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To CP or not to CP, that is the question.

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One of the many interesting story lines this offseason will be what happens with the many key Dolphins who ended the 2009 season on Injured Reserve. Considering how many key players - including two of the team's four captains - ended up on IR this season, it's actually impressive to think about how close this team came to a postseason appearance.

But now some decisions have to be made. Who comes back? Who doesn't? And whose role changes? Let's quickly touch on some of these issues.

Chad Pennington - It's no secret that I'm one of the biggest CP fans you'll find. What he did on the field in 2008 and what he has meant to this franchise both on and off the field since he joined the team in 2008 has made me a CP fan for life. But Pennington was off to a very slow start in the two and a half games he played in this season before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Since then, his apprentice - Chad Henne - has taken over and has given fans a reason to be excited about the future of the QB position in Miami. So where does that leave the soon to be 34 year old Pennington? Likely not back with Miami. I'd love to have him back as a backup. But I'm not sure if his competitiveness will allow him to accept a backup role. We'd all also love to see him become an eventual QB coach in Miami. But I don't think he's ready yet to give up on playing the game he loves.

Ronnie Brown - It's also no secret that I'm a huge fan of and believer in Ronnie. I think he has the physical talent to be an elite back and has shown just that when he's been given the opportunity. But injuries have been an issue. Freak injuries? Yes. It's not like a broken hand or a Lis Franc fracture means you're injury prone. But he does have a reconstructed knee. The knee, though, seemed like a non-issue in 2008 and 2009 before the foot injury. His contract status depends on the collective bargaining agreement. If there is no new CBA, then Brown is under contract with Miami for $5 million. But if a new CBA is reached before the new "league year" then Brown becomes an unrestricted free agent. It's believed that Brown wants to be back in Miami regardless of the CBA. And I know I'm one of the many that hopes he remains a Dolphin for a long time.

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No matter how good or bad a season was, it always seems like us fans all go right to the "needs" of their team as soon as their season comes to an end. This year is no different. And with the way this season ended - with the Dolphins losing their last three games to keep themselves from the postseason - it makes sense to instantly turn our attention to how this team can get better for the 2010 season and beyond.

But I'd like to quickly talk about some of the positives that came out of the '09 season. And note - these aren't all of the positives. But in my opinion, these positives listed below are some of the most important ones.

Henne might just be the answer
Not since the rookie season of "you know who" have the Dolphins had a young quarterback make his first career starts in Miami and play as well as Chad Henne did in 2009. Were there bumps along the way? Of course. But that's just the maturation process of any young quarterback. Anyone remember Peyton Manning's rookie season, for example? Or that of Drew Brees? Most, if not all, young quarterbacks experience some turbulence as they progress. But you have to like what you have seen out of Henne so far.

His arm strength has come as advertised. He's shown the ability to roll out and throw on the run with accuracy. He's stood tough in the pocket even when under pressure. He has started taking control of the huddle and recognizing that he needs to be the leader on the field. He's already engineered three 4th quarter comebacks. And most importantly, there hasn't been one time where the game or the moment has seemed to big for him.

His numbers aren't outstanding by any means. But he did average 214 yards in 13 games as a starter - including three 300+ yard games in his last five. And while he only completed 60.8% of his passes - which itself is not too bad for a first year starter - he completed 67% of his passes in his final four games. His best game, though, probably came back in week 5 on Monday Night Football, throwing for 241 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions en route to a four point win over the Jets.

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It looked scary, but indications are that Pat White avoided "serious injury."

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After blowing two huge opportunities to get into the postseason in weeks 15 and 16, the Dolphins saw their season come to an end at Land Shark Stadium on Sunday by losing to the Steelers in what was just a very odd game. Perhaps it's fitting, though, for Sunday's game to be the final game of what was an odd season for the Dolphins.

Miami lost their first three games and their last three games. In between, the Fins went 7-3. But good teams just don't let themselves lose the kinds of games this team has lost in 2009. After the game, Tony Sparano was asked what he told his team in the locker room. His response was pretty simple, "Seven and nine is mediocre. And mediocrity is not going to be accepted here."

Very well said by Sparano. Now let's talk a little bit about this final game of the '09 season. And note that I won't get too much into looking back at the entire season just yet. We'll have plenty of time in the coming weeks to take that look back. For now, I'm just going to center my attention on this final game.

Three quarterbacks in three quarters
This has to be the place where we start our discussion. First and foremost, reports indicate that Pat White isn't as seriously injured as it appeared at the time of the hit. After the game, Sparano said that White was "doing ok" and that he was undergoing some tests. Owner Stephen Ross said that he's doing fine as well. From the looks of things on the field, it seemed like he might have been initially knocked out cold. But he was awake when being taken from the field and it did seem like he could move his arms and legs at least a little. He even gave his team a few words of encouragement before being taken to the hospital. Right now it seems like he has suffered a concussion. That's a relief considering how bad it could have been.

