SB Nation - Joey Haynos

Bills Fantasy Friday: Week 12 Start 'Em/Sit 'Em

Kurupt — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Stephen Morton - AP

Amazingly, it's already Week 12. The fantasy football regular season is coming to a close in the next few weeks, and it's time to make one final push to the playoffs. The Buffalo Bills might be out of it, but most fantasy teams are still fighting for that championship. Congratulations to all those teams that have been good enough to clinch a playoff berth already. For the rest of you (us!), buckle up, the crazy roller coaster ride of fighting for playoff berths continues! Head on in after the jump for the individual players of note for this Sunday's Miami Dolphins visit to the Buffalo.

Quarterbacks
Chad Henne - Henne made his first NFL start the last time these teams met. He threw for just 115 yards and was sacked 6 times that day, but the Dolphins hardly needed him to do much. That trend has continued for much of the season, as Miami continues to rely heavily on the ground game. However, Henne has thrown 26 or more passes in five of his last six games. Many of those passes are of the short, underneath variety as Henne has averaged 6.4 yards per attempt or less in all but one of his starts. Expect that trend to continue, as well. He has done a nice job protecting the football, throwing just four interceptions and not losing a fumble over 218 pass attempts. On the other hand, he has just 6 touchdowns. Expect the Bills to force Henne into making plays, just don't expect him to make many big plays. He might not make many mistakes, though, either. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Fitzpatrick looked much better against the Jaguars, although he was still amazingly erratic and inaccurate. The final numbers looked good (297 yards, 1 touchdown, 9.6 ypa) even if most of his passes didn't. Fitzpatrick continues to look downfield more than Trent Edwards ever dreamed of, and was finally able to get Terrell Owens involved. Lee Evans also caught a long touchdown that was negated by penalty. Expect those attempts to continue. I wouldn't expect 297 yards any time soon, or even 200 yards, but if he continues to throw it around, the big play potential is there. Fitzpatrick and the Bills get to face the 22nd ranked Dolphins' pass defense this week. With all that said, he still stinks as a starting quarterback and shouldn't even be a consideration for fantasy owners, especially those of you with playoff aspirations. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Running Backs
Ricky Williams - Is the holistic one the fantasy story of the year? Probably not, but he is one of the nice surprises for fantasy owners. With Ronnie Brown out for the season, Williams is going to be a huge part of the rest of the fantasy season. If you are lucky enough to have him for your playoff run, enjoy! Wiliams already has 10 touchdowns this year, has averaged 5.3 yards per carry and has even added 212 receiving yards. He also needs to average about 54 yards per game to have his first 1000 yard season since 2003. He's going to get that, barring injury, and is going to help a lot of fantasy teams win down the stretch. With the juicy Bills matchup, expect a big week out of him again this week. Even after holding Maurice Jones-Drew to just 66 yards on 25 carries this past week, don't expect that type of success for the Bills defense to continue. Williams had 85 yards and a touchdown in shared duty the first time around. Expect those numbers to go up this week. Verdict: Start 'Em

Marshawn Lynch - As of the time I'm writing this, it's unclear as to whether Lynch will play this Sunday. I'm going to say he is simply because we haven't heard of any major damage. Assuming he does give it a go, I wouldn't expect him to have big numbers again. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Fred Jackson sees more carries anyhow. The Dolphins are 12th in the NFL in run defense giving up about 106 yards per game. Lynch has been a major fantasy disappointment this year. I'd expect it to get worse before it gets better. Keep him benched until we see some signs of life out of him. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Fred Jackson - Jackson continues to see roughly 10-12 touches a game on offense. I would guess that number goes up this week with a banged up Lynch being questionable. If Lynch were to miss the game, Jackson is probably a solid RB2 this week. Remember late last season when Lynch was out and Jackson ran wild? Well forget about that. Other than Lee Evans, every single other starting player on offense is different. Don't expect a similar close to the season for him this year. BUT you can expect solid numbers, especially if he gets the full workload. If Lynch plays this week, I'd still consider Jackson a flex option as he seems to be getting involved in the passing game more, while continuing his kick return duties. Verdict: Start 'Em as a flex, and a RB2 if Lynch sits

Wide Receiver
Davone Bess - Bess leads the Dolphins with 46 receptions for 397 yards. When your leading receiver averages 8.6 yards per catch, it's safe to say none of these guys are startable. I actually really like Bess as a slot receiver in real life, but he's not a fantasy option and neither are his fellow Dolphin receivers. Bess does have 16 catches for 191 yards in his last three games, so he does have some PPR value. If you are stuck and need a guy to get you 6-8 points in your PPR league, Bess could be your guy. Other than that, don't start him or Ted Ginn, Brian Hartline and Greg Camarillo. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Lee Evans - Poor Evans. He lost out an amazing 53 yard touchdown catch last week because Jonathan Scott couldn't avoid the Three Stooges penalty. He finished with just one catch for 15 yards. Many people wanted to start Evans after his nice game the previous week against Tennessee and his solid production with Fitzpatrick under center before. Pity you folks. If there's one fantasy football mantra to follow, it's never start Lee Evans, ever! He will burn you. He has routinely hurt the Dolphins in the past, but again, don't. start. Lee. Evans. If he puts up big numbers on your bench, so be it. That means the Bills offense did something good and you didn't have to worry about whether he'd actually do anything in your starting lineup. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Terrell Owens - Welcome to the 2009 NFL season T.O.! You were missed. I really don't know what to make of his performance against Jacksonville. Is it a sign of things to come down the stretch, or is it just a blip on an otherwise quiet radar? Did the promotion of Perry Fewell to head coach mean anything for Owens? There are too many questions and too many useless performances from Owens this year to consider moving him back into your starting lineup. He is, however, back in the discussion. If Fewell's gameplans are to get Owens involved early and often, he could be one of the playoff heroes in fantasy football this year. It wouldn't surprise me if Owens were to have a nice finish to the season, I just want to see how he's used this week before recommending him again. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Tight Ends
Joey Haynos and Anthony Fasano - Both barely have 100 yards receiving on the season. They are barely a part of the Dolphins' passing game, they shouldn't be a part of yours. I'd rather start a Bills Tight End. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Shawn Nelson - Nelson made a beautiful catch over the top of the defender against Jacksonville, but again wasn't much of a factor overall. That should continue, although it'd be nice to try utilizing him more in the passing game. He's not even worth considering here. I'd rather start a Dolphins Tight End. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Kickers
Dan Carpenter - Carpenter has been rather good for Miami this year, connecting on 16 of his 17 field goal attempts. Against the Bills, he might be worth a spot start. As always, I'd be looking at a guy on a team with a better offense. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Rian Lindell - Lindell has also been quite good for Buffalo, hitting 17 of his 19 field goal attempts. Just like Carpenter, I'd be looking at a guy with a better offense. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Defense/Special Teams
Miami D/ST - This unit had four sacks and an interception last week against Carolina. Going against the sieve that is the Bills' OL and Ryan Fitzpatrick, those numbers look likely again. I wouldn't start them, though. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Buffalo D/ST - They sacked Henne six times in the first matchup, but don't go expecting that again. Expect a sack or two and maybe an interception. Injuries have ravaged this unit that was only mediocre to begin with. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Sleepers
None. Really, I don't see a surprise performance out of anyone in this game. It'll probably be a boring field goal contest with Ricky Williams running wild.

