In 2008 the Miami Dolphins came out of nowhere to win the AFC East after coming off the most dismal season in Dolphin history the year prior going 1-15. In 2009 the Dolphins took a step back and finished 3rd in the AFC East with a 7-9 record, 4-2 in the division. The New England Patriots won the division and the New York Jets got in as a wildcard and made it all the way to the AFC Championship game, losing to Indianapolis.
The Dolphins split with New England, swept the Jets and lost a costly late season game to Buffalo to split with the Bill in 2009. The Jets and New England are the favorites in the AFC East, and while most so called experts believe Miami will be much improved, 3rd place is were the Dolphins are predicted to finish. Let's take a breif look at the teams in the division and how the Dolphins stack up.
New England, the division champs are coming off a 10-6 season and a disappointing playoff loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens in a game that the Patriots were dominated. The Patriots are rebuilding and did not do much in free agency with the exception of signing there own guys. The Patriots are using the draft to get younger and fill major holes on the defensive side of the ball, a unit that struggled in 2009. Tom Brady is another year removed from his knee surgery and I expect him to be better for it. He will be without Wes Welker for the early part of the season, as Welker is coming off of knee and shoulder surgery, but Randy Moss is in a contract year, so you know he will want to have a big year. The Patriots are a good, solid football team, but they are not the Patriots of 3-4 years ago. The Dolphins split with the Patriots.
New York is the team that most feel will win the division and they certainly have created a lot of buzz this offseason with the numerous moves during free agency and via trades. There is no question that the Jets are looking to make a run at a Super Bowl in 2010. Having the top ranked defense in the NFL, the Jets add Antonio Cromartie to there secondary in a trade with the Chargers to help boost an area that was exploited in the championship game by the Colts, the secondary. Will all of the numerous moves lead to a championship, hard to say. The Jets let go some very solid football players in Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca, and have several young players, including Darrelle Revis, David Harris and Nick Mangold that are wanting new contracts. Team chemistry and the continued development of 2nd year QB Mark Sanchez are crucial to the Jets. The Dolphins took both games from the Jets in 2009, so for all the talk of the Jets, the Dolphins matchup very well with Gang Green.
Buffalo is by far the team with the longest way to go to be competitive in the competitive AFC East. They have questions at QB, OL, WR and just made the switch to a 3-4 defense. They fired Dick Jauron during the season and hired Chan Gailey after the season ended after going after some of the bigger names coaches in the league. If there was ever a team that was in full rebuild mode, it is Buffalo, and a lot of people wonder if they have the personnel in place in the personnel department to get the job done. The Dolphins split with Buffalo in 2009 and open up the season in Buffalo. Point blank, if the Dolphins want to win the division, sweeping Buffalo is a MUST.
As good as the AFC East has gotten in the last 2 years, this is a division that Miami can win in 2010. The Dolphins were smart & aggressive in free agency and bought in Karlos Dansby, and impact player at ILB to help bolster a young defense as well as acquiring Tim Dobbins, another ILB in a draft day trade to help bolster the LB corp even further with young talent. The Dolphins traded for one of the top 3 WR in the league in Brandon Marshall, giving the Dolphins a true number 1 WR. In the draft, Miami went heavy on defense, as this unit needed to be overhauled with talent and youth. The possible biggest move was adding DC Mike Nolan to the coaching staff. He took a Denver Bronco defense that was 29th in the NFL in 2008 to 7th in 2009. Miami finished 24th in the league in defense in 2009 and gave up over 24 points a game. Nolan has younger, better talent to work with in Miami and if he can have the same type of impact on the Dolphins defense, which I think he will, then the Dolphins definately will be one of the teams to beat in the AFC East.
Last, but not least is the injury situation, specifically with Ronnie Brown and the continued development of Chad Henne. The Dolphins need this guy to stay healthy. Ronnie needs to be able to stay on the field if he wants to get the premium contract he is seeking. He and Ricky Williams form a explosive duo, a top 5-10 duo at RB in the NFL and a unit that helped the Dolphins finish with the 4th ranked rush offense in the NFL. Chad Henne came in and showed a lot of moxy, talent and made the mistakes that a 1st time starter makes. He also showed he can make mistakes and not let them effect him, learn from them and move on. He has the size, the arm and the ability to be a top notch NFL quarterback, and he now has a top flight weapon at wide receiver.
People are overlooking Miami and I am more than fine with it. Take Miami for granted and you will pay the price. This is a big, young and talented football team that is well coached and will not quit and have a bulldog mentality. The Dolphins can win the AFC East.
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!
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First of all, Happy Birthday USA!! My Dad is a veteran, my brothers are both veterans, and my mom went through the process of becoming an American citizen. It wasn't easy for her but being an American citizen was something she felt was worth the hard work to become. I applaud her and every person who has gone through the legal system to be a part of this great nation.
The Lies?
"... because I had not talked to Alabama and did not talk to them until the season ended ... " (Nick Saban)
OK, I know I sound harsh when it comes to our former head coach, Nick Saban. Am I still hung up on the lies? No, not really. He lied when he said that he wasn't going to take the Alabama Crimson Tide job, and he's still lying by not admitting that he had his agent inquire about the position, and that he had secretly accepted it. Three years later that really isn't a big deal to me. It's water under the bridge.
Did he really put the blame on Huizenga?
For several years Saban's name floated around the NFL for every open head coaching position. He was very successful as an NFL defensive coordinator, he coached under Bill Belichick while with the Cleveland Browns, Belichick called him up throughout the season for his advice with the Patriots, he was very successful as a college football coach, he could evaluate raw talent, and the word was that he was looking for the ideal place in the NFL to coach at.
Former Dolphins head coach Wayne Huizenga went out to Louisiana and gave him his usual red class treatment. Huizenga will be known to Floridians for the way he handled his Florida Marlins baseball team. He treated it as a business, so, he increased it's value by paying for excellent talent to win a pennant. After they won the pennant it was stil hard to fill the seats, so, he traded away his expensive talent to make it affordable to sell. It was a pretty crappy thing to do, but he did bring a championship to Florida in baseball. Maybe people should remember that. Since I am not a Marlins fan but an Orioles fan (don't laugh too loudly), I only saw Huizenga's love and devotion to the Dolphins. It wasn't a business to him but a passion, and I will miss him as our owner.
Saban blamed Huizenga for the reason he took the Dolphins job. He said that he told Huizenga that he was not interested in coaching in the NFL and Huizenga made him an offer that he could not refuse. That, to me, sounds as if he is blaming Huizenga for his decision to coach the Dolphins.
What bothers me ...
When I think of Nick Saban I think of two things: Huizenga standing on the podium all by himself telling us that Saban had quit the Dolphins, and the images of Saban all ready in Alabama celebrating as the new Alabama head coach. To me, that was the one of the lowest things a person could do was to hang it all on the owner. There was no class in that at all.
What should he have done? He should have stood up on the podium like a man, say that he is not the man for the job, tell us that he missed the responsibility of molding college kids to be professionals, and thank us for the opportunity. He should have met with his team and coaches and let them know his decision face-to-face like a man. They deserved that much from him ... not an email or a quick phone call.
He can right the wrong done by acknowledging it and apologizing pubicly to Huzenga and to the Miami Dolphins fans. Most of us would just forget it as we are happy with where our Dolphins are right now. We all learn things in life one way or the other. When you hurt people or do someone wrong it doesn't just go away. You have to step up and address those you did those things to to start the healing process. It all spells integrity ... things he expects from others himself.
Saban needs college football (visa versa)
"I think he could have won here" (Wayne Huizenga)
Saban left 3 years and $13.5 million on the table in Miami when he took the Alabama job. His decision was not about money ... it was about happiness. Personally, I think he could have succeeded at the NFL level if he gave himself time. I blame his GM Randy Mueller for some of the failures of his 2nd draft/free agency as clearly it was not as successful as his first season. I liked Mueller's work when with the Saints but he clearly did a poor job in his two year stint under Saban and Cam Cameron.
I think Saban's problem was that to succeed in the NFL he needed to clean out the team of all veterans as Jimmy Johnson did with the Dallas Cowboys. He talked down to everyone (including his secretary whom he berated for buying the wrong kind of Little Debbie snacks), so, only players coming out of college could take his coaching personality. I think he could see that he was losing the team and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He preached discipline but his teams were always making mental errors. So, he was not going to change the coaching style that made him successful at the collegiate level. He had a need to be given the "red carpet" once again and he made the move to Alabama. He loves to be worshipped, and he was not getting that at the NFL level. He was looking pretty average, and Saban relishes being the best.
The first year that he coached at Alabama I enjoyed every loss. There weren't many but I enjoyed the look of failure on his face after a loss. Last year I found myself pulling for his Alabama team. Come on, you have to admit that you love the way his teams play on the field. I wish that would have translated to the Dolphins.
Still, he is gone, Cameron failed, and because of that we have Bill Parcells shaping my beloved Miami Dolphins. I am happy with where the Dolphins are today. I am not happy with Saban for how he left the Dolphins. An apology to the fans and to Huizenga would mean that he actually acknowledges that he was a jerk in the way he handled his exit. You do not treat the fans and a great owner that way.
Enjoy this video of the Nicktator making Manual Wright cry at practice.
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!
First of all, Happy Birthday USA!! My Dad is a veteran, my brothers are both veterans, and my mom went through the process of becoming an American citizen. It wasn't easy for her but being an American citizen was something she felt was worth the hard work to become. I applaud her and every person who has gone through the legal system to be a part of this great nation.
OK, I know I sound harsh when it comes to our former head coach, Nick Saban. Am I still hung up on the lies? No, not really. He lied when he said that he wasn't going to take the Alabama Crimson Tide job, and he's still lying by not admitting that he had his agent inquire about the position, and that he had secretly accepted it. Three years later that really isn't a big deal to me. It's water under the bridge.
