Grading the Dolphins

With the Dolphins on a bye this past weekend, this seems like a good time to grade the team on its performance so far this season:

Offensive line -- B: The space-eaters up front are reportedly making a combined $155 million in salaries this season, and they've earned every penny in the running game, paving the way for an attack that leads the league with an average of 177 yards per game. It's not just that the Dolphins are running it a lot; they are also running effectively, as their 4.8-average per carry attests. The only downside: The pass protection has been leaky at times, as the Dolphins have allowed 13 sacks through five regular season games, tied for 13th in the NFL.

Running backs -- A: Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have been the reasons for the Dolphins resurgence, and the Wildcat has been close to unstoppable in the last two games. Brown ranks eighth in the NFL with 443 yards, and he has already scored six TDs. Williams ranks 20th with 316 yards, and he has a gaudy 5.2-yard average per carry.

Wide receivers -- D: A group that has been wildly inconsistent from game to game, and is now a secondary factor in the offense. Davone Bess leads the unit with a paltry 23 receptions. Ted Ginn, the Dolphins' nominal No. 1 receiver, ranks 53rd in the NFL with 16 catches, and he has enjoyed just one 100-yard game. Too often the receivers have not been able to get separation from opposing corners, and the tight ends have been even worse, with just 10 receptions coming from that position.

Quarterbacks -- C: Chad Pennington didn't do much before his season-ending injury, averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt and throwing only one TD pass. Henne has been better through 2 1/2 games, but he's already been sacked more times (7) than Pennington had been in the same amount of action.

Defensive line -- B: The line has been the starting point for the Dolphins' excellence at stopping the run. Miami is third in the NFL in that category, allowing 76.4 yards per game and holding opposing backs to an average of 3.4 yards each time they run the football. Randy Starks and Kendall Langford have three sacks combined, but far too often the unit doesn't get enough push up the middle against opposing quarterbacks.

Linebackers -- C: Against, the run, this unit is stout, as Jason Taylor and Channing Crowder always seem to fly to the football. But against the pass, opposing tight ends have feasted. Three straight weeks, the Dolphins were burned by Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates, meaning this unit has been a big contributor to the team's 18th-ranked pass defense. The pass rush has also been poor, with half of the team's 12 sacks coming in the Buffalo game. Jason Taylor and Joey Porter are not providing the push they have in recent years, and Cameron Wake needs more playing time after his three-sack effort against Buffalo.

Secondary -- C: The rookies, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, have played well. The old man, Will Allen, has also been solid, save for the New York Jets game when Braylon Edwards had his way with him. But the Dolphins have just three interceptions as a team -- all against lowly Buffalo -- and then there are the safeties. Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell were part of the problem against tight ends, and they have missed far too many tackles to help compound the errors.

Special teams -- C: The Dolphins rank in the bottom half of the league in returns, and the problem is a lack of speed. Neither Davone Bess nor Patrick Cobbs have enough of it to break a big return, and now that Cobbs is injured, maybe Ginn can breathe some life into the return game. The kickoff coverage has been excellent, as Miami is allowing oponents an average of just 20 yards per return, though the punt return unit has been a little softer, allowing opponents a 10.3 average per return.

Punter Brandon Fields has been mediocre with 44.5 yards per kick, and he ranks even lower in punts downed inside the 20 with six. Dan Carpenter has been almost perfect this season, going 7-for-8 on field goal tries and 13-for-13 on extra points, though he has just two touchbacks, down from seven a year ago.

Coaching -- B: The Dolphins staff has again made the most out of what seems to be a little, as Dan Henning's game plans have kept opposing defenses off balance. After a bad start, Miami has averaged 31 points in its last three games. However, Henning did make a big gaffe that cost the Fins against Indianapolis, when he decided to run the ball on third down late in the game rather than go for the jugular and a TD that would have made Peyton Manning's job more difficult. Paul Pasqualoni has the defense doing its usual stout job against the run, but he hasn't found the magic formula for pressuring the passer -- though the pass defense has improved over the last two games. Tony Sparano has pushed the right buttons after an 0-3 start that could have ended in freefall, and he has the team believing in Henne.

