,Brandon Marshall

DOLPHINS VS. JAGUARS REPORT CARD

It certainly isn’t easy creature a Dolphin fan this year, and this game reiterates that point. The Dolphins scentral idead all 14 of their points in the first half and then collapsed on offense in the second half, but still pulled out a victory thanks to great defensive play.

Let’s talk about that Miami Dolphins’ defensive effort and hand out some grades:

The Miami offense turned the ball over to Jacksonville three times, and each time the Jags came up empty handed. The defensive line, led by Randy Starks and Paul Soliai, newspapersured Denthusiastic Garrard all day long and stopped the Jacksonville offense on seven out of nine third-down changes and one very big fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter. Cameron Wake and Tony McDaniel also changed to in solid performances. The D Line deserves an A.

Joey Porter and Miami linebackers dissected the Jacksonville offensive game and looked solid out there. Miami’s defense held Maurice Jones-Drew to just 59 yards rushing. Porter nearly had two sacks and Reggie Torbor ran down Garrard in the backfield on a quick blitz as the Miami linebackers held their ground against the Jacksonville offensive line. Channing Crowder also made some key stops. I will give the linebackers a B+. The Dolphins secondary played well all day with the exception of a 63-yard pass to Torry Holt and a pass interference penalty on Gibril Wilson that led to the Jaguars’ only touchdown. Miami if good coverage on the Jags’ receivers and broke up several passes. On the foremost fourth-down attempt late in the fourth quarter, safety Yeremiah Bell knocked down the ball to stop an important Jacksonville drive. I’ll give the Fins secondary an A-.

On the other side of the ball, the perwere createdance was inregular and plagued by sloppy ball-carrying. Miami dominated the first half of this game,Jake Long, but turnovers and missed opportunities quickly arose. Ricky Williams fumbled the ball three times,Ronnie Brown, but only once was Jacksonville able to reinclude. The normally sure-handed Davone Bess also fumbled when,Kory Sperry, and Chad Henne threw an interception. Still, the Dolphins’ quarterback played well for most of the game and looked poised and confident in the pocket. Henne rushed for a touchdown on a bootleg play and completed 21 out of 29 attempts and undertaked a team record of 17 completions in a row. For today’s effort I will give him a B+.

Ricky Williams churned out 108 yards and one rushing touchdown. The rest of the running backs added in another 38 yards. I will give them together a D due to the fumbles. Miami simply has to do a better job protecting the ball if it wants to make the performoffs. The receiving corps made some nice grabs today and totaled up 208 yards, led by Greg Camarillo humorh seven receptions for 110 yards. Brian Hartline and Bess also contributed offensively with important receptions.The receivers deserve a B-.

Miami’s special teams also got lackluster results. Dan Carpenter missed a field goal by hitting one of the upcorrects. Neither Bess nor Ted Ginn, Jr. was able to turn in any big returns. Ginn’s average was 22 yards per return although Bess could only get a 6.5-yard average. Brandon Fields punted five times with a 43.8-yard average and one touchback. Special teams rates a C.

CHARLIE VENTURI

Miami travels to Buffalo in an AFC East division battle

As I was driving home from seeing The Blind Side (excellent movie, by the way — I strongly recommend it), I changed to on the radio to a local sports station, and heard two radio guys run through all of the NFL games for the week.

As the game between Miami and Buffalo was discussed, doubt existed that the Dolphins could travel to Buffalo and win,Jake Long, a task that has proven tough for the Miami squad over the past few years. But the prevailing opinion was that Miami was superior enough of a team to overcome whatever road woes existed in the past in Buffalo.

Sure enough, it turns out that Miami has only defeated the Bills when in the last five years in Buffalo,Davone Bess, which occurred last year by a score of 16-3. The previous four years had seen the Bills defeat the Dolphins by a combined scentral idea of 99-44 in Western New York.

