Week 1: The Miami Dolphins
By Brian Miller
Today we take a look at the Miami Dolphins as we prepare for the week 1 contest with the Washington Redskins.
Cam Cameron faces his first NFL regular season task. Getting the Dolphins prepared for a quick start is the key to the success of any NFL teams season. After a long month of training camp mind games, Cameron must no rely on his ability to actually coach. Managing the game is as critical to the success of the team as the players who are on the field. Cameron will be calling his own plays which will give him more control.
In the meantime, DC Dom Capers will have his top 5 defense prepped and ready to go. Cameron will do well to lean on his assistant as often as possible when he can until he gets his feet completely wet.
Offense:
Trent Green will be at the helm for the Phins. After 6 years in KC, Green will replace a carousel of QBs’ that have been circling Miami since Dan Marino left. At least with Jay Fiedler we knew who would be starting…much to many a displeasure.
Green brings a veteran leadership that has been lacking the last few years and although his skills are diminished, he still can play. He will make mistakes, but in a new system and with a suspect Oline, that should be expected. Green will have to limit those mistakes, and when he does make them, he needs to be sure that they are at times that will not hurt the teams chances. Believe it or not, there is a right time and wrong time to make a mistake…the 4th quarter is one of the latter.
RBs: The RB situation has been talked about in the media both locally and nationally. Will it be Chatman or Brown? Brown will likely get the start as it is impossible to believe that a guy like Chatman will take it away for week 1. Still Chatman should see plenty of action. If Brown struggles, Chatman will go in to spell him often, if Brown plays well, Chatman will go in to spell him as well to keep him fresh. Miami fans will likely see both.
Oline: The Dolphins list the starting unit (left to right) Carey, Liwienski, Satele, Hadnot, and Alabi over Shelton. Shelton will see time in this game if in fact he does not start. Alabi has been slowed after recovering from off-season surgery although he still at times is a little faster than the overrated Shelton. Shelton has been the fan favorite to be cut ASAP when the Phins can finally make a move and bring someone better in. Which really should not be that hard.
The Oline for the 4th straight year has changed, and perhaps the biggest is the move of Carey to LT. Carey has had mixed results this pre-season with the move, but has progressively gotten better. The Oline as with all games, is the key to the Dolphins offensive success. Time for the QB will allow the receivers to get separation and holes for the running game will open up the passing game. The Phins have started the last 3 seasons with a plethora of offensive line penalties, so it should be noted that should the yellow flags start flying early, then this unit is far from being cohesive. The line has had over a month to prepare, and with the exception of few tests here and there, the unit has remained mostly the same. Time to see what they have.
WR/TE: Chris Chambers is entering a critical year and already there is a lot of speculation that this will be Chambers’ last with the Miami Dolphins. CC can make sure that it does not happen, by playing a solid overall year. He is due to make a lot of money next season and it is unlikely that the Phins will keep him should his production wane once again. In this game, Chambers will be matched up man to man with Sean Taylor or Shaun Springs. Two very good CBs’. Chambers has been known to drop passes and get poor separation. Against Washington, he will have be at the top of his game and his production will be critical as Washington will likely not start the game with a double coverage scheme on him. A good first half by Chris could force the Skins coaches to roll up coverage, thus leaving the middle open for Hagan or the TEs’.
On the other side Marty Booker is lining up. Booker is a very sure handed WR but he tends to get nicked up during games and it is likely that he will at some point miss a play or a series due to that fact. Booker will be lined up against the opposite of who ever covers Chambers and that CB faces little problems covering the aging and slowing veteran.
The key lies in the middle with the slot WR and the TEs’. Hagan replaces, for now, the departed fan favorite and productive Wes Welker. He will need to be sharp as he will feel the punishment of going over the middle by Laron Landry or Carlos Rogers. The short game should work to the outside as Washington possesses good but not great OLBs’. TE David Martin needs to hold on to the ball consistently and utilize his 6-4 265 frame to shield out the backers. He could play a key roll in the Phins passing game…but he needs to catch the ball.
Defense:
DL: The bread and butter of the Miami Dolphins is their ability to collapse the pocket, get penetration, and stop the run. Against Washington they will be saddled with the task of stopping a healthy Clinton Portis who becomes harder to stop in the open field. Portis will likely start the game trying to test the Holliday/Traylor front before bouncing his game outside. With Traylor sitting for portions of the game to his age rookie Paul Soliai should also see plenty of action. The Dolphins have tons of strength on the line and the pre-season play of DE Matt Roth will be a sight if he can continue his solid production. On the other end, is well, reigning NFL Defensive MVP Jason Taylor…and that is all I have to say about that.
LB: As we slip off the line and drop back to remainder of the front 7, we look at LB corp that was really solid last year, it has, at least on paper, become better. The addition of Joey Porter has been the talk of the off-season and now we see what he has left. Porter will be responsible for stopping the outside rush of Portis as well as the short passing game of Campbell. In the middle, Zach Thomas, nothing needs to be said about that either. However, Thomas’ production should be watched while Soliai is in the game, if Paul can stop the lineman from getting on Zach, Zach will, as normal have a high performance game. Thomas only saw action in one game this pre-season so he is fresh and ready to go. The same can also be said for Holliday, Taylor, and Traylor as well.
Sliding to the weakside Channing Crowder has taken up his position and has shown why he was a steal just two years ago as the 2nd of two 3rd round picks. Crowder has been starting with this unit since day 1 and he has progressively gotten better. With the addition of Porter, Crowder could become the man that opposing teams try to exploit. That fact should be something that should be watched closely.
DBs: If there is a weak spot to the Dolphins defense, this is it. Very little has been done to shore up a unit that used to be one of the best in the NFL with Surtain and Madison. Instead the Phins will employ the services of Will Allen and Travis Daniels on the corners with Y. Bell and R. Hill roaming in the safety spots. Daniels has shown at times that he can be a very serviceable CB however, he has also spent much of the last 2 years battling injuries. Bell is the guy to watch as usual as he can make solid hits and will likely be covering the space behind the ILB.
The secondary as a whole will, as in past year, have to rely on the ability of the front seven to pressure the QB. If Jason Campbell feels the pressure all game long, then WR’s Randal-El and Santana Moss, will become less of a factor.
The Dolphins key to defensive success will ride along the front pressure. If they can not put enough pressure on Campbell, or stop the running game, then DBs’ will have to win it, and that will be a daunting task for a unit who has struggled quite often. The DBs’ must cut back on the stupid mental penalties that over the last 2 years has plagued the unit. When the Skins are in 3rd and long, the DBs’ must play smart football.
Special Teams:
This is a matter of not knowing what or who will be starting at the KR spot. Ronnie Brown is listed as one of two KRs’ but that is likely to change come game time. Behind him are Ted Ginn who has done little in the return game and Lorenzo Booker who more than likely will see some time in the KR game. On PR it is all Ted Ginn and he will have his first opportunity to prove that his being drafted in the 9th overall spot was warranted. With the questions surrounding the Miami offensive line, field position will play an important roll in the teams ability to score points.
Jay Feely is the new kicker and he has had a solid pre-season compared to the previous kickers Olindo Mare who has struggled in NO. Feely has a strong leg but he does not kick a lot of touchbacks on kickoffs. Therefore, the coverage unit must play well to keep the Skins backed up.
Rookie punter Brandon Fields has been an often talked about stud on the Miami roster. His ability to kick high, long punts has him being compared to Dolphins great Reggie Roby. Fields has to make sure that he does not out kick his coverage, maintaining a 4 second hang-time will help with that. Fields could play a key roll for the Miami defense as his punts can pin the Skins inside the 10.
Overall:
The Dolphins have a lot of questions opening the season. A victory will go a long way to providing the team with much needed confidence, on both sides of the ball.
For most, the talk leading into the game will be the new guys, rookies to be precise. In 2005, the Dolphins employed rookie RB Ronnie Brown and Channing Crowder and for a short time Travis Daniels until he got hurt. This year, DL Paul Soliai will some time, C Samson Satele starts on the line, and FB Reagan Mauia has impressed so much that the Phins cut ties with FA acquisition Cory Schlesinger. Brandon Fields is starting and 3rd round pick Lorenzo Booker should see time in the return game. Ginn will be the one that they eyes will be on the most though.
The offense will be the unit that will be scrutinized the most, and because of that Cameron faces a huge daunting task in his first NFL HC gig.