********

The Thanksgiving games have come and gone, so your Week 12 matchup is likely well under way. This Sunday will make or break a lot of fantasy seasons. Good luck and enjoy the games!

Ricky Williams leads the way as Dolphins defeat Panthers

Matty I — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:06:00 -0000

It sure did get nerve-racking a few times on Thursday night. But when all was said and done, the Dolphins went up to Charlotte and officially dug themselves out of the 0-3 hole they put themselves in to start the season by knocking off the Panthers 24-17.

Ricky steps up in Ronnie's absence to lead the way
There was a lot of panic amongst Dolphin fans over the past few days as we all awaited word on how serious Ronnie Brown's injury was. We then learned yesterday that Brown would be done for the season with a Lisfranc fracture to his right foot (he'll have surgery Friday, by the way). That's when we all began to wonder whether Ricky Williams could step into the role of workhorse and lead this offense. We all learned on Thursday night that - at least for now - Ricky's still got it.

In an outstanding performance, Williams carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns - adding a receiving touchdown as well. This, by the way, was Ricky's third career three touchdown game and the first time in his career that he scored a touchdown both running and receiving. Not bad for a 32 year old back.

Don't let the numbers fool you, though. It was an up and down game for Williams. Nine of Ricky's 22 carries went for two yards or less - including four runs for negative yardage. Of course, it's not all Ricky's fault - sometimes he just got no blocking help from his line. But what impressed me most was how explosive Ricky was on some of those other carries. He looked very spry on that 3rd & 1 toss left to get down to the one yard line on Miami's second touchdown drive. And then, of course, there's the 46 yard scamper by Ricky in which he showed good burst and long speed on his way to the endzone - on carry number 22 on the night, by the way.

We said this week that without Ronnie and on a short week with little preparation time, the Dolphins would get back to the basics and play "conventional" football. They did just that - and it worked thanks to Ricky Williams. Now can Ricky keep it up for the rest of the season?

Henne and the receivers make some critical plays
For all the talk about how the Dolphins badly need a receiver - and they do - it's worth noting how well Chad Henne and his current group of receivers played on Thursday night. The stats aren't special by any means. And Henne was still a bit too inconsistent with his accuracy for my taste. But when they absolutely had to make a play, this passing offense got it done - against a pass defense that was ranked fourth in the NFL heading into this game.

Here's a stat I like a lot. When asked to pass on third down, Chad Henne started the game 0 for 3. But he then converted 5 of their next 7 3rd down passing situations - which included some of the biggest plays of the game.

It all started on Henne's completion to Ricky Williams out of the backfield on a 3rd & 9 inside the red zone. Ricky was running a Texas route out of the backfield (a zig zag where he runs towards the sideline out of the backfield and then cuts it inside like a slant once he hits the line of scrimmage) and Henne did a nice job of being patient and finding the open man.

On their next scoring drive, Henne converted a big 3rd & 6 by throwing a strike to Davone Bess, who made a remarkable lunging catch for the first down. Five plays later, Williams got into the endzone.

And then there was the biggest play of the game - which we'll get to in a moment.

All in all, you have to really like what you continue to see out of Henne. He didn't make any mistakes. He didn't take any sacks - a credit to both the offensive line and to Henne for getting rid of the ball when necessary. I'd like to see more consistency with his accuracy, of course. But it's not like he has an accuracy problem. Some of his throws are absolutely perfect in where they are placed (a couple throws to Bess, the throw to Brian Hartline, and the throw to Ted Ginn along the sideline). It's a consistency issue with him - especially when he needs to put some touch on the ball.

Henne's getting better, though. And I think his future is pretty bright.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Some might say the turning point of the game was the 46 yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams. But that play never happens if not for the play that Chad Henne and Davone Bess made one play earlier.

Momentum was beginning to shift in Carolina's favor. The Dolphins were leading by only three late in the fourth quarter, staring down a 3rd & 12 and very close to a potentially costly three and out. The crowd was loud and the Panther defense was fired up. So what does a young, first year starting quarterback do? He takes the snap, rolls right, waits, waits, and waits some more. Then he shuffles left a little bit and throws a strike to Davone Bess - who was running right to left away from Henne, but also away from the coverage. Chad Henne showed outstanding poise and vision while Bess showed terrific awareness.

If the Dolphins don't make that play, who knows how this game plays out.

QUICK HITS
Many more quick thoughts on the game:

