Dolphins vs Cowboys: Four things to watch for tonight
by Matty I on Sep 2, 2010 5:00 AM EDT
in Miami Dolphins News
32 comments
To the casual football fan, the final game of the preseason probably doesn't mean much. After all, it's typically a game where starters play very little - if they play at all. For the most part, it's simply a game to help the coaching staff evaluate the very bottom of the roster and determine who the final handful of roster spots go to.
But if you're like me, then you are looking forward to watching some of these final roster battles play out tonight on the field in Dallas. Of course, after last week's disappointing performance by basically the entire Dolphins' team, there is another reason to watch tonight's game. That's where we will start off.
-The starters will see extended action tonight. Tony Sparano made that clear this week when he talked about how his football team "stunk" against the Falcons a week ago. But nobody - not even Sparano - knows how much action the starters will play (and if he does know, he isn't telling).
Though it's going to be important for the starters on both sides of the ball to perform much better tonight than they did a week ago, we should also be careful not to read too much into it. It's expected that most of Dallas' starters will not play much - if at all - tonight. Still, it would be nice to see a rhythm out of the first-team offense and some consistent pressure on the quarterback out of the first-team defense - especially considering that the Cowboys' offensive line has struggled mightily this preseason.
Bill Parcells did a great job building that team. If Chad Henne comes through with a big year, they will be a playoff team and a Super Bowl contender.
-ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, speaking on a call with the media on Wednesday.
Jon Gruden also likes the Dolphins' chance to make noise in 2010. He said that the Dolphins "have a chance to sneak up on people and win 10 or 11 games."
Sparano says Dolphins "stunk" last week against Falcons, will play starters vs Cowboys
by Matty I on Sep 1, 2010 12:01 PM EDT
in Comcast Sponsored Posts
67 comments
It's clear that most Dolphin fans would tell you that this team didn't play well on Friday night against the Falcons. If you watched any of the game, you'd know that the starters on both sides of the ball did not look "regular season ready" at all.
Needless to say, Tony Sparano would agree.
But if you are one of those that need to hear those words right from Tony's mouth, then I guess you got just what you were looking for on Tuesday afternoon. Sparano was asked by the media how much work the starters would get on Thursday night against Dallas in the preseason finale. Tony responded:
"I have no idea how much the starters will play. That’s not up to me – that’s up to them. We’re going to go out there and play until either I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen, or I feel like we’ve gotten the amount of work that I have scheduled for them right now in my head."
When pressed about this topic further, Sparano did not sugarcoat his feelings:
For Better or Worse, the Season's Coming!
by LeftCoastFinFan on Sep 1, 2010 5:00 AM EDT
in Miami Dolphins News
233 comments
Back before the start of Dolphins Training Camp (has it only been a month?), we looked at the team's upside potential; at how the new players most likely will contribute and who would end up as the starters at each position (given what we knew at the time); and some things that could go wrong and end up throwing a monkey wrench into the team's plans.
With camp in the rear view mirror, and only twelve days left until the season opener, I thought it would be interesting to recap that topic and see how many things have gone right - and how many things have gone wrong.
Listed below are the proposed "Upside (best case scenario)" starting lineups from the "Upside, Downside, Most likely" stories, for both Offense (part 1) and Defense (part 2), along with summaries of the "Most Likely", and the biggest potential issues/concerns/question marks heading into preseason.
I must say in advance that, after watching the last game against the Falcons, I was feeling a touch of "Chicken Little Syndrome" (CLS) myself. But after looking at where we were a little over one month ago, and where we are now, I'm feeling better.
What do you think? Are the Fins looking better, or worse, than you hoped they would be rolling into the season opener?
233 comments | 2 recs |
Dolphins place Nate Garner on Injured Reserve
by Matty I on Aug 31, 2010 8:57 PM EDT
in Comcast Sponsored Posts
50 comments
We all knew that the Dolphins had some tough decisions to make between now and the weekend's final cuts. On Tuesday, the Dolphins made one of those decisions.
The team formally announced that they have placed offensive lineman Nate Garner on Injured Reserve, ending his season. Garner was attempting to recover from a foot injury that he aggravated in camp following offseason surgery. He reportedly underwent another procedure on that foot a couple weeks back and was not expected to be healthy until early October at the earliest.
But after weighing the options, the Dolphins decided that they could not waste a roster spot for at least a month on an injured player - no matter just how valuable of a backup he might be. Garner was Miami's most versatile offensive lineman. He has taken regular season snaps at every position along the line except left tackle. In camp, Garner was working as Vernon Carey's backup at right tackle while also competing for a starting spot at both guard positions.
