"Sure, luck means a lot in Football. Not having a good quarterback is badluck."-Don Shula
Excited is not the word but it is one that comes to mind. What about inspired, stimulated and maybe even..."high". That is how I'm feeling. The Miami Dolphins kick off their 2006-07 season this Thursday night against the super bowl champions, Pittsburgh Steelers. I found out yesterday that "BigBen" Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy so he will be out for the opening contest and that means Charlie Ward will get the start. Hines Ward is "questionable" for the game as well. This sucks! I wanted the Phins to beat them at full strength so there are no excuses on who will be reppin' the AFC this year. But, before I get ahead of myself...I want to break down the team and give my predictions of where this team should be in January. Daunte Culpepper was the key acquisition this summer. I haven't been this AMPED over a Dolphins QB since Marino. I mean, we have had SCRUBS the past several years: Lucas, Feeley, Greise, Rosenfells, Ferrotte, Fiedler, etc...OK, with Fiedler it was a no-win situation being the successor of Marino and he did play hard in every game he was involved with. However, watching Daunte in his limited action this preseason was refreshing. Daunte brings leadership and confidence to this team despite his knee injury. He is competitive and driven. It seems to "Daunte" he has a lot to prove to "Daunte" and that could mean VERY good things. His desire for winning is through the roof and that also means everyone's expectations for what can bea ccomplished this season will mirror that. For the Dolphins to get deep into the playoffs he MUST stay healthy. I say this year #8 gets...25-30 TD's,10-15 picks and 3,800 to 4,000 yards. His QB rating will be in the range of a 90-95%. Other QB notes: Joey Harrington was consistent through the preseason and should be a decent "Plan B" if something was to happen with C-Pep (knock on wood!). Cleo Lemon played well against St Louis but it was against a bunch of Arena Football League hopefuls. Still you cannot overlook the depth at this position. The best it has been in YEARS. For the last few seasons I have been hyping my man, Chris Chambers to ANYONE with an ear. If this guy were on the Colts, Eagles or the Patriots he would have been in the top three (if not NUMBER ONE!) receivers in the entire NFL. He is that good. Now finally he gets the chance to shine. He eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season and Gus Ferrotte was at the helm (WTF?). A healthy Culpepper with Chambers could be an explosive thing to watch. I say this year #84 gets...12-15 TD's and 1,300-1,500 yards. He will also make the Pro-Bowl (2nd year in a row). Other Receiver Notes: Wes Welker has stepped his game up and should see more action this year. McMicheal is a SOLID tight end and he should see 5-10 TD's and 800-1,000 yards this season. He represents a major presence over the middle of the field. Booker has been underused since he arrived in Miami and Rookie Derek Hagan has impressed the naysayers by excelling in the preseason. Culpepper will make all of these players better and vice versa. Think "Stockton and Malone"...different sport but you get the idea.
Some people (even Phinactics) think picking Ronnie Brown over the "Cadillac" was a bad move. They should look at this game of football like a marathon versus a sprint. Ronnie almost had a thousand yard season with an offensive line that could not even open a can O' beans! Let's hope the O-Line gets to where it should be. The addition of Kendyl Jacox is a welcome one and Vernon Carey seems to be getting better year-by-year. I say #23 gets...8-10 TD's and rolls for 1,200 on the ground. Other Rushing Notes: It looks like Lee Suggs is now in the aqua and orange (if he passes the physical, cough cough). When this guy is healthy he is a workhorse. This should take the pressure off of Travis Minor since Sammie Morris is out for four games due to the infamous "Sudafed Incident"!
Defense has never been the problem. Actually, this side of the ball kept Miami in most of the games the last several years. The current roster of players seem to be picking up on Saban's 3-4 defensive schemes even though it has not been fully implemented. Thomas and Taylor are still dominant at their positions (getting better with age?). Crowder is evolving into a strong WLB and "Big Daddy" Wilkingson's first year here in Miami looks optimistic. Let's face it...the soft spot is the secondary. Poole and Howard...gone. Madison outty 5000 to the Giants. What's left? A bouillabaisse of "average" talent and receiver coverage. The first round pick Jason Allen does not seem ready for this next level as he got burned no less then a handful of times in the preseason. With that being said, Opening day lineup should look like this: Will Allen and Travis Daniels at the corners, Jason Allen at free safety and Tillman at strong safety. Will they be able to play consistent and get it done? I just hope these new starters play hard week in and week out.
Are the expectations for a Super Bowl with the Dolphins in Miami (where itis being played this year) too much, too soon? There is something to be said about Saban and the discipline he has instilled in this organization that suggests his team will play hard every week, and will win more than it loses for that reason. I say this team in January (with a healthy #8) will be...11-5 (loses from New England, Jacksonville, Kansas City, The Jets & Indianapolis). They will get to the AFC Title game and the dream stops there...baby steps, you know.
...FORGETABOUT it...MIAMI goes to the SUPERBOWL and WINS!!! I take a week off from work... head to Florida...bask in rum drinks and south beach and celebrate with my cousin, Rob and Marcus Vick (who will BE called up from the practice squad this year). Rob molded me since I was a wee boy into the FAN I am today.
That's a MUCH better ending, let's go with that.
PEACE-DAG!
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