In preparation of Sunday's game between the Fins and Pats, I got the opportunity to exchange 5 questions with "MaPatsFan" from Pats Pulpit, SBN's Patriots blog.  Below are his responses to my questions.  And you can head over to his site to see my responses to his Dolphin-related questions.

The Phinsider: So I have to ask: Do you feel that Bernard Pollard's hit on Tom Brady was a "dirty play"?  And speaking of the injury, what do you think of Matt Cassel's play thus far and how do you see him performing as the season goes on?

Pats Pulpit: No, I do not think it was a dirty hit.  In fact, most everyone on PatsPulpit agrees with that assessment and most of my friends and co-workers here in Chowdah Land agree as well.  As you can imagine, I've watched that hit dozens of times, but the angle the news media got hold of only focuses on Brady; it doesn't show the events that led up to the hit.  Essentially, Patriots' RB Sammy Morris missed his blocking assignment and ended up falling on Chiefs' SS Bernard Pollard to keep him from getting to Brady.  Brady stepped into the pocket to throw to Moss.  At almost the same time, Pollard was working to get away from Morris, moved forward with Morris on his back, and landed on Brady's knee.  I no way, shape or form was Pollard deliberately trying to go after Brady's knee.

As far as Cassel, I'm pleased with his play so far.  With the help of the coaching staff, he's carefully managing the game, not taking too many risks, and winning games.  It reminds me of when Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001.  Brady had to be managed as well and didn't have nearly the on-field authority he enjoys now.  That level of game management skill only comes with reps in real games.  2 Things Cassel has going for him that Brady didn't have are 1) a better team and 2) 4 years in the Patriots system.  Only time will tell, but so far, he's doing a good job.  As long as the coaching staff continues to carefully monitor what he's capable of, I think he'll do fine.

PP: I'm concerned with Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris, 3.7 and 2.9 respectively.  For our "starter" backs, they seem to be starting a little slowly.  Watching the Jets in Week 2, I felt like both of them were tentative at the line, bouncing off the linemen looking for holes.  In contrast, Maroney put up 100 yarders in 4 out of the last 6 2007 outings.  The real wildcard here is LaMont Jordan.  In a heartbeat, I would've given him offensive MVP for the game against the Jets.  Granted, he only had 68 yards, but he had a 5.2 average and the yards were just at the right time.  Oddly enough, all his carries were in the second half and I've heard this is how Jordan was used by his former team, the Jets.  That is, wait until the second half when the opposing defense is tired and hand the ball to a fresh Jordan.  At 5-10 230 lbs, he's a bowling ball with legs and pretty tough stop.  While Maroney and Morris sometimes bounce off the line looking for holes, Jordan creates holes with his size and strength.

PP: Watching the Jets, I was rather perplexed as to why there was no pass rush.  In fact, many PatsPulpit commentors made the same observation during the game thread.  OLB's Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel appeared to be hanging back.  And then I realized why - Belichick was shutting down Favre's targets, trying to get him to force a pass.  By keeping OLBs in pass coverage mode, it made Favre's job of finding an eligible receiver more difficult.  We were also using a lot of nickel packages which helped shutdown the passing attack as well.  Then, at the end of the second quarter, we turned on the pass rush to mix it up a bit.  Our OLBs started going after Favre and shooting the gaps.  That strategy seemed to work.

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I recently had the chance to exchange questions with the editor of TheJetsBlog, Brian Bassett.  Look for my responses to his Dolphin questions over on his site sometime today.  Below are his responses to my Jet questions:

Brett Favre has only been a Jet for about a month.  So I'm sure that the offense will still be scaled back a bit on Sunday.  What should we expect from this Jets offense this week?

Brian: Chad was a total bookworm, so week in and out, the offense was pretty much wide open, Favre has been in the same offense for twelve years and isn't exactly known for his studiousness, so Favre and his new OC Brian Schottenheimer are trying to find common ground. I think the Jets will look to work the running game to keep the defensive line on their heels mostly with Thomas Jones and some of the quicker Leon Washington (who can rip off big gains) but as far as passing the ball, it's not like years past.  The ball is going to be coming downfield a lot to Jerricho Cotchery.  It remains to be seen how much Coles will play as he's been battling an injury during the preseason ... I don't think it will hamper him much though.

