Miami Dolphins Pre-Season Analysis and Grades

With the NFL season looming around the corner, it’s time to take a look at one of the most talked-about teams this off-season. The Miami Dolphins are coming off their second consecutive 7-9 season and are hoping that this will be the year that they can turn it around. Let’s break down the team, position by position, and analyze the outlook of the Dolphins 2011-12 season.

Quarterbacks: As has been the constant question since the retiring of Dan Marino, who will be the Dolphins starting quarterback? As of right now, the leading candidate is Chad Henne. With the departure of Tyler Thigpen to the Bills, and Chad Pennington’s release, the Dolphins really have very little quarterback depth. The other three quarterbacks on the roster are Matt Moore, Kevin O’Connell, and Pat Devlin. You don’t need me to tell you that none of those three quarterbacks are anywhere close to being an NFL starter. While Chad Henne’s reputation as a starting quarterback may be low, keep in mind that this will only be his second full season as a starter.

Henne

Grade: C+ ... It seems that the Dolphins have some concerns at the quarterback position, especially should Henne get injured. It would be painful to watch Moore, O’Connell, or Devlin run the Dolphins offense. Moore might not be as bad as the other two as he does have legitimate NFL experience and put together a very good year in ’09 (98.5 QB rating), but after a disaster season last year (5 TD, 10 Int, 57.5 QB rating in 3 starts) I don’t know how much faith I have in him. I don’t want to get into a big debate about Henne, and whether he’s good enough to be an NFL starter, so I’ll just stick with the facts. This past season, Chad Henne threw for more yards and had a higher QB rating than Mark Sanchez. Mark Sanchez is widely considered a solid, young quarterback while Henne is usually referred to as “mediocre”. I do think that Henne has the potential to become a legitimate NFL starter, and if he has the stuff, this will be his year to prove it. So far this pre-season, Chad Henne seems to be vastly improved. He had a rough start against the Falcons in the first week, but he was much improved against the Panthers, and was excellent against the Buccaneers (10/13, 175 yards, 1 TD) and was not hesitant to throw the deep ball (evidenced by the 60 yard TD to Brandon Marshall).

Offensive Line: The Dolphins offensive line boasts one of (if not the) best tackles in football. LT Jake Long has been outstanding in his first three seasons in the NFL, and I don’t expect this year to be any different. While injuries may be a concern, considering he had a labrum tear in his shoulder last season, I wouldn’t be too worried. He sat out the first three pre-season games, but has been practicing and been itching to get back onto the field. Coach Sparano hinted that even if Long misses all 4 pre-season games, he will still likely be the starting left tackle. As a three time Pro-Bowler in just as many seasons, Jake Long will be the anchor of this Miami Offensive Line. Opposite of Jake Long will likely be the recently signed Marc Colombo. Colombo was the starting right tackle for the Cowboys from 2006-2010 and has been in the league since 2002 when he was a first-round pick by the Bears. Colombo seems to be a solid right tackle and will complement Jake Long nicely. Vernon Carey has been one of the most consistent tackles in the NFL as he made 74 straight starts through January 3, 2010. Unfortunately for Carey, the two tackle positions have been locked-up this year, but he will still be a starting guard. Carey had solid seasons in ’08 and ’09 by only allowing 6 and 4 sacks respectively, but only made 12 starts last season. I expect Carey to have some growing-pains on his transition to guard, but he’ll feel more comfortable as the season goes on. As for the other guard, Richie Incognito will have a large impact this season. Being a seven-year veteran and starting all 16 regular season games last season, he’ll be a sure-fire starter. He also adds some aggressiveness, which the team has been lacking. While not an elite lineman, Incognito will be solid this season. At center will be Mike Pouncey, the 15^th overall selection in the past draft. He will fill a void that Miami has been lacking for a few seasons and seems to be Miami’s franchise center for years to come. If he’s anything like his brother Maurkice, who had a fantastic rookie season last year and made the Pro-Bowl, the Dolphins should have no problems at center this season.

Grade: B-… Jake Long and Marc Colombo should carry this offensive line and have the talent to do so. Incognito will be solid, but nothing special, and will likely commit more than his fair share of penalties. If Mike Pouncey is anything like his brother Maurkice, he will have a very good rookie year at either center or guard. Vernon Carey is a wild-card, as he is learning a new position, but I feel that he’ll do just fine.

