2007 Record: 1-15
Points Scored: 267 (26th)
Points Allowed: 437 (30th)
Playoff Result: N/A
2008 Strength of Schedule: 119-137 (.465) (22nd in NFL)
Strengths: The Dolphins had been flirting with contention in 2005 and were a trendy playoff pick in 2006. They finished that season 6-10 and by 2007 the bottom fell out and they went 1-15, with their sole win coming over the 5-11 Baltimore Ravens in OT.
The Dolphins basically played two seasons in 2007. In their first eight games they put up points with Ronnie Brown and Chris Chambers, but their defense was nowhere to be found. The Patriots, Cowboys, Browns, and other high-powered offenses torched them on a week-to-week basis. They gave up 244 points in their first eight games, but scored a respectable 166 points.
The defense made good strides in the second half as they gave up only 193 points in that period. By that time Ronnie Brown was gone for the year, Trent Green was on IR, and Chambers was in San Diego. The offense only scored 101 points in their last eight games and the Dolphins were officially in disaster. They lost their first 13 games, before beating the Ravens in their 14th game. It would be their only victory of the season.
There are no easy answers in Miami. First year Head Coach Tony Sparano is inheriting one gigantic mess. They have a blossoming star running back coming back from knee surgery. They do not have a quality starting quarterback in place. They are young and unproven at wide receiver. The offensive line is a mess.
On defense, they are an older team. Joey Porter and Jason Taylor are proven commodities in the league, but nearing the end of their great careers. Zack Thomas is no longer with the team. They need to start rebuilding the defensive line and secondary.
The special teams could use improvement in all areas. That is why the Dolphins hired “The Tuna.” Bill Parcells has been entrusted with the difficult task of putting the Dolphins back together again. He is starting at the bottom and working his way up.
Weaknesses: Here is what the Dolphins did this offseason to start improving the team. Parcells made wholesale changes to the roster by getting rid of older and non-productive players.
He brought in Josh McCown and drafted Chad Henne to go along with Beck to give them a better QB situation. He resisted drafting McFadden to keep Brown and improve the offensive line instead. The Dolphins singed Justin Smiley to a nice contract and drafted Jake Long with the first pick to play tackle. He is already signed.
They also drafted Shawn Murphy to play guard. They then acquired tight end Anthony Fasano in a trade from the Cowboys and signed Earnest Wilford and Tab Perry to improve the receiving corps. There are going to be a lot of new faces for the Dolphins on offense.
The same is going to be true on defense. The Dolphins may not win a lot of games, but they aren’t going to lose with the same cast of characters. They signed safeties Chris Crocker and Keith Davis. They aren’t big names, but should improve that position.
They added Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor to the linebacker corps. They traded for Jason Ferguson and signed Randy Starks to improve the defensive tackle spot. They also drafted Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford to add to the defensive end position. Those new faces should go well with Jason Taylor and Joey Porter.
The Dolphins are in the midst of a full rebuilding effort. There will be many new and unfamiliar faces in the lineup in 2008 as the Dolphins try to put the embarrassment of a 1-15 campaign behind them.
Prediction: The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots as we currently know them were not built in one day. It took years of good drafts, solid free agency, and developing young players to turn those franchises into the powerhouses they are today. The Dolphins aren’t going to fix this problem overnight. Bill Parcells is well aware of that.
He did an excellent job of bringing in players and trying to change the culture of this team. It will be interesting to see if the riff between Jason Taylor and Parcells is reparable once this team gets to playing football. Evidently, Bill Parcells is not a fan of “Dancing with the Stars.”
The Dolphins are still looking at being the fourth best team in this division because of the deep gap created last year. They may be able to steal a game or two against either the Jets or Bills. The Chiefs, Raiders, 49ers, and Rams offer chances for victory. They play the Ravens and Texans, which will also give them a chance to compete.
It isn’t going to be the frustration of 2007, but it isn’t going to be very pretty either. I look for the Dolphins to win four more games, but still shore up the bottom of the AFC East.
Miami Dolphins Record: 5-11 – AFC Fourth Place; No Playoffs
Derek Lofland is the NFL senior director of Fantasy Football Maniaxs.
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