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| Friday, September 1 By Alex Marvez Pro Football Weekly | ||||||||||||||||||||
New coach. New quarterback. New offense. And new coordinators.
Quarterbacks: The QB competition may extend until just before the regular-season opener Sept. 3 vs. Seattle. Huard could have won the position by default when Fiedler was sidelined by minor hip surgery in the preseason. But after some so-so outings by Huard, the door is open for Fiedler to win the job, provided he can return for the Aug. 25 preseason finale at New Orleans.
Grade: C Running backs: Wannstedt is talking about a RB-by-committee system, with incumbent J.J. Johnson and offseason acquisition Lamar Smith neck and neck for the top spot. A dark-horse candidate is Autry Denson, who was signed off of Tampa Bay's practice squad midway through last season. Thurman Thomas comes from Buffalo to serve as a third-down back and a tutor to Johnson. Starting FB Rob Konrad will be used more as a receiver, with rookie Deon Dyer being inserted in short-yardage situations. Grade: C+ Wide receivers: Wannstedt likes to brag about this unit's depth, but how good is the talent? Tony Martin was badly underused last season but still managed his fourth 1,000-yard campaign in five years. With O.J. McDuffie out for at least the first six games following toe surgery and Lamar Thomas out for the season after a hi[p injury, it's unclear who Miami's second receiver will be. Oronde Gadsden provides a big target in the red zone. The coaches love Bert Emanuel's speed and ability to play option quarterback in short-yardage situations. Hunter Goodwin is the starting tight end because of his blocking, not receiving. Grade: C+ Offensive linemen: There are questions about every position on the line. OLT Richmond Webb, who missed almost three weeks of camp with bone chips in his elbow, must stay healthy after two injury-plagued seasons. OLG Mark Dixon is the team's best lineman -- provided he can stay healthy. After signing a five-year, $12.75 million deal in the offseason, C Tim Ruddy is expected to step up his play. Kevin Donnalley may become the starting right guard, even though Miami tried desperately to replace him in the offseason. Rookie ORT Todd Wade will need some time to learn NFL blitz packages, but he will immediately upgrade the running game. Brent Smith, John Bock, Willie Jones and Heath Irwin are the projected backups. Grade: C Defense Defensive linemen: Once again, this is the strength of the Dolphins' defense. Daryl Gardener has the potential to become a marquee defensive tackle, so the Dolphins signed him to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension. Playing at an equal level is DT-mate Tim Bowens, who is renowned for his run defense. The Dolphins also have promising backups in newcomers Damian Gregory and Jermaine Haley. The defensive position is just as deep. Jason Taylor shows signs of bouncing back from a disappointing 1999 campaign, especially because he is lining up further outside the tackles and occasionally flops to the left side in new coordinator Jim Bates' scheme. Kenny Mixon has wrestled the starting left end spot from Rich Owens, although the two are expected to share playing time. Even at age 34, Armstrong is Miami's best pass rusher and a true leader on a team needing more of them. Lorenzo Bromell shows promise. Grade: A Linebackers: Zach Thomas finally entered the realm of elite middle linebackers last season by reaching his first Pro Bowl. Thomas led the Dolphins in tackles for the fourth consecutive season and had a career-high 12 passes defensed. Strong-side linebacker Robert Jones finished tied for second on the team in tackles with 100, but he failed to register a single sack, interception, fumble recovery or forced fumble. Weak-side linebacker Derrick Rodgers also failed to make big plays and actually finished tied for ninth in tackles, which is awful for that position. Former Giant Scott Galyon was added in the offseason to push Rodgers and play on special teams. Backup middle linebacker Larry Izzo is the special-teams leader. Grade: B Defensive backs: Wannstedt treasures a shutdown cornerback, and that is why Sam Madison was given an eight-year, $51.4 million extension. Offenses will shy from throwing at Madison and attempt to pick on left cornerback Patrick Surtain, who appears ready for the challenge. Surtain had an outstanding training camp to hold off an early charge from former Chargers starter Terrance Shaw, who is sidelined until at least early in the regular season following arthroscopic knee surgery. When Shaw is healthy, he will push Ray Hill for the nickel defensive back role. Miami's safeties are thrilled with Bates' employment of more zone schemes after spending the past four years predominantly in man coverage. Opponents were drawing in the safeties too frequently with play-action passes in '99, leaving the cornerbacks vulnerable to deep throws while in single coverage. Free safety Brock Marion already looks more comfortable in the new system, while Brian Walker has been a nice surprise at strong safety. Waived at the end of last year's training camp, Walker gained about 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason and has proved to be a sure tackler. Grade: B Special teams The fact that Olindo Mare set the NFL's single-season field-goal record (39) in '99 is a double-edged sword. Mare's success was reflective of the fact that the Dolphins scored touchdowns on only 21-of-51 trips inside the 20-yard line. "Our goal was not to send Olindo to the Pro Bowl this year," Wannstedt said after Mare kicked five field goals in Miami's 15-13 preseason win over Tampa Bay. Matt Turk, a three-time Pro Bowl selection acquired in an offseason trade with Washington, should close the Dolphins' revolving door of punters. The coverage units will always be fine because of special-teams coach Mike Westhoff, but the return game is up for grabs. At presstime, Miami was rotating rookie cornerback Ben Kelly and wide receivers Leslie Shepherd, Nate Jacquet and Robert Baker in hopes one would stand out. Grade: B+ 
Material from Pro Football Weekly.Visit their website at http://www.profootballweekly.com |
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