Some many performances deserve to be mentioned. But I'll start with Joey Porter. A team-high 8 tackles and 2 sacks? That's the "Peezy" I know and love. Welcome back! Put back-to-back games like this and I'll officially apologize to him.
Lousaka Polite is a monster. He's officially one of my five favorite current Dolphins. All he does is pick up short yardage first downs and knock heads. Even Joey Porter, speaking on NFLN after the game, talked about Polite's play tonight - and he wasn't even asked. It's easy to see why his coaches and teammates love this guy.
Jake Long simply owned Julius Peppers on Thursday night. Great job, Jake!
Speaking of the offensive line, how about that depth? Players kept going down left and right and it just didn't matter. Henne was never sacked and they opened up enough holes for Ricky. Huge shout-out to Nate Garner, by the way. The man played left guard, right tackle, and center at different times in this game. That's manning up.
Lex Hilliard - welcome to the NFL, kid. After back-to-back penalties by Jake Grove, Hilliard powered his way on a 3rd & 16 draw play - picking up 18 and a first down. Tacklers were just bouncing off of Hilliard on the run. He's not a bad fourth running back, huh? Again, props to the front office for the solid depth at running back as well.
Davone Bess - wow. How about those hands, folks? He had a few hiccups along the way this season. But it looks like our favorite undrafted wide receiver is back to his consistent form. That highlight lunging catch he made on a critical third down was the kind of catch that superstars make.
We have to give a shout-out to Ted Ginn. He didn't have any drops, made a couple of tough catches, and averaged 42 yards per kickoff return. He came into the game third in the league in kick returning. He now has a very real shot of leading the league in yards per kick return this season. At least that's something - and maybe will help build his confidence again.
Nice job by the defense getting pressure - at critical times, too. All four of Miami's sacks came on third down. Two of them were red zone sacks, too, forcing Carolina to punt. I think we need to dial up those safety blitzes a little bit more often - especially on third downs - moving forward. They seem to work and free up others to make a play.
Randy Starks is having a hell of a season. Starks was one of the two guys who made the initial stop on that 3rd & 1 run by the Panthers midway through the third quarter to stuff Carolina and force them to punt. He then sacked Jake Delhomme early in the fourth quarter on a 3rd & goal play to force the Panthers to settle for a field goal.
Nathan Jones is one of this team's unheralded key role players. He's made a number of big plays this season - including an interception to end a Carolina drive and a big pass break-up with under two minutes to go. He's becoming a terrific nickel corner.
Why not kick a field goal with 44 seconds left? It would have only been a 45 or 46 yarder for Dan Carpenter and would have sealed the game. A very bad decision by Tony Sparano here. Luckily, it didn't come back to bite him in the ass. But let's not have that happen again, alright?
Joey Haynos with two bad drops. Do I hear more calls for Kory Sperry?
Let's hope Jason Ferguson isn't hurt badly. Without him, this defense looks drastically different.
Just how important was it to get out in front of the Panthers 14-3 and take Carolina out of their game plan? Very. DeAngelo Williams was averaging nearly 10 yards per carry against the Dolphins. But he only got 13 carries thanks to a combination of poor play calling by Carolina and having to play catch-up late in the game. This game could have been ugly if Miami didn't get in front before the half.

Big plays doom Dolphins as they fall to Patriots

Matty I — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:39:16 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Note to Paul Pasqualoni: You might want to double-team Randy Moss. He's only one of the greatest receivers of all-time.

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A lot of people will likely want to focus on the negatives in the Dolphins 27-17 loss to the Patriots on Sunday. And I'll obviously highlight some of the more glaring ones myself. But let's not sell this team short. The Dolphins went up to New England and stood toe-to-toe with a team with superior talent. And despite everything that went down, the Dolphins had the football with three and a half minutes left in the game, needing only a touchdown to tie. That's not too shabby.

Of course, there are no m oral victories in the National Football League. And I think head coach Tony Sparano said it best:

"Close in this game just doesn't get it. That's why these guys have a lot of banners out there right now. They figure out a way to win those close games. From our end, we understand where we are right now."

"We're a good football team. We're really close to being a really good football team. But we've got to get it to turn.''

Let's talk about some of the story lines from Sunday's game.

Can we get a little pressure, people?
You will look at the box score from this game and see that the Dolphins registered two sacks. But even that figure is misleading. Personally, here's the important question to ask: did the Dolphins make Tom Brady uncomfortable at all in the pocket? The answer, obviously, is a resounding "no."

How many times did we have to sit and watch Brady sit in the pocket for three or four seconds? How many times did we see Brady have the time to stand tall in the pocket and pat the football two or three times before firing a completion to one of his receivers? Far too many times, folks. Far too many.

After the game, Sparano himself acknowledged that a lack of pressure on Brady was a huge problem. But he also explained why the Dolphins couldn't just continually blitz left and right like some were probably hoping to see.

"We need to have more pressure on the quarterback," Sparano said. "Against a guy like Tom Brady, you can't come out there and just blitz the guy. This ain't his first rodeo. You've got to be able to win some of these [one-on-one] deals. You've got to win some of these five-man rush situations. We've got to do a better job of getting pressure on the passer, period."

Randy Starks was among those who echoed Sparano's sentiments.

"He had far too much time sitting back there," said Starks. "When you have the one-on-one, you've got to win."

Reggie Torbor was another Dolphin who believes that a lack of pressure on Brady was a big problem. In fact, even Brady himself said after the game that he really didn't feel any pressure, telling the media:

"There weren't too many pressures or hits, or anything like that. I had a lot of time to sit back there and make the throws."

But for some reason, Joey Porter - whose mouth I might be beginning to grow tired of - doesn't think that anything was wrong with Miami's pass rush:

"As a team we got pressure on them. But not enough. We could have made more plays out there. But it wasn't the lack of pass rush why we lost the game."

Ugh! Of course the lack of a consistent pass rush wasn't the one reason why the Dolphins lost. But it's among the biggest reasons. If Joey honestly thinks that the Dolphins got enough pressure on Brady, then I think he needs to take some time off or something because he's delusional. His head coach, teammates, and even the opposing quarterback all agree that the Dolphins really didn't do a good job at all pressuring the passer. And in my humble opinion, the lack of consistent pressure was the single biggest defensive problem on Sunday.

The 'Wildcat' and 'WildPat'
You know, maybe this Pat White experiment has some hope after all? That's what many Dolphin fans - those who have doubted White - were left saying following Sunday's game in which we saw some extensive Pat White snaps.

While White is still yet to complete a pass, we saw the kind of play-making ability White has and the new wrinkle - the spread option - that White introduces into this offense. White had a dazzling 33 yard run on Miami's first touchdown drive. And that drive was capped by a Ricky Williams 15 yard touchdown run in which White took the snap and ran the option to the right side, executing a perfectly timed pitch to Ricky, who then did the rest by powering his way into the endzone to tie the game at 10.

If nothing else, this is just another wrinkle now that opposing defensive coordinators must prepare for when facing the Dolphins. But at its best, this new wrinkle has the potential to gain some of that elusive "chunk yardage" that this offense seems to have so much trouble gaining.

White actually looked comfortable running the ball, too. He showed good vision, terrific acceleration, and even some toughness when running between the tackles. It's enough to get me excited about what this new wrinkle could become as White progresses.

