4 hours till game time:
Fridge
stocked with Guinness...check
Food and snacks…check
Game day jersey selected…check – Davone Bess
Realistic expectations….maybe.
Food and snacks…check
Game day jersey selected…check – Davone Bess
Realistic expectations….maybe.
Despite a long offseason, where moves have been scrutinized,
big name players traded or cut, Hard
Knocks cameras rolling, and grandmothers called, questions remain –
especially this one:
Just who are these
Miami Dolphins?
Today, we take a step towards finding out, as Miami travels
to Houston to take on a Texan team many think could be the best in the AFC this
year. As fans will remember, Miami has
never beaten Houston – and this year they see a tougher team than we’ve lost to
in the past.
Miami has a new head coach, a new offense and defensive
scheme, a rookie QB, and what seems to be a lack of deep talent at the WR and
CB position. Dansby and Burnett have
barely played this pre-season. The RG position is extremely thin after Steinbach retired unexpectedly and Hicks was placed on IR. Long and Jerry
are both nursing minor injuries.
Can the promise of Ryan
Tannehill really offset all that?
Here’s what I’ll be looking for against Houston this week.
Offensive Line:
How will the right side play? Rookie LT Martin improved steadily in camp but
needs to play for real today, with some questions next to him at RG. If the line can’t produce room for the
running game and give Tannehill some
time to throw the ball, this will be a long game, and longer season.
Passing Game: Tannehill has shown remarkable poise
for his limited experience and his command of OC Sherman’s offense…can the receivers get separation and catch the
ball? Or will Houston simply take away Bess and see who steps up, while
looking to confuse the rookie QB with disguised coverages and zone
blitzes?
Defensive Line: Overall
considered a strength of the team, this group will be tested by one of the best
ground games in the NFL – even if Foster
is limited this week. But, is there a
pass rush outside of Wake? Who will step up to provide pressure and keep
Schaub from having all day for
playmakers like Johnson and Daniels.
Secondary: Miami
shocked many by trading Davis to
Indianapolis during training camp. While
many think they got fair value, it leaves the question – are the remaining
players Smith, Marshall, Carroll, Wilson
and Stanford ready to step it up
against an excellent passing attack?
Watch closely for communication issues in the secondary, and Miami’s old
weakness – covering Tight Ends in the seam.
Coaching:
A brand new staff means new questions. How will HC Philbin handle gameday pressure?
Will he understand clock management better than recent coaches? Will he be able to inspire his players as
well as recent coaches? I’m excited to
see Sherman’s up-tempo offensive
style – but if the team is not converting, it will just translate to less rest
of the defense. DC Coyle did a great job with the secondary in Cincinnati – how does
he do with the whole defense in Miami?
The HBO cameras
may be gone, but cthis may be a whole season of Hard Knocks for the Miami Dolphins as
they learn a new offense, a new defense, and adjust to significant transition
in the team roster against a team that returns most of its starters on both
sides of the ball from 2011. It’s a tall order to win today, but we’ll
start answering the real question this season – what does Miami have in both Tannehill and Philbin? These questions won’t
just be the keys to any given game – they’ll be the key to the season and
determine where the team stands going into 2013.
