SB Nation - Justin Smiley

Dolphins vs Panthers: Keys to Victory

Matty I — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:15:08 -0000

Top priority: contain this man.

It's hard to believe that the Dolphins will already take the field just days after a late rally prevented them from falling to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In less than 24 hours, the Dolphins will battle the Panthers up in North Carolina - with the winner completing their giant dig out of the 0-3 hole both started the season in and reaching .500 for the first time this season.

For the Dolphins, this will mark the third time in less than a month that they will have a chance to get back the the .500 mark. Below are just some of the most important factors for Thursday night's game.

Win the battle in the trenches
Here's the situation. The Dolphins played a game on Sunday. On Monday, they had their players in for film work. On Tuesday, the Dolphins hit the practice field for what essentially was a "Friday practice" - meaning it was shorter and less physical than a typical midweek practice. On Wednesday, the team went through a walkthrough before boarding a plane and heading up to North Carolina. Preparation time? Not much this week.

I take this to mean two things. One - I wouldn't be shocked if the Dolphins unravel some new wrinkle - likely involving Pat White - on Thursday night given that the Panthers also had minimal time to prepare for this game. But more importantly, I get the feeling that this game is going to come down to which team can execute better in the trenches. Who will physically dominate who? The answer to that question will go a long way towards determining who wins this game.

The Panthers and Dolphins come into this game ranked third and fourth respectively on the ground - each averaging just over 156 yards per game. Miami, of course, comes into it without their top running back while the Panther will likely have both of their guys who make up their own dynamic duo. The Dolphins, though, are expected to have Justin Smiley back at left guard after he missed last week with a shoulder injury - certainly good news for us.

With both teams being physical running teams - and even without Ronnie Brown, I do think the Dolphins will remain committed to the run - the difference could come down to which team's defense can do a better job at stopping the run and forcing the other team to throw. Miami is currently 7th in the NFL in rush defense and their 3.7 yards allowed per rush is 5th in the league. Meanwhile, Carolina is surrendering 4.6 yards per carry (25th) and 128 yards per game (25th).

Stopping the run also highlights another important aspect of this game: third down. The Dolphins are the second best team in the league in converting third downs - 49%, in fact - while the Panthers are in the bottom half of the NFL, converting just 40% of their third downs. The Panthers are also among one of the worst passing offenses in the league and quarterback Jake Delhomme is as turnover prone as they come. Holding Carolina to third and long could mean big things for this Dolphin defense.

Bracket Steve Smith all game
When the Panthers do drop back to pass, they really only have one target to stress over. But he's a hell of a target to have available to you. Steve Smith is obviously one of the game's most talented receivers. And his combination of strength and speed (despite his size) makes him a tough little guy to prepare for.

So what will the Dolphins do? I'm not sure - but I know what I'd do. I'd stick the more physical corner we have - Vontae Davis - on Smith all game long. He's got the strength to jam Smith at the line and the speed to hang with him as good as anyone really can. I'd then put safety help over the top as much as possible and tell that safety, which ever one it is, to not let Smith out of his sights. On the other side, you stick Sean Smith on Carolina's other receiving options - guys like Muhsin Muhammad and Dwayne Jarrett. Both are bigger, slower receivers and Sean shouldn't have a problem going one-on-one with those guys for most of the game.

That's my idea for defending Steve Smith. And it's important to note that you aren't ever really going to completely shut down a receiver like him. But Vontae is the kind of corner who can contain him - with deep safety help always available in case Smith just badly beats Vontae - which could definitely happen, especially if Davis misses the jam at the line. But I think if you play him physically and keep decent coverage on him, you can create some turnovers off of forced or inaccurate passes by Delhomme into Steve Smith.

Don't be gun-shy
You might look at the stats and see that the Panthers are ranked fourth in the entire league in passing defense and think that the Dolphins should really do everything they can to not put too much pressure on the young Chad Henne. Yes, Carolina is allowing just 186 yards per game through the air. But they are also seeing the fifth fewest pass attempts against per game - only 30. Why? Probably because of how ineffective they are at stopping the run. We saw this in 2007 in Miami, in fact. The Dolphins were ranked in the top 10 in passing defense for most of the year. Was this because our secondary was so good at defending the pass? Hell no. It was because they were dreadful at stopping the run. After all, why pass it when you can pick up 5 yard chunks at a time on the ground?

The Panthers, though, opposing quarterbacks to complete 63% of their passes (8th highest figure in the league) and have surrendered just as many touchdowns through the air as the Dolphins have (11).

Now I'm not here to tell you that Carolina's secondary stinks. That's not true. But they aren't nearly as good as the stats would lead you to believe. And I hope that while it's obviously important for this Miami offense to remain committed to the run, the Dolphins still trust Henne enough to make a few plays when necessary. The Panthers are going to stack the box. Let's take the leash off of Henne a bit and see what he's got.

Dolphins/Panthers Final Injury Report

Matty I — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:40:07 -0000

With the game tomorrow night, today's injury report is the equivalent of a typical Friday injury report. And both sides have key injuries.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Probable
Gibril Wilson, S (hamstring)

Questionable
Justin Smiley, OG (shoulder)
Tyrone Culver, S (ankle)

Out
Ronnie Brown, RB (foot)
Anthony Fasano, TE (hip)
Paul Soliai, NT (ankle)
Erik Walden, LB (hamstring)

Notes
-A source told the Miami Herald that Smiley is will indeed play. He practiced fully on Wednesday.
-Culver hurt his ankle in practice and was limited. He'll likely be a game time decision.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Questionable
DeAngelo Williams, RB (knee)
Jonathan Stewart, RB (Achilles)
Damione Lewis (shoulder)

Doubtful
Brad Hoover, FB (ankle)
Charles Johnson, DE (pectoral)
Charles Godfrey, S (ankle)

Out
Jordan Gross, OT (ankle)

Notes
-Stewart practiced on Wednesday while Williams did not. But both are expected to play. After all, Williams was listed as questionable last week as well - and he played pretty darn well.

Dolphins/Bucs Final Injury Report

Matty I — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:59:38 -0000

Here is the final injury report for Sunday's game between the Bucs and Dolphins. Both teams have some injury questions.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Probable
Joey Porter, LB (knee)

Questionable
Anthony Fasano, TE (hip)

Doubtful
Justin Smiley, OG (shoulder)
Paul Soliai, NT (ankle)
Erik Walden, LB (hamstring)

Notes
-Porter missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but returned on Friday and practiced fully.
-Fasano has been limited all week with that hip injury.
-At least Jason Ferguson is a go after practicing fully most of the week. But who will spell him at nose tackle - Tony McDaniel?

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Probable
Michael Clayton, WR (knee)
Davin Joseph, OG (ankle)
Clifton Smith, RB (knee)
Aqib Talib, CB (hamstring)

Questionable
Derrick Ward, RB (knee)
Byron Leftwich, QB (elbow)

Doubtful
Antonio Bryant, WR (knee)
Stylez White, DE (shoulder)

Notes
-Ward practiced on Wednesday and Thursday but was added to Friday's injury report when he "tweaked" his knee.
-Leftwich is nothing more than Tampa's third quarterback anyway, so his injury is not a big deal.
-White was one of Tampa' young talented defensive linemen and his absence would be big.

Ginn paves way as Dolphins sweep season series against Jets

Matty I — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:26:23 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Ginn...gone. What a day for the young man!

