There is no question that when a team goes 1-15, more than one thing went horribly wrong. Truer words were never spoken in Miami. Last season was a failure of epic proportions for the Dolphins, but things wouldn’t have been so bad if just one issue had been addressed before the season started. The offensive line while starting off fairly well – was one of the weakest in the entire league.
The Dolphins gave up 42 sacks in the 2007 regular season, one more than the previous season, showing it was not a point seriously addressed by the management in the front office prior to the start of the season. They also finished eleventh in the league with the most sacks allowed for the second consecutive year. The big question is: can Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano, the former offensive line coach of a very solid Dallas Cowboys O-line, turn things around in Miami?
A big step would have been signing Flozell Adams. Adams has been a very consistent blocker over the last few seasons (Pro Bowls in 4 of the last 5 seasons), but has reportedly just been re-signed by the Cowboys. Alan Faneca presents another interesting possibility as he too is a veteran with a good track record and will likely not be resigned by the Steelers. Being 31, he offers a great amount of experience to young Dolphins, like second round pick Samson Satele. As important as it is having young players for the future, it’s just as important having experienced players to teach them the tricks of the trade.
The offensive line is a key to success for any franchise, and Miami is no exception. In their last winning season (2005) Miami gave up only 26 sacks, good for fourth best in the league. Even if Faneca is only signed for two seasons, he can be an invaluable source of experience to the other Miami linemen during that period. Miami can’t solidify the line with good young talent in only one offseason; it’s going to take a couple seasons to find the right people. Who knows, if Miami had signed a player like Faneca before last season, maybe they could have finished with two, or even three wins.
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