and just blow a team out.

The Dolphins are going to lose all their fans from heart attacks late in the fourth quarter, and then they won't have enough fans to stay in business and root for them.

All in all, though, it was a pretty good game. Even though we lost we are still tied atop the division at 2-1. This season is far from over, and we will still have a chance to beat the Jets later this season.

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Chad Henne Will Shine On Prime Time For The Miami Dolphins

There is nothing like a nationally televised football game, unless of course, it is a nationally televised Miami Dolphins game.

This game will be Chad Henne's first game of the season that will be viewed by the entire country, and I expect him to show up in a big way Sunday night.

This is the game that proves to everyone that Chad Henne is a top quarterback in the NFL, and it could not have come at a better time.

The New York Jets are the perfect team for him to beat.

Practically anyone who follows football in the slightest knows about the self-proclaimed "Super Bowl Champions-to be" New York Jets. The casual fan will probably also know about the New York Jets very good defense because of how much they were talked about so much during the offseason.

Chad Henne, on the other hand, is someone that most casual fans do not know much(if at all) about. Henne has been good so far in just under a full year at the helm of the Miami Dolphins, but he has not been good enough to become a household name. He is no Peyton Manning, and not many people know much about him. Most fans have probably heard of him, but they do not pay much attention to him or consider him to be a really good quarterback.

That will change Sunday night.

Chad Henne is going to have a great game through the air, and people will recognize what he is able to do because of the defense he is playing.

If you walk up to a casual fan and ask him/her what team has the best defense in the NFL (without bias), chances are he/she would say the New York Jets, which is why when Henne shreds their defense Sunday night people will take notice. It won't even matter that Darrelle Revis is out with an injury because regular fans do not pay attention to names on defense. They just look at how the defense does as a whole.

The Miami Dolphins have not shown much of a passing offense in the previous two weeks, but I have reason to believe that will change. I think the Dolphins have been waiting to unveil their real passing offense until a big division matchup like this one.

This game is more important than either game that the Dolphins have won so far, which is why Miami will throw the ball more. They will need to put up points to assure a win, which would be huge for the AFC East division standings. A 3-0 start would be great for Miami, but it is especially important because it puts the Jets at 1-2.

The biggest impact would be on the mentality of the Jets, though. They came into this season thinking that the Super Bowl was all but theirs, but a loss to a team in their division would be crushing and hard to recover from.

It is a key game, and I don't see how the Dolphins could do anything but throw the ball to get ahead. Our defense will take care of Mark Sanchez. All we have to do is score.

Henne is capable of being successful. The play-calling has been what has hindered him to this point. The play-calling has to start to favor Chad Henne more if the Miami Dolphins want to continue winning this season.

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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Shut Down QB Mark Sanchez

When the Miami Dolphins play in their home opener this weekend their main concern should be on stopping one person:

Mark Sanchez.

I know that the New York Jets running game is supposed to be really great, but I am here to tell you that the running game should not be our main concern. The most important thing the Dolphins can do Sunday night is to get in Mark Sanchez's head by pressuring him all night.

You Might As Well Replace The 6 With A Target

Look at last week's game against the Vikings, for example. Adrian Peterson ran everywhere on the Dolphins, but they still couldn't win because Miami shut down Brett Favre and forced him to make mistakes.

They should do the same with Sanchez.

Sanchez is a young player, and when he is pressured he is definitely more likely to make a mistake than a more experienced player.

Mark Sanchez is the Miami Dolphins primary concern for two reasons. I have already mentioned the first reason, which is that he is young and inexperienced and Miami should be able to capitalize on his mistakes with turnovers. The other reason is that a potent passing offense is much more dangerous than a potent rushing offense.

We don't want Mark Sanchez airing it out all night because that would mean the Jets will put up a lot of points on the board. I am not yet sure if the Dolphins are capable of winning a high-scoring shootout just yet. I would rather a ground battle between the two that could be decided by turnovers.

Running the ball is less efficient than passing and does not give the offense a better chance to score. When you run the ball you have to depend on consistent yardage practically every play so you can earn a first down. All it takes is one loss of yards and you are at risk of having to punt the ball.

New York needs to lose confidence in Sanchez throwing against the Dolphins defense. That way they will have to run the ball, which is better because when a team is passing the ball they will usually get a first down after a single completion. That means they have room for a few incompletions and can still be successful. We don't want the Jets to have that option. We want them to be forced to run through the fear that Sanchez will throw a pick.

The NFL has already transformed into a passing league. You've heard it a million times before, and it is true. Teams have started to realize that the best way to win is to throw the ball, which is why we need to shut down Mark Sanchez.

That is my thinking. Do you agree that Sanchez is the main concern, or is the running game more of a concern?

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Brandon Marshall Has Not Been The Best Performing Offseason Acquisition For The Miami Dolphins So Far

Mike Nolan

When the Miami Dolphins added Brandon Marshall this offseason, there was not a single Dolphins fan that I know of that was disappointed with the move. Everyone agreed that Miami needed him, and he was exactly the type of receiver they were looking for.

