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Dolphins Mid-Season Review: Shifting expectations

Matty I — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:15:18 -0000

by Lynne Sladky - AP

Can this head coach/quarterback (Sparano/Henne) duo eventually do what the greatest head coach/quarterback (Shula/Marino) duo in team history couldn't do?

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We've officially hit the halfway point of the 2009 Miami Dolphins season and are now a season and a half into the Bill Parcells-Jeff Ireland-Tony Sparano era in Miami. Considering where we were when the "trifecta" took over, nobody should be disappointed about where this team is in terms of the long haul. With that said, of course, it's difficult to not be disappointed with Miami's current 3-5 record.

In this league, you are what your record says you are. That's generally true. But in the grand scheme of things, the Dolphins are much more than just an average run-of-the-mill 3-5 football team.

A shift in expectations

Entering the season, I was among the many who declared we wouldn't just be satisfied with an 8-8 or 9-7 season because of the "tougher schedule" the Dolphins faced in '09 as compared to '08. I wanted to be a playoff team once again and I honestly thought this team could pull it off. But lo and behold, wouldn't you know that it was indeed these "tough games" that have dug the Dolphins into a deep hole in the AFC playoff picture.

Now I'm not saying that I'm giving up on the playoffs in 2009. In fact, if the Dolphins take care of their next three games (against Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Buffalo) and they get a little help from New England's tougher opponents (@ Indianapolis and @ New Orleans), the Patriots could potentially be heading down to Miami on December 6 with a 7-4 record to face the 6-5 Dolphins. While those are a ton of "ifs" that must break in favor of Miami, it's not totally out of question.

With that said, my own personal expectations have shifted. I'm no longer as concerned with making the playoffs in 2009. If the Dolphins somehow pull it off and reach the postseason, that's terrific. But if they don't, that's fine too. Why? Because injuries and a lack of talent at critical positions have made me more concerned with developing this team for the long haul - not just for the immediate future.

The injuries to Chad Pennington and Will Allen, in particular, have changed what this season means to the Dolphins. I'd say that most fans would agree. But it's been these losses to teams like the Colts, Saints, and Patriots that have made me realize that this Dolphins team just isn't ready to really compete with their talent level. However, the strides that this franchise has made since the 2007 disaster are remarkable.

Integration of young players

Want to know why I'm not as distraught as some other Dolphin fans seem to be about this 3-5 season? It's because of how the Dolphins are setting themselves up for the future. The coaches are doing something that you don't see too often - they are trusting a number of rookies and young players. And the result is that we're seeing tangible reasons of why we should be excited for the future of this franchise.

First and foremost, there's Chad Henne. As you all know, I was squarely on the "start Chad Pennington" bandwagon all offseason long. While I hate to see what happened to CP - he deserves better but his body continually lets him down - letting Henne play and gain experience has been huge, and will continue to be huge, for this franchise. Ffor the first time in a long time, fans, coaches, and the front office can all be excited about the quarterback position. Folks, I really think we've found "our guy."

Has he been great? No. Has he been terrible? No. Has he shown flashes of greatness? Yes. Think back to just his second career start when Henne put together one of the best fourth quarters a young quarterback has put together in recent memory.

Does he have a lot to work on? Of course. His accuracy is shaky at times. He holds the ball too long sometimes. At times, he runs backwards when pressure is closing in - especially when he's pressured on those designed roll-outs.

At the same time, I've seen just as many positives. I've seen that strong rocket arm. I've seen some perfectly thrown balls. I've seen a toughness to hang in the pocket and deliver a pass with pressure bearing down on him. I've seen him get back up after taking a nasty shot in the pocker - like Sunday's "roughing the passer" hit by Patrick Chung. Most of all, I've seen the poise and mental toughness necessary to lead a team in hostile situations. Sure, against both the Saints and Patriots, Henne was unable to lead a game-winning or game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. But both times, it wasn't because Henne failed. His teammates failed him.

There's a lot to like about Henne, that's for sure. But there are also other young players with a lot to like.

