Note:
all stats regular season
Defense
Front
Seven: B
This
was not a dominant group by any means, but the pieces functioned reasonably well
together. OLB Joey Porter received Pro Bowl and 2nd team All-Pro honors
for his stellar 17.5 sack season, far and away the best of his 10 year career. Without
Porter, however, the pass rush would have been anemic; he accounted for almost
half of
Secondary:
B-
The
good news is that they held opposing passers to a 77.0 efficiency rating, which
was 9th lowest in the NFL (and 20.4 points below Chad Pennington's),
and a 58.1% completion rate (also 9th lowest). The bad news is that they
surrendered 227.8 yards per game (8th worst) and gave up more passes
of 20+ yards (49) than every team except five. Big, physical receivers were troublesome
for this bunch all season long. SS Yeremiah Bell is one of the best in the NFL
and led the team in tackles with an incredible 130; he is expected to be
re-signed. FS Renaldo Hill’s value to the team, tangibly and intangibly, is
significant. He played hurt all season long, yet shored up a shaky secondary in
Week 3 and immediately improved the overall caliber of defensive play. He even
took special teams snaps when the coverage teams were especially bad. CB Andre
Goodman, whom many believed was the top corner on the team at season’s end, had
his best year as a pro. CB Will Allen, who played hurt for a good portion of
the season, was solid again. CB Jason Allen, so promising at mid-season, hurt
his hand and wasn’t a factor again.
Overall:
B
A
mixed bag for this unit, numbers-wise: 15th in total yards, 25th
versus pass, 10th versus run. But three key stats really defined the
good work this defense did. The first is Time of Possession (28:57, 10th
best in the NFL). The second is Points Allowed (317, 9th best in the
NFL), which is a testimony to good red zone defense. The third is Turnover Differential
(+17, #1 in the NFL); while the offense did a terrific job in protecting the
ball, the defense was tied for 10th in fumble recoveries and 8th
in interceptions.
Offense
Line:
B
This
unit was ranked in the top third of the league in fewest sacks allowed (26),
and racked up almost 120 yards per game on the ground (11th best), a
remarkable achievement given the injuries to both starting guards (Justin
Smiley and Donald Thomas). Smiley was having a good year until he broke his
leg. Thomas’s replacement, Ikechuku Ndukwe, did his best work in drive blocking
situations but was limited otherwise. Smiley’s replacement, Andy Alleman, had
many of the same shortcomings. Starting center Samson Satele suffered through a
sophomore slump of sorts, not matching his eye-catching rookie effort and
regularly needing help. Was it the new system on offense or something else?
Expect the Dolphins to actively look to upgrade the interior of the line. If
the Dolphins decide to re-sign RT Vernon Carey, who was especially good in the
run game, they will be set at Tackle for many years to come. Rookie LT Jake
Long played very well and earned alternate Pro Bowl honors; the Dolphins chose
well when they drafted him first overall.
Tight
ends: B+
Anthony
Fasano and David Martin had their best pro seasons in 2008. Fasano, acquired in
a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, was one of the best stories on the 2008
Dolphins. Yes, the Dolphins knew they were getting a good blocker but couldn’t
know they’d get so much productivity out of him in the passing game. Amongst
TEs, he was 3rd in receiving TDs (7) and 7th in first
down conversions (77% of his catches went for first downs). Martin was in the
top 10 in average yards per catch, and in receptions of 20+ yards. Of special
note, Martin finished the season still overcoming the lingering effects of a
concussion.
Receivers:
C+
Greg
Camarillo was having his best season before being lost in Week 12 (knee). He
possesses Wes Welker-like skills. Last year’s top draft pick, Ted Ginn, Jr., was
improved, especially in getting off the jam, but still has maddening bouts of
inconsistency. He is a dangerous weapon on the flanker reverse. Devone Bess,
the pleasant surprise of the team as an undrafted rookie, was especially
effective on quick-hitting routes; his ability to go from zero to full speed in
the blink of an eye is especially valuable in creating separation and gaining
yards after the carry. He is also a polished route runner.
Running
backs: B+
The
combination of Ronnie Brown (915 yards) and Ricky Williams (659 yards) was
especially potent; their combined output would be good for third best had all
the carries gone to one player versus splitting them as the Dolphins chose to
do. Brown earned Pro Bowl honors despite his low rushing totals, mostly due to
his work as the Wildcat QB and his exceptional all-around skills as a player. Williams
earned a contract extension after proving to the new regime that he still has
the goods. Patrick Cobbs proved that he deserves more snaps as a terrific
change of pace back; defenses regularly underestimated his ability. Lousaka
Polite, an in-season pick-up at FB, was a short yardage conversion machine on
belly plays. He was a very valuable in keeping the chains moving. In summary,
this corps of players powered the Dolphin offense.
Quarterback:
A
Chad
Pennington, the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, had the best overall season
by a Dolphin QB in over a decade, and was a deserving candidate for NFL MVP. He
was a transformational player and, though he has shortcomings, is capable of
leading this team to a world championship.
Overall:
B
The
offense was not a scoring machine (345 points – 21st in NFL). But
the reason the grade is a B is that it was hyper-efficient and made the most of
what they had. They didn’t turn the ball over (+17 turnover differential), they
won Time of Possession (31:03), and they were innovative.
Special
Teams
Kicker:
B-
Dan
Carpenter’s work on field goals (21 of 25 – 84%) and PATs (100%) was critical
to the number of wins this team had. Unfortunately, he was one of the worst
kickoff men in the league, netting only 7 touchbacks and missing the designated
side of the field to which he was supposed to be kicking far too often. This
placed added pressure on the kick coverage teams to make more tackles. In
fairness to Carpenter here, he was often asked to sacrifice distance for hang
time. Still, he has much work to do this offseason to improve his kickoffs.
Punter:
B-
Brandon
Fields had an average year for a player of his ability. He ranked just 18th
in gross average (43.9 yards), which means he didn’t flip field position as
well as he could have. On the other hand, he downed 24 kicks inside the 20 (10th
best) and forced 24 fair catches (3rd best). Fields must continue to
work on his consistency in order to be regarded among the best in the NFL.
Returns/Coverage:
D
The
most disappointing area of the team, considering the investment made in free agency.
In almost every return and coverage category, the Dolphins ranked in the bottom
third of the league. The only exception was punt returns, where they ranked 11th.
Coverage teams cost the team one win (
Coaching: A
Offense
was trend-setting and innovative; Dan Henning and his staff squeezed everything
they could out of them. Defense was better than expected; Paul
Pasqualoni
and his staff covered up weaknesses and manufactured pressure when Porter was
neutralized. Tony Sparano deserves to be NFL Coach of the Year. Was there a
coaching staff out there that got more out of their players? No. Has any team
ever had a turnaround from 1-15 to 11-5 and a division title before? No. Case
closed, in my opinion.
Overall: A+
11-5
and an AFC East Championship, just one
year after 1-15, says it all.
Awards
Offensive
Rookie of the Year: Jake Long
Defensive
Rookie of the Year: Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford
Outstanding
Defensive Lineman: Jason Ferguson
Outstanding
Linebacker: Joey Porter
Outstanding
Defensive Back: Yeremiah Bell
Outstanding
Offensive Lineman: Justin Smiley
Outstanding
Receiver/Tight End: Anthony Fasano
Outstanding
Offensive Back: Ronnie Brown
Outstanding
Special Teams Player: Patrick Cobbs
Dolphin
Comeback Player of the Year: Joey Porter
Ed
Block Courage Award: Renaldo Hill
Don
Shula Leadership Award:
Dan
Marino Most Valuable Player Award: