-by
Erick Coleman
At this time last
year, the Miami Dolphins were dealing with high-level problem after
problem. Wide receivers blowing our their knees, running backs quitting
and having to go through all of it under yet under year with Coach
Dave Wannstedt running the show and calling the shots. One need not
be SI’s Doctor Z to forecast bad things for the 2004 Miami Dolphins.
2004 is now long gone and well in the rear view mirror, or it should
be. Will the 2005 Miami Dolphins win the Super Bowl? It’s safe
to assume that they will not. Is it possible that the Miami Dolphins
will have a season close to that of 2004? In today’s NFL records
are a difficult thing to predict. Throughout Dolphin Nation, however,
a gray blanket of negativity lies just over what should be a bright
shining sun. What follows are my top five reasons to be very excited
about the 2005 Miami Dolphins. Furthermore these reasons are reasons
for hope that the 2005 Miami Dolphins can, and should, be a very competitive
football team.
Reason
#5, Coach Nick Saban
Regardless of how this season turns out, one must be excited by Wayne
Huizenga’s pursuit of Saban and wrestling him away from not
only the ranks of college football, but also several other NFL teams
that would have loved to ink Saban. While it is possible that Saban
will fall in a long line of successful college coaches that couldn’t
meet the grade in the NFL, he has already shown signs of why this
administration is far different than the one inherited. Saban is the
first person to state that success is completely determined by the
people that you surround yourself with. Luckily for Saban, the NFL’s
salary cap does not stretch into the realm of the coaching staff.
Scott Linehan, new Dolphins offensive coordinator and Hudson Houck,
offensive line coach, are the equivalent to the signing of “big
name” free agent players. Both have proven track records and
have reached levels of success that have made both future head coach
material. Hudson, in particular, is one to watch. Prior to taking
over San Diego’s offensive line, that group was rated far worse
than what Miami currently has (talent wise). Touting players such
as Randy McMichael, Chris Chambers, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams
– these new coaches have their share of talent to work with.
Reason
#4, Defensive Youth Movement
Losing Patrick Surtain is going to hurt, no matter which way you try
to cut it. Miami fans have long been spoiled with Surtain and Sam
Madison patrolling the backfield and often creating sleepless nights
for offensive coordinators trying to game plan for the Fish. Most
teams in the NFL lack one shut down corner, much less two. Now with
Surtain off to Kansas City, Madison is the lone remaining shut down
corner. Make no mistake about this fact, however: Sam Madison is a
shut down corner back. Due to this, teams will avoid him and try to
force mis-matches with well-equipped second and third option receivers
against Travis Daniels and Reggie Howard. This is encouraging in a
defensive scheme where the strong safety position is often used to
double down on second and third option on offense. Yeremiah Bell is
one of the most promising young players on the Dolphins defense and,
at free safety, his hits remind this writer of Louis Oliver with speed.
At six feet in height, Bell can cover most tight ends in the league
as well. Coming into his second season, look for improved play out
of the free safety position. Channing Crowder is another young player
that should be putting a charge in Miami’s fan base. Miami has
long surrounded Zach Thomas with “okay” players at the
outside linebacker position. Picking up Crowder in this past draft
is not without it’s risks as he has health concerns, however
the upside on Crowder is nothing short of tantalizing. When you speak
of upside and youth on Miami’s defensive squad, look no further
than six foot 4 and 272 pound Matt Roth. One word describes Roth and
that is nasty. Sweet and short, Roth is a mean man and not a pleasant
person. With Jason Taylor, Kevin Carter and Vonnie Holliday on the
squad, Roth has the unique ability to be used in specialized situations
while learning the game. Kevin Vickerson is another young talent that
could be a showcase of what’s to come in Miami. Vickerson took
until his senior year at Michigan State to get into the starting role,
which might have hurt his draft status. Vickerson used his senior
year to his advantage recording 46 tackles, 4.5 sacks and over 10
tackles for losses at a big time program. Miami’s defense might
take some lumps this coming season, however the young talent on this
team ensures that the Dolphins place as a defensive elite squad will
continue into the future.
Reason
#3, All is Not Gloom and Doom Behind Center
Gus and AJ will not be confused for Steve Young and Joe Montana any
time soon. Luckily for Miami, they don’t need to be. Neither
Gus nor AJ have Jay Fiedler’s heart or field smarts; both have
better talent for the position. AJ Feeley has the best arm of any
quarterback on the Dolphins roster; unfortunately he might not have
the mental makeup to start in the NFL. This leaves Miami with cement
wall head butting Gus Frerotte to handle the snaps and run the show.
The national media will have you believe that the 11-year veteran
signal caller is not an upgrade over Jay Fielder, and I will dispute
that. While Frerotte is certainly a journeyman he has a better arm
than Fiedler and, like Jay, is generally smart with the ball. Gus
has one glaring upside to the QB that he replaces; he is not reckless
with his body at this point in his career. One of the largest downfalls
for Jay in Miami was his inability to stay in the line up for long
periods of time. A lot of injuries that he suffered with avoidable
ones, Gus won’t be taking the same chances with his position.
