2008 MIAMI DOLPHINS PREVIEW

2008 MIAMI DOLPHINS PREVIEW
2007 Record: 1-15 (4th AFC East)
2008 Predicted Record: 4-12 (4th AFC East)

Key Acquisitions: QB Chad Pennington, LB Charlie Anderson, LB Akin Ayodele, S Cris Crocker, S Keith Davis, TE Anthony Fasano, FB Boomer Grisby, NT Jason Ferguson, CB Nate Jones, QB Josh McCown, OL Steve McKinnley, WR Tab Perry, TE Sean Ryan, OG Justin Smiley, DT Randy Starks, LB Reggie Torbor, WR Ernest Wilford
Key Losses: K Jay Feely, RB Lorenzo Booker, WR Marty Booker, RB Jesse Chatman, G Rex Hadnot, QB Cleo Lemon, LB Derrick Pope, OT LJ Shelton, LB Zach Thomas, DE Jason Taylor, OL Joe Toledo, DT Keith Traylor, S Cameron Worrell

Only Bill Parcells could be retired, move to South Florida and undertake a laborious NFL rebuilding effort. The soon-to-be 69-year-old left Dallas in ’07 and went all of one year without feeding his football addiction. To his credit, he did not jump back into the coaching ranks. So here we go again––another Parcells reclamation project. This is the fifth one. With Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga having no ego and being in the process of turning the team over to Stephen Ross, it’s clearly the Big Tuna’s show in Miami. Nothing about this is new. This isn’t even the first time that the future Hall of Famer has inherited a 1-15 AFC East team. You may remember, Parcells took over the hapless Jets in 1997. He made them a nine-win club right away, then led them to the AFC championship the following year. Of course, that AFC East division did not feature a dynastic Patriots franchise (which, by the way, given Bill Belichick’s NFL upbringing, is something the Big Tuna had a slight hand in as well). Nine wins is simply unrealistic for these Dolphins. In fact, any numerical expectations for 2008 seem almost pointless. The bottom line is, Parcells builds winners––which is exactly what the Miami Dolphins will be once he’s done.

