2005 NFL Preview: Miami Dolphins

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Last Year

Being a part of the 2004 Miami Dolphins is like being a guest on the Jerry Springer show because you receive attention for all the wrong reasons. Starting with the farcical retirement of Ricky Williams, followed by a season-ending injury to David Boston, then winning only one game in the first 11 weeks, and finally the resignation of their head coach Dave Wannstedt, all combined to make the Dolphins an absolute disaster. But there's a new sheriff in town named Nick Saban and with him, he brings a renewed sense of optimism.

What We Learned From Last Year

The Miami Dolphins were basically a fringe team at best last season, but the loss of Ricky Williams dissolved any possible hopes.

Say what you will about Ricky, but their offense was built around him and he was a top-10 running back in the NFL.

Nobody ever gave a chance to substitutes Sammy Morris and Travis Minor and they proved everyone right, being highly ineffective all season long. Neither broke the 100-yard barrier in a single game.

In case anyone was wondering if quarterback Jay Fiedler was capable of carrying an offense, he put on an abysmal display, downgrading his status from starting quarterback to backup. The team won only one game that he started.

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.

There were enough problems for the Dolphins to deal with, but fortune was obviously not on their side.

A run-of-the-mill passing game and a lethargic running game were forced to overcome yet another barrier as the offensive line was terrible. Opponents sacked Miami quarterbacks 52 times (tied for second worst in NFL), while the running game had no legs, averaging 83.7 yards per game (also tied for second worst in NFL).

It wasn't 100% bad for the Dolphins, there were a few cracks of light.

A.J. Feeley stepped in to a very messy situation, but found a way to make the Dolphins a bit more competitive. The team was 3-5 in games that he started even though he did have a penchant for throwing untimely interceptions, but then again, so did Fiedler.

Although the ball didn't get to the receivers enough, the Dolphins did have a pretty set of targets. Marty Booker, who was acquired from the Chicago Bears as part of the trade for defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, was a solid starter alongside Chris Chambers. Randy McMichael also continued to display the skills of a premiere tight end in the NFL.

Most of the team's problems stemmed from the offensive side of the ball — the defense finished eighth overall.

End Jason Taylor and linebacker Zach Thomas were their typical Pro Bowl-caliber while cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain were an excellent duo.

Losing tackles Larry Chester and Tim Bowens crippled the run defense (second-worst in NFL) as the team lacked bulk and depth behind them.

Madison and Surtain have teamed together for several years, but last year Surtain finally asserted himself as the top cornerback on the team.

The main dilemma for the 2004 Dolphins was that the retirement of Ricky Williams simply took the wind out of their sails. They prepared themselves mentally over the summer, endured the rigors of training camp, bought into all of the coaching staff's positive indoctrination, and then got kicked in the balls by Ricky's retirement. Of course, the team suffered a setback, but they never overcame it and it clearly lingered into the season. As the team started to lose football games early on in the season, effort was the next thing to go out the window.

With a change in regime and Nick Saban running the show, effort will not be sacrificed at any cost.

This Year

Although this is a rebuilding season for Miami, they are not starting from scratch. Their roster is far superior to that of the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, two other teams with comparable records in 2004.

NFL pundits believe that new Dolphins head coach Nick Saban is the closest thing to Bill Belichick. They are both control freaks, they plan exhaustive schedules for their players, and they have very high demands.

Ex-head coach Dave Wannstedt never emanated the confidence that Saban does. The team should be more self-confident under their new coach and have a clear direction.

Saban eventually plans on switching the defense into a 3-4 scheme, but until he gathers the right players, they will primarily use the 4-3.

Although the fish did have 36 sacks last year, four players accounted for 25 of them. Jason Taylor, Jeff Zgonina, David Bowens, and Dario Romero all return this season and Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday, and rookies Matt Roth and Manuel Wright are new additions.

