That's right. Read the headline above. Because that's basically what the boys at Bristol are saying.
They think the Dolphins offense is quite possibly the very worst in the entire NFL. And this is despite the fact that the Dolphins, despite all their faults last year, finished tied for 26th in the league in points per game in 2007. That means 5 offenses scored fewer points than the Dolphins did in '07 - despite the fact that this team had 3 different starting QBs, lost their best offensive weapon in week 7 to a torn ACL, and traded away their best receiver after just 6 games.
When you consider all those above variables and you also take into account the fact that this offense will likely be better in 2008 thanks to improved coaching and an improved offensive line - at the very least - I really don't understand how ESPN can make these assumptions.
And that's exactly what they are: assumptions. And we all know what happens when you assume things, don't we?
Now the actual ESPN articles are "insider only." But the Palm Beach Post has a good summary of the rankings. ESPN ranks the Dolphins quarterbacks 31st, running backs 25th, and receivers 32nd - dead last.
The first thing you have to ask yourself, though, is how the Dolphins' running backs can be ranked just 25th in the league. Wasn't Ronnie Brown the league leader in yards from scrimmage before suffering his torn ACL? And wasn't he on the verge of his 5th straight 100 yard rushing game before Cleo Lemon had to make the dumb-ass throw and Ronnie had to try and make a tackle? Apparently, ESPN missed that.
Well, in all honesty, I guess it's fair to have some worries about Brown this year considering the severity of his injury. Sure, he hasn't had a setback...yet. But it's early. And Ricky Williams is a tad unreliable. But he looks as good as he has since his retirement (well, whatever you call it) back in 2004. So how can a team like the Titans be ranked 15th despite having an unproven rookie in Chris Johnson and a player like LenDale White who averaged less than 4 yards per carry last year? It doesn't make sense.
And are the Dolphin receivers really the very worst in the entire NFL? Is the 49ers' receiving corp of Isaac Bruce, Arnaz Battle, and Bryant Johnson really better than the Dolphins? Or what about the Raiders' receivers? Javon Walker is a walking injury. And are Ronald Curry and Drew Carter any better than Ernest Wilford and Derek Hagan? I don't see it. Or how about the Titans' top 3 receivers - Roydell Williams, Justin McCareins, and Justin Gage?
Perhaps even worse, though, is that the Dolphins are ranked dead last by ESPN at the QB position. How can they have worse QBs than the Raiders? Oakland's best QB last season is currently a Dolphin. And while JaMarcus Russell has great potential, he hasn't proven that he's any better than John Beck. So how in the world can the Raiders be ranked higher at QB than the Dolphins?
The same goes for teams like the Vikings, Chiefs, and Ravens. None of those teams have any QBs who are clearly better than the Dolphins' 3 QBs. And Miami's group of 3 probably has more depth top to bottom than any of those team's top 3.
But ESPN loves to hate on the Dolphins. And kicking them now while they're down is easy and probably seems like the trendy thing to do.
But fear not, fellow Dolphin fans. Our time is coming. Just have patience and enjoy the ride. Remember: victory will taste much sweeter now after we all have been through what we went through last year.