So Much To Cover So Little Time

Obviously I've neglected this blog for a while now, with other priorities taking up all my time. But I still intend on keeping it around, just not on the daily, or maybe even weekly level that I had the first 6 months.

Since my last post over a month ago, a considerable amount of changes have occurred in South Florida sports. I wish all this would have happened a few months ago, when I was struggling to find something to talk about in the dead period after the basketball season was over but still had time to write.

I guess for now I'll try to piece it together a little at a time, mostly about the stuff I really care about.

For starters, the Dolphins seem to be fielding a decent enough squad this season. I know it's only preseason, but Chad Pennington and Chad Henne have looked pretty good as this team's quarterbacks. The offense is effective enough. Not explosive or dangerous yet, but when Ronnie gets healthier and once the receivers have time to develop I'm pretty confident they can score a good 20 points a game.

I've been impressed with the offensive line play. This has to be the best line we've put out in nearly a decade. Not one position on the line can be viewed as a weak point, with rookies Jake Long and Donald Thomas anchoring the missing spots we had in the offseason. Thomas has been a revelation of sorts, being a raw but powerful 6th round pick with little football experience, but was quick to land the starting job at RG.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see if the Dolphins don't take a look at Willie Anderson, who recently cut by the Bengals. We do have first dibs on waivers so it might be a possibility considering our massive cap space. The OT has some red flags, but when healthy he is a Top 5 or 6 offensive tackle in the league.

The defense supposedly has been "flying around", but frankly I see it being the weakest part of this team. Without Zach Thomas or Jason Taylor they simply don't have any playmakers left. Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford need time to develop and Joey Porter looks like his best days are behind him. Still, the team is looking solid enough to win at least 5-6 games and maybe do some damage at the end of the season once the rookies start getting a feel for the pro game.

My hopes are for Ted Ginn to keep the solid consistency he has shown this preseason and develop into a full fledged #1 receiver heading into the 2009 season. I want the OL to jell and stay healthy, giving us a solid group for the next 4 or 5 years. Other than that, it would be nice to just see the rookies develop. Henne looks like he might have some promise, though at this point I'm not sure I can say the same about John Beck, who has regressed since this point last season.

More than anything I'm looking forward to watching the team try to overachieve, but I know now that this squad comes with no expectations. The 2009 Draft will be more important to this franchise than the 2008 season, but we can still enjoy the Dolphins regardless. It's pretty apparent that the team is missing another big threat on offense and pretty much every position on defense, so Parcells has plenty of work to do. I'm sure he will unearth something from the recent cuts (like Anderson or maybe Jerome McDougle).

Anyway, I'll try to write some other thoughts of mine and have them scattered throughout the week so the posts don't all come at once.