Browse more photos »

This time last week, Ted Ginn Jr. was drawing the ire of Dolphin fans everywhere. So it figures that it was Ginn who would be the most important player in the Dolphins' 30-25 win over the Jets on Sunday - without even catching a single pass. And thanks in large part to Teddy, the Dolphins have done something they haven't done wince 2003: sweep the season series against the hated division rival Jets. More importantly, perhaps, the Dolphins are now back within a game of .500 and are 3-0 within the AFC East.

Ginn puts the "special" in "special teams"
This past week, much of the talk was centered on what the Dolphins should do with their former number one pick. The Dolphins decided to bench Ginn, who started every game this year at wide receiver, in favor of rookie Brian Hartline. Ginn admits, too, that this past week was the toughest of his professional career.

But Ginn reminded us all of just how damn good he can be as a return man, taking two consecutive kickoffs all the way to the house. And his 100 yard and 101 yard kickoff returns for touchdowns made NFL history. Teddy became the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns of at least 100 yards in the same game. He's also the first player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same quarter since Travis Williams did it for the Packers in 1967. Not a bad way to gain some confidence.

If you're human, you can't help but be happy for the embattled Ginn. And perhaps what is most telling is how his teammates spoke of Ginn after the game, including Jason Taylor - whose fumble return for a touchdown was overshadowed by Ginn's big day.

"That's all right. That's all right. After everything Teddy has been through, he deserves all the glory," said Taylor. Here are some more quotes about Ginn:

"People should respect him more, and, now, maybe they will," Brian Hartline said. "It was good to see him play so well."

"He loves the game. This is what he does," Justin Smiley said. "He's a professional. It's his life. I see him every day and how hard he works. He takes a lot of flak, but he had a great day."

But I think Ginn himself said it best. He said after the game that he convinced himself following his demotion that "big things might happen." Ginn added, "It's probably one of the toughest weeks I've ever experienced playing football. Last week was one of my toughest games I've ever had, the worst game in my career."

And now?

"I feel at peace more than anything. I made plays for my team. I stayed confident. My team believed in me," said Ginn. "To make them see that smile and have that happiness, to go from 2-4 to 3-4, that's great."

Now let's see if this confidence can translate into more production as a wide receiver.

Defense makes just enough plays to survive
Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Dolphins had only surrendered 6 points to the Jets. But then Davone Bess muffed a punt, the Jets recovered and the wheels came off for the defense. The Dolphins would surrender three touchdowns over the final 20 minutes of the game and nearly surrender a fourth that would have given the Jets the lead with under two minutes to play. It was the kind of performance to make even the most optimistic Dolphin fan think, "here we go again."

Second half defensive collapses have become all too familiar this season. And the Dolphins did just enough to avert another disaster. But man, it was not easy to watch.

Let's start with the good. The Dolphins did an outstanding job of stopping the Jets rushing attack. Yes, the Dolphins allowed a 100 yard rusher and a total of 127 yards on the ground. But that was with the Jets running the ball 40 times. Miami held New York to just 3.2 yards per attempt - which is damn good.

From individual standpoints, Jason Ferguson, Paul Soliai, and Randy Starks were outstanding. Give credit to Soliai for not only playing stout at the point of attack but also for ripping the ball away from Shonn Greene, leading to a fumble recovery that Jason Taylor returned all the way.

Gibril Wilson also looked like a different guy out there. Tony Sparano needs some credit here for deciding not to start Wilson. Chris Clemons was on the field for the first play of the game. Sparano said after the game that they "shook some things up this week, purposefully so. There's no reason for anybody to feel comfortable when you're 2-4.''

That strategy worked well, as Wilson was far more productive today than in any of his previous games as a Dolphin. Now he still wasn't perfect in coverage, but he was active against the run, effective as a blitzer, and didn't miss any tackles (that I can recall off the top of my head).

But it's Starks who was the man on defense, picking up 7 tackles, a sack (which we'll highlight in a minute), and two quarterback hits. He, too, had his best game as a Dolphin on Sunday. All told, it looks like the Dolphins have a damn good defensive line rotation - and will continue to do so for years to come.

Besides the rushing defense, though, I think the other key stat for the defense was how good they were on 3rd downs - holding the Jets to just 21% efficiency (3/14). And on the biggest third down of the game, it was Randy Starks coming through with a huge sack to push the Jets back to Miami's 15 yard line with under two minutes to go. That play is my "turning point of the game" - which we'll get to momentarily.

But, obviously, there were some defensive issues. The tight end position continues to kill this defense. Yeremiah Bell just doesn't look quick enough or fluid enough to stay with these athletic pass-catching tight ends when he's asked to. And the linebackers aren't nearly athletic enough to keep up with a tight end like Dustin Keller, who went for 76 yards receiving and a touchdown.

I also think that there was far too little pressure on Mark Sanchez, especially in the second half. There were countless plays that saw Sanchez have seemingly all day to throw. And for the most part, if the Dolphins didn't blitz, they didn't get pressure on Mark.

The rookie corners played as well as you could expect. They had their ups and downs. Each had at least one glaring mistake. For Vontae Davis, it was trying to undercut a ball thrown to Jerricho Cotchery on a drag route. Davis couldn't break up the pass and Cotchery took it 53 yards before being shoved out of bounds. For Sean Smith, it was a play in which he let Braylon Edwards get inside too easily, resulting in a 20 yard gain on an eventual scoring drive.

With that said, both made enough positive plays to keep me excited for their futures. I think they're going to be very good for a long time.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
If the Dolphins ended up losing, the turning point would have definitely been the muffed punt by Davone Bess. But Davone is off the hook. And part of the reason why is because Randy Starks came through in a big way. It was 3rd & 6 from Miami's 8 yard line when Starks beat one of the best guard's in football, Alan Faneca, one on one and laid a big hit on Mark Sanchez, resulting in a 7 yard loss and making it 4th & 13 from the 15 with 1 minute and a half to go. Those were a big seven yards, people. Just think of the difference between a 4th down from Miami's 8 to a 4th from the 15. There are a million more options for the Jets if Sanchez is able to even throw the ball away. But Starks came flying through the line seemingly out of nowhere to make a game-saving play for this defense.

TOOL OF THE GAME
Bart Scott - you're an idiot.

Even after losing to the Dolphins for the second time this season, Scott still ran his mouth after the game, sarcastically mocking the Dolphins:

"They're a great team. They'll probably contend for the Super Bowl. They have a tremendous offense -- great running backs, a great quarterback, a great tight end. They are stacked across the board. I'm serious. They are great.

"They have a tremendous offense and they showed it today. They are Super Bowl contenders and they will probably take it all the way."

Leave it to a New Yorker, of all people, to say it best. On his Sunday night sports show on NBC in New York, Mike Francesa blasted Scott, calling him a "total fool" and "total jerk" - among other things. And he said he's the kind of player you don't want on your team. Can't disagree with any of that.