Garner's loss is a big one. He was expected, at the very least, to be the primary backup right tackle. Now the Dolphins have to settle on either Lydon Murtha or Andrew Gardner as the third tackle to keep on the final roster. Of course, the Dolphins could look to the waiver wire once other teams make their cuts to find an upgrade rather than simply settling on one of those two.
What today's move by the Dolphins could mean, though, is that they may only keep eight offensive linemen on the roster, freeing up a roster spot at another position. It also means that one of the bubble linemen - Cory Procter, for example - could make the team if the Dolphins decide to still go with nine linemen.
Dolphins Roster Bubble Breakdown: Depth chart coming into focus as cuts loom
by Matty I on Aug 31, 2010 5:00 AM EDT
in Miami Dolphins News
147 comments
One preseason game and one final round of cuts - that's all that's left. The Dolphins head to Dallas on Thursday night to close out their preseason. For those players on the roster bubble, it's the final chance to make an impression on the coaching staff before the weekend's final round of cuts. And though Tony Sparano admits that "a large percentage" of the final roster is pretty much set, there are still a few roster spots that are undecided. For those few players, Thursday's game is huge.
The waiving of TE Joey Haynos yesterday ended Joey's season (he'll likely end up on Miami's IR once he clears waivers). Bad news for Haynos, of course - but very good news for some who are on the roster bubble.
Let's break it down below.
Is Koa Misi's starting job at risk?
by Matty I on Aug 30, 2010 12:30 PM EDT
in Comcast Sponsored Posts
92 comments
It's been basically assumed since training camp began that the starting strong side outside linebacker job was going to belong to rookie Koa Misi. He's worked as the starter in basically every practice and has started all three preseason games at the position. But the situation might be getting a little bit more complicated than we all might have anticipated.
On Sunday, the team's first practice since their loss to Atlanta on Friday night, Ikaika Alama-Francis was working with the first-team as the strong side outside linebacker in Miami's 3-4 defense. Misi, though, did also get some snaps with the starters. However, you have to wonder if the coaching staff was hoping to see a little bit more out of Misi during the preseason.
After practice, head coach Tony Sparano addressed the situation - though I'd say he wasn't exactly very clear here. Asked about whether or not a change was made, promoting Alama-Francis, Sparano said:
"We’re looking at him there right now. Not necessarily a change. And it might even just include that Ike was in that group and we’re maybe looking at Koa as well. So, not really a change, but, he was in first group today.
"I would say that it’s about trying to line your—in some situations—maybe with the emphasis of the day today trying to line your ducks up in the right order a little bit."
It's important to keep in mind that this isn't the first time Ike has taken snaps with the first team. He replaced Misi on a couple of drives in each of the three preseason games. And when you read more about how Sparano felt about the defense's performance on Friday night, I think it's easy to see what the situation really is here.
92 comments | 1 recs |
Highlights and lowlights from Dolphins preseason loss to Falcons on Friday night
by Matty I on Aug 30, 2010 4:00 AM EDT
in Miami Dolphins News
82 comments
The preseason is funny. When things are going good in the preseason, fans will talk about how "it's only preseason" - meaning it doesn't mean much. But when things aren't going good, panic sets in among many fans. No longer is it "only preseason."
I fall victim to this, too. But I also don't think you can just dismiss a team's struggles in the preseason as easily as some want to. Now don't get me wrong - I don't think the win-loss record matters. Final scores don't matter. But I think the play of the starters matters very much in terms of how ready this team looks for the beginning of the regular season. These athletes many be good - but they aren't machines. They just don't flip a switch when the regular season begins. That's not how it works.
The Dolphins have been very slow starters under Tony Sparano, going 0-2 in 2008 and 0-3 in 2009. If the Dolphins want to be serious playoff contenders, they can't start slowly this year. Their early season schedule is rather brutal. A slow start could bury this team in a hole that's too deep to get out of.
That's why many, including myself, are a little concerned with the disappointing performances out of many of the starters on both sides of the ball. Is it "CLS" (Chicken Little Syndrome)? I don't think so. I'm not sitting here saying how the Dolphins are going to stink this year or that they need to get rid of "Player X" and start "Player Y." I just wish the first-team offense and defense would have looked a little bit more "regular season ready" than they did on Friday night.
Onto the highlights and lowlights.
82 comments | 1 recs |
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