Miami went backwards last season, finishing at 7-9. Competing in the tough AFC East, Miami will play the Patriots and Jets twice. The rest of the schedule will be a little easier than the 2009 schedule. Here is a preview and prediction for the 2010 Miami Dolphins.
Chad Henne will quarterback the 2010 Miami Dolphins. He was 7-6 last season for the fish. Henne showed surprising accuracy last year. He will have to cut out some interceptions, but that will come with maturity. Henne has Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to hand off to. Williams is very old for a running back, but hasn’t showed a decline yet. Miami upgraded at wide out, grabbing Brandon Marshall from Denver. If Marshall can get along with the coach, [he didn’t in Denver] Miami will stretch the field out. Greg Camarillo and Devon Bess will both benefit from playing with Marshall. Anthony Fasano is slated to start at tight end. The offensive line is a good one. Jake Long will be at left tackle. Long is in his third year, but already people are mentioning him with the greats. Rookie John Jerry will play the guard position on the left side, replacing departed Justin Smiley. Jake Grove will be the center, as long as he can stay healthy. Richie Incognito and Vernon Carey will play on the right side. Look for Miami to run behind Long and Jerry all season. Injury problems derailed the unit last season. If the 2010 Miami Dolphins offensive line stays healthy, they will run with anybody.
The defensive line was a weakness last season. This year it’s still not great. Kendall Langford will play one end. The other defensive end will be highly touted rookie, Jared Oldrick. Randy Starks will be in the middle. Karlas Dansby comes over to play an inside linebacker. He will soon be the defensive leader. Channing Crowder will join Dansby in the middle. Outside backers will be Charlie Anderson and Rookie Koa Misi. Sean Smith, Vontae Davis and Will Allen will all rotate at corner. Yeremiah Bell and Reshad Jones will play safety. Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver will add depth to the 2010 Miami Dolphin secondary. Gone from the defense is Joey Porter. Everything about his game was declining, except his trash talking.
Dan Carpenter will be the place kicker again this year. In 2009 Carpenter hit 90 percent of his field goals. Punting duties will be performed by Brandon Fields. He averaged 46 yards a punt last year. Davone Bess, Patrick Cobbs, and Kory Sheets, will return punts and kicks for the 2010 Miami Dolphins. Coach Saprano will demand good special teams play. This will decide a few games, like it always does.
The running game will be excellent this season. Marshall will lift the passing game, but not enough to win the division. My prediction for the 2010 Miami Dolphins is a 9-7 record. Although the record will be a winning one, the fish will still finish behind New England and the Jets. With a couple good breaks, the 2010 Miami Dolphins will contend for a wild card playoff birth.
Resources:www.miamidolphins.com sports.yahoo.con/nfl/teams/mia Bleacherreport.com