Many media reports claim that Vernon Gholston, the Jets' 6th overall pick, has struggled a bit at times to make the transition to OLB in the NFL.  So what can you tell us about this?  And are you worried at all that Vernon might just be a "workout warrior" who might not ever reach his potential?

Brian: Gholston was always a project, so that people are concerned about his adaptation is kind of amusing.  Gholston came out as a junior 4-3 DE, and is now playing OLB in a 3-4 ... it's going to take some time for him to settle in.  Even so, he'll be the first first round pick of this regime that won't immediately start. 

I think it's a concern, but there are a lot of other players that have struggled similarly in their transition recently ... Mario Williams was declared a bust, and now might be one of the best defensive lineman in the league.  Gaines Adams had a slow start, but came on strong in the end.  Shawne Merriman was inactive for the start of his rookie season, and now he's a household name. 

So far, Gholston has had issues learning his new position ... he's used to pinning his ears back and going after the quarterback, but the Jets have been trying to teach and use him in contains as well as coverage -- since it's his something he hasn't done much, and he'll need to learn if he wants to start.  During the season, he'll see time on the field in passing situations, and they'll gradually try to move him into a full-time role, but there's no need to rush him, as the Jets already have Bryan Thomas who can play the role well enough.

The Jets were 29th in the NFL in defending the rush last season (almost as bad as the Dolphins were).  But the addition of Kris Jenkins will surely help a bit.  What do you expect from the Jets' rush defense?  Are you worried at all that the Dolphins will be able to control the ball on the ground with Ricky and Ronnie?

Brian: It's a real concern for Jets fans for the past few years, but so far in the preaseason DT Kris Jenkins has been a beast at the nose, pushing into the backfield and making some tackles for loss while being doubled and disrupting the offensive line.   When you add the much larger OLB Calvin Pace (who Parcells himself wanted) instead of Victor Hobson, the ability to stop the run on the inside and out becomes a reality.  I think Ricky, Ronnie and the new offensive line for the Phins with Justin Smiley and Jake Long versus the revamped Jets front seven will be a real key point of determining the winner of this game.

A big thanks to Brian for taking the time to do this.  And remember to head over to TheJetsBlog to see my responses, which will be posted sometime today.

As we continue to inch closer and closer towards our season opener at home against the Jets, it's time to discuss 5 burning questions that I have when thinking about Sunday's battle between these two bitter rivals:

Will Brett Favre's opening week struggles continue?
As much as the media just loves to talk about Brett Favre, they always seem to leave two things out.  First, he's just not reliable in the clutch - as we saw last year against the Giants.  Secondly, and more importantly in terms of this Sunday's game, he isn't a quick starter.  What I mean is that he tends to get off to slow starts to begin seasons.  And since the 2000 season, Favre has had some major struggles at times in week one.  Between 2000 and 2007, Favre's average stat line in week one is as follows: 21/35 for 208 yards (5.9 ypa), 0.875 TDs, 1.25 interceptions, 2.5 sacks, and 1 fumble.  In those 8 games in which Favre has thrown 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, his team is just 4-4.  And this includes perhaps his most embarrassing game to open a season, which was back in 2003 against the Vikings at home in Green Bay.  In that loss, Favre threw  4 costly interceptions.

Considering those games were all played while he was in the same offensive system and was familiar with most of the receivers, Favre will be in a new system with completely different receivers on Sunday.  So is it a reach to suggest he could struggle yet again to begin a season?

Can Miami's secondary make things difficult for Favre?
If the Dolphins do plan on winning this game, then they can't make things easy for Favre when he drops back to throw.  One of the questions for the Dolphins entering this season is their secondary.  Can they limit mistakes and keep the opposition's receivers covered?  Sure, I pointed out that Favre has struggled in opening week games.  But if there are open passing lanes and open holes in the coverage, there's no way Brett will struggle at all.  I'm confident in Will Allen's ability to defend.  But there are question marks all over the secondary when you go beyond Allen.  Can Andre Goodman and Michael Lehan make plays in key situations - like on 3rd downs?  Will the safeties actually not get toasted by allowing receivers to get behind them - something we saw a lot of last season?  Even if the Dolphins can get pressure on Brett, he's still damn good and will recognize passing lanes if you give them to him.

