Miami Dolphins Win 22-14 Despite Too Many Field Goals

Apparently This Man Is The Dolphins MVP

I never thought I would hate when the Dolphins score a certain way, but now I dread seeing them add three points to the board. The Miami Dolphins score entirely way too many field goals.

I just don't understand how the Dolphins offense is able to move pretty deep into enemy territory consistently and then can't ever get into the end zone. I do know that it is 99% Dan Henning's fault, though.

I think it is time to fire Henning, or at least start looking for his replacement. He just doesn't seem capable of calling the right plays when Miami's offense is close to scoring. He is too conservative, and that puts more pressure on our defense because field goals aren't exactly the best way to build a lead and give the defense a cushion.

Miami has a bunch of talent, and Dan Henning doesn't know how to use it. He is lucky with what he has, and if he had a team that was any less talented he would have probably been fired already.

If you tell most fans of other teams that their team will be able to score 6 times in their next game, then they would probably be pretty excited. Not a Miami Dolphins fan, though. Most Dolphins fans would know that most of those scores would be field goals, and that the defense would have to really carry the team.

It is just annoying to watch, and someone needs to be held accountable. That someone should be Dan Henning. Fire him and bring in somebody who knows how to score. That is all I ask.

Let it be known, there is one good thing we can take away from Miami's terrible knack for only getting field goals. That is that Dan Carpenter will definitely represent the Dolphins in the Pro Bowl. How could he not if he gets five field goals every game?

Marshall Watch
Brandon now has 47 receptions. That leaves him needing 5.8 receptions per game to reach 100, and I am very, very confident he will be able to do it.

Let me know what you think about the game, and thanks for reading.

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Game Time Is Upon Us: How Will The Miami Dolphins Do Tomorrow?

We are less than 24 hours from kickoff for the Miami Dolphins game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

I feel like we have a great chance to win this week. After being able to hang with the Steelers this game should be an easy win. It most likely won't be an easy win, though, but it should be a win nonetheless.

Give me your predictions for the game in a comment below. Here's mine:

Dolphins 35 - Bengals 21


Enjoy the game!

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Sean Smith Will Finally Get A Chance Again Starting For The Miami Dolphins

Much to my delight, the Miami Dolphins will apparently be starting Sean Smith against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.

Sean Smith

Smith said that he would be starting during a radio interview Thursday Morning, and it makes sense to me.

He was replaced by Jason Allen as a starting CB at the beginning of the season, and he hasn't started since then. If you don't remember Sean started every game last season as a rookie, so it was a little weird that he hadn't started at all this year.

Allen did start out the season playing well. He had 2 interceptions against Brett Favre, and he leads the team in interceptions this season with 3. That statistic is not a good indicator of his performance, though. The reason he has more interceptions than Vontae Davis is because quarterbacks are much more reluctant to throw the ball in Vonate's direction.

They know Davis is capable of batting down the ball or intercepting it so they don't throw it at him. They do, however, throw it at Jason Allen a lot, and the fact that he has only gotten three interceptions so far is a little disappointing. This was supposed to be his comeback year after not playing too well since the Dolphins drafted him 16th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, but he is almost always the defender beat by opposing receivers.

I have not completely given up on Allen, because he hasn't been playing terrible, but he hasn't been good enough to match up one-on-one with the top receivers in the league.

My hope is that Sean Smith will be able to match up better than Allen. He has the size, and I am confident he will be able to handle "enemy" receivers.

He is my favorite player on the Dolphins defense, so he better.

What I like so much about him is his confidence. To be the best you have to think you are the best, and Sean Smith does. His mindset is his strength, and any athlete who wants to be successful needs to have a confident mindset, in my opinion.

We will see how Smith does. From what I can tell Smith and Allen will be rotating in and out, so watch and see who does better because it will mean they will probably get the starting nod.

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Refs Messed Up Dolphins Game Against Pittsburgh Again

Not that you guys probably want to be reminded about the referees messing up the Steelers game, but here is something else they messed up on.

The Dolphins very last offensive play before the turnover-on-downs against the Steelers will be counted as an interception for Chad Henne.

If you remember, the ball was knocked from Chad Henne's hands as he started to throw it, and the ball hit the ground while a Pittsburgh defender was trying to intercept it.

Replays showed that the Steelers defender obviously didn't intercept the ball, and we all assumed that it was just considered an incompletion. It wasn't, though, and while it doesn't affect the result of the game, it is just another mistake that the officiating crew made late in the game.

But, that is not the main idea of this post. I know the title makes it sound like it, but I have to say the following.

I am going to use the rest of this post to talk about a complaint I have about how the mistake by the officials of last Sunday's game have been handled. I am sorry to anyone who doesn't want to hear more about last week's game, but I was thinking about this and it got me pretty mad. So, I figured I would write about it.

But, before I say anything else, let me get this across. I don't hate any of the referees who were officiating the Dolphins-Steelers game. I understand that people make mistakes, and nobody is perfect.

What I don't like, though, is that the NFL (or somebody representing them) has not apologized for the mistake made late in the game. Referees make mistakes, and normally instant replay can fix those mistakes, but this time it didn't, and the referees' mistakes cost Miami the game.

Sure, referees are obligated to think quickly and make decisions quickly, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have tried to see who recovered the ball. Their mistake was that they didn't bother to see which team ended up with the ball. The call may have been a touchdown, but you never know what could happen. It wouldn't have been that hard to see who had the ball, but they didn't.

I do not hate the refs, and I am not questioning that they are good at their jobs. I believe they are honest and fair referees, but they aren't perfect. I just want to hear an apology for the mistake. Call me weird because it won't actually change the outcome of the game, but I want the NFL to acknowledge it wasn't handled correctly.


Please leave a comment on what you think the NFL should do. Am I alone in wanting an apology? Let me know below with your comment.

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Chad Ochocinco Shows Vontae Davis A Surprising Amount Of Respect

Maybe He Just Wants More Dolphins Fans To Follow Him On Twitter

I know it may be hard, but it is time to move on from the Pittsburgh game. Yes, we should have gotten that ball. Everyone knows it, but that doesn't change the fact that we ended up with a loss. It's time to focus on next week against the Bengals, so here's something good:

If you have not heard the comments by Chad Ochocinco about the Miami Dolphins defense, and specifically Vontae Davis, here they are courtesy of NFL Fanhouse:

"That damn defense is really good man. Seriously, Vontae Davis is really good so I'm looking forward to that challenge. And 91, what's 91's name? (He is talking about Cameron Wake). Tell him to slow down a little bit. Every freaking play he has a motor, so it's going to be awesome."

(Talking about Vontae)
"Based off of what I've seen on film and the consistency that he's had, you know everybody gets beat but when you watch Vontae play and you see someone like himself be able to put himself to be in position every time, at least to make a play on the ball, that puts you in that upper echelon of cornerbacks. That's what I see in him, so I'm looking forward to that and really gauging myself and it will tell me where my game is, regardless of how long I've been playing and what I've done in the past. Going against a corner like this, it lets me know where I am as far as being still an elite receiver."