All told, White took eight snaps at quarterback. On those plays, the Dolphins gained 60 yards of offense - including 52 of the 80 yards gained on that first Miami touchdown drive. Not too shabby.

On the flip side, the 'Wildcat' wasn't very effective at all. The Dolphins gained just 11 yards on 10 'Wildcat' plays. But they did lose 11 on the attempted reverse pass in which Henne was sacked. So if you take that away - which is a high risk, high reward, kind of play - the 'Cat gained 18 yards on 9 snaps. It did score a touchdown, though, when Ronnie Brown threw a 1 yard pass to Joey Haynos. And I really like the potential of more 'Wildcat' snaps inside the red zone because of Ronnie's ability to accurately throw. But the 'Wildcat' was bottled up effectively for the third week in a row.

To be fair, though, the entire running game was bottled up due to the lack of any real passing attack. Ronnie and Ricky combined for just 81 yards and averaged only 3.68 yards per carry. So it's not so much that the 'Wildcat' is dead as it is Miami's inability to run the football right now due to defenses making it a priority to shut down the ground attack.

Passing continues to be an issue with mediocre receivers
Chad Henne's stat line wasn't terrible. Of course, 42 of those yards were garbage time passing yards. But even still, I like what I have seen out of Henne thus far.

Henne continues to impress with his arm strength. There's no question that he has a cannon. His accuracy is still off at times - but I see the number of inaccurate throws going down each week it seems, which is a positive sign. But most of all, I have been impressed with his poise and toughness in tight situations.

Take that final drive with the score 24-17, for example. In a hostile environment with the game on the line, all Henne did was put the ball right on the money on to two of his receivers. But, yet again, Miami's receivers failed to make the plays that must be made to knock off good football teams. Brian Hartline dropped what was a catchable ball and would have resulted in a first down. Then two plays later, it was Ted Ginn dropped a catchable ball that would have also resulted in a first down and extended that potential game-tying drive.

Was either catch an easy catch to make? No. But Henne put the football right where it had to be each time to give only his receiver a chance to make the catch. Both passes hit the receivers in their hands. Both catches have to be made.

But more than anything else, those two plays just emphasize what the Dolphins must address in the offseason. They need that true "go-to" receiver that good NFL teams have. They need to give their young (potential franchise) quarterback some help out there. All he can do is stand tough in the pocket and put the football right where it needs to be. He did that twice on a potential game-tying drive and his receivers failed him. It's that simple.

With all that said, Henne still has issues to iron out himself. For example, he can't run backwards when under immense pressure. He needs to learn to either throw the ball away or at least reduce the negative yardage by going down rather than backwards. Obviously, his use of that "fourth timeout" was costly in a crucial moment of the game - resulting in a five yard penalty. But even still, he showed the mental toughness to put that mistake behind him and make a throw to Ginn that a good receiver has to make.

The fact of the matter remains that the Dolphins simply don't have the receivers to get the job done. And until they do, this offense will struggle. Teams will key on the run - as we've seen these past three or four weeks - and will force Chad Henne to beat them. I think he has the talent to do so. But he needs his supporting cast to make some plays.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The Dolphins had just put together a 16 play, 66 yard, 10 minute touchdown drive to take a 17-16 lead. Leave it to this defense to give the lead right back.

On the ensuing New England possession, on the third play of the drive, Tom Brady connected with Randy Moss on a crossing route - in which Brady had a ton of time throw - and Moss stiffed-armed Vontae Davis and was off to the races for a 71 yard touchdown. The Dolphins never recovered. Without question, that play was Sunday's turning point of the game.

QUICK HITS
Some more quick hit thoughts on Sunday's game:

I know the secondary didn't perform well today. But I'm very excited about the futures of Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. Vontae's interception was a spectacular play. And he even impressed Randy Moss, who said after the game about Vontae, "Look, I'm heading out of this league. You're coming in. You're going to be a good player. Keep working."
So why was Moss single-covered so much? Tony Sparano said after the game that "you can't double them all." And that's exactly it. When the Patriots have 5 guys going out in routes, the Dolphins don't have too many options. Should they have had a deep safety more often? Probably. But a deep safety doesn't help on Randy's 70 yard touchdown off of a crossing route. And Vontae was step for step with Randy on his first big reception. He just didn't get his head around quick enough and Randy made a terrific one-handed catch. What can you do?
The Dolphins converted 52% of their 3rd downs (9/17). That's pretty damn good.
Dan Carpenter continues to earn his "DC$" nickname. Anyone want to argue about it at this point?
Joey Haynos? Ain't nothing wrong with that. I want to see some more of him in the coming weeks.
I'm still not a fan of Ricky Williams taking the 'Wildcat' snap. I think I've seen enough of it. Ronnie just has a knack for it - let's stick to him as the 'Wildcat' orchestrator.
Did the Dolphins miss Jason Ferguson and Channing Crowder or were the Dolphins just too concerned about the pass? Either way, the Pats averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the ground. Not acceptable.
Still some questionable play-calling. But the thing is - if those play-calls work, nobody would be calling for Dan Henning's head like some were during the game. He's a genius if a play works; an idiot if it doesn't. Is that fair?
With that said, I HATED the quick screen to Davone Bess on a 3rd & 19. At least take a shot deep. In fact, why didn't we see at least one deep pass attempted during the game?
Last word about the "clock" controversy before halftime: it's not a controversy. When the football hit the ground on the incomplete pass, there was still one second left on the clock. Period. Sure, if it's in Miami, the operator would run that second off. But props to Gillette Stadium's clock operator for being alert and stopping the clock as soon as the ball hit the ground. That's a benefit of home field advantage. If the roles were reversed and we were at home, I'd hope our clock operator would be as alert.

Week 9: Patriots 27 Dolphins 17, Postgame/Late Games Thread

JohnHannahRules — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:16:41 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

about 1 month ago: New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney (39) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the first quarter of their NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Big-time divisional tilt, and the Pats performed when they had to.

Miami rolled out a couple of wrinkles to the catPhish this week, and it had an effect. A second quarter, 5 play, 80 yard touchdown drive had New England running around like a bunch of peewees, and a Joey Haynos reception from Ronnie Brown after what had been a tough goalline stand landed another 7 in the 'Phins ledger.