You got two rookie corners who are being trusted to start. And neither of them have played poorly. Both Sean Smith and Vontae Davis have had their ups and downs. But there have been more positives than negatives and they will only continue to get better. Over the long haul, the Dolphins are set with their starting cornerbacks.

The offensive line is also set for the foreseeable future. Only one starter, Jake Grove, is over 28 years old. And two, Jake Long and Donald Thomas, are only 24 and in just their second season. The way an offensive line gets better is by playing together for a long time, and that's what we're going to see in Miami over the next few seasons.

The defensive line also suddenly has a nice young core to build around. Kendall Langford, Phillip Merling, and Randy Starks all look like long-term contributors at defensive end for the Dolphins. And none of them are older than 25 years old (Starks). Tony McDaniel also looks like he could become a solid backup and he's only 24 himself.

The Dolphins also have other young contributors who could become major long-term factors. Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver are two young safeties who will probably see more and more opportunities as the season goes on. Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are two young receivers who, ideally, would be very good complimentary receivers. Greg Camarillo is also relatively young and is looking more and more recovered from his knee surgery every week. I will continue to stand by my belief that Camarillo, once he's healthy, can be a starting #2 receiver in this league.

And let's not forget our favorite former CFL stand-out, pass rusher Cameron Wake. He's only 27 and has the potential to be a pass-rushing force for years to come. But he is still raw, which is probably why he hasn't seen the amount of snaps many would like him to see.

Clearly defined needs

One of the positives - if you can call it that - to come from Miami's 3-5 start has been how well defined this football team's needs have become. We all know what this team needs - some needs more pressing than others, of course.

Perhaps the most pressing need is at the wide receiver position. This offense will never be what it needs to be to get to that next level until they get a true "go-to" number one receiver. Opposing defenses have no reason to respect Miami's passing attack, allowing them to go all-out to stop the only real threat this offense has - their ground attack. But Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will become less and less effective on the ground as teams continue to put eight, and sometimes even nine, in the box to shut them down. In all honesty, can you blame them? I'd do the same thing. None of these receivers would even scare me a little bit.

This need has been magnified even more the past few weeks, too. In their last two losses, the Dolphins have been within a touchdown and had possession of the ball with over three minutes left. But each time, the Dolphins failed to move the ball, thanks in large part to receivers who just can't make the plays necessary to win football games.

But there are other needs as well. The Dolphins need upgrades at both inside and outside linebacker. A play-making free safety is another obvious issue. And we saw on Sunday that Paul Soliai might not be anything better than a back-up nose tackle. He underwhelmed as a starter, replacing the injured and aging Jason Ferguson. So nose tackle is also a need.

See this team for what it is

As a fan, we all want to see our team win championships. Year in and year out, we all look through "aqua and orange colored glasses" and view our team as either championship caliber or playoff caliber. But let's be real - this team just isn't as talented as the league's elite teams. That's why it's so impressive that the Dolphins were able to play teams like the Colts, Saints, and Patriots and nearly knock them off. Is it frustrating to lose those games? Of course. But we need to see what these losses show.

The Dolphins played teams with superior talent and gave them all they can handle - with a number of rookies and second-year players being key contributors. That says a lot about where this team is.

It says a lot about this coaching staff. Say what you want about some of their questionable play-calling and their gameday decisions. But this staff knows how to prepare to play more talented football teams.

It also says a lot about the mental toughness of these players. Some young players will go into a shell and back down to the elite NFL teams. But not this group of guys. They battle. And they're only going to get better.

The future is bright, people. We just need to give this front office time to address those remaining needs and the young players on this team more time to mature. But we're clearly on the right path.

A way too early look at offseason needs

Matty I — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:09:33 -0000

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

Ted Ginn might become a very good number two receiver in this league - but I don't ever see him becoming a true number one. And that's what the Dolphins need the most.

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The dreaded bye week is upon us. While it's great having the bye coming off of a win - a Monday Night Football win over a hated division rival, by the way - these off weeks still anger me. After all, there's only so much talking we can all do about the Dolphins' win over the Jets last week before we're all itching for another game. But we have to deal with it - and the "bye week Friday" is always a crappy day. Now when the work/school week ends, we have no Dolphins football to look forward to.

