Complete Report Card Following the Miami Dolphins' Preseason Week 2 Win

The Miami Dolphins battled the Carolina Panthers in their second preseason game on Friday night, emerging victorious in a game headlined the arrival of Reggie Bush and the revival of the entire offense. 

Chad Henne looked crisp and cool during the first half of Miami's 20-10 win, effectively spreading the ball around to Brandon Marshall, Anthony Fasano, Davone Bess, and Reggie Bush.

Meanwhile, Miami's first team defense looked dominant, surrendering only a handful of first downs to Cam Newton & Co.

However, not everything went smoothly for the 'Fins on Friday, and it's time to hand out a weekly report card to a team that might have just realized its potential. 

Quarterbacks

Maybe the Dolphins have finally accepted Chad Henne's limitations. They structured Friday night's game plan to his strengths, proving him with short, open routes to complete. Given the team's personnel, this is the type of scheme Miami must employ. 

However, Henne's flaws were still on display. He misfired on deep balls to Clyde Gates and Brian Hartline—continuing a troubling trend of inaccurate deep passes. He still refuses to take any risks or throw past the first down marker on a third down (except for one occasion). And once he actually let it rip, he was inaccurate. 

Henne seemed to get worse as the night progressed and most of his passes looked pretty gross. We should all be encouraged by this performance, but don't entrust faith into Henne after one decent preseason outing. 

Meanwhile, Matt Moore looks poised in the pocket and put some nice zip and touch on the ball throughout the night. He was ultimately unspectacular, but Moore wasn't exactly afforded many opportunities to shine on Friday night. 

The Dolphins' coaching staff will try to hide behind Henne's inflated numbers, but Moore should get reps with the first time. Had Marlon Moore not dropped a wide-open touchdown pass from Moore, we would be picketing for Sparano to give him a chance. He throws a much better ball than Henne and may be a better fit for the offense.  

Grade: B+

Running Backs

Reggie Bush made his Dolphins debut on Friday night and he played like a man possessed. He played at regular season speed, throwing blocks and fighting for extra yards. Bush reeled in two receptions for 33 yards and registered eight carries for 40 yards. 

Clearly, Reggie is motivated and he has a chip on his shoulder. But let's not throw a Hall of Fame jacket on him quite yet. It was one Preseason game against the league's 23rd ranked rushing defense. Let's see if he can do that against the Patriots and the Eagles in meaningful games.  

Meanwhile, Daniel Thomas finally showed signs of life, but also struggled some. He took an ill-advised leap from the five yard line and then coughed up the football—a very, very concerning issues. He lost 7 fumbles at Kansas State last year. Thomas later redeemed himself with a string of quality runs that were very encouraging to watch.   

Lex Hilliard continues to prove valuable in multiple facets of the game, pounding in a one yard touchdown run. He's a lock for the final roster and he might be in line for an expanded role. 

Kory Sheets and Nic Grigsby were both generally ineffective, though Sheets did break-off a nice eight-yard scamper. Both remain on the roster bubble. 

Grade: A

Fullbacks

Lou Polite's job is on the line, but he is not giving the Dolphins' coaching staff any reason to keep him. He was a ghost for most of the night, and Daniel Thomas struggled mightily rushing behind him.  

However, Charles Clay made some play-breaking blocks. Thomas was far more effective running behind Clay, who opened up some beautiful holes for DT to sprint through. 

Clay also caught two passes for 12 yards. His versatility makes him unique and valuable, and he might dethrone Polite by the start of the regular season. 

Grade: B-

Wide Receiver

Clyde Gates is slicing up secondaries, but Chad Henne can't throw an accurate deep ball. Fortunately, even if Gates can't reel in those deep passes, he is scaring the (redacted) out of secondaries. Safeties cannot take their eyes off him, and his mere presence is already an invaluable asset for the passing game. 

Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are only getting better. Passes literally stick to Bess' hands like glue and he continues to hover below the national radar as one of the league's most under-appreciated players. Hartline, meanwhile, slipped past a secondary for the second straight week, and if Henne can deliver better passes, he could be in for a solid year. 

Marlon Moore may have dropped a wide-open touchdown, but he looked great. Explosive and elusive, it's hard to envision the Dolphins cutting a player with such amazing athleticism. 

Grade: B+

Tight End

The Dolphins' refusal to upgrade the tight end spot has made Anthony Fasano something of a maligned figure. After a lackluster performance against the Falcons last week, however, Fasano put on a redemption performance against the Panthers.

