SB Nation - Yeremiah Bell

At 23 Years Old, Tyvon Branch Has Already Made His Mark ON The NFL:

saint — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:17:46 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos running back LaMont Jordan, center, is brought down by a group of Oakland Raiders defenders including cornerback Tyvon Branch, left, (33) and linebacker Kirk Morrison, right, (52), during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Tyvon Branch turned 23 on December 11th 2009, so he made most of his mark at only 22 years old, and here is a look at some of his highlights and also how he stacks up with the rest of the Strong Safeties in the AFC and the NFL as a whole.

NFL Family, there is no denying that a safety that is 9th in the NFL in tackles deserves some consideration for the Pro Bowl. There can also be a case made that if that player is 23 years old and also leads all DBs in tackles, solo tackles and is the top fumble forcer amoungst strong safeties that he may be the best young safety in the League. Did I also mention that he has 6 tackles behind the line of scrimmage? That is tops amoung all AFC Strong Safeties as well!!! Or how about his 8 Passes Defensed? 2nd Amoung AFC Strong Safeties!

Tyvon Branch, the starting Strong Safety for the Oakland Raiders is doing just that in ONLY his second season. In fact, he is leading Ray Lewis, London Fletcher, Brian Cushing and David Harris in solo tackles (87) while compiling 110 total tackles. That means that 79% of his tackles have been solo jobs. He has also forced two fumbles in his first full season as a starter.

My argument is that, having just turned 23 on December 11th, there is not a better YOUNG Strong Safety in the NFL than Tyvon Branch and you can even make a case that he is the BEST Strong Safety in the AFC. Unfortunately, the Pro Bowl voting is has closed,just as he was making his ascent, and he would need to make it as an alternate. Much like Nnamdi Asomugha before him, he may need to have a jet and a ticket ready for the 23rd hour call from the League.

With the Super Bowl being played AFTER the Pro Bowl this year, I would expect every player form the Super Bowl teams to need replacements, so, stay tuned AFTER the announcement on the 28th, this means that the teams will likely be shaken up.

The Evidence:

By my count, there are three safeties, by name and tenure that can be looked at ahead of him and they are all Free Safeties:

Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Two of these are hurt and may need to be replaced in Miami.

Then there is a pool of strong safeties that Tyvon leads in total tackles, solo tackles and forced fumbles.

Yeremiah Bell - MIA - 3/3/1978 - Bell has tallied 103 tackles, 82 solo, 2 STF, 1.5 sacks, 8 Passes Defensed, 1 INT and 0 Fumbles forced.

Tyvon Branch - OAK - 12/11/1986 - Tyvon has 110 tackles, 87 solo, 6 STF, 1 Sack, 8 Passes Defensed, 0 INT and 2 Forced Fumbles

George Wilson - BUF - 03/14/81 - Wilson has 94 Tackles, 65 solo, 3 STF, 2 Sacks, 10 Passes Defensed, 4 INT, 1 Forced Fumble

Bernard Pollard - HOU - 12/24/1984 - Pollard has 89 Tackles, 70 Solo, 1 STF, 1/2 Sack, 3 INT and 1 Forced Fumble

Mike Brown - KC - 2/13/1978 84 Tackles, 68 Solo, 1 STF, 2 Sacks, 6 Passes Defensed, 3 INT, 1 FF

From these numbers, a case can be made that only George Wilson and Bell, 8 years his senior, would also be a better choice for the Pro Bowl, BUT, Tyvon has made a case for himself at ONLY 23 years of age.

I am writing this because, this year, I have become a Tyvon Branch fan. He carries himself with pride on and off the field. He is not one of the young players that you hear about being out all night and getting into trouble. Tyvon brings his lunch pail with him to work EVERY DAY and it shows in his performance and his numbers.

It is great for the NFL when one of the "Good Guys" does well at such an early age. So, main stream media, NFL Network, ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC please join me in welcoming Tyvon Branch. He deserves your attention, if he hasn't already gotten it!

Defense leads the way as Dolphins defeat Jaguars

Matty I — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:40:15 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

Miami's defense did an excellent job of containing MJD.

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This is the time of the year where you take wins any way you can get them. While it wasn't pretty at all and sure was stressful at times, the Dolphins went up to Jacksonville and knocked off a Jaguars team that had just one home loss all season heading into Sunday, improving to 6-0 in December under head coach Tony Sparano.

In doing so, the Dolphins did what they were looking to do - make next week's game in Tennessee against the Titans yet another important must-win game as they look to work their way into the playoffs. As for the playoff picture itself, there's some info about that below. But enjoy the fact that as Dolphin fans, we have yet another meaningful December football game to look forward to. After starting 0-3, that's all us fans can ask for.