Marshall has done well, too, but he has only done as much as the Dolphins have given him the opportunity to do. The play-calling on offense has not been in Marshall's favor as most would have liked, but he has still done well.

But -by no fault of his own- Brandon Marshall's performance this year for the Miami Dolphins has not been the best of the Dolphins offseason acquisitions.

No, that honor belongs to defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

He was hired as the defensive coordinator during the offseason, and he sure has performed well so far. He has completely turned around the Miami Dolphins defense, and he has turned them into an aggressive group that has not allowed many points to this point.

Brandon Marshall does have the potential to be be the best performing offseason acquisition, but the offensive play-calling is to blame for how he has done so far. But, it isn't like he has done bad. Nolan has just been really great.

I am not even sure whether Brandon Marshall will be able to perform better than Nolan's defense this season. Marshall could have a career year, but he still might not be the best performer because of how well Nolan is performing.

That is a good problem to have, though. Both have played really well, and it would be great for both to continue to do well(and better in Marshall's case).

Let me know your opinion. Do you think Marshall will be able to perform better than Nolan? I understand that Nolan does not technically perform, but you can consider what he does performing because you do have to be skilled to do it.

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Miami Dolphins Release Kick Returner Clifton Smith Way Too Soon

Former Pro Bowl returner Clifton Smith had been with the Miami Dolphins for less than a month before they released him this week.

Smith was brought in as a kick return specialist to help try and revamp the Dolphins normally poor return game. He was the perfect candidate for the Dolphins return spot, and it made sense when Miami picked him up.

What doesn't make sense , though, is the Miami Dolphins decision to release him. He didn't do much in the way of returning for two games, so they decided to release him? It seems a bit premature to me to release Smith after such a short period of time.

It isn't like he has been consistently bad for weeks and weeks. All he had was two bad games and they pulled the plug on him.

I wish they would have given him more time. It can take a little while to gel with your special teams unit, and I am pretty sure two games is not enough time.

Smith was a great returner who averaged 29.1 return yards on kickoffs last season with the Buccaneers. Why not take a chance and keep a guy like that around? If 30 return yards is just the average then he had a lot of returns that were longer than that. Imagine having that kind of return guy in.

He could have consistently shortened the Dolphins drives on offense significantly, and with a slow moving offense like we have right now he is the perfect guy to return in Miami.

Also, it wasn't he was taking up a lot of money from the team either. His contract (according to rotoworld.com) is $1.615 million for two years. To most people that is a lot of money, but for a player as talented at returning as Smith is it is nothing.

I would argue that he is worth twice that much. Big time kick returners are hard to come by, so you need to be sure to keep them if at all possible.

Let me know what you think about releasing Smith. Do you agree or disagree with the move?

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Miami Dolphins Fans Should Hope Darrell Revis Is Back For Sunday Night Football

Braylon Edwards and Darrelle Revis Against Each Other

New York Jets CB Darrelle Revis may not be playing this Sunday when they head to South Florida to play against the Miami Dolphins because of a hamstring injury.

At first glance Revis’ injury looks like a good thing for the Miami Dolphins. Him not in means that the Jets defense will not be as good, and Brandon Marshall will not be as restricted.

But, let me propose an interesting thought to you.

We do not want Revis to be out of the game because of injury. That is because when the Dolphins win, we don’t want to hear Jets fans making excuses as to why their team was unable to win. We want New York to be at full power when we beat them.

I hate hearing excuses about why the Dolphins won a game, so it would be better to eliminate those excuses ahead of time. We all know how much the Jets organization likes to talk. Imagine all of the excuses they would make if they lost with Revis out.

I don’t want to hear them, and you probably don’t either.

Sunday night is going to be a big statement night for the Miami Dolphins. It is going to be the night when everyone realizes the Dolphins are for real and not just an average team. I do not want to be hearing excuses from the Jets in a press conference after the game.

There is also the possibility that Braylon Edwards will miss the game because of a DWI that he was recently arrested for. I am not sure what will happen, but he may be suspended. That is just a guess on my part, though, and I have no source to back that up.

On another note, Dolphins CB Sean Smith wanted anyone who is going to the game Sunday to wear orange clothes and to howl like a wolf. I am not able to go to the game myself, but anyone who is able to go please be sure to wear orange.

What would you guys rather? I have a feeling that most of you would like Revis out, but I can’t be sure. Let me know with your comments.

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Imagine How Good The Miami Dolphins Would Be If They Passed The Ball More

Our Running Carries Too Big Of A Load

The Miami Dolphins win against the Minnesota Vikings last week was great because we surprised a lot of people with how well our defense did, and it was especially invigorating because the Dolphins have not had a 2-0 start since 2002.

But, despite the incredible performance on defense there are still some problems with our offense. Thankfully, they are problems that can be fixed, and they all have to do with the mentality and game plan of the offense.

The problem is that Miami’s offense is too conservative and does not pass the ball enough. Even when they are passing successfully like they did on the first drive against the Vikings they still continue to run the ball and play it safe.

