DOLPHINS: Dolphins vs Bills Preview
Kristoffer Shields
kms223 at hotmail.com
Sat Oct 3 15:48:58 GMT 2009
I also think we have to be careful not to expect Henne to be the best QB in the NFL in this start. The key is to see him progress over the course of the rest of the season. QBs are rarely awesome in their first start---efficient would be a good enough start for me, then improvement over the course of the season. That said, this game would seem to set up well for the Fins---the Bills are banged up in the secondary and will be missing both starting OTs. That should open up the opportunity to get pressure on the QB and get some receivers open on offense. But if Henne throws for 190 yards or so, I think we have to be comfortable with that for now.
> From: mdiana at tulane.edu
> Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 10:23:33 -0500
> To: dolphins-disc at phins.com
> Subject: Re: DOLPHINS: Dolphins vs Bills Preview
>
> I would hope it's not just at QB. I'd like to see some other guys step
> up and have great games, like Smith, Davis and Wake, for example. Of
> course to do that the coaches have to put them in the right position.
>
> I also agree that the key to Henne being successful will be the O-
> line. We should run the ball a whole lot. If we are successful at
> that, and the O-line can give Henne good protection, our offense
> should be fine. Then it will be up to our defense, and that really
> worries me right now, to be honest. At this point, n my view, they are
> our weakest link.
>
> On Oct 3, 2009, at 12:07 AM, Richie Wohlers wrote:
>
> > Are you sure you're on the right list? Don't you know this is the
> > "Dolphins
> > Doom & Gloom E-mail list" (me included)? hehe
> >
> > What exactly are you "smokin"?
> >
> > Just kidding - you make some fair points. We should be looking
> > forward to
> > this game as a glimpse of a promising future at QB for the Dolphins.
> >
> > On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 9:16 PM, Smokin <smokin3 at beyondbb.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I honestly have to say I haven't been this excited about a Dolphin
> >> game in
> >> a
> >> while. Yes, I'm one of the many who think Henne is going to be
> >> something
> >> special. Pennington was a good manager of the team, but that's not
> >> going
> >> to
> >> take you to the promise land unless you have a Def like the Ravens
> >> when
> >> they
> >> won it all a few years back.
> >>
> >> That being said...
> >>
> >> Let me start off by saying I think our O line is going to be the
> >> vital this
> >> game.
> >> I say we should run, run, and then run again until they start
> >> bringing
> >> their
> >> safeties in to help stop our running game. Then we unleash the
> >> cannon
> >> known
> >> as Henne's right arm.
> >> I think Ginn/Hartline will have big games with a TD each.
> >> I think T.O. is going to be huge for the Bills this game and
> >> wouldn't be
> >> surprised if he was targeted about 15 times.
> >> Their RB Fred Jackson scares the crap out of me out of the backfield.
> >> I see our rookie corner Sean Smith getting at least one pick this
> >> game.
> >> Even If Porter doesn't play, we NEED to put pressure on this QB to
> >> make him
> >> just get rid of the ball.
> >> Hopefully we'll have a few playmakers out there on Sunday.
> >> BTW, I love Crowder's enthusiasm, but I think he's a little too
> >> slow in the
> >> speed area and is a little slow seeing plays develop at many times
> >> during
> >> games.
> >>
> >> Just the way I see it...
> >>
> >> Can't wait to watch this one!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: dolphins-disc-bounces at phins.com
> >> [mailto:dolphins-disc-bounces at phins.com] On Behalf Of Michael Fischer
> >> Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 5:15 PM
> >> To: Miami Dolphins Discussion
> >> Subject: Re: DOLPHINS: Dolphins vs Bills Preview
> >>
> >> Nice analysis, Curt.
> >>
> >> The only other reason to play a Pennington type offense is to control
> >> the
> >> clock and keep the Buffalo offense on the bench. The Wildcat has one
> >> other
> >> positive effect: It negates the loss of a starting QB.
> >>
> >> Of all the teams I saw in preseason, Buffalo was the worse. Let's see
> >> if the
> >> Dolphins can take advantage of that.
> >>
> >> Michael
> >> On Oct 2, 2009, at 3:39 PM, Curt Fennell wrote:
> >>
> >>> GAME TIME: 4:05 PM EST on Sunday, Oct 4th. The game will be
> >>> broadcast regionally on CBS TV.
> >>>
> >>> PLACE: Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
> >>>
> >>> WEATHER FORECAST: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms,
> >>> mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Calm wind
> >>> becoming east between 7 and 10 mph.
> >>>
> >>> FIELD CONDITIONS: The good news is that the Marlins are done playing
> >>> at home for the season, so the baseball diamond should be gone. The
> >>> bad news is that the Hurricanes are playing at Land Shark on
> >>> Saturday,
> >>> so the field may be a little torn up.