QUICK HITS
Some more quick thoughts on the game:

I love love love the defensive back blitzes that Miami used on a lot of their 3rd downs today. I recall seeing, on any given 3rd down, Yeremiah Bell, Vontae Davis, Gibril Wilson, and Nathan Jones all have a chance to blitz. And it seemed to work. Don't know why they got away from it late in the game.
The Jets call the 'Wildcat' a gimmick? The Jets ran a flea-flicker and an end-around, both more "gimmicky" than the Wildcat.
Speaking of the Wildcat, the Jets did a good job of stuffing it all game.
Which brings me to the offensive line. They played poorly today, no doubt about it. They gave Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams no running room and really struggled to protect Chad Henne. I hope this is just a bump in the road.
As far as Henne goes, it was an "ok" performance. But I get the feeling he might be over-thinking some throws, especially when he's under pressure. He needs to get rid of the ball quicker. And he simply can't afford to go backwards when under pressure. That's always a "no-no." But at least there were no mistakes. All in all, not bad for his first career road start.
Boy does this team need a go-to receiver. There were too many times where no receiver at all could get open.
Is Reggie Torbor better than Channing Crowder? I would have laughed at that question a week ago. Now it's not a no-brainer anymore, folks. He isn't any worse, that's for sure. Just something to think about, I suppose.
Davone Bess hasn't looked like himself these past two weeks. But even with that said, I'm not worried about him at all. That's the kind of trust I have in him after his impressive rookie season last year.
Even with the poor defensive performance today (allowing 378 yards of offense), that unit did something it hadn't done all season - it finished. That's certainly a building block for the rest of the year.

Is Sunday's game against New Orleans the "defining game" of the first half?

Matty I — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:16:15 -0000

It might be crazy to think that Sunday's game against the Saints is the Dolphins' "defining game" of the first half of their season. It might be a bit of a reach. But then again, it just might be completely accurate.

Think about this for a moment. The Saints are universally considered to now be one of the top three teams in the NFL. They will come to Miami with an undefeated 5-0 record and with the top ranked total offense and top ranked scoring offense. Defensively, the Saints have a top ten total defense and scoring defense. And last week, the Saints simply demolished another top five team when they made the New York Giants look like they didn't even belong on the same field - scoring 48 points and running up 493 total yards of offense against what was ranked as the number one overall defense in the league coming into week six.

Want another nice tidbit about the Saints? The Saints have never trailed in a game so far this year. Not once. Not even for a second.

With all that said, just think about what a win by the Dolphins would do. If you knock off the team that has been the most dominant through six weeks, you make a statement. Suddenly, the Dolphins wouldn't just be another .500 football team. They'd be much more. Says guard Justin Smiley:

"You beat a team like this, it does everything for you. It kind of validates where you are as a football team."

"It either says, ‘we have a long way to go,’ or you win the game and you realize you’re headed in the right direction."

We can also sit here and talk about the bigger picture as well. A win gets the Dolphins back to .500 after a tough 0-3 start. It also keeps the Dolphins within one game (in the loss column) of the division leading Patriots. More importantly, a loss would drop the Dolphins to 2-4 with games in New York (well, New Jersey, but whatever) and New England to follow. In a season where it will likely take at least 10 wins to get into the playoffs, losing a fourth game just seven weeks into the season would obviously hurt any possible playoff chances.

But this game is even bigger than the "big picture." It's a chance for the Dolphins to define themselves. More specifically, it's a chance for this much maligned secondary to prove that they really aren't as bad as the stats show - which, for the record, is 18th in pass defense and 31st in yards allowed per pass attempt.

You know what? This unit really isn't that bad. Sean Smith has looked very good. Vontae Davis has looked nearly as good, though he's gotten caught making rookie mistakes a few times. And Will Allen seems to be getting beat less and less as the weeks go by - though he's still not playing up to his ability.

These guys in the secondary, though, are well aware that they are going to be a focal point on Sunday. And Sean Smith is excited about that:

"You definitely love when a team is going to challenge you through the air. It gives us a chance to make plays on the ball and show what you can do."

"I would never line up saying, 'God, I hope they run the ball.' That's just something I don't do."

"I love when the ball's in the air. We're corners. We're the secondary. This is what we're here for. When the ball's in the air, it's ours for the taking.''

On Sunday, Smith and his fellow cornerbacks will certainly have plenty of opportunities. They will be asked to indeed show what they can do. And when all is said and done, the fate of the game could rest on their shoulders. Might the fate of the rest of the season rest on them as well?

Maybe. One thing I know for sure, though, is that a win by the Dolphins and suddenly this team's possibilities would en endless.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels salutes the crowd after the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Is anybody else feeling like they could get used to feeling like this on a Tuesday? It's great to be 5-0, isn't it? Maybe Mark Kiszla is right, and we should all join him in welcoming Kyle Orton to Denver, since MHR is clearly bringing up the rear, there. Y'all know how skeptical I have been. Despite our ongoing skepticism, and community-wide propensity for all things negative, we press on. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. Speaking of my skepticism, I was pretty high on this team, heading into the first game.

This is an 11-5 football team, and it's one that is only going to improve as it adds more quality talent in the next few years. I put my money where my mouth is too, donating $11 to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, on John Bena's wife's behalf. Please do the same thing, if you can, by donating $1 for every win you think the Broncos will get this season. Things have to break right for that to happen, sure, but I think they will. Forget last season, this is a totally different thing.

Well, that caused a stir. John Bena took a beating on Twitter about it, and even my brother Chris thought I was about 4 games too generous. At this point, I am frankly wondering if I shorted the Susan G Komen outfit by a buck or two. One mea culpa though.

By the way, the Broncos five losses are to the Patriots, Giants, and Raiders at home, and the Chargers and Eagles on the road. I know a lot of people will groan at the thought of losing to Oakland at home, but let's face it, the Broncos annually lose a game they have no business losing, and I had a feeling that that would be the one. I think they can beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh, because they protect the QB, and will be strong defensively against the run. It's about matchups, in those cases. Really, I believe that the Broncos can beat any team on their schedule if they execute, and consistently do the things you need to do to win football games.

I had the Broncos going to 4-0, (in case anybody claims nobody did), before losing both (Sunday) to the Patriots and next Monday night to the Chargers. They beat the Patriots, and I am pretty sure they'll beat the Chargers too, to move to 6-0. I also don't think there is any way they lose to the Raiders, with the consistent preparation and focus they've shown, and Oakland's extreme awfulness. So, even the most optimistic reasonable guy you know may have been underselling this team.

I am not much of a stats guy, but are you ready for an unbelievable one? In five weeks, the Broncos have made zero personnel moves. For all you hear about how much "turmoil" surrounded this team in the offseason, there has been absolutely none in the regular season. Of course, having had no major injuries helps, but it's really indicative of the quality of the team's personnel plan. There was no area where the staff thought incorrectly that the personnel would be good enough. It's good enough everywhere.

There is a lot of reason to really like this team. When the score was 10-0 in the first quarter, my father (Ed) called me, like he does when things aren't going that well for the Broncos. This is the conversation, practically word-for-word.

Ed: What's going on with your boys?

Ted: (A little annoyed.) Nothing, they had a good drive, but missed a field goal, and then they fumbled. Then they held the Patriots to a field goal despite really favorable field position. I'm not worried about it yet. These things happen.

Ed: I don't know...

Ted: This team has shown an ability to be resilient, and make adjustments. I think they'll hang in there, and be okay. (More annoyed, because the commercial was ending, and the game was restarting.) They just (bleeped) up a couple times, it's not the end of the world.

Ed: We'll see....

Ted: Yes, we will. I have to go, so I can pay attention.

Ed: Okay, when you write your analysis, you should mention that your expert father thinks they played like (bleep) because of those ugly uniforms.

Like me, my father is a former United States sailor (a Chief Nuke Machinist Mate), and we tend to employ some sailors' vocabulary when we speak. (In the interest of authenticity, I thought everybody should know that.)