Bush

Running Backs: Rushing will be vital to the Dolphins success this year. With an inconsistent passing game (fueled by an inconsistent quarterback), the running game will have to step-up this season. With Ronny Brown now signed with the Eagles, and Ricky Williams backing-up Ray Rice in Baltimore it looks like Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush will be getting the majority of the carries. Recently signed Larry Johnson hardly played last season, and hasn’t really been good for half a decade, but I feel the Dolphins will utilize his power on short-yardage situations. Other than that, don’t expect Larry to put up 1,000 or even 500 yards. Reggie Bush looks to be the starting running back this season which actually scares me. Since he came into the league in ’06, the most he’s carried the ball for in a season is 581 yards in ’07. Even then, he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry and fumbled the ball 7 times which is unimpressive to say the least. Daniel Thomas played well in his two years at Kansas State, rushing for 2,850 yards, averaging 5.2 yards a carry, and powering his way to 30 rushing TD’s (including 19 last year alone).

Grade: C+ …Reggie Bush can be a good back when healthy, but after missing half of last season with a broken fibula, he is definitely an injury risk. My season prediction is that Bush begins the season as the starting running back and performs adequately, while Daniel Thomas gets 10 or so carries a game and plays very well. An injury to Reggie Bush is more than possible, and in that case, I expect the rookie, Daniel Thomas, to get the majority of the carries and thrive behind the Dolphins’ O-Line and the organization’s fondness of power running backs. Overall, the Dolphins do not have a proven running back on their roster (besides Larry Johnson who hasn’t scored a touchdown since ’08) and will need a big season out of Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas in order to be successful.

Fullbacks: Two words: Lousaka Polite. In his 3 years with the Miami Dolphins he has plowed the way for numerous running backs and has showed that he’s one of the dominant lead-blocking fullbacks.

Grade: A… Not to mention, over the past three years Lousaka Polite has ran the ball 43 times on third-and-one and forth-and-one, and has converted 41 of those for first downs. Not bad.

Marshall

Wide Receivers: The Dolphins’ wide receiver corps will be led by Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess. Marshall is coming off his forth-straight 1,000 receiving yard season, though he did have a rough season and only caught 3 TD’s and averaged a meager 2.8 yards after catch. Bess caught an impressive 79 passes to go along with 5 TD’s and was the go-to receiver on 3^rd down. The rest of the receiving corps consists of 3^rd year wide receiver Brian Hartline, 2^nd year receivers Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore, and rookie Edmond Gates. Brian Hartline is not an especially athletically gifted receiver, but he does have decent speed and good hands. He caught 43 passes for 615 yards and will continue to be an underrated receiver on the team. Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore scarcely played last year and only had 6 catches each. However, I can see a lot of potential in Roberto Wallace and his 6’4 frame. He will be a big target and attract some attention when he goes deep. I can see Roberto Wallace being a Brandon Marshall-type player a few years down the stretch, but that will take time. Marlon Moore is smaller (6 feet tall) and not quite as gifted as the other 4 receivers. I don’t want to say too much about him because there’s a decent chance that he won’t make the 53-man roster. Edmond Gates is likely the speediest receiver on the squad and will likely be competing with Wallace for the 4^th wide receiver spot.

Grade: A-… I expect Brandon Marshall to improve on last year’s numbers as he settles down and begins to focus. He and Chad Henne seem to be on the same page so far in pre-season and with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll eager to let Henne throw the ball deep, Marshall might just have a great season. Davone Bess, as always, will thrive under single-coverage while defenses double-team Marshall. There’s no reason why Bess can’t put up Pro-Bowl caliber numbers after nearly doing so last season. The receiving corps look to be very solid, if not great, and will help out Chad Henne greatly.

Tight Ends: While the Dolphins lack a big-name tight-end, Anthony Fasano is solid and will lead the tight ends corps. The second tight-end spot is up for grabs. My bet is that Charles Clay, the rookie full-back/tight-end, will see time there as well as Mickey Shuler.

Grade: C+...The Dolphins tight ends aren’t going to scare any defenses, but they will be average. Fasano is coming off a good receiving year for a tight-end (39 catches, 528 yards, 4 TD’s) and the other tight end will hopefully be solid. If Charles Clay is the second tight end, expect him to be a solid blocker, but mediocre receiver.