Pat White momentarily confused the lads, lining up at QB but running the old option (and taking a shot or two for his trouble). New England was having enough trouble setting the edge that they ultimately moved Big Vince out over stud LT Jake Long. It worked, sort of, but it didn't help the pass-rush much.

Speaking of the pass rush, it was still anemic. We can't seem to get pressure unless we bring a big-blitz. Pat Chung had one sack and one sick hit that doubtless helped Henne forget a little more of his childhood.

The Patriots, for their part, unveiled a recommitted Laurence Maroney who ran with a will and a punishing style that we've been longing to see. The line was opening holes and LOMO was finding them. Twice in the fourth quarter we started inside our 15. On the first series, Maroney and BJGE hammered us out to the 48 before we lost momentum.

That brutalizing was the key to escaping the box on the second deep-startng drive, as the 1st play was a play-action pass to Randy Moss for 17 yards that moved him into 17th all-time in career receiving yards.

Speaking of Mr. Moss, he had a couple of beautiful plays today against surprisingly game rookie corners. One was a peach of a one-hander down near the goalline -- a 37 yard reception that had us seeing 2007. The second was a no-soup-for-you special on a crossing route where he stiff-armed the defender and ran away for a 71 yard score. That TD moved Moss into 6th all-time. So a good day for Randy.

Henne made a real game of it, as his receivers dropped two catchable balls on Miami's 2nd-to-last possession (stupid penalties reared their ugly head throughout -- a glaring jump on the o-line at the end ruined what should have been a satisfying clock-killer of a drive).

All in all, an uneven day from the boys in blue. Great to see us running hard (24 for 109). The run defense was adequate considering the foe, but the defensive backfield got fooled a few times. I'm guessing Joey Porter will be blaming the officials, but I don't think he had a single tackle on the day. What's wrong J-Peezy? Nothing to say?

Key Late Games: Nuthin', really, until Pittsburgh and Denver kick off tomorrow at 8:30 (MNF).

Here's a thread for communal jibber-jabber:

Dolphins in the red zone: Week 8

Matty I — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:15:22 -0000

This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone.

On Sunday, both red zone offense and red zone defense were critical for the Dolphins. Offensively, the Dolphins were only in the red zone one time - a sad commentary on who ineffective they were on offense, of course. But nonetheless, the Dolphins converted on the one time they made it down there, and that was simply huge.

The Jets had just scored to cut Miami's lead to 24-19 late in the third quarter. But the Dolphins answered with a critical 13 play drive that ate up nearly eight minutes. On that drive, they converted three crucial third downs. Then once they got inside the 20, the Dolphins relied on a tough 7 yard run by Ricky Williams and a defensive holding penalty to get down to the 5 yard line. That's when Chad Henne faked the hand off to Ronnie Brown, rolled out right, and threw an accurate pass on the run with a defender closing in to Joey Haynos for the touchdown. And give credit to Haynos, who did an excellent job of selling his "block" just enough to keep the defender honest and a step behind when he broke right for his pattern. Maybe it's just me, but I want to see more of Haynos in the coming weeks.

With their one red zone conversions, the Dolphins are now scoring touchdowns on 63% of their red zone trips - a solid ratio for sure.

Defensively, the Dolphins stood their ground when they absolutely had to. There were two trips into the red zone in which Miami's defense held the Jets. The first time, which I don't think has gotten enough attention, was early in the second quarter with the score tied at zero. The Jets had made their way down to Miami's 9 yard line and had it first and and goal. On first down, using that "heavy formation" with 7 or 8 offensive linemen, Thomas Jones carried it for four yards, with Gibril Wilson - who actually looked decent on Sunday - making the stop. But the key play was made two plays later, on third down from the five, when Sean Smith did an excellent job of reading the route by Jerricho Cotechery and cutting in front of the receiver. He couldn't haul in the pass when he undercut the receiver, but he did still break up the pass and prevent the Jets from taking a 7-0 lead. The Jets settled for the field goal on the next play.

Then, of course, we had the "red zone stand of the season" - at least up to this point - late in the fourth quarter. We don't need to rehash everything because we all know what happened. But I just can't say enough about both the coverage in the secondary and the play of Randy Starks. The much maligned secondary stood up and made two key plays. On second down, they did a great job of blanketing the receivers, forcing Mark Sanchez to scramble for just a yard. Who made the stop? Randy Starks of course. The next play was Randy's big sack of Sanchez, forcing NY back to the 15 yard line on fourth down. Again, the secondary stepped up and gave Mark nowhere to go with the ball.

Sure, the defense struggled all second half. But they made the plays that they absolutely had to have - which is a great sign.

Dolphins release David Martin

Matty I — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:13:00 -0000

Here's a surprising move that is breaking now as we speak. It's being reported by Scout.com and the Sun-Sentinel that the Dolphins have reached an injury settlement with TE David Martin and will release him. This obviously is a major explanation as to why the Dolphins were so intent on keeping both Joey Haynos and John Nalbone on their 53 man roster.

The settlement doesn't stem from his sports hernia surgery, though. It's being reported that he's actually having knee problems.

Meanwhile, it's being reported that the Dolphins have signed another tight end - Davon Drew. Drew was a fifth round pick of the Ravens this year and was waived yesterday as part of their final cuts.

Drew played his college ball at East Carolina and measured in at 6'4, 256 at the Combine. As a senior at ECU, Drew caught 43 balls for 695 yards and 3 touchdowns and was regarded by many during the draft process as a late-round sleeper.

With all that said, though, you can't help but wonder why the Dolphins signed another tight end to replace Martin.

Final Roster Predictions

Matty I — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:30:35 -0000

After a long, grueling training camp and preseason, some players will no longer be Miami Dolphins as of 4 pm eastern on Saturday. The Dolphins went into Thursday's preseason finale with 66 players on their roster. They must be down to 53 players by the 4 pm deadline.

Below is my final roster prediction. I've included some explanations after my prediction. Check it out and then tell us your final predictions.