Just keep winning. Pretty or ugly. Big win or nail-biter. Doesn't matter to me. Just keep winning.

It's all about the defense
Earlier this week, we talked about how important it would be to contain Maurice Jones-Drew. He's the most explosive player on that Jacksonville offense and the Dolphins were struggling against the run over the past few weeks. Heading into the game, the Dolphins were allowing an average of 127 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry over their last five. But on Sunday, we saw this Miami defense make a stand. Actually, we saw them make multiple stands, holding Jones-Drew to just 59 yards rushing (3.3 ypc) in the process.

Perhaps the most impressive stat on Sunday, though, was how the Dolphins held the Jaguars to just 4/17 on third or fourth down. That's ridiculous, really. And it's just proof of how dominant this defense was and of why this game really shouldn't have been as close as it was.

Quite frankly, we saw this Dolphin defense dominate on Sunday. It's that simple. The Jaguars had just 217 yards of offense. Of that total, 63 yards came on one play. On that play, Sean Smith did a poor job of biting on the double move. But it's important to note that Gibril Wilson was really the guy who blew the coverage. He was supposed to have inside contain in that bracket coverage. But he also "took the cheese" of the Torry Holt double move, allowing Holt to make the big play. Of course, the defense rebounded by holding Jacksonville to a field goal on that drive.

The Jags gained 68 yards on that drive. They also gained 62 yards on their third possession of the game - which ended on a MJD touchdown run. But on Jacksonville's 10 other possessions, the Jaguars gained just 87 yards of offense and averaged just 2.4 yards per play. Those 10 possessions include the Jaguars going "3 and out" on 6 of their first 8 possessions. That, my friends, is domination.

The defense also put together their second consecutive scoreless fourth quarter. In doing so, the Dolphins limited Jacksonville's offense to just 57 yards of offense on four fourth quarter possessions. That's how you win football games even when your offense sputters in the second half. Kudos to every single player on that defense (except for maybe Gibril Wilson) for an outstanding performance.

The "Henne to Camarillo" connection
All season long, I've been waiting (and hoping) to see the Greg Camarillo we saw last season before he went down with his knee injury. On Sunday, I saw that Camarillo. It was a terrific sight to see.

Camarillo picked on this Jaguar secondary all game long, catching all seven passes that were thrown his way for 110 yards. This was Camarillo's best game since the game against Denver last season. And now after just catching three passes from week 10 against Tampa through week 12's loss to Buffalo, it seems as though Chad Henne is finally getting more comfortable with Camarillo - who has 11 catches for 171 yards over his last two.

Speaking of Henne, he's progressing pretty nicely, huh? No Dolphins quarterback has ever completed more consecutive passes in a game than Henne did on Sunday when he connected on 17 straight pass attempts - tying a team record set by Chad Pennington last season. But CP did it over the span of two games. And five of those 17 completions went to none other than the aforementioned Camarillo.

Yes, I know Henne also threw what could have been a costly fourth quarter interception. But again - I'm not too worried about it. I've seen enough from Henne to know that he'll learn from that mistake and he'll get better. The kid's gotten better every week. His accuracy is getting more consistent as the weeks go by. He looks more and more in command of this offense every time he steps on the field. And really, that interception was just a poor read - something he'll fix when he sees the film. But all in all, I continue to be impressed week in and week out with Henne - who is now 7-3 as a starting quarterback.

AFC Playoff Picture
For the Dolphins, it's pretty simple. First of all, they have to win their last three games. If they slip up, then it'll be very hard to squeak into the playoffs.

But the Dolphins can't get into the playoffs by just winning their last three. They need some help. In a nut shell, the Dolphins need either a Patriots loss OR a Ravens loss. If the Dolphins win out and NE was to lose once, the Fins would be division champs. If the Dolphins win out AND the Pats win out, then the Dolphins would need the Ravens to lose one game. If that was to happen, the Dolphins make it in as a wildcard.

So that's the situation. Three Dolphins wins AND either a Patriots loss OR a Ravens loss and the Fins are in the post-season.

