It is now Wednesday and Dolphin fans everywhere have had time to allow last weekends tremendous victory over the New England Patriots to sink in. I said last week that Joey Porter foolishly opened his mouth and let spew some tongue in cheek smack talk about the Patriots, and I stand by my criticism of Porter. The fact still remains that Joey Porter is not the same player he was in Pittsburgh, he in fact hasn’t been for awhile and his parting with Pittsburgh was partially (if not entirely) based upon lower performance.

By no means do I wish to belittle the effort our Fins put in this past weekend. The coaching staff put together a masterful gameplan and the players executed it to perfection. That being said, Miami fans need to temper their enthusiasm with some perspective.

First off, this was the New England Patriots WITHOUT Tom Brady. From the moment Tom Brady went down in week 1, anyone watching Cassel take over in that game and in week 2 could tell this team was not going to be the same without him. Porter was right, Cassel is no Brady and that offense in New England was built for Tom Brady. The Patriots are tailored perfectly for Tom Brady to run that offense and the Dolphins defensive pressure and presence proved that on Sunday.

Secondly, the Dolphins blew the doors off the New England defense, a defense that was in question from the start of LAST season. Not only has the Patriots defense not infused themselves with young talent, they have let what young talent they did have go, most notably Asante Samuel. Bruschi, Vraebel, and Harrison are not the same spring chickens that started this Patriots dynasty in 2001, but they are going to be around to see it fall apart.

All these things taken into consideration, the Miami Dolphins made good strides in beating the Patriots in Foxboro last weekend. Porter still should have kept his mouth shut, but for now he gets to live on having survived his comments. His time will come though when he makes more stupid remarks. The important thing for the Dolphins to focus on is Tom Brady or no, this Patriots team still had Randy Moss and Wes Welker and those two were not allowed to have a field day. The Dolphins applied the lessons learned a week earlier facing Fitzgerald and Boldin in Arizona and kept a lid on Moss and Welker. 1-2, not a bad position to be in, now its time to build on it!

Break out the champagne, the Miami Dolphins have won a football game. But they didn’t just win A football game, and they didn’t just eek out a victory either. The Dolphins traveled up to Foxboro, Massachussetts and dominated the New England Patriots 38-13 in a game that was never really close.

The Dolphins came out firing from the coin toss and took it to the Patriots from all angles and stopped the 21 game (regular season) winning streak of the Patriots. It is hard to single out one part of the team that did its job well, so I’ll just quickly break down all facets of the Dolphins’ game.

The offense looked like no Miami offense has in recent memory. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams had all the room in the world to run and took advantage. Williams ran 16 times for 98yds, but it was Ronnie Brown who had a breakout day. Brown ran the ball 17 times for 113yds and 4TDs! He didn’t stop their though, tossing a 19yd TD pass in the 2nd half.

Chad Pennington was not spectacular, but certainly effective. Pennington was 17/20 for 226yds with 0TDs and 0INTs. Anthony Fasano continued to be his favorite target catching 3 passes for 66yds. Greg Camarillo had 4 for 60yds and Ted Ginn Jr had 5 for 49yds.

And then there is the defense and Joey “Big Mouth” Porter. Despite rediculously stupid comments late this week, Porter and the Dolphins managed to back them up absolutely stuffing the New England offense all day. Porter finished with 5 tackles, 1 assist, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Today’s dominance over the Patriots leads one to ask, where has this team been all season? This Patriots team was able to beat a New York Jets team we could not. The Dolphins were absolutely embarassed by the Arizona Cardinals last week. Now they come out and overpower the Patriots on their home field, what is going on? One can only hope that the team has started to figure out what it can and cannot accomplish in a game. Sparano is likely also figuring out what plays his offense is capable of running. Whatever it was, the Dolphins need to very carefully watch tape of todays game all week, make notes, and continue for the rest of the season what they did today.

The Dolphins proved today that they can play well this season, I remain confident that 8-8 is not outside their capabilities. They could have beaten the Jets week 1, and nobody is perfect as the Arizona game proved. If the Dolphins can build on what they accomplished today, then a better record is possible this year.

Despite all the changes and promises of change during the offseason and preseason, it appears the nightmare of 2007 has extended into 2008. A new head coach, Bill Parcells in the front office, and a new quarterback just haven’t proven enough to fix anything and all the promises of a renewed franchise seem to be spiraling downward.

