Andy Benoit is previewing all 32 N.F.L. teams. It’s Miami’s turn today, followed by the Jets and New England.
Well, this is a little awkward. You have the Miami Dolphins being coached by a guy that ownership and the front office tried to replace back in the spring, and quarterbacked by a guy they tried to trade this summer. Whoever steps up next and dares to assume a leadership role for this club may be shipped to Siberia.
There’s no chalking any of this up to rumor or miscommunication, either. Owner Stephen Ross already admitted he made mistakes by getting on a plane to go try to talk Jim Harbaugh into replacing Tony Sparano as Miami’s coach. And every media outlet from South Beach to Denver has reported that General Manager Jeff Ireland and his staff engaged in serious negotiations over Kyle Orton (a k a Chad Henne’s replacement).
Neither pursuit was successful, of course. Thus the Dolphins find themselves sitting in a five-star restaurant with a fresh red wine stain on their white dress shirt. And, given that it’s already August, their food is on the way. The only choice they have is to carry on as if this Sparano/Henne awkwardness doesn’t matter.
One way to do that is to denounce the logic behind it. One need only ask, What was Ross thinking when he sought Harbaugh anyway? Is Sparano not the same Sparano who inherited a one-win team three years ago and wound up going 11-5? Yes, Sparano has posted back-to-back seven-win seasons since then. But let’s be honest: the Dolphins have had 7-9-type talent.
This admission, of course, would make it harder to back Henne. Elite quarterbacking would probably propel this old-school team close to the top of the A.F.C. East. But you can’t win with 1980’s-style ball-control football when your quarterback throws more interceptions than touchdowns for two consecutive years.
Henne is actually the closest thing the Dolphins have had to stability under center since Jay Fiedler (there’s a name for ya). Before Henne took the reins in ’09, there’d been six different passing leaders in Miami over the previous six years. Dan Marino, where art thou?
The good news is Henne was not the biggest part of the problem last year – offensive coordinator Dan Henning was. Once the league figured out how to stop the Wildcat, the Dolphins became an average running team with a banal passing attack.
Fortunately, those systems are now being updated. Former Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was hired to replace the “retired” Henning; Daboll doesn’t have a sterling track record – the rebuilding Browns offense ranked 32nd and 29th in total yards his two years there – but he’s more willing to meet Ross’s demands to open things up.
Ross’s theory is that an up-tempo offense will take advantage of the warm south Florida climate while also rejuvenating the lackluster Miami fan base* (the Dolphins were just 1-7 at Sun Life Stadium last season). This will also lend support to a defense that quietly ranked sixth in yards allowed last season (by far its best performance in the Sparano era). Ross is a real estate mogul talking pigskin, but he could be on to something here.
Offense
One thing that stands out about Chad Henne is how much better he performs when the Dolphins spread the field. This was evident on film and paper last season (Henne’s passer rating when two wide receivers were on the field was 67; with three receivers it was 79; with four or more receivers it was 83). Henne does not see the field particularly well on slow-developing plays (play-action, max-protect, seven-stop drops, etc.). In these situations, his confidence rattles, leading to the erratic accuracy and turnovers (which, for Henne, tend to pour when they rain).
It used to be, getting a quarterback in rhythm involved throwing lots of screen passes and dumpoffs in the flats. But nowadays, the best way to calm a quarterback is to spread the field, as that creates natural throwing lanes and paints a clearer picture of what’s now a stretched-out defense. This is what Dan Henning did not do.
Brian Daboll has the personnel to make this work. (Whether Henne succeeds is another question, but this gives him the best chance.) At Daboll’s disposal is a classic trio of wide receivers: a possession target in Brandon Marshall, a surprisingly swift route runner in Brian Hartline and a supremely quick space-eater in slot ace Davon Bess. It’s critical that Marshall stay focused and commit to playing within the confines of the offense. It frustrates him that he can’t break off routes and freelance here as he did in Denver with Jay Cutler, but that’s the reality. Henne isn’t Cutler; again, he’s a guy who needs as clear a picture of the field as possible. Having receivers run expected routes is a big part of creating that clarity.
Depth is an issue at wide receiver. Fourth-round rookie Clyde Gates has speed and is already 25 years old, so the expectation is he can immediately move ahead of last year’s undrafted wideouts Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace. More important, tight end Anthony Fasano is soft-handed and a fleet-footed enough runner to work out of the slot as a fourth option. Of course, he’s not nearly as big a slot weapon as that player they picked up from New Orleans.
The addition of Reggie Bush is huge for creating mismatches out of spread formations. The Dolphins would be wise to forgo the nonsense of making Bush a more traditional running back. Even casual N.F.L. fans know by now that Bush is not a 20 carries-between-the-tackles-type runner. And the Dolphins have not had great success with this type of running style the last two years anyway. In Bush they have a one-of-a-kind mismatch creator who can make defenses vacillate between using base and nickel personnel. He can also freeze any second level defender who’s told not to let N0. 22 (Bush’s new number, apparently) get in the flats. These are attributes the Dolphins must use to their advantage.
Bush’s presence – and Ricky Williams’s and Ronnie Brown’s absence – doesn’t mean the Dolphins needs to abandon their power run game. They drafted 228-pound Daniel Thomas in the second round to fill this role (for what it’s worth, Thomas ran the Wildcat at Kansas State). Also, they still have one of the game’s best fullbacks in Lousaka Polite and an offensive line that’s well sized and seemingly improved inside.
