I believe there are a few big areas and questions about the 2009 Miami Dolphins that will need to be answered to know for sure if this team can take the next step and continue there upward surge that started in 2008. We all know this team came from 1-15 to 11-5, which gave the Dolphins the AFC East Championship. We also know that last year was the beginning of a major rebuilding project, a project in which youth, size and talent was infused into the orginization via the draft and smart moves in free agency. While much was remarkably accomplished in one year, there were certain areas of concerns that crystalized during the season, areas that have to be addressed if this team is to go further than just the 1st round of the playoffs or even makes the playoffs again.

Fellow Phinfever blogger NFLJunkie bought this area of concern up a few weeks ago, and in my mind this is by far the biggest area of concern, the offensive line. The main reason for Miami going to the Wildcat Formation last year was the inability of the offensive line to generate push in the run game, especially up the middle. When you have backs the caliber of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, there is no excuse for your running game not to be one of the very best in the NFL, and while Miami did finish in the top 15 for rushing yardage, when Miami needed to be able to run for the tough yardage in key situations, they struggled mightly. In Jake Long and Vernon Carey, you have young, huge and very talented bookend tackles in place and when healthy, Justin Smiley is a very solid OLG. The problems for the Phins last year were at C position and ORG, positions manned by Samson Satele and Donald Thomas for a game. Thomas got hurt and did not return after the 1st game, starting the myraid of players that attempted to man the ORG position. The lack of continuity at the ORG position really hurt the OL and probably effected the play of Satele and Carey last year as well. To be fair to Satele also, the kid played with a torn labrum for a good part of the 2008 season and grinded it out, but this could not help his play as well.

In the end the regime decided that a change needed to be made at the C position as they viewed Satele as more of a finesse player, a zone blocking type of a center than a power type player they wanted. Jason Brown was Miami 1st choice, no question. At 6′4, 325 lbs, Brown fit the criteria of a power player with size at the position, but in the end the St. Louis Rams were willing to over pay for him and pay him like an OG. Miami instead signed Jake Grove from the Oakland Raiders, a player that fits the criteria of what they were looking for as well. Also during free agency the Dolphins added Joe Berger, an OG/OC from Dallas to add more size and versatility to the OL.

Point blank, Jake Grove and the stablization of the ORG position along with Justin Smiley coming back healthy are big, big keys to the OL. IF they can step up and play well and stay healthy, this offense can take a step up to the next level. IF not, then there will be more of the same from 2008 in regards to the run game.

Next in line of areas that needed to be addressed is the nose tackle position. Jason Ferguson was a rock for Miami in the middle at NT, but the one game were he got hurt against the Baltimore Ravens in there earlier meeting during the regular season, the Ravens were able to exploit the injury and gash the Dolphins for 149 yards rushing. With Ferguson, Miami gave up 101 yards a game rushing, which was 10th in the NFL, so you get an idea of how key Ferguson is to this defense. That being said, Jason will be 35 years old once we get into the season and it is paramount that the Dolphins have someone groomed to take his place when Jason finally steps down. Paul Solari has the size at 6′4, 355 lbs to be a dominant NT and has shown flashes of ability. He also has shown his immaturity as well and was suspended multiple times last year. The only reason he is still on the roster is because he has SO much potential. But to say he is on his last leg with this staff and regime is an understatement. Miami did not draft a NT in the draft, so Solari, Joe Cohen and undrafted free agent Louis Ellis, a talented NT from Shaw will have to be part of the solution at the nose tackle position.

The final area in my view is the secondary. Some will say the WR position and continue to harp on the fact that Miami does not really have a so called #1 WR. But when you lose the CB that led your team in interceptions and the FS that help stablize your secondary, and even with these players your pass defense was 25th in the league, this is an area that needed to be addressed. Andre Goodman played very well during a large portion of the season and led the team in interceptions, but he certainly had his issues staying healthy and Denver signed him to a contract that Miami did not want to pay for a soon to be 31 year old CB. Renaldo Hill came in and replaced Chris Croker early in the season and help stabalize the Dolphin secondary, but his lack of physical play and not being a solid tackler hurt this team. To help address the secondary, the Dolphins bought in Gibril Wilson from Oakland to address the need at FS. Gibril is younger than Hill at 27 years old, more physical and a much more solid tackler and has 2 fewer career intereceptions playing 3 less years than Hill, and he was the starting safety on the Giants team that beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2007. Miami also added Eric Green from the Arizona Cardinals, adding another young, physical DB to the mix. Then Miami went into the draft and bought in a group of big, physical defensive backs in Vontae Davis, CB out of Illinois, Sean Smith, CB out of Utah and Chris Clemons, S out of Clemson.

Will adding these pieces to the secondary along with the existing pieces of Will Allen, Jason Allen, Yeremiah Bell, Tyrone Culver & Nathan Jones take this secondary to the next level, time will tell, but there improvement is part of the bigger puzzle for the Miami Dolphins to take the next step.

“Crucial questions that have to be answered by the Dolphins to take the next step”
Written by Tony Simmons
Sunday, 14 June 2009