That is high praise by Ochocinco, who is a great receiver despite not performing like his normal self this season. Vontae has been incredibly good this year and he hardly ever gets beat by a receiver.

I just like that Chad Ochocinco appreciates his work. Most of the time you would just expect him to talk trash, but not this time.

What I am not sure of, though, is how serious Ochocinco is being with these comments. Is he just trying to get Vontae off guard, or does he really believe what he said? I mean, everything he said about Davis sounds about right, but you never know with him.

I am just curious to see how Vontae responds to Ochocinco. He will probably end up complimenting Ochocinco, too, but you can't be sure.

There will also be a good chance that Vontae covers Chad this Sunday, too, because it seems like he is always covering the second best receiver. I can never tell why, but he just never seems to be covering the best receiver on opposing teams except when he was covering Randy Moss with New England.

Anyways, it will be interesting to see Davis covering Ochocinco because normally you hear about battles between players who talk trash to each other during the previous week. Only this time it will be players who complimented each other before the week if Vontae responds like I think he will.

Stay tuned, because I will have something more about the Dolphins tomorrow.

And on a side note, Brandon Marshall has 42 receptions so far this season, which means he needs to get 5.8 receptions for the rest of the regular season if he wants to reach 100. Sorry I didn't put the update in the game recap. I was just pissed off about the game, and I am willing to bet nobody noticed that I didn't include the Marshall update because they were pretty pissed themselves.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment responding to anything in the above post.

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Will The Miami Dolphins Have Ronnie Brown And Ricky Williams Next Year?

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have been great for the Miami Dolphins, don't get me wrong, but I have a strong feeling that at least one of them will be gone from Miami at the end of this year.

Neither back has done very well this season, and even though that is more the fault of coaching I think the Dolphins will get rid of at least one of them.

And, if I had to bet on who the Dolphins get rid of I would definitely guess Ronnie. It was possible that Ronnie wouldn't have even played for Miami this year, but whatever contract problems Brown had with the Dolphins were settled and he is here this year.

Ronnie has been great, though. This is his 6th year in the NFL, and he has been a Dolphins for all 6 years. In his first five seasons he ran for a combined 4081 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns. Add that to 1249 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, and he has a pretty nice resume.

Miami just hasn't been able to use him correctly this season, and instead of blaming it on themselves they will just chalk it up as Ronnie's fault and release him. Running backs have short shelf lives, and they become even shorter when they aren't producing.

As for Ricky, I think that the Dolphins will keep him if he is willing to stay and not retire. He has done well even with bad play calling, and I believe he is still talented enough to keep despite his age. Add that to the fact that he won't demand an expensive contract and I don't know why they wouldn't keep him.

That's all I have for now. Sorry, I know this isn't my best work, but I have a lot of other work to do tonight so I had to get something up quickly.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave a comment on whether you think the Dolphins will get rid of either running back.

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Don't Give Up On The Miami Dolphins Just Yet

I'm Talking To You, Frustrated Dolphins Fans

I know how hard it was to watch that loss against the Steelers. It was almost unbearable to see a loss, and it was incredibly hard not to break or throw something in anger.

But now that you have had a day to recover I want you to hear me out.

The Miami Dolphins still have a great chance at making the playoffs this year. Heck, they even have a good chance to make some noise in the playoffs, too.

Miami was playing one of the five best teams in the NFL in Pittsburgh, and they only lost by one point. They lost to the Jets in a close game in Week 3, and the game against the Patriots in Week 4 was also a lot closer than the score reflected.

The Dolphins can run with the best of them. The thing that is holding them back is their inability to finish off drives with touchdowns. It has been a problem all season, but this week's game against the Steelers brought it to the forefront as a glaring weakness.

My belief is that this weakness is the fault of offensive coordinator Dan Henning.

Henning has had terrible play calling so far this season, and his inability to call the right play at the right time has resulted in many drives that ended too soon. Miami's offense runs the ball when they should pass and passes the ball when they should run it.

I sometimes wonder what Henning is thinking up there in that booth. Maybe he wants to go against all conventional football wisdom sometimes with the hope that they will catch defenses off guard.

I can't be sure, but the Dolphins had a chance at beating both the Jets and Steelers if Henning was able to call the right plays at the right time, but he didn't and they end up losing both.

Miami's offense in incredibly talented with great receivers, great running backs, a great offensive line, an underused tight end, and a more-talented-than-most-Dolphins-fans-think quarterback.

I think that the Pittsburgh game will make Dan Henning finally realize that he needs to make some changes to the play calling. Sure, you can argue that at least the Dolphins were able to score on 6 different drives, but that isn't good enough.

I am actually very confident that Henning is going to change the play calling, and here is why.

Earlier in the season there were a lot of complaints that Miami was depending too much on passing the ball and weren't running the ball enough. The Dolphins basically became one-dimensional, and it showed with two losses in a row to the Jets and Pats. So, Dan Henning changed the offensive play calling up and called more run plays, and they worked out well. Running the ball may not have worked well against the Steelers, but no running game works well against the Steelers, so his attempt to infuse the running game more has still worked out very well.

What that proves, though, is that Henning can make changes, and he can do something right. I know that some of you may not always feel that Henning can do something right, but he is an NFL coordinator for a reason. He will make the necessary changes to help the Dolphins score more touchdowns when Miami is in or near the red zone.

Just be patient. I promise it will come. The fact that the Dolphins would have won against one of the best teams in the NFL if the referees hadn't stolen the game from them is a good sign. Imagine how good they can be if Dan Henning starts to call better plays and Chad Henne develops even more. This team is actually shaping up to be really, really good. We just need to give them time.

That's pretty much all I have for now. I urge you to be patient, though. Things will get better soon. I promise.

One more thing, and I want you to be honest about this. If I had told you the Dolphins would score on 6 different drives against the Steelers would you have thought that they would have won? I know I would have, but too bad 5 of those drives were field goals. This game can be summed up by wasted opportunities, I think.

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Miami Dolphins Lose To Pittsburgh On Terrible Call

Terrible calls like that just make me want to watch baseball.

Late in the fourth quarter when the Miami Dolphins were winning 22-20 Ben Roethlisberger dropped back and then ran the ball towards the end zone one a 3rd and goal. As Roethlisberger dived towards the end zone Chris Clemons tackled him and forced a fumble before Roethlisberger crossed the goal line.

The call on the field was a touchdown, and Tony Sparano threw the challenge flag saying that it was a fumble.

After reviewing the play the referee came out on to the field and said that Roethlisberger did fumble the ball before he crossed the goal line, but he didn't give the Dolphins the ball because apparently you couldn't tell which team recovered the fumble.

