DOLPHINS: Dolphins vs Titans Preview
ldouglas
ldouglas at gmail.com
Sun Dec 20 18:49:09 GMT 2009
telling you - it's contagious.
btw we're getting "ranned" over right now.
On 12/20/09, Mark Bischoff <mbischoff10 at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Tony Soprano, did I just hear that right?
>
> Great preparation by Fouts
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dolphins-disc-bounces at phins.com
> [mailto:dolphins-disc-bounces at phins.com] On Behalf Of John C. Hoover
> Sent: Friday, December 18, 2009 3:44 PM
> To: Miami Dolphins Discussion
> Subject: Re: DOLPHINS: Dolphins vs Titans Preview
>
> Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts are the CBS announcers.
>
>
> You have been forewarned.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hoov
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- "Curt Fennell" <curt at phins.com> wrote:
>> GAME TIME: 1:00 PM EST on Sunday, Dec 20th. The game will be
> broadcast regionally on CBS TV, on DirecTV channel 707, on Sirius
> radio 123 and on WQAM radio.
>
> PLACE: LP Field, Nashville, TN
>
> WEATHER FORECAST: A chance of flurries before noon. Mostly cloudy,
> with a high near 39. West northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
>
> FIELD CONDITIONS: LP Field has a natural grass surface that should be
> in good shape. However, there is a significant chance of rain and
> snow from today until gametime. This could make the field wet, cold
> and slippery.
>
> STANDINGS & STATS: The Dolphins are 7-6 and tied for second place in
> the AFC East with the Jets, but own the tie-breaker over them, so are
> effectively in 2nd place. The Titans are 6-7 and tied for third in the
> AFC South, but hold the tiebreaker over the Texans.
>
> Dolphins Pts/Game Rank Titans Pts/Game Rank
> Scored 22.5 15 Scored 22.5 14
> Allowed 23.5 24 Allowed 24.8 27
>
> Dolphins Yds/Game Rank Titans Yds/Game Rank
> Total Offense: 328 18 Total Defense: 358 23
> Rushing: 150 3 vs Rush: 99 7
> Passing: 178 26 vs Pass: 259 31
>
> Titans Dolphins
> Total Offense: 360 10 Total Defense: 340 19
> Rushing: 165 2 vs Rush: 106 13
> Passing: 195 21 vs Pass: 234 22
>
> Sacks Made (Avg/G) Allowed (Avg/G)
> Dolphins 38 2.9 27 2.1
> Titans 27 2.1 12 0.9
>
> Turnover differential:
> Dolphins -5
> Titans -3
>
> Individual Skill Position Stats:
> Dolphins
> QB: QB Henne: 194-330-2067-9-9-74.9
> Rush: RB Williams: 200-975-4.9-10
> Rush: FB Polite: 30-105-3.5-0
> Rec: WR Bess: 62-570-9.2-1
> Rec: WR Camarillo: 39-452-11.6-0
> Rec: WR Ginn,Jr: 28-314-11.2-1
>
> Titans
> QB: QB Young: 113-183-1383-7-3-90.9
> Rush: RB Johnson: 272-1626-6.0-11
> Rush: RB White: 63-221-3.5-1
> Rec: RB Johnson: 42-391-9.3-2
> Rec: WR Britt: 38-641-16.9-3
> Rec: TE Scaife: 38-386-10.2-1
>
> Legend
> QBs: completions-attempts-yards-touchdowns-ints-rating
> RBs: rushes-yards-average-touchdowns
> WRs: receptions-yards-average-touchdowns
>
> HISTORY: The Dolphins have won seven of the past nine meetings, and
> have a 17-14 overall series edge, including the playoffs. This
> includes the days when the Titans were the Houston Oilers.