I understand wanting to play it safe when it is late in the game and you are really trying to avoid turning the ball over, but why would you run the ball early in the game when you are only winning by 7 points? Why not throw the ball and try and get a 14 point lead instead?

I just find it weird.

I think it is time to stop holding Chad Henne’s hand and let him take this offense over. He is capable of leading this team, and he has the arm to throw the ball anywhere on the field. I get the feeling that Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning is still planning the offense like Chad Pennington is the one running it. He never uses Henne’s arm strength to throw the ball long.

When the Dolphins play a team that scores a lot how will they be able to keep up with that team if they are unable to score a lot of points. Our defense is great, but they will not always be able to hold teams to 10 points. We need the offense to pick up the slack a little bit and take pressure off the defense.

Not that I’m not confident in the Miami defense. On the contrary, I am extremely confident in them. I just know that no defense will have a game like Miami did against the Vikings every game of the season. It just doesn’t happen.

All we need to do is give Henne the reigns to the offense. We need to start trusting him some time, so why not now?

Let me know what you think about the offense. What do you want them to do?

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2-0 Baby! The Miami Dolphins Pull Out A Great Win Against The Minnesota Vikings

2-0!

What a game!

Even though Adrian Peterson was able to run everywhere in the second half we should still be really encouraged by the Miami Dolphins defensive showing. There is only so much you can do against a guy like Peterson, so performances like that will happen to the best of them.

What really saved the Dolphins was our ability to turn the ball over. Miami's secondary had three interceptions, and all three were crucial. The biggest surprise today was CB Jason Allen's impressive showing. Allen had 11 tackles and two interceptions. I apologize to Jason for ever doubting him, and I am extremely glad that he was in and able to make the big plays he did.

Another huge contributor was CB Vontae Davis. Without Davis we would have lost this game. Simple as that. He had a crucial interception on the goal line and he put the finishing hit on Adrian Peterson on the hugely important goal line stand in the 4th quarter. Yes, Karlos Dansby was the first player to wrap Peterson up and he was also crucial in saving the game, but without Davis there Peterson would have been able to reach for the endzone.

The pressure the Dolphins were able to put on Favre was incredible, too. Not only did they sack him three times, but they were able to bat the ball down on a big 4th down play early in the game. The best part about the pressure, though, was the fumble they forced on Favre that Koa Misi was able to recover for a touchdown.

Not only was it the first career touchdown (of hopefully many more) for Koa Misi, but it was also the touchdown that gave the Dolphins the points they needed to pull the game out in the end.

Moving along to the offense now.

Who loved the play call for Chad Henne to immediately throw the ball long to Brandon Marshall to start off the game? I know I did, and it helped the Dolphins to start their momentum and get in position for their first score.

It was great seeing the Dolphins start off with a statement like that game even though they didn't throw many more long balls afterwards.

And, did anyone else notice how well Jake Long covered Vikings DE Jared Allen? Allen was held to basically nothing. The only time he did do anything was when Henne scrambled and all he had to do was move in the other direction to tackle him. One of those tackles was considered a sack, but don't let that statistic fool you. Jake Long had him on lock all game.


I am so glad that the Miami Dolphins hired Mike Nolan as the defensive coordinator. Even with a young defensive corps that made a few mistakes (i.e. 12 men on the field call twice in the same drive) he was able to help lead the Dolphins to a victory.

Let me know what you guys thought about the game with your comment. If you would like to leave a comment you can just click here and it will take you to the commenting.

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Miami Dolphins vs Minnesota Vikings: 3 Things The Dolphins Need To Do To Win

Anyone Have Any Predictions As To How Well Henne Does Against The Vikings?

The Miami Dolphins are in Minnesota and are preparing for their game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings are predicted by a lot of "experts" and analysts to beat the Dolphins, and that is a shame for those analysts. I hate seeing analysts messing up picks because they are paid to be experts and when they mess up it looks bad, but that is what will have to happen Sunday.

I am sorry to say it, but anyone who picked the Vikings to beat the Dolphins will be wrong.

Miami has not won two straight games to start off the season since 2002, so this would be a pretty big win for Miami if they can pull it out. Especially since the Dolphins have really struggled to win at all in the beginning of previous seasons.

A lot will have to go right if the Dolphins want to beat the Vikings, but it is completely possible. People are overrating the Vikings, and especially Brett Favre, and they are underrating Miami this year. Brett Favre is nowhere near where he was last year.

Everyone knows it. They just do not want to admit it. But, they won't have a choice other than to accept it when the Miami Dolphins come in and stomp on Favre and his team. In order to do that, though, here are three things the Dolphins will have to do:


1. Capitalize On Brett Favre's Risks

Brett Favre is the king of risks.

There might as well be a variation of the board game Risk named after Favre called Risk: Brett Favre Edition. It would have a "waffling meter" that helps each player make decisions on attacking. Whenever a player wants to attack a country they would have to push a button and the "waffling meter" would decide whether the general wants to attack or not. The meter would go back in forth for an unnecessarily long period of time before finally deciding.

Just an idea.

Sorry about that, but I just couldn't resist. I will try to stay on topic for the rest of this article, though.

