Inside - Scout.com

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Inside - Scout.com

Volume 37, Number 6 • November 8, 2008 (951) • $4.95
Inside:
■ Porter on remarkable roll
■ Ronnie Brown carries on
■ Huge win over Bills
■ Next: Denver, then Seattle
from the EDITOR
Andy Cohen
Ginn silences the critics
Wide receiver finally looks like the ninth overall pick
in the draft in his breakout game
You can point to an assortment of factors as the reason the Miami Dolphins feel good again. You can dissect
the dominance of Joey Porter, the uncanny accuracy of
Chad Pennington and the best performance of the season by the defensive backs.
But if you’re looking for one player to validate the
third victory of the season — 25-16 over Buffalo — look
no further than Ted Ginn Jr.
Yes, that Ted Ginn Jr. The one who had yet to prove
he was worth the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft.
The Ted Ginn Jr. who was supposed to put the big play
into this offense, but instead seemed to be going bust.
Until this scintillating victory over the Bills.
This was Ted Ginn’s coming-out party. No doubting
it. Whenever the Dolphins needed to make a statement,
it seemed as if Ginn’s play was doing the talking. He was
big time. He was showtime. He was about time.
Seven catches for 175 yards. Each one had its own
special meaning. The Dolphins were down 16-7 in the
third quarter and looked like a spent football team.
Then Ginn goes 64 yards off a crossing pattern, the
Dolphins get a field goal and there is hope. The
Dolphins need a crucial first down midway through the
fourth quarter and Ginn leaps high to pull down a 12yard catch on a drive that produced a game-clinching
field goal.
“I’m so proud of Ted Ginn,” said Coach Tony
Sparano. “He showed us all something out there.”
The plan was to be aggressive against the team with
the best record in the AFC East. Aggressive on defense.
Aggressive on offense. Aggressive in everything the
Dolphins did. Sparano issued that challenge the night
before the game.
First offensive play: Pennington throws a deep pass
to Ginn. It is slightly underthrown. Ginn goes up high
and outfights the defensive back for the catch. Forty-six
yards. The aggressive tone was set. “A tough, tough
catch,” Pennington said with admiration.
The significance of Ginn’s performance cannot be
overstated. A legitimate big-play threat in the passing
game could mean everything for this offense. It could
take the pressure off the running game. It could open
things up for the tight ends. It could make Pennington
that much more efficient.
Even after disposing of New England and San Diego
earlier this season, you can make a case that this was the
most important victory to date. The Dolphins had
dropped two in a row. Confidence had to be wavering.
It was imperative to recapture a season that seemed to
be slip, sliding away.
To beat the Bills, who had won five of their first six,
to do it after falling behind 16-7 in the third quarter, to
come up with four turnovers, to get such a huge per-
Ted Ginn Jr.
soared to
new heights
in the victory
against Buffalo.
Digest Photo/MICKI LEWIS
formance out of Porter, to score 18 straight points to seal
the deal, this was so important in the maturation of a
football team.
But I’ll still rate Ginn’s performance above all the others — as much for tomorrow as today. We all had our
doubts. Receivers, as much as any other position, are
supposed to provide an immediate impact. Through the
first 22 games of Ginn’s pro career, he truthfully had
hardly made anyone take notice.
But Game 23 changed everything. Now we know
what he is capable of doing. Now, the bar is set. Now,
Ginn finally has something to build on.
Today, much more than last week or last year, the
Dolphins’ 2007 draft looks a whole lot better.
There is still much to know about this Dolphins football team, much to understand. As good as the Dolphins
looked in three victories, you can easily make the argument that the four games they have lost were to teams
not as talented as the three that they beat. Confounding,
to say the least.
But as midseason approaches, there are things we do
now know. We know this group isn’t talented enough to
keep making all sorts of mistakes and win games. We
know that Pennington needs to stay sharp and we know
that Porter can be the difference-maker this defense lost
when Jason Taylor went to the Redskins. We also know
that there isn’t a game on their schedule they can’t win.
Nor a game they can’t lose.
Perhaps the most mind-boggling aspect of the victory over Buffalo was that the Dolphins made the types of
mistakes that should, by all rights, have left them in the
loss column. Senseless penalties. A Ricky Williams fumble. A blocked field goal. Poor tackling. Why, at one
point, the Dolphins had Buffalo backed up on its own 2yard line and Jason Ferguson, of all people, jumped offsides. Ugly stuff indeed.
But there’s something about this Dolphins team that
you’ve got to respect. They don’t seem to get flustered
easily. There is a calmness about these players. Perhaps
it is due to Pennington’s leadership or Sparano’s determination. Whatever the reason, it is there and it means
so much in close games against quality opponents like
the Bills.
“We had to win this game,” Pennington said. “We
couldn’t put ourselves in an even bigger hole.”
So instead of harping on the mistakes, they let loose.
The defense kept coming, the turnovers kept mounting
and Pennington kept finding Ginn. It was almost as if
the Bills didn’t know what hit them.
“Ted Ginn,” said Pennington, “wants to be the guy.”
Now, at long last, he is well on his way. And the
Dolphins are a much better football team because of it.
November 8, 2008 Dolphin Digest 3
inside
on the cover
vol 37 no 6 november 8, 2008
(951)
Ted Ginn Jr. caught a 46-yard pass on the first offensive
play against Buffalo, and that was the start of his best
day as an NFL player.
Cover Photo/RICHARD C. LEWIS
story lines
12
In the running
Ronnie Brown is proving once again he belongs
in the conversation when it comes to the best
backs in the NFL
22
31
Game coverage
Revisiting the Dolphins games against Baltimore
and Buffalo
Answering the Bell
Safety is all the way back from his 2007 injury
and picking up where he left off
voices
3
Andy Cohen
Ted Ginn Jr. finally delivered on the promise that
followed his selection in the 2007 draft
7
Tony Sparano
Dolphins coach answers fans’ questions on
topics ranging from Patrick Cobbs, Joey Porter
and dealing with losses
Tight end David Martin goes up to catch a
pass deep down the middle in the game
against Baltimore.
25
Jim Mandich
The big victory over Buffalo showed the Dolphins
can play with any team in the league
Digest Photo/GARY I. ROTHSTEIN
30
Hank Goldberg
Two of former GM Randy Mueller’s signature
moves of 2007 pay big dividends vs. Buffalo
Go to Miamidolphins.com
for stories on Digest off weeks
Publisher THOMAS N. CURTIS
Editor ANDREW E. COHEN
Associate Editor ALAIN POUPART
Creative Director ARMANDO MATO
Photo Editor KENNETH KEIDEL
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Customer Service ALBERT GOMEZ,
MONIQUE DAW
Office Manager MARIA ESTEVEZ
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departments
9 Dolphin Digits
10 Dolphin Data
21 Progress Report
24 Players of the Game
27 Quotables
28 Dolphins Cheerleaders
34 Fins Focus
36 First-and-10
38 In the Community
39 Pop Dolphins
41 Dolphins roster
42 Around the League
44 Coming Up
45 Fans Speak Out
46 Parting Shots
next up
We are now in the twice-a-month cycle for
Dolphin Digest. The next issue of Dolphin
Digest will be published following the Seattle
game. That issue will be mailed on Tuesday, Nov.
11 and will include coverage of two games,
columns, features and special analysis.
coach SPEAK
Tony Sparano
I won’t concede anything
In this exclusive column for Dolphin Digest, Coach Tony Sparano answers questions from fans
on topics ranging from his goals for this team, to Joey Porter, to how he is affected by losses.
Q: You seem like a straight shooter, so let me
ask you a hard question. How long is this going to
take for the Dolphins to be a playoff contender
again?
Mary Hathaway
Chicago, Ill.
TS: I don’t know the answer to that question. I
really don’t have a crystal ball, so if I’m a straight
shooter I’m not giving you a straight answer that way.
But I would like to believe we will have a really clear
picture of that evaluation by the end of this season. I
don’t concede anything. We are trying to win as many
games right now as we can and that’s what we’re
doing.
Patrick Cobbs showed
the Dolphins’ new coaches
very quickly he possessed
the kind of qualities they
were looking for.
Q: Were you familiar with Patrick Cobbs
because he played his college ball in Texas, and
what is it about him that you really like?
Solomon Rodgers
Houston, Texas
TS: Yes, I was familiar with him. It’s hard not to be
in Texas, coming out of the school (North Texas) that
Patrick comes out of. You hear all about the massive
numbers he put up there. I got a chance to meet
Patrick here right away and I thought he was our
kind of player. He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s disciplined. He has all the qualities we look for. More
importantly, he does an efficient job with any assignment we give him. That is the type of player we want
on this football team.
selves in a position to win a lot of games here. Chad
Pennington has been playing very good football for
us and gives us a tremendous chance to accomplish
our goals. If we see a situation down the road where
we can get Henne into games, we will do that.
Q. Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan are both playing
pretty well as rookie starters. I understand that
Chad Pennington gives us a chance every game,
but isn’t there a point when Chad Henne deserves
to see whether he can play as well as these other
rookie quarterbacks?
Margaret Shandler
Miami, Fla.
Q: This season has felt like a roller-coaster ride.
Won’t we know that we have truly turned this
around when we see a consistent performance
week in and week out?
Bob Rawlings
Tampa, Fla.
TS: If there is a point, we haven’t reached it yet. I
certainly don’t want to think about it right now. We
are trying to still win our division, to still put our-
TS: Yes, I think so. That’s when you’ll know we
turned it around. But I see consistency in practice
every week. I see us getting better all the time. I see
Send Questions to Coach Sparano
From time to time, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano will be responding to your questions.
You can send us your questions for Coach Sparano one of three ways:
the players working hard consistently. We’ve given
ourselves a chance to win several games. We just
need to win some of these close games.
Q: The Dolphins spent a lot of the draft and
free agency trying to restock the offensive and
defensive lines. Is it safe to assume that those will
no longer be priorities in the offseason, and you
will instead focus on other areas?
Jeff Minter
Atlanta, Ga.
TS: We will focus on other areas, I’m sure. But the
offensive and defensive lines are areas that are important to us, and certainly we would not turn our backs
on that. We think that’s where the team is built.
Having said that, we know we have a lot of work to
do.
Q: How much self-scouting do the Dolphins
do? In other words, how often do you play the role
1. E-mail to [email protected] • 2. Fax to 305-477-1346
3. Mail to P.O. Box 526600, Miami, FL 33152
See SPARANO, page 8
SPARANO,
from page 7
of an opponent and really research your tendencies both on offense and defense?
Phil Andrews
Memphis, Tenn.
TS: Every week when we put a game plan together we self-scout ourselves from the previous three or
four weeks. We take a look at everything we do from
a tendency standpoint. We do this before we ever
finalize a game plan.
Q: Who usually is lined up covering Chad
Pennington in the Wildcat, and is there ever a time
when nobody is covering him?
Mario Rodriguez
Miami, Fla.
TS: There is never a time when nobody covers
him. They have respected him out there. Usually it’s
a corner that is out there defending him. They are
always accounting for him.
Q: How many times do you usually look at a
game tape following one of your games, and what
are the specific things you try to key on during this
process?
Sal Romero
Dallas, Texas
TS: Before I meet with my coaches, I have seen
that game nine times. I watch offense, defense and
special teams each three times. I try to focus the first
time on scheme, the second time on players, then I’ll
go back through the third time and look at specific
players. Maybe the first time around I’ll see guys do
things well or not do things well and I’ll focus a lot
more on that the third time around. I’ve always done
it this way. It’s important for me to understand what
every player on the field is doing.
Q: Channing Crowder does a lot of nice
things and makes a lot of tackles. I know consistency is important. But I keep waiting for him to
make game-deciding plays. Is that ability something that separates a good player from a great
player?
Lawrence Michaels
East Lansing, Mich.
TS: I think it is. The great players can take the
game into their own hands. I think Channing is a
very, very good player in our league. He’s on the verge
of being that kind of player. I’m encouraged at what
he has done and I think he is getting better and better every week.
Q: What were you guys able to do with David
Martin to make him a dependable pass catcher
when he was such a disappointment last year?
Eric Martinez
Portland, Ore.
TS: From the first day we showed up here, we
thought David Martin had receiving skills. A lot of the
credit goes to David. George DeLeone has done a great
job working with him on those skills. David Martin is
a talented kid. He’s athletic and likes to go up and get
the football. Maybe it’s a case of David being in those
positions a little bit more this season. I think that,
coupled with the fact that Anthony Fasano and him
work really well together, has made this pleasant for
David. We’re starting to see the best out of him.
Q: The one thing we all know about Ted Ginn
Jr. is he has tremendous speed; so why is it that
everything he catches seems to be a short pass?
John Sullivan
Chicago, Ill.
TS: Everything is always predicated on coverages. We had some opportunities earlier in the season, but things just didn’t work out. We knew it
would just be a matter of time before Ted broke out
and had a big game. We see the talent on the practice field and we all know how hard he works.
5
26
Former Cowboys
players on the
Miami roster
following the
signing of fullback
Lousaka Polite,
who joined Jason
Ferguson, Akin
Ayodele, Anthony
Fasano and
Nathan Jones.
64
4
— Consecutive games the Dolphins
had failed to score a touchdown on
their opening drive before Chad
Pennington hit Anthony Fasano with
a 2-yard pass against Buffalo.
— Ted Ginn Jr.’s 64-yard reception
against Buffalo was the longest by a
Dolphins wideout since Greg
Camarillo’s game-winning touchdown vs. Baltimore last year.
11
— Players listed as rookies on the current Dolphins roster, which
represents 20.8 percent of the 53-man roster.
46
%
— Ronnie Brown’s streak of games with at
least one rushing touchdown, which
was snapped against Baltimore. It left
Brown one shy of team record, shared
by four different players.
17
— The number of missed tackles by the
Dolphins defense in the loss to the
Ravens.
Polite
202
Ferguson
— Patrick Cobbs’ receiving yardage
total for the Houston and Baltimore
games, the third-highest two-game
totals ever for a Dolphins running
back. Terry Kirby has the two highest totals with 255 and 222 yards
in the 1993 season.
10.5 — Joey Porter’s singleseason career high for sacks,
which he tied against Buffalo (he
also did it in 2000 and 2005
with the Pittsburgh Steelers).
Ayodele
14
— The Dolphins record
for sacks by a linebacker, set
by Bryan Cox in 1992.
Jones
Digest Photo/RICHARD C. LEWIS
Fasano
24 — Number of sacks Porter
will record this season based on
his current pace, a total that
would break Michael Strahan’s
NFL record of 22.5. The Dolphins
franchise record is 18.5 (shared
by Jason Taylor and Doug
Betters).
The average third-down conversion rate by the
Baltimore Ravens in each of their last 10 victories
prior to the game against the Dolphins.
The exact third-down conversion rate of the Ravens
in their victory over the Dolphins. “A great indicator of
why we lost the game,” said Coach Tony Sparano.
7
— The Oct. 26 game against Buffalo
marked the seventh time that
brothers John (Dolphins longsnapper) and
Ryan Denney
(Bills defensive
end) have faced
each other. They
are the only active
siblings playing in
the same division.
5
Remaining opponents with losing
records left on the Dolphins
schedule with nine games left.
Those teams are Seattle, Oakland,
St. Louis, Kansas City
and San Francisco.
Safety dance
The Dolphins made changes in the secondary twice
in the span of seven days, and third-year player
Tyrone Culver was involved both times.
Culver, who originally joined the team a few days
before the start of the regular season, was released on Oct.
14 to make room for fellow safety Brannon Condren before
being brought back on Oct. 21 when the team released veteran Chris Crocker.
Signed as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason,
Crocker started the first two games at free safety before giving way to 2007 starter Renaldo Hill. Breakdowns in the
secondary contributed to the defense giving up three long
pass plays in the games against the Jets and Cardinals, and
Crocker was involved in two of those.
Culver became the fourth of 10 unrestricted free agents
signed by the team this offseason to be let go, following QB
Josh McCown, S Keith Davis and TE Sean Ryan.
As for Condren and Culver, both are considered special teams specialists. Condren was a fourth-round pick of
the Colts in 2007 and played eight games as a rookie. He
was claimed off waivers by the Rams on Aug. 31, 2008.
New fullback
The Dolphins went with a familiar
face when they needed to bring in a
fullback because of the injury sustained by Casey Cramer. Signed to the
active roster was Lousaka Polite, who
played 31 games for Dallas between
2004-06.
Waiver wire
To make room for Polite, the
Dolphins waived offensive tackle Kirk
Barton. The rookie from Ohio State
was then claimed off waivers by the
San Francisco 49ers.
Give him the ball?
After Keyshawn Johnson was spotted at the Dolphins’ training facility
four days before the Buffalo game, the
first question asked during Tony
Sparano’s daily media briefing was,
“So, Coach, Keyshawn going to be
active on Sunday?” Sparano chuckled
before indicating that Johnson just
stopped by to visit with, among others,
Bill Parcells. Johnson watched the
Dolphins practice and even chatted
with some of the team’s wide receivers.
Practice squad
Players keep coming and going
from the practice squad, with CB Will
Billingsley being re-signed and rereleased in the last couple of weeks.
The latest addition to the practice
squad is linebacker William Kershaw,
a first-year player from Maryland. The
other members of the practice squad
are WR Anthony Armstrong, RB Lex
Hilliard, G Matt McChesney, TE
Matthew
Mulligan,
LB
Rob
Ninkovich, RB Jalen Parmele and DT
Anthony Toribio.
Fine mess
LB Joey Porter was fined $20,000
for comments he made after the
Soliai suspended for one game
Houston game questioning why there was no
review of a fourth-quarter play when he hit QB
Matt Schaub’s arm and the ball came loose. The
play, which occurred on the game-winning drive,
was ruled an incomplete pass. ... WR Brandon
London was fined $5,000 for a hit on Ravens TE
Ethan Jones on a kickoff return despite not being
penalized on the play.
This and that
CB Andre’ Goodman was excused from practice the Thursday of the Baltimore game to deal
with a “family situation.” ... WR Davone Bess
got to keep the football after scoring his first
NFL touchdown in the Baltimore game, thanks
to QB John Beck. “Obviously that’s a rookie
mistake. I went back and threw it straight to the
refs,” Bess said. “All the boys came up to me
and said, ‘Man, what are you doing? You’re supposed to keep it.’ I got it, and that’s the big
thing.” ... The Dolphins were among the teams
who reportedly talked to the Lions about WR
Roy Williams before Detroit traded him to
Dallas.
The Dolphins could have used backup nose tackle Paul Soliai in the Baltimore game after starter
Jason Ferguson was injured, but he was unavailable
after being suspended by the team.
Soliai was suspended for one game for violating a
team rule. Both he and Coach Tony Sparano
declined to indicate the nature of the offense,
although Soliai did tell the South Florida SunSentinel: “I learned something. A lot.”
Injury Update
The Dolphins had to play most of the Baltimore
game without nose tackle Jason Ferguson, but he
was back in the starting lineup against Buffalo.
Ferguson, who sustained an oblique injury, didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was
able to go on Friday.
The only player who missed the Buffalo game
with an injury was fullback Casey Cramer, who
also sat out the Baltimore game because of a bad
ankle.
Against the Bills, CB Will Allen had to leave the
game after hurting his left knee but he was able to
return. The same applied to DE Vonnie Holliday,
who missed a few plays after getting poked in the eye.
Corner talk
A week after reports surfaced suggesting the
Dolphins were interested in former Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law, the team indeed added a cornerback.
But it wasn’t Law, but instead a player who spent
training camp with the team before being released,
Joey Thomas.
The 2004 third-round
pick of the Packers,
Thomas played 25 games
in his first two seasons in
the NFL, but was out of
the league in both 2006
and 2007. He did spend
time in training camp with
Dallas in 2007.
Thomas replaced on the active roster fellow cornerback Michael Lehan, who was placed on injured
reserve because of a hamstring injury sustained in
practice. Injuries had been an issue for Lehan since
the offseason workouts when he sustained a high
ankle sprain.
As for Law, he never signed with any team this
year after playing for the Chiefs in 2007, and word
out of Kansas City is he had clearly lost a step and
wasn’t the same player as he was in New England.
Digest Photos/RICHARD C. LEWIS
By ALAIN POUPART • Associate Editor
Ronnie Brown clearly has gotten a little excited about
throwing the football since his touchdown pass to
tight end Anthony Fasano in the Dolphins’ big victory
at New England.
carry average over the past two seasons also is among
the best in the NFL.
Brown also has been the driving force this season
behind the Wildcat formation, which has been so
productive for the Dolphins.
His ball handling and decision-making in terms of
where to run when his number is called are critical in
making the play work, and his performance in those
areas has been nearly flawless. And there was, of
course, that perfectly thrown pass — on the run — to
Fasano for a touchdown.
As impressive as Brown has been, though, there
seems to be this feeling that he still isn’t fully appreciated.
How else to explain a South Florida reporter asking Baltimore coach John Harbaugh before the
Ravens’ visit to Dolphin Stadium whether he felt
Brown was underrated.
The temptation might be to quickly point to
Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson for his record-setting
numbers from 2007; to San Diego’s LaDainian
Tomlinson, and dismiss his slow start this season
because of a nagging toe injury; to St. Louis’ Steven
Jackson, and cut him some slack for playing on a
mediocre team; to Dallas’ Marion Barber for his effectiveness in short yardage; or even to Philadelphia’s
Brian Westbrook for his versatility.
But a very, very good argument can be made for
Brown, who’s got in him a little bit of all the aforementioned superstars.
Brown’s production since the start of the 2007 season is as good as anybody else’s in the league when
evaluated on a per-game basis to take into account
his knee injury.
At the time he went down last October against
New England, Brown was leading the NFL in total
yards from scrimmage. This season, he ranks among
the league leaders in touchdowns. His yards-per-
See BROWN, page 17
Ronnie Brown had a streak of four games with at
least one touchdown, including his run against
San Diego (below) out of the Wildcat formation.
Digest Photos/RICHARD C. LEWIS and GARY I. ROTHSTEIN
So during a recent practice, Coach Tony Sparano
decided it was time — in his own unique way — to
set Brown straight: “I told him, ‘Don’t get confused. If
you’re a giraffe, you’re a giraffe. If you’re a horse,
you’re a horse. Just be the best at what you are.’ ”
His perfect 158.3 passer rating notwithstanding,
what Brown is, has been and apparently will continue to be is one hellacious runner.
The question of whether Brown was the best
choice with the second overall pick in the 2005 draft
no longer is relevant because it has been answered so
unequivocally.
It’s laughable, actually, to think that at various
times during Brown’s first two seasons in the league
there were many fans and media members who were
ready to label him a bust.
“I heard it, but I didn’t pay too much attention to
it,” Brown says now. “Obviously the standards that I
hold for myself are higher than what anybody else
would expect. For myself, I expect to be the best running back in the NFL. When I go out there, I
approach it that way. I attack the game that way.”
Those are lofty expectations, no doubt, that Brown
has placed on himself. But he just might be meeting
them.
Indeed, Ronnie Brown not only is the best running
back from the Class of 2005, he just might be the best
running back in the NFL — period.
from page 15
The question merely being asked was telling, as was Harbaugh’s
response: “I don’t know, I think everybody in the NFL knows he’s
pretty good.”
Brown’s game for the ages at New England made that pretty clear
for anybody around the NFL who didn’t already know about him.
But for Brown to take that next step, that step all the way to the
top, there’s something else he’s got to accomplish.
“I think to be the best running back, I think it’s consistency,” he
says. “I’ve got to reach that point. I’ve had a few good games while I’ve
been here, I’ve done some things performance-wise that were pretty
good, but I’ve got to be consistent and actually do it on a regular basis.”
Brown was establishing that kind of consistency last season
before he was injured. Heading into that fateful New England game,
he was coming off four consecutive 100-yard rushing performances
— the injury midway through the third quarter kept him from having a chance to match Ricky Williams’ team record of five straight
100-yard games.
Coming off a torn ACL, it seemed a given that Brown would get
off to a slow start this season. To make matters worse, he sustained
a thumb injury in the preseason.
Sparano said that the thumb injury might have been a blessing in
disguise because, by keeping him out of action, it forced Brown to
focus on rehabbing the knee during training camp.
Regardless, Brown’s performance early this season was even more
remarkable because it came less than a full year after a serious knee
injury. Other backs — Edgerrin James quickly comes to mind —
See BROWN, page 19
“I think to be
the best running
back, I think
it’s consistency.
I’ve got to
reach that point.”
BROWN,
BROWN,
GREATCALLS
from page 17
were nowhere near as effective the season after their
knee injury.
For Brown, that October day
in 2007 is a distant memory.
“What injury? Brown said.
“Like I said, I’ve been taking it
one step at a time. I feel pretty good health-wise. I’m trying to improve each week. I
haven’t even really been
thinking about it. It was what
Brown celebrates
it was. It’s unfortunate, but at
his fourth-quarter
this level you’re going to get
touchdown at
injured every now and then;
Houston.
it’s part of the game. For the
most part, I just try to go out
Photo/DAVE CROSS/
Miami Dolphins
each week and worry about
what I need to do.”
Make no mistake, Brown’s
return to form didn’t come
without some hard work.
Brown was a regular at the
Dolphins training facility
throughout the offseason, and
the payoff came when Brown was able to take part in
some of the final OTA practices in the offseason.
Through it all, Brown always maintained his
happy-go-lucky approach. That hasn’t changed since
the time he joined the Dolphins.
In fact, during the CBS telecast of the DolphinsHouston game, the point was made that Brown kept
smiling throughout his pregame interview.
“He has a good personality and is always full of
energy that way one way or the other,” Sparano said.
“He’s got a lot of life to him. He keeps it exciting out
there. He’s a pretty loose player.”
Call it a quiet determination, if you will.
Clearly, though, this isn’t an emotional, in-yourface type of player.
Maybe, just maybe, that’s why Cam Cameron decided last training camp to publicly announce that Brown
actually would have to compete with Jesse Chatman for
the starting running back job. Maybe it was Cameron’s
way of pushing Brown to reach his full potential.
Think about it. No disrespect to Chatman, who is
a decent running back in his own right, but think
about how absurd that notion is right now.
Cameron was serious enough about it that he had
Brown returning kickoffs in a preseason game last
year. That’s not something starting running backs do.
Well, say what you want about Cameron and the
job he did in Miami, but Brown busted out under his
watch. He went from a solid, dependable running
back to a bona fide superstar.
Brown admitted early last season that Cameron’s
move had provided some extra motivation, but he also
says there were other factors at play in his emergence.
“Sometimes it may create a little motivation when
people start to doubt you a little bit and your abilities
and things you can do as a football player,” he said. “If
you don’t respond to those things ... it kind of shows
Ranking the best first-round picks
in Dolphins history
1. Dan Marino |1983 | 27th
Best player in franchise history
2. Larry Csonka | 1968 | 8th
Hall of Famer
3. Bob Griese | 1967 | 4th
Hall of Famer
4. Bill Stanfill | 1969 | 11th
One of best pass rushers in team history
what kind of competitor you are and obviously I
pride myself on competing and I want to be a competitor. Stuff like that, for the most part you don’t let it
affect you but just use it as motivation. It could be a little extra motivation, but for the most part I think it’s
just experience and being at this level for a little while.”
When offensive coordinator Dan Henning was
hired to join the new staff, he made it a point to chat
with former running backs coach and old friend
Bobby Jackson to get the scoop on Brown.
“He unequivocally said that he thought Ronnie
was ‘the real deal,’ ” Henning recalled. “When Bobby
tells me something, I take it to the bank. I have taken
it to the bank since I met him in 1968. I asked him,
‘Why?,’ and he said, ‘Well, when we first started out
he was like this, he was like (that), but the guy when
we get on him, and he decides that he’s going to do it,
he works, he’s smart, he’s tough, he runs with authority, he can catch, he’s smart enough to do things.’
“Obviously, we’re doing more things with him than
just about anybody in the league is doing with a running back. Bobby was right on with that guy.”
Just like the Dolphins were right on when they picked
Brown in 2005. Just look at the other top 10 picks that
year, and you’ll see just how good a pick Brown was.
The list: QB Alex Smith (bust), WR Braylon Edwards
(explosive but drops a lot of passes), RB Cedric Benson
(bust), RB Cadillac Williams (always injured), CB
Pacman Jones (off-the-field issues), WR Troy Williams
(bust), CB Antrel Rolle (disappointment), CB Carlos
Rogers (good player) and WR Mike Williams (bust).
If the much-maligned Cameron deserves kudos
for lighting a fire under Brown last year, then the
much-maligned Nick Saban deserves kudos for
bringing Brown to Miami in the first place.
The Dolphins have been criticized in recent years
— and rightly so — for their poor draft decisions,
but this one was right on the money.
And looking better all the time.
5. T Richmond Webb | 1990 | 9th
Protected Marino’s blind side for a decade
6. RB Ronnie Brown | 2005 | 2nd
Moving up the list all the time
7. DT Tim Bowens | 1994 | 16th
Great run stuffer for a decade
8. DE A.J. Duhe | 1977 |13th
Versatile defender who also played LB
9. WR O.J. McDuffie | 1993 | 25th
Dependable receiver
10. G/T Roy Foster | 1982 | 24th
Two-time Pro Bowl selection
11. CB Troy Vincent | 1992 | 7th
Too bad he left as a free agent after
only four years
12. T Jon Giesler | 1979 | 24th
Underappreciated but consistent lineman
Progress
games 6-7
WHO’S HOT
• Chad Pennington came up with his first 300-yard
passing game with the Dolphins against Buffalo,
and he’s been pinpoint-sharp since a tough first half
against the Ravens.
• Joey Porter is on a remarkable roll. He had two
sacks against the Ravens and two against the Bills,
already tying his career high (10.5) after only
seven games. He also forced a safety against the
Bills, who at times had three blockers trying to
contain him.
• Ted Ginn Jr. had seven catches for 175 yards against
the Bills. It was by far his best game as a pro.
• Tight end David Martin has removed most of the
doubts that surfaced last season. He’s making some
excellent catches and clearly has the confidence of
the coaching staff.
• Cornerback Jason Allen saw extensive action
against the Bills, both on defense and on special
teams, and might have had his best game as a
Dolphin.
While Chad Pennington had another
strong outing against Buffalo,
former first-round pick
Jason Allen (32) might have had
his best game in a Dolphins uniform.
and MICKI LEWIS (Allen)
WHO’S NOT
• Nose tackle Jason Ferguson was injured against the
Ravens, and his absence proved costly. Then, against
Buffalo, he was flagged for a “no excuse” offside
penalty with the Bills at their own 2-yard line.
• Speaking of offside penalties, rookie defensive end
Phillip Merling was flagged twice against the Bills
on consecutive plays.
• Ricky Williams had what could have been a big
fumble against the Bills, but came back with some
nice plays later on.
• Rookie kicker Dan Carpenter has to get more distance on his kickoffs.
• The rushing defense continues to struggle and at
one point looked downright awful on Buffalo’s
touchdown drive to open the second half.
DEFINING MOMENTS
• Against the Ravens, Chad Pennington’s interception that was returned for a touchdown by Terrell
Suggs clearly turned the momentum in Baltimore’s
favor. It was a pass Pennington admitted he never
should have thrown.
• On the Dolphins’ first drive against the Ravens,
Pennington misfired on a pass to an open
W
hat now?
Anthony Fasano, forcing the Dolphins to settle for
a field goal. Against a defense like that of the
Ravens, you have to take advantage of opportunities like that.
• Against the Bills, Ted Ginn Jr. caught a 46-yard pass
on the first offensive play of the game, clearly setting the tone for a huge day.
• A Ricky Williams touchdown run with 1:15 left in
the third quarter put the Dolphins up 17-16, a lead
they would never relinquish.
• Joey Porter sacked Trent Edwards, causing a fumble
in the end zone that resulted in a Dolphins safety
that padded the lead to 22-16.
FIVE QUESTIONS
• Can Ted Ginn Jr. follow his breakout performance
against the Bills with more big games?
• Will anybody be able to slow down the pass rushing of Joey Porter?
• Will somebody step up to provide Porter some help
in that department?
• Can the secondary build on its best showing of the
season against Buffalo and put together some consistent performances?
• Can the Dolphins linebackers start playing better
against the run?
After going to Denver, the Dolphins have the following three games at home, all against
teams they can beat: Seattle, Oakland and New England. This is a crucial stretch of the
season with so many road games on the tail end of the schedule. If the Dolphins are going
to matter late in the year, they must string together some victories over the next month.
miami 25, buffalo 16
STORYLINE:
The Dolphins scored 10 unanswered points in the
third quarter to take a 17-16 lead, then made it stand
up by coming up with four takeaways and a safety in
the fourth.
TURNING POINT:
The secondary came up with its share of
big plays against Buffalo, whether it was
Will Allen picking off Trent Edwards or
Andre’ Goodman breaking up a pass
intended for Lee Evans.
The second of the takeaways came on an innocent-looking quarterback sneak by Trent Edwards on
third-and-1 from the Miami 33-yard line with the
Dolphins leading 20-16. When Edwards extended his
arms to get the ball as far as possible, even though he
already had gotten the first down, Joey Porter simply
yanked the ball out of his hands for the turnover.
Digest Photo/GARY I. ROTHSTEIN and
DOUG BENC/Getty Images (Allen)
IT WAS OVER WHEN:
The Dolphins got their third takeaway of the
fourth quarter, a Robert Royal fumble that was recovered at the Miami 32 with 1:44 left.
WORTH NOTING:
WR Brandon London’s 6-yard catch in the second
quarter was his first NFL reception. ... The Dolphins
improved to 3-0 when winning the time-of-possession battle. ... The Dolphins snapped a four-game losing streak against Buffalo. ... The Dolphins’ safety was
their first since Nov. 27, 2005 at Oakland.
STAT THAT STANDS OUT:
The Dolphins won despite rushing for
only 52 yards, their lowest total in a victory
since Nov. 19, 2006 when they beat
Minnesota 24-20 at Miami.
reportcard
QUARTERBACK: A
Chad Pennington was on the money all day; 22-for-30, 314 yards, 117.9 passer rating
RUNNING BACKS: C
The Dolphins couldn’t do much on the ground, although Ricky Williams had a nice TD run
RECEIVERS: A
Ted Ginn Jr. was the big story; every receiver caught everything that was thrown
OFFENSIVE LINE: BThe pass protection was solid for the most part, but there weren’t many holes opened in the running game
DEFENSIVE LINE: C
The Bills averaged 4.4 yards per rushing attempts; linemen committed three offside penalties
LINEBACKERS: B
THEY SAID IT:
WR Ted Ginn Jr.:
“We showed something today and
I want to play like this week in and
week out.”
DE Vonnie Holliday on the defense
coming up big after giving up a
touchdown on the first drive
of the second half:
“We settled down, bounced back, and
guys got it together. Four turnovers,
that’s what we needed at the time. Talk
about stepping up.”
Joey Porter was a difference-maker in the fourth quarter; Channing Crowder had a fumble recovery
Bills head coach Dick Jauron:
DEFENSIVE BACKS: B
“I tip my hat to the Dolphins, they’re a
good team. We thought that going in.
They played a solid game.”
Lee Evans caught seven passes for 116 yards, but Will Allen had a pick and Andre’ Goodman had two breakups.
SPECIAL TEAMS: BPorter’s safety was set up by a punt downed at a 3-yard line. Getting a field goal blocked wasn’t good, though.
22 Dolphin Digest November 8, 2008
baltimore 27, miami 13
STORYLINE:
Former Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron made a
triumphant return to Miami as Baltimore’s offensive
coordinator, as the Ravens racked up their second-highest point total of the season.
TURNING POINT:
The game was expected to be a low-scoring affair
and it was playing out that way midway through the
second quarter. But the Ravens scored two touchdowns before the end of the half, including one on
Terrell Suggs’ interception return.
IT WAS OVER WHEN:
The Dolphins were down by seven in the fourth
quarter when Baltimore converted a third-and-10
from the Miami 45-yard line. Three plays later, Willis
McGahee scored to make it 27-13.
Baltimore linebacker
Terrell Suggs broke a
3-3 tie in the second
quarter with his
interception return
for a touchdown.
Photo/GARY I. ROTHSTEIN
WORTH NOTING:
For the second consecutive game, WRs Derek Hagan
and Ernest Wilford were among the Dolphins inactives.
... The Dolphins lost despite outgaining Baltimore 359357. ... Dolphins rookie DE Lionel Dotson made his
NFL debut. ... Suggs’ interception return for a touchdown was the first against the Dolphins since Charles
Woodson ran back a Joey Harrington pick 23 yards for
Green Bay in October of 2006.
STAT THAT STANDS OUT:
After having only 25 yards rushing in the
first half, Willis McGahee rushed for 80
yards on 13 carries in the second.
reportcard
QUARTERBACKS: C
Chad Pennington had a good passer rating (92.0), but the pick-six was huge.
RUNNING BACKS: C+
Ronnie Brown was shut down, but Patrick Cobbs was a factor in the passing game.
THEY SAID IT:
Baltimore offensive coordinator
Cam Cameron on winning
at Dolphin Stadium:
The run defense suffered after NT Jason Ferguson was injured. McGahee ended up averaging 5 yards per carry.
“It was emotional. It really is. When
you give your heart and soul to
something and it doesn’t work out,
some of that pain comes back. But
that’s minimal compared to what it
was like for my wife and kids. I
guess that’s why maybe it is a little
sweeter.”
LINEBACKERS: C+
RB Ricky Williams:
The linebackers have to share some responsibility for the run defense problems. Joey Porter did have two sacks.
“It wasn’t like they came out and
they beat us up like Arizona did. I
don’t think that we brought enough
intensity and energy to get it done.”
RECEIVERS: BPennington passed for 295 yards, and there were no drops. TE David Martin had a big game.
OFFENSIVE LINE: C
Pennington was sacked only once but faced pretty consistent pressure. Few holes were opened in the running game.
DEFENSIVE LINE: D
DEFENSIVE BACKS: C+
Yeremiah Bell forced a key fumble in the fourth quarter, but Joe Flacco finished with a 120.2 passer rating.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Brandon Fields had a good day punting (43.7 net average); Ted Ginn had a 31-yard kickoff return.
vs. baltimore
JOEY PORTER
vs. buffalo
TED GINN JR.
linebacker
wide receiver
The Dolphins surprisingly had their
problems with the Baltimore offense, but
Joey Porter did his part when it came to
applying pressure on rookie quarterback
Joe Flacco.
Porter recorded two of the Dolphins’
three sacks in the 27-13 loss, and for that
he is the El Palacio Player of the Game.
Also deserving mention were RB
Patrick Cobbs, who had five catches for
64 yards; DE Vonnie Holliday, who had
seven tackles and half a sack; and TE
David Martin, who caught four passes for
71 yards, including a team-high 28-yard
reception in the second quarter.
The deep passing that so many fans
had been waiting for was finally there
against Buffalo, and the biggest reason
was Ted Ginn Jr.
Ginn caught seven passes for a careerhigh 175 yards, the ninth-highest total in
franchise history. Ginn started things off
with a 46-yard catch and also had a 64yard reception in the second half.
He is the El Palacio Player of the
Game.
Others deserving mention include LB
Joey Porter, who had two sacks, including
one that produced a safety, and a fumble
recovery; and QB Chad Pennington, who
threw for 314 yards and had a 117.9 passer rating.
mad dog’s TAKE
Jim Mandich
WQAM
Heavyweight performance
Dolphins show again by beating Buffalo that they can play
with the best teams in the league
The Buffalo game was just a lot of fun. Our fans
are winning-starved, championship-starved and they
deserve games like this. A thrilling win in our home
building.
The defense clearly was the story in the second
half. They had three takeaways, the safety, and Joey
Porter continues to play out-of-his-mind football.
He steals the football from Trent Edwards, beats
two blockers and knifes inside Jason Peter, an All-Pro
left tackle, makes the sack and creates the safety.
That’s what really turned the game our way.
Nice to see the two Allens — Will and Jason —
play well, including Will, who really gutted it out on
a bad knee.
Offensively, the story of the day was obviously Ted
Ginn. They could not cover him. Terrence McGee
looked lost in space out there. I think the Dolphins
recognized early on that McGee was injured and, like
sharks attacking the lame in the water, the Dolphins
went after him, and it was Ted Ginn making the big
plays.
Kind of understated in all of this was the play of
quarterback Chad Pennington. He’s just such a cool,
calm, collected customer who manages this team so
well. He was nearly perfect throwing the football, and
what else can you ask of him?
Looking at the way the Bills came out in the second half as they drove it right down Miami’s throats
for a touchdown to go up by nine, you’re thinking
you saw this the previous week when the Ravens
were here where they out-physicalled our guys up
front. But the Dolphins bowed their backs, they
showed a lot of toughness and resilience. They came
right back with a three-pointer thanks to another big
play by Ginn and then come back with another
touchdown to take the lead, once again with a Ginn
big play setting things up.
I think you have to feel really good about yourself
as far as where this team is right now. Look at the
Joey Porter’s sack of Trent Edwards that
produced a safety was part of another
tremendous performance by the linebacker.
teams you’ve beaten. You beat New England up there,
you beat a really talented Chargers team even though
they’re struggling a little bit right now, and you beat
a team in Buffalo that you could make an argument
rolls out one of the best 53-man rosters at least in the
AFC and maybe the entire NFL.
So after two losses in a row and a rough week
against the Ravens, you just wanted some validation
that this team was tracking and was on their way back
and we saw it in a resounding way. The Dolphins have
now demonstrated that they can play with the heavyweights in the National Football League.
Now, having said that, we all know that they are at
least one more cycle from where they want to be.
Another cycle of draft and another cycle of free
agency. But I think they show us week in and week
out, especially like a game against Buffalo, that they
have taken some really giant strides.
All in all, an afternoon that was all good for the
Miami Dolphins.
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“No, it hurts my brain to think about it. It’s
pretty complicated. I know interceptions
hurt it a great deal. Touchdowns help it a
great deal. I’ve had a perfect quarterback
rating before and I didn’t play perfect that
game, so it’s a little bit skewed.”
— QB CHAD PENNINGTON on whether he’s ever
looking at the quarterback passer rating formula
“I’ve never struggled against anybody like I struggled against him.”
— Baltimore LB TERRELL SUGGS on his impressions of
Dolphins LT Jake Long
“We’re talking about this man, what is he 22? He’s 30. Mentally,
he’s 30, emotionally, he’s 30. He is a man. He is not only physically
a man, he knows how to work, he knows how to practice, he’s not frivolous about anything and he’s strong. When something happens that
doesn’t fit, he doesn’t go in the tank; he analyzes it and gets better.”
— Offensive coordinator DAN HENNING on LT Jake Long
“I can easily tell you that if this is not the
smartest, this is as good a smart group as
I’ve been around on the offense in a long,
long time. We’re taking advantage of that,
we’re doing a lot of things.”
— DAN HENNING
“Muscular, kind of up in that rib, yeah, up in
that area. It’s nothing they can really put
their finger on, it’s obviously a muscle. He’s
got a lot of muscles up in there. Probably
pretty big.”
— TONY SPARANO on whether Jason
Ferguson’s injury was muscular
“I
don’t pay a lot of attention to it,
honestly. I kind of got my own
land to farm here. I’ve heard bits
and pieces and it’s not my business. It’s their business.”
— TONY SPARANO on whether he’s been
paying attention to the turmoil in Dallas
“What did we have to work with as players? You look at it and it’s clear — this
year we have a direction and a plan in place, and that’s largely attributable to
Coach Parcells and Coach Sparano. That’s a big difference in leadership.”
— DE VONNIE HOLLIDAY, responding to Baltimore coach
John Harbaugh saying that Cam Cameron did a great job
in Miami in 2007 “with what he had to work with.”
“You’re looking for me to get mad about that? Not going to happen.”
— LB JOEY PORTER on his reaction to Harbaugh’s comment
“If you need bulletin-board material to get you
going, you’re the sorriest player in the NFL.”
— LB CHANNING CROWDER
Kimberly
Hometown: West Palm Beach, Fla.
Years as a MDC: Rookie
Occupation: Advertising sales
Favorite Movie: “Dirty Dancing”
Favorite Song/Artist: Madonna
Michelle
Hometown: Miami
Years as a MDC: Four
Occupation: Student
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Song/Artist: Jessica Simpson
the hammer
Hank Goldberg
ESPN
Redemption Day
Big victory over Buffalo had Randy Mueller’s
moves stamped all over it
How about a nice round of applause for Randy
Mueller. Last year, when Randy was the Dolphins’
general manager, I spoke with him the Monday
morning following the selection of Ted Ginn Jr. as the
No. 1 selection.
“He’ll make a difference of 15-20 yards in field
position in the return game and if we can get the ball
to him, his speed will be a factor in the passing game.
He reminds me of Joey Galloway,” said the man who
drafted Galloway in Seattle.
Mueller also brought linebacker Joey Porter to the
franchise from Pittsburgh.
Now you see why.
Sunday, the pair led Miami to a win over Buffalo
… division-leading Buffalo.
Porter’s harassment of Trent Edwards led the
defense. He has 101⁄2 sacks in seven games and is on
pace to set the NFL season record.
Ginn’s seven receptions for 175 yards helped take
Chad Pennington over 300 yards, turning the tables
on the Bills, who have been torturing Dolphins secondaries for the last four years.
Mueller is in the Chargers front office now. In his
one year in charge during his tenure with the
Dolphins, maybe he knew more than the local
mouths, scribes and callers after all.
Yeah, Randy!
◆◆◆
As we hit midseason, this has been one full of surprises. Right at the top is what England got with New
Orleans and San Diego. While the Brits saw a great
game, although it was the total opposite of their football (soccer) as this had nothing but scoring (Saints
37, Chargers 32), they were expecting a possible
championship preview.
Rather, a pair of teams with sub-.500 records
showed up. It was a high-scoring game because the
Chargers have no pass defense.
It did have the drama of Drew Brees exacting
revenge over his former team.
But as opposed to the Euros sending their best
over to our horse racing Breeders Cup event, we did
not send our best over there.
Then, now that we have hit the halfway point of
this crazy campaign, just who is the best?
Was that a Super Bowl preview being conducted in
Pittsburgh this past Sunday when the Giants visited?
Most predictions had Dallas replacing the Giants
as the NFC representative next February.
But watching the Cowboys, even from a distance,
you saw early on that defense was not an abundant
commodity. Those who were closer saw the growth of
combustible situations.
Randy Mueller received
a lot of criticism in his
one year in charge
of personnel in Miami,
but two of his acquisitions
played major roles
in the victory over Buffalo.
Photo/DAVE CROSS/Miami Dolphins
Meanwhile, Washington emerged behind the leadership of new coach Jim Zorn and the mistake-free
quarterbacking of Jason Campbell to contend for top
prize in the NFC East.
Actually, the NFC has been fraught with surprises.
Carolina was not supposed to be this good.
Atlanta was not expected to contend with a rookie quarterback.
Kyle Orton has become a capable quarterback in
Chicago.
Minnesota was going to run away with the Black
and Blue. But the Vikings have quarterback issues.
Where could the Rams be if Jim Haslett was
coaching from opening day?
Still, the Giants are going to be a tough out, particularly when you look at their performance on the
road.
Where are the Dolphins?
Can we say that they have advanced from an automatic out to the Any Given Sunday category?
If Pittsburgh is going to be the AFC team, it needs
to get healthy. And find a two-minute drill.
Mystery hovers over San Diego and Indianapolis.
Those elements and the injury bug that also found its
way to New England.
Jacksonville was not expected to be in the loser
column at this stage, nor did people anticipate the
level of success achieved by Tennessee. They are for
real.
Among the other surprises were the 89 points put up
by Minnesota and Chicago when they played each other.
At random …
• Buffalo should have called Cam Cameron for
advice. Chad made a nice comeback after finishing
second to Joe Flacco.
• The economy being what it isn’t is bad news for
teams threatening to move elsewhere. For example, if
Wachovia Bank has no assets, there won’t be any
baseball teams moving to Charlotte.
• Brady Quinn will have to wait another week.
• Joey P. looks like a bargain at $32 million now
that he’s back in a 3-4.
• Back to the Steelers. When Big Ben goes against
teams that can pressure him, he will hold the ball forever, take too many big sacks and put his team out of
scoring range. Brees doesn’t do that.
• But just when you think New Orleans will go on
a run … at Atlanta post-bye.
• How about those 89 points?
• $1,000 for a Super Bowl ticket. $5,000 per ducat
seat license fee for Giants season tix. NFL owners
must be watching NFL Network over CNN.
• I don’t like to play the future schedule game, but
our favorite team, the one that this publication is
named for, could wind up at .500. And who wouldn’t
take that?
Thanks again to Randy Mueller.
And Bill Parcells.
By ALAIN POUPART
Associate Editor
Looking at Yeremiah Bell now, it’s easy to forget he missed
pretty much all of last season because of a torn Achilles tendon.
He’s making more than his share of tackles from his strong
safety position and living up to his reputation as a playmaker.
In short, Bell looks like that injury never occurred at all.
“Same old Yeremiah,” said fellow safety Renaldo Hill. “He’s
going to bring it every week, you’re going to see the intensity. He wants to go out there and play with all his might. He
gives the team all he has, and you can see it on every play.”
Bell gave everything he had in the offseason and training camp to get back to the starting lineup. In fact, there
were times he gave too much.
The new coaching staff was concerned at times about
Bell before the season began, but it wasn’t so much
because of his ability to come back from the injury.
Rather, it was because of how hard Bell was practicing,
and the fear was that he would hurt himself.
It was something Coach Tony Sparano told the
media and Bell himself.
“He told me to slow down, but at that point I
was just happy to be out there and I was having so
much fun being out there with the guys, I didn’t
pay too much attention,” Bell remembers. “It was
during the OTA days. I was kind of diving for some
balls that I probably shouldn’t have and I was on the
ground a couple of times and they don’t like to see guys
on the ground. But I felt that I had to show those guys that I
could still play and come back from this injury. When I came
back, I just wanted to be full steam ahead.”
Bell indeed has come all the way back, and he’s pretty much
picked up where he left off in 2006.
He reached double digits in tackles in the games against the
Jets, New England and Houston, and led the team in that category after seven games.
Bell also has recovered a fumble (in the end zone in the game
at Houston) and forced two others, including a key turnover
deep in Dolphins territory against Baltimore.
It has been, all things considered, a pretty good start for Bell.
“Yeah, I’m happy, but you’re always your worst critSee BELL, page 33
BELL,
from page 31
ic” he said. “I think there’s a lot of things that I could
do better. To this point, I guess I’m pretty happy. I’m
happy that I came back from my injury and I can
move and all that good stuff, but now it’s more along
the lines of making more plays and trying to do whatever I can to help this team win.”
Bell has been a solid player for the Dolphins since he
joined the team as a little-known sixth-round pick out
of Eastern Kentucky in 2003 — he’s been on the team
longer than any other current player drafted by Miami.
The only problem has been injuries. In addition to
2007, Bell also had his season cut short in 2003 and 2004.
Having dealt with injuries, though, gave Bell a
clear idea on how to attack his rehab from last year’s
injury, sustained in the opener at Washington.
“I’ve been through these situations before, a string
of bad luck,” he said. “All you can do is just try to get
through it, be as healthy as you can, and regroup.
That’s what I did. I mean, it hurt a lot, but at the same
time, what can you do? You just go out and rehab and
try and get back.”
Now that he’s back, Bell is looking to show the
coaches and front office they were right to re-sign
him this offseason when he was an unrestricted free
agent but now he deserves a long-term contract.
The Dolphins wasted little time in re-signing Bell
as a free agent last March, but they only gave him a
one-year deal. By comparison, free agent cornerback
Michael Lehan was given a four-year deal to re-sign
with the Dolphins.
“That didn’t really matter to me, because coming
off the situation I was in, I knew there wasn’t going to
be probably any deal for a couple of years,” Bell said.
“I would have been satisfied with a one-year deal,
whether I would have been here or somewhere else,
just for me to get back out there and prove myself.”
A published report suggested the Dolphins
approached Bell about a new long-term deal during
training camp, but the two sides couldn’t agree on terms.
Bell’s value will only increase if he can continue to
make plays in the secondary.
“He’s an awful explosive guy, as you can see,” said
defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni. “Everything
he does, he does 100 miles an hour whether it’s practice or the game. The guy’s got one speed and that’s
the way he plays.”
Maybe Bell has such determination because of his
background, which has been well documented. After
all, there aren’t many NFL players who worked for
two years after high school before walking on to play
college football — at a Division I-AA school, mind
you — and then moving on to the pros.
That’s why Bell wasn’t about to let a little thing like
a torn Achilles tendon keep him down forever.
“I always tell him, he should write a book after he’s
done or something because he definitely has a great
story that people need to hear or know about,” Hill said.
“He’s continued to make strides regardless of whether
he’s behind the 8-ball, it didn’t matter, he’s just going to
find a way for him and his family to be successful, and
that’s on and off the field. You can definitely look at
somebody (like that) as something to aspire to be like.”
Bell showed against Baltimore his knack for producing big plays when
he forced a Willis McGahee fumble in Dolphins territory.
THE DOLPHINS’ DRAFT CLASS OF 2003
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Round 1
— No pick
Round 2
— LB Eddie Moore, out of NFL
Round 3a — T Wade Smith,
backup with Chiefs
Round 3b — G Taylor Whitley, out of NFL
Round 4
— No pick
Round 5a — TE Donald Lee,
starter with Packers
Round 5b — WR J.R. Tolver, out of NFL
Round 6a — LB Corey Jenkins, out of NFL
Round 6b — T Tim Provost, out of NFL
Round 6c — S Yeremiah Bell,
starter with Dolphins
Round 7
— DT Davern Williams,
out of NFL
phillipMERLING
jasonFERGUSON
The fun-loving Ferguson has
given his coaches just what he
gave them in Dallas, and his
absence for most of the
Baltimore game was felt.
Defensive line
Status Report:
When the Dolphins switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4
defense this season, it meant that players better suited for
that system needed to be brought in and others already on
the team would be asked to fill different roles.
The Dolphins used the draft to get a couple of prototypical 3-4 defensive linemen, taking Clemson’s Phillip
Merling at the top of the second round and Hampton
University’s Kendall Langford at the top of Round 3.
Both of them have been able to make a quick impact.
For good measure, the Dolphins added another
defensive lineman in the draft, that being Lionel
Dotson from the University of Arizona.
The three rookies joined a group that included
three holdovers, veteran Vonnie Holliday and recent
draft picks Paul Soliai (2007) and Rodrique Wright
(2006). Holliday was one of those asked to play a different role, as he went from a 4-3 tackle to a 3-4 end.
Matt Roth and Quentin Moses, meanwhile,
went from defensive ends to outside linebackers in
the new system.
To get their nose tackle, the Dolphins traded for
Dallas’ Jason Ferguson, a tough-nosed veteran with
whom they obviously were very familiar. The offseason also brought in talented Randy Starks, who
had to learn a new defense after playing in
Tennessee’s 4-3 defense.
Bottom Line:
The main responsibility for defensive linemen in a 3-4 system is to do the dirty work
and free up the linebackers. It’s grueling
work that often goes unnoticed, and the
Dolphins defensive linemen have done it
pretty well overall.
A guy who really comes alive
on game day, Merling has
come on after a somewhat
slow start. Unlike Langford,
he didn’t play in a 3-4 in college. But he has the tools to
become a long-time starter in
the NFL.
randySTARKS
Starks wasn’t a high-profile free agent
signing, but he has become a revelation.
He has made more plays than any other
defensive lineman on the team.
kendallLANGFORD
Photos by DAVE CROSS and NANCY KERRIGAN/Miami Dolphins and RICHARD C. LEWIS
A rookie with tremendous promise, Langford’s experience in the
3-4 in college has helped him get
off to a fast start.
The others:
vonnieHOLLIDAY
In addition to his role
as a defensive end,
Holliday has lined up
at nose tackle at
times. He has been
solid as usual.
Lionel Dotson: A rookie seventh-round pick, Dotson
made his NFL debut in the Oct. 19 game against
Baltimore. He has displayed pass-rushing potential.
Paul Soliai: A fourth-round pick in 2007, Soliai has
made great strides after a rather disappointing rookie season.
Rodrique Wright: The former seventh-round pick
has been relegated to the inactive list so far this season, but he made his share of plays when he got
some playing time in the preseason.
This issue featuring:
Justin Smiley
beast in the weight room and he still holds the school record in hang clean with a
415-pound lift. He also was the two-time recipient of the team’s Sylvester Croom
Commitment to Excellence Award as well as the winner of the Mal Moore
Leadership Award in his final year.
Smiley, 26, grew up in the small town of Ellabell, Ga., with a population of about
2,500, but his mother, Terri White, drove him 30 miles each way to Brooklet so he
could attend Southeast Bulloch High School, where he became the only player in
school history to receive a Division I-A football scholarship. He also played defensive
lineman there and his jersey number 78 was retired by the school in 2006. Smiley’s
cousin, Dustin Ziegler, was an offensive lineman at Notre Dame and later in the NFL
with the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, and helped advise Smiley coming out of
high school and college.
One of the other highlights of Smiley’s time in San Francisco was meeting his current wife, Missy, who was a San Francisco 49ers cheerleader at the time, and the couple have a son, Justin Jr. The Dolphins guard is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys
hunting, fishing and camping in his spare time and he also started learning how to play
the drums last year.
Smiley discussed what it meant to him to be so highly sought after by Parcells and
the Dolphins in free agency, his impressions of Long so far, what it’s like playing for a
head coach who used to be an offensive line coach, and how serious of a drummer
he really is, among other things, during an exclusive one-on-one interview with Digest
correspondent Andy Kent for this installment of First-and-10.
When the Miami Dolphins' new regime of Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony
Sparano set out to rebuild the team starting in the trenches, the first brick they sought
out was left guard Justin Smiley, who had been a four-year starter with the San
Francisco 49ers. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Georgia native signed a five-year contract
with the Dolphins on the first day of free agency, a moment he considers among the
highlights of his career.
Smiley’s experience and leadership skills have been a natural fit alongside rookie
left tackle Jake Long, the first overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft, and he has been
driven to prove that the shoulder injury that cut short his 2007 season in San
Francisco is no longer an issue. In 2006, he was a key part of a Niners offensive line
that allowed running back Frank Gore to rush for an NFL-best and franchise-record
1,695 yards and eight touchdowns.
San Francisco drafted Smiley in the second round (46th
overall) back in 2004, making him the sixth offensive lineman taken, and coming into this season his 56 starts ranked third among that
group. He was a three-year letterman at the
University of Alabama and played for two
different head coaches (Dennis Franchione
and Mike Shula). At
Tu s c a l o o s a ,
Smiley was a
legendary
1
You signed with the Dolphins right after the start of free agency; how did
it feel to be pursued that aggressively?
It felt good, one because of the staff that they had here and I knew their
knowledge of the offensive line position, and it made me feel good to know that
they felt that highly of me.
2
What was it about the Dolphins that appealed to you?
A fresh start. A change of scenery. Being with this caliber of a coaching
staff and kind of coming back down south and playing down here, which is
closer to home, was nice.
3
You play next to first overall pick Jake Long; what can you tell us
about him that maybe the average fans can’t see on television or
from the stands?
How savvy he is for a rookie and how nothing really rattles him. He’s
played against some unbelievable pass rushers already this early in his career
and nothing gets him rattled. If he gets beat during practice or if he gets
beat in a game on a play he doesn’t get shaken, and that’s very rare for a
rookie because I remember my head was spinning when I was out there.
The guy’s special from that standpoint because he’s so collected and his
head’s in it.
4
You married a former 49ers cheerleader; can
you tell us how that materialized?
It was one of those things where we were going
through the program sitting before the game, messing
See SMILEY, next page
Photos/DAVE CROSS/Miami Dolphins
SMILEY,
from preceding page
around just amongst teammates and I saw a picture
of her and thought she was beautiful and wound up
seeing her out at a restaurant one night, and the rest
is history.
5
You hold a University of Alabama weight
room record; how much of a weightlifting
fanatic are you?
Not so much anymore. I used to love to get into it
and do those things, but after I had some shoulder
surgeries it really limited me, especially in the lifts
that I like to do, the Olympic lifts like cleans and
jerks.
The media guide indicates you started
6
playing drums last year; how good are
you, and is there a music career in your
future?
No music career, that’s for sure. Trust me. I’ve
always said that if I wasn’t playing football I would
love to be in a heavy metal band or something like
that. It would be awesome. That’s what I get into,
music and stuff like that, but I’m a novice. I can play
basic rock beats and stuff like that and it’s cool to
mess around if you’ve got friends who have guitars
and are good players and you can just play along
with them. But I better stick to football. I’ve got
friends that play guitars and I love to jam out with
them, but it’s very simple and very basic, that’s for
sure.
7
You’re the only player in the history of
Southeast Bulloch High (Ga.) to earn a
football scholarship to a Division I-A school;
how much pride do you take in that fact?
I take a lot of pride in it. I wish that I had more
of an opportunity to go back there and maybe soak
it up or go back there and watch them play in a
game or something like that. I just don’t get to go
back enough, but it’s definitely flattering, the type
of response that I get when I go back there. It
makes me feel good, but in the same token, that
was a different chapter in my life, so it’s time to
move on.
ing camp was tough. The in-season schedule’s unbelievably tough and there’s really no time to recover.
It’s the part about being a pro. You’ve got to take it on
yourself. During training camp I was (an ice tub
guy), but I’m not anymore. In training camp when
we’re having two practices a day, I’d like to.
9
If you were NFL commissioner for one
day, what one rule would you change?
That’s a really good one. If I were it for one day,
maybe all the fines that my teammates got the other
day, I’d go back and appeal them myself or something
and give them all their money back. I don’t like seeing people get their money taken. I can understand
unnecessary roughness penalties and stuff like that,
but if I were commissioner for a day I’d probably do
something like that. I’d give everybody their fines
back.
How long does it take your body to
8
recover after a game in the trenches, and
are you an ice tub guy?
10
The older I get the longer it takes, honestly. This
is year five for me and I remember being in college
and we could go out and party all night long and go
to practice and be ready the next night. Every year,
especially these practices now with Parcells and
Sparano, we work so hard. I mean, you thought train-
Signing here. That was the biggest deal for me.
There have been some big games and I played in
some awesome games in San Francisco, but this even
beats draft day, getting the opportunity to sign here
and then the couple of big wins that we’ve had so far
have made it even that much more enjoyable.
What has been the biggest highlight of
your NFL career so far?
Dolphinsin the community
Big reward
Dolphins players Yeremiah Bell,
Ernest Wilford and Ricky Williams were
joined by T.D. on their visit to
Sunland Park Elementary in Broward
County. They spoke to a deserving group
of kids who were selected based on
achievement and success in school.
The players spoke to the students about
hard work, sacrifices, and big dreams.
All of the students were thrilled
to hear from the players and
get their autographs.
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Money Edition
Channing
Anthony
Crowder
What did you do with
the first signing bonus
you received?
Fasano
Jason
Ferguson
Oh. I cashed all $6,000 and
looked at it because I’d never
seen 6 grand before. So I took
like $300 out and put it back in
there, so I could hand the teller
all those rolls and feel important.
I bought a dog.
A Rottweiler, the one
I've got now, "L.T."
I put it in the
bank. I didn’t
touch it.
What one thing have
you bought to really
spoil yourself?
A house. I never bought a house
before, so that’s pretty much
spoiling myself there.
I probably am overpaying for my
car. I bought a Porsche Cayenne
Turbo S and I like that, so that’s
my big-ticket item.
Who handles the
money in your family:
you, your wife or your
financial advisor?
Me. I don’t have enough money
to give to a financial advisor.
A financial advisor would laugh
at me if I gave him my money.
He’d say, “What do you want me
to do with this, put it in a sock?”
No wife and she wouldn’t if I did,
so it’s my financial advisor.
Vonnie
Holliday
My first signing bonus I immediately
went out and bought my mom a
new car and a house.
I bought some watches because
I’m a watch guy.
What’s the best gift
you ever bought
someone?
Who’s the cheapest
player on the team,
and why?
How much is the most
money you’ve ever
spent on a meal?
I bought my mom a truck.
Matt Roth.
He doesn’t
spend any money.
My rookie night with Zach and
Junior and all them, it was like
$9,000 at Prime 112. Out of my
pocket and I cried. I went to the
bathroom with tears rolling out
of my eyes when that bill came.
I bought my mom a dog and
I think she really enjoys that.
She gets a lot of pleasure out
of that dog.
I’m going
to go with
Matt Roth.
My rookie meal, including drinks,
it was probably around $3,000.
They got me down in Dallas.
I’m not a real big spender or a
flashy guy, but I remember
the first thing I did to spoil myself
was I bought myself a custom suit.
I handle the money. I oversee it.
But at the same time we all take
care of it, me, my wife and my
financial guy.
Of course you’ve got to bring up
your wife’s ring. When you
upgrade in money,
you’ve got to
upgrade the ring.
(Phillip) Merling is the cheapest guy
in here. He’s a rookie
and he doesn’t do
anything for us.
My rookie meal in New York
I spent about $2,700 or $2,800
and as a seventh-round pick
that was bad. That hurt. I mean,
that knocked me back my rent
because rent in New York City
back then was around $2,500.
It’s a combination of me and my
financial advisor, but I probably
need to get my wife a little more
involved because she’s a lot
smarter than I am.
The house for my mom. For me it
was definitely the best gift. To give
my mom a house
was huge.
Probably Jason Allen, surprisingly,
and it’s more so when it relates
to other people because he is
really tight when it comes to
money. You’d be surprised,
but he has to be the tightest guy
I know with money.
The good thing
about it was I was
in Green Bay my
rookie year, so
things were a little
cheaper up there,
so it was probably
$2,700.
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2008 Roster
(Listed numerically by position; as of October 26)
QUARTERBACKS
NO.
7
9
10
NAME
Chad Henne
John Beck
Chad Pennington
DEFENSIVE ENDS
HT.
6-3
6-2
6-3
WT.
230
215
225
EXP.
R
2
9
6-0
5-10
5-8
230
230
205
4
8
3
COLLEGE
Michigan
BYU
Marshall
RUNNING BACKS
23
34
38
Ronnie Brown
Ricky Williams
Patrick Cobbs
Auburn
Texas
North Texas
FULLBACKS
30
Casey Cramer
6-2
250
4
Dartmouth
5-10
6-4
6-4
5-11
6-2
6-1
190
210
225
180
215
190
R
1
5
2
3
3
Hawaii
Massachusetts
Virginia Tech
Ohio State
Arizona State
Stanford
6-4
6-8
6-4
255
270
265
3
R
8
Notre Dame
Maryland
Tennessee
310
315
300
310
325
350
305
320
305
320
2
R
2
5
2
5
4
R
R
R
Akron
Utah State
Hawaii
Alabama
Northwestern
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
Arkansas
Ohio State
Michigan
WIDE RECEIVERS
15
17
18
19
82
83
Davone Bess
Brandon London
Ernest Wilford
Ted Ginn Jr.
Derek Hagan
Greg Camarillo
TIGHT ENDS
80
81
88
Anthony Fasano
Joey Haynos
David Martin
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
57
61
64
65
68
72
73
75
76
77
Andy Alleman
Shawn Murphy
Samson Satele
Justin Smiley
Ikechuku Ndukwe
Vernon Carey
Evan Mathis
Nate Garner
Kirk Barton
Jake Long
6-4
6-4
6-3
6-3
6-4
6-5
6-5
6-7
6-4
6-7
NO.
70
71
90
91
94
97
95
96
Jason Ferguson
Paul Soliai
6-3
6-4
305
355
12
2
Georgia
Utah
HT.
6-6
6-4
6-5
6-5
6-3
6-4
WT.
290
290
310
285
305
290
EXP.
R
R
2
11
5
R
COLLEGE
Hampton
Arizona
Texas
North Carolina
Maryland
Clemson
6-2
6-2
6-2
6-3
6-4
6-5
6-4
245
250
245
255
250
260
275
7
4
5
10
5
2
4
Purdue
Florida
Auburn
Colorado State
Mississippi
Georgia
Iowa
5-10
5-10
6-1
5-10
6-1
190
195
200
185
195
7
8
3
5
3
South Carolina
Syracuse
Tennessee
Rutgers
Montana State
5-11
6-1
6-1
6-0
205
205
210
205
8
2
3
5
Michigan State
Troy
Fresno State
Eastern Kentucky
6-2
220
R
Montana
6-5
235
2
Michigan State
6-5
255
4
BYU
LINEBACKERS
51
52
53
55
56
74
98
Akin Ayodele
Channing Crowder
Reggie Torbor
Joey Porter
Charlie Anderson
Quentin Moses
Matt Roth
CORNERBACKS
21
25
32
33
41
Andre’ Goodman
Will Allen
Jason Allen
Nathan Jones
Joey Thomas
SAFETIES
24
28
29
37
Renaldo Hill
Brannon Condren
Tyrone Culver
Yeremiah Bell
KICKER
5
Dan Carpenter
PUNTER
2
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
NAME
Kendall Langford
Lionel Dotson
Rodrique Wright
Vonnie Holliday
Randy Starks
Phillip Merling
Brandon Fields
LONG-SNAPPER
92
John Denney
AROUND
the league
Catching up with former Dolphins players
Slow start for Booker
Chicago shockingly went into its bye in Week 8 as the highest-scoring team in the NFL, but wide
receiver Marty Booker’s contributions have been minimal.
Most NFL fans caught the
highlight of Booker turning a
short reception in the Oct. 19 game
against Minnesota into a 51-yard
touchdown, but that came on a day
when Booker earlier had dropped
two touchdown passes.
In Chicago’s first seven games,
Booker caught only 11 passes for 183
yards with two touchdowns. He failed
to catch more than one pass in each of
the first four games, and was shut out in
a Sept. 21 loss to Tampa Bay. At this pace,
he will set a new career low for receptions in a
season (he had 19 as a rookie in 1999).
Maybe worse for Booker, he’s been relegated to backup
duty after never starting fewer than seven games since 2000. Booker actually is
the fourth wideout behind Rashied Davis, Brandon Lloyd and Devin Hester.
Hits keep coming for Huard
Things went from bad to worse for Damon Huard in
Kansas City, and then they reached the worst stage.
His forgettable season came to an end when
he was placed on injured reserve a few days
after sustaining ligament damage in his
throwing hand in an Oct. 19 game against
Tennessee. Huard was hurt when his hand hit the helmet of a Titans defender after he threw a pass.
Huard was injured after coming in for starter Brodie
Croyle, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in
his return from a shoulder injury. Huard ended the
season with a 65.7 passer rating.
It continued a slide for Huard, who appeared two
seasons ago as though he would become one of those lateblooming quarterbacks. In eight starts in 2006, Huard had a
superb 98.0 rating while leading the Chiefs to the playoffs.
But after struggling in 2007 (11 TDs, 13 INTs in 10 starts) and
this year, his future in Kansas City is up in the air. He is signed through the 2009
season and scheduled to make $2 million in base salary next year.
To fill their need for a quarterback, the Chiefs signed former Jaguars backup
Quinn Gray, but not before they also had discussions with Daunte Culpepper, who
had retired but now is hoping to join a team for the second half of the season.
Welker still keeping busy
With Tom Brady knocked out in the season opener,
the New England offense hasn’t been nearly as explosive in 2008. But Wes Welker is still racking up the
catches.
In fact, Welker is on pace to match his 2007 total
of 112 catches, which tied for first in the NFL with
Cincinnati’s T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Welker has been so consistent,
he led the Patriots or tied for the team lead in receptions in each of
the team’s first seven games.
There are some differences between this year and last, though.
For one, Welker isn’t scoring as much. After catching eight touchdown passes in 2007, he had caught only one in the first seven games
this year. Welker’s reception average also has gone down a full yard, as
opponents are making Matt Cassel throw underneath on a regular basis.
Welker also hasn’t been used much on punt returns after handling the role in
2007, although he did have a 44-yard return in New England’s 41-7 victory over Denver on Monday
Night Football on Oct. 20.
In that game, running back Sammy Morris had by far his best game of the season when he rushed
for 138 yards and a touchdown. But the night ended badly for Morris, who sustained a knee injury in
the second half. The injury kept Morris out of the Oct. 26 game against St. Louis.
With former first-round pick Laurence Maroney now on injured reserve, Morris will be in a position
to play an important role for the Patriots in the second half of the season.
Elsewhere ...
• Through Week 7, St. Louis’ Donnie Jones was leading
the NFL in gross punting with a 51.6-yard average.
• FB Reagan Mauia was re-signed by Cincinnati, less
than two weeks after the Bengals released him.
Meanwhile, FB Kyle Eckel was signed by
Philadelphia.
• K Jay Feely has been impressive for the New York Jets
filling in for Mike Nugent, who was injured in the
opener against the Dolphins. Feely made eight of his
first 10 field goal attempts, including a game-tying 52yarder in the final seconds at Oakland. Feely initially
missed the kick, but interim Raiders coach
Tom Cable had called a timeout just
before the snap, so Feely got another
shot at it.
• DE Jason Taylor has yet to
make much of an impact for the
Redskins, and the calf injury he
sustained early in the season
continues to be an issue. Taylor
was scheduled to undergo a second
surgery one day after playing against
Detroit. Taylor, who had one tackle in that
game, has one sack on the season.
coming up
Games at a glance
Dolphins at Denver
Date: Nov. 2 • Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Site: INVESCO Field at Mile High • TV: CBS
Photo/OTTO GREULE JR./Getty Images
Series record: Dolphins lead 10-4-1
(including playoffs)
Current streak: Dolphins won the last meeting
Last Dolphins victory: 2005 at Miami;
Dolphins 34, Broncos 10
Last Broncos victory: 2004 at Denver; Broncos
20, Dolphins 17
Biggest Dolphins margin of victory:
24, 2005 at Miami (34-10)
Biggest Dolphins margin of defeat:
35, 1998 playoffs at Denver (38-3)
Scouting Report: The Broncos took a 4-3 record into
their bye on Oct. 26, and that was good enough to lead
the AFC West, but there are major concerns in Denver
nonetheless. The most obvious is the defense, which
has been nothing short of brutal. The Broncos gave up
more than 30 points in four of their first seven games,
opposing rushers were averaging 5.4 yards per carry
and quarterbacks had combined for a passer rating of
109.1. The good news was that Denver benefited from
blown calls to beat San Diego and New Orleans, and
the offense had moments of brilliance, thanks in large
part to the passing of Jay Cutler. Wide receiver
Brandon Marshall, who played collegiately at Central
Florida, is on pace to catch 112 passes.
