Miami – Tampa Bay Pre-season preview

The Miami Dolphins are entering the 3rd week, the crucial week, the closest to real week of the pre-season and they will do so against the Tampa Bay Bucs’.

Traditionally the 3rd week of the PS is the best indication of a teams progression after a long off-season.  The starters will normally play into the 3rd quarter.  The coaches make 2nd half adjustments.  The first couple of series may be scripted and the entire team game plans for the opponent.

Traditionally.

This year, for the Dolphins, that may not be the case.  Cam Cameron has promised a continuation of the “vanilla” offense that both fans and opposing teams have seen so far.  He has made no guarantees on how long the starters will play and whether or not they will play into quarter 3.  He will however game plan with his staff and implement a scheme for the team.

Cameron has played this off-season close to the hip.  He will not reveal any plans, and when asked about his vast and thick offensive play book, he simply said that it could take a couple to 3 years to fully have it in place and running efficiently.  Lets hope Dolphin fans can wait that long.

In the meantime there is a game on Saturday night.  One that unfortunately will not see live or on replay.  So don’t look for a blog here Saturday night.  The Bucs’ seem to have as many questions as Miami does.  Their offense employs a veteran aging QB with a young spleenless QB in the wings…I know that was low, but it is the truth.  Simms’ recovery will still be a little long as he will have to get back into a learning system again while his mind recovers from last years injury as well as his body.

For the Dolphins, fans will finally see reigning defensive MVP, Jason Taylor and ILB Zach Thomas.  Vonnie Holliday will also make his pre-season debut.  This will be the first glimpse of what the Dolphins defense will look like, and remember that although they are veterans, they will still be a little rusty.   Tampa Bay does not offer a huge challenge to our top 5 defense.  Cadillac Williams will have to show that last years performance was an anomaly and not his rookie campaign.  The WR corp is good but not exceptional and depending on the time that Garcia gets in the pocket, may find more comfort over a mid to deep middle than along the sidelines.  This off-season Miami CBs’ have a done a good job of not allowing the sidelines to be exploited, it is the underneath that has been a problem.

Like every other game this off-season, fans, media, coaches, bloggers, and everyone else will be looking at the offensive unit for the Dolphins.  Tampa used to have one of the best defenses in the league and although they are still good, they are far from what used to be. Trent and Co. will have to show they can move the ball.  It is time for the offensive line to find some rhythm by opening holes for the RBs’ to get through.  So far their pass protection although not without breakdowns has been decent most of the time.  It is the running game that has become the glaring problem for the team and that is due to the young Oline.

Ronnie Brown looked awful in game one a product of the line play, he looked good in his short set in game 2, a product of the Oline giving him lanes to hit.  This 3rd game is important to see if the Oline is progressing or regressing.

On the wings are the WRs’ and TEs’  and thus far it has been a quiet pre-season for the starters.  If Trent Green is given time in the pocket, the WRs’ must create some space and seperation from the defenders or Green is going to look really bad, and the Oline worse.  This is a huge season for Chambers who two years ago was in Hawaii at the end of the year, his fallout last year had many layers of excuses.  He has very few of those this year.  For all the knocks on Green by fans and media alike, he is still the best QB this team has had since Marino left.  On paper.  Offenses need to work in sink from the Oline to the play of the QB to the play of the WRs’/TEs’.

In this game whether your watching NFL Replay or live, the focus should go in two directions.  The Oline and the WRs’.  If the Oline does not play well, Ronnie and the other backs will have long days with little yards.  Trent Green will have little time.  If the WRs’ can not get separation then regardless of whether the line give Green time, there will be no one to throw to.

For those of you who want to watch Green and the RBs’ you can still see their play by watching the other two.  In fact, you will probably have a better formulated opinion of what you see.

On Special Teams, it will all be focused on Ted Ginn.  Thus far Ginn has showed little promise as a PR/KR and now will only return punts.  For a number 9 overall draft pick, it is hard enough breaking into a productive element, especially as a WR.  Ginn is not playing as a WR and although it is way too early to predict his future as an NFL player, he has given little indication so far that his being drafted was a positive thing.

This is a game that will allow us to see some progression from last week, if there is any, it is no indication of what we really have as Cameron could do a lot of things differently than what is traditionally used in game 3s.  Perhaps the biggest question will be how long the starters play.  Cameron has said that no starters will play in the game 4 finale.