This is a downright scary unit not only because of the starters, but because of the well of depth. Keith Traylor and Larry Chester are also in the mix, and the addition of Wright not only adds some mass, but it also lessens the burden off of Chester and Traylor, keeping them fresh and healthy.

With so many ends and tackles already vying for playing time, it doesn't make sense to switch to the 3-4 quite yet.

For now, Zach Thomas, Junior Seau, and Donnie Spragan will be the fulltime linebackers, but if rookie Channing Crowder turns out to be a gem, that may allow the team to play more of the 3-4.

The dilemma here is that although there is a wealth of versatile players, the 3-4 scheme significantly changes the roles of certain members. Zgonina and Carter can start at tackle in the 4-3, but neither is qualified to play the nose tackle in the 3-4. In the 4-3, Zach Thomas can run freely as tackles occupy his blockers, but in the 3-4, he will see more traffic, which is not his forte. He is a little undersized for the new system and Crowder is being groomed to be his eventual replacement.

Since they are not completely switching to a 3-4, this front seven should still be highly effective this season.

In the secondary, the Dolphins lost Patrick Surtain (trade) and Will Poole (injury) in the summer, raising a few question marks as to who will play on the other side of incumbent Sam Madison. Reggie Howard and Mario Edwards are decent nickel backs at best, which puts some pressure on rookie Travis Daniels to develop quickly. Poole was supposed to be the guy and since he's done for the season, this is going to be one of the few holes on the defense this season.

Much has been made of the Dolphins incapacity at safety after losing last year's starters, Sammy Knight and Arturo Freeman, but Lance Schulters and Tebucky Jones are quality replacements. Third-year free safety Yeremiah Bell has also impressed the coaching staff.

The picture of the offense may look strikingly familiar to you: a questionable quarterback, a problematic offensive line, and a good running game.

The Dolphins traded a second-round pick for A.J. Feeley, but he is not the quarterback of the future. He is a marginal upgrade over Fiedler in some areas (arm, accuracy), but is a severe downgrade in other aspects (decision-making, forces the ball too much).

Gus Frerotte has a couple of similar characteristics to Feeley, such as he doesn't throw the ball well when his feet are not set and sometimes he tries to make too much happen, but overall, he is probably the better choice at quarterback. Essentially, we are just splitting hairs here.

The receivers on this team are excellent, especially with the prospects of David Boston contributing as the third wideout, but the offensive line may not provide enough protection for the passing game to really flourish.

RT Stockar McDougle, LT Damian McIntosh/Vernon Carey, and LG Jeno James are of no concern. C Seth McKinney and RG Rex Hadnot are weak points and must improve. Saban brought aboard Hudson Hoack, one of the NFL's best offensive line coaches, to work his magic. He will make this group overachieve.

Ronnie Brown has missed considerable time from training camp, but he will be the starter when he does arrive. He is an excellent all-around back and should provide what Ricky Williams supplied in his first two seasons in Miami.

As for Ricky, the only reason Saban brought him back was to prove that he still has trade value. If he regains his skills, some team will give up a fourth- or fifth-round pick for him by next year's draft.

Essentially, this is the same old Miami Dolphins we have known to hate and love over the past decade. The foundation is built around a strong defense, the offense will be able to run the ball, but there are still major reservations about the offensive line and the quarterbacks.

Don't be surprised if this team reaches seven or eight wins.

Over/Under: 6

Playing in a division where you are the only team projected to finish below .500 is not ideal, but the Dolphins will not get walked all over this year. Last year, the Dolphins stole only one win from the division, but their defense alone should lead them to two or three. If the quarterbacks don't completely blow it, six wins is definitely manageable. They play: DEN, CAR, @TB, KC, @NO, ATL, @CLE, @OAK, @SD, and TEN.

Fantasy Sleeper

Wide receiver Chris Chambers is rarely among the first or second group of wide receivers taken in most drafts. but the reality is that he has averaged nearly 900 yards receiver and at least seven touchdowns in three of his four NFL seasons, even though the quarterbacks he has played with have been awful. Don't forget about him.

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