We THOUGHT we had...
Written by pawfectgent
Monday, 18 January 2010

The 2009 Season told us many things about the Maimi Dolphins from top to bottom. Some we were happy to learn, some surprised us, and some were disappointing. Overall, the revelations affirmed one thing that has become clear: The Dolphins are a lot better off than we were just a short time ago, and the AFC East is ripe.

We THOUGHT we had disaster when Penny went down, especially with the start out the gate. Instead, we found a guy with the moxie to make things happen, and the skills to enable us to win games. With his potential and performance (60% completion, 7-6 as a starter), and the youth we have behind him in Thigpin and White, Penny's imminent, inevitable departure from the Miami Dolphins is palatable. Score this as one of the pleasant surprises.

We (several of us) THOUGHT keeping the extra RB over a WR was perhaps a wiff, but then Pat Cobbs early injury and Ronnie Brown's annual injury told us different. Most teams evaporate when something happens like that, but Miami remained solid at RB with Williams and Hilliard, and even displayed a flash of Sheets. It is unlikely all five will still be with us when we start the 2010 season, but it's nice to have so many options. Score this as happy info, not really a surprise.

We THOUGHT we had Safety covered, but what we have is a solid SS in Bell who is good playing SS and a SS in Wilson who isn't very good playing FS. Culver and Clemons will certainly press here for opportunity, and one hopes that one of the two emerges, and I would hope we draft a prospect with one of our first three picks. Score this an expensive unpleasant surprise.

We THOUGHT we were solid with Crowder and Ayodele at ILB, but both were sporadic and Akin especially faded down the stretch. Torbor played well in a very limited role, getting fewer than half the snaps of either starter (325 for RT, 706 for AA and 717 for CC), but still matching Crowder with an Int. He had only one missed tackle, while CC and AA had 10 apiece. He was also the only one of the three to record a Sack. Although Torbor was a nice surprise from the bullpen, both our starters were somewhat disappointing (at least to me).

We THOUGHT we finally found a staff that was unified in philosophy, purpose and vision. We were right, and it is also a staff where everyone is accountable, and problem areas are immediately addressed. Last season the obvious weakness offensively was the OLine, where our foes could crash down on us. 'Masher' Maser, the first coach hired by Tony Sporano, also became the first fired. This season, a step back for the defense elicited a change at the top: Pasqualoni is out and now DL Coach in Dallas. This, for one, wasn't a surprise.

We THOUGHT we had heard the end of the Stadium-Name Game, but sadly, my hopes for Dolphin Field at Joe Robbie Stadium fell to the axe of modern commercialism. Sigh....

Now, as to the Division in which we live, We Thought the Pats would win it...they did, no surprise. We Thought the Bills would implode...they did, no surprise. We Thought we'd have the Jets by the short ones...we did, still a pleasant sensation if not technically a surprise. The gifting they got to get to the postseason notwithstanding, we still swept them, and it has been quite a while (the last time was '03).

What we get in 2010 is a Jets team that will be pumped after their lateseason run (even though I think it comes to a whimpering halt against the Colts) but that now has lost the last three times they faced us; a Patriots team that surprisingly isn't dominant even with Brady healthy if Welker isn't in the lineup, and who we split even up with. We also get a Bills team that will still be the one with question marks at QB out of the four teams. Why can't we take this thing in 2010?

I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't think it was a disaster when Pennington went down. If anything, I was prepared for it. I think most knew Pennington is injury prone, and for him to go two consecutive seasons without getting hurt? Also, I think most saw the writing on the wall when big plays weren't being produced.

I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't think it was a disaster when Pennington went down. If anything, I was prepared for it. .