May 20, 2013

Magic City Rolling Hard- Week 14

This ain’t no Ralph Wilson Stadium baby.

Joe Robbie to the Legendary Orange Bowl-this here is the “Magic City”. Home of the MIAMI DOLPHINS!


Miami Dolphins (7-6)

Buffalo Bills (3-10)


When the Dolphins played Buffalo in week 1, Miami’s defense coordinator Mike Nolan still had kinks to work out even with a 15-10 win over the Bills. Since then both the Dolphins and the Bills have gone through positional transitions, injuries, and new starters. As a result, week 14 will be a whole new ball game.

{Bills Position Changes}

Week 1 starting quarter back Trent Edwards was waived to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now the starting quarter back is Ryan Fitzpatrick.

-QB Ryan Fitzpatrick:

Threw a touchdown pass in his 14th straight game against the Browns last Sunday during a 13-6 victory at home. Fitzpatrick is only four shy of matching Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly’s team record for consecutive games with a TD pass; 2,526 yards at 85% passing rating.

Eric Wood transitioned from right guard to center when Geoff Hangartner suffered a mid game knee injury during week 13.

-Eric Wood will be matching up, out of his normal position against Soliai. The weight difference may be to the Dolphins advantage considering that Wood’s is 40 pounds lighter and is just filling in for now; we’ll see.

Outside linebacker Chad Rinehart and Cordaro Howard will be splitting time at Woods’ position at right guard.

*Side Note – Rinehart has 4 NFL starts at guard coming off his 2 year stint with the Washington Redskins.

Key Players to watch:

Young buck wide receiver Steve Johnson, Buffalo’s 7th round pick in 2008,  was named starting 2nd receiver in 2010. Johnson has flourished in his new role, including an eight reception game for 137 yards and three touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals. Although he “did” drop the winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bills still seem to have faith that he can redeem himself.

Running backs:

-Four time seasoned veteran Fred Jackson and first round pick,  rookie C.J. Spiller will both be a threat to the Dolphins defense.

-Spiller’s sub 4.4 speed allows him to threaten the edges and then, you have to watch him on punt returns!

-Against the Browns, Fred Jackson rushed for 112 yards on 29 carries.



Buffalo Injury Report:

Lee Evans WR Ankle Did Not Participate In Practice Out
Geoff Hangartner C Knee Did Not Participate In Practice Out
Demetrius Bell T Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable
Drayton Florence CB Fibula Full Participation in Practice Probable
Chris Kelsay LB Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable
Andy Levitre G Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable

Miami Dolphins Injury Report:

Joe Berger C Ankle Full Participation in Practice Probable
Nolan Carroll CB Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable
Reshad Jones S Rib Full Participation in Practice Probable
Sean Smith CB Ankle Full Participation in Practice Probable

The Dolphins run on average 3.7 yards per attempt for 106 yards per game. Chad Henne has not been reading his check downs during his progressions, not throwing the ball away when pressured, and still not showing signifigant improvement over all. After praying to the football god’s; “please help that man find his way”, Henne is not much better.

Henne gives me relentless chest pain. Now it seems, he makes on average one to two check downs per game when he see’s a wide open option and instead of getting sacked he plays like a “frightened Ted Ginn” in the pocket; dump, dump, dump. After a sloppy, embarrassing defeat over the Jets, Henne has now learned to just “throw the ball away.” However, now he is dumping the ball too often, where I would like to see him check for options while alluding rushers and stretching the pocket-maybe too much to ask for!

They say having home field advantage helps, but that hasn’t been the case this year for Miami. Week 13 is crunch time and with the Jets loosing two in a row and facing the vaunted Steelers, the Dolphins could, by the skin of their teeth and with a lot of help from division foes, make this years wild card spot.

Fitzpatrick extended his streak of TD passes to 14 straight games, moving into second place on the Bills list. Hall-of-FamerJim Kelly holds the record of 18, set over the 1986-87 seasons. … Fitzpatrick has 21 touchdowns passing this season, the most by a Bills player since Drew Bledsoe had 24 in 2002.