I think back to the last few years, and there is a striking difference with this team. I think of 2005, and the Broncos hardly ever trailed in that season. Jake Plummer was made to play low-risk football, the defense was solid, and the Broncos ran the ball very well. If the plan was executed, the Broncos were going to win. Once it wasn't, in the AFC Championship Game, there was no coming back.

Between 2006-2008, the team was very mistake-prone, on both offense and defense (after the first 6 games of 2006). Generally, you'd have the feeling that if a player or unit made a mistake, that a long day of repeat mistakes would be sure to follow. Think of all the times Jay Cutler played the team out of games, or the defense took a holiday from tackling (or both happened in the same game, like the early season Chiefs game last season). There was always a puncher's chance, but you felt like every mistake was the killer.

I have a tremendous amount of faith in this team's ability to overcome mistakes. In the short amount of time they've been together, I've seen them do it a lot of times. It's not like they're making a lot of mistakes, but they show the ability to settle down and re-focus, no matter what happens. The 2008 Broncos would have gotten blown out today, no question about it. This team hangs in there, gets back to playing solid football, and gets in position to win in the end. It happened against Cincinnati, it happened against Dallas, and it happened again today. (Of course, there never was one second where the Browns or Raiders had an apparent chance, so there was no particular need to hang in there in those games.)

Check out this tweet from Darrell Reid, from Sunday night:

@Footz95: Bronco Fans Please 4Give Me 4 My Penalty That Almost Cost Us The Game. Luckily Its A Team Sport And My Teammates Overcame That Play. Thank U

That's pure class and accountability, and it's emblematic of this team. There was nothing about how the penalty was kind of ticky-tack, even if it was. He knows the rules, he ran into the guy's leg, and he is accountable for his mistake.

It's a gift to be able to feel like this, and I think only probably Patriots, Steelers, and Colts fans have been able to do so consistently, in recent memory. I think Giants and Saints fans probably can right now. Somehow, our team is going to keep focused, and find a way to be in the game until the final gun. What a great new Broncos fan reality.

2. Information From My Eyes, Patriots at Broncos:

a. The WRs for the Broncos did great work all game on Sunday. They ran a ton of hitches, and really got out of their breaks well on them. They also really caught the ball.

b. Andra Davis and D.J. Williams both missed clean sacks on Tom Brady, on delayed blitzes. It sure would have been nice to have those sacks, at the time.

c. I thought the use of Russ Hochstein as a FB was a nice touch a few times. It's been hit or miss this season, and it hit Sunday.

d. Both Brandon Marshall TDs were emblematic of his improvement as an all-around player. He made plays with his physicality, which he hadn't ever fully harnessed in past years. There was no sideways running Sunday, just good routes and power.

e. That Ben Watson TD was evidently a mistake by D.J. Williams, who from the looks of the rest of the scheme, and Wesley Woodyard's reaction, should have stayed in zone coverage, instead of following the underneath crosser.

f. Maybe Kyle Orton was so fantastic because he read Mark Kiszla's column before the game. Feeling like "one of us" has to go a long way, right?

g. That was a joke, of course, but Orton really did look as good as I have ever seen him. His feet were calm, active, and precise, his decisions were quick and correct, and his throws were consistently on the money. He looked like Tom Brady looks on a good day, and that's no overstatement.

h. I want to see a QB sneak on a short-yardage play one of these days. I am tired of seeing these handoff plays get blown up by quick penetration, usually over Ben Hamilton.

i. WOW, did Josh McDaniels ever flame-spray Mike Priefer and Keith Burns over that Darrell Reid penalty. He had a point. There was no particular need to be halfway rushing that punt, in that situation. Honestly, I am a believer in not trying to block a punt at all, unless there's 6 or more yards to go. That mitigates the risk of running into the kicker.

j. If you remember the second-down play in the 4th quarter, with about 10 minutes to go, where Brady threw deep and the ball was broken up by Brian Dawkins, the real play was made by D.J.Williams, in covering Wes Welker one-on-one. Brady clearly wanted to go there, and it was blanketed. On the next play, Brady did throw to Welker, and Champ Bailey had great coverage. The Broncos did a great job taking Welker away in the second half.

k. Everybody knows I wasn't that high on the Knowshon Moreno pick when it was made, but I have come to really love this player. He is going to be a superstar for years to come. I especially appreciate his skill at picking up the blitz, which is rare for a rookie.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. I had the Bengals-Ravens game on my fixed screen Sunday, for the duration. The key observation from that game is that I had it slightly wrong a couple weeks ago, when I said that the Ravens were without any glaring weaknesses. Their cornerbacks are below average, and they can be killed outside the numbers. Old friend Domonique Foxworth is a good guy, but an average-at-best player. Fabian Washington isn't even as good as that. Particularly if you can block the Ravens' pressure packages, there is a lot of opportunity for success.

b. It is, however, best to stay out of the middle of the field, with any kind of risky throws. Ed Reed is as great as ever, and we all know about Ray Lewis. Reed made a couple big plays Sunday, stripping Chad Ochocinco on a long gainer before the first half ended, and then also returning an interception for a TD later. The Bengals dominated this game, and Reed and Ray Rice were the Ravens' only real positives, and managed to keep the Ravens in it.

c. Matt Cassel says he wants to find the right "anecdote" to losing. The Chiefs ought to start by drafting a lot more speed, because they're the slowest team in the NFL, ahead of their opponent Sunday, Dallas. The Chiefs are going to have another very high draft pick this year, because they are really horrible. If I were Scott Pioli, I would do everything possible to get below the Top 10, because a third straight very high pick, along with Cassel's contract, is going to really mess up their salary structure, a la Oakland. I would give a top pick away, straight-up, for the 12th pick, in their situation. Bill Polian had it right when he said that you don't get good by picking high in the draft every year. Unless you're taking a can't-miss QB, like Peyton Manning, nobody is worth the money you have to pay out.

d. Speaking of the Chiefs, this has gone mostly under the radar, but they're not playing Derrick Johnson, their best linebacker. He was their best defensive player in 2008, and now he's frozen out for some undisclosed reason. If I were a 40-front team, I'd be calling the Chiefs before the trade deadline next week. I bet he could be had for a 5th-rounder.

e. Have you ever seen that show, Intervention, on A&E? I know I have a pretty male-heavy readership, and it's mostly targeted toward a female demographic, so I ask, rather than assume. Anyway, it's not what I would call uplifting television. There's always some really troubled person, with drugs, or gambling, or compulsive shopping, or whatever. Their family loves them, and wants to help get them on the straight and narrow, but addiction is really hard (my 3-year anniversary of quitting smoking is next Monday, so trust me, I have an idea about addiction).