He reeled in two receptions for 53 yards, leading the entire team in receiving. Fasano also dropped one pass, but it is comforting to see him get open and provide an extra receiving threat. 

Dedrick Epps and Jeron Masturd caught one pass each, but Miami still needs more from their tight ends. Still, Friday night was a step in the right direction.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

Even without Jake Long, Miami's offensive line finally looks synchronized and powerful. Granted, they did a horrific job on the goal line, they were opening up some monster truck-sized holes. 

Tony Sparano has faced plenty of criticism for shuffling his linemen, but everybody looked rock solid last night—for the most part, anyway. 

Lydon Murtha had three penalties but otherwise looked serviceable. And, Marc Colombo was solid for most of the night but completely whiffed on a block that almost had Chad Henne beheaded (wouldn't have been the worst thing). 

Grade: B+

Defensive Line

For the second straight week, the first team defense line brought intense pressure to the quarterback, this time on Cam Newton. Newton hardly had time to toss the football around, and the line did a great job (for the most part) of preventing him from escaping the pocket. 

However, the second team could not get their hands on Jimmy Clausen. Because the Dolphins have such incredible depth, this is not an overwhelming concern. 

Grade: B

Linebackers

Karlos Dansby blew up Carolina's rushing attack for the portion of the game he appeared in. He met DeAngelo Williams at the line of scrimmage multiple times and delivered some crunching hits. Dansby is not a flashy player, but you can't ask for much more.  

The Dolphins remain vulnerable to tight ends (Shockey and Olsen combined for five catches—43 yards), but Kevin Burnett showed he has the athleticism and intelligence to help soothe that sore spot. He was making plays all over the field—preventing Cam Newton from breaking a scramble and nearly intercepting a Newton pass. Channing Crowder could not have made these plays and Burnett is in line for a breakout year. 

Jason Taylor was bringing consistent pressure on the few plays he was on the field for. Taylor, like Burnett, could prove to be a free agency steal.  

Recently signed linebacker Marvin Mitchell enjoyed a solid outing as well. Mitchell has a great motor and a nose for the football. He racked up two tackles, including one for a loss. If he maintains that level of play throughout the preseason, he will likely earn a roster spot.

Grade: A

Secondary

Vontae Davis continues to be an asset in both the rushing and passing games. He laid a clutch hit on Cam Newton (who is no easy man to tackle) that prevented a Panthers first down. Both Davis and Sean Smith completely stifled Carolina's passing attack, and they look ready for the regular season.  

Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons continue battling for the starting free safety job, but Clemons clearly has the upper hand. While Clemons went to the bench with the rest of the first team defense, Tony Sparano kept Jones on the field for most of the game, suggesting he wants the second year safety to receive extra reps and grooming. Jones was shaky against Carolina's first team, but he was a force against their backups. He might not have Clemons' coverage savvy, but Jones will be a valuable player for the defense and special teams this year.  

One week after singlehandedly dominating the Falcons, Jimmy Wilson was quiet. He was burned on a deep ball that was called back for penalty, and he failed to register a tackle. Wilson is seething with potential, but keep in mind, he is a seventh round pick. Expect to see him struggle before he replicates his dominance from last week again.   

Grade: A

Special Teams

Dan Carpenter soothed any outstanding concerns by converting a pair of field goal tries. Prior to this performance, Carpenter had struggled through a rough patch, but Miami's Pro Bowl kicker reclaimed his reputation as Mr. Accurate on Friday night. 

Phillip Livas failed to follow up on his electric performance from last week. After returning a punt for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, Livas returned two punts for a combined 11 yards against the Panthers. 

Clyde Gates was hardly effective returning kickoffs, returning one for 25 yards.

Kickoff coverage teams struggled once again. This has been a recurring theme for the entirety of Tony Sparano's reign. Carolina averaged over 30 yards per kickoff, and almost broke two for touchdowns.

Grade: C+ 

Coaching

Tony Sparano ditched his uber-conservative, always-settle-for-the-field-goal ways on Friday night. He kept his offense on the field for a 4th & 1 at the goal line, and later on, the Dolphins went for a 4th & 4 at the Panthers' 40-yard line. 

Sparano's aggressiveness spawned some excitement, but don't expect it to carry over into the regular season. He is conservative by nature, and until he employs this style in a regular season game, we should assume Sparano is the same coach he was bin years' past. 

Otherwise, Sparano coached a very admirable game. He should be giving Matt Moore more reps, but other than that, there a few complaints to be made. 

Grade: B+