QUICK HITS
More random quick thoughts on Sunday's win:

Interesting stat courtesy of Ethan Skolnick. The Dolphins faced 15 offensive 3rd downs. But their average distance "to go" on 3rd down was just 4.4 yards. And on 10 of those 3rd downs, the Dolphins needed just 3 yards or less. That's how you keep the chains moving. You put yourself in manageable 3rd downs by gaining positive yardage on first and second downs.
Ricky Williams went over 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in five games. But that doesn't overshadow his three fumbles. Luckily only one resulted in a turnover. But that one turnover cost the Dolphins at least a field goal attempt. This is nothing new with Ricky, though. Williams has fumbled 45 times on 2,422 career touches - or one fumble every 53.8 touches.
Speaking of mistakes, this game should not have been this close. But the Dolphins left so many points on the field. I think back to the terrible play call to hand the ball to Davone Bess on an end-around on first down from Jacksonville's 33 yard line. Terrible call there when Chad Henne was slicing up that Jaguar secondary and Bess isn't the guy who can turn the corner. Bess ends up fumbling and that stalls a drive that could have resulted in at least three points. On their next possession, a sack and a missed 38 yard field goal from Dan Carpenter (it was bound to happen eventually) squandered away another potential scoring drive. And then Ricky's fumble inside Jacksonville's 30 squandered another scoring opportunity. And that's why the Dolphins can out gain a team by 137 yards and win by just four.
Randy Starks is having just one hell of a season. On Sunday, Starks continued his Pro-Bowl caliber season by making a number of key plays - non bigger than his tackle for a loss on David Garrard on 4th down with under 90 seconds to play. It wasn't a sack (technically) because it was a called QB draw. Regardless, Starks just shoved his blocker back and gave Garrard nowhere to run. He's the defensive MVP of this team right now. Who would have thought back in camp that we'd be saying that?
Cameron Wake has got to play more. All he does is get to the quarterback. And now he has a bullrush to go along with his speed rush. For the second consecutive week, Wake made the game-clinching play - this time sacking Garrard on the game's final play. It's getting to the point where he needs as many snaps as possible on gameday. It's that simple.
Vontae Davis played very well today - after sitting out the opening drive, that is. It was called a "coach's decision" to start Jason Allen over Davis. But Davis was back out there following Jacksonville's first "3 and out" of the game. Vontae said after the game, "It was just one series. I'm not in the doghouse. It's all part of learning." Most likely, Vontae was late for something and this was his punishment. No big deal. What was a big deal was Vontae's play - doing an excellent job all game on Mike Sims-Walker, though Sims-Walker was slowed with a calf injury. Still, Vontae has the skills and swagger to be an elite corner eventually.
I've come to realize that Yeremiah Bell is every bit as good as he was last season. He could be a very, very good strong safety if only he had a capable free safety playing next to him. Gibril Wilson is obviously not that. Bell just seems to make big pass deflections in big spots and remains stout against the run.
Great job by the offensive line on Sunday. They protected Henne well all game long and gave Ricky room to run. Lousaka Polite was also excellent once again. He converted on 3rd and fourth downs when asked and continued his excellent lead blocking.

Henne leads comeback as Dolphins defeat Patriots to remain in playoff hunt

Matty I — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:02:35 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne walks off the field after the Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots 22-21 on Sunday. And notice - the robot still refuses to show any emotion. Is he a machine?

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Just a little over fifteen minutes into Sunday's game and it seemed as though the Dolphins' slim playoff chances were fading away right before all of our eyes. But then something happened. On the brink of disaster, the Dolphins - led by their passing attack of all things - finally fired back, showing the kind of intensity that this team lacked last week in Buffalo. By halftime, it was just a four point game. The second half then saw the Dolphins go toe to toe with a perennial championship contender as the team rallied back from an 11 point third quarter deficit to knock off the Patriots in thrilling fashion - thrusting themselves right into the thick of things in the AFC playoff picture.

Henne has career day
Sure - it isn't saying much that a second year quarterback with just nine career starts had his best day as an NFL starter. After all - it has only been nine starts. So how's this for a better statement? Chad Henne has his first career-defining game in the NFL. I think that explains it better. After all, it's not every day that a quarterback goes punch for punch with Tom Brady in a quarterback duel - and actually wins. And it's even more rare that the quarterback out-gunning Brady is in his first year as a starter.

Coming into the game, I wrote that I really wanted to see the Dolphins attack New England's secondary. But I really didn't expect Tony Sparano and Dan Henning go with that kind of aggressive, attacking game plan on offense. So I was absolutely thrilled to see the Dolphins come out firing on Sunday. This was the first time that the coaching staff really took the training wheels off of Henne and he didn't disappoint.

Were there times when he made mistakes or missed on throws? Of course. That interception was both a bad decision and poorly placed throw. His accuracy is still inconsistent at times - which you can say about most rookie quarterbacks. That inaccuracy almost cost the Dolphins - when Henne missed an open Lousaka Polite on a 3rd & 6 play with 2:15 left. Henne explained after the game that Polite was the "hot" receiver. With the blitz coming, he anticipated Polite running to the flat. But Polite cut it up field - as he had open field in front of him. That explains why Henne double-clutched before throwing that pass over Polite's head.

