SB Nation User Blog: MauMontaV5

We're 3-0 in the division ... and it still goes through us!!!

MauMontaV5 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:50:13 -0000

We're 3-0 in the division ... and it still goes through us!!!

-- Miami coach Tony Sparano, in the victorious Miami locker room after the 30-25 win over the Jets, via Sports Illustrated.

Trifecta, are you effing serious?

MauMontaV5 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:04:05 -0000

Profootball talk is reporting that Ted Ginn's playing time will be seriously reduced by the coaching staff.

But what caught my attention was this:

"Mort also said that, if the trade deadline were tomorrow instead of last Tuesday, the Dolphins would be dialing up the Ravens and offering Ginn to the team whose offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron, drafted Ginn in 2007 with the ninth overall pick."

Wow.

This means that unlike 99% of this site's most knowledgeable members, the people in charge of making decisions on the Dolphins building did think Ginn's "impressive" game against the Jets was finally his "breakout" as an NFL receiver.

First of all, we already knew he has that speed so it didn't come as a surprise that he beat Revis on what basically was a 100 meter race type of effort. Thus, this didn't make anything to bring confidence about his development as a true NFL receiver. Being a go to guy, route running, confidence, wanting the ball, being clutch, effectiveness on short and medium situations, going up the middle, taking hits, etc... Still, some people wanted to crown him for that one good catch, but overall everybody remained skeptical reasonably enough.

However, what really gets me, is these guys' (I refuse to call the "trifecta" anymore) inability to see that Ginn is just not an NFL receiver. All training camp every single person that writes about the dolphins and the coaching staff decided to hype up Ginn like it was the second coming. Sparano saying he was being "dominant" (I think about it and I feel humiliated). The season came around and Ginn was still the same scared player running around being a complete non factor. Then, a couple of weeks later everybody seemed to agree that that ship had sailed. Even if there was one big catch here or there, Ginn was not a number one wide receiver, plain and simple. Everybody knew this by know, that is why nobody was impressed by Ginn's catch against the Jets. Same old Ginn, disappeared all game long being a non factor. Well, it seems that not everybody felt that way. Apparently the Front Office and the coaching staff were dumbfounded by Ginn's super duper impressive outing against the Jets.

So it's as easy as this. Yesterday Ginn had another bad game as a Dolphin. Nobody was surprised or bewildered because we have seen this guy play for nearly 3 years now and we know that he just can't play. He was the same Ginn from 1 week ago, from 2, 3 or 4. Same old Ginn. So you are telling me that it took yesterday's game for Parcells and the other two to figure out that Ginn can't play? By Mortensen's comments, who is really close to Parcells, it is clear that the Dolphins wondered about trading Ginn for a valuable pick or couple of picks but didn't because of one "strong" outing.

Now, just one game after they decided not to trade Ginn, they are relegating him to a secondary role in the offense and there is even talk about releasing him, because needless to say, his trade value is non existent from now on.

It just shocks me to finally see that the people in charge of the dolphins, the one's many around here blindly worship, had their eyes covered about Ginn and refused to open them, until it was too late.

Daily The Phinsider attempt to get on "Ask Mike"

MauMontaV5 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:13:55 -0000

So I got an idea.

Do usually go over to the Miami Dolphins section of the Sun Sentinel?

Well, this is were Omar Kelly and Mike Berardino do their thing as Dolphin beat writers.

Most of the time they got pretty interesting articles and Q&A with Dolphin players, plus other stuff like Sparano's press conferences and any other general news related to the Dolphins.

There is one daily section called "Ask Mike". Here, lots of readers submit Dolphin related questions to Mike Berardino, where the most interesting and knowledgeable get published on that section on a day to day basis. In all fairness, the other day I asked a top notch qustion about Miami being or not being interested on trading for Terrell Owens, including why it could work or not. Needless to say, they didn't go for it and I was frustrated.

So this is my idea. Everyday you can ask your own question to Mike Berardino and post it right here before 5pm east at least. Then, we will choose the best question out of three questions, via a poll I would add one or two hours before the deadline. Then, after we vote, I'll go over to the Sun Sentinel web page and submit said question, including the username's name and The Phinsider.

We should be successful pretty soon, and if patient, see a question of one member of The Phinsider published on the actual Sun Sentinel "Ask Mike" column. And start getting some recognition at last!

What do you guys think?

6 Defining Coaching Staff Decisions- 2009 Season- Miami Dolphins

MauMontaV5 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:24:39 -0000

This is a quick review of what I think have been the most important decisions this Coaching Staff and Front Office have taken since the start of the 2009 off season until this day.