Anyway, the Jaguars remind me of an addict who is trying to get clean, and tries hard, and does well for a while, and then has a staggering, messy relapse. Jacksonville's addiction is to playing undisciplined and stupid football. The last two weeks, against Houston and Tennessee, the Jags had their act together. Sunday, against Seattle, they relapsed, and got completely embarassed. Rashean Mathis, a good CB, had a horrid game, and got out of position repeatedly. I think Jack Del Rio's days have to be numbered, because his program just isn't getting the team to where they need to be. I'm not picking them in any more games this year, either, unless it's against an obviously terrible team. Sometimes, even though you may love the addict, they won't let themselves be helped, and you have to cut them off.

f. The 49ers are not addicted to undisciplined football, but they sure played like the Jaguars West on Sunday. Watching the Short Cut, I really feel like they lost their composure after Roddy White's 90-yard TD in the second quarter. Nate Clements got beat on that play, and had a tough game overall. The defense was physical, and maintained their run lanes, but didn't tackle well, at all. I expect that Mike Singletary will re-focus his team, and they'll show better in their next game, after their bye. Since they're clearly not built to play from behind, they need to establish early leads.

g. A lot was made of Dre' Bly's idiotic celebration Sunday, but Donnie Avery deserves some scorn too, for dancing after a TD catch, when it made the score 31-10 Vikings, with 6 minutes to go. That's just clown-like. Hand the ball to the Field Judge, and get back to your sideline.

h. Matt Schaub threw a noodle-armed out route Sunday, which Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie took back for the game-winning TD. Even after that, Schaub drove the team the length of the field, before the Cardinals held them on 4th and goal from the 1. The problem with being a zone-blocking team, as we've seen, is that you tend to struggle in short yardage situations, and the Texans really struggle with them.

i. I got called "ignorant" once by our dear friend/Colts blogger BigBlueShoe for saying that Anthony Gonzalez was a below-average starter. I considered it an honor, because I am happy to disagree with anybody. (Evaluation is a function of what I see, not what anybody thinks they know, and by extension, that they think I should "know.") In any case, Gonzalez, who is from 3 towns west of where I live, is going to stuggle to get on the field when he gets healthy. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have done fantastic work this season, and they're both better players than Gonzalez. Collie is smooth in his routes, and fundamentally sound, and Garcon is fast and fluid. Gonzalez struggles to get off press coverage, and as Mike Shanahan once said, if you can't get off press coverage, you'll be selling cars before too long.

j. The Steelers defense looks extremely beatable lately, especially if you can pass protect. The Lions did a lot of good stuff offensively Sunday, and lost only because they couldn't contain James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Trust me, they're not a terrible team team this season.

k. Josh Johnson looked like an NFL starting QB on Sunday, which is an accomplishment, for your second career start, against a defense like Philadelphia's. His stats were pedestrian (26-50, 240 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT with 5 carries for 40 yards), but he passed the eye test. His throws were mostly accurate and decisive, and he was victimized by quite a few drops, at least 6 or 7.

l. I haven't gotten a great look at Jason Peters yet this regular season, and I have been wanting to. Sunday's game didn't show me much, because Gaines Adams just looks clueless on the field. LDE Jimmy Wilkerson got 3 sacks for the Buccaneers, and lazy analysis would lead me to criticize RT Winston Justice, who I am typically not a big fan of. Thing is, I looked at the plays, and none were particularly bad plays by Justice. One was an overload, where the RG picked up Wilkerson, and on the other two, Donovan McNabb rolled into a decently-blocked Wilkerson.

m. ST&NO favorite Channing Crowder had a fantastic game on Monday Night, and really backed up his smack talk from the spring with Rex Ryan. Another ST&NO favorite, Sean Smith, did not have a particularly great game. He struggled a little with Braylon Edwards, and while he didn't embarass himself, he has looked a lot better in other games. He was still the best CB the Dolphins had, as Vontae Davis and Will Allen both struggled worse.

n. I called this just last Tuesday with Edwards. He got out of Cleveland, and he's going to flourish in New York. He always thought of Cleveland as a non-cosmopolitan place, even to a greater extent than what is really true. (It's medium in its cosmopolitan-ness; well behind the major cities, but well ahead of a place like Jacksonville.) Edwards also felt like Ohio fans secretly hated him because he is a Michigan guy. The enmity between OSU and Michigan people is pretty real, for Big 10 country anyway, but Clevelanders are almost universally Browns fans before they're OSU fans. It's an NFL town, first, no question about it. If Edwards did well for the Browns, he'd have gotten plenty of love here.

My read on Edwards' personality, from living in the same town, is that the fact that he comes from a fairly affluent, two-parent, suburban background works against his ability to be a great player. He knows he has options outside of football. Poor kids need football, and many dedicate themselves fully to it, but I don't think Edwards has ever felt like he needs it. (For an example, there's the famous story of him asking Will Demps how to get into modeling and acting, between plays, during a game with the Texans).

I expect that Edwards will be very good for the Jets, and get himself a good contract extension after this season. New York is the town he wants to be in, and at his best, he can be like Tiki Barber, a guy who is interested in a lot of other stuff, but finally focuses pretty well on football, and has some good years under some tough coaching. Just don't be the person who believes the nonsense about him being a bad player, because he is not one.

n. The Dolphins offensive line is really one-dimensional, because their Tackles, Jake Long and Vernon Carey, severely lack foot quickness. Both guys can really move defenders off the ball in the running game, though. I am a big fan of Justin Smiley at LG; he's a mauler. The Dolphins do well in their wildcat stuff, but I think they should play more with their QB under center, to generate opportunities in the play-action game. It's the only way their QB will ever be able to consistently take a very deep dropback, unless they want to max-protect with a limited pattern.

o. Wow.... two successful fake punts in one first half by the Jets. I don't know if I have ever seen that before. Brad Smith was almost stopped on the second one, but he managed to get away from the tackle.

p. Chad Henne has looked much better than I thought he could play the last two weeks, but I am not sold on some things. For one thing, since when do QBs have lousy, jail-house looking tattoos, or any tattoos at all? It's like when an enlisted guy in the military becomes an officer, and suddenly looks a little different, sporting a bunch of ink. (My buddy who is getting married in Dallas in about 2 weeks is actually one of these.) Anyway, it's weird to see a QB with that going on. As a player, he looked really good, though.

q. Ted Ginn put a pretty humbling move on Darrelle Revis in the 4th quarter Monday Night. When you hear scouts talk about suddenness, Ginn is not a guy who really has it, as opposed to somebody like Percy Harvin, who does. Ginn does, however, have world-class speed once he gets going, and he ran by the outstanding Revis for a go-ahead TD.

r. I usually ignore MNF while I write the bulk of ST&NO on Monday nights, but this Dolphins-Jets game was terrific. Both of these teams are playoff-caliber teams, and only one of them will probably make it.

s. The Packers had a bye week, and signed Mark Tauscher, which was smart. I think he is below-average, (and so is Chad Clifton), but they are a damnsight better than Daryn Colledge and Allen Barbre. If Aaron Rodgers can get sacked only 3-4 times per game, as opposed to 8-9, the Packers would have a better chance to beat good teams. Rodgers does tend to hold the ball too long at times, and I am sure the Packers are working with him on that, as well.

t. There were a lot of lousy games this weekend, which weren't particularly relevant to anything. I didn't bother with them. (That means you, Buffalo-Cleveland and Washington-Carolina.)

4. Between The Lines - Patriots at Broncos

a. The Patriots pass-protected very well in this game, much better than I expected them to. Matt Light and Nick Kaczur really held their own against Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and others. The Broncos mostly tried to play coverage, and generally didn't blitz a lot, but the Patriots handled their 3- and 4-man rushes virtually every time. Once Light was injured, and replaced by Sebastian Vollmer, I felt like the Patriots expressly didn't want to have him singled up on anybody, and they got more conservative with their protection calls. Of course, on the key play where Vonnie Holliday sacked and stripped Brady, and Dumervil recovered, that was only a 4-man rush, and Vollmer was the victim. The Patriots won this battle on volume, but he Broncos got the biggest play.

b. The Broncos also were outstanding in protection. Orton was never significantly pressured during the game, and the two sacks he took were both coverage sacks, delivered by LBs Rob Ninkovich and Tully Banta-Cain. Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris were outstanding as usual. Although Clady did have Banta-Cain on his sack, it's hard to call the play Ryan's fault. Pressure up the middle forced Orton to step backwards, into the area where Clady had ridden Banta-Cain. Sometimes you take a hit for doing your job right. The interior was strong in protection too, especially Chris Kuper. He does a great job anchoring against power rushers. The Broncos were terrific in this area, and won it going away.

c. The Patriots seemed to want to run the ball at Ryan McBean and Mario Haggan, and had a bit of success at it early with Sammy Morris. After that, they seemed to get away from that plan, only running much from shotgun looks. The Broncos defensive line was up to the task, consistently holding the line of scrimmage, as they have in all five games. Noteworthy performances were turned in by Ronald Fields, Le Kevin Smith, and Kenny Peterson, in addition to McBean. These big guys just continue to hold up. Logan Mankins was tough for the Patriots, and Dan Koppen was steady and crafty. Kaczur had a couple nice early blocks on the opening possession too. This battle was pretty even, in the final analysis.

d. Vince Wilfork was the best all-around player on the field on Sunday, and he couldn't be blocked. If the Patriots don't pay him, I'll be shocked, but there are actually rumblings that they may not. The rest of the Patriots defensive line got pushed around in the running game. The Broncos blockers were terrific in opening up holes for Knowshon Moreno and LaMont Jordan. Clady, Harris, and Kuper were especially noteworthy for their efforts in the running game. Wilfork did make a key stop on third-and-short, and blew up Hamilton on the play. Moreno's 4.2 yard average was a lot better than teams usually get from the Patriots. This is a win for the Broncos.

e. Remember a year ago, when the Patriots physically dominated the Broncos on both lines? That did not happen Sunday. The matchup was pretty even, with a slight edge going to the Broncos. This was very important to the final outcome of the game, as always.

(I am scrapping the BTL feature for another game. I am pretty overloaded lately, and I need to save the 90 minutes per week. It seemed like the best place to cut from. Sorry for anybody who will miss it.)

5. Weird comment from Pat Kirwan on NFL.com:

5. Things I didn't like

When the visiting Patriots lost the coin toss in overtime and the Broncos drove the field and kicked a winning field goal, it left me wanting more than that to decide a winner. Wouldn't it have been great if, after Denver's field goal, Tom Brady had one drive to score a touchdown?

Is Kirwan saying that Brady should get even more special treatment, because he's Brady, or is he saying that the NFL should allow both teams to get the ball at least once in overtime, as a rule for all teams? I typically like Kirwan's work, but this has me pretty confused.

And for the record, I don't think it would have been great if Brady had one drive to score a touchdown. To me, moving down the field after winning the toss, and kicking a winning FG is legitimate. I also think the Broncos play-calling would have been a bit different, once Knowshon Moreno got them inside the 30, if they felt like they really needed to play for a TD.

6. Big up Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post, for reminding us, via Twitter, of somebody who hasn't come forth with their mea culpa yet. I'm looking at you, Rick Reilly, purveyor of puff pieces.

Actually, Reilly's words were more mean-spirited than anybody's, so he really owes Josh McDaniels an apology.

@DenverBroncos : Deadspin compiles all the not-so-nice things Rick Reilly wrote about McDaniels last spring. Pretty interesting. http://deadspin.com/5379838/delighting-in-rick-reillys-massively-wrong-broncos-predictions

I don't normally read Deadspin, but nice work by Tommy Creggs here. Some interesting reminders:

Reilly on April 3rd: "And none of it would've happened without McDaniels' ham-handed style and his Macy's-balloon ego. I have a buddy who honestly believes McDaniels thinks this is fantasy football; that Pat Bowlen gave him a whole team to play with and screw over in his own image and what the hell, if his moves don't work out, his league has a special "mulligan" rule and he can start over. Only there's no "oops" rule in the NFL. Years from now, the Cutler Catastrophe will go down as the dumbest thing in Boy Blunder's very short coaching career. By then, perhaps he will be your waiter at Olive Garden."

That was right after the Cutler trade. Nice, huh? Try this one out:

Reilly on April 29th: "To repeat: Boy Blunder used a [first-round pick] to take a second. And if the Broncos are going to be as lame as I think they're going to be-4-12 perhaps-that first-round pick will be very high. McDaniels is the worst combination of things: Terribly naïve and doubly confident. Bronco fans, you're screwed."

And one more pearl;

Reilly on September 29th: "You can't just bolt your team because you think it's going to suck. (Which the Broncos are. There is no debating that. They are going to lose more than France. Just because you worked under Bill Belichick and you wear your sweatshirt like Bill Belichick does not mean you are Bill Belichick.)"

I would have been glad to debate Reilly on September 29th, or any other day. And if Josh McDaniels was my waiter at Olive Garden, I'd tip him pretty well, because I tip well, and because I bet the service would be outstanding.

I mean, like they say on ESPN, C'mon Man! This drivel was worse than what came from any of the serious-ish reporters, right? Your garden-variety John Clayton, Peter King, or Don Banks were smug and disconnected from reality, but it wasn't personal. With Reilly, this was clearly PERSONAL. Where are you at, Rick? Being a Denver guy, I suspect you'll see this, or at least hear about it, from somebody who does. Ted Bartlett from MileHighReport.com wants to know where you're at with this today, and is directly, publicly asking, on behalf of the thousands who realize how wrong you were, and think we have a great Head Coach.

Hell, if I find out that Chad Henne's tattoo is actually beautifully and tastefully done, and I had it all wrong, you can bet that I'll man up to it publicly. Same goes for anything I ever say, in all seriousness. Maybe accountability to readers is a blogger thing, I don't know.

7. Retired for John Elway

8. So, there's a hellaciously stupid line of thought that's circulating throughout the punditry (as always, meant negatively.) It seems that there are two kinds of people: those who dichotomize, and those who don't. The punditry tends to dichotomize, and there are two kinds of coaches right now. Hot Coordinators (including some retreads like Mike Nolan, Gregg Williams, and Mike Mularkey), and Super Bowl Winning Retreads. And lemme tell you, nobody wants a Retread. Why not? Because they're Retreads, stupid!

My favorite contrarian Andrew Perloff tells us so in his crack column Against The Grain: ("A weekly NFL column that heads in the opposite direction of your average pro football analysis." Just in case you were wondering....)

3. The NFL information men are hot on the trail of finding out where former Super Bowl-winning coaches like Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren and Bill Cowher will end up. But shouldn't we be asking ourselves if those coaches are the right hires for franchises like Washington, Dallas and Carolina? A retread coach with a ring is still just a retread. Duplicating that kind of success is still a longshot in the NFL. Some of the organization problems within those teams would cause just as big a headache for a proven winner.

Perloff has a point about the organization problems, but calling somebody a retread, and assuming that they suddenly can't coach is asinine. Analysts who don't know how to analyze always look for correlation, and assume causation, where there often is none.

Some teams, like the Redskins and Cowboys, will almost certainly make big-splash hires. Some, like the Bills and Jaguars, will be cost conscious, and probably hire a coordinator. Some, like the Panthers, could go either way. You can believe that whatever is deemed to be the trend du jour, (probably hiring coordinators), the other path will be criticized. Such is life with the dichotomizing punditry.

9. Another fun Ted Bartlett prognostication from the preseason:

The Broncos are going to have the best defense in the AFC West.