OFFENSE
A once heated 3-way battle between Josh McCown, Chad Henne, & John Beck has all but stopped with the signing of former Jet Chad Pennington. Pennington has by far looked the best in camp and in the pre-season and has all but won the starting job. Most likely Pennington will be the starter for the forseable future while one of the other 3 will likely be dropped. Interstate-95 pickup Ernest Wilford started 37 games in his four years at Jacksonville, including 26 over ’06 and ’07. However, he has never caught more than 45 passes in a season. Wilford has the Keyshawn Johnson-like size that Henning and Parcells covet. But, also like Keyshawn, he has limited spring in his step. Keyshawn survived on polished route running; Wilford is average in and out of his breaks. He’s still a better route runner than second-year pro Ted Ginn Jr. Burdened with high expectations as the 10th overall pick, Ginn did not set South Beach on fire as a rookie. He had only one catch over 40 yards. Dolphin fans must be patient with the electrifying ex-Buckeye. Ginn has the speed and elusiveness to make defenders miss––he just needs time to learn the nuances of the game. Of course, there’s no guarantee he will. Logic says that Ginn should be constricted to the slot in 2008. However, with the only experienced receivers on the roster being Greg Camarillo, David Kircus and Derek Hagan, Miami’s hands are tied. Camarillo can make the occasional big play, but he’s a bubble guy. So is Kircus. Hagan, a third-round pick in ’06, shows some promise, but not enough to warrant a starting job. Besides, he’s a more limited possession receiver than Wilford. Ginn can slide into the slot in three-receiver sets, though don’t be shocked if he stays outside in order to make room for undrafted rookie Davone Bess. The prolific lightning bolt from Hawaii has sticky hands and superb quickness. The Dolphins will receive minimal contributions from their tight ends in the passing game. Former Cowboy Anthony Fasano, a second-round pick by Parcells in ’06, figures to replace struggling David Martin in the starting lineup. Fasano is a standout blocker, but he lacks finesse with the ball in his hands. Martin is simply too inconsistent. The questions with the aerial attack reaffirm Sparano and Henning’s commitment to running the ball. The Dolphins will be a rock-pounding club in 2008, which is why they’re monitoring Ronnie Brown closely. The fourth-year pro is coming off ACL surgery. He ran with more assertiveness in 2007, and prior to going down last October, Brown was leading the NFL in total offense, However, playing on a mended knee, Brown will have to rediscover his confidence. This could be an issue, especially early on. Who would have ever thought that Miami would be relying heavily on a 31-year-old Ricky Williams? Indeed, the former Heisman Trophy winner is looking to prove himself in the final year of his contract. Drug use and a torn pectoral muscle last year have limited Williams to just three starts over the last four seasons. He’s only carried the ball six times since 2005. That said, Williams was reportedly the most impressive Dolphin offensive player in minicamps and OTA’s. Brown and Williams will have plenty of escorts on the ground this year. The Dolphins will incorporate Fasano and 270-pound fullback Reagan Mauia (or former Chiefs fullback Boomer Grigsby) into many of their run-blocking schemes. Expect most of the runs to travel left. That’s where No. 1 overall pick Jake Long (tackle) and free agent headliner Justin Smiley (guard) reside. Smiley is a natural right guard, but Sparano––an offensive line connoisseur––wants the fifth-year pro to help ease Long’s transition to the pro game. This leaves a spot open at right guard. Ideally, fourth-round rookie Shawn Murphy will fill it. Murphy is a resolute competitor, but he played defensive line until his junior season at Utah State. Because he’s still learning the guard position, Miami considered going with tackle Trey Darilek, a former backup for Sparano in Dallas. However, sixth-round rookie Donald Thomas showed such great power early on that he appears to have the inside track. There’s also Steve McKinney, though the Dolphins see no point in giving reps to an 11th-year veteran at this point. Center Samson Satele earned a passing grade as a second-round rookie in his 16 starts last season. Having played in a spread offense at Hawaii, there are still concerns about Satele’s ability to hold up as an NFL run-blocker. He struggles when defenders line up directly over him. But Satele has the mobility to lead-block in space, and his elevated awareness and partnership with the fairly-athletic Smiley should lead to noticeable improvements in 2008.
Former first-round pick Vernon Carey is back in his home at right tackle. Carey is somewhat lethargic, thought that’s just part of being a 335-pounder. He is overpowering in a phone booth and will punish defenders who come at him off balance.
Grade: D+

DEFENSE
This was a diarrheic defense last season, which is to say, it couldn’t stop the run. Miami surrendered a league-worst 153.5 yards per game on the ground. Ostensibly, having four new front seven starters will bring about change––and given where this group was last year, any change figures to be in a forward direction. Then again, one of the new starters––likely Charlie Anderson––will be replacing future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. Anderson is a career-long special teamer. He’ll end up back on the bench if converted defensive end Quentin Moses develops. Moses was a third-round draft choice of the Raiders last year but got cut prior to the season (something bizarre must have happened there). The 260-pounder is a splendid athlete. He improved throughout the season in ’07 but needs to develop more comfort in space. Playing at right outside linebacker is Joey Porter, who is eager to rebound from a tepid first year in Miami. At 31, Porter has lost a bit of his oomph, though he’s still capable of posting a few sacks. Miami’s linebacking strength is inside. Parcells loves Channing Crowder. The pliant fourth-year pro will almost certainly lead the team in tackles in ’08, but he must take better angles to the ball. Akin Ayodele has great size (6’2’, 250) to fill against the run. His familiarity with this scheme from his stint in Dallas should give him the edge over underappreciated ex-Giant Reggie Torbor. Miami won’t need to have linebackers putting their hands in the dirt again this season. The team drafted Phillip Merling in the second round, plus they still have Vonnie Holliday and Matt Roth. Both Holliday and Roth are on thin ice––the former because he’s 32 and the latter because he’s a defensive lineman-linebacker tweener but not of the pass-rushing ilk. If third-year pro Rodrique Wright can ever stay healthy, Holliday or Roth could be forgotten. Third-round rookie Kendall Langford is a developmental project from Hampton. He’s expected to provide run-stopping prowess, perhaps even at the tackle position. He’ll have to expand his 282-pound frame to play the nose though. Currently, Miami has veteran Jason Ferguson slated to line up over center. Ferguson turns 34 in November and missed 15 games with a torn triceps in ’07. Still, he’s a Parcells guy. The Dolphins don’t have a lot of other options inside. Randy Starks was signed from Tennessee, but he’s never found an identity at the pro level (some believe an inconsistent motor could be to blame). Last year’s fourth-round pick Paul Soliai was a major disappointment. Considering the new regime’s fondness for undrafted rookie Anthony Toribio, Soliai could be shown the door in the very near future. The Dolphins secondary is littered with decent-but-not-outstanding players. Cornerback Will Allen is the best of the bunch, though he’ll never get the credit he deserves, simply because he doesn’t make a lot of interceptions. Instead, Allen focuses on doing exactly what a corner is supposed to do: stopping wide receivers. He has a good feel for playing man coverage, and he rarely gets burned. If Michael Lehan is healthy, he’s likely the No. 2. But Lehan, like fellow corner Andre Goodman, lacks the quickness and technique to make sudden plays on the ball. Both men will compete with inconsistent extraordinaires Travis Daniels and Nate Jones. There are five players vying for two starting safety jobs. The front runner has to be Jason Allen on the grounds that he was a first-round pick in 2006 and finally alighted on his comfort zone last season. Allen is a superb athlete who can play cornerback in nickel and dime packages. In those instances, former Falcon Chris Crocker would line up at free safety. Crocker is a ho-hum run-defender, but he’s capable of picking off the deep ball. Technically, Renaldo Hill is the incumbent starter at free safety. He manned the position in ’06 before blowing out his knee in October ’07. Hill faces an arduous task of reclaiming his job, but he’s always managed to exceed expectations in his eight-year career. Yeremiah Bell would be an upper echelon strong safety if not for his vulnerability to the injury bug. It bit hard last September when he tore his left Achilles in the season opener. That is a difficult injury to bounce back from, but Bell is favored to beat out hard-hitting ex-Cowboy Keith Davis.
Grade: D+

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Dolphins out of nowhere cut Kicker Jay Feely in training camp and have yet to sign another Kicker at this point. It is unclear who will man that spot for the Dolphins. At Punter Brandon Fields averaged a decent 43.2 yards per punt as a seventh-round rookie in ’07. He had only 10 punts fall inside the 20, though in fairness to him, he was not often kicking from optimum field position. Ted Ginn Jr. was drafted for his return prowess more than anything. After one year, the jury’s still out. We know he’s good––the question is, do teams fear him? Ginn took a punt 87 yards to the house last season. But, as was the case in his kick returns, he tended to dance too much.
Grade: ? (No Grade Until A Kicker Is Signed)

2007 LEADERS
PASSING
Cleo Lemon: 173-309, 1,773 yards, 6 TD, 6 INT; 31 carries, 104 yards, 4 TD
Trent Green: 85-141, 987 yards, 5 TD; 7 INT
RUSHING
Ronnie Brown: 119 carries, 602 yards, 4 TD; 39 catches, 389 yards, 1 TD
Jesse Chatman: 128 carries, 515 yards, 1 TD; 27 catches, 161 yards
RECEIVING
Marty Booker: 50 catches, 556 yards, 1 TD
Ted Ginn Jr.: 34 catches, 420 yards, 2 TD
Chris Chambers: 31 catches, 415 yards
DEFENSE
Channing Crowder, LB: 77 tackles (60 solo), 0.5 sack
Joey Porter, LB: 66 tackles (57 solo), 5.5 sacks, 2 INT (19 yards), 5 PBU
Jason Allen, S: 62 tackles (55 solo), 3 INT (15 yards), 3 PBU
Jason Taylor, DE: 55 tackles (46 solo), 11.0 sacks, 1 INT (36 yards, TD), 4 PBU
Derrick Pope, LB: 64 tackles (43 solo), 2 INT, 3 PBU
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jay Feely: 21-23 FGs, 26-26 XPs
Brandon Fields: 43.2 YPP
Ted Ginn Jr.: 63 KOR, 1,433 yards; 24 PR, 230 yards, 1 TD