Defensive Line: One of the strengths for the Dolphins the past several years has been their defensive line. This year should be no different with Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, and Kendall Langford expected to be the starting linemen in the Dolphins 3-4 defense. Starks is an above-average run-stopping defensive-end who will get to the quarterback every now and then. He’s coming off a down year in which he only had 30 tackles and 3 sacks, but had 56 tackles and 7 sacks in ’09. I expect him to put up numbers somewhere in the middle this season. Paul Soliai made waves last off-season when the Dolphins placed the franchise tag on him and signed him to a 1-year 12.38 million dollar contract, and we all hope that he lives up to it. The nose tackle was a beast of a run-stopper last season and was constantly getting pressure on the quarterback. Kendall Langford is coming off a solid season at defensive-end in which he posted 47 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He should post similar, if not improved, numbers this season. The biggest threat to Langford’s job security is ’10 first-round pick defensive-end Jared Odrick. Odrick missed his rookie season with a broken leg, but is healthy this season and could make a push for a starting job as the season goes on. Other back-ups who will likely see some playing time include ’09 second-round pick Phillip Merling and Tony McDaniel. Merling scarcely played last season, appearing in just 5 games, and recorded a meager 3 tackles. McDaniel on the other hand appeared in 15 games (including one start) and had 36 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Grade: A-…While the D-line does lack a star player, all three starters are very good and will help maintain the Dolphins 7^th ranked run-defense. The squad also has a good amount of depth in Tony McDaniel and Jared Odrick. The Dolphins will heavily rely on their D-line this season.

Dansby

Linebackers: The Dolphins’ linebackers are going to be the most exciting aspect of this team, mark my words. The Dolphins have a tackle-machine in Karlos Dansby, a premier pass-rusher in Cameron Wake, a steadily improving player in Kevin Burnett, and a young, exciting player in Koa Misi. Dansby and Wake will anchor this linebacking group. In his 7-year career, Dansby has amassed 650 tackles, including 420 in his past 4 seasons. There’s no reason why Dansby can’t put up another 100 tackles this season. The other star of the linebacker group is outside linebacker Cameron Wake. Wake played in the CFL (Canadian Football League) in 2007 and 2008, and was an all-around beast. He won Most Outstanding Defensive Player in ’07 and ’08 and was the Most Outstanding Rookie in ’07. After posting a solid 5.5 sacks in 14 games in ’09, Wake had a breakout season last year in which he had 57 tackles, 14 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles on his way to a Pro-Bowl season. Since Wake is now recognized as an elite pass-rusher, he will often be double-teamed this season, which will lead to a drop-off in production. Still, Wake should be good for 10+ sacks and potentially another Pro-Bowl. The newest Miami Dolphins linebacker, Kevin Burnett, will definitely help out this team by offering an upgrade over Channing Crowder. He spent last year with the Chargers and had a very good year with 95 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. He will be a very nice addition to the Dolphin’s defense and will undoubtedly be the other inside linebacker along with Dansby. On the opposite side of Wake will be second-year player Koa Misi. Misi played in all 16 games last season and played fairly solid. He totaled 41 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries in his rookie season. I expect him to improve upon last seasons numbers and continue to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Grade: A… The linebackers will be the primary playmakers on defense this season for the Dolphins. Wake will continue to make life difficult for opposing offensive lines and Dansby will lead the team in tackles while Burnett and Misi will continue to improve in their 7^th and 2^nd years in the NFL respectively. Don’t forget about Jason Taylor either! I am confident that the 36 year-old still has something left in his tank. He will play 15-20 snaps a game and will likely get more than his fair share of sacks.

Cornerbacks: Led by 3^rd year cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, the Dolphins have a couple question marks in this aspect of their secondary. While Vontae Davis will likely have a decent season and make some big plays, Sean Smith still has several questions to answer. He played adequately last season, but it seemed that he dropped an interception nearly every game, and he has only intercepted one pass in the 31 games he’s played in. Davis, on the other hand, has 5 interceptions in 32 games played. If Sean Smith can simply hang onto the ball, he’ll do just fine this season. As for the other cornerbacks on the depth chart, the only ones I see getting playing time are Benny Sapp, Nate Ness, and maybe Jimmy Wilson. Benny Sapp is a veteran cornerback who’s entering his 8^th year in the NFL. While he’s nowhere close to being an elite, or even a very good cornerback, Sapp is an above-average corner who will probably see playing time in Nickel and Dime formations. Ness is a second-year corner/safety who will likely be riding the bench for the majority of games unless someone is injured. Jimmy Wilson is a seventh-round draft pick this past draft with decent upside. I have no idea what the Dolphins plan to do with him as far as playing time is concerned.

