Ask the Phinsider

Many still seem pissed that we traded -especially after Hartline dropped a ball. I think Sapp was a necessary add and between these tow teams was a good one.
Those anal(ysts) are reading notes from times past. We’re too new and too young to fall into such pedantic “god’s time zone deficiency” statements. Besides, inside the purple dome isn’t the space/time continuum suspended?
Until we gel on the OL there are lots (including me) holding their collective breath against your wall. We’ll find some cracks here & there and if we break it, the big wind inside your dome will be us exhaling. Berger isn’t really new. He played much last year. His foot dance(s) with Henne in Buffalo was probably more due to first game nerves. He’s GOT to get it on with Jerry & Jerry, for sure! Truthfully? I think we’ll be throwing over it much more, though.
Our starting front seven will be in name only. There’ll be so much shifting and subbing one will need a spreadsheet to keep up. Odrick being out will multiply the def combinations. But on the first play of the game? McDaniel, Starks, Dotson?, Misi, Dobbins (or Carpenter) Dansby, Wake.

I’ll defer to more, better, wiser Phinsider, of course.

I’m curious gothic do you watch the Panthers a lot of follow the program? One of my really good childhood friends plays for them and I believe is starting at corner this season.

During the off season we did lose Jason Taylor and Joey Porter, our starting outside linebackers. This really brought up the concern as to where Miami was going to generate a pass rush from. Most Miami fans knew, and frankly were excited, that this meant Cameron Wake would finally start. He is a physical freak and a pass rush specialist. In the few snaps he took last year he just had a knack for disrupting a play and getting into the backfield. Opposite him the need was filled by our second round pick Koa Misi from the Utes. He is an athletic and versatile line backer that should prove to be solid. Behind these two starters, the most notable OLB would be Ikaika Alama-Francis. Picked up after he was released from the Lions, the Fins converted him to OLB from DE, and he has become a force against the run. He was actually scheduled to start against the Bills to help control the run, but he turned up sick the morning of the game.

For the ILBs there is no bigger story that Karlos Dansby. A major weakness of the Fins last year was poor coverage on TEs; we gave up massive plays to the good TEs. Dansby was brought in to improve the entire front 7. His athletic ability and nose for the ball have made him the focal point of our defense. In just a few months in Miami he has already been named a team captain. Our other starting ILB is Channing Crowder, one of the longest tenured Fins on the roster. He is currently out with an injury so not really important for this game, though he was a force against the run. For this game expect to see lots of substitutions for ILBs opposite Dansby. They will include Tim Dobbins (from the Chargers) and Bobby Carpenter (just picked up from Cowboys). Really wont go further with that as it seems the FO is shifting around our LB core with pick ups and there is a lot of speculation right now.

Not even mentioning the secondary, the Dolphins most important defensive change was Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. He has really brought out the fangs in this Fins defense and will relentlessly attack the offense. Expect a heavy dose of blitzes from everywhere. These aren’t all out classic blitzes that will leave the Fins totally exposed either. With the athleticism of this Fins team, short throws may not work as the pursuit to the ball is incredible on this team. A variety of different looks and shifts between, 3-4, 4-3, and a hybrid 3-4 could become confusing. I’ll stop boring everyone now but will be happy to answer any more questions to the best of my abilities!

Sorry, couldn’t resist! hehehehe

Former-bust Jason Allen is playing like he was drafted to, and Vontae wasn’t mentioned a single time on Sunday (good thing).

Sean Smith is in the doghouse due to a lack of mental toughness, so:

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

I would go with our front 7 for the time being. With 3 solid OLBs and Dansby inside, the LB core is tough to beat. Couple this with a strong, but quiet D-Line and the Fins front is one to be reckoned with. If you want some more info on the LBs just look a few posts above.

As for the D-Line I really feel it is a strength of this team, many may disagree with me. At one DE position we have Kendall Langford, a third year player that has progressively gotten better. You may know him as they guy that lost the diamond earring. He has become a fixture at his spot. Lined up at DT we have Randy Starks. He was just moved from his original position of DE. Last year he put up note worthy numbers; 50 plus tackles and 7 sacks. He is undersized for a traditional DT but he is very strong and very fast for a guy of his stature. Normally, the other DE spot would be our first round draft pick, Jared Odrick. He will be out for a few weeks as a result of a deep bone bruise. The question here is which back up will take Odrick’s spot and that still hasn’t been answered. I like the Fins personnel but what truly makes the D-Line great is the flexibility and number of looks they can come at you with. As Starks was a DE he can be shifted back to that position, and another player put in at DT. Couple the flexibility of the personnel with the new hybrid 3-4 Nolan is running, and this D-Line will never look the same twice.