Favre does like to take a lot of risks, and that can be a great thing for his Vikings or a horrible thing. It always seems like he is going to try and fit the ball in there. It doesn't even matter to him if he has to throw it through a defenders chest, he will still try.

Sometimes it works, and he ends up a hero like he was for the majority of last season. Other times things don't work out so well, and he just ends up looking like an idiot like he did after his interception in the NFC championship game last year.

If the Dolphins want to win this game, their secondary must capitalize whenever Favre has one of those urges to throw even when he shouldn't, because when he gets an urge to pass the ball into an extremely tight spot he rarely doesn't act on it.

No one on the Dolphins defense got an interception last week against Buffalo, but that will have to change this week.


2. Pressure Brett Favre

This goes with #1, but it is also important on its own. The Dolphins D did a great job putting pressure on Trent Edwards last week. They were able to sack him three times, but the best part of their performance was their ability to bat down the ball whenever Edwards threw it.

We need them to continue the sacks and bat-downs on Favre Sunday. Both are great ways to kill offensive drives pretty quickly, and they keep Favre from having any chance to throw the ball long.

Also, the more pressure that we can apply on Favre, the more likely he is to take risks and throw the ball where he shouldn't. Pressure will turn in to turnovers, and that statement is always amplified when Brett Favre is the player being pressured.

Winning this game will start with pressuring the quarterback. It is a proven way to bring down prolific passing offense like the 2007 New England Patriots, so why would pressuring the quarterback not be a good way to bring down an offense without it's number one receiver and an old, beaten-up quarterback?


3. Passing The Ball Effectively

At first I wanted to title this reason "Passing The Ball Downfield", but I decided not to because we don't need Chad Henne throwing the ball deep every passing play. Not that I think the Dolphins will take advice from me. I just don't want people to think that I am some crazy fan who wants 80-yard bombs every play.

The Dolphins do need to keep their short-ranged passes in the offense for sure. Without them our offense would lose an important dimension. But, they do need to start throwing the ball longer than they did against Buffalo last week. 15 points is not good enough to win a lot in the NFL, and it was against the Bills, which makes it even worse.

We have the tools in place for Henne, now. We added Brandon Marshall for goodness sakes! What more could you want? Now all he has to do is get the ball to him.

Success on the long ball means more points, and more points means a better chance of winning. It is pretty simple.



If the Dolphins are able to do at least two of those three then they should come out with a win. I just can't wait to hand Brett Favre another loss since we beat him two years ago. It will be nice to go 2-0 and really start the season off well.

Let me know what you think about the Dolphins chances this week with your comment. To leave a comment just click here.

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Feast Or Famine: The Miami Dolphins Secondary Could Do Really Well Or Really Bad

He's Throwing An Interceptions To The Dolphins

Everyone knows Brett Favre, and everyone knows how he plays.

High Risk and High Reward.

He will always go for the big play because that is his style.

It is why he throws interceptions like he does. With those interceptions, though, come a lot of touchdowns. That is why he is considered by most to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football.

With Brett Favre your offense is either feast or famine. The same goes for opposing defenses, which is what the Miami Dolphins will be this week. They will either feast or famine on Brett Favre's throws.

Miami's secondary played extremely well last week, and even though that was against the Bills, they still did well. I want to see how well they can play against a much more talented passer like Favre.

It is very possible that they can do well against Favre. Our defense is very aggressive and can make things happen. They could capitalize on mistakes and risks that Favre takes and turn them into turnovers.

But, that could also work the other way around. Favre could capitalize on the Miami Dolphins mistakes and risks. Basically, that means that the winning side will be the one who is able to risk successfully and capitalize on the others.

Honestly, I like Miami's chances this week. I know a lot of people are doubting the Dolphins, but they will do a lot better than they are predicted to. Favre is nowhere near where he was last season. He is slower and can't throw as far or fast. On top of that he doesn't even have his best receiver to help him out. Greg Camarillo is great, but he is no Sidney Rice when it comes to making big plays.

But, I have one last question related to feasting or famine on Favre, and it is an interesting thought for you, my readers: Who is more aggressive? Brett Favre or the Miami Dolphins defense?

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Ricky Williams Had More Carries Than Ronnie Brown: Does That Mean Anything For The Miami Dolphins?

Two Of The Most Important Men In Miami

Here are two interesting statistics I found for the Miami Dolphins concerning Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams: 18 and 13. Those two numbers are the amount of carries the two backs had against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday.

Can you guess which back had 18 and which had 13?

You probably can because of the title, but if you had not read the title what would you have guessed?

Most people, including me, would have probably guessed Ronnie Brown had more carries. But, that is not the case. Ricky had 18 carries compared to Ronnie's 13.

Maybe the Dolphins are trying to really limit Ronnie Brown's carries to avoid injuries. I want Miami to hand off to Brown more because he averaged five yards a carry against the Bills, but I also don't want them to hand it off to him much more because he will be at a higher risk of injuries and we need him healthy.

I actually believe that Brown will not get more carries than Williams for the majority of the season. There may be the occasional game where we desperately need him to run, but I am willing to bet that he will not get more than Williams from week to week.