Of course, a big story here was the reason White began the second half as the quarterback. Chad Henne did not play at all in the second half after suffering what was referred to as an "eye injury." After the game, Henne explained that his vision had gotten blurry following a sack by LaMarr Woodley. He remained in for a few plays after, but his vision got worse during halftime:

"I was hoping it would clear up," Henne said. "I just didn’t have (depth) perception on the ball. I was throwing fine on the sideline. I just couldn’t really visualize my throw."

Henne said he'll visit an eye doctor on Monday.

The loss and the injuries overshadowed Henne's fine day in the first half. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. His 80% completion percentage is exceptional. And if not for one poor decision that resulted in an interception, you could say that Henne's performance on Sunday was nearly perfect.

What's even more interesting is that after the sack by Woodley that supposedly injured Henne by having the left side of Henne's head slam into the turf, Chad connected on both of his pass attempts for 27 yards - including that huge 21 yard completion to Davone Bess on 3rd & 12. If that's how Henne plays with blurred vision, then maybe we should knock him around before each game.

While I'm not ready to say that Henne's "injury" was a little bit mysterious, some do believe that the Dolphins held Henne out of the second half to tank the game and improve draft position. I'm not a conspiracy theorist nor do I think that Tony Sparano would ever do something like that. But I can't help but think that something here just seems a little odd. Regardless, what's done is done.

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This was a very weird game. And most importantly, let's hope Pat White isn't seriously hurt. That hit was downright scary.

We saw a valiant effort out of this Dolphins team. But again, they dug themselves into a hole that was to hard to climb out of. Of course, Chad Henne's "eye injury" didn't help their cause.

It should be interesting to hear what Tony Sparano has to say about the decision to hold Henne out with that mysterious injury. Regardless, Tyler Thigpen came in after White went down and looked pretty good - one poor decision aside. But what I'll never understand is why this defense takes so long to get their act together now.

Regardless, Miami's season comes to an end with a disappointing 7-9 record. But the future does seem promising.

Look for the usual game recap post tonight. And enjoy the rest of the day.

Well let's hope Pat White isn't seriously injured. That hit looked scary.

As for the Dolphins - with everything breaking their way so far today - they are just failing to get it done again.

Use this thread now for all live game discussion.

GO DOLPHINS!!!

Halftime in Miami, Steelers lead 17-10.

Mistakes and sacks are killing this offense right now. And the defense just stinks. But the Fins have been a 2nd half team these last two weeks. Maybe some more 2nd half magic?

Use this thread now for all live game discussion.

GO DOLPHINS!!!

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable New Year's holiday. Let's get to the "expert" picks for Sunday's game:

I thought we'd see far fewer picks in favor of the Dolphins. But it seems like, of nothing else, the media at least respects this Dolphins team. That's nice for a change.

The way I see it, this game is going to be a shoot-out. I don't think either team will run the ball effectively well, meaning Chad Henne will have to out-gun Ben Roethlisberger. Will he do it? It sure won't be easy.

In the end, I see a tight, high-scoring game. 31-28 Dolphins.

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PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-7) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-8)

SERIES

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To all of you that make this community the best Dolphins community anywhere, have a happy and healthy new year!!

With New Year's Day on Friday, let's look at Sunday's "keys to victory" today. While many might not see Sunday's game as "important" - I'd argue that, if nothing else, I just want to see the final Dolphins game of the year end with a win. To me, 8-8 sounds a million times better than 7-9.

So what do the Dolphins have to do to get to 8-8? A lot. These are some of the more critical factors.

Don't get buried again
In three of Miami's last four games, the Dolphins have fallen behind by double digits. In the last two, the Dolphins have fallen behind by an average of 22.5 points. In both instances, the Dolphins were unable to overcome their deficit and win the game - despite valiant comeback attempts. And that was against an average defense (Houston, 14th in NFL) and a bad defense (Tennessee, 28th).

On Sunday the Dolphins welcome to Miami the defending Super Bowl champions and their 6th ranked defense. In their last two, Pittsburgh has been effective at getting the early lead, opening a seven point halftime lead two weeks ago against Green Bay and a ten point halftime lead last week against Baltimore. The Steelers wound up winning both games.

While their defense gets a lot of the attention, though, it's Pittsburgh's offense that has been outstanding these past few weeks. They're averaging 30 points a game in  their past two games and are in the top 10 in total offense and passing offense.

If the Dolphins fall behind early and are forced to pass the football to catch up, they would not only have to deal with the Steelers' relentless pass rush, they'd also have to somehow slow down a potentially explosive offense while playing from behind. Not an easy task.

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