Thigpen is leaving the Miami Dolphins

The NFL network is reporting that Tyler Thigpen is leaving the Miami Dolphins.

With Thigpen leaving, that leaves the QB situation in Miami even more crucial. I blogged before about Kyle Orton possibly coming to the Miami Dolphins. I didn't think it was a huge possibility before, but now I see it becoming more of a possibility. With Thigpen gone, we are left with just Chad Henne, so now we HAVE no choice. I expect the Miami Dolphins to be releasing players at a rapid pace, seeing as they were already 5 Million dollars over the salary cap. I predict that Ronnie and Ricky are already gone, but now I ask, who do you think the Dolphins will release to make room for the players they need? The QB position is not the only need the Dolphins have. They also need a couple of running backs, which I will blog about later. I see Kevin Kolb going to Arizona and Kyle Orton coming to Miami.

How do you see this playing out?

Why Do The Miami Dolphins Not Give Tyler Thigpen More Of A Chance?

I am constantly getting the impression that the Miami Dolphins are not giving Tyler Thigpen a fair opportunity for the starting spot.

That really disappoints me because I believe that Thigpen could be a great quarterback for Miami, and I am very confident that he can be much better than Chad Henne.

Why? You ask. Well, he does not get scared and he is confident in his abilities. Two things that Chad Henne cannot say about himself. Thigpen is ten times the playmaker that Chad Henne is. Thigpen could actually bring some life to the Dolphins football team.

Do any of you remember the Week 10 game against Tennessee? Thigpen played great. He made things happen with his feet, and he ended up with a 141.7 passer rating. Thigpen was awesome that game, but he didn't seem to get enough credit for it. What people remember is the following game against Chicago where the Thigpen-lead Dolphins were unable to score a single point and were shut out.

The game against the Bears was not even close to Tyler Thigpen's fault. It was the fault of the Miami Dolphins injury-plagued offensive line. Thigpen didn't even have an opportunity to make a play because they were constantly being blitzed and he had no time to do anything. Chad Henne would have been even worse because he has no legs at all. I want you guys to try and imagine how he would have been. Not good, right?

If Michael Vick were starting for Miami against the Bears he wouldn't have been able to do anything with that line either, and that's saying something because he plays behind a below average line already.

Want more proof that Thigpen deserves a fair opportunity for the starting spot? Here is a quote from him recently on Omar Kelly's radio show that I just love to hear:

"If I was given opportunity to be starter, I could help (Brandon Marshall) get back to being an All-Pro again"

That is something that Chad Henne would never say in a million years, because I don't think he would be able to do it. Thigpen can, and he has the confidence to do it as well, another thing Henne doesn't have.

One last thing that I like about Thigpen is that he realizes how good of a receiver Anthony Fasano is. Fasano was a top scoring TE when Chad Pennington was his quarterback. His numbers only dropped when Chad Henne became the starter. Thigpen realizes the weapon that he has even more than the Dolphins coaches do, and I know he would be ready to use Fasano successfully instead of sparsely like Henne.

That's all I've got. Let me hear what you guys think about Tyler Thigpen and if you think he deserves and/or is getting a fair shot.

Thanks for reading.

Miami Dolphins Lose Embarrassing Game 38-7 Against Patriots

Well, the good thing that we got out of this game is that Chad Henne has finally been benched. Henne was only in the game long enough to throw one interception, but I am confident that if he kept playing he would have been able to throw a few more.

Today's game seems like a fitting end to a terrible season, and I am just glad it is over. Now we can look ahead to what coaching changes will happen during the off-season, and Miami can begin their quarterback search yet again.

I am a little surprised at how bad our defense did against New England, though. I didn't think our offense would do well, but I did think our defense would be pretty good. Apparently not, though, as they allowed New England to score 38 points and dominate the time of possession.

When Tyler Thigpen went in for Chad Henne he actually played pretty well. What impressed me most about Thigpen was his willingness to take risks. Unlike Henne, he actually threw the ball up there and let his receiver take a chance and go for the ball. He hasn't won the starting spot for next year yet, but I think he should be given a fair shot at it,

Miami's offensive line also played terrible, and they reinforced a lot of the things you guys have been saying with your comments in the past few weeks. The offensive line has some obvious flaws, and those flaws will need to be fixed during the off-season if the Dolphins want to be any good.

We can now say that the Miami Dolphins season is finally over. I know it was a frustrating one, but I see better things to come for the Dolphins in the future.

Hang in there guys, and I will talk to you tomorrow.

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Leaving Chad Henne In As The Starter Has Placed Tony Sparano On The Hot Seat

A few weeks ago Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano was not on the hot seat. Instead, he was sitting safely in the head coaches "seat" without having to worry about losing his job.

Now, Bill Cowher has shown interest in the Dolphins head-coaching job, and because of poor performance and poor decisions, Sparano doesn't seem very safe anymore.

The Miami Dolphins have lost their last two games to two very bad teams: the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. Buffalo and Detroit have a combined record of 9-21, or .300, which is pathetic. The loss isn't necessarily Tony Sparano's fault, but the head coach has to be somewhat responsible for two losses against teams like the Lions and Bills.

I can live with the losses, though. In my mind, Miami was already out of the playoffs before they lost to Buffalo. I wasn't that mad when the Dolphins lost these last two weeks. What Tony Sparano has done that I don't like is that he has kept Chad Henne in as starting quarterback.

It amazes me that he doesn't yet realize that Chad Henne is not the quarterback everyone wanted him to be. Instead of giving Tyler Thigpen a chance to see if he is a capable starter, Sparano has been stubborn and kept Henne in. Week after week, Henne has proved that he isn't capable of winning games, and it has resulted in (you guessed it) losses. Thigpen didn't have the greatest game when he started against the Bears, but that wasn't as much his fault as it was because of a beaten-up offensive line.

I have never before complained about Tony Sparano in this blog, but now I have no choice but to. He is being way too stubborn by keeping Henne in, and if he can't realize that Chad Henne isn't an NFL quarterback, then it is hard to want him as the head coach of my favorite team.

I am not calling for Sparano to be fired. I think he is doing a fine job. What has killed the Dolphins this year is poor play calling by Dan Henning and poor quarterback play by Chad Henne. Sparano does not come out squeaky clean from both of their mistakes, though. He is the head coach, and ultimately he should be making the final decisions. Yes, Dan Henning is calling the wrong plays, but why didn't Sparano step in and stop some of them.

Let me reiterate, I do not think Tony Sparano should be fired. I would love for the Miami Dolphins to go after Bill Cowher, but I wouldn't mind at all if Stephen Ross decided to keep Tony.

Thanks for reading, and let me hear what you think. Save some of your opinions for tomorrow evening, though, because I think the "You Tell Me" will be about Miami's head coaching job.

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Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets: The Last Important Matchup For The Dolphins This Year

Please Dolphins, Stick It To This Man On Sunday

Another season is nearing its conclusion for the Miami Dolphins. Instead of going to the playoffs, they are instead preparing for another long offseason. We can discuss the multitude of reasons for such a poor season, but the fact of the matter is that the Dolphins won't be in the playoffs.

I would rather that Miami tanks the rest of the season, honestly. Instead of winning for no reason, why not lose to get a better spot in the draft? They aren't going to do that, but they would be much better off if they did.

The only game that I want the Miami Dolphins to try and win this year is this week's game against the New York Jets. I would love nothing more than to shut Rex Ryan up once more. It would leave us with something good to remember from this season after almost everything else was a disappointment.

So, actually, I don't want the Dolphins to tank the rest of the season. I want them to at least beat the Jets, and then tank the rest.

This week may be the best week to play the Jets, too.

They were just exposed badly on Monday night against the Patriots, and while the Dolphins aren't close to the Patriots anymore, at least we know they have a good shot against the Jets.

Mark Sanchez looked almost as bad as Chad Henne looked against the Browns, and if the Dolphins secondary is able to catch the ball they should have a chance at disrupting Sanchez like the Patriots did. The key will be stopping TE Dustin Keller. He ran all over the Dolphins earlier in the year, and Miami hasn't shown any improvement this year when it comes to covering tight ends.

This is purely hypothetical, but maybe Tony Sparano is starting Chad Henne for just this week's game because he wants to beat the Jets. While I do believe that Tyler Thigpen would be a better choice at starter right now, Henne knows the offense better than Thigpen, and he has experience playing against the Jets. I know this likely isn't Tony Sparano's motive for playing Henne, but I wish it were.

I would love nothing more than for the Dolphins to head into New York and stuff a loss in Rex Ryan's mouth. He has been relatively silent since the loss to the Patriots, so imagine how little he would talk if he lost to the Dolphins. He buried the game ball from the New England game, so he would probably have to blow up the game ball from this week's game if Miami wins.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about "tanking" the season.

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Tony Sparano Is Making A Mistake By Keeping Chad Henne In At Quarterback For The Miami Dolphins

Tony Sparano indicated during an interview that the Miami Dolphins would evaluate their quarterback position at the end of the year, and he said that Chad Henne would remain the starter for the rest of this season.

Now, I don't normally disagree with Tony Sparano, but I couldn't disagree with him more on this move.

I don't see any benefit of starting Chad Henne anymore. He is not going to be the Miami Dolphins quarterback of the future. We have already found that out. Instead, he is just another failed experiment at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins since Dan Marino. Why wouldn't Miami just put Tyler Thigpen in for the rest of the year and see what he is able to do?

