Fins expected to shine this season: Miami Dolphins 2010 season preview
Things can look really bad for a franchise that finishes 1-15. That was the case of the Miami Dolphins three years ago when they finished the 2007 season. Many expected it to take years for the team to climb back to the top, but that process was short.
The very next year, with Bill Parcells as the head of the front office and a rookie head coach in Tony Sparano, the Dolphins experienced the greatest turnaround in history, as they finished 11-5 and won the AFC East. The Jets releasing Chad Pennington in favour of Brett Favre also opened the door for the Fish to sign Pennington, who arguably should’ve been the MVP of the 2008 season.
After a setback last year in which the Dolphins got off to a slow start and suffered several injuries, the team is now poised to return to the post-season after making a huge splash in the offseason. Sparano is a great fit for this team and in Chad Henne’s first year as a starter, this team may get a look at how bright their long-term future is.
The offence this year will likely still start with a strong running game as Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams provide a balanced attack on the ground. Brown is not only the anchor of the offence, but he is speedy, powerful and smart. Williams is a great complement. At 32 years old, he has lost some speed and power, but not that much. He is also more patient and visualizes the play brilliantly. These two will likely be the catalysts for the offence.
The running game also features perhaps the best lead blocker in the league in Lousaka Polite. Polite opens lanes, sets the physical tone of the game and he is also a great short-yardage runner.
The offensive line contains perhaps the best left-tackle in the game in former first-overall pick Jake Long. Long was selected first overall following the Dolphins 1-15 season and he has shown how dominant he is. He gets out of his stance quicker than any other offensive lineman in the league. He also has natural power to match his technique and masterful run-blocking.
The Dolphins hope that rookie John Jerry can provide stability at left guard. Jake Grove should retain his spot at centre. Right guard Richie Incognito is nasty and mobile and may break out to be a top tier lineman as well. At right tackle, Vernon Carey is limited in agility, but is powerful and mean.
Henne is being counted on now to lead the offence into one of the league’s best. While the running game will set the pace unlike last year Henne has a good arsenal of weapons at receiver and will get more of a chance to display his strong arm. He just needs to avoid turnovers and he can be one of the league’s best.
The receiving corps received perhaps the biggest boost this offseason when the Fins traded for Brandon Marshall, who is a top-five receiver in the league. He has gone three straight seasons with 100 catches and his size and physicality commands a lot of double teams. This will open the door for possession receivers like Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartline to have great seasons. Slot receiver Davone Bess remains a great option underneath. He caught 76 passes last year. The team would also like to see tight end Anthony Fasano play a larger role in the passing game.
One thing’s for sure: on a team run by Parcells, strong defence is a must. The Dolphins hope that a remodelled defence will compliment the improved offence.
The secondary should be better as they are now more experienced. At cornerback there is some good potential. Vontae Davis showed playmaking ability last year, along with tremendous athleticism. His bad decisions should be corrected this year with his experience. Sean Smith on the other end is excellent in press coverage, but he has poor lateral agility.
At free safety, the team is looking for a spark from Reshad Jones, their fifth-round pick this year. At strong safety, Yeremiah Bell is an amazing open-field tackler and will need to be the leader of this inexperienced secondary.
The front-seven will be Miami’s strength. Their performance can make or break this unit. At the line-backing corps, the team has seen veterans Jason Taylor and Joey Porter leave, opening the door for younger players to step up. Cameron Wake is sure to shine as a sacking machine. He dominated in the Canadian Football League, winning two Defensive MVP awards and accumulating 39 sacks in two seasons. He showed promise in his sacking ability in limited action for the Dolphins last season. The team is also hoping Koa Misi can accomplish similar things to Wake.
On the inside, Karlos Dansby was the team’s most prized free-agent signing. Dansby is an unbelievable playmaker. He hunts down the run and creates turnovers against the pass.
The defensive line has a lot of depth. Randy Starks now will take over at nose-tackle as coaches hope his strength and leverage will fill gaps inside. At the ends, Kendall Langford and first-round pick Jared Odrick will start, while rotating in will be Tony McDaniel and Ikaika Alama-Francis.
Kicker Dan Carpenter has quickly emerged as one of the league’s most reliable kickers. He made 25 of 28 attempts last season and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Punter Brandon Fields was no slouch himself, finishing top-ten in the league in both gross yards per punt (46.3) and net yards per punt (39.8). Ted Ginn’s departure provides a loss in the return game, but the Dolphins are hoping Davone Bess can fill that role along with their newest CFL acquisition in Ryan Grice Mullen, a former teammate of Bess in Hawaii.
This team overall, is very well balanced and well coached. They also now have more firepower on offence to support the running game. If their secondary can blossom this year and Henne performs as well as expected, this team may not only be a division title winner, but they can be a sleeper pick to win it all.
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