I guess I am just hot this year. :)

That's all I have for this week. Have a great Tuesday, and beyond, and we'll see you Saturday for Lighting Up The Scoreboard, even as I will be at Notre Dame this weekend for their game against USC. It will be my first time seeing Touchdown Jesus, so we'll see what that does for me as a guy who grew up Catholic. Maybe I will tweet from the game. Follow me at @TedBartlett905. Thanks for reading, and go Broncos!!!

Five Questions With The Phinsider

John B — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:15:10 -0000

To get ready for the Monday Night Showdown in Miami, Matty I of The Phinsider and I exchanged questions. Matty's blog is THE place to go for Dolphins information. How good is it? I check it every day even though it's about the team I hate most in football.

1. Chad Pennington has a unique skill set. There are things he does very well and others he doesn't do so well. A team really has to build its offense around his game. Were there any changes in the offense that really stuck out in Chad Henne's first start?

That's something a lot of Dolphin fans wondered themselves as last week's game approached. Many, in fact, were hoping to see some changes in the passing attack; changes that would better suit Chad Henne's arm strength. But much to the disappointment of some fans, those changes were non-existent.

It was clear the Dolphins wanted to run the ball as much as possible last week - and that came as no surprise. But when Henne was asked to put the ball in the air, 90% of those passes were of the short, 7-10 yard range. That frustrated some Dolphin fans - despite the win Miami came away with - because they were all instantly hoping to see Henne start firing some deep balls left and right. But that will come in time. Right now, it's more important to let Henne build some confidence. And these receivers are also more suited to the short passing game rather than a vertical passing attack.

2. The Dolphins used a pair of early Draft picks on corners and signed Gibril Wilson to upgrade the secondary. It doesn't look pretty on paper. Have the additions not worked out to this point, or are there mitigating factors?

I wouldn't say the additions haven't worked out. In fact, the two rookie corners have been very good. I'd even go so far as to call Sean Smith's play as exceptional through four games. He won the starting spot opposite Will Allen in camp and has never looked back. He is yet to get badly beaten. The only two times he has surrendered long completions, he was in perfect coverage. On one, the receiver just made an amazing catch. On the other, it was a "back shoulder" pass in which Smith just didn't get his head around quick enough - but he had perfect coverage and was step for step with Terrell Owens before Owens came back to the under-thrown ball. Smith has played so well, in fact, that teams are picking on Will Allen - the veteran - instead of Smith. That says a lot.

The main problem with Miami's pass defense has been stopping the opposing tight ends. Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark each had very big games against Miami. And Antonio Gates didn't have a big game, but made key plays when it mattered most. The main culprits? Gibril Wilson, Yeremiah Bell, Channing Crowder, and Akin Ayodele. Basically, the linebackers and safeties who have been asked to cover the tight ends and the backs out of the backfield have really struggled.

And making matters more frustrating has been Gibril Wilson's missed tackles. He's whiffed on a number of tackles that have resulted in big plays for the opposition. So it would be fair to say his addition hasn't worked out. But both rookie corners have played very well - and that gives us Dolphin fans hope in the long-term.

3. We had a friendly debate over the summer on receiver play between our respective teams. Jerricho Cotchery has made me look good. Chansi Stuckey and David Clowney? Not so much (and one of them just got traded). How has the Miami trio of Ted Ginn, Davone Bess, and Greg Camarillo been?

I'll admit - Jerricho Cotchery has played better than I thought he would. But it seems like I was pretty accurate about Stuckey and Clowney.

Regardless, the Dolphins' receivers have really been a disappointment. The main culprit? Ted Ginn. Entering his third year, many of us thought that this would be the year Ginn breaks out and becomes a consistent play-making receiver. He's been anything but. Ever since his week two drop of the potential game-winning touchdown against the Colts, Ginn has seemingly lost confidence and has been losing snaps on gamedays. Over the past two games, Ginn has been targeted nine times but has only one reception for four yards. He's only "officially" dropped two passes, but I can think of at least four off of the top of my head. In a nutshell, he's probably been the biggest disappointment on the offensive side of the football through these first four games.

Davone Bess has been his reliable self. He leads the team with 20 receptions and is catching 83% of the passes that come his way. He remains a very "quarterback friendly" receiver. The problem is that he doesn't have good size or great speed - great quickness, but not great speed - so he doesn't get down the field and make plays. He averages just 7.9 yards per catch. He has a ton of upside as a slot, possession receiver - that's for sure. But he's not going to make the big play to pick up chunks of yardage at a time.

Greg Camarillo has gotten off to a slow start as he continues to come back from his ACL injury. He only has 11 receptions, but he did look as good as he has all season last week with Chad Henne under center - catching 4 balls for 42 yards. But he's nowhere near where he was last year before he suffered that knee injury - leading the Dolphins in receiving and on pace for a 90 catch, 1000 yard season.

Also don't count out rookie Brian Hartline. He caught Henne's first TD pass last week and is seeing more and more snaps as weeks go by. He's a better run blocker than Ted Ginn and might have more reliable hands than Ginn (though Ginn had great hands the past two years before his struggles this year). He has also worked more with Henne in camp because they were both on the second team offense for a while. So those two may have more of a rapport than Henne has with the rest of the guys.

4. It looks like the Wildcat has been as effective as ever, but Rex Ryan seemed to handle it pretty well last season. Would it be a good guess the Dolphins have been holding a special wrinkle back for this game? There are two very mobile quarterbacks on the roster in Pat White and Tyler Thigpen.

While I wouldn't expect to see Thigpen active this week, there's a good chance Pat White could see some snaps. The Dolphins had been actively trying to work him into the offense in the first two weeks, but things changed once Pennington went down.

Regardless of if White is used or not, I do think we might see some extra wrinkles in the 'Wildcat' this week. I wouldn't be shocked to see a pass or two out of the formation - even from Ronnie Brown. But I also don't think we can discount the base plays out of the 'Wildcat' either.

Yes, the Ravens shut down the 'Wildcat' last season. There are two major differences, though. One - no matter what you try to convince me of, the Jets defense is not the Ravens defense. Personnel wise, the '08 Ravens are far more talented than the '09 Jets. And two - the Dolphins have improved their offensive line dramatically, which will help. In the playoffs last year, the Dolphins had two backup guards starting because Donald Thomas and Justin Smiley were lost for the season. And they had a center who is now a backup in Oakland - he couldn't even crack the Raiders' starting lineip, which says a lot. Now the Dolphins have a healthy Smiley and Thomas at guard and a center, Jake Grove, who has been very good in the running game. The Dolphins specifically brought Grove in to handle these big AFC East nose tackles, too, because they believe he can handle them. So don't discount the 'Wildcat' and the basic power running plays Miami likes to use.

5. Miami brought in center Jake Grove from Oakland. I don't think it's unfair to say facing Vince Wilfork and Kris Jenkins for a quarter of the season had something to do with that decision. How has he been? Do you think he's ready for the challenge?

Grove has played well. He got off to a rough start in Atlanta, but has improved every week since then. He's proven to be a big upgrade over the run-blocking of Samson Satele. While I think he can improve in his pass protection - and his communication with the line to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage - Grove has really proven his doubters (and I was one of them when they made the move) wrong. In fact, Pro Football Focus, using various metrics, has Grove ranked as the NFL's top center so far in this young season. So I guess that's a good thing.