With that said, it's no secret that Henne still has to work on avoiding tipped balls at the line of scrimmage and improving on those passes that require some "touch."

But still, Henne made up for these mistakes and missed opportunities, showing the kind of mental toughness a quarterback in this league needs. On the very next play - on a 4th & 6 with the season basically on the line - Henne rolled right and fired a bullet to Greg Camarillo for the first down, getting his team into field goal range. After the game, Tony Sparano praised Henne for his ability to overcome these kinds of things:

"He's a pretty resilient guy. He missed a couple of throws there. But Chad just keeps battling. He made some big throws, and the one to Camarillo down there at the end, that's a heck of a throw.''

A "heck of a throw" indeed.

All told, Henne threw for 335 yards while the running game ran for less than 100 - accomplishing one of the things I've been waiting to see from the young quarterback. He was finally asked to win a game with his arm from start to finish. He passed this test with flying colors, leading his third career fourth quarter comeback in just nine career starts.

After his busy day full of 52 pass attempts - the most pass attempts by a Dolphins' quarterback in a win since 1990 - Henne was asked how his arm felt. You got to love his response:

"If you want to, we can throw all day. I love it. Put it in my hands. Put the pressure situations upon me. I really thrive on that."

Defense steps up in fourth quarter
The day got off to a rough start for the Dolphins - allowing a 58 yard touchdown pass a little over three minutes into the game. On that play, we saw terrible coverage by rookie Vontae Davis and poor deep help from Gibril Wilson.

Then less than three minutes into the second half, on the Pats' first play of the half, we saw more ugly defense as fellow rookie corner Sean Smith had outstanding coverage on Sam Aiken but still couldn't even break up the pass along the right sideline. The 6'2 receiver made the catch over the 6'3 1/2" corner and then sprinted down the sideline - as Gibril Wilson basically stood and watched at mid field - for just his second career touchdown. I'm confident that Smith breaks up that pass 99 times out of 100. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, this was that one.

At 21-10 just minutes into the second half, it was beginning to look like more of the same from this defense in the second half. And the fourth quarter - also known as the quarter in which this defense likes to collapse - was still 12 minutes away.

However, rather than fold like a cheap suit, this defense stepped up. Coming into the game, the Dolphins were allowing 118.4 yards per game and 40.7 yards per drive in the fourth quarter alone. On Sunday, of the 448 yards of offense that the Patriots gained on Sunday, only 60 of them came in the fourth quarter (15 yards per drive).

It all started with NE's first possession of the final quarter. The Pats only needed four plays to get inside Miami's 5 yard line. But then Tom Brady made a terrible decision and a poor throw - allowing Vontae Davis to redeem himself for his bad play on NE's first drive by having perfect coverage on Randy Moss and making the key interception. In my opinion, this play was the turning point of the game.

As far as New England's fourth quarter offense goes, that one drive was about it. The Dolphins forced two consecutive "three and outs" on their next two possessions. And those "three and outs" were huge - getting the ball back to the offense as the Dolphins trailed by two points.

Following the Dan Carpenter field goal, the Pats had one more shot. But again, the defense made a stand. Following an 11 yard completion and an incompletion, Cameron Wake used a quick first step to get around Nick Kaczur and get Brady in his arms. Brady then threw up an ill-advised desperation pass hoping to at least stop the clock. But Channing Crowder (of all people) was "Johnny on the spot" - making the interception on a pass thrown right to his gut. Hell of a time for Channing's first career interception - who then showed excellent football intelligence by going to the ground rather than trying to return the interception.

Some will tell you that the Dolphins caught some lucky breaks. That's true. One of them was a huge break - as Sain Aiken had gotten by Sean Smith by about five yards but was overthrown down the left sideline on what would have been a touchdown to put the Pats ahead by nine points. Yes - the Dolphins caught a break there. But we've seen a ton of breaks go against the Dolphins this year. For once, they caught one of their own. It's about time.

Great job by the defense in the fourth quarter. The unit still isn't where it needs to be. But that late game performance is definitely something to build on.

