Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers: What to Watch For

The Miami Dolphins travel across country to take on the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. I took the Dolphins to win this game, I think they have a chance of taking them down.

Here are some things I'm looking for:

Can Martin replace Long?

As many of the Dolphins players stated, it will be tough to replace a 4 time Pro-Bowl left tackle in Jake Long. However, I feel comfortable moving along with Jonathan Martin.

I liked what he did against the New England Patriots on Sunday. He held his own. Martin is no stranger to left tackle, having started 37 games there in college at Stanford.

Long has not looked comfortable with this new zone-blocking scheme. I thought he would have no trouble adjusting to it. Long also has an injury history that is growing. I will be surprised if we resign Long this off-season. The only way I see us resigning him is if Martin falls flat on his face at left tackle or if Long takes a pay cut.

Martin is a finesse player, meaning he relies more on technique rather than strength. I think you need a little bit of both to survive at left tackle. But Martin is a smart player, I believe he can adjust to the position change. He's facing a tough test against Aldon Smith, who is blossoming into an All-Star.

Do I believe Martin can replace Long? I'll let you know after the game.

Did you know Tannehill is the worst QB on third down?

As Omar Kelly reported in an article a few days ago, Ryan Tannehill is the worst rated quarterback on third down. He has a 60.2 QB rating on third down...the WORST in the league. Why is Tannehill having such problems?

Tannehill throws a pretty ball and when he's on his game, can make all the throws. However, there were some times during the season he was really inaccurate. I think we're putting too much weight on the rookies shoulders. But shouldn't the franchise quarterback be able to handle that pressure? YES!

But Tannehill doesn't have the personal to succeed and Sherman is calling some terrible games in my opinion. We need an alpha receiver...badly. However, this next statement will break your hearts. We will not sign Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace, or a Dwayne Bowe wide receiver. As I stated in the offseason, Joe Philbin believes in building through the draft not by free agency. I don't see a star receiver in this years draft. I really Dion Jordan from Oregan, a huge-athletic defensive end. In the second round, I like Cordarrelle Patterson, receiver from Tennessee. I'm no draft expert, so maybe kmb8488 will leave a comment below letting me know if i did good.

I'm also not a fan of Sherman's play calling. I hate how Reggie Bush goes on a huge run streak and then we switch to a pass play and lost Bush's momentum. Also, I hate how we're not including Reggie in the passing game. Throw him a screen and let him do his work.

Who needs to step up?

I could say Jonathan Martin, but that would be too easy. So let's go with Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett.

Dansby and Burnett will have a tough test against Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker. Both are athletic tight ends and huge weapons for the 49ers offense. Dansby and Burnett have been questionable in coverage and will face another tough test against these tight ends.

What are you watching for?

But most importantly, what are you guys watching for?

And, if you are looking for tickets, either to this week's game against San Francisco, or any of the Dolphins remaining games, you can check out our Miami Dolphins Tickets page.