1- Jake grove - Many doubted this off season move, not me I can proudly say. That big of a white man playing Center can only mean one thing; success. All kidding aside, he has been outstanding. There is no way you could argue that, since right now we are the best rushing attack in the league. Specially when running between the tackles, your center is a big part of that success. Good move right there.

2- Let chad henne sit- Many wanted Henne on the field as soon as possible when he was drafted, however, after watching his poise and grasp of the offense you can't help but feel like all that time he spent learning behind Pennington really gave him a chance to prepare for the job. Just look at the true rookies that are out there. Mark Sanchez has looked awful the last couple of games and they are saying the playbook and offense is still too complex for him, plus he is still to green on reading and understanding defenses. Not Henne though.

3- Keeping Ricky on the field- Specially Matty insisted this off season that Ronnie Brown had got to get much more touches for him to get into a rhythm and be successful, even if that meant keeping Ricky on the sidelines. Well, thank God this coaching staff is still giving Ricky a lot of touches , both in the running game and the short passing game. The guy is just a stud, and brings some elements to the table that Ronnie doesn't have. He's broke a couple of long ones in the wildcat, a huge screen pass and some key third down situations. One where he jumped over a jet defender to get 3 more yards and a key first down. Im going to go on a limb here and say this: on his prime, Ricky was twice the runner Ronnie will ever be. Not that it matters though. Good to see Ricky back and producing. G4H

4- starting sean smith bye eric green- This was either one of the two next suppositions. One, they brought in Eric Green to start while keeping the two rookies, including Sean Smith, on the bench developing. Or, they wanted to push one of the two rookies to out perform Green on practice and earn the starting spot. Either way, Sean Smith won the starting job while Davis has been getting a lot of playing time. In my opinion this was excellent. Not only because both rookies are developing nicely and quickly, but because Smith has been a vital part of this secondary thus far. He did a nice job against Reggie Wayne plus he contained Roddy White nicely. If you need any evidence of that, there is a reason why Will Allen is getting targeted by opposing quarterbacks, not Smith. Bottom line, Sean Smith is quickly becoming a star and that wouldn't have happened if he was on the sidelines.

5- Keeping Lex Hilliard on active roster- special teams. - In my opinion this was an excellent decision. Not only because we got to keep a solid running back for the future, other wise he would've been snatched of the practice squad by now. But we also got a special teams beast. An absolute beast. If I recall correctly, he had like 3 tackles against the Colts on special teams. This is important because we know what big of a problem special teams has been for us since last season, and I think it is no coincidence that they are coming along nicely at the opposing return game at least. In my opinion a big part of this has been Lex Hilliard trying to earn a job.

6- Giving back Camarillo starting spot- - On the preseason it seemed like Camarillo had lost a step because of his knee injury. He was not getting on the field and could only see how Brian Hartline kept taking his job away. However, there is a reason why the preseason is only that, while the big games are played on September. Since then, Camarillo has been getting on the field a whole lot. He may not put up big numbers, either because of his limitations or our passing game limitations but there is no doubt that the man is clutch. He is exactly the opposite of what Ted Ginn has been for us. He doesn't have the phisical talent but he is the most reliable receiver in the clutch. Have any doubts? look back at the 2 key third downs on the last drive against the Jets. Yes, that was Camarillo making both catches.

Polite and Thoughtful Response to the JET

MauMontaV5 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:56:40 -0000

Success ?? Sure, you are an aging team built to win now where as the dolphins are one of the top 3 youngest teams in the league . So let me stop you right there. You want us to ask you for a recipe for success? Are you freaking kidding? From an organizational stand point you are a disgrace, plain and simple. Your Front Office is miserable, just look at the Mangini and Favre fiasco. You have an aging team that has no room for improvement whatsoever. What you got now in front of you is what you'll see for the next five years. This is your finished product. And let me tell you what, it ain't that good. Faneca is 32, Ellis is 32, Jenkins is 30, Thomas Jones is 31, Damien Woody is 31 just as Bart Scott is. Those are the cornerstones of your franchise right there. Entering the twilight of their career. You got 2 seasons at best to try and do something and then your done. You have a rookie quarterback that has not been asked to do anything much than pose for GQ. As soon as the league catches up to Ryan's defense and Sanchez has to win some games for you your season is over. While your teams keeps aging. Want success? Take a look at us. We are starting two second year players at DEs, we are have two future pro bowl rookie corner backs. We have 2 second year players starting at the O-Line plus a two 27 year olds and a 28 year old. We have one of the top 5 young running backs of the league in Ronnie Brown and a second year qb that if not for injuries would've been picked before Flacco. We have TONS of cap space to sign at least 2 elite free agents next off season or trade for Anquan Boldin or Brandon Marshall. We are building a dynasty. This team will dominate the AFC east for the next decade. Just look at the way these youngsters fokd you in the ass last december up in the Meadowlands. Are you still bitter for that? Does it still hurt? I bet it does. Miami Dolphins- 2008 AFC EAST CHAMPS.

