Miami Dolphins:
Offense:
QB- Chad Henne
RB- Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams
FB- Lousaka Polite
WR- Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess, and Andrew Hartline
TE- Anthony Fasano
LT- Jake Long
LG- Richie Incognito
C- Joe Berger
RG- John Jerry
RT- Vernon Carey
BREAKDOWN: There is a lot of hype for quarterback Chad Henne, who filled in at the end of last season as quarterback, but I don’t feel that he has the potential to be a solid game-caller. In the last three weeks of last season, Henne threw three touchdowns compared to five interceptions as well as the Dolphins going 0-3 during that same stretch. Many people feel that Henne will fill into the Matt Ryan or David Garrard role, but I don’t buy into that perception. However, Henne’s job at quarterback will be made much easier by the offseason acquisition of Brandon Marshall. Marshall is one of the game’s best possession receivers, and is always capable of the games such as Week 14 last year: 21 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins have to hope that the prima donna Marshall that was shown in Denver, won’t be a problem in his first season in Miami, and if he isn’t he could be the one-man show for the Dolphins. The Dolphins possess a great running game with the tandem of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Ronnie Brown rushed for 648 yards in 147 attempts and eight touchdowns in nine games before being injured for the season. Brown has been injury prone in the past, but is now in a contract season, which should mean more motivation to have a breakout season, and complete the numbers that he would’ve put up if he stayed healthy. Williams had a horrendous final two games, 66 yards in 22 attempts, but still had an overall strong season, 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns. Williams is on the wrong side of 30 (33 years old), but still holds relatively fresh legs, and should continue to be solid this season. Davone Bess is one of my favorite players in the Dolphins offense, but I feel that his role is going to be hurt with the addition of Brandon Marshall. Bess is another possession receiver, as he caught 76 passes last season for 758 yards, but I think that his potential has been capped with another strong possession receiver on the team. Also, the loss of Ted Ginn loses the hope of a downfield threat, and may hurt the Dolphins’ passing game more than they expected. Offensive lineman Jake Long is one of the best tackles in the NFL, as he has quick hands to pass block and is athletic and strong enough to be a power run blocker. The Dolphins running game goes through Long. If the Dolphins are going to compete for the playoffs this season, their defense must be top-notch to keep the games low scoring, because the offense won’t be scoring a ton this year.
Defense (3-4):
LE- Kendall Langford
NT- Randy Starks
RE- Jared Odrick
LOLB- Koa Misi
LILB- Channing Crowder
RILB- Karlos Dansby
ROLB- Cameron Wake
CB- Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Jason Allen, and Will Allen
FS- Chris Clemons
SS- Yeremiah Bell
BREAKDOWN: This is a Dolphins defense that went under a major makeover this offseason. They lost Jason Taylor to the division rival Jets, and Joey Porter to the desert in Arizona, but they are still hopeful that they will hold a defense that will allow them to compete for a division title this year. Randy Starks is one of the most underrated nose tackles in football, and he proved it by quietly putting up 56 tackles and seven sacks last year for a strong Dolphins defense. Jared Odrick was drafted in the first round (28th overall) to bring in a better pass rush, as he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season after leading the Penn State Nittany Lion defense. Koa Misi was drafted in the second round and should play a huge part in filling the void of Jason Taylor as he is a extremely versatile defender and can play defensive end as well as outside linebacker. I’m sure that the Dolphins envision strong things from Misi. Channing Crowder and Cameron Wake put up disappointing seasons last year for their expectations coming in. I expect more tackles this year for Wake and more of a dominating presence for Crowder, as he was highly efficient in college. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis are good cover corners but are probably more suited for zone coverage because they lack elite speed. The top playmakers for the Dolphins defense are: Yeremiah Bell and Karlos Dansby. Bell is extremely effective in coverage and is one of the top tacklers for the Dolphins as he is strong in run-support. Dansby is an athletic linebacker who had 110 tackles last season for the Dolphins and is one of the most ferocious hitters as well as block shedding players in the NFL. The Dolphins defense may take a step back this season as they will need to rely more on young guys, as last year was more of a veteran defense.
Special Teams:
K- Dan Carpenter
P- Brandon Fields
KR- Patrick Cobbs
PR- Davone Bess
BREAKDOWN: Dan Carpenter and Brandon Fields were solid last season as Carpenter went 25-for-28 (89.3%), as well as 16-for-17 inside of 40 yards. Fields averaged 46.3 yards per punt and 39.8 net yards, as well as 25 punts inside of the 20. Both of these players should enjoy the same success this season as they did last year. Bess was a good punt returner as he averaged 7.5 yards per return, and Patrick Cobbs should fare well as the new kick returner after the Dolphins got rid of Ted Ginn Jr., who was one of the deadliest return men in football. However, without Ginn, the Dolphins should have an average special teams unit in all categories.
Washington Redskins:
Offense:
QB: Donovan McNabb
RB: Clinton Portis/Willie Parker
FB: Mike Sellers
WR: Santana Moss, Devin Thomas, and Roydell Williams
TE: Chris Cooley
LT: Trent Williams
LG: Derrick Dockery
C: Casey Rabach
RG: Artis Hicks
RT: Jammal Brown
BREAKDOWN: The Redskins offense was awful last season and decided to bring in Mike Shanahan to become the new coach and re-start the Redskin offense. One of the biggest offseason moves in 2010 was Donovan McNabb leaving division-rival Philadelphia Eagles to join forces on the Redskins and hope to generate the same type of numbers that he had in Philly. McNabb is still a great passer but won’t be the runner that he used to be only three or four years ago. McNabb should bring out the most in the Redskin receivers and that’s all they can ask McNabb for. Clinton Portis was injured for most of the season last year but is hoping to return to his glory days when he use to be coached by Mike Shanahan and the zone blocking running scheme. In his two seasons under Shanahan, Portis ran for 3,099 yards and 29 touchdowns. Anything remotely close to those numbers would make the Redskins happy. Backups Larry Johnson and Willie Parker have been strong runners in the past decade but the reports out of Washington is that both are liabilities in pass blocking and that one of them could end up being cut by the end of training camp. Santana Moss has been the Redskins best receivers for years, but hasn’t had the quarterback to help him explode. McNabb could be that guy for Moss, but as he fits the same type of mold that made DeSean Jackson elite for McNabb. It will be interesting to see how these two jell. Devin Thomas didn’t reach his potential last year, and I don’t see it again this year as he is the tall possession receiver but McNabb is more of the guy that likes to air it out. Chris Cooley should benefit from McNabb and return to his old numbers, as well as McNabb loves to use his tight ends. Although McNabb should generate a boost to the offense, it is still one that has several holes in the offensive line, and I think they are two years away from competing in the NFC East and scaring teams on the offensive end.
Defense (3-4):
LE- Phillip Daniels
NT- Albert Haynesworth
RE- Kedric Golston
LOLB- Brian Orakpo
LILB- London Fletcher
RILB- Rocky McIntosh
ROLB- Andre Carter
CB- Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, and Philip Buchanon
FS- LaRon Landry
SS- Reed Doughty
BREAKDOWN: Although the saga of Albert Haynesworth has shadowed the first couple of practices at training camp in July, the Redskins defense is one that is improving and getting better each year. Philip Daniels and Kendric Golston aren’t the best pass rushers and are only average defensive ends but have more space to move when Albert Haynesworth is at his best and trying to make plays. At his best, Haynesworth is one of the best players in the NFL, but he has really questionable character, and after the conditioning test saga, I can’t picture Haynesworth playing the whole season as a happy Redskin and may try to force his way out of Washington. Brian Orakpo was made for the 3-4 defenses, as he is a strong pass rusher with 11 sacks last season to go along with 50 tackles. He is extremely quick but isn’t a good coverage corner, so this will be the one linebacker that will be blitzing a lot. London Fletcher has been the leader of the Redskins for the past several seasons, but hasn’t been rewarded with wins in his career. He is one of the best tacklers in the NFL, as he made 142 last year and has put up over 115 for the last ten seasons. Rocky McIntosh had 94 tackles last year and is the best Redskin linebacker in coverage. He makes strong plays and fits great with the other Redskin linebackers. Andre Carter is an explosive linebacker and makes strong decisions. These linebackers are one of the most experienced and best tackling group but the lack of defensive line also forces them to make more tackles. DeAngelo Hall is one of the most outspoken cornerbacks in the NFL but he has yet to take full power of his potential. He could be a guy with the effect of Darrelle Revis, but he has yet to put in the work necessary to dominate. LaRon Landry is one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league, and is a strong tackler, but he will need to make more plays as the secondary isn’t a strong point on this defense. The 3-4 defense benefits the Redskins, no matter how much Haynesworth hates it but it will be interesting how they are able to stop the explosive offensives in the NFC East this year.
Special Teams:
K- Graham Gano
P- Josh Bidwell
KR- Devin Thomas
PR- Phillip Buchanon
BREAKDOWN: Graham Gano didn’t really play last year as he only attempted four kicks, in which he made them all but he has a strong leg which the Redskins will need as their offense lacks the playmaker to score on every possession. Josh Bidwell was a reliable punter for the Green Bay Packers in the past, and the Redskins need one that’s reliable as they used four punters last year. Devin Thomas is an average returner with an average of 22 yards per return last year, but he isn’t a home-run threat that most teams have.
Next up: Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles
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