The thing is that you could tell who got it. Not only did two different Dolphins players jump on the ball, but Miami's DE Iakika Alama-Francis came up with the ball when the pile was cleared up.

The ref didn't acknowledge that, though. Instead he made it 4th down, and the Steelers were able to kick a field goal to take the lead that they would keep for the win.

What makes me mad is we had a huge chance to beat the Steelers, but that chance was taken away from a bad call.

That's all I have for now, so let me finish this before I break my laptop.

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Statement Time For The Dolphins

This is a huge game for the Miami Dolphins. There are a lot of people who lost a lot of confidence in Miami's abilities after the Jets and Patriots games, and this is the game that will restore that confidence.

With a win today against Pittsburgh the Dolphins would be making a big statement to NFL analysts and fans alike. People know Miami is good, but they don't know how good yet. Pittsburgh is considered a strong Super Bowl contender, and a win for the Dolphins would help people realize how good they really are.

My prediction is 20-17 in favor of the Dolphins. Roethlisberger will not do nearly as well as he did last week because of a lot of pressure from the Dolphins defense.

Now, I want your predictions. What do you think the score will be? Leave a comment with your predictions below.


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We May Have Finally Heard The Last From Miami Dolphins Fans Calling For Chad Pennington To Start

Chad Henne, just like most young quarterbacks, has been through a lot of ups and downs in his short career, and it seems like every time he doesn’t have a great performance there are a lot of fans who call for the Dolphins to put Chad Pennington in.

It is incredible how short of a leash some fans of the Miami Dolphins had on Henne. All he had to do was throw a couple of interceptions in a game and a surprising number of fans called for his benching. Some fans just didn’t seem to understand that young quarterbacks need time to develop. They can’t just step in and play like Peyton Manning. Young quarterbacks need to get acclimated to the game and be comfortable when playing, and comfort like that just requires time.

I do believe, though, that we have heard pretty much the last of fans calling for Pennington to step in. I think that most Dolphins fans are finally comfortable enough with Henne in the game to allow him a bad game or two.

Henne is a great quarterback, and he gives the Dolphins the best chance to win in later seasons. He is Miami’s quarterback of the future, and taking him out would “stunt his growth” as a quarterback. Pennington may be the best option as a short-term starter, but starting Henne would be the best thing for the Miami Dolphins in the long-term.

Honestly though, I would even argue that he gives Miami the best chance to win now. Pennington is a good quarterback, but he has never been a winner. Last season Pennington went 0-3 before he was injured and Henne was forced to step in. When he played for the Jets for the first 9 years of his career New York’s record was 62-66. Sure, he didn’t play in every single game during all 9 of those years, but he played for the majority of them.

He has never been a huge winner. He does have a lot of experience, which is invaluable, but he has never won much of anything in the NFL.

Trust me, you want Chad Henne to be the Miami Dolphins quarterback for the next 10-15 years. He may make some frustrating plays every once in a while, but he is still the best option for the long run.

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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Control The Line

The Dolphins Will Be Relying On Their Offensive Line Against The Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers (with the help of newly returning QB Ben Roethlisberger) are heading into Miami this Sunday to try and keep the Dolphins without a victory at home this season, and if the Dolphins want to avoid being 0-3 at home they will have to control the line on both sides of the ball.

The key to the Miami Dolphins victory last week in Green Bay was their ability to keep pressure away from Chad Henne and to put a lot of pressure on Aaron Rodgers. The combination of those two things helped Miami come out on top, and if they want to have a similar result against the Steelers they will need to make sure they do both successfully again this weekend.

Miami's defense can't allow Ben Roethlisberger to have enough time to get comfortable and throw the ball when he sees an open receiver. They need to force him to either throw the ball earlier than he planned to or take a sack.

The Dolphins (specifically Cameron Wake) were able to rush Aaron Rodgers enough that he was never really able to get comfortable, and we need to hope they can have similar success against a good Steelers offensive line.

On the flip side, Miami needs to keep the Steelers defense from getting to Chad Henne. The Dolphins offensive line was great against the Packers defense last week, but they have a much worse challenge now against a very highly ranked Steelers defense.

The Steelers are among the best in the league at sacking and getting interceptions, which is why it is so important that our offensive line comes ready to play Sunday. If they aren't prepared and they get beaten consistently then they are in for a long game.

Chad Henne is not very good against pressure yet. When the pocket starts closing in on him I have noticed that he ducks his head and just kind of runs forward in the first hole that he sees up the middle. I haven't seen a single successful play when Henne starts running up the middle. He just ends up being sacked by a defensive lineman who puts his hand out and pulls him down.

That is something we want to avoid, and the only way to avoid that is to keep the pressure away and keep the pocket from collapsing on Henne.

Both the Dolphins and Steelers offensive lines have only allowed nine sacks, so it is a toss up as to which side will do better, but the Steelers have a statistical advantage on defense because they have sacked the quarterback 17 times compared to Miami's 14. That is not a huge difference, but every sack matters in a football game.

I am almost certain this game will be decided by whichever offensive line does better. Hopefully Miami's offensive line is the group that prevails because it would be exciting to see our Dolphins at 4-2.

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Say It Ain't So: Jared Odrick's Injury Throws A Huge Wrench In The Miami Dolphin's Plans

You just hate it when an injury cuts short a player's season.

The Miami Dolphins first round draft pick Jared Odrick fractured his leg Wednesday, and now he is going to be out for the rest of the season. Odrick was finally returning to practice and seemed to be recovering well from his previous hairline fracture before he reinjured the leg Wednesday during practice.

This is terrible news for the Dolphins because all of their plans for the defensive line depended on Odrick playing.

Miami was supposed to move Randy Starks to nose tackle this year after he had played at defensive end for his entire career, and drafting Jared Odrick was exactly what the Dolphins needed to allow Starks to move in at tackle.

While Odrick was injured earlier this season the Dolphins had to move Starks back to defensive end and stick Paul Soliai in as the nose tackle. So, I expect that they will keep the same lineup with him being gone for the rest of the year. This lineup hasn't been especially terrible for Miami, but they could have been so much more dangerous with both Starks and Odrick on the line.

Just imagine what it would be like if we had Odrick back. We would have Odrick and Kendall Langford in at the ends with Starks at the tackle. Pair those three with Cameron Wake who will sometimes be on the line, and it would be hard not to get excited about the potential damage they could do to opposing offenses.

I feel bad for the kid, though, because he was only able to play in one game and get one tackle in his whole rookie season. Let's just hope that when he gets healthy again that he will be able to get back in shape and return for next season.

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The Miami Dolphins Seem To Do All Of The Wrong Things With Tight Ends

Dustin Keller Beat Miami For A Touchdown Twice During Week 3

The Miami Dolphins don’t really seem to specialize in handling tight ends on either side of the ball.

One player who has not been producing well for the Dolphins is tight end Anthony Fasano.