This season is already shot; we have pretty much established that. So, why wouldn't the Dolphins try and find out if Thigpen is the quarterback of the future. Not that I am saying he is, but it is still worth a try. Starting Henne isn't going to make things any better, and Thigpen has a lot of potential, so why not give put him in there and see if he is capable of winning?

In saying that he is going to start Henne for the rest of the year, Tony Sparano is basically admitting that he isn't willing to admit that he messed up with Henne. Instead of putting somebody with a chance to help Miami for the future, Sparano is showing stubbornness by keeping in his "Prodigal Quarterback" who was supposed to save the team from years of mediocrity.

I just can't fathom why Sparano would bother keeping Chad in. He isn't accurate enough to be an NFL quarterback, period. He was surrounded by a bunch of really, really talented play makers, and still wasn't able to be successful. He has had plenty of time to show signs of development, but his improvement has been minimal at best. The only time that he really showed improvement was against the Raiders, and I think that may have been because the Raiders were playing bad; not because Henne was playing good.

Let's hope Sparano realizes he should put Thigpen in instead. It could potentially help the Miami Dolphins a lot more than in the long run.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you're thinking about this situation with a comment.

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And So, The Quarterback Search Begins Again For The Miami Dolphins

Goodbye Chad

I really thought I wouldn't have to say this for another 10-15 years, but I guess I was wrong:

The Miami Dolphins need to find a new starting quarterback to replace Chad Henne.

I would have wanted to announce the above after, say, Chad Henne announced his retirement after a long, Hall of Fame career with the Miami Dolphins. Maybe it would have been after a huge Super Bowl victory, and Henne would have held a teary press conference saying that he was hanging his jersey up for the last time.

That would have been the ideal situation, but it is not the real situation. Instead, it appears that Chad Henne is going to be benched for the final time in Miami because of poor, inconsistent play.

Nobody in Miami has officially said that they are looking for a new QB, but there is no way they can be willing to keep Chad Henne after his embarrassing performance against a mediocre Cleveland Browns defense. His inaccuracy was evident, and in one game he turned me from being one of his biggest supporters into one of his biggest doubters. I have constantly supported Henne this year through his ups and downs, but I just can't do it anymore. He's showed hardly any signs of improvement, and it is getting old watching him throw interception after interception.

I really thought that he would be able to develop his accuracy and passing skills this year, which is why I was able to stay patient with him, but he has seemed to have only gotten worse. He has size and arm strength like some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his accuracy has to be among the worst in the NFL, and he makes way too many mental errors.

So much for Chad Henne going "down as the greatest quarterback in Miami Dolphins history." Sorry Stephen Ross, but he isn't going to be anywhere near Dan Marino or any of the other Dolphin greats at quarterback. Instead, he is just another player added to the long list of failed quarterbacks the Dolphins have started since Dan Marino's retirement.

Now, Miami must begin looking for a new quarterback to, hopefully, lead the Dolphins to great things. Backup Tyler Thigpen may be able to do well, but I am not so sure about him. He showed flashes of greatness against the Titans three weeks ago, but I am not sure how good he is at throwing from the pocket anymore. He does play similar to Michael Vick in that he can run the ball well, but he doesn't pass nearly as well as Vick. Thigpen still has a pretty good arm, but I am not sure if it is good enough for the NFL or not.

If I were calling the shots in Miami I would put Thigpen in as the starter for the rest of the season. The season is already over, and now the Dolphins should just focus on finding out if Thigpen can start and play well in the NFL. He may very well be a great starter in the NFL. The Dolphins might as well try him out and see if he can be successful. If he can't, then they should start to look for somebody in the free agent market or the draft.

I don't know how likely it is that he will be available, but if Michael Vick is available the Dolphins must be willing to pay him whatever he wants to come play in Miami. I don't care if they pay him $50 million guaranteed as long as they get him in a Miami Dolphins jersey. Stephen Ross can cut Chad Henne so Vick can get his #7, and then sit back as Vick runs and throws the ball past every defense in the NFL.

There aren't many other free agent quarterbacks that would be worth getting, so the Dolphins would need to look to the draft if they can't get Vick. I don't know much about the incoming draft class and what quarterbacks would be available, but I guess I will be doing some research on that now.

I know that Cam Newton would be a good player to build the team around. He can run the ball really well, is very strong, and has a pretty good arm. The problem is that he is a junior, and I am not sure whether he will declare for the draft this year or not.

Andrew Luck of Stanford and Jake Locker of Washington will probably already be taken in the draft when the Dolphins have their pick, but Miami would probably have a shot at Ryan Mallett from Arkansas.