Key Catalysts In Chad Henne's NFL Development

MauMontaV5 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:14:27 -0000

We are 3 days away from Henne's debut on Sunday against the Biils. There are high expectations to see him perform well. Lots of people around here believe he is going to be our Sanchize quarterback for years to come. However, others claim "not seeing" anything yet to make them believers.

Strengths-

a strong arm
good pocket presence
above average mobility
icy nerves.

Weaknesses-

forces the ball sometimes
looks off his receivers
doesn't go through his reads but locks on his main option
hasn't shown a great deal of accuracy.

These are the main characteristics that resume his abilities as a quarterback. Naturally, one would think his success or lack thereof would depend on how well he showcases those abilities. However, where I am going at here is this: the possibilities of success for a young quarterback depend on much more than his own play.

There are always lots of key catalysts than can make or break a young promising quarterback. 99% of the players at that position drafted between the first and the second round have the prototypical abilities needed to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. So, then, what happens ? Why do some of them become stars and a handful of them become busts?

Last year, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco where thrown into the fire as week 1 starters while Henne sat on the bench learning behind P. But, where they really thrown into the fire?

Matt Ryan had two elite weapons on Michael Turner and Roddy White. He wasn't asked to come from behind consistently or throw more than 20 passes a game. Turner had more than 1,600 rush yards and managed to break a couple of key long ones, while providing Ryan with short third down situations to work with. Then White would be there to catch anything that was thrown to him and greatly helping his young quarterback staying on the field. Yes, Ryan showed a lot of poise and smarts during the season, but he had a lot of help.

Joe Flacco is even a more extreme example of how the conditions surrounding a young quarterback are key to his success. He started for Baltimore all the 08 season as a rookie. While he managed to make a couple of big plays early on with his feet and his big arm, he was far from perfect. Aside from his play that left a lot of question marks especially about his mechanics, lets take a look at what Baltimore asked and expected him to do compared to other elite quarterbacks in the league-

Attempts Completions Yards TD INT

Flacco 428 257 2971 14 12

P.Manning 555 371 4002 27 12

Rivers 478 312 4009 34 11

Brees 635 413 5069 34 17

As you can see, Flacco did not only receive a very limited workload (low Attempt numbers) , but he wasn't asked to win games for them (low TD and total yards numbers) and on top of that he could afford to make the same number of mistakes as guys who were producing 100% and 200% times more than him. Three of these mistakes came in the AFC championship game against Pittsburgh. Did it matter? yes, it probably cost them the game but a game that the #1 ranked Baltimore defense kept extremely close, allowing less than 16 points in 60 minutes. Bottom line, without that defense and with the task of winning games from behind Flacco would've been called a bust around mid october. Yes, he is starting to come along nicely but last year, without that supporting cast he doesn't achieve 20% of what he did, period. (You saw that playoff game against miami, he threw for 9 completions and still managed to win)

Sure, this are nice examples of a successful franchise quarterback development but things go wrong even more frequently.

David Carr- No weapons, no defense no O-Line.

Alex Smith- Different Offensive Coordinator every season he started for the 49ers.

Brady Quinn- Awful supporting cast, no patience from FO. (They gave him one start and that was it)

So, what are the catalysts that will come a long way in Chad Henne's development as a Franchise Quarterback?

PROS-

Time to prove himself-

Chad Henne, bearing injury, will have 13 games to prove he can be a capable starter for the Dolphins. That's 52 full quarters, or 780 minutes on the football field. This should help in two ways: first, will have more than enough time to adapt to the speed of the game, learn how to read defenses, work on his accuracy and his mechanics. Then, he will also get a shot at mastering the offense and becoming a true commander on the field. If he is a true leader, that will show sooner or later.

Expected to make mistakes-

While he has to find a way to be consistent and keep the offense on the field, fans and coaching staff know that he is going to make mistakes, lots of them probably. And it will be tolerated. Most of the knowledgeable fans at least, have come to terms with the concept that this season the team is going nowhere. We must find out if Henne is the long term solution to the qb position in Florida. He will be given all the patience in the world to come along, and more importantly, he will eventually be given the opportunity to take the training wheels of the offense and light it up, even if mistakes come along the way.