QUICK HITS
More quick hit thoughts on Sunday's game. Let's start with the positives and end with some "not so positives":

Final thought for right now about Henne. He just seems to have that "it" factor that no Dolphin quarterback has had since you know who. That's what is most exciting about him, in my opinion. He has "it."
Bill Belichick will be questioned again for going for it on a fourth down. This time it was inside the 10 yard line late in the second half. Three points there would have been huge for the Patriots. But Belichick went for it on 4th & 1 and Paul Soliai, Joey Porter, and others came up huge in stopping Sammy Morris. The Dolphins would then march down the field and get a FG of their own - resulting in what was essentially a critical six point swing.
Dan Carpenter is money. There's nothing more to say. Is his leg the strongest? No. But a reliable kicker from inside 50 is even more important than a big leg. And DC$ is just that - reliable. Think Tony Sparano trusts Carpenter? On 3rd & 5 from the 23, the Dolphins ran the ball and gained nothing before DC$ drilled home the 41 yard FG to put the Dolphins ahead. If he has any doubts, the Fins pass the football there. That says a lot about the second year kicker.
The Dolphins may not have any number one receivers. But they have a plethora of reliable number two receivers. Davone Bess is essentially a poor man's Wes Welker, making clutch catch after clutch catch. Brian Hartline is on his way towards becoming a very good complimentary receiver. Greg Camarillo - or "Old Reliable" - always tends to make a clutch catch. None were bigger than his 4th & 6 completion along the right sideline to keep that game-winning drive alive. And even Ted Ginn got in on the act - making two critical receptions. His first catch was on that final drive of the first half, converting a 3rd & 2 into a 19 yard gain along the left sideline. His other reception was a 15 yard gain on a 3rd & 10 in the 4th quarter. At least that's progress, folks.
Anthony Fasano has looked like the TE we knew and loved last season. He has back to back 5 reception, 65+ yard performances.
The offensive line was excellent in pass protection. For the most part, Henne had all the time he needed in the pocket.
Ricky Williams. There - I just wanted to get his name involved here. He had a "workman-like" 75 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. When that's a "ho-hum" kind of game, you know you have a good back.
Want more reasons to like Hartline? The kid has become a special teams monster. You can't help but appreciate tough kids like that.
While I'm not saying Yeremiah Bell has been very good this year, Gibril Wilson has, by far, been the worst safety. He just can't cut it as a free safety. A true coverage free safety would make this defense instantly better.
Not enough pressure at all on Tom Brady. Can I see more Cameron Wake, please?
Better play-calling out of Dan Henning today. But one major gripe still remains: ENOUGH WITH PAT WHITE! Listen - I'm not a "Pat White hater." I actually wanted the Dolphins to draft him. But I just don't think he's ready...yet. Now he's just an instant drive killer. So let's give it a rest.
I really didn't like the decision to go for two with three minutes left in the third quarter. It's too early to start chasing points at that point. If the Patriots score a touchdown on their first possession of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins would have been down by two scores instead of just one. Luckily, though, this decision didn't come back to bite the Dolphins on the ass.

FINAL THOUGHT
What more can you ask for? The Dolphins are 6-6, one game out of the playoffs, and have a meaningful month of football ahead. And for us fans, we not only have meaningful December football to look forward to - we also get to enjoy the maturation process of a young quarterback week in and week out.

Enjoy the ride, everyone. And for those of you who were crying about how the season was over after last week's ugly loss in Buffalo - welcome back aboard the bandwagon.

Dolphins vs Patriots: Miami's Keys to Victory

Matty I — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:15:20 -0000

I'll take some more of this, please.

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Huge. There's no way around it. That's what Sunday's game between the Dolphins and the Patriots up in Foxborough is. It's huge - for the Dolphins, at least.

A win up in New England would pull the Dolphins within one game of the division lead and give the Dolphins a 4-0 record within the division - which would mean a win over Buffalo later on in the year would give the Dolphins the tie-breaker over the Patriots regardless of how their second meeting plays out in Miami. So let's be real about this game - it's a season-defining game, though at this point I think every game for the Dolphins is critical. But that's what putting yourself in a 2-4 hole does - it magnifies every game from here on out.

So what do the Dolphins have to do to leave Foxborough with a win for the second consecutive time? A lot, of course. But these three factors are among the most important.

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure
This is probably the most obvious key for the Dolphins - and yet it's also the most important. We know how dominant New England's passing attack can be. In my opinion, there is no better duo at the wide receiver position than Randy Moss and Wes Welker. They each have their own strengths and roles and they compliment each other absolutely perfectly.

It's no coincidence that the Patriots have the second best passing offense in the NFL and have been sacked the third fewest times all season. It's also no coincidence that in two of their last three losses with Tom Brady under center, it's been outstanding, relentless pass rushes that have slowed New England's dynamic offense - scoring just 23 combined points in those two games. The two games I'm referring to, of course, are the Super Bowl against the Giants back in February of 2008 and the Pats' week two loss to the Jets back in September. In each of those games, Tom Brady was under constant duress. The Giants got to Brady for five sacks. The Jets didn't actually record any sacks. But if you watched that game, you'd know that the various blitz packages the Jets were sending did enough to force Brady to have to throw the football well before he wanted to.