If you ignore the touchdown pass to off of a fake to Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano against the Packers, then you can see how little Fasano has been doing this season.

Even with the touchdown, though, his numbers aren’t very good. So far Fasano has only gained 149 yards with two touchdowns, but his low production is not his own fault. It is actually the fault of the Miami Dolphins and their offensive playcalling.

Anthony Fasano is capable of a lot more than just 149 yards and two TDs, but he doesn’t have the opportunity to do any more.

Two years ago he was great, and it is remarkable to me that the Dolphins don’t use him quite as often as a receiver like they did in 2008-2009. He was one of the best producing tight ends, and I think he can still be one if Miami uses him enough.

I have always believed tight ends are a great safety blanket who can produce great numbers when all of the other receivers are covered. Chad Henne sometimes tries to fit in ill-advised passes with hardly any chance of being caught by a Dolphins receiver, and those passes would be a perfect time for him to try and throw it to Fasano instead.

But even with the Dolphins lack of offensive production on offense by Fasano, their real weakness is against opposing tight ends.

I honestly don’t understand why they have such a problem, but it just always seems like opposing tight ends are able to run all over the Dolphins more than most teams.

After the first five games the Dolphins have allowed 269 yards and two touchdowns to tight ends. The real devastating statistic, though, is that they have allowed receiving gains of 31, 33 (twice), and 23 yards. That is four plays of 20+ yards in the first 5 games by just tight ends. Each one of those plays can be devastating to a defense, and Miami needs to find a way to stop them.

I have noticed that a lot of times tight ends beat Miami’s coverage when they have a linebacker covering them. So, maybe the Dolphins should move a corner to cover the tight end instead.

Whatever they do, though, they need to figure out something in a hurry because getting beat consistently at the same weakness gets pretty frustrating.

Let me know what you think with your comments, and thanks for reading.

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Congratulations To Ricky Williams On Reaching 6000 Yards

Remember That Hair?

It's hard to believe that he is one of the top rushers for the Miami Dolphins already.

I know that Ricky has been around a while, but it doesn't seem that long ago that Ricky came from the Saints to the Dolphins and began tearing up defenses routinely. It has, though, and he is very close to retiring.

Anyways, Ricky Williams became only the second Miami Dolphins running back to reach 6000 career rushing yards during Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. He is behind Larry Csonka for the most by a Dolphins RB by 725. Csonka has 6737 yards.

Just imagine how many yards he would have had if he hadn't left in the middle of his career. I know that he probably wouldn't be doing as well right now if he had played before, but he would have been playing more during the prime of his career. He was just coming off a 1372 yard season when he left. I can only guess what he would have been able to do if he hadn't left after that season.

It may also be possible for Ricky to pass Csonka this season, but that is highly unlikely because of how he has done so far in these first 5 games. If he wants to pass Csonka's mark he will probably have to come back next season, and I am pretty sure he won't base his decision to come back on breaking a team record.

The big question that I want to ask you guys is would you like Ricky Williams to pass Larry Csonka? Do you want him to, basically, be the best running back in Miami Dolphins history? I honestly wouldn't mind Ricky passing him at all, but there may be some fans who don't want somebody with a questionable past to be considered the greatest running back in Dolphins history.

My argument to those of you who don't want Ricky to pass Csonka is that Ricky is a changed man, and he has learned from his mistakes. What is remarkable is that he has been able to overcome those mistakes and continue to be successful in the NFL.

Just my opinion, but I do want to hear yours. Do you want Ricky to pass Csonka or not? Let me know with your comments.

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The Miami Dolphins Are Fun To Watch On The Goal Line

The Dolphins Were Able To Shut This Man Down For A Big Win In Week 2

I love watching the Miami Dolphins when they are on the goal line, and no, I don't mean they are fun to watch when they are on offense on the goal line.

I mean when they are on defense.

Miami is very good at goal line stands, and because of that opposing offenses who have the ball with a first and goal at the 1-yard line aren't always automatically going to score a touchdown.

Not against the Miami Dolphins defense, at least.

The Dolphins defense made their first statement in Week 2 against Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings offense when they stuffed Peterson on the goal line. Not only was that stop incredible because it was Adrian Peterson who normally breaks a million tackles running the ball. It was also incredible because they were able to do it late in the game when they were tired, and being tired just makes things worse when you are playing somebody like AP.

Peterson had been running well all night, and almost everyone watching thought he would be able to easily score, but the Dolphins defense had other plans for him.

The next statement by the Dolphins defense, and the one that really lets us know they are seriously good at stopping offenses at the goal line is the one they made last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

You may not even remember the Dolphins stand, and that is because Aaron Rodgers was able to score on a dive up the middle on 4th down, but trust me, even though Green Bay scored the Dolphins defense still did an incredible job stopping them until that down.

The Packers had the ball with a first down on the 1-yard line, and most people assumed that they would score pretty easily, but once again the Dolphins had other plans.

Green Bay tried to run the ball in three different times with Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn, but every time they were stuffed before they gained anything.

The only reason the Packers were able to score on 4th down was that they lined up in a spread offense and tricked Miami into thinking they were going to pass it because running wasn't working. Aaron Rodgers fooled me when he ran it instead, and I am pretty sure he fooled the rest of the Dolphins defense.

But other than that play Miami was able to really shut the packers down, and that should be very encouraging for Dolphins fans.

So next time you see the Dolphins on defense at the goal line you can remember that Miami's opponent won't automatically score. It is very possible that the Dolphins will be able to hold them to a field goal or a turnover on downs.

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23-20 And The Miami Dolphins Are Back On Track!

Once again the Miami Dolphins failed to let me relax on my Sunday afternoon, but I guess I can forgive them because they pulled out a win.

There are a few things that we learned about this team, and the first is that our offense works well with a balance of both rushing and passing the ball. The Dolphins ran exactly the same number of running plays as passing plays with 39 apiece. The best part is that our passing game worked just as well as it has during any game so far this season without having to completely eliminate the running game.

Not only did Brandon Marshall have another huge game with 10 receptions for 127 yards, but Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams also had a great game with 137 combined yards off 32 carries.

Chad Henne also did well with 231 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 int. He shook off his early pick and was great in leading the team to the victory. Henne's performance is also a testimony of the Dolphins offensive line who didn't allow a single sack and hardly ever allowed the Packers defenders near him.

Another thing we learned is that Cameron Wake is officially here! Wake had three sacks on Aaron Rodgers, and Rodgers constantly felt his presence throughout the game. We have known that Wake was going to be a beast this season, and today was the day he finally broke out. The man is incredible, and I am glad the Dolphins saw what he was capable of when they signed him from the CFL.

The Miami Dolphins special teams didn't really get in the way this week, which was a relief after the Monday night game. There were a couple of close calls with a tipped punt and a holding call during a made field goal, but Dan Carpenter just made the field goal from 10 yards further and the tipped punt didn't result in anything as bad as the New England game.