From what I can tell, though, Mallett is way too similar to Chad Henne. He is a big quarterback with a strong arm and average accuracy. I am going to do more research, but I am not so sure I want him starting under center in Miami next year.

We will see how everything plays out. I know you are all frustrated that Henne is done, and so am I, but we must start to look to the future. We still have an extremely talented team. We just need a quarterback to help this team accomplish what it is capable of.

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Chad Henne Loses The Game For The Miami Dolphins

Throughout this season I have been a big Henne supporter despite his pretty poor performance. That is until now, though.

It was extremely frustrating watching Henne play today. A week after he looked so good against the Raiders he threw for three interceptions and was unable to do much of anything against a mediocre Browns defense.

His first two interceptions were entirely his fault. The first pick he threw was terribly under thrown, and turned a potential Brian Hartline touchdown into a turnover. His next interception was in Davone Bess' direction and was way too high. His third pick was tipped, so it wasn't exactly his fault, but that was the only time he got off easy from a mistake.

What really frustrates me is that the rest of the Miami Dolphins team held up their end of the bargain, and that this loss was entirely on Chad Henne. The Dolphins defense had a little trouble covering the Browns TE Benjamin Watson, but other than Watson they were able to put Miami in a position to win. Chad Henne just couldn't capitalize.

I hate that Henne has been such a disappointment this year. I really thought that he would be the quarterback we have been looking for since Marino, but I just can't see it in him anymore. He has way too many turnovers, and he just doesn't have the accuracy necessary to hit his receivers at any distance.

I think it is time to put Tyler Thigpen in the game and let him finish out the rest of the season. This season is over, and I think the Miami Dolphins should spend the rest of this year trying to figure out if Thigpen is who they are looking for.

Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry to anyone who I gave false hope about how well Henne would do this year. I am just as disappointed as you all.

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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: The Offensive Line

Dolphins Center Joe Berger Is Back

News has recently come out that Tony Sparano is leaning towards starting Chad Henne for the Miami Dolphins game against the Raiders on Sunday. This is the first indication this week from anyone in the Dolphins organization on who the starting quarterback is, so hearing that Sparano is "leaning towards" Henne probably means Henne will be the starter.

And, while the Miami Dolphins quarterback situation has received the a lot of attention in the past few days, whoever the starter is that is eventually named won't be able to do anything if he doesn't have a good offensive line protecting him, which could very well be the case.

The offensive line will be the Miami Dolphins key to victory or defeat against the Raiders. They were a big reason Miami lost to the Bears last week, and they must perform better if the Dolphins want a chance at winning anything at all for the rest of the season.

Injuries have plagued the Dolphins offensive line recently. In the game against Chicago, both of the Dolphins centers were injured, so they had to move left guard Richie Incognito in at center, which left a hole to be filled at left guard. It was a pretty big mess, and I wasn't too surprised that the offense stumbled with their beaten up o-line.

The good news for the line is that left tackle Jake Long's left shoulder has been doing really well and center Joe Berger (knee) has returned to practice and looks to be ready to start again.

I think the Dolphins line will be able to hold up a whole lot better than the Bears game, and they should give whatever quarterback is in the game a chance to work his magic.

It probably doesn't really matter, though. I almost want the Dolphins to start tanking games to get a better draft pick, but I don't think they should yet when they still have a possibility of making the playoffs. It isn't a strong possibility, but there is still a chance.

But, if they are going to tank I am hoping they will do it starting next week because my Dad is a Raiders fan, and I don't want to hear crap from him until the next time the Dolphins play Oakland.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment with your keys to the game. I hope to hear from you soon.

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Brandon Marshall Likely Out, Chad Henne Likely In For The Miami Dolphins

The Only Thing Harder Than Finding A Picture Of Marshall's Hamstring Injury Is Finding A Picture Of Him Scoring A Touchdown In A Miami Dolphins Jersey

From what I can tell, Brandon Marshall is probably not going to play this Sunday against the Raiders due to a hamstring injury.

This will be a significant blow to the Miami Dolphins passing game, but I think it may actually be a good thing for the rest of the season. Losing Marshall will force offensive coordinator Dan Henning to use Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams more in the game, which he has failed to do up to this point.

Instead of putting the game entirely on the quarterback's shoulders, Henning will have to use Ronnie and Ricky a lot more, and that is a good thing. He may not want to use them as much as he will, but that's a good thing. We don't want the offense to run the way Henning wants it to anymore.

I almost get the impression that Henning doesn't care about how the offense plays anymore. It sure doesn't look like he does with the Dolphins recent offensive performance. I am actually kind of glad that Miami didn't score a point against the Bears because it brought on the "crayon and a pizza box" rant by Mark Schlereth, which brought the terrible play calling to light.