Strong Running Game-

He will have a strong running game to rely on. This comes a long way for his development process. 1- He won't be asked to throw the ball too much times and 2- He will face a bunch of third and short situations, which gives him the chance to stay on the field while not having to be stelar down the field.

CONS-

No playmaker help-

Like I mentioned before, Ryan had Roddy White and his ability to make big plays after the catch, Flacco had Derrick Mason and his ability to catch the most inaccurate of passes , Rodgers had Jennings to get open down the field and make the big play, etc. What does Henne have? Bottom line, a young quarterback needs a true #1 receiver to rely on. He needs a guy that beats the jam at the line, gets open, catches everything and that goes down the middle with ease. It makes his life much easier. Unfortunately the closest thing Henne will have to this are Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo, yes, dependable and good receivers, but very far from being elite.

Weak Defense-

A strong defense comes a long way in a young quarterbacks development. It allows a quarterback to:

1- Hand off the ball to the running backs. Run, run and run.

2- Manage the game. Throwing short, manageable passes and staying on the field.

3- Make mistakes. Mark Sanchez threw an interception and lost a fumble last Sunday against the Titans in an extremely close and physical game. In the second half he led his offense to more than 9 three and outs. He still managed to score two TD and win the game right? That doesn't happen if the Jets defense doesn't have 2 key interceptions and the special teams unit doesn't force two fumbles, period.

4- Not have to play from behind- Having to play from behind is a young quarterbacks worst nightmare. It basically takes away the last 3 points we discussed. It eliminates the run game, he has to throw downfield and take chances and he can not afford to make mistakes. Just what we saw last week against the Chargers.

Tough Schedule

There is no way around it, playing good teams is a hell of a lot harder than playing weak teams. This year Henne will face a whole lot of playoff contenders and excellent defenses in hostile environments. Including Tennessee and the Jets at home plus the Patriots two times. Bottom line, Henne will have to prove he is the best against the best.

Chad, your development process in the NFL just got that much harder. Best of luck.

Continuing The Rebuilding Process- Changes Are Coming - 3 Possible moves

MauMontaV5 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:45:50 -0000

Last year was a nice story. A new regime that brought not only a new coaching staff but more than two dozen players, either through the draft or free agency. Plus, a new attitude. That, plus a weak as hell schedule was barely enough to change the loosing culture in south florida and get us into the playoffs. This year we all had big plans for this team, and along the way forgot about the famous three year rebuilding process. Today it might be time to remember what is supposed to be going on with this franchise.

After three - one way or another- disastrous performances this season it is time to evaluate not only our roster, but the whole franchise, from the water boy to the owner (this is not cliche, I saw what seemed to be a water boy laughing the night away on our sideline while we where getting our asses handed).

This were the main goals of the rebuilding process entering the 2008 season:

1- Get young through the draft.

2- Change the loosing culture.

We had a fantastic 2008 draft, where we got 5 starters: Long, Langford, Thomas, Bess and Carpenter. Plus two future contributors: Merling and Hilliard. And our future starting Qb- Chad Henne. Pretty successful. The 2009 draft is still to soon to call but at least most of those guys our developing steadily on our roster. So the team is successfully getting young.

The culture also changed. In few words; we got into the playoffs last year and we were expecting to get back there again this year. That gives you the idea.

So to the point. Along the way we started to believe we were ready to contend and that we had turned this thing around already. Right now, after watching a high school offense on the field week in and week out, or an ironically called "defense" try to pass rush or cover receivers down the field, its just clear that we are not there yet.

These are, in my opinion a couple of steps we need to take from this day to next year's draft to become a true powerhouse in the NFL, because right now from watching Manning and Warner on SNF I can say mistake free football and hard work are not going to cut it. Just ask the Niners.

Player changes- As much as it might hurt to say this; this season we are not going to contend to make the playoffs, much less win the division. That is not necessarily such a bad thing because it gives us a chance to keep or start developing our second year players and our rookies. For instance:

1- Bench Gibril Wilson and play Chris Clemons- His coverage skills are killing this secondary. He couldn't manage or even contain TGonzales or Dallas Clark, not to say the humiliation he was administered by Vincent Jackson today. Play the young guy, see what he's got.

2- Bench Will Allen and play Vontae Davis- A lot of people were throwing around this offseason the words "shut down corner" every time they mentioned Allen. That, is laughable. He is not terrible or anything like that but we just spent a first round pick on Vontae Davis, who by the way has all the talent and more to be an All-Pro corner in this league, to watch him sit on the bench instead of starting to develop on the field and get NFL ready to be there when it matters.