But like you said above and I said earlier, the Dolphins definitely brought in Grove because they like how he handles those big, physical nose tackles. And in this division, you need to have a guy who can at least turn those those tackles a little to create space for your runner. And this game will be a major challenge. We'll definitely learn a lot about Grove on Monday night.

San Diego Chargers Week 3 Injury Report

John (obviousman) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:35:30 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson will miss his second straight week against the Dolphins on Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Out (0% Chance of Playing)

Nick Hardwick (Ankle)

LaDainian Tomlinson (Ankle)

Travis Johnson (Groin)

Doubtful (25% Chance of Playing)

Antwan Applewhite (Hamstring)

Louis Vasquez (Knee)

Questionable (50% Chance of Playing)

Kevin Burnett (Knee)

Shawne Merriman (Groin)

Probable (75% Chance of Playing)

Stephen Cooper (Ankle)

Kris Dielman (Illness)

Kevin Ellison (Illness)

Marcus McNeill (Illness)

Mike Scifres (Groin)

Brandon Siler (Illness)

Eric Weddle (Illness)

Keep in mind that any player that missed any part of practice during the week needs to be put into one of these categories. So even though McNeill, Dielman and Weddle were good enough to practice on Thursday and Friday, just by missing Wednesday the highest they could be listed as is Probable.

Joey Porter is listed as Questionable with a bad hamstring and Justin Smiley, a starting Offensive Guard, is listed as Questionable with a bad shoulder.

San Diego Chargers Practice Report 9/24

John (obviousman) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:41:55 -0000

Here's the list of players that did not participate or only had limited participation in Thursday's practice. Kris Dielman, Marcus McNeill and Eric Weddle all participated on Thursday after missing Wednesday due to illness. Unfortunately, a couple of guys missed Thursday due to illness.

Out - Will Not Play on Sunday

Nick Hardwick (Ankle)

Limited Participation

Stephen Cooper (Ankle)

Mike Scifres (Groin)

Did Not Participate

Antwan Applewhite (Hamstring)

Kevin Ellison (Illness)

Travis Johnson (Groin)

Shawne Merriman (Groin)

Brandon Siler (Illness)

LaDainian Tomlinson (Ankle)

Louis Vasquez (Knee)

Besides the obviously guys that will miss the game (Jamal Williams and Nick Hardwick), I'd guess that Johnson, Tomlinson and Vasquez are going to miss another game as well.

The Dolphins, by comparison, are very healthy. They only had two players miss any part of practice on Thursday, with Joey Porter and Justin Smiley reporting as "Limited Participation".

What we learned in week one

Matty I — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:15:09 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

I suppose having a stronger arm would help you make a throw from this position, right?

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Now that we've had some time to digest what happened on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, let's talk a little bit about what we "learned" from this game. And keep in mind that you can't really "learn" anything from just one game. But you can start to form some thoughts. Please feel free to tell us all what you think you learned as well.

We learned that Miami's offensive line is nowhere near as good as we thought it would be. Chad Pennington dropped back 33 times - and was sacked four times, hit four times, and hurried 13 more times. That's 21 of 33 drop backs in which CP was under immense pressure. So even if the Dolphins wanted to take some shots deep, there wouldn't have been time on most plays.

We learned that the secret is out on Jake Long. John Abraham said after the game that he watched a lot of film on Jake Long and figured out how to beat him. "It's going to be a bull rush and inside move," said Abraham. "It seemed to work today." And things aren't going to get any easier for Jake. He'll go up against Dwight Freeney next week and then face San Diego's pass-rushing linebackers off the edge in week three. Long better get back to work this week and sure up his technique.

We learned that Bill Parcells and company might not be as smart as we all want to believe. This is a regime that selected Jake Long over Matt Ryan in 2008 - and while it's far too early to put that decision in the "loss column," Sunday's game was certainly discouraging. They also handed big paydays to Justin Smiley, Jake Grove, and Vernon Carey. And all three were pretty bad on Sunday.

We learned that there will always be Dolphin fans who are calling for Chad Pennington to be benched in favor of Chad Henne even though Henne was far from impressive in the preseason. I expect that after every loss this season, we'll have fans posting that we need to bench CP - even if the loss wasn't his fault. But that's fine with me. Truth be told, I'm also inching closer and closer to calling for Penningtin's benching. However, I still remember what Pennington means to this football team. He is the leader of this offense - both on the field and in the locker room. I'm not ready to give up on him yet. And remember - the grass isn't always greener on the other side. What happens if Henne comes in to start the final eight games of 2009 and he just stinks it up each and every game? Just something to think about, that's all.

We learned that both Ronnie Brown and Anthony Fasano need to step it up if they want contract extensions from this front office. Brown did run hard, though, and I'm not sure we can blame him for the lack of the running game. It's impossible to run the ball when there are no running lanes. Fasano, though, was probably one of the biggest culprits to Sunday's loss. I don't want to hate on him too much because it was very uncharacteristic of him, but Fasano's first fumble really turned around this entire game. If he doesn't cough it up, who knows how the game plays out.

We learned that the Dolphins can struggle on the road against one of the NFC's best teams and still be in the game well into the second half. For all of their struggles, the Dolphins had the football in Atlanta territory trailing by 10 with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Sure, a loss is a loss. But just think about that fact for a minute. The Dolphins had already turned the ball over twice, including once in the redzone, and were still only trailing the Falcons by 10 points, had possession inside Atlanta's 40, and had over a quarter to win this game.

We learned that the Dolphins should be able to stop the run pretty darn well in 2009. This defense held Michael Turner, a guy who ran fo 1700 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry in 2008, to just 65 yards rushing and less than 3 yards per carry. That's impressive work - especially from the outside linebackers who had to set the edge. It was believed that teams would try to run right at Joey Porter and Jason Taylor because neither was particularly effective stopping the run. But both held their ground at the point of attack and each even made a tackle in the backfield. That's certainly a good sign.

We learned that Phillip Merling is indeed a "gamer." For all the talk about how he doesn't practice well, this guy just seems to make play after play on gamedays. He was a force last season as a reserve and again was a dominant force on Sunday as a reserve. Now you just have to wonder for how long he remains a reserve. Randy Starks should be on notice.

We learned that effectively covering opposing tight ends is going to be a problem. It was a problem all preseason long and it continued to be a problem on Sunday in Atlanta. Yes, Tony Gonzalez is an all-time great. But it's not like it's going to get much easier in the coming weeks. On Monday night, Dallas Clark comes to town. Six days later, the Dolphins will head to San Diego to face Antonio Gates.

General NFL Thoughts

We learned that while Adrian Peterson is really good, his offensive line is even better. There were a number of runs where AP wasn't even touched for 5 to 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Could you imagine how great it would be if Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams could get close to that kind of blocking?

We learned that strong arms mean little a a quarterback when you make bad decisions and inaccurate throws. Just ask Bears fans who had to watch Jay Cutler throw interception after interception.

We learned that Rex Ryan, at least for now, was able to back up his words. His defense dominated the Texans offense on Sunday. It makes you wonder why the Dolphins can't get the same kind of pressure on the quarterback that the Jets did on Sunday. Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, and company are every bit as good - if not better - than the pass-rushers the Jets were throwing at the Texans. Remember - they were without Shaun Ellis and Calvin Pace.

We learned that it's sometimes better to be lucky than good. My example - the Broncos. Could some of that New England luck have followed Josh McDaniels to Denver?

We learned that Tony Romo continues to be a great September through November quarterback. But we all know he'll crumble in December - as usual.