Will Miami's rushing attack get rolling early on?
This is likely the key question for the offense on Sunday.  The Dolphins must be able to pound the ball early on in the game with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.  Not only will it set up the play-action pass, but it will also tire out that Jets defense that is not accustomed to Miami's heat.  However, if the ground game gets off to a sluggish start and the Dolphins are forced to put the ball in the air on 3rd and longs, things could quickly take a turn for the worse.  Sure, I'm more confident in the passing attack now that Chad Pennington is here.  But I still don't want to see Chad have to throw the ball more than 24 or 25 times.

Can Ted Ginn provide the Dolphins with a spark?
Without a doubt, Ted Ginn is actually the player I'm most excited about in 2008.  And I say this because I see him flash this potential at times and it makes me anxious to see what kind of player he'll become when he starts to put it all together.

So to begin the season, is Ginn going to be able to somehow spark this team?  Can he get behind the defense for a big pass play?  Will he take a quick slant and turn it up field for a big gain?  Or is he going to have an electrifying return on a kick-off or punt?  He can do damage in so many ways that he might even be considered the Dolphins' "X-factor" in 2008.

How will Tony Sparano handle game management?
For the 3rd time in 4 years, the Dolphins have a rookie head coach.  We all saw last season what can happen if a head coach has poor "game management skills."  How will Tony Sparano fare in his debut?

Some things to keep an eye on in terms of game management include:

• How will Sparano handle "time management" and the use of his timeouts - especially if this is a close game in the 4th quarter?
• How will Sparano handle 4th down situations where the Dolphins are positioned right at the edge of Dan Carpenter's kicking range?
• Will Sparano take risks on 4th and inches and on 4th and goals from the 1 or 2 yard line?

Despite all these questions, one thing we know for sure: Sunday begins a new era in Miami Dolphins football.  Let's just hope this era proves more fruitful than the past 4 eras.

Thoughts?

Can you believe that we are less than 2 weeks away from the beginning of training camp?  It seems hard to believe, but the dead of the NFL season is almost over!

And before I get to the news roundup from this weekend, I did just want to thank the nearly 600 people who voted in our "Brett Favre to Miami" poll, which by the way you can still vote in.  Up to this point, 68% of you do not want the Dolphins to try and make a move for Favre.  And considering how unlikely it is that he ends up in Miami, I get the feeling that most Dolphin fans will be happy when Favre either remains in Green Bay or ends up in some other NFL city.

Now onto some other news from the weekend:

RONNIE INTERVIEWED BY YAHOO! SPORTS
The Yahoo! blog entitled "The Shutdown Corner," which is run by Matt Darnell, recently posted an interview that Darnell did with Ronnie Brown.  The full interview is right here. Below are a few of Ronnie's quotes:

For myself, I kind of stay away from that prediction stuff. But obviously, for yards at least over -- we have 16 games, 100 yards a game, give or take -- anything over 1400 would be great. As far as wins, you never know. I really can't even start to say that, especially coming off a season where you only win one game.

---

Ricky's a cool guy. And I think people only know what they see and hear, you know what I mean? So they try to make a judgment about an individual without actually being around him and being able to form an educated opinion, it's pretty tough. But for myself, I've actually been in a situation where I've been able to spend time with Ricky, and we have a good relationship not only on the field, but also off the field. I have a lot of respect for him and the success he's had on this level, and the things he's accomplished thus far. I think that's what makes our relationship so good. We respect one another as individuals, but also as football players. He's a quiet guy, laid back, just likes to relax and doesn't really bother anyone. He's a peaceful guy. I think that's the main way I could form an opinion about him. He's a peaceful guy.

1,400 yards would be great?  Listen, if Ronnie rushes for 1,400 yards in 2008 coming off of a torn ACL, I'll go streaking right down Main Street with the words "Ronnie is a God" painted onto my naked body.  And I mean that!

It's simply awesome to hear how Ronnie puts these high expectations on himself.  And I guess that fact that he ran for over 100 yards in his last 4 full games of 2007 before the injury gives him the confidence that he can run for 100 yards every game.  Is it likely?  Probably not.  But he has the right attitude for an athlete where he expects nothing but excellence from himself.