3- Bench Chad Pennington and put in Henne- If someone has stood up for CP10 it has been me, but it is time for Henne to start playing. Like I said before, this season we are not going anywhere, plus we need to find out if Henne is the long term answer for the QB position on this team. He doesn't need garbage time or emergency time, he needs to be the starter and do all the things the starter does: practice with the first team offense all week long, get most of the snaps in practice, be game planed around him, etc. Today he was sent in there in a rough situation where his "#1" receiver didn't help much. To judge him based on his play today is laughable.

4- Give Camarillo's snaps to Hartline and Turner- As much as Greg has helped since the 2007 season, these rookies need to play. Some say Camarillo couldn't even be a 3rd receiver in some teams, I disagree, but since this team's priority is not to win now but to prepare its young players for the future, play Hartline and dress up Turner for game day. (Turner could've provided a huge red zone target today instead of running 134 times on goal line situations against the Chargers)

5- Give Cameron Wake some of JT's and Porter's snaps- Again, Taylor and Porter aren't getting any younger and we need to find out if Cameron Wake is a young solution to the OLB position or if we need to go to the draft and get one. Plus, both of those guys could probably use the rest.

Is this a sign of giving up on this team this season? probably. Is this in the best interest of this franchise's future? definitely.

Coaching staff changes

Until the game against the Colts, this fan base, including the media, was just blindly in love with this Coaching Staff, specially HC Sparano. Now, through 3 games we have got to see that they are not perfect (for me it started with the playoff loss against the Ravens). Yes, they are definitely very good, they changed this team's attitude around, introduced the Wildcat, conducted a mistake free offense during 08 and a bend but not break defense too. But that's just not going to cut it.

One would say that the players are to take the blame for miserable performances, but in this sport, the coaches' decisions before and during the game are a key part of a team's success.

On Offense:

1- Play calling is offensive- I've read a thousand times that this coaching staff plays not to loose instead of playing to win. Yes, it has something to do with our limitations at the qb and wr positions but thats not all the story. Forget about Pennington's arm strength for a moment and think about a couple of calls they made since week 2:

a) 3rd&6 against Colts with more than 4 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter: They call an "option" so that Pennington could decide wether to run or to pass. There is a problem with that. 1- such a formation benefits either the run or a poor passing play because of the Xs and Os of the formation. 2- Pennington is not the coach of this team. That was a conservative ( p_ssY) call and it cost us the game. Yes, I understand why our passing game is not like that of the Saints, but Pennington had been "clutch" to say the least on short to mid 3rd down situations that day.

b) Today, on our 2nd goal line possession of the game after a lost fumbled (ugh) they call like 20 running plays and a pass to the fullback. Of course, on a long 3rd and goal, they call a run up the middle and have to kick a field goal. Against the Chargers, who are man handling our defense. We saw against the Colts that Field Goals don't win games against Pro Bowl qbs. Guess they didn't.

So the point is that the play calling on offense is too conservative ( we saw that even with cannon arm Henne in there today) and too predictable. Every time we pass our receivers stop running their routes at the 1st down mark. We are already seeing how Pennington won't be the qb of this team anymore because he can't get the ball downfield, if Dan Henning can't do the same with Henne he should no longer be this team's OC after this season.

On Defense:

This one is even worse. Lets go back again to the game against the Colts. On both of Dallas Clark's huge gains, one of them being an obvious passing situation, he was being covered by a linebacker (once Crowder once Ayodele) because we didn't have a nickel package on the field. This, knowing that Clark would be Manning's main downfield threat and after Tony Gonzales crushed our defense a week before. How can you be so unprepared.

Then, to me, the most troubling foe of this defense is the predictability of their blitz packages. Not only do Porter and Taylor only have like one sack each through 3 games, but this lack of pressure gives the opposing qb even more time to tear apart our terrible secondary. As for the predictability of the blitz. Last week on Indianapolis' last touchdown, we showed blitz, then Manning went through a thousand audibles. The result? A 48 yard completion on a screen to a guy named Pierre Garcon. Really? Really?

After watching the new Jets defense play three complete games against tough offenses and absolutely crushing them with a thousand different blitzes I realize two things: We need more playmakers, we need a smarter, more aggressive, up to date Defensive Coordinator.

Like I said before, I have nothing against this coaching staff, they have done a great job, but to win a championship you need elite or at least above average play callers. Jason Garret was called a wonder boy in 06 and 07, Josh McDaniels tore apart the league in 07, Todd Haley did in 08. Lovie Smith on defense on that Super Bowl run and this season again, Mike Nolan in Denver right now and on and on.