First-round pick Mike Pouncey is expected to be a carbon copy of his Pro Bowl brother (no pressure). It’s a lot to even ask a rookie center to start, let alone excel, but it seems a safe enough bet that Pouncey will, at the very least, be an upgrade over the shuffle of fringe centers from past years.
To Pouncey’s left is an especially stellar duo: tackle Jake Long and guard Richie Incognito. Long is arguably the game’s finest at his position. He’s nothing jazzy – just a player devoid of any noticeable weaknesses. Incognito flashes good power in the ground game. Sanity seems to escape him at times, however, which is why the Dolphins should not stop developing last year’s moderately disappointing third-round pick, John Jerry.
Jerry, a starter part of his rookie season, finds himself battling Nate Garner and Joe Berger for top backup guard duties, in part because he doesn’t hold ground well in pass protection (Incognito has some issues with this at times, as well). This shouldn’t be an issue at right guard this season now that tackle Vernon Carey has slid inside. Carey is not a dazzling athlete, but at 340 pounds, he’s always held ground well. Don’t be surprised if Carey winds up back outside, though. He was repositioned to make room for ex-Cowboy Marc Colombo, a proud veteran right tackle who seemingly lost his foot speed two years ago.
Defense
No one talks about it, but Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, a 3-4 connoisseur, has three outstanding horses in his front seven. Cameron Wake is as good an outside linebacker as the N.F.L. has to offer. He can rush the passer with the power of a bull or the fleetness of deer (whatever’s needed). He’s athletic enough to burst into throwing lanes and, more notably, he can set the edge against the run.
Inside linebacker Karlos Dansby more than lived up to his five-year, $43 million ($22 guaranteed) contract last season. Though not a particularly physical player, Dansby is one of the premier closing tacklers in the game. He moves with an Olympic skater’s grace and has the instincts to sniff out both the run and pass.
It helps that he plays behind Paul Soliai, the third (and most unheralded) star of Miami’s front seven. A fourth-round pick out of Utah in ’07, Soliai battled weight and consistency issues early in his career before blossoming into a plugger in ’10. A rare ability to laterally bulldoze his way through traffic helped earn him a franchise tag (face value $12.4 million) this past off-season.
Though backups Ronald Fields and Tony McDaniel will see action here and there, Soliai is capable of playing all three downs. The Dolphins, however, are probably more inclined to slide Randy Starks, a superb four-technique end (i.e. playing head-up on the offensive tackle) to nose tackle in passing situations. On the other side, Kendall Langford must reclaim his once-promising lateral agility if he wants to keep his job from last year’s first-round pick, Jared Odrick, who’s healthy after missing his rookie season with a broken fibula and broken foot (separate injuries). Also in the mix could be Phillip Merling.
New inside linebacker Kevin Burnett is an improvement over Channing Crowder, who says he is retired. Burnett is a finesse player who needs space in order to thrive, which is only mentioned because, with Dansby around, the Dolphins have two critical run-stoppers who don’t necessarily like fighting contact.
At the other outside linebacker position, Koa Misi must become more of a force. It can sometimes be easy to forget that the Junior Seau lookalike is even on the field. Misi registered only 4.5 sacks last season, which prompted the team to bring back 36-year-old pass-rushing specialist Jason Taylor for what’s most likely a farewell tour. (Interesting debate that lies ahead: Jason Taylor – Hall of Famer? He has better numbers and accolades than Ricky Jackson and Derrick Thomas…)
All four members of Miami’s solid but unspectacular secondary return in 2011. The tandem of third-year cornerbacks has thus far followed the plan. Vontae Davis, a first-round pick, matches up with the opposing team’s top receiver and doesn’t get challenged a whole lot; Sean Smith, a second-rounder, has had some trouble staying in the lineup due to stiff hips in man coverage. The Dolphins were aware of Smith’s limitations when they drafted him; their thinking was that his unusual size (a lanky 6-3, 214 pounds) could make up for it, especially in zone concepts.
A healthy Will Allen – which, granted, hasn’t existed since October ’09 – could relegate Smith to competing with Nolan Carroll for nickel duties. Then again, if Nolan wants to be creative in his subpackages this season (and the guess is he will), he’ll probably fill the slot with Benny Sapp, one of the better blitzing defensive backs in the league.
At safety, Yeremiah Bell still has one of the coolest names you’ll ever here, and one of the stoutest games you’ll see from a veteran in the box. Free safety Chris Clemons is a solid hitter, and his backup, last year’s fifth-round pick Reshad Jones, has flashed subtle all-around quickness in limited action thus far.
Special Teams
Special teams were a problem for this club early last season; the coordinator John Bonamego was fired in October. His replacement, Darren Rizzi, has a recent Pro Bowl placekicker in Dan Carpenter, though the fourth-year pro missed 11 of his 41 attempts in 2010 (all were from 40 yards or longer). Brandon Fields was able to down 31 punts inside the red zone in ’10, with only four touchbacks. Nolan Carroll and Patrick Cobbs are adequate return men.
Bottom Line
The atmosphere in Miami is a bit bleak, but it’s not like this team isn’t, at the very least, respectable. If the offense can spruce up, this defense is good enough to lead the way. The Dolphins will still have to manufacture wins via field positioning and the turnover battle – but that’s a formula Sparano has succeeded with before.
Predicted Finish: 3rd A.F.C. East
*Some have pointed out that it’s odd that Ross also asked the league not to schedule Miami any 1 p.m. home games early in the season because of the heat.
Andy Benoit is the founder of NFLTouchdown.com and covers the N.F.L. for CBSsports.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLtouchdown.com.
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