Through consistency alone Miami should see strides in play with this
position. Many forget that Frerotte is a former pro bowl selection,
playing in the 1996 all-star effort. He’s also a player that
has seen the bright lights of the playoffs; pressure is not something
that will easily rattle this QB. Frerotte is also rested, carrying
a clipboard for the entire 2004 season. Frerotte will also be throwing
to what has to be considered some of the most talented hands in the
National Football League. One would be hard pressed to find a batch
of pass catchers more talented than the ones in Miami and with previously
mentioned new coaches and new schemes, the blocking should be there
for those passes to actually get to those hands. Will Frerotte be
a pro bowl player in this season’s campaign? Doubtful, but stranger
players have found their way into that game. Frerotte’s play
will be much better at quarterback than Miami fans have seen in a
long time due to the number two and one reasons to look forward to
2005.
Reason
#2, Throw Me a Freakin' Bone, Here!
Reason two is a four-headed monster by the name of Chris Chambers,
Marty Booker, David Boston and Randy McMichael. Manning, Culpepper
and McNabb wake up at night stuck to their sheets when dreaming of
having this type of talent to throw to. Unless sidelined by injury,
I will be so bold as to make this prediction: Chris Chambers will
finally eclipse the 1,000 yard mark and establish himself as one one
of the best wide receivers in the National Football League. Boston,
Booker and McMichael are incredible secondary options and almost impossible
to completely game plan for on the defensive side of the ball. When
facing Miami this year teams are going to have to go into more and
more one on one coverage than they are used to when facing the Dolphins;
most teams do not have the talent on defense to allow their corners
to be caught on an island with a wide receiver, much less a linebacker
on a tight end as talented as McMichael. Reason #2 ties in directly
with #5 as well as the top reason. This coaching staff will not be
a Jimmy Johnson clone of slamming the ball off right tackle play after
play after play, they cannot afford to be with the explosive talent
racing down the field. Frerotte will need protection to check off
to multiple options. Given that and Miami is going to surprise a lot
of people this year with fireworks in the air. What will ensure big
years for Miami’s corp of wide receivers, and production from
Frerotte? What is the single most important aspect of this team, the
one that will define how well the defense is able to play? What is
the largest factor in the improvement of the offensive line?
Reason
#1, Run Ricky -- Ronnie, Run!
In
this past weekend’s pre-season game versus Jacksonville, I saw
a play that made me jump out of my seat with my fist in the air. Ricky
took a handoff and came around right end, squared off with a Jacksonville
defender. William’s juked left, spun right and off he went –
8 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The move is not one that any
running back could make. You won’t see Travis Minor or even
Travis Henry making that move, that is the move of an amazing pro-bowl
caliber running back that has not forgot the skills to play this game.
Ricky comes into this year on fresh legs, not having to endure yet
another bruising 300-plus carry season last year. On pure talent,
Ricky Williams back in week 5 is enough to make every offensive linemen,
wide receiver and quarterback drool at the thought. The popular stance
is to question why Ricky has come back and does he want to be here?
Neither of those potential questions matters. The bottom line is that
Williams has to be here, whether he wants to be or not. What Williams
showed me in week two of the pre-season is that he is still the prideful
world class athlete that every team Miami faced in 2002 and 2003 had
to base their entire defensive gamelan around. Let me state that again:
Ricky Williams’ talent is such that a team must game plan around
that talent. In 2003 teams stacked the line, doubled Chris Chambers
and has as many as 9 players in the box to stop Ricky. Through all
that, Williams still gained over 1,400 yards on the ground and didn’t
even appear to run all that hard. Stacking defenses, as ones did when
playing Miami makes everyone look worse: the offensive line, the quarterback,
and the running back. My question is this: how will teams stack the
line as they did and cover Booker, Chambers and McMichael at the same
time? In addition to his running ability, Williams is a big time threat
out of the backfield. Week 5 should be a focal point for all Miami
Dolphin fans. Until week 5 there will be another brutal running back
for defenses to contend with by the name of Ronnie Brown. Signed,
sealed and delivered, Brown is a handful. He’s a big, bruising
and fast running back that, like Williams, has soft hands out of the
backfield. Brown will struggle, as all rookies do; however he will
also produce. Brown will be able to learn professionally from Williams
and, when week 5 does roll around, might even share the field with
him. Do not be surprised on third and short situations, or even goal
line situations, to see Miami use Williams and Brown on the field
together. As if trying to stop one was enough, the opposing defenses
will struggle to find ways to stop the Miami attack.
In a sporting league that has seen teams go from worst to first with
less talent than Miami has, a respectable record is not out of the
question for the 2005 Miami Dolphins. A lot of things have to go right
in a league where a lot of things have the tendency to go wrong for
Miami to contend for a playoff spot in this upcoming season. While
that forcast might be unlikely, one thing is certain. The Miami Dolphins
will once again give their fans reason for hope and to stand and cheer.
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