Free agent acquisitions

Im all for building through the draft. Nicky always says how we shouldn't become one of those teams like the Cowboys or the Redskins that just go out spending ridiculous amount of money and draft picks and how it is never a smart move in the long run, and I agree. However, there is a huge difference on giving Albert Haynsworth 100$ million paycheck than trading a 2nd rounder for future HOF tight end Tony Gonzales to help your franchise qb develop or a good but not over the top pay day for Pro Bowl ILB Bart Scott or WR Torry Holt or even Terrel Owens or Kurt Warner. Bottom line: to win in the NFL you need elite talent, there is no way around it. And free agency or trades inevitably are a big part of that. Yes, you need to me smart about it but if you want to be a powerhouse in the NFL you need to find a way to get elite talent and it won't always come cheap. Im all for the Devone Bess', Brian Hartline's, Turner's and Camarillo's of the world but this offseason or next we have to look for the Anquan Boldin's, Dwayne Bowe's or Brandon Marshall's via trade or free agency if we want Henne to become an elite passer.

Miami Dolphins Questions

MauMontaV5 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:53:56 -0000

Hey guys how are you. I am Mau from The Phinsider, SB Nation's Miami Dolphins blog. Our head blogger, Matty I will be doing a Q & A with your head blogger later in the week but in the meantime I thought I'd take some of your questions about the Miami Dolphins looking forward to Monday's game. I'll be around all afternoon.

Mau

miami dolphins vs indianapolis cols miami dolphins vs indianapolis colts miami dolphins vs indianaplos colts

Top 10 Factors: CP10's Possibilities of Success- 2009 Season

MauMontaV5 — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:06:36 -0000

There is one characteristic us Dolfans share; We always think, talk, eat, #u"k, and drink either in Past Tense or in Future Tense. Its always about number 13 days, about those sundays in which Surtain and Madison would fly around the field, about a tiny linebacker who would become a sure HOF. Or more recently, about how Chad Henne will be throwing touchdowns let and right all the time, how our CBs will dominate or how the trifecta will build a sure fire Super Bowl contender for decades to come. But what about now? What about the 2009 season who will follow one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of sports? After all, these are all the same guys, who not surprisingly, are again being ridiculed and minimized by the fans and the media. These are all the same guys, just angrier and hungrier, and a bit more talented. So lets take a break from all these memories and hopes for the future, and talk about this season. Specially about one of the guys, who according to his teammates and coaches, made 2008 possible; Chad Pennington.

These are, in my opinion, 10 Factors that will play a major role in CP10 having a great season.

1- Improved running game:

Last year, our offense became something of an improvised west coast scheme because of the circumstances. First of all, we had a couple of young and unexperienced receivers running around, but most importantly, we had: a) A patched Offensive Line who was not strong enough to run the ball and b) Our stellar running back coming of a torn ACL injury.

This offseason though, these last two went from being a negative to a positive in a few days time.

a) We signed Jake Grove, who is a dominant beast at the point of attack and who, in case of staying healthy, will provide a huge upgrade in the running game.

b) Ronnie Brown is entering his second season since the injury, and as Matty always emphasizes, a running back coming of an ACL usually returns to full speed on the second year since the incident. So Ronnie should have a monster year.

2- JL experienced-

Last year Jake Long, 2008's #1 overall draft pick, allowed 2.5 sacks and was able to block quite successfully when running to the left side of the line. However, he was not selected to the Pro Bowl and more importantly, many people around the league questioned if Ryan Clady -who allowed .5 sacks-, not Jake Long should have been the #1 overall pick of the Dolphins. Many said he was good, but not great.

This year, Long will have one year experience under his belt, plus more importantly, 2 full off seasons under the Dolphins military like workout regime. He will be quicker and stronger. This year he will be great, not just ok. With the addition of Jake Grove and Justin Smiley's recovery, he should be top notch at pass protection and really set the pace at run blocking. Sure fire Pro Bowl selection.

Long will be that great LT that just makes a QB much better.

3- Ginn's third year-

Last year Ted showed flashes of the great receiver we are all expecting to see this season. He was great not only on long routes (Jets Dec) but also catching the ball over the middle between tough coverage (Seahawks, Jets, Buffalo) But he always seemed to disappear during most games and was never able to be that number one guy Chad can rely on crunch time.

2009 , Ginn will be entering his third NFL season. Its widely believed that a wide reciever reaches its true potential in the NFL during his third year in the league. This will not only be Ted's third season in the league, but it will also be his second season in a row with the same qb, head coach and offensive coordinator. There is every reason to believe that Ginn will come around starting next September and will be a lethal weapon for Pennington.

