New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins preview: Dolphins want ground the Jets
The Miami Dolphins have quietly moved to 2-0 while the New York Jets have blabbered their way to 1-1. Now the two rivals will square off Sunday night with something to prove to the other. The Dolphins
were under the radar this off-season all while they made huge acquisitions like Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby. The Jets stole all the headlines by acquiring Ladainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie and Jason Taylor. These moves will be
put to the test this weekend except for Holmes, who’s still serving a four-game suspension.
Miami was able to win their first two games by running the football effectively and playing great defence. The only criticism that can be given is they were way too conservative. Chad Henne has not been
given the chance to display his development nor has he been able to truly utilize Marshall. With Marshall being the highest paid receiver in the league, the Dolphins have to start using him as more than just a decoy.
Henne and Marshall are in luck this week as All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis is out with a tight hamstring. That means Marshall will be up against Cromartie whom he has owned in the past. Two years ago
when Cromartie was a Charger and Marshall was a Bronco, Marshall caught 18 passes in a single game. The Dolphins would be crazy not to exploit this mismatch.
This doesn’t mean the Dolphins won’t continue to ground and pound. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams make a tremendous duo and they’ll have to share the load against a stingy Jets’ defence.
The Jets’ defence will still be tough without Revis. Calvin Pace and Kris Jenkins but these losses may prove to be too tough to overcome. It’ll be a special game for Jason Taylor who makes his return to
Miami, now in a Jet uniform. He can expect a hostile environment when he takes the field.
“It’s not a very familiar situation for me. I have to keep the emotions in check and approach it as an important game for us,” said Taylor.
The Jets’ offence has shown us the good, the bad and the ugly. After laying an egg in the season opener, they came to life against the Patriots last week, scoring 18 straight points.
Mark Sanchez may have a tough time against a very tough Dolphins defence. With Holmes still out, there are distractions surrounding the Jets. Braylon Edwards was charged with driving while drunk this week
and that distraction will linger around the team. Sanchez will have to rely on his tight end Dustin Keller quite a bit with question marks surrounding his wide outs. Dolphins’ cornerback Vontae Davis will be a handful for the Jets’ receivers to handle.
New York will try to establish a running game with Tomlinson and Shonn Greene but the Dolphins have nose-tackle Randy Starks and inside linebacker Karlos Dansby waiting. Dansby has earned his big free
agent money so far as he has been Miami’s best player.
The Dolphins have been a thorn in the Jets’ side. Of all the bold predictions and great results Jets’ coach Rex Ryan has done, one has not come true. He has yet to beat the Dolphins as Miami swept the
season series last year. It won’t get easier as the Dolphins just match up well with the Jets and the Jets are banged up.
The Jets also have distractions all over the place while Miami is simply taking care of business. The only thing Miami has to do is get their offence going and they should with Marshall. That will be crucial
because if Henne and Marshall find their stride, the Dolphins may be able to run away with this game. If Miami has killer instinct, they should take this game and move to 3-0. That would be a huge statement and would get more teams to take them seriously.
Tags: