R.I.P Wildcat Offense-- Sept. 21, 2008-Sept. 26, 2010

We are gathered here today on a somber occasion.

We are saying goodbye to an old friend, the Wildcat offense (not pictured).

Wildcat, we loved you so.

You brought our town joy.

You tricked the Patriots and made the Dolphins relevant again.

You died tragically, on national tv, against the hated Jets.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh Wildcat, you quirky little formation.

You were such a charmer.

I'll never forget when Ronnie went deep to Patrick Cobbs against Houston.

We thought you'd last forever.

Nothing ever does.

You will be used around the league.

But alas, you were just a gimmick play that helped a mediocre Fins team shock the NFL, win a division, and then get summarily crushed by a Baltimore team that simply didn't fall for that ***T.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before Brandon Marshall, you made so much sense.

The Dolphins best two playmakers were Ronnie and Ricky, why not let them handle it as much as possible????


Now, you have a stud wide receiver and a developing, talented quarterback.

The time for tricking people is done.

The defense may feed the wolf (a Sparano-ism for the uninitiated), the offense needs to feed the Beast.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Henning... Why rely on an offense based on the element of surprise, when it isn't surprising anyone?

Every time the Jets defense couldn't get Chad Henne out of rhytm, the Wildcat did.

The Wildcat will always have a soft-spot in the Dol-fans' heart.

But much like Old Yeller, time to tie it to a tree and shoot it.

It was fun while it lasted.

Why I Can't Wait For Jets-Dolphins...

As I've said multiple times on this blog, I'm a New York Giants fan.

And yet, I can barely sleep tonight in anticipation of the Dolphins showdown with the Jets (not pictured).

There are so many storylines to this game, that my head may explode.

I'd try to rank them, but what good is that.

Instead, I'll just lay them out and ask you to pick your favorite one.

As Mad Dog Jim Mandich told me on Tuesday, this is the biggest Dolphins game in years.

How can you argue?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return Of the Prodigal Son:

Jason Taylor talked a whole lotta ***t about the Jets in his time with Miami.

He was always good for a soundbite about REALLY hating the Jets.

You'd almost believe him.

Until, he decided to sign with them.

I don't expect loyalty in sports. Those values are long gone.

So, you can't blame JT for leaving Miami a second time.

But the Jets? Really? That just smells of desperation. Any fan of the Fins is perfectly within their rights to wish him failure.

I do.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marshall vs. Cromartie

Antonio Cromartie might not be able to name all of his kids, but I'm sure he knows who his daddy is.

That's because the LAST time Cro tried to cover Brandon Marshall, he set the NFL receptions record.

Well, Revis pulled a hamstring watching Randy Moss posterize him last week.

That means, Marshall is going to be one-on-one with a man he LOVES to torment.

How will that play out?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HYPE VS HOPE

The Jets lead the NFL in hype, bombast, and self-esteem.

They sure love themselves.

Just watch "Hard Knocks."

The Dolphins are quietly and cautiously optimistic about this season's chances.

This trend is epitomized by the two coaches.

Rex Ryan: a WWE parody of a human being.

Tony Sparano: passionate, but doesn't talk about it.

On defense, you have a team that KNOWS how good it is, against a team that THINKS it is worthy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QB BATTLE

This question will be asked for the next decade.

Who is better: Mark Sanchez or Chad Henne?

Fins fans are down on Henne.

Clearly, the training wheels are on as the defense dominates.

Sanchez was proclaimed the worst QB in football, until he wasn't.

Was his performance against the Pats the real deal?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opening Night

On top of ALL that, it's opening night.

The Fins will have all their orange carpet hype and LIV nightclub debuting at the stadium.

Truth is, Dolphins fans hate the Jets and visa-versa.

This is a true rivalry when both of these teams suck.

Now, they're both good.

They're in the division.

A win positions Miami 2 games ahead of New York with a game in hand.

A loss and the Jets and Fins are tied with NY holding the head to head advantage.

I think you get the picture, this is a big game.

Can they kick it off already please?

Dolphins Impress During Snoozefest...

It wasn't the most exciting football game I've ever watched back on my Tivo shortly after midnight.

But still.