> >>>
> >>> STANDINGS & STATS: The Dolphins are 0-3 and at the bottom of the AFC
> >>> East, while the Bills are 1-2 and third in the AFC East.
> >>>
> >>> Dolphins Pts/Game Rank Bills Pts/Game Rank
> >>> Scored 14.3 26 Scored 21.3 12
> >>> Allowed 23.0 22 Allowed 24.0 24
> >>>
> >>> Dolphins Yds/Game Rank Bills Yds/Game Rank
> >>> Total Offense: 317 19 Total Defense: 391 28
> >>> Rushing: 161 3 vs Rush: 117 18
> >>> Passing: 156 30 vs Pass: 273 28
> >>>
> >>> Bills Dolphins
> >>> Total Offense: 319 17 Total Defense: 331 17
> >>> Rushing: 132 9 vs Rush: 66 3
> >>> Passing: 187 24 vs Pass: 265 26
> >>>
> >>> Sacks Made (Avg/G) Allowed (Avg/G)
> >>> Dolphins 5 1.7 7 2.3
> >>> Bills 5 1.7 10 3.3
> >>>
> >>> Turnover differential:
> >>> Dolphins -6
> >>> Bills -1
> >>>
> >>> Individual Skill Position Stats:
> >>> Dolphins
> >>> QB: QB Henne: 10-19-92-0-1-44.2
> >>> Rush: RB Brown: 52-254-4.9-2
> >>> Rush: RB Williams: 23-163-4.8-1
> >>> Rec: WR Bess: 17-140-8.2-0
> >>> Rec: WR Ginn,Jr: 13-134-10.3-0
> >>> Rec: RB Williams: 7-51-7.3-1
> >>>
> >>> Bills
> >>> QB: QB Edwards: 56-91-598-4-2-86.2
> >>> Rush: RB Jackson: 61-291-4.8-0
> >>> Rush: QB Edwards: 7-62-8.9-0
> >>> Rec: RB Jackson: 15-134-8.9-1
> >>> Rec: WR Reed: 10-106-10.6-0
> >>> Rec: TE Schouman: 9-103-11.4-0
> >>>
> >>> Legend
> >>> QBs: completions-attempts-yards-touchdowns-ints-rating
> >>> RBs: rushes-yards-average-touchdowns
> >>> WRs: receptions-yards-average-touchdowns
> >>>
> >>> HISTORY: The Bills have won four of the past six meetings, but trail
> >>> the overall series, 52-37-1, including the playoffs. Last year,
> >>> Miami
> >>> beat Buffalo both times, 25-16 in Miami and 16-3 in Toronto.
> >>>
> >>> INJURIES: The following list is based on early reports and won't be
> >>> final until Sunday.
> >>>
> >>> Dolphins:
> >>> DOUBTFUL: LB Joey Porter (Hamstring)
> >>>
> >>> Bills:
> >>> DOUBTFUL: T Demetrius Bell (groin)
> >>> DT John McCargo (calf)
> >>> CB Leodis McKelvin (fibula)
> >>> LB Paul Posluszny (forearm)
> >>> S Bryan Scott (ankle)
> >>> S Donte Whitner (thumb)
> >>> QUESTIONABLE: DT Kyle Williams (groin)
> >>> PROBABLE: TE Shawn Nelson (shoulder)
> >>>
> >>> DOLPHINS STARTERS:
> >>>
> >>> Offense: Defense:
> >>> QB - 7 Chad Henne LE - 70 Kendall Langford
> >>> RB - 23 Ronnie Brown NT - 95 Jason Ferguson
> >>> FB - 39 Lousaka Polite RE - 94 Randy Starks
> >>> WR - 19 Ted Ginn,Jr SLB - 99 Jason Taylor
> >>> WR - 83 Greg Camarillo ILB - 51 Akin Ayodele
> >>> TE - 80 Anthony Fasano ILB - 52 Channing Crowder
> >>> LT - 77 Jake Long WLB - 56 Charlie Anderson
> >>> LG - 65 Justin Smiley LCB - 25 Will Allen
> >>> C - 64 Jake Grove RCB - 24 Sean Smith
> >>> RG - 66 Donald Thomas 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: Current reports say that Joey Porter is not practicing and
> >>> may
> >>> not play. Hamstring injuries frequently take a long time to heal
> >>> and
> >>> players often re-injure them.