	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
QB	Chad Pennington	Chad Henne	Pat White
RB	Ronnie Brown	Ricky Williams	Patrick Cobbs
FB	Lousaka Polite
WR	Ted Ginn	Greg Camarillo	Brandon London
WR	Davone Bess	Brian Hartline	Patrick Turner
TE	Anthony Fasano	David Martin	John Nalbone
LT	Jake Long	Andrew Gardner
LG	Justin Smiley	Brandon Frye
C	Jake Grove	Joe Berger
RG	Donald Thomas	Shawn Murphy
RT	Vernon Carey
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
DE	Kendall Langford	Tony McDaniel
NT	Jason Ferguson	Paul Soliai
DE	Randy Starks	Phillip Merling	Lionel Dotson
SOLB	Jason Taylor	Charlie Anderson	Quentin Moses
ILB	Channing Crowder	Reggie Torbor
ILB	Akin Ayodele
WOLB	Joey Porter	Cameron Wake	Erik Walden
CB	Will Allen	Vontae Davis	Jason Allen
CB	Sean Smith	Nathan Jones
S	Yeremiah Bell	Chris Clemons
S	Gibril Wilson	Tyrone Culver
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
K	Dan Carpenter
P	Brandon Fields
LS	John Denney

PUP: Matt Roth
Last 5 On: Brandon London, Erik Walden, John Nalbone, Brandon Frye, Quentin Moses
First 5 Off: Lex Hilliard, William Kershaw, Joey Haynos, Courtney Bryan, Nate Garner

Quick explanations:

The final roster spot, for me, came down to Brandon London, Lex Hilliard, and William Kershaw. But I think Kershaw could still make the team if the Dolphins decide to only keep five outside linebackers as opposed to six - possibly in place of Erik Walden or Quentin Moses. I think they'll try to sneak Hilliard onto the practice squad. The bottom line is that London is more valuable in terms of the number of plays he sees on gameday because of special teams. Although, truth be told, regardless of if it's London or Hilliard, I'm not sure either is a lock to be active on gameday.
I'm confident that the Dolphins will keep three tight ends. Some think David Martin could be a surprise cut, but he's still head and shoulders better than either John Nalbone or Joey Haynos. With the number of two TE sets Dan Henning uses, I don't see why the Dolphins would need to cut Martin. You could see the Dolphins keep Haynos over Nalbone, though - which would mean Nalbone is a prime practice squad candidate. But I also wouldn't be shocked to see another team (Kansas City or Cincinnati, for example) poach Nalbone off wiavers. Both teams have a need at tight end. I wouldn't even take the risk, if I were the Dolphins - which is why Nalbone is on my final 53.
I think Dotson has shown enough to earn a roster spot. But barring injury, he's likely going to be inactive on most gamedays.
I wouldn't be shocked if the Dolphins decided to waive Andrew Gardner in favor of Nate Garner. If that's the case, the Dolphins would obviously hope to get Gardner on the practice squad.
If I had to come up with a list of possible practice squad candidates based on my 53-man roster prediction above, I'd say J.D. Folsom and Lex Hilliard would be locks. Mark Lewis and James Robinson would be other possibilities. And I'd expect the Dolphins to go outside the organization for other potential guys.

Dolphins at Saints: What to watch for

Matty I — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:15:08 -0000

A lot of casual football fans feel that the preseason is meaningless. These same fans probably feel like the fourth preseason game is a total waste of time and not worth watching. But these fans aren't the kind of diehard football fans that we all are. And they are certainly not Dolphin fans. Why? Because Dolphin fans know that this fourth preseason is indeed worth watching. There are a number of things to focus on tonight when the Dolphins head to New Orleans to face the Saints to close out their preseason.

Below are just some of the storylines to watch.

THE ROSTER BATTLES
One of the things I love about the fourth preseason game is how those "roster bubble players" get a lot of playing time. These are the guys fighting not just for the win but for their own jobs. And nothing will motivate you more in life than the risk of being out of work. Sure, football is just a game. But to these "bubble" guys, it's their livelihood. Therefore, I've always enjoyed watching the final preseason games - and I'm not just talking about the Dolphins' final game. There's nothing like watching players compete with their own teammates to be the 52nd or 53rd player on the roster.

Since I posted a longer article focusing in on the key battles that remain yesterday - and you can view it by clicking here - I won't get into it too deep here. I will say, though, that I'm most interested in two battles. Being the Jersey guy I am, I'm very much pulling for John Nalbone to make the team over Joey Haynos. To his advantage, Nalbone is a very good blocker and is also a special teams contributor. He has two special teams tackles in three preseason games. Haynos, on the other hand, is a massive guy (6'8, 270). But I think that hinders him on special teams. I'm not so sure a guy his size can run down the field and cover a kick as well as others can - and that could hurt him.

The other battle I'm interested in is between Lex Hilliard and Brandon London. I'm fully confident that both will not make the team but am fairly certain that one will. The contract extension handed out to Ricky Williams could be a factor here. With Ricky and Patrick Cobbs signed for 2010, Hilliard would again be, at best, a fourth running back in 2010 if he was to stick around that long. He is practice squad eligible, but if the Dolphins like Lex enough, it would be a risky move to try and sneak him through waivers. Meanwhile, London is not eligible for the practice squad and is probably the better special teamer of the two. But he hasn't impressed as a receiver as much as he should have thus far.

CAN HENNE BOUNCE BACK?
If you have at least one good eye, then you can't argue that Chad Henne's performance last week against Tampa Bay was pretty bad. And I was one of the most critical of Henne - that I'm aware of. But that doesn't mean I'm rooting against him - which is why I'm very interested in seeing how Henne performs tonight. It's expected that Henne will play the second and third quarters. Yes, that means he'll face backup defenders pretty much exclusively. But that doesn't change anything to me. If anything, it actually adds more pressure on Henne. A bad performance against New Orleans' backups would make Henne get scrutinized even more. What I hope to see are more accurate throws, quicker reads, and better decision making. I'm not looking for some big performance, just an improvement - just something that shows he can bounce back off of a very poor outing.

Henne knows he has to improve and is putting pressure on himself to have a much better game against New Orleans as well. "It wasn't me out there, says Henne. "I don't want to have a game like that again." I can't wait to find out how he responds.

STARTERS WILL PLAY
While most NFL teams will rest their starters in their final preseason game, Tony Sparano is taking a different approach. Chad Pennington is expected to play the first quarter and the starting offensive line will probably play at least the first half. Why? Simple - to get better.

This is where Sparano and most other head coaches differ. Coming off of a sub-par offensive performance last week, Sparano is sending out his starting offense tonight so they can at least get in some work and build some confidence for their season opener against Atlanta. I hope to see the starting offense get into a rhythm out there and make some plays. We can't have two or three 3-and-outs to start the game like we did last week.

