Bleacher Report - Articles by Melissa Malamut

Not your Daddy's Dolphins, It's your Grandpa's: The Five Top Plays of 2008

Melissa Malamut — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:02:04 -0400

Unless you've been living under a rock...or in a cave...or at sea...you get the idea, then you have heard of the "wildcat" by now and how the Dolphins used it to their advantage in their NFL record-tying 2008 comeback season. What you might not know is that the "wildcat" isn't some brand new thing that is sweeping the gridiron. Quite the contrary. Ask any football "old-timer" and they'll tell you that it reminds them of football's "glory days". The latest "wildcat" formations are all based on a "single-wing" formation created by Pop Warner in 1907. That's correct, 1907. So before you have something to say about it (I'm talking to you Mr. Sapp) know that it has been a part of football, long before any of us ever were. Without the "wildcat" the Dolphins season may have been very different. Here's the top plays of the season incorporating the "wildcat" but without forgetting that it is, in fact, the defense that wins games.

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Put Up Or Shut Up: A Miami Dolphins 2009 Season Preview

Melissa Malamut — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:52:18 -0400

One hit wonders.

A fluke.

A lucky season.

If the Miami Dolphins don’t make the playoffs in 2009 the above phrases will be the nicest things people will say about them.

Now that the well known “worst to first” season is long gone, it’s what the Dolphins do now that will make or break the next few years in Miami.

You see, last year’s Cinderella can always become this year’s punchline. Allegiances and loyalties no longer apply and this is the year the Dolphins must put up or shut up.

The Dolphins most publicized offseason acquisition, Jason Taylor, needs to have an impact on this team in order for the ‘Fins to be successful.

But how much will he play?

It’s been speculated that he will not be an every down player and will not start, but as of now, Coach Tony Sparano has other ideas.

Sparano says that that there is no doubt Taylor will be used as a pass rush specialist, but that he may be needed more than that.

“I think that anyone in our system, our defensive system right now has to be more of an all down player,” Sparano said. “This is just another way for us to get a guy that has those kinds of skills of his caliber and be able to bring him in here and throw him in the mix and let him compete.”

Taylor’s relationship with linebacker Joey Porter will also play a major role in how well the defense works together.

Sparano says that he isn’t worried and hasn’t even looked at film from them playing together in 2007. He is more concerned with how the whole defense meshes together now.

“We are a couple of years later and we have our system in place right now and I think more importantly in this whole process it was where we see him fitting into our system and how we see him fit into our system,” Sparano said.

Things will definitely be different for Taylor this season. Although he is well known throughout Miami as a star football player and philanthropist, he’s also well known on the nightclub circuit and is one Noxzema commercial away from turning away the most hard core fans.

Let’s get real.

Taylor returns to a completely different Dolphins team, where some of his very young teammates and female fan base know him more for Dancing with the Stars then as a Pro Bowl pass rusher.

Another major factor to the new season will be if Ted Ginn Jr. can become the Ted Ginn Jr. we all thought he would be.

Last season, Ginn Jr. ended on what some critics said is an upswing and many expect this year to be his “breakout” year. If that’s the case there are some specific things Ginn Jr. will need to improve on.

“I think the way that Ted attacks coverage's and what he is seeing out there will help him to play faster and play with a little more confidence,” Sparano said. “I think the run after catch for all receivers is something that you would like to see them get better at, and with Ted, he has the ability to make some people miss at times and be able to take it the distance.”

To the delight of ‘Fins fans everywhere, Sparano says that Ginn Jr. has done a nice job this offseason.

“It's like honestly night and day from where we were when we came into this,” Sparano said.

At quarterback, Chad Pennington did a solid job last season and surprised everyone in his weekly battles. But the future of the Dolphins is without a doubt Chad Henne.

In March, ESPN reported that the Dolphins intend to have Henne be the starting quarterback by the 2010 season. Henne is reported to receive about 12 quarters of play this preseason.

Sparano says that Henne has completely changed his body physically and has been working on his mechanics and location. Henne’s stride is different and the ball is really jumping out of his hand.

“What I have seen is him change his body completely physically, he's a much stronger player now,” Sparano said. “I see location being better and anything we have done from a competitive situation and his decision making process is better.”

It’s been widely reported that the spread offense and the media darling “wildcat” formations are dominating early practices.

For rookie fans or fans that have been living in a cave, the “wildcat” can have many variations, but most commonly it involves a direct snap to the running back.

Reporters are trying not to talk about all they see at the OTA’s so they don’t get beat up and just give away the team’s playbook. But early rumors have names like Henne, Pennington, White, Brown, Williams, and Cobbs all involved.

Weather may not play a factor this year. The Dolphins only play one possibly really cold game this winter in the regular season.

In December, when the ‘Fins usually collapse in the blizzards of the Northeast, they play two home games in the warm December South Florida sun, one in Jacksonville (still warm-ish) and one in Tennessee.

Yes, Tennessee will be cold, but not New England or Buffalo cold.

Lastly, we have the Super Bowl.

Usually not a factor for any team starting the season, the Super Bowl for the Dolphins is a major elephant in the room. The reason, of course, is that Miami is hosting the big marketing and media circus.