Grade: B… Sorry Vontae Davis, despite what you’ve said about you and Sean Smith being “the best cornerback tandem in the league” I don’t think many people are buying it. While Vontae Davis is a very good corner who can limit even some of the best receivers impacts in a game, it’s the other cornerbacks that are the concern. If Sean Smith has a breakout year and plays well, then the Dolphins might have a top-ten cornerback tandem.

Bell

Safeties: Led by Pro-Bowler Yeremiah Bell, the Dolphin’s safeties look to play a big role in this Dolphins defense. Yeremiah Bell has the strong-safety position locked-up after posting over 100 tackles last season and making the Pro-Bowl in ’09. It’s the free-safety position, however, in which the position-battle is being fought. Chris Clemens (the starter last season) and Rashad Jones (the second-year player out of Georgia) have been battling for the starting job since the beginning of training camp, and it really could go either way. Jones is more of a ball-hawk and has a tendency to make the big play. Clemens, on the other hand, is more of a conservative player who is less mistake-prone. No matter who’s the starter come the season opener, both are solid players and will help out the defense significantly. Having to choose between Clemens and Jones is a good situation for the Dolphins to be in.

Grade: B+…Yeremiah Bell just might be the Dolphins best secondary player and he has a great feel for the ball. There’s no doubt that that he’ll make several great plays this season. Chris Clemens and Rashad Jones are both solid safeties and will help the team in different ways.

Special Teams: While it may seem unusual to say, one of the best players on the Dolphins is their punter. Brandon Fields basically single handedly beat the Jets last season with one of the greatest punting performances of all time. The Dolphins offense could hardly muster 100 yards of total offense, but thanks to Fields’ 564 punting yards on 10 punts, the Jets were consistently starting their drives deep in their own territory. Fields averaged 46.2 yards per punt, 5^th in the NFL. He had 6 games last season in which he punted the ball 60 yards at least once, and also pinned other teams inside their own 20 on nearly half of his punts. Additionally, Fields rarely punted the ball into the end zone, doing so on only about 5% of all his punts. Kicker Dan Carpenter has one of the most powerful legs in the league, but unfortunately had a sub-par 2010 season. He was inconsistent overall, making just 73.2% of his field goals, 37^th in the NFL. However, he did make all of his field goals from under 40 yards. His low-point of the season was a 0 for 4 kicking performance against Buffalo, which ended up costing the Dolphins the game. He did have some bright spots last season, including back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati where he went an impressive 10 for 10, including one from 54 yards out. His highlight of last season was a 60-yard field goal against Cleveland, the longest field goal by any kicker since Sebastian Janikowski in ’09. Another aspect of special teams, the return game, is an area in which the Dolphins can improve. Nolan Caroll and Patrick Cobbs split time as kick returners and ranked 16^th and 38^th respectively in average yards per return. With the departure of Patrick Cobbs and the arrival of Reggie Bush, however, perhaps the Dolphins will utilize Bush’s speed and have him return kicks. The Dolphins were better at returning punts, however, as Davone Bess averaged 11.4 yards per return, 8^th in the NFL, right behind DeSean Jackson. Miami failed to return either a kick or a punt for a touchdown last season.

Grade: B+...Brandon Fields is an exceptional punter and will continue to be one of the few game-changing punters in the NFL. Dan Carpenter will look to rebound after a shaky year and hopefully make another Pro-bowl after doing so in’09. If he can shake this past year off and go back to making 89% of his kicks like he did in ’09, the Dolphins will be much improved. The return game does lack explosiveness, but with new players likely returning kicks this season, its unfair to base this season’s expectations on last years statistics.

Bottom Line: The Dolphins do have some weak spots on the roster, primarily on offense, and there are still a lot of uncertainties surrounding Chad Henne. However the Dolphins’ defense ranked 6^th in total yards allowed, 7^th in rushing yards allowed, 8^th in passing yards allowed, tied for the 10^th most sacks, and had the 10^th fewest penalty yards in the NFL. Overall, the Dolphins defense is solid and there are very few question marks. If the Dolphins want to improve on a 7-9 record, however, it’s the offense that needs to step up and take charge.