Sunday afternoon the Dolphins went into Phoenix and fell flat on their faces against the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona may end up making the playoffs this season, but don’t be fooled, it will be a result of them winning the NFC Worst, er West. Their division mates, Seattle, San Francisco, and St. Louis are a combined 1-5. That being said, the Arizona Cardinals are not an All Pro team headed for the Super Bowl. You wouldn’t have known that though as the Cardinals just destroyed the Dolphins.

Former stock boy Kurt Warner dominated the Dolphins secondary going 19-24 for 361 yards and 3TDs. The Dolphins on the other hand couldn’t move the ball through the air or on the ground against the Cardinals defense. Chad Pennington was a woeful 10-20 for 112 yds and was eventually pulled in favor of Chad Henne who was 7-12 and 67 yards and led the Dolphins on their only touchdown drive, an 18 play 89 yard drive.

Again this week the Dolphins receiving corps was pitiful. Hagan caught 3 for 51 yards, Camarillo 4 for 49 yards, and Ginn Jr 1 for 9 yards. Absolutely pitiful. Arizona, realizing they didn’t have a passing game to worry about, was able to stifle Miami’s run game just as the Jets were able to in Week 1. Ricky Williams ran 11 times for 28 yards and Ronnie Brown 11 times for 25 yards and 1TD.

The Dolphins’ defense wasn’t capable of playing any better than the offense. The secondary apparently forgot they had a game to play this week as they were picked apart by the 37 year old Kurt Warner and his WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Fitzgerald caught 6 passes for 153 yards and Boldin 6 for 140 yards and 3TDs.

Two things NEED to come out of this game. The Dolphins must, MUST, address their wide receivers and do it immediately. Clearly these guys are incapable of playing at a remotely professional level. Ginn Jr is suppose to be one your top WRs and he caught 1 pass for 9 yards?! Stop thinking you have what you need, Sparano and Parcells need to admit to defeat and sign someone ASAP. Also, give Chad Henne the ball. Put the kid under center and let him take his lumps. If the Dolphins are going to lose anyway, lets at least see what Henne can do in the process, who knows maybe he can help pull out a victory here and there.

If something doesn’t change soon, the Dolphins will find themselves watching more NCAA games on Saturday instead of tapes of their opponents in preparation for April’s draft and the #1 draft pick. Dolphins fans were sold a packet of “change change change” this offseason, its about time we see some!

Head coach Tony Sparano and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells are allowing their inflated opinion of their own judgment hold back the potential performance level of the Miami Dolphins offense. Despite the week 1 performance of the Dolphins’ offense, Sparano and Parcells refuse to admit that the trio of Ginn Jr, Camarillo, and Hagan just aren’t sufficient enough talent to provide a potent passing game.

It was clear to me as I watched on Sunday, and I would imagine clear to all, that the aforementioned trio just aren’t talented enough to strike fear into an opponent’s pass defense. Pennington completed 26 passes last Sunday, and only 5 of them were to Camarillo and Ginn Jr. Hagan didn’t even see action on the field. 12 passes were caught by TEs Anthony Fasano and David Martin. RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined to catch 6 passes. The Dolphins’ offense is not going to click until they have a passing game that can be effective.

To be fair, the team did make a WR move this week. Derek Hagan was moved to the #1 WR position, despite not playing next week. Is it really that hard for Sparano and Parcells to admit that perhaps they were wrong? Perhaps their faith in Ginn Jr, Camarillo, and Hagan is misplaced? It is silly to continue believing that outside help isn’t needed. There are talented WRs out there that are jobless right now. Terry Glenn, Joe Horn, Eric Moulds, Chad Jackson, and even Koren Robinson are all out there to be had, each of them (Chad Jackson aside) brings more talent to the team than any of their current WRs.

Chad Jackson would be a fabulous pick up, he’s young and extremely talented with a brighter future than Camarillo and Hagan, though he wouldn’t be adding any experience. I’ve already discussed the benefits of bringing in either Glenn or Horn, Eric Moulds would bring the same excellent ability and veteran presence to the WR corps. Robinson would be the last on my list, but in a pinch I’d give him a shot.