4- Acquaintance with teammates and playbook-

Last year Chad came in in the middle of Training Camp. So it was only natural that our offense was not only sort of reduced and limited during the first couple of games of the season, but that the connection with his wide receivers wasn't the best. However, as the season progressed there were flashes of a true connection being made specially with both Fassano, Bess and sometimes Ginn. Nevertheless, last season there were times were you couldn't help but wonder how in the world these guys were pulling this off and times were one had a feeling that these guys could be making more things happen if they just were more aquatinted with each other.

This year, with a full off season and training camp under their belt, these guys are going to be much better.

5- Strong defense-

Last season, there were some games in which Chad played amazingly but the defense just kept messing up everything the offense achieved. For example, in the game against New England in Dolphin Stadium, the offensive side of the ball had a game for the ages, one of their best of the season even though we lost. However, we all know that Chad doesn't posses the arm strength to lead a fourth quarter 20 point comeback. However, he is in the top 3 in the league at game managing as we all saw against San Diego in Miami or Denver.

This year, our defense will be much improved. This will not only mean that we won't have to trail all the time during tough games (say Indy), but that there will be more turnovers. This not only means that Chad will get to play to his strenghts, but that he will have the chance to come around in crunch time.

6- Camarillo back-

Last year Greg immediately clicked with Penny. Greg is a great route runner with soft hands and as coach Sparano stated "he is QB friendly". Well he sure was until he went out for the season against New England. Right after that, our offense as a whole had a couple of really rough games. Either because Ginn did a la David Copperfield and disapeared or because Bess could only do so much being 4"10, there was something missing.

This year, Camarillo hopefully will be back and I'm sure he will again be that sure fire target Pennington loves so much. Cam is a class act by the way, and man the guy really comes to play in crunch time. Remember against Denver? Hell can't wait for him to be back.

7- More tools-

Last year, specially after Camarillo went down and Wilford decided to forget how to play football, Penny had very few weapons on offense. He sure lacked that big possession receiver in the Red Zone, a long threat and a medium range wideout.

This year, the FO drafted USC's Patrick Turner to be that red zone threat and big physical wideout. Then, as we stated before, Ginn will probably come around and be that long and over the middle threat we are wishing for, and Camarillo and Heartline along with Bess will be the most reliable receivers for short shardage.

8-Tough schedule-

Last year there was a special trend. Pennington would have great games against tough opponents (other than Baltimore), such as New England and 5-0 Buffalo, not to mention San Diego, but would kind of flunk against mediocre opponents like the Raiders and the Rams. There are a lot of athletes made that way, and he seems to be one of those. Which in my opinion is great because he comes around under pressure.

This year we have the toughest schedule in the NFL, and I like it. There is a very, very specialy difference between playing Indianapolis and New Orleans than playing Baltimore. Yes, they are all top notch teams, however, the first two have average defenses at best, while Baltimore's defense is amazing and completely destroyed Pennington last year. (Wich also had a lot to do with our non existent running game and, again, non existent defense). The point being that Pennington loves playing under pressure in tough games, and most of the "elite" teams we play this season, happen to have mediocre defenses at best, while the true elite defenses we play this year will have a rookie qb ( tampa) and will probably sit their starters ( Steelers) in week 17.

9- Wildcat 2.0-

Last year, as coaches have already recognized, the wildcat was engineered to make up for some deficiencies our offense had. Either being lack of experience and talent in the WR position, injuries in the O-Line or aqcuantance and arm strength in the QB position, the wildcat was meant to be a gimmick.

This year however, the wildcat will be part of our playbook just as the I-Formation or the Shotgun, just much, much better. We not only have an improved O-Line and healthy running back, but a true "Elite" addittion to the formation in Pat White.

10- Contract Year-

Last year Chad came in being in one of the worst situations a professional athlete could possibly be in. He was thrown to the fire without even knowing the playbook or most importantly, his teammates. Sure, he was palying with a chip in his shoulder and being the true professional he is, he gave a 100% and ultimately took the team to the playoffs.

This year, however, Chad is in a contract year, meaning that his deal with the Dolphins finishes this season and will probably not be renewed in favor of Henne. Pennington is the ultimate competitor and will not settle for a back up role with the Dolphins. So there are two possibilities, if he wants to remain the starter of the Dolphins for the 2010 season, he has to take this team deep into the playoffs, if not the Super Bowl, to even make the FO consider pulling a fast one on Henne, or, he has to have an MVP season so he can sign a multi year deal with the Vikings on 2010, hopefully for us, he will.

Thanks for reading,

Mau.

