2008 Miami Dolphins Preview
Peter Stein |Aug 24,2008
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 2008 Miami Dolphins Preview
2007 Record - 1-15 (4th place AFC East)
Head Coach - Tony Sparano
2007 Review
The Miami Dolphins should have taken Baltimore Ravens kicker Matt Stover out to dinner. Were it not for Stover missing an overtime field goal in the Ravens-Dolphins game on December 16th, Miami would have gone 0-16. That would be a sorry distinction for any team, but for a franchise that went undefeated over a 14-game schedule in 1972, then went on to win the Superbowl to make it 17-0, a winless season would have been disastrous.
1-15 isn't anything to e-mail the folks about either. But it must look a lot better than 0-16 to this once model organization.
In late December, coaching icon Bill Parcells spurned an offer to run the Atlanta Falcons, and instead became the Dolphins' Executive Vice President of Football Operations. He would soon hire Dallas Cowboys' executive Jeff Ireland as Miami's general manager, and Cowboys' assistant coach Tony Sparano as the Dolphins' new head coach.
OFFENSE
Parcells supposedly gave John Beck - the Dolphins' second-round pick out of Brigham Young in 2007 - a vote of confidence in the spring. But that didn't stop Parcells from signing Chad Pennington to a two-year $11.5 million contract, after Pennington was released by the division-rival New York Jets earlier this month.
Pennington is currently No. 1 on Miami's depth chart, with newly-acquired veteran Josh McCown at No. 2, and Beck all the way down at third string. Some vote of confidence.
It's certainly great news for Pennington, who not only has a nice contract and a spot on a team that appreciates him, but who will also get a chance to show up the Jets when the teams meet in the season opener. Starting for the Jets will be the player whose acquistion made Pennington expendable - Brett Favre. This summer's unexpected plot twists changed what would have been a dull match-up into one of the opening weekend's premier games.
Throughout his seven-year NFL career, Pennington has either been hampered by injuries or by mind-numbing inconsistency. When he was plagued by neither of those, he was among the league's best, leading the Jets to the playoffs in 2002, '04 and '06. The 2004 Jets team should have faced the New England Patriots for the AFC Championship, but were kept out of that game because of missed field goals, not due to any of Pennington's shortcomings.
Last year, Pennington threw for 1,765 yards and 10 touchdowns in little more than half a season. And though Pennington did play less games than New England's Tom Brady, it is still noteable that Pennington's completion percentage of 68.8 was comparable to Brady's.
If not for the Pennington signing, and the drama that led up to it, the running game would be the Dolphins' most intriguing story due to the re-emergence of former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. Four years after his sudden retirement, and nearly four years since his bizarre 60 Minutes interview, Williams is back in prime football shape at age 31. And last week, it was reported that Williams had been pencilled in ahead of 2005 first-round draft choice Ronnie Brown on Miami's depth chart. Will we continue to see Heisman Ricky or will he revert back to 60 Minutes Ricky? If it's the former, Williams could be the league's Comeback Player of the Year.
Williams' resurgence has prompted speculation that Brown might be traded. Brown is trying to return from a torn ACL that ruined what was looking like a special season for him. Even though that season ended in Week Seven, Brown still wound up as the team's leading rusher with 602 yards. The Dolphins' second-leading rusher Jesse Chatman (515 yards) is now a back-up for the Jets, so if Brown remains in Miami, the Dolphins need him to regain his pre-injury form or Williams to regain his pre-space cadet form. Preferably both.
Boomer Grigsby and Reagan Mauia are the fullbacks, with Grigsby currently listed as No. 1 on the depth chart.
Ted Ginn Jr. was a first-round draft choice out of Ohio State in 2007, and now would be a great time for him to realize that potential. With Pennington likely improving the level of quarterback play, Ginn should get more opportunities. Last year, he caught only 34 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns, but did contribute significantly on special teams, amassing 1,433 yards on 63 kickoff returns for an impressive 22.7-yard average. Ginn also returned 24 punts for 230 yards and a touchdown.
Derek Hagan is slated to start at the other receiver position. He needs to hold onto the football more often and improve on his '07 numbers of 29 receptions, 373 yards and two touchdowns. Ernest Wilford and Greg Camarillo are reserves behind Ginn and Hagan, respectively.
Anthony Fasano is currently listed as the starting tight end, backed up by David Martin.
Jake Long, the first player selected in last April's draft, is being expected to step in at left tackle. At 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds, Long certainly has enough size for the job, but needs to turn that into production and keep pass rushers off Pennington's blind side. Vernon Carey brings good size (6-5, 350) to the opposite tackle spot.
Samson Satele started every Dolphins' game at center last year, becoming the only rookie in team history to do so. And considering Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson once played center for Miami, that's quite an accomplishment for Satele. Justin Smiley was signed away from the San Francisco 49ers, and will start at left guard. It looks like Donald Thomas has won the right guard position, after having started there throughout the preseason. Fourth-round draft pick Shawn Murphy could work his way into the offensive line mix at some point.
DEFENSE
Parcells didn't just raid the Cowboys' pantry for a general manager and head coach, he also snagged a starting nose tackle when he signed Jason Ferguson. Parcells coached Ferguson with both the Jets and Cowboys, and will need Ferguson to shore up the Dolphins' line, now that star defensive end Jason Taylor has been traded to the Washington Redskins and has taken his 117-sack talent with him.
Vonnie Holliday, who would have likely started at tackle if Miami went with a 4-3 defense, will now slide over to replace Taylor at right end. Kendall Langford is slated to start at left end.
Matt Roth, previously listed as a starting left end in the 4-3 scheme, now becomes a starting outside linebacker in the 3-4. Former Steeler Joey Porter is the other outside starter, with Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele - another acquisition from Dallas - starting inside. Reggie Torbor, a member of the New York Giants' Superbowl championship team, will provide quality depth if he doesn't end up working himself into the starting lineup.
Another ex-Giant, Will Allen, is the starter at left corner, with Andre' Goodman listed as the starting right corner. Jason Allen has been an underachiever at free safety, but has kept his starting job in preseason so far, even with Chris Crocker and Renaldo Hill around. Yeremiah Bell is a good strong safety, but is coming back from a torn Achilles tendon injury.
Special Teams
Rookie free agent Dan Carpenter took the placekicking job away from veteran Jay Feely, who was released earlier this month. Brandon Fields won the punting job last year, and now returns for his second pro season. John Denney is the long snapper.
The return game is in good shape with Ginn.
Outlook
The Miami Dolphins can't expect to go from 1-15 to playoff contenders in one season.
Or can they?
Pennington has looked sharp in preseason, and with two huge bookend tackles protecting him, Pennington has a better chance of staying healthy this year. If that happens, and if Ginn emerges as a receiver the way he did as a kick returner last year, and either Williams or Brown returns to 1,000-yard rushing status, the offense should be more effective. The Dolphins could be a decent team defensively, too, even without Taylor.
Overall, Miami doesn't have a bad lineup, and could surprise a few teams. It would have been a more outlandish notion to predict a 1-15 record for the Dolphins last year, than it would be to predict a turnaround this year, because the addition of Pennington, the re-energizing of Williams, the return of Brown, and the drafting of Long makes this quite a different group than the one that just missed ignominy last season.
Still, a wildcard berth seems unlikely. The Dolphins have a realistic shot at seven or eight wins, and that would be a good first step on the rebuilding ladder.
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