The Dolphins will be a better team with a worse record.

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The 08 Dolphins improved every game last year and will probably do the same thing this year. But because they have a tougher schedule and more competition within the division, they may not win as many games as in 08.

I wrote a couple of years ago that Dolphin starting QB Chad Pennington has the brain of a coach, the heart of lion but the arm of a chicken. The truth hurts. But in the revamped Miami O, Pennington works well. He is extremely accurate and reads coverages like an offensive coordinator. But the lack of arm strengthen reduces the value of super speed WR Ted Ginn Jr. The Dolphins have two outstanding backup QBs as well. Chad Henne is a pocket passer with the potential to be an NFL starter. Pat White is the wild card in the Wild Cat. He is more accurate than people think, and is among the best athletes on the team.

The running game has both depth and quality. The combination of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams ran for over 1,500 yards and 14 TDs. Both would start on a lot of NFL teams. Brown is fully recovered from his ACL and Williams from his addiction to Marijuana.

The WR crew got another ex-Buckeye to add to starter Ginn. Brian Hartline (4th round pick) will contend for the 3rd WR spot and excels at getting open underneath the coverage. Ginn and Greg Camarillo start with Davone Bess as the 3rd WR going into camp. Starting TE Anthony Fasano and backup David Martin each got over 30 catches in 08.

A large part of the resurgence of the Dolphins offense was due to improved play on the O line. 1st overall pick LT Jake Long made the Pro Bowl as an alternate but should have been elected as the starter. Guards Justin Smiley and Donald Thomas were very solid but both lost games to injury. Assuming they are healthy in 09, they will help the O take the next step. C Jake Grove (FA Raiders) was signed to solve the problem at C handling the NT of the AFC East.

Two rookies stepped in at the DE positions to help solidify the D. Phillip Merling (2nd round) and Kendall Langford (3rd round) played well. Langford, who was one of my sleeper picks, started day 1 and got better as the season progressed. Merling did hit the rookie wall but recovered and helped with a critical interception to win the game against the Jets. NT Jason Ferguson is solid and keeps the O line off the LBs. There is some talent but very little experience behind the starting 3.

The Dolphins one problem spot last season was stopping the run. They allowed 9 games of 100 or more yards rushing and have to tighten that up.

HE’S BACK! Future Hall of Fame DE/OB Jason Taylor returns to the Fish to help on the pass rush subbing for starter Matt Roth at SLB. WLB Joey Porter is as good as any but the inside LBs are the weak point of this group. The Dolphins gave IB Channing Crowder a big money deal but are still waiting for him to prove he is worth it. His running mate inside is Akin Ayodele. Ayodele is developing but has to play the run closer to the line of scrimmage.

Despite shuffling the lineup a lot and free agent losses in 08, the D backfield is solid. Safeties Yeremiah Bell and FA Gibril Wilson (Raiders) are as good as any combo in the league if Bell can stay healthy. Wilson is a ball hawk and should improve the number of picks for the team. Will Allen has played at a pro bowl level for several years and Eric Green is capable.

If the Dolphins can be 5-2 on November 8 when they go to NE, and win that game, they will have a good chance to win the division. They are better than both the Jets and Bills but have to win tough games on the road get a repeat appearance in the playoffs.

That’s what I think. Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on and edits .

Technorati Tags: Dophins,Pennington,NFL,NFL Draft,Ginn,Hartline,Merling,Langford,Taylor,Crowder,Allen,Henne,White,Brown,Williams
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4 thoughts on “The Dolphins will be a better team with a worse record.”

  1. I’ve always had high hopes for the dolphins and it just never pans out. I guess I can just keep hoping!
    .-= Smorgasbord´s last blog ..Jailbreak your iPhone in 30 seconds! =-.

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    • Good luck with the Phins this year.

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  2. I completely agree with you on this…They had a pretty easy schedule last year and were able to surprise everyone..not this year. Go FINS!!!

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  3. I AGREE !! THE DOLPHINS ARE GOING THRU A TRANSITION AND IT WILL TAKE A COUPLE YEARS TO ATTAIN THE RIGHT PEOPLE I THINK NEXT YEAR THEY WILL HAVE A DECENT ENOUGH SET UP THAT THEY WILL WIN SOME GAMES NOT SAYING THEY WILL BE PLAYOFF CONTENDERS BUT GIVE THEM TIME MIAMI HAS ALWAYS HAD UPS AND DOWNS BUT THEY ARE DUE SOME MORE UP TIME.
    .-= Mononucleosis´s last blog ..“Epstein Barr virus- a mild infector” =-.

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