If they hadn't done so bad in that game, I don't think there would be much talk about firing Henning even though his play calling has been consistently bad for the entire season, not just the Thursday night shutout.


I have also heard good news about Chad Henne's health. He has been practicing with the team, and it appears that he will be ready to play against the Raiders. The question is, will Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano allow him to start, or will he put Tyler Thigpen in as the starter again?

Nobody from the Dolphins organization has said anything, so we can't be sure, but I have a feeling Henne will be starting. He was playing really well against Tennessee before he injured his left knee, and it seems to me like he has come back with a little more fire in him.

I have a good feeling about this Sunday's game even though Miami is pretty much out of the playoffs. We could see a completely different Chad Henne(in a good way) against the Raiders, and I am excited to see what he can do. Let's just hope that the Miami Dolphins offensive line can hold up long enough for him to throw it.

That's it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed a day off for Thanksgiving. I know I did!

Please feel free to leave a comment.

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Chad Henne Or Tyler Thigpen: Who Should Start Next Week For The Miami Dolphins?

By now you have probably calmed down somewhat after that extremely frustrating and humiliating shutout against the Bears. No matter what you think about this year's team and its players, the show must go on.

The season is not over yet, and the Miami Dolphins are back to .500 with 6 games left to play. It is going to be considerably harder to make the playoffs after that loss, but the Dolphins still have a shot.

Because the Dolphins still have a shot, my question is: Which quarterback gives the Miami Dolphins a better shot? Chad Henne or Tyler Thigpen?

Normally, after a 16-0 loss you would expect the losing team's starting quarterback to be on the bench for the next game, but this loss is not completely Tyler Thigpen's fault.

Thigpen hardly had any blocking at all Thursday night, and was constantly forced to scramble with the ball. Yes, Tyler Thigpen is a good scrambler, but no quarterback can be successful while on the run for every single play of the game. He never had time to get settled, and it showed in the Miami Dolphins inability to score a single point.

Despite all of Thigpen's struggles, he only threw one interception that was tipped on the line, and had a pretty good completion percentage going 58% by completing 17 out of 29 passes. He was able to be moderately successful while the rest of the offense was crumbling down around him.

Chad Henne, on the other hand, has had great blocking this season, but poor play calling and a pathetic running game have held him back. Henne isn't nearly as fast as Thigpen, and he hardly ever scrambles unless there is a wide-open hole in front of him. What Henne has going for him is his arm strength. If Miami's offensive coordinator Dan Henning were capable of calling the correct plays, then Henne could be a dangerous downfield threat.

Henne has a bunch of weapons on the Miami Dolphins, but he is never allowed to use them to his full abilities because he is always forced to throw short passes. He also has a knack for throwing interceptions, but many of them are because he has to constantly throw the ball short distances, which isn't one of his strengths. After a lot of the shorter throws he is forced by Dan Henning to make, he is bound to misfire every once in a while, resulting in an interception.


If I were the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator choosing whom to start, I would put Chad Henne in there. Henne has an incredible arm and more experience in this offense than Thigpen.

If Dan Henning finally allows Henne to air the ball out we could see a major improvement in this Miami Dolphins ability to score. Not only would passing the ball turn out better for the Dolphins, but running the ball would work better, too. Defenses will be more concerned with covering receivers and less concerned with stopping the running game, which can really open things up for the backs.

All of this is assuming that Henne is healthy enough, though. I have not heard any indications about whether he will be able to play next week, but I am assuming that the extra rest he gets because of a Thursday night game will be enough to recover. He also had his pads and jersey on Thursday night, which tells me he could have played if it was absolutely necessary.

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment below with your predicted starter. I would like to hear what you think.

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Miami Dolphins Shut Out By Bears In Embarassing Performance In Primetime

Chad Henne's Injury May Have Been More Costly Than We Thought

 Well, I guess the Tyler Thigpen experience is a failed one.

I was completely wrong about Thigpen. I thought that he would be a spark to the Miami Dolphins offense and help put more points on the board. Instead, he didn't put a single point on the board as the Dolphins were shut out by the Chicago Bears 16-0.

Granted, it was not all Thigpen's fault that the Miami Dolphins lost. The Miami Dolphins were absolutely decimated by injuries. On top of all the other injuries the Dolphins sustained before Thursday night's game, we saw center Cory Procter, who was in for injured starter Joe Berger, go down with an apparent season-ending ACL tear, and we saw Brandon Marshall go down with a hamstring injury in the first half.

Normally, the injury to Brandon Marshall would be considered a killer for the Dolphins, but it was nowhere near as bad of a loss as the injury to Cory Procter.

The Miami Dolphins are able to function without Brandon Marshall because they have other dangerous receivers to throw to.

