tr1
November-9th-2008, 10:22 AM
Imagine if the pukes had promoted Sparano to HC...man, are we lucky they didn't. :rotflmao:
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/762019.html
If 4-4 feels merely adequate or just mediocre, perhaps it bears remembering that a year ago, the Dolphins were the NFL's laughingstock, a team whose main mission was to avoid winless infamy.
This year, the Dolphins are trying to make the playoffs.
Now that is change truly worth believing in.
The Dolphins' victory total has improved four-fold, which makes them a better bet than the stock market.
The Dolphins have solid leadership from Bill Parcells on down, they have a decent foundation of talent and they have a quickened spirit for getting better.
''We're getting better,'' coach Tony Sparano said Friday.
``We're seeing improvement in a lot of phases, but we got to get better in some phases.''
There are many areas Sparano wants to see improve -- what did you expect, he's a coach.
The third-down offense and the special teams are chief among Sparano's concerns.
But there are plenty of areas where the Dolphins are doing pretty well as the team begins the second half of the season Sunday.
Where?
Well, what follows is a breakdown of the Dolphins at midseason:
• Running backs: Ronnie Brown is second in the NFL in touchdowns among running backs and has two 100-yard games this season. But he's managed no more than 59 yards in the other six games, even as he has been the triggerman for the Wildcat Package. Ricky Williams averaged 12 carries the first five games, but his use and production have declined over the past three games. Patrick Cobbs has been a pleasant surprise as a role player. GRADE: C-plus.
• Quarterback: The biggest difference between the 2007 and '08 Dolphins, aside from coaching and personnel leadership, is the play at QB. It can be argued that Chad Pennington is the team's MVP so far and even if his seven TD passes is not impressive, his ability to make good decisions, stay away from too many interceptions and lead a young offense is invaluable. Pennington needs to get better on third down, where his completion percentage drops from 69.3 overall to 51.6. GRADE: A-minus.
• Receivers/tight ends: Ted Ginn Jr. and Greg Camarillo have combined for consecutive outstanding games the past two weeks, but the Dolphins need an upgrade on the outside. The tight end combination of Anthony Fasano and David Martin has been good, as both pass catchers and blockers. The tight ends raise the overall grade here. GRADE: C.
• Offensive line: The Dolphins are having well-chronicled problems at right guard, but the rest of the line is playing fairly well. Left tackle Jake Long has played as advertised, and the scary thing is he might get better. Left guard Justin Smiley has been a stabilizing force between Long and center Samson Satele, and right tackle Vernon Carey is better after shifting from left tackle. The Dolphins are 15th in sacks per pass play, while their run-blocking has much room for improvement. GRADE: C-plus.
• Defensive line: The run defense, an embarrassment a season ago, has tightened remarkably to No. 9 overall in the NFL thanks to the additions of Jason Ferguson and Randy Starks, and the renaissance of Vonnie Holliday. But the group needs more out of rookies Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford, and pass rushing has been unsatisfactory. GRADE: C-plus.
• Linebackers: Joey Porter is also a team MVP candidate with his 11.5 sacks and high-energy play. The experiment of moving Matt Roth from down lineman to outside linebacker has paid some dividends, while Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele inside have been mostly effective. GRADE: B.
• Secondary: Will Allen is playing at a Pro Bowl level the past couple of weeks, while Andre' Goodman has overcome early season struggles and is now consistently good. Yeremiah Bell is the team's tackles leader and Renaldo Hill has helped clear away early season communication problems suffered when he wasn't starting. If Jason Allen and Tyrone Culver continue to improve, the big hole this area had early in the season will be alleviated. GRADE: B-minus.
• Special teams: Dan Carpenter has been an undrafted rookie treasure, connecting on 12 of 14 field goals and every extra point. While punter Brandon Fields has improved lately, his 13 punts inside the 20 is only average, as is his net average. The rest is a disaster: Miami is last in kickoff returns, last in defending kickoff returns, and next to last in defending punt returns. GRADE: D.
• Coaching: After struggling to figure out players' roles early in the season and needing to gain trust in some other players a little faster, Sparano and his staff have been absolutely stellar in making the most of limited talent. Miami's game plans are logical and the Wildcat package was an innovative way to find a spark. The Dolphins are the fourth-least penalized team in the NFL, and clock management and replay challenges have not been an issue. GRADE: A.
• Overall:
The Dolphins don't beat themselves, don't make many mistakes and never quit on a play or a game. Twice this season they faced potentially catastrophic circumstances after starting 0-2 and then sinking to 2-4, and twice they recovered strongly. Considering where they were last season, 4-4 seems like heaven. GRADE: B-minus.