Ricky Williams is a very capable running back, which is why I don't think Brown will be needed to carry the biggest part of the load.

My belief is that we can rely on Ricky Williams just as much as Ronnie Brown.

Let me know what you think. Do you think Ronnie Brown will get more carries than Ricky or less? Am I overrating Ricky?

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For The First Time In My Miami Dolphins Life I Am Rooting Against Greg Camarillo

Too Bad He No Longer Wears This Jersey

I never thought that I would ever root against Greg Camarillo, but then again, I never thought Greg Camarillo would play for a different team in the NFL.

But in less than a week rooting against Camarillo is exactly what I will be doing. It is a shame that he is gone, but I have no choice other than rooting against him. He is no longer with the Miami Dolphins.

I do wonder how well Camarillo will be able to do in Minnesota. After all, he was practicing against this Dolphins secondary during a lot of training camp. He might know a few secrets about how to beat the secondary.

That could work both ways, though. The Miami Dolphins secondary may know tricks to shut Camarillo down.

I know it sounds like I am saying that Camarillo is a big play threat, and we all know he is not, but he is extremely good at catching everything that comes his way and getting first downs. We want our secondary to keep the ball from getting to his hands because that is where he is so dangerous.

Hopefully they know his tendencies, because nothing is more frustrating than giving up a first down after a third and long, and that is something Camarillo will do to you. He will keep a drive going and help his offense get in better position to score.

The Vikings hardly used Camarillo at all last week, but he still impressed with a great 29 yard catch. So, it is very possible that Minnesota will use him more this week. While I still like Greg Camarillo a lot and hope that his career is a huge success from here on, I hope that he waits another week and then continues his great career during week three.

Let me hear it. How do you think Camarillo will do? Will he be an important factor in the Vikings offense on Sunday?

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Hopefully The Miami Dolphins Will Be Alright Without DE Jared Odrick

Jared Odrick

The Miami Dolphins starting right end Jared Odrick has a hairline fracture in his leg that he hurt during the Dolphins season-opening win.

I have read reports that say he will be out two weeks, but I have also read reports that say he will be out as many as six weeks, so it is hard to know for sure which is right.

But, I did read a report that says he will be out a maximum of two weeks on espn.com. That report seems like the most legitimate of all the reports because it gives a definitive time limit that was given by the doctor Odrick saw.

Basically, he will most likely be out for only two weeks.

The Dolphins first round pick was really doing well, too, which is why it is a shame that he is injured. He played great in Buffalo, and he helped put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.

I am hoping that Miami will be ok without Odrick, and I believe they will be. Our secondary has really done well, and they should be able to do well in Minnesota against Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. Peterson is our main concern, but judging by the way we shut down C.J. Spiller I don't think he will be a huge problem.

Robert Rose is listed as Odrick's backup on the Miami Dolphins depth chart, and I have never heard of or watched him play. So, it will be interesting to see how he does. I am hoping he will be able to fill in and put some pressure on Favre.

That is all for now, and I apologize for not posting last night. Let me know what you think about Odrick, and if you know anything about Robert Rose.

Thanks for reading.

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Tony Sparano Announces That Sean Smith Will Join The Miami Dolphins Surging Defense

Jason Allen Did Very Good Sunday

Just over a day ago the Miami Dolphins completed a great defensive performance on the way to a win over the Buffalo Bills.

But, the Dolphins are already going to make a change. While I am not sure how significant the move will be to the defense, but it is significant to me. Head Coach Tony Sparano announced that CB Sean Smith would be playing next Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Smith did not play at all against Buffalo, and - in his usual fashion - Sparano said only a little bit using a lot of words.


"Sean is going to get out there, he's going to play. It's not a confidence thing it's not any of those things. I just keep trying to tell you guys that this guy is playing pretty good. (Jason Allen) did play good yesterday, so I just didn't feel like moving him. It wouldn't be any different if Sean was in there. I wouldn’t have played Jason if that was the case."


Basically, Sparano said that the reason he didn't play Smith wasn't that he was not confident in him. It was just that Jason Allen was playing well enough that he didn't need to put Smith in.

Sounds like a good problem to have to me. It will be interesting to see how Smith plays Sunday.

That is it for now, but is it just me, or does anybody else notice how Sparano interviews? He just doesn't say much even though he is talking a lot. Just a thought.

Thanks for reading.

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Miami Dolphins Beat Buffalo Bills 15-10 Despite Lackluster Special Teams

1-0 Baby!

I am not sure how happy I should be about this win.

One one hand, the Miami Dolphins were able to move the ball pretty well(except for the third quarter), and they were also able to shut down the Buffalo Bills offense for practically the whole game.

Most importantly, though, was that they were able to get a season opening win for the first time in forever. It is good to see a "0" in the losses column after the first game.

One the other hand, the Miami Dolphins special teams did not perform well at all. Yes, Kicker Dan Carpenter hit two field goals and Brandon Fields had an incredible punt to pin the Bills late in the fourth quarter, but that hardly makes up for the other problems with our special teams.

