Just before the 2009 season Miami looked very thin in the secondary. Two rookies were making noise in the July Camps and it became increasingly more evident as the 2009 season came closer that Miami would start Sean Smith at RCB. The left was still manned temporarily by Will Allen until his injury forced Vontae Davis into the lineup early in the season. The 2009 season rested on very youthful shoulders and the up-and-down play in the secondary was a testament to the learning curve taking place with Miami’s Rookie Cornerbacks. Davis now appears on his way to certain stardom while the jury is still out on Smith. What’s been settled is Miami is talented and deep at CB.

2010 doesn’t appear much different. Both outside LB positions will need to be filled before September arrives. Cameron Wake, Charlie Anderson, Koa Misi, Tim Dobbins, Quentin Moses or Eric Walden will have to nail down the spots held by Joey Porter and Jason Taylor in 2009. The hope is that Wake and Anderson will split time in one of the OLB positions with the other being currently unsettled. Koa Misi lined up there quite a bit during mini-camps. Whoever ends up there one thing is for certain: it’ll be an untested player. What this means in the larger scheme is Miami will be attacked on the edges with the running game early and often. How they respond will determine whether teams maintain focus on that.

Defensive line is another position where a rookie is expected to make an impact. Miami’s former rookie bookends have a serious challenger in Jared Odrick. Odrick will probably be expected to unseat Philips Merling who has been somewhat of an enigma. While Kendall Langford has been consistent and has gone through steady improvement, Merling is inconsistent. One some plays he looks ready for the pro bowl. On other plays he looks ready for the unemployment line. If he’s going to keep his job, he’ll need to be a little more consistent in a good way on the field. In any case, Odrick will be given a long look.

While the above positions are important, the NT position in the 3-4 is critical. Miami’s best defensive player last year was Randy Starks. At 6-3, 305 Starks had a great first move at DE. He consistently provided pressure as a DE in the 3-4 last year. The problems is he is now the NT. Fergeson was that guy until he injured a quadracept muscle. That and an 8 game suspension means Miami is heading into September with Paul Solai as their number 1 guy. Solai has been okay. He’s good enough to keep around but isn’t starter material. In comes Starks to try his luck at NT. How Starks performs in this transition will go a long way in determining if the defense will be good or bad. The run defense went down after Fergeson’s injury last year. If teams can run the ball up the middle, the off-tackle plays with smaller OLB’s will present big problems. If the combination of Starks and Solai can be an effective plug, it will free up Dansby and Crowder to make plays.

The wild card for the defense is coordinator Mike Nolan. I’ve always liked Nolan’s Defenses and he’s made them successful everywhere he’s been. He makes no apologies about attacking the LOS. He likes to bust up the rhythm of a play behind the LOS before it has a chance to develop. This has been a big plus to my psyche this year. I really think that Nolan’s attacking schemes will hide a lot of weaknesses on the defense. It may take a few weeks for the defense to totally catch on, but I’m certain by week 3 or 4 you’ll see a defense beginning to gel. If this does happen, look out. Miami can certainly score enough points to compete but to have a defense that is tenacious would without a doubt put them at the top of the pile in the East and on track for a deep playoff run.

Go Phins!!!

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Of all the moves that Bill Parcells has made with the Dolphins he will always be judged for taking LT Jake Long over QB Matt Ryan at the overall #1 draft position in 2008 NFL Draft. Most analysts thought Long was the safe pick but not the correct pick as you just do not pass up on a franchise quarterback if you lack one. The Dolphins had not had a franchise quarterback since Dan the Man, but an argument could be made for Jay Fiedler's leadership and smarts. Parcells hoped to balance that out by drafting QB Chad Henne in the 2nd round.

I try to be an avid observer of the ACC as I work at NCSU getting free passes to the games, so, I was not sold on whether Ryan would be worth the overall #1 pick in the draft. The reason? I have always admired BC's offensive coordinator Steve Logan, and he installed a very quarterback friendly system at BC. That, mixed with "Matty Ice" 's talent, I expected Ryan to find the end zone ... and he did 31 times. He also scored a 32 on the over-rated Wonderlic which was the highest for any quarterback entering the draft in 2008. Most teams will not draft a quarterback who gets less than 21 on the Wonderlic. You will all remember that Dan Marino scored a 13 on his.

I think what bothered me the most about Ryan was his 19 interceptions that he threw as a senior at Boston College. He had a very good offensive line, and he seemed to make rash decisions at times. What would he do at the NFL level?  Well, I am the first to admit that Ryan has played better than I expected and is deserving of a first round selection in that draft. #3 overall? I am still not so sure about that, but he has deserved the nickname "Matty Ice". 

In a comparison between Matt Ryan and Chad Henne's 2009 performances, Pro Football Focus rates them as good quarterbacks, but not elite quarterbacks. Keep in mind that Ryan was only in his 2nd year as a starter and looked even better than he did in 2008 showing improvement everywhere, and that Henne was starting his first season.

So, what about Jake Long? Was he the right choice? If you are Bill Parcells then you made the right choice. Look at everywhere that he has coached. All of his teams win for several years after he has left them. They are all known for having mauling offensive lines. Why does no one else seem to get it?

ESPN's KC Joyner is one of those analysts who thinks the Left Tackle is over-rated. He calls himself "The Football Scientist" and points out that "of the past nine Super Bowl winners, only one featured a first-round pick at left tackle".  Also, "overall, four of the last nine Super Bowl winners had a left tackle who was drafted in the third round or later". 

I like to look back at the great Don Shula, the holder of the most wins in NFL history. His offensive lines always were one of the best in the league, and he invested highly for elite left tackles and offensive linemen ... the same formula that Parcells uses. If you ever want to win consistently in the NFL then you need to have an offensive line that protects your quarterback's blind side and an offensive line that opens up gaping holes for your running backs. Look no further than the 72 Dolphins. People remember FB Larry Csonka dragging linebackers and cornerbacks down the field, but he also had some nice holes to run through.

Now, Jake Long has been everything the Dolphins expected from him ... maybe more. He has been in the league for 2 years and made the Pro Bowl both years. By making the Pro Bowl in his rookie season he kicked in some nice incentives that were written into his contract that makes him very highly paid for his position. Parcells considers him to be worth it.

CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco rated his top 50 players in the NFL. Jake Long made his list:

29. Jake Long, T, Miami Dolphins: He's a rock on the left side of the Miami line. He's improved greatly as a run blocker, and he excels in pass protection. He had one bad game -- the opener against the Falcons -- and then played at a high level in 2009.

I think this year should define whether taking Jake Long over Matt Ryan was the right choice as we will see whether Chad Henne is indeed the answer at quarterback. Most analysts are saying that Henne will make a major move forward in his development this year and most are saying that he is our franchise quarterback. Personally, I think Jake Long's play has all ready answered that question.

One thing to think about is that a lot was made of the fact that Parcells drafted team leaders this year. Well, both Henne and Long were team leaders themselves of their college teams. I like that formula as well.

Download the Free Phinfever Browser Toolbar

I really can't get along without the browser toolbar. It has all the important links on it. I'm not selfish, I even have all the other Dolphins fan sites on it. There's a lot of draft links, rss feeds, and a cool email program that lets you know when you have mail. And NO spam or spyware. It works for Firefox and Internet Explorer. So, enjoy!

Support Phinfever by buying what you need from our advertisers. They pretty much pay the bills for us. Thanks!
 

If you're looking for things to do in Miami FL, check CTC for Miami comedy shows and Miami football schedules. Also buy NFL tickets and college sports tickets, including Miami Dolphins football tickets and cheap Hurricanes football tickets