The Fins secondary has the potential to become the strongest part of the Fins but as of right now it is not there yet, maybe a few more years. One thing is guaranteed, Vontae Davis will be a shutdown corner.

As for the weakest part of the Fins one could argue a couple of things, QB (Some think so, not myself), RB (its starting to become an issue), but I personally pick the O-Line. Some may be surprised as this is a line that powered the 4th best rushing attack in the league and is anchored by Jake Long and Vernon Carey. Unfortunately, the FO has been experimenting and shifting the O-Line. I don’t believe the line is now a liability but all this late shifting didn’t allow this O-Line to settle and gel properly. This should be fixed soon, once that happens the O-Line will return as a strenght of this team, luckily for the Vikes I don’t believe that will be by this Sunday.

sorry was a reply muffin man

Hard to beat Jake. Henne sleeps peacefully because of him. Jared Allen will get some pressure. No one is unbeatable. But he wont get as much pressure as he normally does. That will be fun to watch!

We don’t worry about whoever lines up opposite Long, the guy is that good. He is the cornerstone of our O-Line. Some go as far as to claim he is our best offensive player, that’s on a team with Brandon Marshall, and I really couldn’t disagree all that much.

i think the williams sisters will be tough for their interior lg-c-rg to handle. i think that they will be able to get good push up the middle (hopefully) to pressure henne.

question…how often do the dolphins throw to the tight end? is anthony fasano a good receiver?

because of our defense will be out to hit and confuse Favre while still slowing down the run. We win with a pick 6. But this could easily go either way. Two good teams. You do have home field advantage. But I’m still going to have to pick my team since I think it will be close game.

I think this game will be a lot closer than some fans on this site want to believe. I understand it’s your home opener, and that we’re “just the Miami Dolphins,” and that we “barely” beat the lowly Bills. But if you watch the game, our defense was suffocating. We rattled Edwards like he was a rookie starting his first game. Granted, I understand they’re the Bills.. however, I will say this:

The Dolphins match up VERY well with the Vikings. So, though Minnesota should and will be favored, no matter what the spread is or fans’ expectations, win or lose this will be a one-score game (10 points max, but I’d be willing to put money on 7 or less) that goes down to the wire.

ahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahhahahahhahahahahahaahhahaha…no
Long will never leave Miami, you can bank on that.

I think people underrate/underestimate Harvin. Though I don’t think he’ll be much of a factor this week if he continues to be split out wide as opposed to being in the slot.

No doubt Ricky and Ronnie are good but how is their offensive line? Do they have the guys in the middle to slow down the wall? Or maybe I should say to slow down Pat, as I don’t really ever see anybody slow down Kevin. I think it’ll come down to whether or not they can run the ball up the middle against you guys. If they can, I think they have a good chance but if they can’t I don’t think they have one at all.

CAMARILLO PLAYED FOR THE DOLPHINS!!!!! I really don’t know if you guys have figured this out yet. We are not afraid of him, we are well aware of what he is capable of. You did not discover him, he is not your hidden secret. Our CBs have been practicing against this guy for over a year . He will make catches and gain yardage but he will not break us. Up until this little trade I doubt any Viking fan knew who Greg Camarillo was, and now your calling him one of “the most explosive slot players in the game,” get your heads on straight for a second. As for Berrian and Harvin we are well aware of them, but we have confidence in our CBs to keep them under control. Dolphins fans can assume that whoever Vontae Davis is covering will be kept quiet and our other corners are very capable.

As for the RBs no one has sold Peterson short. I really don’t think Gerhart is that great but will be adequate to take some snaps while Peterson rests. Miami also has lots of experience against the run, just look at our predominantly run first division. I’m not saying Peterson will but shut down, but don’t expect him to dominate this defense.

I thought I read something about him being banged up…

Camarillo Butt catch

the WC.

because he hasn’t won 3 sbs, or doesn’t babble incessantly to anyone who listens. Plus he makes the media mad by saying absolutely nothing with as many words as you can imagine.