If you compare the points Carpenter earned, missed, and gave up, he ended up with 0 points. That probably does not make any sense, so let me explain:

Carpenter made two field goals, which is six points in his favor, but he also missed a field goal, which I count as a loss of 3 points. That puts his total at 3 points. Carpenter also kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff, which gave the Bills great field position on the 40 yard line. They used that position to get in field goal range and kick a field goal.

So, if Carpenter had not messed up on those two kicks then you would be looking at an 18-7 win (+3 to Miami for the missed field goal and -3 to Buffalo for the bad kickoff) for the Dolphins.

Another big problem was Punter Brandon Fields' punting on fourth downs. He had multiple punts that didn't go nearly as far as they should have and gave the Bills better field position. Thankfully, none of the punts hurt the Dolphins too much because of their strong defense.


Chad Henne, who is going to be the most scrutinized player until he starts doing extremely well, was pretty good in Buffalo. He was 21 for 34 with 182 yards and no touchdowns. He did good, but there were still a lot of incompletions because he was out of sync with the receivers. That will develop with time, though, and I am not worried about it. The running game will always be there to help in times of need.

Marshall was, as always, a reception machine with 8 receptions for 53 yards. He would have had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown if Henne had not underthrown him on a deep pass.

Overall, it was a good game and I am glad that we could get the win under our belts. Let me know what you think about the game. I am interested to hear your thoughts.

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Dolphin Shout Has Joined Bringing The House

Hey everyone.

I have some exciting news for Dolphin Shout now that the season has begun. Dolphin Shout has joined Bringingthehouse.com as the Miami Dolphins site.

Bringing the house is basically a football network with content from sites for each team, and the Dolphins content will be from Dolphin Shout.

I have added the banner on the left sidebar of the site, so feel free to check Bringing The House out.

Thanks for reading, and now it is time to get ready for football. I will try to put up some youtube videos with highlights. Hopefully it will work out well.

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Hey Bill Parcells, Thanks For Voicing Your Doubt Now That The Season Is Upon Us. We Really Appreciate It

Bill Parcells Must Still Be Working For The Jets

You may have heard by now that Bill Parcells is "very disappointed" in Chad Henne and how he as played this preseason. Parcells has also, apparently, said that Henne's development has had nothing to do with him stepping down as VP of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins.

Let me tell you right now that that is a load of crap. Parcells obviously believed that Henne, and subsequently the Dolphins, would not perform as well as he had hoped.

The player he had believed would be the savior for the previously mediocre Miami Dolphins did not have the preseason Parcells was hoping for, and it wasn't that he had not done well in the first few games of the regular season. It was that he didn't do well in the preseason. The four games that are supposed to be meaningless. The four games that the 2008 Detroit Lions had a perfect record during, but then went on to lose all 16 regular season games.

He wanted out of Miami because of preseason performance. He wanted out of Miami before he would be pinned with the blame of losing in the regular season.

Well that is too bad for you, Mr. Bill, because there won't be any blame to pin.

The Miami Dolphins are going to make the playoffs this year riding on the shoulders of Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall, and when they do you will be kicking yourself for leaving them.

I guarantee it

Parcells' comments couldn't have come at a much worse time, either. After all, the season opener is upon us. There is nothing better to help kick off your season than somebody with influence expressing doubt about your quarterback. An athlete doesn't want to hear that one of his superiors is not confident in his abilities a day before he plays in the season opener.

I am surprised that Parcells is so disappointed in Henne after the preseason. The PRESEASON. The only people who are allowed to be disappointed in a team/player's performance during a preseason game are paranoid fans.

The preseason means nothing, and an experienced coach like Bill Parcells should know that.

So thank you, Bill Parcells, for giving your quarterback confidence for his first ever season opener. It's great to know you think he will do well.

Nothing like starting off a season with a little bit of doubt.

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Miami Dolphins Center Joe Berger Is Just As Good As Jake Grove Without Injuries Or A High Paycheck

Joe Berger

The Miami Dolphins recently released Jake Grove who they signed in 2009 for a $29.5 million 5-year contract. Grove was guaranteed $14.5 million, so that is basically what he was paid for a year in the NFL. That is star quarterback money.

While signing Grove was an obvious mistake, he will not be missed at all. That is because Joe Berger is ready to step in to his place.

Berger and Grove were competing for the starting center spot, and the position battle between the two was probably the most competitive battle on the Miami Dolphins squad.

That means that the two were similar in talent because they would not really be competing with each other if they were not equally talented. The Dolphins released Grove mainly because of his injury concerns.

That is a good reason in itself because we do not want to have to worry about losing our center for however long. We can be confident that Berger will stay in for the whole season.

Another benefit is the money. Berger's contract is $700,000. That is significantly lower than what Grove would have made for the next few years. I do not know what Berger's contract will be like next season if he is successful for this season, but it is likely not going to be as much as Grove would have made.

Berger is also two years younger, so while that does not make a huge difference it is still better.

Thanks to everyone for reading, and please be sure to comment with the new system. Tell me what you think about Grove going and Berger starting.