> >>>
> >>> BILLS STARTERS:
> >>>
> >>> Offense: Defense:
> >>> QB - 5 Trent Edwards LDE - 90 Chris Kelsay
> >>> RB - 22 Fred Jackson LDT - 99 Marcus Stroud
> >>> FB - 38 Corey McIntyre RDT - 95 Kyle Williams
> >>> WR - 81 Terrell Owens RDE - 94 Aaron Schobel
> >>> WR - 83 Lee Evans SLB - 54 Keith Ellison
> >>> TE - 86 Derek Fine MLB - 51 Marcus Buggs
> >>> LT - 77 Demetrius Bell WLB - 59 Keith Mitchell
> >>> LG - 67 Andy Levitre RCB - 24 Terrence McGee
> >>> C - 63 Geoff Hangartner LCB - 29 Drayton Florence
> >>> RG - 70 Eric Wood SS - 43 Brian Scott
> >>> RT - 79 Jonathan Scott FS - 31 Jairus Byrd
> >>>
> >>> K - 9 Rian Lindell P - 8 Brian Moorman
> >>>
> >>> KR - 24 Terrence McGee PR - 11 Roscoe Parrish
> >>>
> >>> NOTES: The Bills have a lot of injuries this week, so it's difficult
> >>> to know who will play. Both their starting safeties are banged up,
> >>> along with their starting left tackle and one of their defensive
> >>> linemen.
> >>>
> >>> KEY MATCHUPS:
> >>>
> >>> 1A. Dolphins vs Themselves: It's been quite a while since I've
> >>> had to list this as the main matchup, but this season, the Dolphins
> >>> have been killing themselves as much as being beaten by other
> >>> teams. The missed blocking assignments, blown coverages and dropped
> >>> passes must stop, or we will be looking at 2007 again.
> >>>
> >>> 1B. Chad Henne vs Himself: Henne is making his first start.
> >>> Need I say more?
> >>>
> >>> 2. Dolphins DBs vs Lee Evans and Terrell Owens: Owens has not
> >>> been a factor so far, but Evans has wrecked Dolphins' plans in the
> >>> past and Owens is till a very capable deep threat.
> >>>
> >>> 3. Jason Taylor vs Bills' Left Tackle: Right now, it's not
> >>> clear who will start for the Bills at left tackle. Demetrius Bell,
> >>> their normal starter, has not practiced this week. His backup is
> >>> Kirk
> >>> Chambers. So far the Bills have been pretty weak on pass defense.
> >>>
> >>> 4. Ted Ginn,Jr vs Bills Defensive backs: Ginn has had a hard
> >>> time getting open, but the Bills have the 28th ranked pass defense
> >>> in
> >>> the league. With a quarterback who has a much stronger arm, will
> >>> Ginn
> >>> prosper?
> >>>
> >>> PLAYERS TO WATCH:
> >>>
> >>> Chad Henne is starting his first game as a pro. How he will
> >>> handles the pressure and how many mistakes he makes will go a long
> >>> way
> >>> toward determining whether or not the Dolphins win. Ted Ginn caught
> >>> 11 passes two weeks ago and none last week and I think it's fair to
> >>> say that he's on the hot-seat right now. And Brian Hartline has
> >>> been
> >>> showing flashes, but has also been making his share of rookie
> >>> mistakes.
> >>>
> >>> On defense, Sean Smith and Will Allen get to try another test
> >>> when facing Terrell Owens and Lee Evans. The defensive line will
> >>> and
> >>> Jason Taylor should have more opportunities to get to the
> >>> quarterback
> >>> as the Bills' pass defense has been only average. If Joey Porter
> >>> doesn't play, Charlie Anderson will be standing in for him.
> >>>
> >>> The Bills, despite having Lee Evans and Terrell Owens on the
> >>> roster, have been relying on the running and receiving of Fred
> >>> Jackson
> >>> to carry their offense. They will be getting Marshawn Lynch back
> >>> this
> >>> Sunday and since he was not injured, he should be ready to go.
> >>>
> >>> The defense is anchored on the defensive line by Marcus Stroud
> >>> and Aaron Schobel. Schobel has had good games against the Dolphins
> >>> and has 2 sacks so far this year. LB Keith Ellison leads the team
> >>> in
> >>> tackles, but their next two leading tacklers, safeties Bryan Scott
> >>> and
> >>> Donte Whitner, are injured and may not play this Sunday. That will
> >>> put a lot of pressure on their backups, George Wilson and Jairus
> >>> Byrd.
> >>>
> >>> MY ANALYSIS:
> >>>
> >>> Probably the single biggest key to victory for Miami this
> >>> Sunday will be the play of QB Chad Henne. If Henne can avoid
> >>> mistakes
> >>> and do what the coaches ask of him on Sunday - whether that is
> >>> throwing short and managing the game or going long down the field
> >>> and
> >>> making some big plays - the Dolphins stand a good chance of beating
> >>> the Bills.
