A Phinsider Look at Training Camp (Atlanta)

The field was set, the cameras were on, and the players were suited up for the first pre-season game of the year. HC Tony Sparano did say he would view this game as "just another practice," but for us, it was way more than that. For the first time in months our beloved Phins were to take the field and start off on a journey we hope reaches February. First-time players like Daniel Thomas, Clyde Gates, and Jimmy Wilson were ready to showcase their talents in the first NFL game of their lives, Un-drafted players like Phillip Livas & Nic Grigsby looked to view this game as more of a job interview than just a regular "practice," and OC Brian Daboll sought out to remind Dolfans what it feels like to throw the ball on 3rd and 4. It was "First Impression" day for many, and you never get a second chance at a first impression. Let's see how the Miami Dolphins faired against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night.

1st QUARTER:

The 1st Quarter was one that should be erased from our minds. The offense played sloppy, the defense didn’t play effectively, and the Miami rhythm was nowhere to be found.

OFFENSE: The most anticipated moment of yesterday’s game was Chad Henne’s first drive. How would he perform after taking so much criticism? How would this new Offensive Coordinator help him succeed? Would he finally be able to drive the ball down the field? Unfortunately, we didn’t see much of Henne as his first pass was bobbled out of the hands of Anthony Fasano and picked off by none other than John Abraham. Although the ball was thrown slightly behind Fasano, it was not all Henne’s fault, on to the next drive. Chad Henne completed his first pass of the quarter with a 5-yard check down to Davone Bess, after a gain of nothing on the floor with Daniel Thomas and a miscommunicated pass to Brian Hartline, Brandon Fields was in to punt; 3 and out. After two disappointing drives, Henne took the field once more to see if he could get any points on the board, but once again, he was picked off by Brent Grimes at the right sideline. Sparano said after the game that Davone Bess ran the wrong route, but Henne blamed it on himself. Was Henne going to score at all, or even get a first down? People were worried. Henne finished off the quarter with a 10-yard scramble on 3rd and 8.

DEFENSE: The tenacious D started the game with the intensity we all know and love, but after a Chad Henne interception, it seemed as if our energy had vanished. The following Falcon drive started with a 14-yard Michael Turner run and ended with a 1-yard Michael Turner run. Sparano had pulled the 1st Team D off the field and put in the 2nd D, which didn’t start off well either. The Falcons drove the ball 83 yards down the field and capped it off with a 20-yard TD pass to Harry Douglas. After another Chad Henne interception, the defense took the field at their own 33 and were able to stop Atlanta in the red zone and settled for a field goal.

VONTAE DAVIS: Although the defense didn’t perform as expected in the 1st quarter, there were some standout players. Vonate Davis was able to be play all over the young speedster Julio Jones. Jones did however have a 22-yard reception that was almost impossible to cover.

2nd QUARTER:

Surely, Miami couldn’t perform worse than they did in the 1st quarter, and Chad Henne looked to finish his day off with a score.

DEFENSE: Once again, Atlanta was able to drive the ball down the field all the way up to the Miami 25. The 2nd D was on the ropes, and a play had to be made. John Parker Wilson took two steps back and fired a short ball intended for Harry Douglas but picked off by Benny Saap. Saap took the ball 17-yards to our own 35, which kept the momentum going for the Miami O. After Miami 3 and out, the defense was looking to have the same result with the Atlanta offense. After two good run stops by Tony McDaniel and A.J Edds and an imcomplete pass on 3rd down, the defense was able to walk to the sidelines content in their outing. The next Atlanta drive also ended in a punt, as A.J Edds, Jimmy Wilson, and Tyrone Culver were able to dominate the Atlanta offensive line and the passing game. After a Brandon Fields punt, the defense took the field once again, and the turnout resulted in an explosive celebration at the Miami sideline. Jimmy Wilson casually jogged to the line of scrimmage and once the ball was snapped, he shot out the line and destroyed John Parker WIlson who fumbled the ball which was recovered by Austin Spitler.

A.J EDDS: Edds had an excellent 2nd quarter with 3 tackles resulting in a no-gainer, 2-yard gainer, and -7-yard sack to John Parker Wilson.

JIMMY WILSON: Wilson had a deflection, a tackle for a gain of 3, and forced fumble sack, which definitely turned the heads of many coaches.