In those two games, Brady connected on just 55% of his throws and averaged just 5.07 yards per attempt. That's the blueprint the Dolphins will look to follow on Sunday.

To accomplish this, the Dolphins will obviously need big performances out of Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. But it goes beyond just those two. Randy Starks has been outstandthing this year and another big performance out of him would be terrific. Cameron Wake has been quiet since his big week against Buffalo, but I think we might see a little bit more of him on Sunday. I also expect t o see more of those safety blitzes we saw last week with Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell.

The Pats will likely be without starting left tackle Matt Light, which means the Dolphins should have even more opportunities to get to Brady. They can't let those opportunities go to waste.

Pound the rock, but keep Pats honest
We all know the blueprint for what the Dolphins must do on offense against the Patriots. They have got to establish the ground game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams against a rush defense that is average at best. The Patriots are allowing 4.5 yards per carry on the ground this season, with is in the bottom third of the league. But teams have been forced to abandon the run against New England because they fall behind early. The Dolphins have got to prevent that from happening by getting the ground attack going early.

Of course, the Patriots know this. Bill Belichick can probably tell us all the exact number of times the Dolphins have ran the football out of every formation - 'Wildcat' included. And with him having had two weeks to prepare for this game thanks to New England's bye week, I'm sure we'll see some looks out of this Patriot defense that nobody has seen all year. But keep in mind that they traded away Richard Seymour prior to the season and Jarvis Green is out with a knee injury, meaning Mike Wright - a player with minimal starting experience - will be starting at the defensive end spot opposite Ty Warren, who is nursing an ankle injury himself.

With that said, though, it's important that the Dolphins do their best to prevent the Patriots from loading up on the run like the Saints and Jets have done the past two weeks. There were times on Sunday when the Jets actually had nine men in the box. That's because teams don't respect Miami's group of receivers nor do they think Dan Henning will call plays for Chad Henne to throw some deep balls.

This week I hope to see Henning give Henne a chance to make some plays down the field, which would help keep New England's defense honest and prevent their two athletic safeties from inching closer and closer to the line of scrimmage. The Patriots aren't exactly loaded in the secondary, either. So there will be plays to be made if Henning just gives Henne a shot. I know we all want to remain committed to the run. But I just don't think Belichick is going to let the Dolphins have a chance to get Ronnie and Ricky rolling. He's going to go all out to stop those two - as he should. It'll be up to Miami's offense to give Belichick a reason to stop loading up against the run.

Make a game-changing non-offensive play
Last week, the Dolphins beat the Jets thanks to three game-changing plays that were made in the other two phases of the game - not on offense. Ted Ginn's two kickoff returns for touchdowns and Jason Taylor's fumble return for a touchdown spotted the Dolphins 21 non-offensive points. This week, the Dolphins need another big play in New England.

There's no way around the fact that Miami's offense isn't nearly as potent as the Patriots are on offense. That's why the Dolphins really do need some kind of huge game-changing play in one of the two other phases of the game. The Patriots are 19th in the league in kickoff coverage, allowing 23.5 yards per return. Prior to last week, the Jets were allowing only 20.5 yards per kickoff return - one of the lowest totals in the entire league - before Ted Ginn and the Dolphins' return unit sliced the Jets up for 299 kickoff return yards on just 6 returns, including Teddy's two touchdowns. So there's no reason why the Dolphins can't get a big play or two to, if nothing else, swing the field position battle and build some momentum.

Defensively, the Dolphins will see a ton of passes fly through the air as Tom Brady is expected to throw the ball early and often against Miami's secondary. To date, Brady has thrown just 4 interceptions so making that big game-changing defensive play obviously will not be easy. But he also isn't afraid to put the ball up for grabs - especially in the direction of Randy Moss. And for the first time in a while, the Dolphins have at least two capable corners who can make a big play. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis both have excellent ball skills. Now I'm not saying I expect some kind of big play - but I wouldn't be surprised, either.

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!

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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.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Run Defense

John B — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:42:35 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

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Once upon a time, the league's best rushing attack was struggling. Then came a Week 5 game at Miami. A talented offensive line kicked it into gear. The Jets ran the ball for 138 yards and 4.6 per carry. Two 300 yard rushing performances followed. In this time, the Jets have vastly scaled back their offense for their rookie quarterback. Teams have known what is coming and have stacked the box. It hasn't mattered. The offensive line has its sea legs after a slow start run blocking.