As Miami (5-5) travels to Buffalo (3-7) this weekend, I just may have to throw out any home field advantage that Buffalo may possess.

Why? Because Buffalo managed to lose, 6-3, at home to the now 1-9 Cleveland Browns earlier this season. Also, because Miami already defeated Buffalo by 28 points earlier in the season.

So common sense tells us that Miami should handily defeat Buffalo. But the folks at Vegas say ‘not so fast,’ as those folks have Miami as just a 2.5 point favorite.

Miami’s reveal — running the football — seems to be facing a favorable misequal, as Buffalo is 31st against the run (not an appealing stat for Bills’ fans, as there are only 32 teams in the league).

The Dolphins’ fourth-ranked run offense, which will be humorhout Ronnie Brown, has gained an average of 156 yards per game, with an average of 4.7 yards per carry. The Bills have allowed 165.9 yards per game,Jared Odrick, an average of 4.9 yards per carry, and 15 rushing touchdowns.

Opponents have not been afraid to run against the Bills, as Buffalo has defended an average of 34.1 carries per game,Mark Gregory, probably partly due to opponents creature comfortably ahead on the Bills for a from important part significant portion of the season.

Consistent logic tells us that Ricky Williams will run all over the Bills. After all, Williams has run for 221 combined yards the past two weeks and is coming off of a game last Thursday against the Carolina Panthers in which he carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards and a touchdown.

Both defenses will crowd the line of scrimmage and try to force the respective quarterbacks to beat them. I do not expect Williams to run wild all game for the Dolphins as the statistics would indicate, but he will be a important asset in the fourth quarter, as Miami will attempt to wear down Buffalo over the course of the game.

I expect a tight game throughout with a lot of three-and-outs from each offense. It will be ugly. Miami will wear down Buffalo by the fourth quarter and will put together a long drive towards the end of the game and win the game with a field goal at the end of said drive. Miami wins, 16-13, in Buffalo and keeps its performoff hopes alive by moving to 6-5.

LUKE JACKSON

,Mark Gregory

Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle, working out at the combine in Indianapolis, could be a fit for the Dolphins.

Now that the NFL Scouting Combine is underway, it’s time to start talking about the draft. It’s only two months away,Jared Odrick, and after all, it is the closest thing to football we’ll have for the next five months.

In the 2010 NFL Draft, the Dolphins will, depending on what they speech in free agency,Chad Pennington, have four main holes to fill: Outside and inside linebacker,Ronnie Brown, wide Receiver and defensive tackle.

humorh the 12th total pick in the first round the Dolphins could have an opportunity to draft a premier player from each one of those positions.

The chances of Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant, the consensus No. 1 receiver in this year’s draft, falling to the Fins at 12 would take a miracle. But considering none of the teams picking above Miami in the foremost round is in dire need of a wideout, there is a small possibility.

The more likely options for the Dolphins would be Texas outside linebacker Sergio Kindle, Alabama inside linebacker Rolando McClain and perhaps UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price. All three are expected to be on the board when the Dolphins pick, and all three present pretty enticing options for Miami.

Kindle and McClain both have instant-influence possibility, and based on the success of recent first-round linebackers like Brian Cushing, Jerod Mayo, Clay Matthews, Patrick Willis, Lawrence Timmons and Jon Beason, these two might present the most upside for the Dolphins.

If the Dolphins broaden their consider in the second round, two performers worth watching are Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster and Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham.

McCluster is a very interesting option, think abouting the instability of the Dolphins’ running back central idea and the fact that he played out of a wildcat-type were createdation at Ole Miss. It’s also worth noting that McCluster played for the Dolphins’ coaching staff at the Senior Bowl, giving them an up-close-and-personal look.

