Prolific Miami Dolphins Healthy and All Set for Camp
The Miami Dolphins have received some very pleasing news. The team’s most prized offseason acquisition in Brandon Marshall, formerly of the Denver Broncos, has received full clearance to practice at full speed with the team. Marshall underwent hip surgery in the offseason, causing him to miss some organized team activities (OTA’s).
It’s very important that Marshall now returns because he, and his new quarterback Chad Henne, have some chemistry to develop. It’s important that the two find their rhythm as Marshall was brought in to primarily give Henne a true number one receiver.
Among the other Dolphins who were given full clearance were running backs (RBs) Ronnie Brown and Patrick Cobbs, cornerback (CB) Will Allen and quarterback (QB) Chad Pennington.
All four suffered season-ending injuries last season.
Brown missed the final seven games after suffering a foot injury against Tampa Bay.
Pennington lost his starting job when a shoulder injury ended his season in Week 3. The team elected to bring him back in a backup role as they are banking on Henne to be their franchise quarterback.
So now the Dolphins head into training camp healthy and are looking to dethrone the New England Patriots and upstage the New York Jets in the AFC East. The Patriots, of course, are the defending division champions, while the Jets are coming off a season that ended in the AFC Championship game, and made the most moves of any team in the offseason, adding several star veterans from around the league.
While Marshall has a reputation of being a trouble-maker, he has vowed that he will make changes and that his joining the Dolphins provides a fresh start. He will have to prove that his statement is true. There’s no fooling around when Tony Sparano is your coach and Bill Parcells is the head of football operations.
Marshall brings the Dolphins a threat at receiver that opens the door for other players to benefit from a diverted defence. He’s a top-five receiver in the league and something the Dolphins have been missing for a long time.
It has to be a relief that the Dolphins are now all healthy. The team enjoyed a healthy season in 2008 when Chad Pennington led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and an AFC East title after the New York Jets dumped him in favour of Brett Favre. Pennington went on to get the best revenge possible as he got a chance to beat Favre and his old buddies in New York in the final week of the season. Pennington led the Dolphins to victory and eliminated the Jets from the playoffs.
Last year, after a 0-3 start and a shoulder injury ended Pennington’s season, Chad Henne was promoted to the starting job a year before the team planned to promote him. He responded well going 7-6, but the Dolphins fell short of a playoff spot. Henne showed promise and the running game was solid, but an unreliable Ted Ginn and a passing game that lacked explosiveness or a bona fide playmaker, doomed the team.
That’s one department that they certainly improved this offseason. Marshall is a playmaker and has caught at least 100 passes in each of his last three seasons. A healthy team this year may do wonders for the Dolphins. Some are predicting the Dolphins to be playoff, and even Super Bowl contenders. The acquisition of Marshall likely put them into that category.
Injuries can happen in any given season and can cause a team to hit some growing pains, as the Dolphins did last year. Now if this season provides more luck with injuries, then the Dolphins can really surprise a lot of people this year.
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