Overall -- C-: The Dolphins dug themselves a big hole to start the season, but it's to their credit that they did not quit and have put themselves in position to at least make a run down the stretch. That said, there are too many holes on this team right now -- particularly defensively -- to think they have a shot of repeating last year's dream run to the playoffs.

(Yahoo Images)

New-look Dolphins take on Bills

It's not the ideal time to break in a new starting quarterback, but the Miami Dolphins will try and make the most of it as they take on the Buffalo Bills at home Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m.

At 0-3, it's panic time for Miami, which suffered a huge blow in losing starter Chad Pennington for the season last week.

That means Chad Henne, who has thrown all of 31 professional passes in his NFL career, is now the starter.

Henne struggled last week off the bench against San Diego, completing 10-of-19 passes for 92 yards. But Eric Weddle intercepted Henne, and returned the ball 31 yards to clinch Miami's third straight loss of the season.

Now, Henne will be called upon to revitalize an offense that ranks 26th in points scored (14.3), 19th in total offense (317 yards per game) and 30th in passing (155.7 ypg).

Henne will certainly have some opportunities, as Buffalo will be missing 3/4 of its secondary: Cornerback Leodis McKelvin is out for the season with a fractured fibula, safety Bryan Scott will not play due to an ankle injury, and fellow safety Dontae Whitner is out with a thumb injury.

Former San Diego starter Drayton Florence will replace McKelvin, while former starter George Wilson will team with rookie Jairus Byrd at safety.

Add to it the season-ending injury to starting linebacker Paul Posluszny, and the Dolphins would seem to have the advantage on offense.

Not coincidentally, the Bills have struggled on defense this season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in every important statistic.

The most important matchup will be the Dolphins running game, which ranks third, against the Buffalo rush defense, which ranks 18th.

The Dolphins have rushed for 410 yards in the last two games, and the Wildcat has been as effective as it was last season.

It stands to reason that for a team that can make few mistakes, the ground game will be the bedrock of Miami's success Sunday, particularly with a young quarterback under center.

Defensively, the Dolphins have stuffed the run, ranking third in the NFL in that category with an average of just 66 yards gained against them so far.

Buffalo has not one, but two threats at the position to challenge the Dolphins' run defense.

Starter Marshawn Lynch returns from a three-game suspension, and the 1,000-yard back will test Miami with his physical running style.

The Bills have another good option in Fred Jackson, who excelled while Lynch was out, rushing for 291 yards in Buffalo's first three games.

Those will have to be the key weapons, because Buffalo's passing attack has sputtered so far this season.

Despite having Lee Evans and Terrell Owens as his starting receivers, quarterback Trent Edwards has only thrown four TD passes, and the Bills rank only 24th in the league in passing.

In fact, Owens was shut out last week against the New Orleans Saints, snapping a streak of 185 straight games with at least one catch.

There have been hints of Buffalo splitting Jackson out wide as a receiver to take advantage of his variety of skills, and with him and Lynch in the game at the same time, the Bills have a number of ways to attack Miami.

If there has been a weakness in the Dolphins' defense this season, it has been against the pass, where Miami ranks just 26th.

Tight ends in particular have been a problem, but the Bills' top target there, Derek Fine, has just two catches this season.

The Dolphins' pass rush has not helped much, with just five sacks through the first three games.

Linebacker Joey Porter, the team's sack leader with two, vows to play Sunday with a shoulder injury that has him listed as questionable.

The Bills are banged up, and the Dolphins have good matchups position-by-position.

Henne will do just enough, but it is the running game -- and the Bills' lack of a passing attack -- that will produce Miami's first win of 2009. Dolphins 17, Bills 13.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Dolphins should ground Falcons

After weeks of player moves, exhibition games and endless preseason analysis, the games are finally set to begin.

And the Miami Dolphins certainly face a difficult challenge in Week 1, at an Atlanta Falcons team that made the playoffs with an 11-5 record last year and is considered to be a rising power. It's the first of three straight games against playoff opponents for Miami. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. in Atlanta.

The Falcons boast one of the NFL's top offenses, led by second-year quarterback Matt Ryan. "Matty Ice" was a revelation in his first season, completing 61.1 percent of his passes and throwing for 16 touchdowns.