Losing Cory Procter was a killer because it forced the Dolphins to move left guard Richie Incognito to the center spot, who apparently doesn't play center too much. Many of his snaps were too low, and Tyler Thigpen had to constantly reach for the ball wherever it went, and on top of those bad snaps, Thigpen had terrible protection from the beat-up line. He was sacked 6 times in just 22:09 with the ball.

The Dolphins running game also suffered extreme hardship because of the depleted line. Thigpen was the team's leading rusher with 6 attempts for 27 yards. Ronnie Brown had 3 carries for 10 yards, and Ricky Williams had 3 carries for 1 yard. Those numbers just tell you what kind of game it was for the Dolphins.

The only bright spot in the game was Cameron Wake. Wake was incredibly disruptive throughout the game. He drew countless holding penalties on the man blocking him, a sack, and a bunch of tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

As for Brandon Marshall, he dropped two passes that should have been easy catches before he left the game with his hamstring injury. Hopefully he can start to pick things up. At least the Dolphins have a bunch of talented receivers to step in for him. Now all we need is an offensive line to give our quarterback enough time to find those receivers.

I am not sure if this will be the end of Thigpen or not. He didn't get much help from the running game or offensive line, but he didn't do much himself. We will see in this extended week where the Miami Dolphins quarterback situation ends up.

I just find it weird that our 3rd-string quarterback was taking snaps from our 3rd-string center. That doesn't happen too often.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment.

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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Tyler Thigpen Must Create Plays

In order for the Miami Dolphins to be successful Thursday night against the Chicago Bears, Tyler Thigpen must perform similar to the way he did last Sunday against the Titans and create big plays.

This game is entirely upon Thigpen's shoulders, and if he can play well the Miami Dolphins should be able to win this game. People think the Dolphins are down and out because they are now down to their third-string quarterback. What they don't realize is that Thigpen is a better playmaker than his two predecessors.

Thigpen's is noticeably faster than Henne and Pennington ever were, and he is able to throw the ball well on the run. He is very similar to Michael Vick, and he will need to play similar to Vick against the Bears.

Chicago has an exceptional defense. Their only "weakness" is their 15th ranked passing yards allowed. They have allowed the second lowest amount of points this year, and the Dolphins have struggled to score points this year.

That was before they had Thigpen playing, though.

If we had Chad Henne or Chad Pennington playing in this game, then we would have had to be pretty concerned about the Miami Dolphins ability to make plays on offense. Thigpen changes the entire dynamic of the offense because he can use all of the weapons provided to him. Chad Henne seemed to struggle with using all of his weapons.

Tyler Thigpen will not.

Thigpen showed us he could use TE Anthony Fasano as well as star-receiver Brandon Marshall. He also gained a crucial first down near the end of the game last week to seal it and help Miami improve to above .500 for the year.

This game will be a huge step to catching up to the rest of the AFC, and Tyler Thigpen is going to need to show up in order to make that step. Brandon Marshall guaranteed the Miami Dolphins would make the playoffs, but he can't do it on his own. He needs a good quarterback throwing him the ball, and I think we have found that quarterback in Tyler Thigpen.

So, Dolphins fans, I hope you are ready for the game. Please feel free to leave your comments on your predictions for the game.

I am thinking 35-24, Miami wins. I am very confident in Thigpen, and I think he will have a huge performance against the Bears tough defense.

Thanks for reading everybody!

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Anthony Fasano Gets Well Deserved Contract Extension When The Miami Dolphins Need Him Most

Anthony Fasano received a two-year contract extension yesterday, just two days after his huge performance against the Tennessee Titans.

Fasano had 5 receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, and he was a big reason Tyler Thigpen did so well late in the game. When Thigpen was in trouble and scrambling to the side, it was Fasano who had the presence of mind to get open for a big reception down the field from Thigpen.

Fasano's real impact, though, had been his unselfishness and his ability to block. Coach Sparano had this to say about Fasano when answering questions after it was announced he received the extension:

"He's blocking well. ... He's been really productive for us that way and really good for the young guys. He's tremendous for the young players and hasn't been really selfish at all. He's the kind of guy we really want to have around"

The Miami Dolphins are going to need Fasano more than ever now that we have Tyler Thigpen in. He may need extra protection help because of the injury to Jake Long, and Fasano's receiving skills will be crucial for when Thigpen scrambles looking for a receiver like he did against Tennessee when he and Fasano connected.

The actual extension will keep Fasano on the Miami Dolphins for two more years, and is worth as much as $7.75 million dollars. The contract includes two $75,000 workout bonuses(one for each year), and a $2.1 million signing bonus according to NFL.com.

I am very pleased that they made this move, and it is good that they recognize the need to keep as much talent for the future as possible. I have a good feeling about the Thigpen-Fasano connection for the Miami Dolphins. They were great together in the 4th quarter. I can't wait to see them work together for a whole game.

Stay tuned, and please leave a comment. I want to hear from you about anything involving the Miami Dolphins.

He may need an online accounting degree
just to count that money.

Big Time Game Will Show Us What Tyler Thigpen Is Made Of

Tyler Thigpen is expected to make his first start with the Miami Dolphins in front of a national audience Thursday night against the Bears.

This is going to be a huge game for Thigpen, and if he plays like he did at the end of the Tennessee game he may very well become the starting quarterback in Miami for a long time.

Last week when he came in for the injured Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, Thigpen was able to give the offense a big spark and lead a scoring drive.

With the exception of his very first pass, Thigpen was on the mark and pretty much perfect on every one of his throws. He was able to scramble and make plays when he needed to, and because of him the Dolphins were able to pretty much seal the game.

My guess is that the Bears (and the rest of the football community) won't be expecting Thigpen to do well. Chicago is probably just thinking about how lucky they are that Miami is going to be without their 1st or 2nd string quarterbacks. Not long form now they will find out, though, that Thigpen is a very dangerous quarterback.

What excites me so much about Thigpen is how well he can create plays with his feet. I was reading about him earlier, and someone called him the poor man's Michael Vick, which is actually a very good analogy. He may not have the speed of Vick, but he is very similar in style to Vick. Heck, I wouldn't mind him being similar to Vick after his performance on Monday night.

There is also a good chance that left tackle Jake Long will be able to play Thursday, so Thigpen should have the necessary protection to play his game. I have a good feeling about this game. Our offense won't be robotic any longer. We may actually see a couple big plays. The Dolphins let the offense loosen up a little bit, and that was evident with the long flea-flicker play from Henne to Brian Hartline.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you are ready for some early football.

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Injuries Plague Miami Dolphins Before Short Week Of Preparation

These injuries could not have come at much worse of a time.

In one game the Dolphins saw injuries sideline quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, left tackle Jake Long, and linebacker Cameron Wake.

The injury to Pennington is almost certainly career-ending.

The injury to Henne is possibly season-ending

The injuries to Jake Long and Cameron Wake do not appear to be really serious, but I have a feeling that Long could be out for a month and Wake will miss this Thursday's game.

On top of that, right tackle Vernon Carey was shaken up against Tennessee but returned, cornerback Vontae Davis is playing with a right-knee injury, and free safety Chris Clemon's groin forced him to be replaced by Reshad Jones during Sunday's game because he didn't get enough time to practice during the week.

Yes, the Dolphins are, all of the sudden, forced to deal with a bunch of injuries in a short period of time. Almost any other week would have been better because they would have had more time to prepare, but that's not the case here. We can at least be thankful that we are playing the Bears instead of a division rival like the Patriots or Jets. Not that Chicago is a bad team, because they are actually pretty good, but they are not as good as New England or New York.

Despite all of the problems Miami is having with injuries, I am actually pretty excited about this game. We have found a great, young quarterback in Tyler Thigpen, and our offense appears to finally be able to make big plays with some consistency.

Thigpen's mobility will also be helpful because he may feel some extra pressure with Jake Long out for a little while. He will be able to avoid sacks that neither Chad would have been able to avoid themselves. Jake Long is probably the most irreplaceable player that the Dolphins lost due to injury against the Titans, but Miami should be able to come out alright because of Thigpen.

So, don't lose faith in Thursday's game just yet Dolphins fans. We still have a good shot at winning this game with Thigpen in.

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Miami Dolphins Win Incredibly Important Game Against Tennessee Titans In A Crazy Way

I don't even know where to start with this one.

Let me begin by saying that the short time period between now and Thursday is going to be an incredibly eventful and interesting one.

In that time we will find out who will be starting at QB, and I honestly don't know who they will pick. I can only say what I think

Chad Pennington gives the Dolphins a lot of experience, but he would be my last preference at starter. Chad Henne gives them a strong arm and is the youngest option, but he isn't even my first preference. No, my first preference would by Tyler Thigpen.

I know that Henne is supposed to be the future of the Miami Dolphins, and he may still be. The Dolphins may still choose to run with him and keep him as the starter, but I couldn't help but feel the added energy on offense when Thigpen was playing.

Thigpen was able to elude defenders that Henne and Pennington would have never been able to elude, and his elusiveness was very evident with his big scrambling pass to Anthony Fasano late in the game.

I don't know if you guys noticed it, but when Thigpen threw his only completion to Brandon Marshall he threw the ball with incredible accuracy. The ball was placed just above the Titans defender's hands, but not too far above to where it sailed past Marshall's, too.

I really think Thigpen would be a great player to jump in as the starter, and why not? He is only one year older than Henne at 26. He could be the franchise quarterback we have been looking for.