As far his relationship with Ricky goes, it genuinely does seem like Ricky and Ronnie get along great.  And that's a big thing.  I think they clearly respect each other's ability and that's why they get along so well.  We heard Ricky say earlier this year that he thinks highly of Ronnie.  And we wouldn't expect anything less than Ronnie giving praise right back to Williams.

TIGHT ENDS TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN OFFENSE
"OnTheGo" points talks about this in his FanPost, but I did just want to highlight it quickly because this is something interesting that will play out at training camp.  Pro Football Weekly shares with us this interesting little nugget:

When the Dolphins hired former Cowboys offensive line coach Tony Sparano as head coach, it was understood that the offense was going to take on a run-first, grind-it-out-on-the-ground persona. But with pressing issues along the offensive line — specifically, at guard — our sources in Miami tell us that the team is going to rely on twin-TE alignments. In fact, one source we talked to said that two tight ends might end up being the default offensive formation. The new front office and coaching staff made targeting tight ends a key this offseason, and newcomers Anthony Fasano and Sean Ryan are two additions to a deep TE corps — joining holdovers David Martin and Justin Peelle — that will be asked to be blockers first, receivers second.

Of course, I'd love to know who "their sources" are just because it's believed that this regime is very tight-lipped about everything they do.

Regardless, though, this is going to be something to watch.  We all assumed that this would be a run-first offense, possibly even as drastic as a 60/40 split - old style of football for sure.  But I'm not so sure that twin tight ends will be Miami's regular formation.

But whether it is or it isn't, this little piece of information just proves what many have believed all along - that the tight ends in this offense will be asked to block first and receive second.  And that means a player like David Martin, who is more of a receiving tight end and struggled often when asked to block, could be in trouble.  Anthony Fasano, with his ability to run routes and catch the ball along with his ability to block effectively, will likely have every opportunity to win the starting TE spot.  Sean Ryan, who is reportedly more of a blocking tight end, could see a big role as the 2nd TE in two-TE sets.  So if that leaves David Martin battling with Justin Peelle, Martin's days could be numbered.  Peelle has always been considered a better blocker than receiver.  But last year, Peelle proved to be, at the very least, a reliable receiver.  Couple that with his blocking skills and it's easy to see why he might make the team over a guy like Martin.

QUICK HITS
-The Dolphins are rumored to be one of the teams interested in free agent guard/center LeCharles Bentley as well as undrafted rookie free agent Pedro Sosa. Being a Rutgers fan, I'd love for the Fins to sign Sosa.  He was a 4 year starter at Rutgers and, despite playing the bulk at left tackle, projects more as a guard in the NFL.

-Jason Taylor still won't say if he'll be in camp when it kicks off in less than two weeks.  If he fails to show for camp and is a hold-out, I'll love to hear how the JT lovers can defend his actions.  But for now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he'll be in camp on time with the rest of the team.

That's all for now.  Be sure to leave your thoughts below...

And remember, as camp opens in less than 2 weeks, that you still have plenty of time to get your Dolphins tickets.

Ugh!

I've said it before and I'll say it now in a more definitive way: Brett Favre makes no sense for the Dolphins.  Can anyone give me one good reason why the Dolphins should go after Favre? 

All he would do is prevent the Dolphins from attempting to solve their long-term QB issues.  By the time this team is good enough to really make a run at things, Favre will be in his 40s - or even re-retired. 

But despite this, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel believes that the Dolphins are a potential landing spot for Brett Favre:

There is speculation that Favre and his agent, James (Bus) Cook, already have a team picked out. A client of Cook's recently told a friend that Miami and Carolina were the teams that were Favre's most likely landing place, and probably the only way he would know that is if discussions had already taken place with those teams.

You have no idea how much I hope this is just total bullsh*t.  It has to be, right?  Could Bill Parcells really think that adding Favre to the Dolphins is a good idea?  Sure, it might help the team win 2 more games in '08.  But in the long run, how the hell does this help out this franchise as it attempts to rebuild?  If anything, it would actually set this franchise back even more.

So I'll ask you all: should the Dolphins make a play for Favre if he is serious about returning to the NFL?

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.  But now it's back to work.  And while you're slacking off at work, catch up on what you might have missed this weekend:

SIMMS SEES IMPROVEMENTS
As we get closer and closer to training camp, it's part of human nature to feel optimistic about your team's chances in the upcoming season.  And even though Miami is coming off their worst season in franchise history, there are some Dolphin fans who have their sights set on a .500 season.

No, I personally am not that optimistic.  But apparently CBS lead analyst Phil Simms has also been drinking the proverbial "kool-aid."  Barry Jackson writes:

Count CBS lead analyst Phil Simms among those who believe it's conceivable the Dolphins could go from 1-15 to 9-7 -- as Bill Parcells did when he took over a 1-15 Jets team. ''If I don't see a big jump from John Beck, I'll be a little disappointed,'' Simms said. "The answer at quarterback is there. My first reaction is Chad Henne has the highest ceiling of the three.''

This is interesting for a couple of reasons.  First off, Simms knows football.  Like him or hate him, he's one of the few analyst whose opinions I do trust.  Last season, he pegged 3 teams as potential surprise teams - Browns, Jaguars, and Rams.  Two out of three isn't too bad.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Simms knows Bill Parcells very well.  So he knows what these players are likely going through and will be going through once camp gets underway.  Simms also has experience in being in a situation like John Beck is currently in.  Simms, like Beck, wasn't drafted by the "Parcells regime" and struggled early on in his career before Parcells got to New York - and even for a little bit after Bill arrived.  But he eventually turned it around.  Simms finally reached his potential and the rest is history - a Super Bowl MVP.

It's also encouraging to hear that Phil likes both of our young quarterbacks.  By saying he'd be disappointed if Beck didn't improve greatly, he's basically saying that he believes John Beck can be a good player.  Then by saying Chad Henne has the "highest ceiling," he's saying that he believes Henne can be even better than Beck.  So if he thinks John can be a good player, but says that Chad even has more potential than John, it's safe to say that Simms likes the direction we are going at QB.

FAVRE JUST WON'T GO AWAY:  WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you obviously know that rumors now abound from various sources that claim Brett Favre is starting to "get that itch" - no, not jock itch - but "that itch" to unretire and play football again.

But why am I talking about this on a Dolphins site?  For two reasons.  The first reason is that some people, such as Adam Schefter, are throwing around the Dolphins as a team that might have interest in Favre's services if he was to unretire and Green Bay decided to trade him.  But much like the Palm Beach Post's Greg Stoda says, I believe it would be a big mistake for the Dolphins to pursue Brett Favre.

Is Favre a great quarterback?  Of course (though I think he's a tad overrated).  But he just doesn't make sense for the Dolphins at this point in time.  Three or four years ago?  Sure, I'd be all for him.  Now?  It's a bad idea.

The media circus around Favre would be nothing but a distraction to this team of young players.  And that's just it: young players.  This is a team that is rebuilding.  It's a team undergoing a youth movement.  They need to figure out what they have in their young QBs.  Is John Beck the player I think he is?  Can Chad Henne become the team's franchise QB?  Beginning to get those questions answered is far more important than bringing in Brett Favre.

Perhaps even more importantly, though, is that this is a franchise that basically pushed Dan Marino into retirement (thanks JJ).  Why bring a player like Favre who is at that same point in his career (the decline) to Miami now at this point in time?  It makes no sense and would be a slap in Danny Marino's face.

But the other interesting storyline about this potential Favrie return has to do with Jason Taylor.  ProFootballTalk brings up a good point that should be monitored.  If Favre was to return to Green Bay and play in 2008, would this make them more likely to trade for Jason Taylor?  And would it make Taylor more likely to agree to a trade to Green Bay and even commit to GB for 2 seasons?  Perhaps with Favre back, the Packers would offer up a conditional 3rd round pick for JT's services in order to make one final push to get Brett his 2nd Super Bowl before riding out into the sunset.

Unlikely?  Probably.  But it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

QUICK HITS
- Here's a good read on new defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni

- Here's a report from Yahoo! Sports about various Dolphin-related issues.

As always, leave your thoughts below...