This is going to be a lot tougher than the games against Buffalo and Oakland. Despite the way the Jets ran the ball at Miami three weeks ago, the Dolphins still have a top five rush defense. Whenever the opponent plays a 3-4, a key matchup occurs between the nose tackle and center. The job of the nose tackle is to hold the point of attack and occupy two linebackers. Miami has a good nose tackle in Jason Ferguson and a developing young backup, Paul Solai. Nick Mangold's ability to contain the pair will go a long way to deciding how well the Jets run the ball.

Miami is probably going to be without inside linebacker Channing Crowder, their second leading tackler a year ago. The only thing Crowder does more than tackle is talk. Reggie Torbor will take a lot of the snaps in his place. He'll pair with Akin Ayodele, who has 25 tackles.

The Dolphins have been vulnerable on the left side of their defensive line, where Kendall Langford lines up. That's the side of the field the Jets love to pound the ball. Randy Starks is the other end in the 3-4.

We know the Jets are going to run, run, and run some more. Miami's leading tackler Yeremiah Bell will probably line up in the box. As we discussed earlier this week, Braylon Edwards and David Clowney can play a big role in the passing game. If they can stretch this defense and keep the safeties back, it will be that much easier to run. With that said, the Jets seem to match up well with Miami.

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Pass Defense

John B — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:39 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

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I think it's fair to say the coaching staff lost a bit of confidence in Mark Sanchez after the 5 interception performance against the Bills. The almost 4-1 run to pass ratio indicates that. So do the almost exclusively safe, simple reads he was given on the pass plays. The Jets are probably going to run first and second, but they'll need more from Sanchez this week. They won't be able to run the ball on Miami's physical front to the degree they did on Buffalo and Oakland.

The Jets should have some areas to exploit in the passing game. Braylon Edwards had that big debut a few weeks back working against Miami's secondary. He'll work against rookie Sean Smith. The Dolphins need the big and athletic Utah product to hold Edwards in check. If Edwards goes off like he did in the first meeting, Miami will have to double him.

On the other side, Jerricho Cotchery will probably be back for this one. He'll operate against rookie Vontae Davis. Starter Will Allen is gone for the season for Miami with a torn ACL. Davis has looked pretty good for the Dolphins and has plenty of athletic ability, but the Jets have to like this matchup. Cotchery was getting open even when he was the focal point of the opposing passing game, and he'll have the opportunity to work against a guy making his first NFL start and who is still learning technique at the position.

David Clowney has put up a big performance in two of the past three contests. He burned the Dolphins deep in Miami and will see action against a relatively slow straight line corner, Nate Jones.

The real question is whether the real Dustin Keller will please stand up. The Dolphins have had trouble with athletic tight ends this year. There may be no bigger disappointment on the team than Keller. This is a matchup made in heaven for him. Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele are subpar linebackers in coverage. Neither Gibril Wilson nor Yeremiah Bell is spectacular as safeties. Edwards and Clowney will have a great chance to force those safeties to stay deep and give Keller room against the linebackers.

The offensive line will need to hold up against Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, and Cameron Wake. Sanchez will need to have it in his head that throwing it away quickly instead of forcing a throw under pressure is not a bad thing.

Dolphins vs Saints: Three Key Matchups

Matty I — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Donald Thomas and company will face their toughest challenge yet against an underrated Saints defensive line.

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After a bye week that felt like forever, the Dolphins will get back to their regular practice schedule beginning on Wednesday as preparations for Sunday's big game against the Saints rev up. And with that, our preparations for Sunday's big game will rev up as well.

I already talked yesterday about how some might feel that tthis game on Sunday is this team's "defining game" of the first half of the season. Even if you disagree, there's no way around just how big of a game this is. With that, let's focus on three key matchups. And allow to to point out that the Dolphins did indeed win two of the three matchups I highlighted against the Jets two weeks ago - resulting, of course, in a classic Monday Night Football victory. Hey, I'm just sayin'...

Dolphins offensive line vs Saints defensive line
The key to all of Miami's offensive success this year has been their offensive line's ability to dominate the line of scrimmage. They have shown their ability to just physically dominate the trenches and provide that initial surge Miami's talented running backs need to get going.

However, they also haven't exactly faced top rushing defenses. In fact, statistically speaking, the best rushing defense Miami has faced this year happens to be the Colts - who rank 14th in the league, but themselves allow 4.1 yards per rush. Meanwhile, the Saints are actually 5th in the league against the run, allowing 83.4 yards per game and just 3.8 yards per carry.

More importantly, the Saints front four is probably bigger and more physical themselves than any Miami has faced this year. Their starters weigh in at an average of 298 pounds and they are a talented, underrated bunch. A lot of Dolphin fans seem to think the Dolphins will be able to just run over every team they face this year with their physical ground attack - especially in this upcoming game. But I'm not entirely sold. Sunday's game is a big test for this unit.