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/762019.html
If 4-4 feels merely adequate or just mediocre, perhaps it bears remembering that a year ago, the Dolphins were the NFL's laughingstock, a team whose main mission was to avoid winless infamy.
This year, the Dolphins are trying to make the playoffs.
Now that is change truly worth believing in.
The Dolphins' victory total has improved four-fold, which makes them a better bet than the stock market.
The Dolphins have solid leadership from Bill Parcells on down, they have a decent foundation of talent and they have a quickened spirit for getting better.
''We're getting better,'' coach Tony Sparano said Friday.
``We're seeing improvement in a lot of phases, but we got to get better in some phases.''
There are many areas Sparano wants to see improve -- what did you expect, he's a coach.
The third-down offense and the special teams are chief among Sparano's concerns.
But there are plenty of areas where the Dolphins are doing pretty well as the team begins the second half of the season Sunday.
Where?
Well, what follows is a breakdown of the Dolphins at midseason:
• Running backs: Ronnie Brown is second in the NFL in touchdowns among running backs and has two 100-yard games this season. But he's managed no more than 59 yards in the other six games, even as he has been the triggerman for the Wildcat Package. Ricky Williams averaged 12 carries the first five games, but his use and production have declined over the past three games. Patrick Cobbs has been a pleasant surprise as a role player. GRADE: C-plus.
• Quarterback: The biggest difference between the 2007 and '08 Dolphins, aside from coaching and personnel leadership, is the play at QB. It can be argued that Chad Pennington is the team's MVP so far and even if his seven TD passes is not impressive, his ability to make good decisions, stay away from too many interceptions and lead a young offense is invaluable. Pennington needs to get better on third down, where his completion percentage drops from 69.3 overall to 51.6. GRADE: A-minus.
• Receivers/tight ends: Ted Ginn Jr. and Greg Camarillo have combined for consecutive outstanding games the past two weeks, but the Dolphins need an upgrade on the outside. The tight end combination of Anthony Fasano and David Martin has been good, as both pass catchers and blockers. The tight ends raise the overall grade here. GRADE: C.
• Offensive line: The Dolphins are having well-chronicled problems at right guard, but the rest of the line is playing fairly well. Left tackle Jake Long has played as advertised, and the scary thing is he might get better. Left guard Justin Smiley has been a stabilizing force between Long and center Samson Satele, and right tackle Vernon Carey is better after shifting from left tackle. The Dolphins are 15th in sacks per pass play, while their run-blocking has much room for improvement. GRADE: C-plus.
• Defensive line: The run defense, an embarrassment a season ago, has tightened remarkably to No. 9 overall in the NFL thanks to the additions of Jason Ferguson and Randy Starks, and the renaissance of Vonnie Holliday. But the group needs more out of rookies Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford, and pass rushing has been unsatisfactory. GRADE: C-plus.
• Linebackers: Joey Porter is also a team MVP candidate with his 11.5 sacks and high-energy play. The experiment of moving Matt Roth from down lineman to outside linebacker has paid some dividends, while Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele inside have been mostly effective. GRADE: B.
• Secondary: Will Allen is playing at a Pro Bowl level the past couple of weeks, while Andre' Goodman has overcome early season struggles and is now consistently good. Yeremiah Bell is the team's tackles leader and Renaldo Hill has helped clear away early season communication problems suffered when he wasn't starting. If Jason Allen and Tyrone Culver continue to improve, the big hole this area had early in the season will be alleviated. GRADE: B-minus.
• Special teams: Dan Carpenter has been an undrafted rookie treasure, connecting on 12 of 14 field goals and every extra point. While punter Brandon Fields has improved lately, his 13 punts inside the 20 is only average, as is his net average. The rest is a disaster: Miami is last in kickoff returns, last in defending kickoff returns, and next to last in defending punt returns. GRADE: D.
• Coaching: After struggling to figure out players' roles early in the season and needing to gain trust in some other players a little faster, Sparano and his staff have been absolutely stellar in making the most of limited talent. Miami's game plans are logical and the Wildcat package was an innovative way to find a spark. The Dolphins are the fourth-least penalized team in the NFL, and clock management and replay challenges have not been an issue. GRADE: A.
• Overall:
The Dolphins don't beat themselves, don't make many mistakes and never quit on a play or a game. Twice this season they faced potentially catastrophic circumstances after starting 0-2 and then sinking to 2-4, and twice they recovered strongly. Considering where they were last season, 4-4 seems like heaven. GRADE: B-minus.