Miami Dolphins First Half Observations

The Miami Dolphins have finished the first half of their game against the Carolina Panthers and hit the locker room with a 17-0 lead.

You can scroll to the article below this one for as close to a play by play as I could get.

So my first half observations:

Reggie Bush looks very good and it’s the first indication that the Dolphins offense could be exciting this year. The Dolphins offense ran relatively smooth. Definitely a different feel with Bush in the game.

Bush added the flash to the offense that has been missing unless you consider the Wild Cat flash. I will say it’s nice to see the Dolphins being agressive on offense on third downs…I half expected them to run draws on third and long.

Henne looked good but still has room for improvement and it still is only a pre-season game. He really needs to work on his long ball. He missed at least two wide open WR’s for sure touchdowns and missed on a couple of other passes as well.

The good news where Henne is concerned is he didn’t get rattled. He came back after poorly thrown balls to hit strikes for first downs. He actually showed some enthusism as well.

As for the WR’s…I will say this and nothing more. Davone Bess looks to be in mid-season form. Brian Hartline appears to be fully recovered. Brandon Marshall and Chad Henne seeem to be on the same page. Clyde Gates very well could be the answer to the Dolphins speed issue.

The offensive line is playing much better than they did last week against a defensive front that isn’t actually that bad. Carolina’s front seven are solid. Nice improvement but they still are making mental errors. At least two false starts.

Defensively, the Dolphins are showing they are well coached by Mike Nolan. They are keeping Cam Newton from making plays with his legs and the corners are playing well enough that Newton has no one to throw to but the TE.

Jason Taylor is being doubled which is funny to me at his age.

The first half is done and the Dolphins have made a big improvement over last week. Matt Moore will be starting the second half so let’s hope this trend continues.

The Dolphins finished the first half with over 300 yards of offense and over 45 offensive plays. They had about 53 plays last week…total.

I keep telling myself that it is a pre-season game and it is against the Panthers…but progress is progress and so far that progress looks very good.

Oh, and Brian Daboll’s offense looks to be a lot more open and aggressive.