Meanwhile, Sparano - a former OL coach - has always been a believer in getting your starting offensive line extensive playing time in the preseason to help them gel. This unit is no different. It has a lot of talent - but has to work together and become a cohesive unit. Last preseason, the starting offensive line played the entire first half of the finale. I expect to see the same thing tonight. After all, the more this unit works together in real game situations, the better off they will be in the long run.

QUICK HITS
Here are some more things to look for tonight:

A lot of attention will be paid to the battle for the starting WR spot. But the reason I didn't bring it up above is because I'm fairly confident that whoever actually wins the starting job isn't necessarily going to be more important to the offense than the other two. The Dolphins did a great job of rotating their receivers based on the situation last season and I foresee that happening again in 2009.
The outside linebacker position is an interesting one to keep an eye on. Matt Roth will likely land on the PUP list, so he has no relevance to this discussion. Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, and Cameron Wake are obviously locks. But then you got guys like Charlie Anderson, Quentin Moses, and Erik Walden all hoping to stick on the 53-man roster. Will the Dolphins keep 6 outside linebackers? Those three are probably hoping. But if the Dolphins only keep five, which one turns out to be the odd man out? Moses has been the most impressive of the three. But Anderson and Walden are the better special teams players.

The remaining roster battles in Miami

Matty I — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:15:10 -0000

The Dolphins must get their roster down to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. In between now and then, the players have just one final opportunity to make their own particular cases - their preseason finale in New Orleans on Thursday night. For some, it will be a final chance to prove they should be starting. For others, it will be one last opportunity to prove to the coaches and front office that they deserve roster spots.

Here are some of the final battles to keep in the back of your minds as you watch Thursday's finale:

Greg Camarillo vs Davone Bess vs Brian Hartline
Barring something unforeseen, all three of these receivers will make the team. However, only one can start opposite of Ted Ginn on September 13 when the Dolphins travel to Atlanta. Bess worked with the first-team offense for much of the early parts of camp and started to open the preseason. But Brian Hartline has spent much of his time working with the starters since the week before the second preseason game and hasn't looked back - starting both of the last two preseason games. Hartline right now leads the Dolphins in receiving yards and yards per reception during the preseason. He also most closely fits the mold of what Tony Sparano wants out of the starting receiver opposite of Teddy - a guy who can pick up chunks of yardage at a time. Meanwhile, Camarillo continues to linger in the background as he gets closer and closer to being 100%. It was clear to me that he's still not physically back to where he was at before his knee injury when we saw him chugging down field last game for his 50+ yard catch and run. However, Camarillo did get some first-team reps on Tuesday.

I still think that Hartline is probably the favorite right now to start with Bess working as the team's primary slot receiver - his ideal position, to be honest. But a big game from Camarillo on Thursday night and/or a rough game for Hartline could change how the starting lineup looks in Atlanta in less than two weeks.

Lex Hilliard vs Brandon London
I've looked at the roster a number of ways and just don't see how it's possible that the Dolphins can keep both of these guys on the 53-man roster. A fourth halfback and a sixth receiver are both luxuries and there's no room on this team for two luxury players like that. I think it'll be either one or the other (if any) and the deciding factor could be special teams.

Hilliard leads all Miami backs with 126 yards rushing and a 4.3 ypc average. He opened a lot of eyes in the team's second preseason game when he showed a very nice burst through the hole on his 39 yard TD run against Carolina. It's rare you see a 240 pound power back with that kind of acceleration. But he has put the ball on the ground two times in just 29 carries, which is unacceptable. Meanwhile, London has just 2 catches for 22 yards in the preseason. However, the 6'4 receiver has a lot of physical talent and has at least proven he can make a big play in a regular season game (yes, I'm talking about his huge 3rd down catch against the Jets in the regular season finale last year). That's more than you can say about Hilliard. But is one big reception and a ton of upside enough to stick on the roster? And at what point does potential turn into disappointment?

Like I said, though, this battle could come down to special teams. London was excellent on the coverage unit last season. Hilliard, though, has put together a solid preseason special teams performance. Tony Sparano even admitted so last week when speaking to the media.

Another thing to keep in mind is the practice squad. Lex Hilliard is eligible to go on Miami's practice squad. But he'd first have to make it through waivers without any other team signing him - which is no safe bet. On the other hand, London is not eligible for the practice squad because he dressed for 14 games last season with the Dolphins. So the Dolphins would have to cut their ties with Brandon if they choose not to keep him on the final 53-man roster. Because of that, I'd leaning more towards the Dolphins keeping Brandon around and attempting to sneak Hilliard through to the practice squad. But I'm far from confident in that prediction right now.

John Nalbone vs Joey Haynos
I'm fairly confident that the Dolphins will indeed keep three tight ends on their roster. Dan Henning loves using two tight end sets and wouldn't be able to if one of the two went down to injury in the middle of the game. While neither of these two players have set themselves apart from the other, I've been impressed with how well John Nalbone has blocked. He also has shown improved hands in camp following a very poor showing at OTAs and minicamps earlier in the summer. However, he's still raw and Joey Haynos has been in the system longer. You also can't duplicate Joey's size (6'8, 270). It was believed that this regime really liked Haynos. But why then did the Dolphins spend a fifth round pick on the rookie TE from Monmouth?

A possible solution here could be to keep Haynos on the team and try slipping Nalbone through waivers. After all, he's only a tight end and nobody poaches tight ends. Wrong - the Dolphins did that very thing to Green Bay last year by poaching Haynos off of their practice squad. And about a third of the league worked out Nalbone prior to the draft. If the Dolphins waive him and try to slip him by, they could lose him. On the other hand, Haynos is not eligible for Miami's practice squad. So keeping Nalbone would mean saying goodbye to Haynos.

I expect both of these guys to get a lot of playing time on Thursday night to give the coaches some good film to review on Friday as they make their decision. But you all know me - I'm taking Nalbone here.

QUICK HITS
Now for some quick hits on different roster possibilities:

Play who was once a long shot and is now a virtual lock: Quentin Moses
Did anybody see this coming? Sure, Jason Taylor benefited a lot from Matt Roth's injury because he's now entrenched as the starter. But Moses was expected by many to be out of a job in a few days when camp began. But with solid play both in practice and in games, he's secured his roster spot as the primary backup strong-side linebacker. He's done an excellent job of creating pressure as well as setting the edge. If I'm Matt Roth, I'm expecting a huge "thank you" card from Moses in the coming week.