BENNY SAAP: After Atlanta had driven the ball down the field, Saap made two great plays at the ball, including an incredible interception which was returned for 17 yards.

OFFENSE: Chad Henne continued his drive after a 10-yard scramble that finished the quarter. Henne completed three straight passes in shotgun formation (one going for 25-yards to Daniel Thomas) and capped his day off with a 44-yard play action deep ball to Brian Hartline for a TD (Similar to the Ted Ginn catch vs. the Jets in 09’) Henne’s day was done and it was Matt Moore’s turn to step in under center. Moore’s first three drives were nothing to notice as all three resulted in punts, but after the Jimmy Wilson sack and Austin Spitler recovery, Moore finally had some field to work with but not a lot of time to do it. Moore lined up in shotgun formation and fired a pass just as two defenders hit him. The ball landed in the hands of Roberto Wallace with only 8 seconds left, and the quarter ended.

CHAD HENNE & MATT MOORE: Although both these qb’s had shaky starts, they both managed to score TD’s on deep balls.

BRIAN HARTLINE & ROBERTO WALLACE: Hartline’s only catch of the day resulted in a 44-yard TD grab from Henne. Wallace was able to step up to the plate and caught all three of passes thrown at him during the quarter, one of them being a 27-yard reception down the middle of the field, and the other being a 28-yard TD reception to end the quarter. The question remains, will Wallace start ahead of Hartline?

3rd QUARTER:

The best quarter of play for both offenses was the 3rd as Atlanta and Miami had 7-minute+ drives that resulted in scores.

OFFENSE: Miami held the first possession of the quarter, which resulted in an interception thrown by Matt Moore. Moore quickly bounced back from the INT and executed the best drive of the night for Miami. Kory Sheets started off with two quick runs of 6 yards each. Moore followed the runs with a nice play action pass over the middle to Dedrick Epps for 17 yards. A few minutes later, Brian Daboll showed us what it’s like to have confidence. Instead of kicking a field goal at the 34-yard line, the Dolphins went for it on 4th and 7 and Moore completed a 17-yard strike to Clyde Gates. After four straight runs down the middle, Moore capped off the exciting drive with a 6-yard TD pass to Clyde Gates.

BRIAN DABOLL: Daboll’s 4th and 7 call was the most refreshing thing to see as a Dolfan. After months of conservative play and field goals by Dan Carpenter, we were finally able to see what a young, energetic OC brings to the table.

MATT MOORE: Moore was able to execute a fantastic 6:54 minute, 65-yard drive drive, which ended in a touchdown.

CLYDE GATES: Had the two most important catches of the drive; one being the 17-yard reception on 4th down and the other being the 6-yard TD grab to end the quarter.

DEFENSE: Atlanta’s 13-minute drive started out at the 24-yard line and slowly made its way to the Miami 6, but once again our red zone defense prevailed. Chris Clemons and Jimmy Wilson were able to deflect enough passes to have Atlanta kick a field goal to end their long drive.

4th QUARTER:

Surprisingly, the final quarter of the game included the best play of the game.

OFFENSE: Miami’s offense didn’t score once during the 4th quarter, likely because an UDFA was under center and an UDFA was running the ball.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The play of the day came neither from the offense nor the defense, but special teams. "Saturday Night Livas" was back to take the punt. In a matter of milliseconds, Livas was already down the field with one man to beat, the kicker. Livas was able to keep his balance after Kenneth Parrish slightly tapped his leg, and ran it in for a 75-yard touchdown. There will always be that one person that says, "Shut up it’s only pre-season," but the last time Miami had seen a punt return touchdown since 2009, so it was a pretty nice sight to see.

DEFENSE: Because the offense didn’t really do much to help get insurance scores, the defense had to do what it does best: keep opposing team out of the end zone, and they did just that. Of the five possessions that Atlanta had in the quarter, the defense only gave up 3 points. Atlanta was in scoring position nearing the end of the game, and the young CB out of Central Michigan made a play. With the last pass of the game, Atlanta’s Adam Froman threw a deep pass that intercepted by UDFA Vincent Agnew, and just like that, Miami has their first win of the pre-season.

The first pre-season game was in the books and it was a good one. With Carolina coming up next week, will Tony Sparano view it as more than "just a practice"? Is Matt Moore more than just a back up? Will our O-Line bounce back from a seemingly disappointing day at the field? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.