And he has plenty of weapons. Running back Michael Turner ran for 1,699 yards and scored 17 TDs in his first season in Atlanta, and he continued that dominance in the preseason, leading the Falcons with 187 yards rushing, two TDs and a remarkable 6.9 average per carry.

To stop the Falcons, the Dolphins must stop Turner first.

But even if they do, Ryan has several options in the passing game. Roddy White emerged as the team's best receiver in 2008, catching 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven TDs, and Michael Jenkins caught 50 passes for 777 yards and three TDs.

Atlanta also added maybe the greatest pass-catching tight end in NFL history: Tony Gonzalez, who caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards and 10 TDs last season with Kansas City.

The Dolphins addressed their secondary in the offseason, bringing in rookie corners Sean Smith and Vontae Davis, along with former Oakland Raiders safety Gibril Wilson. The hope is they will shore up a pass defense that ranked 25th last year.

However, Wilson and fellow safety Yeremiah Bell struggled in pass coverage in the preseason, and if that doesn't change Sunday, Allen and Smith are going to have to be on the top of their game.

Allen will likely draw the assignment of covering White, with Smith covering Jenkins. Davis will play after suffering a knee strain in the final preseason game against New Orleans, but the Dolphins must find a way to match up with Gonzalez, who could be Ryan's top target Sunday.

Miami should also have an improved pass rush, with Joey Porter and his 17 1/2 sacks getting support from the return of Jason Taylor, who will start at the other outside linebacker position.

Offensively, the Dolphins face a young and inexperienced defense.

The Falcons brought in five new defensive starters after finishing 25th in the league against the run, and 24th overall.

Peria Jerry, a 6-foot-2, 294-pound defensive tackle from Ole Miss who Atlanta drafted with the 24th overall pick this year, will start his first NFL game against Miami.

The Falcons also promoted free safety Thomas DeCloud, outside linebacker Stephen Nicholas and cornerback Brent Grimes.

The new-look secondary struggled in the preseason, allowing a whopping 8.3 yards per completion, which should excite a veteran passer like Chad Pennington.

Ted Ginn will start at one wide receiver position, while Coach Tony Sparano said the team will rotate several receivers at the other spot, from among Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess and Ohio State rookie Brian Hartline. The Dolphins will also likely find time for another rookie, Patrick Turner of USC.

Running the football was a problem for the Dolphins in preseason, particularly with the first unit. That will have to change, so the Dolphins can keep defensive end John Abraham and his team-leading 16 1/2 sacks at bay.

Also, the Dolphins will likely break out the "Wildcat" formation that has become a staple of offenses across the league.

Second round pick Pat White did not run the "Wildcat" during preseason, but he could be called upon to give the Falcons something else to think about.

The Dolphins defense may not stop Michael Turner, but I think they will be able to slow him down.

Ryan and his offense are too talented to be shut down, but Pennington is going against a young defense that will surely make some mistakes.

I think Miami will get just enough offense to eke out a win, 20-16.

Mixed results for Dolphins

The Dolphins won their third straight preseason game, 10-6 over Tampa Bay Thursday night, but it was far from a complete effort. For the second time in three games, the defense was strong, holding an opponent to under 10 points.

In fact, Miami limited the Bucs to 288 yards of total offense, and despite not forcing a single turnover, the Dolphins managed to keep Tampa Bay out of the end zone.

Of course, the Bucs were not fielding their top unit, with wide receivers Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton both out. And Tampa Bay's offense isn't expected to light up the league in 2009.

The problem was, the Dolphins' offense was just as anemic as the Bucs'. Miami gained just 250 total yards, ran for only 79 yards against a rebuilding Tampa defense, and turned the ball over three times.

The first half was a disaster, as Miami did not gain a first down until the 11:27 mark of the second quarter, and the first three possessions gained just 29 yards.

Chad Pennington was shaky until the end of the half, when he guided the team 53 yards in 10 plays in the final 1:45.

A Dan Carpenter field goal put Miami on the board, and the Dolphins went into the locker room trailing 6-3.

Pennnington came out firing in the second half, rolling to his right and hitting rookie Brian Hartline for 55 yards to the Bucs 6.

Two plays later, Pennington rolled right, turned back to his left under pressure, and found a wide open Anthony Fasano in the end zone for the winning score.

Pennington finished 9-of-16 for 128 yards and a TD.

Hartline, who started alongside Ted Ginn, made his case to line up with the first unit with a team-high 79 yards on three catches.

The running game was not up to snuff though, as the Dolphins struggled to gain yardage up the middle.

Lex Hilliard again led the team in rushing with 32 yards on 11 carries, but he almost cost Miami the game when he fumbled as the Dolphins were driving inside the Bucs' 25.

Surprisingly, the Dolphins didn't run the "Wildcat" at all, after using it five times for 53 yards in last week's win against Carolina. Rookie quarterback Pat White also did not see any playing time, though that should change when the Dolphins empty the bench in their last preseason game next week.

For the third straight week, the special teams gave up a big return. Clifton James ran back a kickoff for 30 yards, and Sammie Stroughter had a 25-yard effort.

There was some good though, as Patrick Cobbs came through the line untouched to block a Dirk Johnson punt at the end of the game's first series. But reserve linebacker Charlie Anderson dropped the ball, and Tampa Bay recovered in Miami territory for a first down. The drive ended in a 29-yard field goal by Mike Nugent.

The second half was much better, as the Dolphins' kick return coverage was excellent, though Davone Bess could not take advantagte of good blocking on one return because he couldn't turn the corner. Bess had just six yards on four returns on the night.

Chad Henne relieved Pennington in the third quarter, but he did not play well, completing 2-of-8 passes for 55 yards. He also had a bad interception inside the Tampa Bay 15 when Miami was threatening to put the game away.

The defense got off to a shaky start, as Byron Leftwich hit on 9-of-17 passes for 100 yards, but he missed three more open receivers that could have amounted to a huge day.

The run defense also struggled early, as Cadillac Williams gained 54 yards on eight carries. Earnest Graham came in and picked up where Williams left off, pounding for 39 yards on five carries, including a 27-yard run where four Dolphins missed tackles.

The defense got better as the game wore on, and did not allow a TD.

As for the cornerback battle, all signs point to rookie Sean Smith being the starter opening day. Despite missing last week's game with flu-like symptoms, Smith was back in the starting lineup Thursday.

Against the Bucs, he was targeted seven times and allowed three completions, all on passes from Leftwich to receiver Maurice Stovall for 34 yards. Smith also had one pass breakup and one tackle.

Twice Smith appeared to be beaten -- including once when Brian Clark was wide open in the end zone -- but both times Leftwich overthrew the target.

Fellow rookie Vontae Davis played the second half, starting opposite Smith. He was targeted seven times for four completions -- all coming off the arm of rookie Josh Freeman for 37 yards.

Davis broke up three passes, including the final one on fourth down, which he should have intercepted but dropped. He also got away with an illegal hands to the face on the play. All told, Davis was more active with five tackles.

Considering who the completions were against, it's safe to say that Smith should be the opening day starter.

The defensive line didn't get much pressure against the Bucs' first unit, though offensive line should be one of Tampa Bay's strengths this year. It wasn't until the second- and third-stringers entered the game -- and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni started to call blitzes -- that the Dolphins were able to generate any pressure.

The most impressive performance amongst the first-stringers was Kendall Langford, who hit Leftwich as he was about to pass on the opening series and knocked the ball loose. Tampa Bay ultimately recovered, but had to settle for a field goal. Langford also got nice penetration to stop Williams behind the line of scrimmage. He finished with one tackle and one assist to go with his sack and forced fumble.

Paul Soliai continued his strong preseason with a sack on Luke McCown that resulted in a four-yard loss in the second quarter, and Nate Jones had another sack on the corner blitz.

In all, the Dolphins had four sacks, three coming against the Bucs' backups. Tampa Bay did a good job of picking up Joey Porter and making him a nonfactor, while Jason Taylor was held in check as well. Taylor was a step late on a blitz that resulted in a rushed McCown pass, and he finished with three tackles and an assist on the night.

It wasn't the performance Coach Tony Sparano wanted, particularly offensively, but the Dolphins have another chance to open up the playbook against New Orleans next Thursday.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)