Possible surprise cut: Charlie Anderson
With Cameron Wake taking over the role of primary reserve pass-rusher, Anderson will see less playing time. And his dumb mistake last week against Tampa on special teams isn't going to help his cause, either. He's got a hefty 2009 price tag and is yet to live up to his contract. While I don't think Anderson will definitely be cut, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a pink slip - especially if he makes any more bonehead plays on Thursday night.

Possible sleeper to make the team: Courtney Bryan
Keeping five safeties is rare. But Bryan is a solid special teams contributor who isn't a total liability in coverage like other teams' backup safeties usually are. He's got good instincts and is a hard worker - the kind of player this regime loves. And you never know...

Dolphins Preseason Review: Who has made the biggest impression?

Matty I — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP

Lex Hilliard may have ran himself into a roster spot with two consecutive strong performances.

Browse more photos »

Believe it or not, we are less than three weeks away from week one of the NFL season. Training camp will soon be winding down for the Dolphins and we're halfway through their preseason schedule. So what better time than now to do a mid-point review of what we've seen from the Dolphins in the preseason?

What I've decided to do is simply list which players have made the biggest positive impression on me during the preseason as well as those who have made little or no impression on me - with a special emphasis on those players who are currently on the proverbial "roster bubble." Of course, this list is far from comprehensive, which is where all of you come in. Be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

THREE WHO HAVE MADE POSITIVE IMPRESSION

RB Lex Hilliard - Entering camp, there wasn't much thought given to the Dolphins keeping four halfbacks on their final 53-man roster. But Lex Hilliard has suddenly put that thought into his coaches' heads and has made a strong case to make this football team. We talked yesterday about the "numbers game" and how keeping four running backs would affect how the final roster is assembled. But this is something the coaching staff is really going to have to discuss. After all, this regime is not in the business of waiving good football players. If Hilliard is as promising as he might be (more as a future complimentary back - not a feature back), you don't just let go of him. His 18 carry, 94 yard stat line is impressive - but it has been produced against opposing teams' 2nd and 3rd string defenses. And if you take away his longest run in each of the two preseason games, Hilliard is averaging just 2.75 yards per carry on those other 16 rushing attempts. But he's shown good quickness and explosion through the hole for a 240 pound back. And Tony Sparano did praise his special teams work in both games. That's how he can cement his roster spot - by going out and proving he can be a special teams contributor on gameday. It'd also be nice to see him get a few carries against a first-team defense.

RG Donald Thomas - The right guard position was a big question mark entering camp. Donald Thomas was coming off of a season-ending foot injury entering the offseason and then injured his chest while working out during the offseason. He started off camp with rehab work and was slowly implemented back into the offensive line rotation. But he has been very impressive when he has been on the field during the preseason. In the opener, despite a lackluster performance by the first-team offensive line as a whole, Thomas had a solid game - regularly "pancaking" his man. Last week, Thomas played even better. He won the majority of his one-on-one blocks and even showed the quickness to get out and pull - making a key block on Hilliard's 39 yard TD run. The man is clearly strong and powerful and, most importantly, he finishes his blocks. The starting right guard spot is officially all his. Now he just needs to stay healthy.

OLB Quentin Moses - Before training camp started, I really didn't think Quentin Moses had any shot to make this final roster. But Matt Roth's mysterious groin injury has allowed Moses to get more reps in practice and extended looks during the preseason. He's made the most of these opportunities. I've noticed Moses getting pressure on the quarterback on more than one occasion. He hasn't picked up a sack yet, but quarterback hurries are just as valuable. I've noticed that the 260 pound linebacker looks to have a quicker first step. And remember, he's a guy with a lot of talent. He was a third-round pick coming out of Georgia. And entering that season for UGA, there were rumblings that Moses could be a late first or early second round selection. But now it seems as though the game is finally slowing down for him - and he's making plays. He looks strong at the point of attack, too, which is very important because it allows him to set the edge on runs his direction (much like Matt Roth was good at doing last season). I don't think his roster spot is a lock by any means, but he went from having little chance (at least in my mind) to being right in the mix for one of the OLB spots.

Other Candidates - Cameron Wake, John Nalbone, Sean Smith, Nathan Jones, Paul Soliai, Reggie Torbor

THREE WHO HAVE MADE LITTLE OR NO IMPRESSION

WR Anthony Armstrong - Many fans were jumping aboard the Anthony Armstrong bandwagon during the offseason as we continually read reports of Armstrong beating Miami's corners deep for big plays during OTAs and minicamp. But the corners he regularly dominated were guys who were either cut (Eric Green) or will be cut (Will Billingsley). During training camp, Armstrong has been relatively quiet. And in the preseason, Armstrong has been completely non-existent. He doesn't have a reception. He's dropped two passes. And in his one kickoff return, he only gained 20 yards. That's not how a player like Armstrong is going to make this team. Considering he can't really contribute on coverage units because he weighs 185 pounds soaking wet, he needed to really make a name for himself as a receiver. But he's failed to do so and I don't expect him to stick once it's time for final cuts.

TE Joey Haynos - With the release of Ernest Wilford, the battle for the third tight end spot (if the Dolphins keep three) is between Haynos and rookie John Nalbone. Haynos, though, has failed to get my attention at all. He has great size (6'8, 270) but hasn't been a factor at all during the preseason. But while no passes have come his way - which isn't exactly his fault, making it hard to blame him - I've been underwhelmed with his blocking skills. From what I've noticed during games, Nalbone is the better blocker. And whichever TE is kept as the third one will have to be able to block - especially since David Martin isn't exactly a reliable blocker, either. In my opinion, Haynos is losing the battle to Nalbone and will have to step up if he hopes to stick.

DE Phillip Merling - Merling entered training camp working as a starter opposite Kendall Langford. But since then, he's fallen back to the second unit while Tony McDaniel and Randy Starks have gotten reps with the first team. And it's been Starks, not Merling, who has gotten the majority of the first-team reps during the preseason. Merling isn't exactly known for being a great practice player, either. But you can almost look beyond that if the player in question performs on gameday. Thus far through two preseason games, I haven't seen any sense of urgency from the second-year defensive end. Last season, Merling came on strong late in the year. So here's to hoping he's just a slow starter.

Other Candidates - Lionel Dotson, Erik Walden, Brandon London, Gibril Wilson, Pat White