Sept. 7
N.Y. JETS
Sept. 14
at Arizona
L 14-20
Sept. 21
at New England
L 10-31
W 38-13
Sept. 28
Bye week
Oct. 5
SAN DIEGO
Oct. 12
at Houston
L 28-29
Oct. 19
BALTIMORE
L 13-27
Oct. 26
BUFFALO
W 25-16
Nov. 2
at Denver
4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Nov. 9
SEATTLE
1 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 16
OAKLAND
1 p.m. (CBS)*
Nov. 23
NEW ENGLAND
1 p.m. (CBS)*
Nov. 30
at St. Louis
Dec. 7
at Buffalo (Toronto)
Dec. 14
SAN FRANCISCO
1 p.m. (FOX)*
Dec. 21
at Kansas City
1 p.m. (CBS)*
Dec. 28
at N.Y. Jets
1 p.m. (CBS)*
W 17-10
1 p.m. (CBS)*
4:05 p.m. (CBS)*
*-Game subject to flex scheduling
Down the road …
Dolphins vs. Seattle
Date: Nov. 9 • Time: 1 p.m. ET
Site: Dolphin Stadium • TV: FOX
Photo/RONALD MARTINEZ/Getty Images
2008 Regular Season Schedule
Series record: Dolphins lead 8-4 (including
playoffs)
Current streak: Seahawks won the last meeting
Last Dolphins victory: 2001 at Seattle;
Dolphins 24, Seahawks 20
Last Seahawks victory: 2004 at Seattle;
Seahawks 24, Dolphins 17
Biggest Dolphins margin of victory:
23, 2000 at Miami (23-0)
Biggest Dolphins margin of defeat: 7, three
different times (1983 playoffs at Miami, 27-20;
1996 at Miami, 22-15; 2004 at Seattle, 24-17)
Scouting Report: Mike Holmgren’s swan song isn’t
exactly going according to plan and it looks like the
Seahawks’ run of NFC West titles will end this season
at four. Injuries have been the biggest problem, particularly losing quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and also
watching one wide receiver after another get hurt.
Former Dallas running back Julius Jones has been
effective, but the Seahawks can’t throw the ball these
days. That’s put a lot of pressure on the defense,
which has been good against the run but porous
against the pass. Longtime Dolphins kicker Olindo
Mare beat out rookie Brandon Coutu in training
camp and he will make his return to Miami.
RAIDERS REVISITED — The Raiders return to
Miami on Nov. 16, but it will be hard to
match last year’s visit in terms of intrigue
because Daunte Culpepper no longer is on
the team. Instead, we’ll get a look at 2007
No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell.
Photo/CHRIS GRAYTHEN/Getty Images
Major kudos to both my man
Joey and Ted Ginn Jr. What a great day
for Joey Porter. He is really getting better as we get on with the season and is
finally playing like he used to as a
Steeler.
Ginn finally had the breakout day we
all knew would eventually happen just
when we really needed it. I’m very
proud of this team, but we need to get
the running game back, that’s for sure.
I’m looking forward to the Fins coming out here next week and burying the
donkies!
R.J. Wertheimer
Parker, Colorado
❖❖❖
I never gave the Dolphins
much of a chance to upset the Bills, but
this team continues to surprise me.
Chad Pennington once again proved
he is this team’s most efficient quarterback since a guy named Marino. Ted
Ginn finally showed he belonged with
some great catches. Boy, imagine if this
is just the beginning and we’re going to
get these type of performances from
Ginn every week. The 2007 draft
might turn out to be a good one after
all.
Finally, there’s Joey Porter. I’ve got to
admit I was so down on him last season. He looked like a Dolphin out of
water. This year he is a different player.
He is relentless getting to the pass rusher. On one play, the Bills tried to use
three players to block him. How good is
that to see?
So with a 3-4 record, the Dolphins
matter once again. Let’s see if they can
keep on mattering.
Bob Walston
Miami, Florida
❖❖❖
What a heartbreaker that
game was against Houston, but these
are the type of games and growing pains
this team is going to go through. As
optimistic as I was about the wins over
New England and San Diego, I realize
they are also going to have games like
the one against Houston. This team is
rebuilding and has a long way to go.
Two things the Dolphins need desperately are cornerbacks that can match
up and shut down a big-time WR like
Andre Johnson and wide receivers that
can make plays and give the Dolphins a
threat in the passing game. As much as I
love the creativity of the Wildcat offense,
sooner or later defenses will catch up
with it and find a way to contain it.
We just don’t have the playmakers at
WR yet to make us an offense that can
scare other teams. At least we finally have
an offensive coaching staff that can think
outside the box and be creative enough to
come up with the Wildcat offense.
Also, my hats off to Paul
Pasqualoni with the defense. He is
doing things that the previous staff
did not do, such as playing Joey
Porter at his natural position and letting him rush the passer, or experimenting with Matt Roth at linebacker
who is doing a great job.
Ryan Van Hoover
Liverpool, New York
Send us your opinions
“Fans Speak Out” is your page. We don’t want to hear that your voices can’t be heard.
Send us your letters or fax them right after the game. The players and coaches read
Dolphin Digest. Tell them what’s on your mind.
Here are three easy ways to get us your letters:
• E-mail to [email protected] • Fax to 305-477-1346
• Mail to P.O. Box 526600, Miami, FL 33152
I’d like to see the
Dolphins give Chad Henne a shot
at quarterback. I like the job Chad
Pennington has done since the
Dolphins acquired him and this has
nothing to do with his play. I just
think that the situation at the end
of the Texans game, where Henne
could have gotten the ball to the
end zone, would have given us a
50/50 chance of winning the game.
Also, the end of the Baltimore
game would have been a good
opportunity to insert Henne and
see what he could do with that
arm.
Every now and then a quarterback should be able to fit a ball in
a tight spot. Look at a couple of the
throws that Joe Flacco made for
Baltimore. the pass to Mason with
Will Allen draped all over him
comes to mind. I think the time is
about right to at least give Henne a
couple of series a game just to
shake things up a little.
Richard Clemmons
Clewiston, Florida
Heck on wheels! I was glad
to see Matt Roth get a chance to
really show his potential in this
new defensive scheme. It’s
awesome to see him smash
our opponents with blistering
speed.
He is only going to get better,
and so is this team. Keep up the
great work, Matt! The Toledo,
Ohio, Dolphins Fan Club wants
another sack! We can’t wait to cheer for
the Dolphins when we attend the 49ers
game in December.
Jeremy J. Pryba
Toledo, Ohio
By TOM CURTIS
Allen was all right
Enough is enough
He’s a former No. 1 draft pick who has taken much
abuse, including from me, in his three years with the
Dolphins. He started out as a safety, was moved to
cornerback, back to safety, and now is a cornerback.
He was deserving of all the criticism, but now it is
time to give Jason Allen his props. Allen played an
outstanding game not only on defense but also on
special teams in the win over Buffalo.
You know the Bills had heard about Allen’s travails
as a DB with the Dolphins and saw an easy mark
when he lined up at cornerback at the beginning of
the game. He had a bull’s-eye on his number 32 and
the Bills tried their hardest to beat him. Allen was
solid in coverage all day, had six tackles, and helped
force the fumble in the fourth quarter that sealed the
victory.
Allen not only played virtually every down on
defense but was excellent on the kick coverage
teams. He made an excellent play to down a punt
inside the Bills’ 5-yard line, was in on several tackles
as the first man down in coverage, and recovered a
fumble on a punt in the last seconds of the game.
For the first time, it is safe to say Jason Allen
earned his money as a Miami Dolphin and hopefully
he will continue to prove his worth.
Since the beginning of NFL time, the league and
its owners have always let the players know where
they stand — second-class citizens, nothing more
than collateral, and preferably to be seen and not
heard. Sure, the money aspect of being an NFL player has gone up and up, but the respect for players is
still the same. The recent fines, suspensions and inactivations for overzealous hits on the field or words
during or after a game are the latest actions putting
the players in their place.
It has gone way overboard; after all, players have
been taught aggression and hard hitting as a factor in
winning since pee-wee football and taking away their
right to express an opinon is nothing more than
repression. Of course, the NFL says the actions
against players are “in the best interest of the league.”
The power of a team over a player finally went too
far when the Browns suspended Kellen Winslow
for the Oct. 26 game for making the team look bad in
disclosing a health problem. The Browns have been
backpedalling ever since, after public outrage and
First Amendment rights issues got to the NFL
lawyers.
First, the Browns countered that there was a secondary violation that helped get Winslow suspended
— verbal abuse of a public relations employee. Then
the suspension and the more than $200,000 it meant
to Winslow was rescinded and he was just made inactive for last Sunday’s game in Jacksonville.
The NFL and the Browns are surely embarrassed
by the whole ordeal, having to acknowledge a player
was right and they were wrong.
Handling Chad
The question about when Chad Henne should see some action for the Dolphins was put off another week
when the Dolphins beat the Bills. Chad Pennington had another outstanding performance in the win and
deserves to play as long as the team has a chance in the AFC East. However, if and when the Dolphins are eliminated, Henne has to play.
Henne was outstanding in the preseason but getting to see him play in the regular season against quality opposition is imperative to the future of this team. Pennington has been invaluable to this year’s team and is a very
good NFL quarterback, but maybe Henne is the next Dan Marino. It is important to find out about Henne this
year, although Dolphins fans should hope he never sees the field. Because that means the games at the end of the
season will have meaning and the team will be contending for the playoffs.
Despite the wins against New England, San Diego and Buffalo,
the Dolphins clearly lack the overall talent to be a title contender.
But if things fall their way like last Sunday against the Bills, this season can still be deemed a success. An 8-8 season is certainly possible and more building blocks can be put in place for next season.
There are positives for the future and having a quality offensive
line is a major step forward. Jake Long has already proven worthy of
being the No. 1 pick and left tackle will be in good hands when the
rest of the team catches up. Vernon Carey should be signed to a
long-term contract, as he is now a quality player at right tackle.
Samson Satele is good enough at center and Justin Smiley was the
best free agent signee of the offseason at left guard. That leaves right
guard open to competition, but with four of the five positions at NFL
quality, there are much bigger problems to solve on this team.
Photo/DAVE CROSS/Miami Dolphins
Photo/GREGORY SHAMUS/Getty Images
Building blocks

Inside - Scout.com

Transcription

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