~Referenced stats by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Dolphins Roster:

Quarterback: Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen (2nd)

FullBack: Lousaka Polite
Wide Receiver 1: Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess (2nd)
Wide Receiver 2: Brian Hartline, Marlon Moore (2nd)
Tight End: Anthony Fasano (probable), Jeron Mastrud (back up)
Left Offensive Tackle: Jake Long (probable), Lydon Murtha (back up)
Left Offensive Guard: Richie Incognito, Cory Procter (2nd)
Center: Joe Berger
Right Offensive Guard: John Jerry, Pat McQuiton (2nd)
Right Offensive Tackle: Vernon Carey
Left Defensive End: Kendall Langford, Tony McDaniel (2nd)
Nose Tackle: Paul Soliai
Right Defensive End: Randy Starks, Ryan Baker (2nd)
Left Outside Linebacker: Koa Misi, Ikaika Alama-Francis (2nd)
Left Inside Linebacker: Channing Crowder, Tim Dobbins (2nd)
Right Inside Linebacker: Karlos Dansby
Right Outside Linebacker: Cameron Wake
Left Cornerback: Vontae Davis, Benny Sapp (2nd)
Right Cornerback: Sean Smith, Nolan Carroll (2nd)
Strong Safety: Yeremiah Bell, Tyrone Culver (2nd)
Free Safety: Chris Clemons, Rashad Jones (2nd)
Special Teams:
Kicker: Dan Carpenter
Punter: Brandon Fields
Long Snapper: John Denney
Kick Returner: Patrick Cobbs, Nolan Carroll (2nd)
Punt Returner: Davone Bess, Brain Hartline (2nd)
Holder: Brandon Fields

Miami Depth Chart vs. Cleveland

OFFENSE: Pro Style

Quarterback: Chad Henne (1st), Tyler Thigpen (2nd), Patrick Ramsey (3rd)

FullBack: Lousaka Polite (Starter)

Wide Receiver 1: Brandon Marshall (Starter, Questionable), Davone Bess (2nd)

Wide Receiver 2: Brian Hartline (Starter), Marlon Moore (2nd)

Tight End: Anthony Fasano (Starter)-Probable, Jeron Mastrud (2nd)

Left Offensive Tackle: Jake Long (Starter)-Probable, Lydon Murtha (2nd)

Left Offensive Guard: Richie Incognito (Starter), Cory Procter (2nd)

Center: Joe Berger (Starter)

Right Offensive Guard: John Jerry (Starter), Pat McQuiton (2nd)

Right Offensive Tackle: Vernon Carey (Starter)

DEFENSE: 3-4 Base Defense

Left Defensive End: Kendall Langford (Starter), Tony McDaniel (2nd)

Nose Tackle: Paul Soliai (Starter)

Right Defensive End: Randy Starks (Starter), Ryan Baker (2nd)

Left Outside Linebacker: Koa Misi (Starter), Ikaika Alama-Francis (2nd)

Left Inside Linebacker: Channing Crowder (Starter, Questionable), Tim Dobbins (2nd)

Right Inside Linebacker: Karlos Dansby (Starter)- Questionable

Right Outside Linebacker: Cameron Wake (Starter)

Left Cornerback: Vontae Davis (Starter), Benny Sapp (2nd)

Right Cornerback: Sean Smith (Starter), Nolan Carroll (2nd)

Strong Safety: Yeremiah Bell (Probable), Tyrone Culver (2nd) -Out with Injury

Free Safety: Chris Clemons (Starter)-Probable, Rashad Jones (2nd)

Special Teams: Kicker (FG): Dan Carpenter

Punter: Brandon Fields

Kicker (KO): Dan Carpenter

Long Snapper: John Denney

Kick Returner: Patrick Cobbs (Starter), Nolan Carroll (2nd)

Punt Returner: Davone Bess (Starter), Brain Hartline (2nd)

Holder: Brandon Fields

INJURY REPORT: Miami Dolphins/Cleveland Browns Players

QB Colt McCoy (ankle)- Doubtful

LB Scott Fujita (knee)- Doubtful

LB Channing Crowder (knee)- Doubtful

CB Al Harris (hamstring)- Doubtful

WR Brandon Marshall (hamstring) – Questionable

C Joe Berger (knee)- Probable

T Vernon Carey (knee)- Probable

LB Karlos Dansby (toe)- Probable

S Reshad Jones (ankle)- Probable

T Jake Long (knee)- Probable

DE Phillip Merling (achillies)- Probable

LB Eric Barton (shoulder)- Questionable

DE Kenyon Coleman (knee)- Questionable

WR Joshua Cribbs (foot) – Questionable

DT Shaun Rogers (ankle, hip) Questionable

S T.J. Ward (thigh)- Probable

RB Lawrence Vickers (calf)- Probable

G Floyd Womack (knee)