In the end, Sparano and Parcells need to take their heads out of the sand. Their current 3 WRs just can’t get it done well enough to help the Dolphins offense. Without a decent passing game and some WRs that are legitimate deep threats, teams will just continue to stackk 8 in the box and deny Williams and Brown the room to run. Adding legitimate talent at WR will be the key to balancing the Dolphins offense and giving it the opportunity to flourish. Sparano and Parcells, STOP WAITING! Your guys aren’t going to turn it around in the blink of an eye, outside help is needed.

Well, the first game is in the bag. The Miami Dolphins officially began their 2008 campaign against the New York Jets and lost. How will this new campaign that sees new management in the front office, a new head coach prowling the sidelines, a new QB, and a fresh look to the defense with the departures of veterans Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas do this season?

First, lets look real quick at the Dolphins schedule this year, then we’ll break it down and make a prediction as to how the Dolphins will fare this season.

Week1 - New York Jets (lost), Week2 - @ Arizona, Week3 - @ New England, Week4 - BYE, Week5 - San Diego, Week6 - @ Houston, Week7 - Baltimore, Week8 - Buffalo, Week9 - @ Denver, Week10 - Seattle, Week11 - Oakland, Week12 - New England, Week13 - @ St. Louis, Week14 - @ Buffalo, Week15 - San Francisco, Week16 - @ Kansas City, Week17 - @ New York Jets

Now, lets break this schedule down a little. The most interesting game for a number of reasons was the first game of the season. New Dolphins QB Chad Pennington faced his old team roughly 4 weeks after being cut by the Jets. The Dolphins have it tough though in their own division and will likely finish 3rd or 4th, depending on how they handle Buffalo who could be worse than the Dolphins. Even though Tom Brady went down, the Patriots are still the favorite in the AFC East with their deep roster. As for outside the division, within the AFC, the Dolphins have tough tests as they face Denver, San Diego, and Houston. However, they also face Baltimore, Kansas City, and Oakland outside their division, within the AFC, teams they are capable of beating. The Dolphins drew a tough NFC division to face as they will meet up with Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis, and San Francisco. The 49ers are the worst of that group, but Seattle is returning to the form which saw them make the Super Bowl following the 2005-2006 season. Arizona and St. Louis are not slouches either.

The biggest hurdle the Dolphins will face in their season is getting their offense moving. Despite losing Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, the defense will still be a decent one. The rushing game will be very potent, but the Dolphins continue to turn down possible free agents and stubbornly insist they are set at WR. The passing game is the biggest question mark, and in the end will probably hamper the Dolphins season, barring a change in attitude from management.

In the end, my feeling is (and you may call it a push as its not really a bold prediction) the Dolphins, assuming all stay healthy are capable of bouncing back this season from last years horrors and go 8-8. I believe they can sweep Buffalo, split with the Jets, and will likely be swept by the Patriots. The Dolphins will likely struggle against San Diego, Houston, Denver, Seattle, and St. Louis, but can certainly beat Arizona, Oakland, San Francisco, and Kansas City. 8-8 isn’t enough to make the playoffs in the AFC, not even close in fact. However, for a team coming off a 1-15 season and with a lot of change taking place, 8-8 is nothing to sneeze at. Time will tell!

Well, game 1 of the 2008 season is in the books, and for the Miami Dolphins it is clear that there is still a lot of work to be done. The Dolphins attempted a late comeback, but fell short losing to Brett Favre and the New York Jets 20-14 at Dolphin Stadium today.

It is hard to decide where to start in critiquing the effort of the Dolphins today. Lackluster and sputtering are probably the two best ways to describe the game from a Dolphins perspective. The offense sputtered horribly until late in the 4th quarter, the play of the WRs was downright awful, and the running game failed to deliver.

Even though the Dolphins lost, I would have to say the defense did its part in this game. Brett Favre came out firing on all cylinders, and has the targets to pick apart opposing defenses, but the Dolphins hung in there. One thing was clear throughout the game, the DBs for the Dolphins could be the strength of the defense as the season progresses. The DBs did a good job of sticking to their men and Will Allen in particular was right there every time the ball came toward his man. The run defense is of some concern as it was there at times and non existent at others.

Chad Pennington looked very shaky in his debut for the Dolphins. He will no doubt want to forget his 1st half in a Dolphins uniform as he went 7-14 for 63 yards. He had all kinds of trouble finding his WRs, only 1 of his 7 first half completions were to WRs. Tight Ends David Martin and Anthony Fasano caught passes, as did Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown out of the backfield.