Saints passing attack vs Dolphins secondary
Obviously, this is going to be perhaps the most important matchup on Sunday. The Dolphins have struggled defending the pass and they are yet to face a passing attack that is as dynamic as this one. The Saints can go four deep at receiver, have a talented pass-catching tight end, and have backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have two rookie corners - one of which is a starter - and a very suspect safety tandem. On the surface, things don't look good for the Dolphins.

Drew Brees leads the Saints' 7th ranked passing attack. Sure, the Dolphins faced the Colts back in week two - and Indy currently ranks first in passing offense - and they were exposed despite owning a three to one advantage in time of possession. So some Dolphin fans might say that stopping the Saints aerial assault won't be as tough as it was back in week two trying to defend Indy's attack. But the Saints are much deeper than the Colts at the skill positions and Brees is every bit as good as Peyton Manning.

In that game against the Colts, Sean Smith did a very good job when he was matched up on Reggie Wayne. And on paper, Smith matches up well with Marques Colston - the Saints top receiver. But the Saints have a unique offense and a great offensive mind calling the plays. And I expect the Saints to dictate who covers Colston by keeping him away from Smith's side. Instead, we'll probably see Devery Henderson and/or Robert Meachem - both of whom possess blazing speed - on Smith's side of the defense, allowing the 6'4 Colston to be matched up on the smaller Will Allen.

But the biggest matchup problem probably comes from two guys - Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush. The Dolphins have had a tough time defending athletic tight ends and versatile running backs. I fully expect the Saints to find ways to get Shockey matched up on either of Miami's safeties and Bush matched up with a linebacker - clearly presenting matchup nightmares for the Dolphins.

I'll tell you one thing - if ever was there a time for Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson to step up their performance - Sunday is the time. If they don't, this game could turn into a high-scoring affair - which is not a good thing for the Dolphins.

Chad Henne vs Darren Sharper
The offseason move of the year could very well be the Saints acquisition of safety Darren Sharper. He has been absolutely outstanding for New Orleans and could very well be the front runner for Defensive Player of the Year. He already has five interceptions and has returned two of them for touchdowns - each returns of at least 97 yards, by the way. And he's been a young quarterback's nightmare. All five of his interceptions have come against inexperienced quarterbacks - two against Matthew Stafford, one against Kevin Kolb, and two against Mark Sanchez.

Chad Henne, meanwhile, is virtually of a rookie himself. He's making only his third career start. And while he's been excellent in his first two starts, he has shown in the past that he does have a tendency of staring down his receivers. That crap won't fly against Sharper on Sunday. Henne will have to make sure he is able to effectively manipulate the safeties.

The Dolphins can't afford to make any mistakes on Sunday. And it all starts with our young quarterback.

A way too early look at offseason needs

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

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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.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Run Defense

John B — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:54:44 -0000

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Miami ranks second in the league against the run, only surrendering 61 yards per game. The average against them is 2.9 yards per rush. This is going to be a tough team to get the run game going against, but the Jets' offensive line needs to start living up to its potential. The Dolphins are one of the rare teams to operate primarily out of a traditional 2 gap 3-4 defense. Every coach with such a scheme is from the Parcells-Belichick school. In this system, the linemen are responsible for tying up defensive linemen, holding the point of attack, clogging 2 gaps, and freeing others up to make plays. Other teams with a base 3-4 like the Jets want their linemen to pick a gap, win a matchup, penetrate, and make a play.

Former Jet Jason Ferguson anchors the middle. Paul Solai is his backup at nose tackle. This will probably be the area to watch in the run game. It's up to Nick Mangold to win battles up front by himself. He's certainly capable of doing so. If that happens, the other linemen get freed to hit the second level. It comes down to whether Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele can get off the blocks of Jets linemen. Advantage New York if that's the case. I'm sure we'll see plenty of 8 man fronts. Yeremiah Bell is strong in run support. If Mangold wins his battle, though, the Jets are going to be able to get the ground game going.

At end, Miami will rotate Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, Tony McDaniel, and Phillip Merling. Langford is the starter opposite the right side of New York's line, where the Jets like to run a lot. Damien Woody' status could be a key here. I know how much everybody loves Brandon Moore, but he's looked very ordinary when the man next to him hasn't been good. Moore has been something of a liability without a strong tackle like Kareem McKenzie or Woody. He hasn't been able to help compensate for weaker players like Adrien Jones and Anthony Clement.

It's also time for more Shonn Greene. Teams are stacking the box against the Jets. There hasn't been a ton of room to run. Get the physical rookie in there to grind out yardage.