Our special teams is still a concern because of their weakness on the left side, so I hope that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is able to fix that problem before next weeks matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And, was anyone else surprised that Lousaka Polite didn't get a first down when he ran it on 3rd and 1? He is usually so automatic, but I guess the Packers knew that he would get the ball on such a short run. That play was fine with me, but what really made me mad was Ronnie Brown's run on the next play on 4th down. Brown was almost a yard past the first-down marker and it was obvious that he got the first on the replay, but the refs still didn't overturn their call that Brown was short. I would have been pretty mad about that call if Miami had lost, but I guess I'll let it slide after the victory.

And finally, Brandon Marshall's 10 catches on this game puts him at 37 for the season. That means he needs 63 more catches in the 11 remaining games this season. As long as Marshall can average 6 catches in each game he will be set to reach 100.

That's all for now, and thanks everybody for reading. Now go and celebrate that your team is back above .500!

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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Find Balance On Offense

We Need To See More Of These Two Sunday

The problem with the Miami Dolphins this year is they don't have any type of identity. We don't know whether they are a passing or running team. They probably don't even know what they are, and that is a problem.

What we need to beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday is for our offense to find a balance between both running and passing and not rely too heavily on either.

When the Dolphins rely too much on running or passing the ball they become one-dimensional and really struggle to score. Miami needs to be able to do both without overloading on one or the other.

If the Dolphins throw the ball too much they risk Chad Henne throwing interceptions, and interceptions can really swing the momentum away. When they run the ball too much they struggle to get first downs, and then they have to punt the ball away.

Basically, leaning too much on either is bad for the Dolphins and doesn't put points on the board. If we want the Miami Dolphins to score a lot of points, then we need them to find a good balance between the two. Balancing will help keep the ball in Dolphins hands and not the Packers, which is important when you are facing a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers with two receivers like Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.

The Packers are the 8th best team in the NFL in points allowed, and that means problems for Miami if they are unable to balance the offense out enough to score.

Green Bay is also the 8th best in the NFL in points scored. So, if the Dolphins want to be able to win this game they will need to score a lot to match the Packers offense, which is something they have not seemed capable of doing thus far.

Miami's passing game has been pretty good in the last two weeks, but it has come at the sacrifice of the running game, and that is a problem. I believe that we can do just as well with the passing game while running the ball more. Running will keep the defense on their toes, which will help open up the passing game more.

Sure, it is fun to see a successful passing offense, but the passing offense can only do so much without a running game to accompany it. If we want to see the offense reach its full potential we need to use Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams more, and Sunday's game against the Packers would be a great time to start because Green Bay will probably be without LB Clay Matthews, who is a big threat to backs.

I will admit that I wanted the Dolphins to be a pass-heavy team, and discussion in the commenting section of one of my articles has swayed my opinion a little bit. I still believe they need to pass more than they run, but I agree that it is necessary to run the ball consistently in order to keep the defense guessing. Passing the ball is no good when other teams know that the pass is coming and not a hand-off.

So, let's hope that the Dolphins can find a balance to the offense by running the ball more or they may end up continuing their losing skid and drop to under .500 for the season.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think the Miami Dolphins will need to do to win on Sunday.

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The Miami Dolphins Need To Hold On To Vontae Davis

Guess What Happens Next

I believe that Vontae Davis is the second most important player on the Miami Dolphins behind only Chad Henne.

Vontae Davis is a young and talented player whom the Miami Dolphins drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft. He is a playmaker who the Dolphins can count on to make big plays.

But, I think the biggest thing that Davis adds to this team is his mentality.

He has a winner's mentality, and that sort of mentality can be contagious for the rest of the team. He always plays to win, and it you can really tell that he cares how the team does.

Some players will just show up and "do their job" without really caring too much about how the team does. They just want to get their paychecks and go home. Other players don't care so much for the team as they do about their individual performance. They don't mind if the team loses as long as they are able to do well.

I can tell you that Vontae Davis is neither of those players. Sure he wants to get a big salary and to do well individually, but he is really concerned with winning football games. He is the type of player that a franchise needs to pay a lot of money and never let go, because those types of players turn into leaders real fast and make huge contributions whenever they are on the field.

I will be honest. I have never met Vontae, and I don't really know what he is like as a person. I follow him on twitter, but 140 words don't really tell you much about people. I do believe that he is concerned about the Dolphins winning, though. You can just see it by the way he plays.

He is extremely energetic, and when he makes a big play you can just see how excited he gets. Heck, the man even hurt himself from celebrating after he made a play. Other teammates feed off of that type of energy, and it can really help get a team fired up.

He is the type of player that people should want to follow instead of the TO's and Ochocinco's. Those guys may be interesting, but I'm pretty sure they care more about themselves than the team.

And, without Vontae the Dolphins could very well be 1-3 right now. If he hadn't helped Karlos Dansby on the 4th down goal line stand against the Vikings the Dolphins might have very well lost.

Basically, we need to keep Vontae on this team for as long as he is willing to be here. He will be a key to a successful Miami Dolphins team, and we can't really afford to lose him.

Let me know what you think about Vontae on the Dolphins with a comment. Thanks or reading.

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Aaron Rodgers Appears Ready To Play Against The Miami Dolphins, And That Is A Good Thing

Rodgers Will Most Likely Play

Some of you may remember my post before the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets game where I said I wanted Darelle Revis to be healthy for the game because I didn't want to hear excuses from Jets fans as to why they lost.

Admittedly, the Jets still won without Revis, but that is beside my point.

My point is that I want teams to play the Dolphins when they are at their best. The Packers will still have to play without TE Jermichael Finley, but he is not as important as Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback, and it is always exciting to watch how Miami's defense is able to do against great quarterbacks.

We can use this game to prove to others (and ourselves) that the Dolphins defense is capable of stopping some of the best offenses. I do believe in our defense and their abilities, but 2-2 doesn't really instill much faith in the team to this point.

I like winning games against teams at full power. It just isn't as satisfying to beat a team without their best player(s), and the Dolphins are very capable of beating the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are getting Rodgers, but the Dolphins are also likely getting key players on defense back in Channing Crowder and Jared Odrick.

Getting both Odrick and Crowder back helps put the defense in a much better position, and they will no longer have to move players around to fill in holes.

Yes, getting Odrick and Crowder back may not be as huge as the Packers getting Rodgers back, but them returning will still be huge for our defense and should be a big factor in how the defense performs.

Thanks everyone for reading. I know it seems kind of slow right now in terms of news on the Miami Dolphins, but things will pick up I promise. Let me know what you think about Rodgers returning, though.

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Race To 100: Will Brandon Marshall Meet The 100 Receptions Mark WIth The Miami Dolphins?

This Is Brandon Marshall's Target

I am sorry to anyone who does not like following individual player milestones, because that is what this post is all about.

Some people do not really care much about how individual players perform, but I'm not one of those people.