Speaking of the running game, it was a tough day for Williams and Brown. The lack of an effective passing game allowed the Jets to stack 8 men in the box most of the afternoon and stifle Williams’ and Brown’s attempts to get going. Both backs were strong when they got the ball, but only managed 23 and 24 yards respectively on a combined 16 carries. The offense will need to develop at least some passing threat to give these guys a little daylight to exploit, they can still carry this team.

That leaves the WRs, their performance can best be summed up as ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC. Clearly the biggest question mark entering the season, head coach Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells continued to insist they were fine with the WRs they had and would only consider signing someone if injury or poor performance persisted. Ginn Jr, despite progress in route running during camp, was awful in his routes today often putting himself in the wrong position or allowing the DB to get between him and the ball. Hagan did not catch a single ball, and Camarillo had the “best” performance with 3 receptions for 37 yards.

My belief that the Dolphins were capable of going 8-8 this season may look bleak at this point, but if Parcells and Sparano can put their egos aside and go looking for a quality WR, the passing game can improve, opening the holes for Williams and Brown. The defense will hold its own and keep the team in games, but the offense needs to wake up soon, or the Dolphins will find themselves paying close attention the NCAA football again this year in preparation for the #1 pick in the draft next April.

Even when Chad Henne is solid in practice and preseason games, he usually gets an earful from head coach Tony Sparano. Sparano and his coaching staff have been in Henne’s ear each time he comes to the sideline, whether he just led a touchdown drive or threw an interception. This tough love though is key to keeping Henne grounded as a rookie in the NFL, and will likely shape him into a better QB when the day comes for him to ascend to the starting role.

Tough love and a cold shoulder are nothing new to Chad Henne. In his 4 years as the starter at Michigan, Henne was coached by the less than huggable Lloyd Carr. Carr wasn’t exactly known during his time at Michigan to be the loveable Father/Grandfather figure and demanded a lot of his players. Sparano and the new regime in Miami are very similar and so far Henne handles it just fine.

Case in point, during Thursday’s final preseason game, Henne was outstanding going 16-20 for 137 yards and a touchdown, solidifying the #2 QB position for the Dolphins this season. Despite a solid outing, each time Henne came to the sideline, Coach Sparano was in his ear.

Often times rookies enter the NFL and believe they are going to be the next big thing, take the league by storm. Half of these players fail to ever deliver and the majority of the rest show flashes of brilliance, but don’t deliver over the long run. For a QB that has already proven mentally strong enough to take it, a little more tough love won’t destroy the morale or determination of Henne. It can only serve to keep him grounded and prepare him for the day he ascends to the starting position and leads his franchise.

As the NFL free agent period began this off season many Dolphin fans expected certain and drastic changes. However, the changes were to the surprise of many Dolphin fans. Before free agency, it was almost a fact the Dolphins would address several areas:

1. The secondary; one of the worst in the NFL, the Dolphins were expected to be in the running for top free agent Asante Samuel. Not only did the Dolphins not pursue him, they didn’t add much to the secondary either in free agency or the draft.

2. The linebackers; with the release of Zach Thomas the Dolphins were sure to draft or sign a big name linebacker. While the Fins did sign several solid linebackers to add depth and contribute on special teams, they did not bring in a big name. Instead they felt they would also address this with in house talent, Channing Crowder and Joey Porter.

3. The Wide Receivers; a glaring need the Dolphins needed to improve on quickly. The only free agent signing of relevance was Ernest Wilford, who appears to be on his way to the free agent ranks once again. The Dolphins didn’t even address this need in the draft and still managed to find a potential diamond in the rough. Davone Bess has impressed in camp and in the preseason and appears to not only have won a roster spot, but perhaps the 3rd receiver spot as well. The 3rd receiver will be crucial to the Dolphins because they will give Ted Ginn Jr. plays off after returns.

Then there were the areas that didn’t seem as critical for the Dolphins to address, but they actually focused on more.

1. Offensive line; One strength the Dolphins did have last season was the running game despite the injuries to Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. However despite the success the new Dolphins front office wasn’t impressed and added 3 new starters, including 1st overall pick Jake Long, and free agent Justin Smiley. The two biggest contracts of the off season for the Dolphins went to the left side of the offensive line.