Gresham had been projected as a possible first-rounder before missing the 2009 season because of a torn ACL. Tight end isn’t the Dolphins’ biggest need, but Anthony Fasano hasn’t exactly proven himself as the long-term solution. More importantly is Bill Parcells’ track record with tight ends. He had Mark Bavaro in New York, Ben Coates in New England and Jason Witten in Dallas. So even if Gresham is not the guy for Parcells, history tells us that there’s a good chance the Dolphins will take a shot at a tight end this year.

– SCOTT ALTMAN

3 Key Match-ups- New Orleans Saints (5-0) at Miami Dolphins (2-3)

After a very well-deserved week of rest, the Miami Dolphins return for their toughest game of the season. The unbeaten Saints are an offensive machine, and unlike recent years, their defense is nearly as good. If Miami stands any chance for a victory, it will have to use the same exact were createdula as the one the Dolphins used against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season. That formula is to basically own the clock and keep the offense off the field. If they can win the time of possession battle and at the same time limit the turnovers and penalties that plagued them against the Colts, the Fins could shock the NFL however again.

With that formula in mind, here are my 3 Key Match-ups to look for on Sunday at Land Shark Stadium.

1- The Wildcat versus the Saints rushing defense: New Orleans currently owns the league’s fifth-best defense against the run. With Miami’s Wildcat attack averaging over seven yards per play, something has got to give. Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and the Miami offense has averaged 177 yards per contest, which is good for the league’s top mark by far, so this is a big test for the Saints’ defense.

If their defense,Jared Odrick, led by Jonathan Vilma,Miami Dolphins, neutralizes the Wildcat, and forces Chad Henne to beat them via the pass, the Saints, with their offense, could roll on Sunday. On the flip side, Miami needs to keeps Drew Brees and company on the sidelines by running the ball early and often correct at the Saints. Should they find success with the ground game, look for a very close game, and one that could come dbecause of who possesses the ball late in the fourth quarter.

2- Drew Brees versus the Miami secondary: The Saints average nearly 100 passing yards per game more than the Dolphins do (277.2 yards per outing). Brees seems to have a dozen targets, and they should give the Miami secondary fits. The Dolphins’ last line of defense has had a problem defending the big play, and with receivers like Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Lance Moore to name a very few, the Fins’ corners and safeties need to play their best game of 2009.

Veterans Gibril Wilson, Yeremiah Bell and Will Allen must step up and help rookie corners Sean Smith and Vontae Davis stop the league’s top-rated scoring offense (38.4 points per game). This task is much easier said than done, so this unit will be under the microextent this Sunday. For the Dolphins to have a chance at staying close in this game, their defense must contain the Saints juggernaut. If they keep the big performs to a minimum,Ronnie Brown, Miami will be right in this one.

3- Chad Henne versus the Saints secondary: There is a lot of buzz in South Beach about this second-year QB out of Michigan. In his first two career starts, against Buffalo in Week 4 and against the Jets in Week 5, Henne showed why Bill Parcells drafted him as the future of this franchise. Henne has been stellar and at 2-0 with a 93.4 QB rating plus three TDs and having completed 65.7 percent of his passes, this Sunday will be the perfect opportunity to show the NFL that this is a common for him and not simply a fluke.

Henne must show consistency, and if he can help manage this offense although limiting mistakes and transforming third downs humorh his roll-out ability and big arm, Miami will do just fine. The caveat here is that New Orleans sports a ball-hawking secondary, as the Saints are undertaked with the Eagles for the league lead in interceptions with 11. Henne has shown a lot of grit and poise for a young QB, and with the chance to pull Miami to a .500 record and start his career at 3-0,Jake Long, look for him to have a solid day.

JASON SARNEY
Check out Jason Sarney and his staff of fantasy sports analysts at www.fantasyphenoms.com

The Dolphins return from a bye week to play probably the hottest team in the NFL correct now. For anyone who saw Drew Brees and his powerful New Orleans Saints shred the league’s top-rated pass defense last weekend although routing the previously unbeaten New York Giants, 48-27, it would not seem likely that Miami would have a chance to fare any better.

