Sparano confirms Jason Ferguson lost for the season
by Matty I on Nov 23, 2009 2:57 PM EST
in News
35 comments
It seems like I'm having to talk about the loss of a key player every single week. Well this week is no different.
Tony Sparano has confirmed that starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson is indeed out for the remainder of the season after sustaining an injury to his right quad on Thursday night in Carolina. That means the only player on the roster now with nose tackle experience is Paul Soliai - and he himself is also dinged up. Sparano did seem optimistic, though, that Soliai would be ready to play on Sunday.
Randy Starks also took some snaps at nose tackle last season and Sparano said on Friday that he and Tony McDaniel would get looks at nose tackle if Ferguson and Soliai were both not available. But you also have to wonder if moving towards more of a 3-4/4-3 hybrid might be in Miami's best interest now with the loss of their big man in the middle.
Ferguson is fifth key Dolphin who has suffered a season-ending injury, joining Chad Pennington, Patrick Cobbs, Will Allen, and Ronnie Brown. Most teams would have thrown in the towel by now. But you have to give this team, these coaches, and this front office credit for the depth on the roster and the fight this team has shown week in and week out.
35 comments | 0 recs |
Six questions to ponder with six games left
by Matty I on Nov 23, 2009 12:46 AM EST
in News
70 comments
Don't look now, naysayers. After a rough 0-3 start, the Dolphins are not only back at .500 for the first time in 2009, but are also within just one game of the AFC wildcard leaders. Even better news for Dolphin fans? Miami still has to play three of the teams who are ahead of them in the wildcard race - as well as one remaining shot at the division leading Patriots.
It's still going to be a tough climb, however. There are some big challenges that lay ahead for these Dolphins. So to prepare for these six games, let's highlight six critical questions that the Dolphins face.
Can Ricky handle the increased workload over the next month and a half?
After the terrible news last week about Ronnie Brown's injury, many of us were wondering if Ricky Williams would be able to step into the lead role in Miami's backfield and be as effective as he's been the past two seasons as the number two guy. On Thursday, Ricky answered that question by showing proving that he's still as capable a starter as he's ever been, rushing for 119 yards and scoring three touchdowns. But can he sustain this kind of production?
Against the Panthers, Williams received 22 carries. And that came on the heels of a 20 carry performance just 4 days earlier against the Buccaneers. That is a lot of carries for a 32 year old back. No - he's not your typical 32 year old running back and doesn't have the mileage that most 32 year olds have on them. But keep in mind that Ricky's season high in carries last season was only 16 (back in week three against New England). And if you want to know when the last time Ricky had at least 20 carries prior to the game against Tampa Bay? You'd have to go all the way back to New Year's Day on 2006, when he closed out the '05 regular season with a 28 carry, 108 yard performance in New England.
It's a lot to ask Williams to carry the rock 20-25 times per game over these remaining six games. At the same time, the Dolphins don't really have much of a choice.
70 comments | 0 recs |
Week 11 Open Thread
by Matty I on Nov 22, 2009 12:15 PM EST
in Events
1249 comments
WEEK 11
While we don't have a Dolphins game to watch today, there's still plenty to monitor today. The Dolphins are back at .500 and squarely in the thick of the AFC playoff chase. Some of the important games with playoff implications today include:
Ravens vs Colts, 1 pm
Jaguars vs Bills, 1 pm
Patriots vs Jets, 4:15 pm
Broncos vs Chargers, 4:15 pm
Use this thread to discuss any of today's action. And then check back late tonight/tomorrow morning for a new front-page post.
Enjoy your football Sunday, everyone!
1249 comments | 0 recs
Jason Ferguson expected to go on IR
This is bad news, as it sounds as if starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson's season is over.
2 days ago
Matty I
27 comments
0 recs
Jake Grove has high ankle sprain
This is according to the PBP's Carlos Frias. But we don't know how severe it is. It sure seemed like Grove wanted back into that game on Thursday.
If I recall, didn't Jake Long play through a high ankle sprain last season? Grove is a tough SOB. With the extended rest he'll be getting, I'm betting he'll try to play through it.
2 days ago
Matty I
18 comments
0 recs
Week 11: Prediction Time
by Matty I on Nov 21, 2009 1:00 AM EST
in News
23 comments
As much as I love watching the Dolphins play prime time games, it's always a downer when there isn't any Dolphin football to watch on a Sunday afternoon. But there are plenty of other games to talk about. So I figured I'd post my usual "locks" - which have been anything but locks this season. Oh that tricky point spread.