So as I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to talk about today, I had an idea. It's never too early to talk about what kinds of offseason improvements the Dolphins need to make to get better for 2010. And with these latest rumors that the Dolphins might be "buyers" here as the trade deadline approaches, I figured we should quickly touch on what needs this team has that have to be addressed in the offseason. And to spark some debate, I've ranked the needs in order of priority - as I see it, anyways. Below are my thoughts. Be sure to share yours in the comments.

Priority #1 - A true #1 receiver
This is obviously the top need on the team. While I love the guys this team has (to varying degrees, of course), you simply can't argue the fact that the Dolphins do not have a true, legitimate number one receiver on their roster.

This isn't a knock on any of the guys who are here right now. In fact, there was never a time in which I did think any of these guys were going to eventually become a number one receiver. Even when Ted Ginn was drafted - or "over-drafted," as he was - I never thought he'd become a true number one guy, despite the slot he was selected in the draft. He just doesn't have "it." But I do think he's an ideal number two receiver - and has a lot of value on this team as the only receiver on the roster who can stretch the field.

Guys like Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess are also potentially great number two or number three receivers. Bess, for example, will become one of the best slot receivers in the league as he progresses. And Camarillo, before his injury, was well on his way to becoming a terrific complimentary receiver - and still might become one. But there's nobody on this roster who you can rely on making big catches in big spots - like Dwayne Bowe did for KC this past weekend or like Braylon Edwards did for the Jets on Monday night.

Priority #2 - Upgrade at inside linebacker
I'm not here to crap all over Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele. They've both had their good moments in these first five weeks and their bad moments. But we're kidding ourselves if we think these two are anything special. Crowder is what he is - a run stuffing inside linebacker who is a liability in coverage. Ayodele, meanwhile, is a serviceable starting linebacker with a lot of experience and who will perform well enough to keep his job for now.

But Ayodele is now 30 years old and will only lose more of his athleticism as time goes on. And Crowder isn't exactly a quick linebacker himself. There's the problem. Neither of these guys are good in coverage nor are they particularly good at blitzing. In a 3-4 defense, you don't need two great inside linebackers. You can have one slower one who can stuff the run as long as the other can cover and has good range. Neither of these two can do that.

Just imagine how much better this defense would be with a linebacker who is even 75% of what Patrick Willis is.

Priority #3 - Another young pass-rushing outside linebacker
Joey Porter and Jason Taylor haven't exactly been dominant this year. Taylor has 3.5 sacks - but 2.5 came in one game against a terrible offensive line - and Porter has been slowed by a hamstring injury. Neither are exactly spring chickens, either. And while Cameron Wake has shown some promise, he, too, has only put together one great game. Whether it's lack of playing time or not, Wake is still far from a sure thing - though there's a lot to potentially be excited about.

Regardless, you can never have enough pass rushers in this league. The Giants proved that when they went out and shut down one of the best offenses ever on the biggest stage of them all. And remember, you can't get beat deep when you don't give the opposing quarterback enough time to throw.

Priority #4 - Return specialist
Let's face it - the Dolphins have a problem on special teams. We saw just how bad the return teams are last week when Patrick Cobbs couldn't even get the ball to the 20 a couple of times. For the year, the Dolphins are averaging just 22 yards per kick return. Last year, they were even worse - averaging just over 20 yards per return. I know we're all excited about the potential of this offense now with a stronger armed quarterback leading the way, but can't we try to make it a little easier on the offense by giving them better starting field position?

I think that the value of a return man is still underrated, even after Devin Hester proved to the world that return specialist can be dangerous weapons. But the Dolphins obviously realize this fact - as proven by their rumored interest in Joshua Cribbs. And whether it's before the trade deadline or next offseason, I hope the Dolphins find somebody who can become that dynamic return man this team hasn't had in a long while.