I love following individual players and tracking their performance. That just makes football even more fun to me, which is why I love having Brandon Marshall on the Miami Dolphins.

He has had 100+ receptions in his last three seasons, and he has the chance to make this his fourth season in a row with 100 or more receptions. But, we are not sure whether he will make it just yet, which is why it is interesting to write about his progress and what he will have to do from here on.

But, my main question is whether he will be able to reach the 100 mark this year, so let's dive right in.

Marshall is currently on track to reach 100. He has 27 receptions, and we are a quarter of the way through the NFL season. If he wants to catch 100 footballs this season he will have to catch 6 receptions per game along with one 7-reception game.

That seems like a lot of receptions, but if there were anyone who can catch that many it would be Brandon Marshall. The man is a reception king, and he is the perfect receiver for the Miami Dolphins offense that doesn't throw the ball long very often. The Dolphins have started to throw longer, but for the most part they throw a lot of medium-ranged passes that are great for giving receivers more receptions.

I believe he can do it. He may have a game or two where he doesn't get as many receptions, but, believe me he will make up for it with big games every once in a while.

Chad Henne, who many were concerned would slow Marshall's production down, has started to put up good numbers, and his good play is greatly benefiting Marshall's reception count. It would be a mistake to throw it to anyone else, either, so I don't plan on Henne looking anyone else's way more often than he does at Marshall.

Let's just hope that the Dolphins allow Henne to continue throwing it enough to help Marshall.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and let me know whether you think Marshall will reach 100 this year. If you are interested in keeping track I will be following his receptions from now on, so be sure to check back on game recaps.

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The Miami Dolphins Are Growing Stronger As The Green Bay Packers Are Growing Weaker

All I can say is if we don't win this game I will be severely disappointed.



It's Good To See Odrick Back



The Miami Dolphins head to Green Bay this weekend to play the Packers, and the odds are definitely in their favor.

Not only are the Dolphins possibly getting back LB Channing Crowder, DE Jared Odrick, and G John Jerry, but it is also possible that the Packers will lose QB Aaron Rodgers along with TE Jermichael Finley who is already out.

So assuming that Aaron Rodgers is out, not only will the Dolphins be better than they have so far this season, but the Packers will be a whole lot worse.

Getting Odrick back is probably the best of all the players possibly returning this week because his absence forced the defensive line to shift a bit. Randy Starks, who was supposed to be moved to Nose Tackle, had to be moved to defensive end because Odrick was out.

Now, Odrick can come back in at the end and let Starks work his magic at tackle.

On top of that the Dolphins will gain extra experience with Channing Crowder back at LB. Crowder is an important player on this team, and with him and Karlos Dansby leading the way this defense should do much better.


And, everything mentioned above is just the best returning players for the Miami Dolphins without even talking about who the Packers are losing.

Green Bay's biggest loss is obviously Aaron Rodgers due to a concussion. I understand that he has not been officially ruled out of Sunday's game yet, but it is highly unlikely that he will play because of the rules and regulations set by the NFL on how to handle concussions.

With Rodgers gone the Packers will turn to 3rd year QB Matt Flynn, who has never started an NFL game before and has only thrown 17 total passes in NFL games. Call me crazy, but I'm excited to see how our defense will do against such an inexperienced QB.

And while having Rodgers gone is a huge blow to the Packers, that blow is doubled because Jermichael Finley is also gone. Yes, Flynn will have Greg Jennings and Donald Driver to throw to, but Finley is the most important target.

And, I don't mean that because of Finley's statistics so far, either. A lot of times when a young quarterback drops back to throw and his receivers are covered he will have his tight end to throw to as a safety blanket. Without a talented safety blanket like Jermichael Finley Flynn might try and force the ball somewhere else and throw an interception.

Things look great for the Dolphins this week. Let's just hope they can actually win and not lose off of ridiculous special teams play.

Thanks everyone for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment. I apologize for leaving this weekend and only getting one post up. I am back now, though, and I will go back to my normal pattern of writing every day.

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Looking At The Miami Dolphins Defense: Are They For Real Or Not?

Vontae Davis Has Been Great For The Miami Dolphins Thus Far

The Miami Dolphins defense really showed up three weeks ago against an ailing Minnesota Vikings team by forcing multiple turnovers and huge defensive stops.

But, since then Miami has allowed a combined 72 points to the New York Jets and New England Patriots. Yes, a nice chunk of those points are because of poor Dolphins special teams, but the blame cannot completely fall on the special teams unit.

The Miami Dolphins haven’t forced a singe turnover in either of the last two games, and that has been a problem because we have turned it over 4 times in that same period. It is hard to win games when you are turning the ball over, and it is even harder when the defense is not getting you the ball back with a few turnovers of their own.

You may not remember, but a big reason for the Miami Dolphins successful turnaround two seasons ago was their ability to constantly turn the ball over on defense more than they allowed on offense. Their turnover ratio for that season was +17, and it showed with an 11-5 record.

Last season’s turnover ratio wasn’t nearly as good at -8, and it showed with a 7-9 record. So far Miami has a –3 turnover ratio, and their record reflects that at 2-2. The correlation between turnovers and wins in a season is incredibly strong, and it just reinforces the importance of a potent defense that can get you the ball.

So, will the Dolphins defense come back after two pretty bad showings?

I am confident that they can, and here is why:

The points allowed by the Dolphins in the last two weeks do not tell the whole story. We already know about the special teams allowing a lot of points, but what we don’t hear much about is the fact that our defense was able to shut down both the Patriots and Jets offenses for much of their respective games.

If it wasn’t for the two touchdowns allowed in the beginning of the Sunday night game against the Jets, the Dolphins would have held New York to a lot less in terms of yards and points. As soon as they figured out how to shut down the Jets they were able to really hold them to a lot less production.

Miami was able to hold the Patriots to even less than they held the Jets, too. At the end of the first half of the Monday night game against New England the Dolphins had only allowed 6 points, and if not for poor special teams that really just put the game out of reach I am confident that the Dolphins defense would have continued their great play.

This bye week also couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Our defense gets plenty of time to regroup and fix what they have done wrong so far. A lot of the players on our defense, and especially our secondary, are young and they are headed in the right direction, but a little bit more time for preparation will be huge in helping them play better.

I am confident that this bye week is just what the Dolphins need to regroup, and it will give us enough time to prepare for this next brutal stretch in our schedule starting with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. So, look out Green Bay, because the Dolphins defense will be gunning for you for their shot at redemption.

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Don't they get it ?

What's with this team ? Look at the Players the team has.. Davis, Dansby, Wake, Langford, Starks, and Bell on defense. Long, Carey, Brown, Williams, Henne, Polite, Bess, and Marshall on offense. That's a pretty good looking core of players isn't it ?

As a team, don't you think they are as good as most of the teams that made the playoffs last year ? I do, yet what are we seeing ? Interceptions, fumbles, special team melt downs nearly every week. What is this all about ?

