Panthers 17, Dolphins 27
(By Rich Rodriguez) There was a little bit more dazzle to this one. The Dolphins pulled out a few old tricks to help win against the Panthers. Literally. The Dolphins ran the same 4 Wildcat plays they ran all of last year, including the double reverse QB pass (I honestly don’t even know what to call it) from Pennington to Cobbs. Additionally, the tone was set by the Dolphins offensive line early. The Dolphins were able to gash the Panthers defensive front seven using Ronnie Brown, and later Ricky Williams, to run the rock against Carolina. A big part of that was Donald Thomas’s ability to pull. It now appears (though things can change quickly), that Thomas is winning the competition at right guard. Though it has been nice to see Murphy show considerable improvement, which may lead to quality depth, Thomas is taking the job by the horns.