2. Running backs; Truly the Dolphins strength last year, and the one area people knew wasn’t going to be touched, the Dolphins have actually made several moves. Lorenzo Booker who was expected to fit perfectly as a 3rd down back was traded just before the draft and the Dolphins used 2 draft picks on tailbacks.

3. Kicker; Jay Feeley had a solid year last year. But an early camp injury and the emergence of free agent rookie Dan Carpenter lead to Feeley getting the ax after the 1st preseason game.

So the fins needed to make changes, but they went a different route. Areas of strength were reevaluated and in most cases revamped. The moves they made this off season certainly were a surprise, the signings, trades and the draft. But among the confusion of sports reporters and fans you can see a method to the madness. Let’s just hope it equals wins, and not more madness.

On Monday the Miami Dolphins officially named Chad Pennington their starting quarterback for the 2008 NFL season. Pennington, after just two weeks as a Dolphin, will get his first regular season start in teal against his former team, the New York Jets on September 7th.

Pennington has done a lot in his 2 weeks in camp. He has brought a new confidence to the team, on both sides of the ball. Pennington, although not spectacular, is a solid and dependable QB. The Dolphins haven’t had the luxury of such a player at the QB position since Jay Fiedler was at his best in 2002. Offensive players on this current Dolphins team have never played with a QB this good and it is inspiring confidence in the offense and spurring on the defense to match their counterparts. Clearly Pennington’s arrival has had a positive effect on this team, which for now is his team.

Pennington won’t have a very long leash though, as he’ll need to prove from the get go that he is still a top tier QB if he wants to keep his job in Miami. For all the success he’s experienced in his two weeks in camp so far, his age and the injuries that have caused advanced wear and tear on his body mean that Pennington may not (and probably will not) be the long term answer for this team. This is Pennington’s team for now, but waiting in the wings is the continually impressive Chad Henne who makes strides week in and week out in camp. Don’t be surprised to see the youngster half way through the season if Pennington stumbles. One would think if the Dolphins hit the half way point and are .500 or worse, Chad may replace Chad.

It is unmistakable, there is a new aura surrounding the Miami Dolphins these days. After decades of determined and strong willed rule by Don Shula, the equally tough and determined Jimmy Johnson arrived in Miami in 1996. The last time the Dolphins were on track was under the rule of these two legendary coaches.

However, Shula and Johnson left with the 90’s, and the 2000’s ushered in a change in the aura of the organization. First came Dave Wannstedt, a nice guy but utterly disrespected and mocked by his own players behind his back in the locker room. The Dolphins initially prospered under Wannestedt going 11-5 in 2000 and 2001 but were blown out in the playoffs both years. The following seasons saw the Dolphins go 9-7, 10-6, and 4-12 missing the playoffs all 3 seasons.

Then came Nick Saban. Saban led the Dolphins to 9-7 and 6-10 seasons. Saban came in with the outward appearance of a coach that would be tough on his players, but it turned out the tactics that worked well for him in the NCAA ranks, were useless when applied to NFL players and Saban returned to the college ranks after two seasons.

And then there is the Cam Cameron era, so to speak. In one season in Miami, Cam Cameron was a disaster. He was completely disrespected, lost the faith of his players, and even his direct orders to players were ignored. The team finished 1-15.

Then Bill Parcells arrived in Miami late last season. Parcells’ arrival marks the return of a strong willed leader not seen in Miami since Shula and Johnson. For better or worse, Parcells is exercising his power and sending the message that Dolphins’ players can either get on board with his plan or hit the road. His tenure so far has seen the departure of beloved DE Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas. Jay Feely was the latest player to meet the guillotine in the Parcells era. Despite setting the club’s single season field goal percentage record, converting 21 of 23 field goals, Feely was cut earlier this week. Head Coach Tony Sparano put it bluntly, Feely’s performance in training camp wasn’t even close to that of his competition, undrafted rookie free agent Dan Carpenter.

The combination of Bill Parcells’ iron will and Tony Sparano’s blunt approach could be just what the Dolphins need to change the direction of the organization. There have been unfortunate casualties under this new regime, such as the conflict between Parcells and Jason Taylor that saw Taylor wind up in a Redskins uniform. In the end however, the determination of this new regime is likely to see the Dolphins return to their former glory.