> >>>
> >>> It has been mentioned by several pundits that Henning will
> >>> pare down the offense, limiting the playbook so as not to give
> >> Henne
> >>> too much to think about. My problem with this idea is that Henne
> >>> has
> >>> been working on learning this offense for over a year and if
> >>> he
> >>> doesn't understand it now, he will never understand it.
> >>>
> >>> So what I hope will happen is that Henning will actually open
> >>> up the playbook a little more, throwing down the field to
> >>> Ted Ginn
> >> and
> >>> Brian Hartline on more deep routes - deep posts, slants and sideline
> >>> routes. Henne's arm strength is one of the areas where he has an
> >>> advantage over Pennington and it seems foolish to me not to make use
> >>> of that talent. Last week, the only touchdown that the
> >>> Dolphins
> >> got
> >>> was on a drive where they threw the ball down the field
> >>> instead of
> >>> just taking the underneath stuff.
> >>>
> >>> Also, it is unlikely that the Bills will be prepared for that
> >>> kind of a gameplan and it will take advantage of the Bills'
> >> weakened
> >>> secondary. With their starting safeties both injured and
> >>> possibly
> >> not
> >>> playing, the opportunity for big plays should be there. And
> >>> last
> >>> year, Ted Ginn, Jr had his biggest game against the Bills in Miami,
> >>> catching 7 passe for 175 yards.
> >>>
> >>> This does not mean that the Dolphins shouldn't run, both from
> >>> the base formation and from the Wildcat, but the threat of
> >>> the deep
> >>> pass can only make the running plays more effective. And with the
> >>> Bills ranked 28th in the NFL against the pass, the Dolphins may
> >> never
> >>> get a better opportunity to throw down the field.
> >>>
> >>> Unfortunately, what I think is more likely is that the
> >>> Dolphins will limit the playbook and ask Chad Henne to play
> >>> like
> >>> Pennington, throwing short passes and managing the running game.
> >>> The
> >>> Dolphins should be successful running the ball against the
> >>> Bills,
> >>> but if that is their entire gameplan, they will be playing into the
> >>> Bills' strength on defense.
> >>>
> >>> The Dolphins may also trot out some new wrinkles to the
> >>> Wildcat this week and Pat White may get more playing time if they
> >>> do.
> >>> I don't think we'll see Tyler Thigpen, but if the Dolphins want to
> >>> try
> >>> throwing from the Wildcat, then I believe that Pat White will get
> >>> his
> >>> chance.
> >>>
> >>> When the Bills have the ball, they will undoubtedly try to do
> >>> what every other team has done to Miami this year, so you can expect
> >>> lots of intermediate and deep throws to their receivers. Terrell
> >>> Owens has been relatively quiet this year, but he will almost
> >>> certainly have a bigger role this game. Owens, Lee Evans and Josh
> >>> Reed will see plenty of action this Sunday.
> >>>
> >>> The Dolphins' defense will need to be much better than they
> >>> have been at deep coverage if they want to keep the Bills' offense
> >>> in
> >>> check. Fortunately for Miami, the Bills do not have Phillip
> >>> Rivers or
> >>> Peyton Manning as their quarterback and while Trent Edwards has been
> >>> playing well, he is not nearly the threat that Miami has faced over
> >>> the last 3 weeks.
> >>>
> >>> Despite the dangerous receivers that they have, most of the
> >>> Bills' offense has come from Fred Jackson this year. And while I
> >>> don't think that the Dolphins will have serious trouble stopping the
> >>> Bills' running game, they will have to be careful about Fred Jackson
> >>> catching passes out of the backfield. Jackson is the Bills' leading
> >>> receiver as well as their leading rusher, so the Dolphins will
> >>> need to
> >>> keep an eye on him.
> >>>
> >>> The outcome of this game will probably rest on two factors -
> >>> the play of Chad Henne and the ability of the defense to cover the
> >>> Bills' receivers down the field. If Henne can avoid any big
> >>> mistakes
> >>> and is allowed to use his arm strength and if the Dolphins' defense
> >>> can finally figure out a way to stop the big play, I think the
> >>> Dolphins will get their first win of the year.
> >>>
> >>> 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 vs Bills
> >>> http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/pregamereport.asp
> >>>
> >>> NFL.com: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
> >>> http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009100408/2009/REG4/bills@dolphins
> >>>
> >>> ESPNet Sportszone: Game Preview
> >>> http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/nflpreview?gameId=291004015
> >>>
> >>> FoxSports: Preview
> >>> http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20091004015
> >>>
> >>> The Sporting News: Preview
> >>> http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/matchup.php?game_id=20091004015
> >>>
> >>> CBS Sports: Preview
> >>> http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gamecenter/preview/NFL_20091004_BUF@MIA
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> Dolphins-disc at phins.com
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> >>
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