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New Commenting System: I Need Your Help

Hello everyone.

I have noticed some problems with the commenting system, so I was forced to change it to a better one. It may take some getting used, but I think it will be better in the long run because the old comments were not cutting it.

I apologize to everyone, but I just had to fix the problems to allow everyone who wants to comment the ability to do so easily.

So, I am now asking you guys to please help me out and ensure that the comments are working. There are a few different ways to post comments. You can either post with an IntenseDebate account, Wordpress account, OpenID account, or as a guest.

They are all pretty simple and are the only options. Unless you have a Wordpress or OpenID account already, I would not recommend that you use those. The IntenseDebate comments are the best option if you do not want to post just as a guest.

To create an account all you have to do is click on the blue IntenseDebate box below the comment box, click the link "create an account", and then follow the instructions to create an account. Once you have created an account you can edit your profile, profile picture, and keep track of your activity using the account.


I need help from anyone who is willing to do so. If you experience any problems or run into any difficulties please email me at paul@dolphinshout.com

I need your feedback because I need to know how the comments work. I appreciate your help, and thank you for reading. I hope that my work is entertaining enough for you to read. If you ever don't like a certain style of how I write please feel free to tell me. I need to know what my readers like and do not like. The more feedback I get, the better the blog will be.

Thanks again, and please contact me at paul@dolphinshout.com

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Kick Returner Clifton Smith Has Joined The Miami Dolphins, And He Should Be A Big Help

Meet Our 10 Extra Yards Man

The Miami Dolphins have signed Clifton Smith, who is a kick return specialist.

His official position may be running back, but that is not at all why he is on the roster. He was brought in to do one thing, and that is returning kicks.

I am glad to see that we brought him in. Kick returning was not a strong point for the Dolphins, but bringing him in will make it a strong point.

Clifton averaged 29.1 yards per kick return, and he is much better than Ted Ginn Jr. was. Ginn's average was 24.9, and that was with 100 and 101 yard TD returns against the New York Jets. If you take away those two long returns, then Ginn's average becomes 21.05 yards per return.

That is almost a 10 yard difference on every return. That is a huge number, and it would be a lot nicer to be able to start 10 yards closer to the end zone on every possession.

Last year the Dolphins were always forced to have long drives, and when you combined the field position they had with their playing style, it was no wonder they had a huge time of possession every game. And, they didn't even benefit from that time of possession, either.

So, why tire our offense when we can shorten the drive and still get results?

Adding Clifton Smith was a pretty big move for Miami. While it may not seem like a very significant move, trust me it is. Shorter drives equal more points, and more points equal more wins.

Ted Ginn may have helped us win one game, but Smith will help us win every game.

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Bill Parcells: Is He Giving Up On The Miami Dolphins?

Bill Parcells.

Love him or hate him, it doesn't matter. He is still a master at putting together good teams.

Under his contract with the Miami Dolphins he was supposed to be the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for four years. He was going into his third year, which means he was supposed to stay for two more years.

But, the Dolphins have announced that Parcells is stepping down, and he will just be a consultant for the team.

I can't help but wonder whether he is giving up on Miami. It has not been the best preseason for the team, and maybe he is trying to leave before a bad season. I am not saying that the Dolphins are going to have a bad season, but I am saying there is a possibility.

Injuries have been killer to the Dolphins, and they have been especially bad on the offensive line. An offense is only as good as it's offensive line, and if our offensive line is hurt, so will our offense's production. Brandon Marshall can only do so much if Chad Henne gets sacked before he can throw him the ball.

I really do hope that the Dolphins will turn out good, but Parcells leaving the team early might be a bad sign.

On the optimistic side, though, maybe he is leaving because he has already worked his magic. Maybe the strong foundations have already been put in and he does not see anything else he can do. Maybe the Dolphins are better off than they appear.

I'm not sure which one it is, but I sure hope it is the latter. I don't want to suffer through any more years of mediocrity.

It is incredible to me how I was so optimistic about the team a month ago, and now I am not nearly as excited about this team. Let's just hope everything turns out ok.

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Jason Allen Has Been Named Starter For Miami Dolphins

Meet Our New Starting CB

You know we are in trouble when Jason Allen is starting over Sean Smith.

Maybe Jason Allen has finally developed into a good corner, and maybe he will be a big contributor to the Miami Dolphins. That's not likely, though.

The move of benching Sean Smith in favor of Jason Allen is a big concern to me. It is a bad thing for two reasons. One, Smith must be really struggling, and two, we have to resort to putting Allen in there.

This move also comes at a terrible time because veteran CB Will Allen has just been put on IR, so he can't step in.

There are three good scenarios that we can only hope for:
1. The Dolphins pick up another very talented CB off waivers or free agent, but that is unlikely because there probably isn't too much talent available.

2. Jason Allen ends up being a very successful corner. He hasn't done too much in his 5 year career, but maybe he has really started developing. One can only hope.

3. Sean Smith comes back and better than ever. This would be my preferred outcome. Smith is my favorite player on the Miami Dolphins. I'm not positive, but it is possible he has just gotten a little bit lazy this off-season. I honestly do not know for sure, but I don't know why else he would have lost his spot to Allen.