I was impressed with how physical (not pictured) the Dolphins were in the season opener against Buffalo.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The perception of the game changed on two plays.

First of all, Chad Henne underthrew Brandon Marshall for what would have been the knockout blow in the 2nd quarter.

Up 10-0, Henne wanted Marshall deep, but the connection failed.

If they hit that pass, they could've REALLY gotten ugly.

The second play was Roscoe Parrish's touchdown.

4th and 11.

There was a blown coverage, touchdown Bills.

Those two plays will make fans think the Fins first win wasn't particularly impressive.

I beg to differ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me start with the offense.

I think Brandon Marshall has brought a new mentality to the Dolphins receivers and tight end.

I can't remember a game where Fins receivers were looking to HIT somebody.

Perhaps it's because Ted Ginn is allergic to contact.

I saw Marshall, Fasano, Ronnie Brown, and even Davone Bess looking to PUNISH the corners who had the audacity to try to bring them down.

That's a good thing.

My FAVORITE moment of the game was the first play of the second half.

Ronnie went for a short run and got out of bounds.

No biggie, right?

Brandon Marshall absolutely leveled a passing Buffalo defender.

That's a new dynamic to the Fins offense, and to me, it's an exciting play.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense, in my mind, is harder to evaluate.

The reason is simple, the opponent is SO bad.

Trent Edwards is just awful.

CJ Spiller is exciting.

Unfortunately, his awesome preseason will allow him to sneak up on... NOBODY.

He's your prime target.

The Bills line is awful.

You are talking about a team that if it wins 5 games will be happy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With that said, there were three aspects of the defense that caught my eye.

First of all, they weren't kidding about Mike Nolan.

He's moving guys this way and that.

First series of the game, he sneaks Karlos Dansby to the outside to blindside the quarterback.

Talk about setting a tone.

Secondly, tackling.

The Fins were wrapping up and making open-field tackles all afternoon long.

You didn't see any of that last year.

And finally, I saw plenty of youth.

I think back to the Joey Porter-Jason Taylor-Gibril Wilson unit from last year, and things are promising.

Cameron Wake was pushing his way towards the quarterback, Jared Odrick had a nice stop... I saw potential.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for Chad Henne, he was fine.

Nothing spectacular.

All day, the Fins were pounding it on first and second down.

Ronnie and Ricky looked the same as always.

Chad basically had to pick up 3rd and manage-ables.

That's what he did.

He used Bess well, he gave Marshall some opportunities, and it was great to see Fasano getting involved.

All told, a win on opening day in the division, Fins fans should be happy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of wins in the division on opening day...

I'd like to offer a quick word about the Detroit-Chicago game.

Classic Lions.

I'm sorry, that was a catch by Calvin Johnson.

One foot, two foot, roll...

Yes, the ball popped out.

Whatever that rule is, is stupid.

The Lions are bad enough, you don't need to hose them.

And finally a word for Dallas Cowboy fans, hahahahhahahahahah!

Hakeem Nicks for President, Goodnight!

Snookered?

Were the Miami Dolphins snookered into signing Brandon Marshall (not pictured)?

That's the question every Miami Dolphins fan had to be asking after the first day of OTAs.

Football shouldn't matter in May.

But when your newly-acquired $50 million man is on an exercise bike while the rest of the team is practicing, there's cause for concern.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleo was not the only Lemon the Dolphins have had in recent history.

Plenty of times the Dolphins have dealt for guys who were sub-par, or hurt, or worse yet, named Joey Harrington.

But this was supposed to be different.

Brandon Marshall is by all accounts a certified bad-ass.

He's one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and a dominant force.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
So why is it, on day 1 of off-season workout number one, it's suddenly sprung on us that he's had off-season surgery?

That's information that *MAY* have been slightly useful prior.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dolphins KNEW that Marshall had surgery on his hip before.

My question is: Did DENVER know that Marshall would need a cleanup again?

Where were the beat writers on this story?

I'm sure getting your hip scoped in May won't impact him too much when the season rolls around.

But it's a fairly inauspicious start for the Dolphins new star.

And to make matters worse, he was wearing Ted Ginn's number.

Here's hoping that Marshall changes numbers and produces as expected.

This is way more than any football fan should have to worry about an OTA.