Priority #5 - Safety
Some will probably rate this position higher on their lists, but I'm not going to do that. I know that this position has been the obvious Achilles heal of the defense. Anybody with at least one eye can see that just by watching a quarter of Dolphins football. But I didn't rank it higher for two reasons.

One - the money already invested into the position. The Dolphins re-signed Yeremiah Bell to a 4 year, $20 million deal and signed Gibril Wilson to a 5 year, $27.5 million deal. That's a ton of money invested into two safeties.

Two - the Dolphins have two young safeties whom they like. Tyrone Culver was signed to an extension that keeps him in Miami through 2011. He's been getting on the field more and more in recent weeks and his role could continue to increase. Meanwhile, rookie Chris Clemons shined during offseason practices and has all the physical tools you want in a safety. He's got great speed, good hands, and can tackle. But he's very raw and is still learning the mental aspect of the position. And we don't really know yet if he has the instincts that safeties need to play in this league.

But with all that is invested in the position already, I just don't think this front office will make a big change at safety. That is - unless things get terribly worse.

Ted Ginn and Joey Porter spark Dolphins in 25-16 win over Bills

Matty I — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:14:14 -0000

There's nothing like defeating a divisional rival - especially a team that was 5-1 and had the media thinking they were legitimate Super Bowl contenders. And doing so in the way that they did - by coming from behind in the 2nd half - makes this win even sweeter.

Let's get to the headlines from today's game:

TED GINN: A GLIMPSE AT POTENTIAL
In the words of Tony Sparano at his post-game media availability, "What do you want to talk about? Ted Ginn? Yeah, let's talk about Ted Ginn."

So let us talk about Teddy. For really the first time in his year and a half career, we saw the kind of player that Ginn could potentially be. We saw a glimpse of a #1 receiver.

Ted was just spectacular today. He caught just about everything that came his way, showed his play-making ability, and played with a fire we haven't really seen from him. Yes, it was nice seeing a long ball to Ginn to open the game (which would have been a TD if a stronger-armed QB was throwing it). But I enjoyed even more the plays where he caught the ball, took a shot from a defender, then popped right up and either ran his mouth a little to the defender or struck the "1st down pose." He has a swagger about him that we haven't seen from a Dolphins' receiver in quite some time.

More interestingly, though, is how Teddy was used today. The Fins went over the top with him. They went over the middle with him. They used him to the outside running curls and ins. What's interesting, though, is that he was targeted just 9 times. Seemed like more, didn't it? While this was the most he's been targeted all season, Teddy was targeted 8 times against the Chargers and 7 times against both the Jets and Ravens. So it's not like the Fins game-planned around him. I think it was more that Chad Pennington just looked to him more often today and Teddy got more separation than he has been getting - helped by a slightly gimpy Terrence McGee covering him for many of the plays.

What's puzzling, though, is that Ginn is still not being used enough. Following his 64-yard reception, Ginn was on the sidelines for the next 3 plays - which resulted in a FG. On the next possession, Ginn caught a 19 yard pass but then sat out the next 5 plays - leading to a FG. He needs to be used even more. While the coaches will say that the reason is Ginn just isn't involved in those particular receiver packages, Teddy needs to be on the field as often as possible.

Regardless, a great day by Ginn and a brief look at how good he could eventually become. Now let's see if he can build on this performance; use it as a springboard for the rest of the season.

CHAD PENNINGTON: LEADER OF THIS OFFENSE
"It's just leadership. He gets fired up. And today was one of those days."

Those are the words of Ronnie Brown after the game. And Chad again proved he's the leader of this offense. He played spectacularly. He made all the right reads and was accurate on every single pass - except for when he threw behind Ginn on a drag route right after the 2 minute warning that would have put the Dolphins in better FG position. Oh - and it wouldn't have hurt to have led Teddy more on that first pass play. But we all know he can't do that very often.

What he can do? He can lead an offense and make the players around him better. That's exactly what he's done. He was insanely efficient again today, posting his 6th career 300-yard passing game and a passer rating of 117.9. He continues to move well in the pocket - which I've been very impressed with. And he makes some nice throws on the move - like the first down pass to David Martin on a bootleg right.