>
> INJURIES:
>
> Dolphins:
> PROBABLE: C Jake Grove (ankle)
> LB Joey Porter (knee)
> OT Vernon Carey (back)
> LB Reggie Torbor (hamstring)
> WR Davone Bess (ankle)
>
> Titans:
> QUESTIONABLE: LB Eric Bakhtiari (Concussion)
> DT Tony Brown (Knee)
> LB Keith Bulluck (Not Injury Related)
> C Kevin Mawae (Back)
> TE Craig Stevens (Concussion)
> LB David Thornton (Shoulder)
> WR Nate Washington (Ankle)
> PROBABLE: QB Vince Young (Hamstring)
>
> DOLPHINS STARTERS:
>
> Offense: Defense:
> QB - 7 Chad Henne LE - 70 Kendall Langford
> RB - 34 Ricky Williams NT - 96 Paul Soliai
> FB - 39 Lousaka Polite RE - 94 Randy Starks
> WR - 83 Greg Camarillo SLB - 99 Jason Taylor
> WR - 82 Brian Hartline ILB - 51 Akin Ayodele
> TE - 80 Anthony Fasano ILB - 52 Channing Crowder
> LT - 77 Jake Long WLB - 55 Joey Porter
> LG - 65 Justin Smiley LCB - 21 Vontae Davis
> C - 64 Jake Grove RCB - 24 Sean Smith
> RG - 75 Nate Garner SS - 37 Yeremiah Bell
> RT - 72 Vernon Carey FS - 28 Gibril Wilson
>
> K - 5 Dan Carpenter P - 2 Brandon Fields
>
> PR - 15 Davone Bess KR - 19 Ted Ginn,Jr
>
> NOTES: All of the players were back at practice on Thursday and it
> looks like everyone will be available. Who will actually start on
> the offensive line is open to question, because Joe Berger and Nate
> Garner have been getting a lot of playing time. In fact, last week
> Nate Garner played left guard, right guard and right tackle at various
> points in the game. Coach Sparano is trying to figure out the best
> combination of offensive linemen now that Garner has proven himself.
>
> TITANS STARTERS:
>
> Offense: Defense:
> QB - 10 Vince Young RDE - 93 Kyle Vanden Bosch
> RB - 28 Chris Johnson RDT - 97 Tony Brown
> FB - 45 Ahmard Hall LDT - 75 Jovan Haye
> WR - 85 Nate Washington LDE - 95 William Hayes
> WR - 18 Kenny Britt RLB - 53 Keith Bulluck
> TE - 80 Bo Scaife MLB - 55 Stephen Tulloch
> LT - 71 Michael Roos LLB - 50 David Thornton
> LG - 54 Eugene Amano RCB - 31 Cortland Finnegan
> C - 68 Kevin Mawae LCB - 20 Nick Harper
> RG - 73 Jake Scott SS - 24 Chris Hope
> RT - 76 David Stewart FS - 33 Michael Griffin
>
> K - 2 Bob Bironas P - 6 Brett Kem
>
> PR - 35 Alvin Pearman KR - 35 Alvin Pearman
>
> NOTES: The biggest question right now is whether or not Vince Young
> will play. His hamstring could be a problem for him and a Vince Young
> with limited mobility is probably no better than Kerry Collins.
>
> KEY MATCHUPS:
>
> 1. Dolphins vs Themselves: Once again last week, the Dolphins
> had to overcome their own mistakes to beat the Jaguars. Fortunately,
> the Dolphins were up to the task, but if they fumble 5 times again
> this week, the outcome will likely be very different.
>
> 2. NT Paul Soliai vs C Kevin Mawae: Soliai has been
> improving since he took over the starting job, but has not faced a
> player like Kevin Mawae. If Miami wants to slow down Chris Johnson,
> they will have to be able to keep the middle of the defense solid.
>
> 3. Dolphins' Linebackers vs Chris Johnson: Johnson accounts
> for 43% of the Titan's offensive yards and almost half its touchdowns.
> His principal weapon is speed and the Dolphins' linebackers will have
> their hands full trying to contain him.
>
> 4. LB Keith Bulluck vs Ricky Williams: Bullock is the Titans'
> best defensive player and leads the team in sacks. Miami still relies
> on Ricky to anchor the running game.
