Miami Dolphins Preview: Backfield

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While all of the latest South Florida sports buzz has been exclusively about the Miami Heat, let’s not forget Miami is still a football town, and always will be.

The Miami Dolphins have championship aspirations of their own this year and are on the rise towards contender status.

Will this be the year they finally break through?

Each position group has a star rating between one and four, with four being the strongest.

Quarterback ***

Unlike last year, Chad Henne will be the man from the beginning. In 14 starts Henne threw for 2878 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He displayed immense arm strength and great poise in the pocket.

He has nowhere to go but up after Miami went out and traded for one of the best receivers in the NFL in Brandon Marshall.

Henne's weaknesses are fixable.

His accuracy on short passing routes was average at best and he often took too many risks deep down the field. If he can improve in those two areas there is no reason he can’t become a top ten quarterback this year.

Depth is critical at the quarterback position and the Fins have it.

Tyler Thigpen doesn’t have Henne’s rocket-arm, but what he lacks in arm strength he makes up for with athleticism and accuracy. He played well against the Steelers in week 17 last year.

Pat White has transformed his body this offseason after gaining 20 pounds of muscle in what will be his last chance at being a quarterback on this team. Chad Pennington is still on the roster as well.

It remains to be seen whether Miami goes into the season with four quarterbacks on the roster.

Runningback ***

Ronnie Brown is a great player…when he plays.

It’s never been about Brown’s on-field production. The only complaint with him throughout his five-year career has been his inability to stay healthy. He has missed a total of 20 games in his young career and with his contract up at the end of the season, this is a make-or-break year for him.

Ricky Williams is probably the best No. 2 back in the league after finishing last season with 1133 yards while handling most of the load with Brown on IR. At 33, when will his body begin to break down?

Patrick Cobbs ' speed will be utilized on third-down situations often this year.

Fullback ***

Lousaka Polite is nasty, in a good way.

He is great in short yardage situations, finishing second in the league in short yardage conversion rate, behind just Ricky Williams. As a blocker, he embarrasses defenders with vicious blows to create running lanes.

Stay tuned, receivers and tight ends are up next!

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