I mean really aren't we as good as the Jets, and the Patriots ? It's really not that hard to win this division with the players above mentioned playing for this team. So why do I have a feeling we are headed for the same results we have seen for the past decade. If this team follows the pattern of the past we will be out of playoff hunt by week 8 leaving behind nothing more than that empty feeling we are so accustomed to, with more excuses as to why it happened.

Don't they get it ? This team is good enough to get into the Super Bowl. Not only that, they are good enough to win it !!! But they don't get it, and that's the reason we see those Interception, fumbles, and special team melt downs. That's the reason they lose games they have within their control to win as they did in the past 2 weeks.

" DON'T THEY GET IT ??? "

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Randy Moss Is A Win-Win For The Miami Dolphins

As shocking as the Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings trade was to me, it is still an extremely good trade for the Miami Dolphins.

For those of you who have not heard, Randy Moss was traded from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings for a third round pick in next year's draft. This probably sounds like a terrible trade for the Patriots, and that's because it is a terrible trade for the Patriots. They get a third round pick for one of the best receivers in the NFL.

But, my understanding is that Moss was becoming toxic for the team, and they had to get rid of him quickly, hence the trade with the Vikings. So I do understand why the Patriots traded him. I just think they could have gotten a whole lot more out of him.

Because of this trade the New England Patriots are a much less dangerous team. Their entire offense relied on Randy Moss, and now they have the likes of Brandon Tate stepping in as a starter. Moss required a lot of the defense's attention, and the Patriots were able to use their other weapons who garnered less defensive attention.

Sure, Tate may be end up being a really good receiver. We don't know yet, but it is highly unlikely that he will be as good as Moss.

This is all obviously very good for the Miami Dolphins. They play New England once more, and Moss gone means a much better chance of winning the game.

This Man Could Help Us A Lot Sunday

But, the trade will also help the Miami Dolphins in another way.

It will help with the New York Jets.

The Jets play the Vikings this Sunday, and because Moss is back the Vikings have a good shot at winning the game.

Before Moss joined the team the Jets were likely to win the game by a good margin. Now that he is with the Vikings Brett Favre will have an incredibly talented target to throw to, and having Moss will also make the Jets more susceptible to the run. So even though it is hard to imagine, Adrian Peterson will do even better than he already has.

In the end this trade will not only make the Patriots worse, but it will make the Jets much less likely to get a win against the Vikings, and that is key because the Dolphins need a win with a Jets and Patriots loss to catch back up in the division. We are facing much tougher odds now that we are down by two games in the division, and really the only way to win the division now is going to be by having a better record than both teams instead of winning a tie-breaker.

So, I want all of you to become Minnesota Vikings fans for a week. You need a team to root for during the Miami Dolphins bye week, so the Vikings are your perfect choice.


That's all I've got for now, and just a heads up for everyone, I am going to be on vacation from now until next Monday, so I may not be able to get a post up every day, and I apologize ahead of time for any missed days. I just need a break, and I figured that the bye week is the perfect time to take one.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to show the Vikings your support this weekend!

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Should The Miami Dolphins Pound It In Or Air It Out?

Brandon Marshall

He is why we should be pass-first

Just hearing that name should take away any doubt about whether the Dolphins should run the ball or pass it more, but sadly it does not have that effect on all Miami Dolphins fans.

There has been some debate on this site(and others, of course) on whether the Miami Dolphins should be a run-first team or a pass-first team.

Basically, we are not exactly sure about the identity of this team.

Let me just say this before I get started. I believe that the Dolphins should continue what they have started to do this season and rely more on passing the ball than running it.

With that said, I will attempt to take an objective look at both types of offensive styles, but because I think they should be a pass-first team I may throw in some things along the way supporting my position. I will also end with a full explanation of why I think the way I do about primarily passing instead of running. So please dive in and enjoy:

Super Quick Analysis of Pass-First
You always hear about the official things of the NFL like the official credit card, the official airline, and the official light beer. Well, I think the passing game should be called the "Official Offensive Style of the NFL."

Passing the ball puts up much more points than running, and it can do it in a hurry. It is the most efficient way to score on offense. No other play can deflate a defense like a long pass play for a touchdown. They can go from having plenty of room on the field to help stop the offense to giving up a score and losing all momentum in a single play.

Sure you can have that with a run play, too, but it just isn't nearly as frequent.

An average pass play will easily out-gain an average run play, and you rarely lose yards out of the pass. If you are looking to move the chains chances are you could get a first down with a single successful pass play, where as if you relied on running the ball the chances of getting a first down on one run is much less likely.

The one big problem with throwing the ball is an increased likelihood of interceptions, which can instantly kill a drive and give the other team good field position.


Super Quick Analysis of Run-First
Running the ball more is easily the more conservative style. It is great to use if you are trying to avoid a turnover or have a quarterback that makes too many mistakes(which Chad Henne does not), and it is a good style to use when you have a young quarterback who cannot carry a lot of the load by himself(which I believe Chad Henne can do).

It may not score fast, but it can really pound away at a defense and make them tired. The Dolphins did that a lot last year and were able to tire the defense out by controlling the time of possession(even though it never worked too well).

The problem with running the ball is that all it takes is one or two bad runs and you are looking at 2nd or 3rd and long plays, which are not the running game's friend. Sure, it is very possible to gain 10 or more yards on a run play, but the chances of gaining that much in a single play are a lot less than passing the ball instead.


My Thoughts
The NFL is no longer a running league, so I wonder why we would want to try and revert back to a run-first style. We have finally seen Miami's offense be willing to give Henne control and throw the ball, and he has actually been pretty good. If you take out his three interceptions against the Patriots he only had one interception thrown in the first three games.

I do understand that he makes occasional mistakes and will throw a badly timed interception now and then, but he is still inexperienced and should not be expected to throw a perfect game every game.

We added Brandon Marshall for a reason. He is a huge target and a huge playmaker. He is guaranteed to get you a lot of receptions, and he is great at gaining yards after the play. It would be ridiculous not to use him a lot and just run the ball instead. It may be frustrating to see Henne misfire on a throw to Marshall(or any other receiver for that matter), but those things will happen and we need to stick with our quarterback so he can continue to get better.

What we really need to do is just give Henne time to learn and develop. Sure the interceptions are annoying, but keeping Henne throwing the ball will help the Miami Dolphins in the long run.

If he does get enough time playing in games to develop then he can turn into a premier quarterback in the NFL.

Every time Henne has a bad game Dolphins fans instantly begin calling for Chad Pennington to be the starter. They did it after a preseason game for goodness sakes!

Let me tell you right now that there is no reason to put Chad Pennington in. A lot of the Dolphins fans are impatient, and they need to give Chad Henne the time to turn into a great quarterback. It may not happen overnight, but it sure won't happen when he is sitting on the bench. The more he plays, the more comfortable he becomes.