While two teams (the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams) have played in a Super Bowl in their city (Super Bowls XIX and XIV), no team has ever played the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

If the Dolphins become the first, that would obviously quiet the critics and keep the “flash in the pan” chatter at bay.

And with the rest of the AFC East’s questions marks (Brady’s return, Sanchez’s rookie year and the “you never know what they could be” Bills) this season is sure to be a hit.

Even if it’s just a one hit wonder.

-- Sparano quotes from a team released transcript.

The Reluctant Dol-Fan: A True Fable

Melissa Malamut — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:54:10 -0400

I still have my “Squish the Fish” T-shirt from 1985 when my family lived in the suburbs of Boston and the New England Patriots were my world (this is way before the Pats actually won anything).

As a young child I braved metal benches in below zero temps at what was then Sullivan Stadium just to get a peek at my favorite team. I lived in a neighborhood where the adjacent condos were owned by some Pats players who gave out autographs at Halloween.

So how can I possibly be a Miami Dolphins fan?

By just uttering the phrase I immediately become Benedict-ista Arnold. You see, the Dolphins were the only team that wasn’t expansion when my family moved to Florida in 1989. And that move changed my sports world forever.

Up until now, at Dolphins games I’d sing a song to counter the Dolphins fight song heard a thousand times win or lose.

“Miami has the Dolphins, the worst football team, they take the ball from goal to goal like no one ever sees, they’re in the air they’re on the ground they’re never in control, and when you say Miami, you’re talking toilet bowl…”

The first time I stepped in the then called Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, I laughed at the cheesiness of it all. The teal. The orange. The turquoise. The confetti painted walls.

It was hard not to laugh.

But I’ve lived in South Florida through four stadium name changes (Joe Robbie to Pro Player to Dolphin and now to Landshark Stadium—where the new “margarita-themed” fan area will not help minimize the cheese factor) and I’ve spent more time here then I ever did in Foxboro.

What has two decades and 19 straight years of attending the Patriots/Dolphins game in Miami taught me?

For one thing, that we are different here in Miami. Very, very different.

Maybe it’s all the sunlight or humidity, but the football experience in general is very atypical here, as opposed to if you live in say, Wisconsin. For most of the country, a football game means a big poufy warm winter coat, gloves, a hat, multiple layers, and even a flask.

To Dol-Fans, the sheer essence of football is fundamentally different. Here, we wear next to nothing, and for good reason. It is hot. Brutally hot.

The only people who aren’t wearing SPF and a hat or visor are tourists. The Latin music and influence is blaring, half-naked people are everywhere and saline flows freer on bodies than it does in the sea—and I’m not just talking about sweat.

Football is a different game in South Florida. It’s a different lifestyle.

While most of the country is so cold that it’s hard to hear clapping and cheering through gloves and ski masks, the only thing frozen in Miami are the fruity drinks at the bar next to the palm trees.

The sidelines are filled with misting machines and doctors are on-hand to prevent heat stroke. In December.

But this is what I now love about football. I love attending a game where I can get a tan, a game where I can eat an arepa (a tasty Latin dish), have an umbrella in my drink, and still talk shop. And it’s not only accepted. It’s the norm.

And so after almost 20 years of being force-fed Dolphins beat writers, Dolphins on television and my brother—the original traitor who converted to a Dolphins fan after the Pats last Super Bowl win—I gave in and did the unthinkable. I am a Dol-Fan!

The bottom line is that I love football. And have enough passion for the game to go around. I believe you can love two teams. (I have an argument about how I can love both the Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox that will knock your socks off).

And in the end, I am South Florida and I am proud of my hometown, my culture, and (gasp!) my Miami Dolphins.

Oh, and that “Squish the Fish” T-shirt? I still have it; although it has more holes than my fantasy team’s O-line. And I won’t be wearing it anytime soon.

20 Questions For Miami Dolphins' Ronnie Brown

Melissa Malamut — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:35:16 -0400

Which was scarier: going under the knife to repair your torn ACL or stepping back on the field for the first time after surgery to test the knee and why?

In high school you were also successful at free safety. What made you ultimately stick with the running back position?

What would you be doing right now if football was not an option?

At Auburn you were coached by Tommy Tuberville. What was the best advice he ever gave you? What did you learn from him?

You’ve shared playing time, first with Carnell (Cadillac) Williams at Auburn and then Ricky Williams in Miami. Do you think they have helped or hurt your career and why?

Tell me about being invited to your first Pro Bowl last season. How was that experience?

What are the last three songs you downloaded?

What is your favorite restaurant or kind of food in Miami?

Who was your favorite NFL player growing up?

What are the last three movies you saw? Favorite movie of all time?

There’s Youtube.com video of you working out and rehabbing your knee last offseason. You start on the bike to warm up and then moved to squats and curls. What has changed in your workout from last offseason? And what do you do differently now?

How do you like the “Wildcat” formation?

What was it like that first time lining up as the QB?

And then throwing a 19-yard TD against the Patriots?

Are you looking forward to seeing it (the Wildcat) on Madden 2010?

What was it like the first time you saw yourself in Madden 2005 as a rookie?

Do you play as yourself? If not, who do you play as?

What was your childhood like in Georgia?

What made you decide to play football as a child?

Who is/was the most influential person in your life growing up?