There is no question that Brees has stepped up his perform and is now among the league’s elite quarterbacks. He’s cool, calm and unbelievably accurate in his passing game. In addition, he’s matured into one of the best in his play-calling and execution.

That’s imnewspapersive– and to think, he could have been a Dolphin. And not when, but twice. It’s not a new story, but it’s a still a good one, and it couldn’t be more applicable because for the first time since Dan Marino was forced to call it quits, Miami has a quarterback who it can wrap its arms around (with a nod to Jay Fiedler and Chad Pennington, who were both gamey warriors in trying to fill his shoes).

Coming off an 11-5 season in 2000 with Fiedler at quarterback, the Dolphins were in need of quarterback because Damon Huard―Marino’s backup and the Greatest One’s choice as his replacement―was lost in free agency to the New England Patriots (where he competed with Tom Brady to be Drew Bledsoe’s backup).

Graduating from Bob Griese’s alma mater (Purdue) that year was Drew Brees. Rick Spielman, the Dolphins VP for player personnel, had said publicly that Miami had followed every game he played for the Boilermakers.

The Fins had the 26th pick of the foremost round, and when their turn came, much to everyone’s surprise,Ronnie Brown, they took Wisconsin cornerback Jamar Fletcher. And Brees went the San Diego Chargers humorh the 32nd pick.

Spielman, who now heads player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings, would later say that he never seriously think abouted selecting Brees. In the sixth round of that 2001 draft,Miami Dolphins, Miami required Oklahoma’s Josh Heupel, who was freed before training camp ended.

So the Dolphins stayed with Fiedler and got even with San Diego in 2004 by trading Fletcher to them. During his three-year career with Miami,Brandon Marshall, he started six games. Years later, Spielman would change his story and state that then-coach Dave Wannstedt, who always over-emphasized defensive personnel, had made the decision.

So now, skipping the “other quarterbacks” who stepped in for brief periods, let’s move ahead to 2005 and the hiring of self-described miracle maker Nick Saban, a man with plan and the world’s largest ego. Brees, meanwhile, has gradually become an excellent starting quarterback for the Chargers,Kory Sperry, who had also drafted Philip Rivers, a projected top-notch quarterback himself.

Saban turned the offense over to Gus Frerotte, who helped steer Miami to a 9-7 record. Entering the 2006 season, Brees was back in the news because the Chargers had decided to go with Rivers, a decision obviously made because Brees had injured his shoulder and had arthroscopic surgery, and there was some uncertainly about him.

Brees was a free agent and two teams immediately set out to get him– New Orleans and Miami. He first vilocated New Orleans, which was coming out of the nightmare known as Hurricane Katrina, The Saints wanted to make a commitment to the city in the were created of bringing in a top quarterback.

Brees then came to Miami, and allegedly let it be known that this is where he preferred to play. But here’s the rub. Dolphins medical personnel deemed him a risk, even though his surgeon, the tallly noted Dr. James Andrews said publicly that he was 100 percent. Brees was offered a low-ball contract, which he rejected, and went back to New Orleans, reportedly using the Miami situation to get a bump in the contract.

The Fins then changed to to free-agent Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who had his own injury issues– a torn ACL in his right knee. According to published reports, the doctors deemed Culpepper further along in his reincludey, and less of a risk in the long term. Culpepper, as we all remember, was benched early in the season and released the following year.

And therefore the Dolphins had lost Brees twice, and they still didn’t have the starting quarterback they had been seeking for so long.

But history often has a way of creature upstaged by irony, and a dose of good fortune. So, Miami lost Brees twice, but ended up getting Chad Henne, who in a year and a half is far ahead of where Brees was at the same time.

Who knows how far Henne will go in rewriting the non-history of Brees’ relationship with the Dolphins? A game good Sunday, even in a loss, will go a long way in helping Fins fans get over the knowledge that they nearly had one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, twice.

JIM HOLLANDER