He has a great arm, and pretty much has all of the other physical attributes a quarterback needs.

He is just lacking a little bit in the mentality aspect of the quarterback position, and that is something that he can only improve on the field. I don't mean he is scared, either. The game is just still fast moving in his mind, and it hasn't slowed down for him yet.

You always hear about the game slowing down for mentally tough veterans who have a lot of experience. If we want Henne to be one of those mentally tough players we need him playing to gain that experience.

The best part about having Chad Pennington on this team is his ability to teach Henne, and not be on the field instead of Henne. Pennington is a great quarterback, but he is not our future.

Chad Henne is the future of the Miami Dolphins. He is the next Dan Marino, and we need to give him time to turn into one.


Let me finish by saying that I don't hate running the ball, because that would just be weird.

I think running the ball should be a staple in every offense, but it shouldn't be used as much or more than passing the ball unless the offense is desperate with their QB situation. Passing the ball is much better at scoring and moving the chains, which is what you want your offense to be able to do.

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Dear Miami Dolphins, Please Fire John Bonamego Before Things Get Out Of Hand



Stop Smiling



Oh wait, things have already gotten out of hand.



I was originally planning on this post being an analysis of the game, but you know what? Screw that. This game does not need an in-depth analysis. The only two things that should result in this for the Miami Dolphins is +1 in the loss column and the firing of Special Teams Coordinator John Bonamego.

Last night was the most embarrassing performance I have ever watched by a special teams unit. It was also arguably the most embarrassing showing in the history of the NFL.

I don't know if there has ever been a team that outgained their opponent by 135 yards and still lost by 27 points until now. You have to be pretty bad on special teams to do that, so I guess the Dolphins qualify

So, thank you John Bonamego.

Thank you for costing us a game that we could have very easily won and putting us in another early hole. We all thought we had avoided the early hole after our 2-0 start. Well, we were wrong. Here we are again with a bad record in the beginning of the season.

Now, instead of winning we end up looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL. Instead of pulling even with the Jets atop the division we are now what seems like an eternity behind both New York and New England.

It may only be a one game deficit in the win-loss column, but it is really so much more because of the two game deficit in the divisional win-loss column.

This game was an early must-win, and we definitely didn't win. Instead we became the first team to allow a kickoff to be returned for a touchdown, a blocked field goal to be returned for a touchdown, and an interception returned for a touchdown all in the same game. And, it was pretty much all John Bonamego's fault.

Admittedly, Bonamego was not out there on the field. He was not one of the tacklers that were beaten on the kickoff TD allowed. He was not one of the blockers who allowed the Patriots to block a punt or the field goal returned for a TD.

But, he sure as hell should not get off without blame for this one.

The Miami Dolphins special teams have been horrible since he has been here, and tonight's performance just brings that fact out for everyone to see. Consider this:

Our special teams is the 25th worst in kick return yards with 21.6, and that was with Pro Bowl kick returner Clifton Smith returning the ball for the first two games. You can try and blame Smith all you want, but no kick returner has been successful in the Dolphins kick return system of late.

In just four games so far this season the Miami Dolphins special teams has allowed three blocked kicks, a kickoff returned for a touchdown, and more yards returned on a kickoff than any other team in the NFL.

But, here's the kicker. They haven't just allowed more yards per kickoff return by a couple tenths of a yard.

THEIR AVERAGE YARDS ALLOWED IS 5 YARDS MORE THAN ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE NFL

They have averaged 35.8 yards per kickoff return. In second place is the Tennessee Titans with 30.8 yards per return. That is the most sickening statistic I have seen in a very, very long while.

Pair all of those stats with the two kickoffs that went out of bounds, and you have one of the worst special teams in the history of the NFL.

Let me put it is perspective for you. I looked through the NFL record book to find the record for the highest average yards allowed in a season for one team.

"Why?" you ask.

Because I'm pissed off and I want to prove my point.

Anyways, would you like to know the record? Trust me you really don't, but I will tell you anyways.

It is 29.5 kickoff yards allowed by the 1972 New York Jets.

The Miami Dolphins are averaging 6.3 more yards allowed per return than the worst average in NFL history.

Granted, the Jets average was after 14 games. But still, if the Dolphins keep John Bonamego then they may very well shatter that record.

So, please Miami Dolphins, put somebody else in there. You can pay them $50 million dollars a year for all I care as long as they don't get in the rest of the team's way.

Just give me an average special teams unit, and let the offense and defense take care of the rest.

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Game Time Is Coming Up: Give Me Your Predictions For The Miami Dolphins

Game Time!!!

Hey everyone, Monday night is upon us and I want to hear what you think the outcome of this game will be.

Just post a comment below and predict who will win, the final score, and what will be the main reason for the victory or defeat? After that you can just put a little(or big) explanation saying why you think the result will be what it is.

Here are my predictions that you can use as an example:

Miami Dolphins beat New England Patriots 28-17.

The Dolphins defense is a big factor and they will limit Brady to average numbers thanks in part to their ability to pick Brady off. He has been known to throw a good number of interceptions against the Miami Dolphins, so I don't think this game will be any different.


This is just a little activity to get your mind ready for some football, so let me hear it!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for an analysis and reaction on tonight's game.

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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Chad Henne Needs To Play Really Well

One thing the New England Patriots are good at is putting up points, and if the Miami Dolphins want to beat them then they will need to put up points of their own.

In order to do that the Dolphins will need Chad Henne to be on target and play well Monday night. Miami has not been very successful running the ball, and they do not want to have to use it as a crutch because of a failed passing offense.

The Patriots passing defense has been prone to give up a lot to opposing quarterbacks, and I don't believe Henne is going to be any exception. New England is the 27th worst passing defense with 260.3 yards allowed per game, and they are 28th worst in points allowed with 27.3 allowed per game.

It is a favorable match-up for sure, but the game is yet to be played, and anything can happen. Henne has a great chance to come out and play well, but it is still not going to be easy. He will still be playing NFL-caliber players, and each game is going to be a challenge.

What I want to see from Henne is an ability to not just focus on one receiver during a play. I want him to see that his first option is covered and move on to his next option. We need him to stop staring at who he is going to throw the ball to for the entire play and start being a little more unpredictable. He may not be able to stop completely staring for a while, though. He still has to develop, and that will take time.

But, every game he plays is that much more experience gained.

The interesting thing to me is that even though Henne stares down his targets he is still able to be successful. It will work most of the time, but the problem gets to be when safeties realize from film how Henne stares down his target. When they realize what Henne does they can really start to tell what Henne is going to do.

So, let's hope Henne develops out of his staring quickly because we don't want defenses to be able to anticipate where he is going to throw it and jump in for the interception.

Be sure to look at the direction Chad Henne's head points towards and where his eyes are looking. Hopefully he won't just be staring at one person for the whole play every play. We can't afford for him to be predictable Monday night.

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