5 Off Season Foes The Dolphins Don't have To Deal With

MauMontaV5 — Fri, 22 May 2009 07:54:18 -0000

These last couple of weeks I've noticed a trend that most of the teams in the NFL share: Off Season foes. If it is not one thing then its the other, but for sure means a big disrupter for the team's ability to go forward and start a new NFL season. This are the top 5 Off Season Foes the Miami Dolphins don't have to deal with as we...... type (that was cute don't lie):

1-Holdouts-

Players holding out of OTAs is a very common occurrence in the NFL. Most of the time it happens because a player who is in the middle of his contract decides that it is time to take advantage of his current success and get a new long term deal before he runs out of fuel.

Around the league:

Currently there are a couple of players/teams in this situation, one of them being the New York Jets. The Jets have got both their stellar RBs on a contract holdout. This is really prejudicial for a team for two reasons: a- because the players are missing valuable time both on the field and off the field, which most of the time results in slow starts when September comes. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iknEJf9cPeY ) b- the whole point of signing a player to a cheap long contract is to give the guy a chance to make the roster while you save cap space.

Dolphins that might have been:

Ronnie Brown could very well be acting out this off season demanding a new contract. Even while the Dolphins have some leverage since the CBA might not work out for 2010 and Ronnie would've a restriction or two, Brown could pressure the FO into signing him to a new deal before his contract ends. When you are a RB in your prime carrying such a serious injury as a torn ACL in your resume, you might want to get inked asap while you are of great value to your team and get some guaranteed money before you blow out a knee again.

2- Angry/Asking To Be Traded Players-

This category is really annoying and goes to show the great environment there is in the dolphins building as of now. When this situation arises it is usually because a player is malcontent with his coach or FO and wants to flee as soon as possible. This is also very disruptive for the team's chemistry.

Around the league-

Anquan Boldin and Chad Ocho Cinco are currently in this situation. Boldin wants a new contract and his relationship with both the Head Coach and the FO is broken. Chad as well has had continuos altercations with the coaching staff and his teammates. Today Carson Palmer said that they are ready to move on without Jackson.

Dolphins that might have been:

Chad Pennington. CP10 had a career year last season and there are a couple of reasons why he could've pushed for a trade:

a) Chad has been told that the QB of the future is Chad Henne, and that there is a real high possibility that Henne will be the starter for the 2010 season. Since this is the last year of the 2 year contract he signed with the dolphins that bring me to point b.

b) If Chad wants to keep playing as a starting QB after the 2009 season, he probably has to look somewhere outside of south florida (I damn the day this words came out of my mouth) and what better time to get a long term contract than coming off an MVP-like season.

3- QB Controversy-

This one is a tough one too. It is as simple as this: the QB is the most important player in your team, if you have "the" guy at QB then you have a solid foundation to work and build around from, on and off the field. If not, you are screwed.

Around the league-

The Vikings, the Browns, the Broncos and the Niners all have on going QB competitions, or as one might say; controversies. This situation sets back your offense's development as well as your team's confidence in themselves. Not to say that it means that the most important position on the field is going to be a major setback for your team's possibilities of success.

Dolphins-

Chad Henne knows his place, he is working hard and taking all in from CP10.

4-Arrested/Suspended players-

This has the capacity not only to disrupt your team's chemistry but also to change the way you Draft and build in the off season. This can go from adjusting your team for a game or two, to having to rebuild your franchise overnight.

Around the league-

The Bills are probably going to loose Lynch for the first couple of games and the Browns have a very high chance of loosing WR Stallworth for all of the 2009 season, forcing them to draft 2 WRs in the second round of the past NFL Draft. Plus Brandon Marshall of the Broncos is looking at a possible suspension too. Last of all, Plaxico Burres, who shot accidentally shot himself in the leg during last season, was released by the Giants which immediately suffered their loss during an abysmal playoff run. They also had to spend a 1st round pick in a quality WR.

Miami- No problems until now.

5- Win Now pressure-

There are a lot of teams around the league that are obliged to have immediate success or else. This really has the capacity to ruin a team both in the short term and in the long term. Teams in this situation usually spend high draft picks on over the top trades (Dallas Roy Williams, Wash Jason Taylor) , play under immense amounts of pressure, normally causing disruption between players, players and coaches and GMs and coaches, and rushing into desperate moves (T.O Bills)

Around the league

The Bengals, the Texans, the Cowboys, the Jets, the Bills, the Packers, the Vikings, the Chargers and the Saints are all teams that can suffer severe criticism and more importantly changes either in the coaching staff or the front office if they don't make the playoffs next year.

Dolphins-

The Dolphins are in a beautiful situation. They have the swagger to win now and compete, but from a ownership point of view this is mostly a time to develop young players and keep building a dominant franchise and Super Bowl contender for years to come!