But first, two quick Dolphin notes. One - we'll know by Tuesday whether or not NBC has decided to use "flex scheduling" to kick the Week 13 Dolphins/Patriots game out of the Sunday night slot. Just looking at the schedule that week, there aren't really too many games to choose from for NBC. Now CBS and FOX can protect games from being "flexed" into the Sunday night slot and they have done just that in week 13. The Cowboys/Giants and Titans/Colts games have been protected. So the only possible game that could be switched into prime time is probably the Vikings/Cardinals game with two high-scoring offenses and Hall of Fame quarterbacks going head to head.
But even so, the AFC East could be on the line in this week 13 game between Miami and New England and the Pats always draw good ratings. So I'd bet on this game remaining the Sunday night game. And I hope it is. I hate 4 pm starts and if it gets taken out of that night slot, it would almost definitely get placed as a 4:15 game.
The other Dolphins note is just a simple little fun fact. In 21 of the past 22 seasons, a team with a 5-5 record (or worse) after 10 games has made it to the playoffs. I'm just sayin'...
My Week 11 Locks
Colts -2 over Ravens - I'm surprised the line is so low here. This isn't the same Ravens' defense as years past and Indy's offense is as explosive as ever. I'll take my chances and lay the points on the road.
Chargers -2.5 over Broncos - It turns out that the Broncos are indeed who I thought they were. It just took some time for them to come back down to Earth. San Diego will retake the division lead as they continue to look better and better each week.
Saints -11.5 over Bucs - Tampa has impressed me with their fight despite their poor record. But New Orleans is just going to light up Tampa's defense.
Lions -3.5 over Browns - In the worst game of the day, I really like the Lions here. Cleveland is the worst offensive football team I've seen in a long while. The Lions will also win one for Chris Spielman's wife, who lost her long battle with cancer.
Last Week: 1-2
Season: 15-16
23 comments | 0 recs
Ricky feels loss in the face of Dolphins win
a very intresting look into the human side of Ricky Williams
3 days ago
Patssuck456
34 comments
0 recs
Ricky Williams leads the way as Dolphins defeat Panthers
by Matty I on Nov 20, 2009 1:06 AM EST
in News
124 comments
It sure did get nerve-racking a few times on Thursday night. But when all was said and done, the Dolphins went up to Charlotte and officially dug themselves out of the 0-3 hole they put themselves in to start the season by knocking off the Panthers 24-17.
Ricky steps up in Ronnie's absence to lead the way
There was a lot of panic amongst Dolphin fans over the past few days as we all awaited word on how serious Ronnie Brown's injury was. We then learned yesterday that Brown would be done for the season with a Lisfranc fracture to his right foot (he'll have surgery Friday, by the way). That's when we all began to wonder whether Ricky Williams could step into the role of workhorse and lead this offense. We all learned on Thursday night that - at least for now - Ricky's still got it.
In an outstanding performance, Williams carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns - adding a receiving touchdown as well. This, by the way, was Ricky's third career three touchdown game and the first time in his career that he scored a touchdown both running and receiving. Not bad for a 32 year old back.
Don't let the numbers fool you, though. It was an up and down game for Williams. Nine of Ricky's 22 carries went for two yards or less - including four runs for negative yardage. Of course, it's not all Ricky's fault - sometimes he just got no blocking help from his line. But what impressed me most was how explosive Ricky was on some of those other carries. He looked very spry on that 3rd & 1 toss left to get down to the one yard line on Miami's second touchdown drive. And then, of course, there's the 46 yard scamper by Ricky in which he showed good burst and long speed on his way to the endzone - on carry number 22 on the night, by the way.
We said this week that without Ronnie and on a short week with little preparation time, the Dolphins would get back to the basics and play "conventional" football. They did just that - and it worked thanks to Ricky Williams. Now can Ricky keep it up for the rest of the season?
124 comments | 0 recs |
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Dolphins Schedule
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@
Atlanta
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Sun 09/13 | L 7 - 19 |
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Indianapolis
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Mon 09/21 | L 23 - 27 |
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@
San Diego
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Sun 09/27 | L 13 - 23 |
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Buffalo
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Sun 10/04 | W 38 - 10 |
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New York Jets
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Mon 10/12 | W 31 - 27 |
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New Orleans
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Sun 10/25 | L 34 - 46 |
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New York Jets
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Sun 11/01 | W 30 - 25 |
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@
New England
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Sun 11/08 | L 17 - 27 |
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Tampa Bay
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Sun 11/15 | W 25 - 23 |
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@
Carolina
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Thu 11/19 | W 24 - 17 |
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@
Buffalo
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Sun 11/29 | 1:00 PM EST |
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New England
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Sun 12/06 | 8:20 PM EST |
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@
Jacksonville
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Sun 12/13 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Tennessee
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Sun 12/20 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Houston
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Sun 12/27 | 1:00 PM EST |
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Pittsburgh
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Sun 01/03 | 1:00 PM EST |
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