Hopefully we end up with one of those outcomes, but I am not really sure that we will. This team looked so good in the off-season and coming into the preseason. Injuries and poor exhibition play has really dampened my spirits.

What is even worse is the fact that my two favorite players on the Dolphins have been traded away and benched in the last month. Smith has been benched and Greg Camarillo was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for CB Benny Sapp.

With the way our luck is, Sapp may end up being the starter because Allen isn't doing well, either.

Oh well, I am still excited about this year. Hopefully Brandon Marshall is all he was in Denver and more, because we definitely need him now.

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Pat White Was A Draft Bust, But That Does Not Mean The Miami Dolphins Have A Lot Of Bad Picks

Pat White Is Now Gone

The Pat White era with the Miami Dolphins was short-lived and unsuccessful, and anyone who disagrees with that is a fool.

The Miami Dolphins cut him after just one season of doing pretty much nothing. He was brought in to help with the Wildcat offense - among other things - and was unable to do so effectively.

But, just because the Dolphins made a mistake in drafting Pat White does not mean that they have been unsuccessful in drafts. In fact, they have been quite the opposite. Pat White is one of only a few mistake the Miami Dolphins have made in the NFL Draft in the past three years under the leadership of the "Trifecta".

Miami's top three draft picks from this years draft, for example, are all very strong candidates for starting jobs. First-round pick Jared Odrick is currently listed as the starter at defensive end, second-round pick Koa Misi is listed at the starting strong-side linebacker spot, and third-round pick John Jerry is listed as the starting right guard ahead of Cory Procter.

That sounds like a pretty good use of the Dolpins early-round picks, and with one of their late-round picks, Miami picked up CB Nolan Carroll. Carroll has been really impressive this preseason, and has exceeded all expectations that most fifth round picks would have.

As impressive as the 2010 NFL Draft was, it still couldn't match the draft in 2009. Here is a list of the starters with a small analysis of each:

Vontae Davis CB - 1st Round
Davis has turned into one of the premier CBs in the NFL. He is currently the number 1 CB on the Dolphins offense, and he matches up with the best receivers in the NFL.

Sean Smith CB - 2nd Round
Smith has also developed into a talented CB since he was drafted. As a rookie he started all 16 games last season. It figures that he will also be starting all 16 this year.

Brian Hartline WR - 4th Round
Hartline will be starting opposite of Brandon Marshall at the receiving spot. He has turned out to be a great pick for Miami. He lead the Dolphins receivers in receiving touchdowns and yards per reception.

Chris Clemons FS - 5th Round
This was a tremendous pick for the Dolphins, and although he didn't do much last season, his impact will be felt this season. The Dolphins main weakness coming into the offseason this year was the Free Safety position, but Clemons has since calmed those worries with an extremely good offseason. I would be willing to argue that he is among the top 3 Dolphins drafted in the last three years in terms of value.


The 2008 draft also provided the Dolphins with some key parts of our current team. We picked LT Jake Long with the first overall pick, and since then he has made the Pro Bowl every season in the league. We also acquired our current starting QB Chad Henne late in the second round. On defense Miami picked up Kendall Langford, who is listed as a starter at LE.

That seems like another good draft to me.


So, anyone who complains about the Dolphins drafting ability needs to do their research. Sure, Pat White was a big bust and a waste of a second round pick, but those things happen. The Dolphins currently have 10 starters from the last three draft classes. That is a pretty impressive number of starters for just three years.

I want to hear from you. How do you think the Dolphins have done in the past three NFL Drafts? Who do you think are the top three value picks (talent compared to round they were drafted in) of the draft, as well?

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In An Interesting Move The Miami Dolphins Release WR Patrick Turner

Patrick Turner

In a move that I found pretty surprising, the Miami Dolphins released WR Patrick Turner. Turner was finally showing some promise this preseason after not really doing much in his rookie season last year.

The Dolphins were expected by a lot of people to release either undrafted receiver Marlon Moore or undrafted receiver Roberto Wallace. Instead they got rid of Turner, though. All three players have shown a lot of promise this offseason, so it isn't like Turner is a big loss to the team.

Moore and Wallace have been surprisingly good since the Dolphins picked them up after they went undrafted.

It is a little bit ironic that the Dolphins keep two players that were not even drafted on the same day that they released QB Pat White who they drafted in the second round of last year's draft. Pat White may not have been the best draft pick, but Wallace and Moore seem to be pretty good picks after the fact.

But, back to the releasing of Turner. I honestly did not see that move coming. I thought that because Turner was finally coming around that they would be willing to keep him around. Maybe they just decided to not let him have some time to develop and just let him go.

I want to say it is kind of like Pat White's situation, but I am not sure whether Turner got as much of a chance as White did. Whether they saw him as a Pat White-type pick or not, he is gone now.

I actually kind of like the move. We get two people with a lot of potential. What's your opinion on the move? Do you like it, or do you think we should have released somebody else? Let me know in the comments.

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