>
> 5. Dolphins WRs vs Titans pass coverage: Two weeks ago, Bess
> caught 10 passes for 117 yards. Last week, Greg Camarillo caught 7
> passes for 110 yards. And Brian Hartline has caught 3 touchdowns.
> On the other side, the Titans' pass defense is 31st in the league.
>
> PLAYERS TO WATCH:
>
> On the offense, OL Nate Garner played 3 different offensive
> line positions at one time or another. It looks like that rotation
> will continue this week and if it does, it will be interesting to see
> how they use Garner. Chad Henne is improving a little each week and
> completed 17 passes in a row at one point in the game last week. And
> with his improvement, both Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess are starting
> to be much more productive. And while Brian Hartline is still not
> catching a lot of passes, when he does catch one, it tends to be for a
> big play.
>
> Joey Porter is still playing hurt, but will be in the lineup
> this week. Jason Taylor has cooled off a little in the last couple of
> games, but Randy Starks is still red hot. Cameron Wake does not seem
> to be getting any more playing time, but he has made two big plays in
> the 4th quarter of each of the last two games. Yeremiah Bell leads
> the team in tackles, while Gibril Wilson is second. It will be Paul
> Soliai who will have the biggest challenge this week.
>
> RB Chris Johnson is the biggest portion of the Titans' offense
> and is very tough to contain. QB Vince Young has been put back into
> the starting job and has played very well there since getting his job
> back. C Kevin Mawae anchors the Tennessee offensive line which has
> allowed only 12 sacks this year, while WR Kenny Britt and TE Bo Scaife
> are tied for the team lead in receptions with 38 each.
>
> The defense is strongest against the run with LB Keith Bulluck
> in the middle. Bulluck has over 100 tackles already this year and 3
> interceptions. There are 5 Titans with 3 or more sacks this year, but
> the leader is DT Tony Brown, who has 5. There are also 4 Titan
> defenders with 3 or more sacks this year. CB Cortland Finnegan leads
> that group with 5 picks.
>
> On special teams, Ted Ginn,Jr is 6th in the NFL in kickoff
> return average (for players with at least 10 returns) averaging 28
> yards per return return. Dan Carpenter still has one of the highest
> accuracy rates in the NFL as a field goal kicker, but did miss what
> should have been a chip shot last week. Titans' receiver Kenny Britt
> averages 31.3 yards per kickoff return, but has only returned 9 kicks
> this year. The Titans' kicker, Rob Bironas, is pretty good, having
> converted 85 percent of this field goal tries.
>
> MY ANALYSIS:
>
> The Dolphins face their toughest opponent of the final 3 games
> of this season when the play the Titans this Sunday. The Titans got
> off to a miserable start this year, but have pulled themselves
> together and are now playing very good football. Their offense, as
> you may have guessed if you've read the rest of this preview, leans
> heavily on RB Chris Johnson, who was on track for a 2000 yard rushing
> season and is already over 2000 combined yards from scrimmage.
>
> Johnson's main weapon is amazing speed and quickness that
> allows him to avoid tackles and take advantage of gaps in the
> defense. Between that and an excellent offensive line, anchored by
> former Jet Kevin Mawae, the Dolphins will have their work cut out for
> them on defense.
>
> Johnson, while an excellent player, can be stopped. In the 4
> games this year where Johnson rushed for less than 100 yards, the
> Titans lost all 4. And even when he does rush for 100 yards, the
> Titans are not guaranteed a win.
>
> The best way to stop a rushing attack is to clog the line of
> scrimmage with the defensive line. This then allows the linebackers
> and defensive backs to flow to the ball carrier. If, on the other
> hand, the defensive line lets offensive linemen open holes and get
> downfield, the running backs can pick their way through the holes and
> the offensive lineman can get downfield to block the linebackers and
> defensive backs.
>
> In this case, Miami's defensive line will have to have one of
> their best games of the year in order to contain Chris Johnson and the
> Titans' running game. Paul Soliai, in particular, will need to step
> up and stand firm in the middle of the line, keeping Kevin Mawae from
> controlling the line of scrimmage.
>
> I don't think that there is any secret that the Dolphins' game
> plan will be focused on Chris Johnson. Their biggest challenge will
> be to contain him and not allow him to break off big runs. If the
> Dolphins' defense can contain Johnson and prevent him from making any
> big plays, they can control the Titans' offense.
>
> The other big factor in the Titans' offense is QB Vince Young,
> who has played very well since taking over for Kerry Collins. In
> addition to his passing, he also runs the ball very well. This year,
> the Dolphins have not been consistently able to contain scrambling
> quarterbacks and have given up chunks of yards to David Garrard and
> Ryan Fitzpatrick.
>
> To contain both Young and Johnson, discipline will be key this
> week. All of the defense must stay with their assignments to close
> running lanes and contain both Johnson and Young. Players that
> over-pursue or get out of their assigned gaps and positions will allow
> big plays.
>
> When Miami has the ball, they will once again turn to Chad
> Henne to create a passing attack that can take advantage of the
> Titans' porous pass defense. The Titans' pass defense ranks 31st in
> the NFL and the Dolphins should be able to take advantage of that to
> move the ball.
>
> The danger, of course, is turning the ball over. The Titans'
> defense is tied for 6th in the NFL in interceptions and has 4
> defensive players with 3 or more picks. Chad Henne has been throwing
> the ball well, but his tendency to throw picks late in the game has
> been troubling. He must avoid that this week in order for the
> Dolphins to win.
>
> When the Dolphins run the ball, it will tough to pick up
> yardage against the Titans, who are ranked 7th in the league in run
> defense. Nevertheless, the Dolphins will try and run the ball, if
> only to set up the play-action pass.
>
> If the Dolphins can avoid the mistakes they made last week
> against the Jaguars, they should be able to move the ball effectively
> through the air against the Titans' defense.
>
> As strange as it may seem with two teams dedicated to the
> running game as much as Miami and Tennessee, I believe that this game
> could easily turn into a high scoring affair. If the Dolphins'
> defense has trouble containing Chris Johnson while Chad Henne gets
> into a groove like he did last week, both sides could put up a lot of
> points.
>
> Overall, games like this are decided in the trenches. For the
> Miami defense to control the Titans' offense, Miami's defensive line
> must control the line of scrimmage. And on the other side of the
> ball, Miami's offensive line must give Henne time to throw for the
> offensive to be successful.
>
> PLACES TO WATCH:
>
> To watch the game on TV, you may go to one of the sports bars
> list on my "Places To Watch" web page at http://www.phins.com/bars.php.
>
> To listen to the game live over the Internet, you must pay
> the NFL for the privilege. They are charging $9.95 (US) per month or
> $39.95 for the season for something you used to get for free.
>
> If you want to sign up for that, go to the following link:
> http://www.real.com/nfl
>
> Also, here is a list of some websites that have live scores
> and updates. Both the Official Dolphins Website and NFL.com have
> almost live applications that run in your browser and give you current
> stats and play-by-play information.
>
> Miami Dolphins Website: From the Game - Almost Live Play-by-Play
> http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/fromthegame.asp
>
> NFL.com: NFL Official Scoreboard
> http://www.nfl.com/scores/
>
> ESPN: Ascent Sportszone Scoreboard
> http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/scoreboard
>
> RELATED LINKS:
>
> Miami Dolphins Website: Dolphins at Titans
> http://www.miamidolphins.com/schedule/titans-vs-dolphins
>
> NFL.com: Miami Dolphins at Tennessee Titans
> http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009122008/2009/REG15/dolphins@titans
>
> ESPNet Sportszone: Game Preview
> http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/nflpreview?gameId=291220010
>
> FoxSports: Preview
> http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20091220010
>
> The Sporting News: Preview
> http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/matchup.php?game_id=20091220010
>
> CBS Sports: Preview
> http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gamecenter/preview/NFL_20091220_MIA@TEN
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