I would really hate it for Henne if he lost the job to Thigpen because I think he has been coming along pretty well, but Thigpen is just the more explosive quarterback with the ability to make things happen.

We will have to see how it plays out, so stay tuned, but now to other aspects of the game:

Brian Hartline had a game that we all knew he was capable of and RB Patrick Cobbs had a surprisingly good receiving game, but the best receiving performance came from TE Anthony Fasano. Fasano had 107 yards and a touchdown, and he showed us that he might have finally returned to producing the same numbers that he was able to put up two years ago.

Fasano is another reason that I want Thigpen in. Henne never really used Fasano to his full ability, but it appears to me that Thigpen will be able to.


Rookie FS Reshad Jones also did really well late in the game. He was filling in for the injured Chris Clemons, and he did really well with 1 sack, 1 interception, and 3 tackles. I remember at the beginning of the season we were worried about the free safety position, but it appears now that we are set at FS with two talented players competing for the same spot.


Now, to a touchy situation: Brandon Marshall. He was visibly frustrated multiple times during the game, and I have a feeling the combination of a few poorly thrown passes by Henne with the extra coverage he was receiving caused him to be so mad. He is used to putting up big numbers, and 3 receptions for only 34 yards is not what he wants to put up. If he wants to reach 100 receptions for this year he will need 6.4 receptions a game, so hopefully the resurgence of a bunch of other receivers on the Dolphins will help take away some of the coverage on Brandon.


That is all of my analysis for today. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the short week we have before Thursday's game. I haven't felt this great after a Dolphins game in a while.


Update: I have just found out that Chad Pennington is likely out for the season, so it looks like the battle will be between just Henne and Thigpen. Let us hope Pennington's shoulder is able to fully heal.

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Is Miami Dolphins QB Tyler Thigpen Better Than Madden Says He Is

When scanning through the Dolphins player ratings for the upcoming Madden 11 I noticed how low Miami QB Tyler Thigpen's rating was.

His overall is 64, which is a very bad rating for any player in Madden. The highest rating a player can get is 99, and any player with a rating below an 80 isn't very good.

I know that Thigpen definitely isn't considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but I still think his rating should be higher than a 64. Thigpen did pretty well last year when he played against the Steelers. I know his stats didn't reflect it, but he still almost lead the Dolphins to a victory.

He helped the Miami Dolphins come back from a 27-10 deficit with two touchdown drives. The only problem with the performance is that he threw an interception on the following two drives to seal the loss. While he didn't do a good enough job to win, he still was able to bring the Dolphins back to win.

I think he showed potential to be a good quarterback and should have a better rating than 64.

And, while I'm not sure whether I agree with it, many people believe Thigpen is better than Pat White. According to his Madden rating, Thigpen is worse than White(who had a rating of 66), which many people probably disagree with.

Do you think Thigpen is a better quarterback for the Miami Dolphins than Madden 11 makes him out to be? Let me know with your comments.

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Fate Unknown: Will the Miami Dolphins Keep QB Pat White?

Please check out my blog for unique content here: Miami Dolphins Blog

A recent article got me thinking: will the Miami Dolphins keep Pat White?

Think about it. The Dolphins have four quarterbacks on the roster.

Chad Henne, Chad Pennington, Tyler Thigpen, and Pat White

I am wondering if Miami will keep four quarterbacks or if they will cut one in order to make more room for another position. If they did that, then would Pat White be the odd man out?

I don't think he will simply because he adds another dimension to the offense. He was a great quarterback in college, and I think he will be able to develop into a great NFL quarterback if the Dolphins need him to.

At this moment Miami doesn't need to worry about the QB spot, but you never know what could happen so it is always good to have depth at the position. So, while it may not seem like an immediate need for the Dolphins it is still important to pay attention to.

I think Miami should stay young in the quarterback spot. The Dolphins should go with youth and keep Henne, Thigpen, and White. Henne and White are both under 25 years old, and Thigpen is only 26. Pennington is 33 and I don't believe he is worth keeping as a QB. Maybe Miami could sign him as some type of coach because that is probably the only thing he will be needed for next year.

I just don't see how the Dolphins could keep Pennington as a QB and not White. Pennington is very injury-prone, old, and has a weak arm. White shows a lot of potential, is young, and has a decent arm to go with his great running skills.

Think about it, why would you keep an old quarterback who won't play on a roster to teach younger quarterbacks when you could just hire him as a coach. You could make up a name for the position like assistant quarterback coach. It doesn't really matter because he would be doing the same thing either way. I think we would be able to clear up a spot on the roster by doing that to keep Pat White.

Just and idea.

Please check out my blog for unique content here: Miami Dolphins Blog

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