What else can you say about him other than this: 73% completion percantage, 10.46 yards-per-attempt, 0 turnovers, and a win. Meanwhile, Trent Edwards: 60% completion percentage, 6.49 ypa, 3 turnovers, and a loss.

Thought so.

THE SECONDARY: WHO ARE YOU?
Seriously. Who were those guys playing in Miami's secondary and what did they do to the "real defensive backs"? Talk about a turnaround in a matter of days.

This was a completely different kind of performance than we've seen all season from these guys. They deflected more passes today than they probably did all season. They were in position most of the time. And Will Allen even caught a ball for an interception, albeit off of a tip.

Come to think of it, there were some differences between the previous defensive back rotation and the one we saw against Buffalo. For starters, Michael Lehan was placed on IR. That meant more playing time for...Jason Allen. And while I'm not going to go overboard about his performance today (as some seem to be as I look around the internet), I'll say that I was impressed. Early on, it seemed like he was playing too far off of his man - like on a critical 3rd down conversion during the 1st half. But he did seem to get better as the game wore on. He got more confident. He played tighter coverage and was actually in good position most of the time. He closed well on the ball - though he could still improve in that area. And his most impressive play might have been breaking up a pass intended for the 6'6 James Hardy on the play leading up to the Joey Porter-forced safety. But all in all, encouraging signs from this former first rounder.

I also noticed more Tyrone Culver out there. And I was impressed with his play. He seemed to have good ball skills - breaking up at least one potentially long pass. It'll be interesting to see how Culver is used from here on out after an impressive day from the youngster.

QUICK HITS
-Joey Porter. Joey F'in' Porter. He's a beast. Two more sacks today give him 10.5 on the year (and 5 in his last 3 games). Could he be on his way to a 20+ sack season? You never know. But considering his all-around impact on the game - 2 forced fumbles (one resulting in a safety credited to Charlie Anderson), a fumble recovery, and numerous more QB pressures - Porter is definitely in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award right now. Not bad for a guy who was rumored to have a career ending back injury during training camp, huh?

-3rd downs still a problem for this offense. They converted just 3 of 11. And they still only have 1 3rd down conversion of over 7 yards on the season.

-3rd down defense, however, was impressive on Sunday - holding the Bills to just 28% (4/14). Both the improved secondary play and some solid DL play in short-yardage situations are to credit for this performance. Nice job getting off the field by the "D."

-I love the creative play-calling. Going over the top on the first play to Ginn. Running a new variation of the 'Wildcat." Going 5 wide - with 4 to the left - at least twice in the game. Nice job by Dan Henning - except for the end around to Greg Camarillo on 3rd ans 14 from Buffalo's 23 - the play before the blocked FG.

-Speaking of the blocked FG, it's a moot point now, but still. That should have been a "leaping" penalty. You can't launch off of a teammate's back to block a kick. Damn refs called that on us a few years back.

-Does it bother anyone else that the defense seems to struggle against a no-huddle offense?

-Still too many mistakes and missed opportunities - leaving points on the field. Ricky's fumble on the first play of a drive beginning at Buffalo's 37. Two consecutive penalties on 3rd down to give the Bills a 1st down on a drive that resulted in a Buffalo FG. The blocked FG (should have been a penalty, but still - Justin Smiley got trucked). That's at least a net of 9 points right there. Can't let that happen.

-Offensive line keeping Pennington upright. That's HUGE! Jake Long is continuing to impress me.

-Dan Carpenter was clutch today. We might have something here. Same with Brandon Fields, As Nicky pointed out, his punts were on the mark today.

FINAL THOUGHT
Don't go getting ahead of yourselves here. Yes, 3-4 is nice - but it's still under .500. So don't start up that playoff bandwagon yet - the same one that most jumped off of after those 2 losses to Houston and Baltimore. Instead, just enjoy what you're seeing - a rebuilding team coming together and flashing signs of a potentially ridiculously bright future.

Thoughts below...