CB Eric Wright (knee)- Probable

Miami- Oakland Match up

In last weeks 16-0 loss, Julius Peppers had his eighth career game with at least 3 sacks. It’s an NFL best since he entered the league in 2002. (ESPN.com)

Unable to move the ball on offense, Brandon Marshall was penalized early in the game for taunting former Denver teammate Jay Cutler. Later, he dropped two passes and left the game near the ned of the second quarter because of a sore right hamstring. Not having some of their starters on the offensive line, back up QB Tyler Thigpen took six sacks, and couldn’t get anything done offensively. The team was 1-12 on third down conversions, and Thigpen finished the game 17/29, for 187 yards, with an interception. He fell to 1-11 as an NFL starter. As for Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, they both combined for 11 yards on 6 carries. Defensively, The Dolphins allowed the Bears to convert 10 of 18 on third downs, and that put them in a position to score. With that happening, the Bears were rolling as Matt Forte scored a td, and Robbie Gould was hitting chip shots to put the Dolphins out of reach to make a comeback.

The (5-5) Dolphins head to Oakland, California as they are playing the Raiders who are just coming off a 35-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. The Steelers dominated them on both sides of the football as Oakland was unable to move the ball effectively and make plays defensively. Darren McFadden, who has been in the headlines previously for his outstanding performances, was averaging over 108 yards rushing per game; however, the Steelers defense shut him down as he only had 14 yards on 10 carries. Having trouble on 3rd and long, and the team being 3 for 14 on third down was also a huge problem said Tom Cable (Raiders Head Coach).

Both teams struggled last week on offense and defense, and are looking for ways to get back on track. Losing Pennington and Henne was a big loss to the offense as they weren’t able to produce. The team will have to rely on Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to keep the pressure off of Thigpen who’s been struggling in the passing game.

Miami’s O vs Oakland’s D: Although the offense lost 2 of their best QB’s, it still has talent as Ronnie Brown and Ricky Willams are in the backfield. The team can’t rely on Thigpen’s arm to win the game, so it’s up to the offensive line to open holes for the star backs; that way, it could set up play action passes so play makers such as Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess, can take it in for a score.

Miami’s D vs Oakland’s O: Tom Cable’s squad doesn’t have other threats on his offense besides Darren McFadden. As long as the Miami defense is playing their assignments, and containing McFadden, that should cause turnovers and interceptions. Miami Dolphins Linebacker Cameron Wake leads the AFC with 8.5 sacks and is quite possibly heading for his first Pro Bowl Selection.

PREDICTION: If Miami limits mistakes on offense, and executes correctly, this is a winnable game

Miami: 21 Oakland: 14

Dolphins Week 12 Depth Chart

OFFENSE: Pro Style

QB: Tyler Thigpen (Starter), Patrick Ramsey (2nd)

RB: Ronnie Brown (Starter), Ricky Williams (2nd)

FB: Lousaka Polite (Starter)

#1WR: Brandon Marshall (Starter, Questionable), Davone Bess (2nd)

#2WR: Brian Hartline (Starter), Marlon Moore (2nd)

TE: Anthony Fasano (Starter), Jeron Mastrud (2nd)

LT: Jake Long (Starter), Lydon Murtha (2nd)

LG: Richie Incognito (Starter), Cory Procter (2nd)

C: Joe Berger (Starter), Eric Ghiaciuc (2nd)

RG: John Jerry (Starter), Pat McQuistan (2nd)

RT: Vernon Carey (Starter)

DEFENSE: Base 3-4

LDE: Kendall Langford (Starter), Tony McDaniel (2nd)

RDE: Randy Starks (Starter), Ryan Baker (2nd)

NT: Paul Soliai (Starter)

LOLB: Koa Misi (Starter), Ikaika Alama-Francis (2nd)

LILB: Channing Crowder (Starter)

RILB: Karlos Dansby (Starter, Questionable)

ROLB: Cameron Wake (Starter)

LCB: Vontae Davis (Starter), Benny Sapp (2nd)

RCB: Sean Smith (Starter), Al Harris (2nd)

SS: Yeremiah Bell (Starter), Tyrone Culver (2nd)

FS: Chris Clemons (Starter), Reshad Jones (2nd)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

PK: Dan Carpenter (Starter)

P: Brandon Fields (Starter)

H: Brandon Fields (Starter)

PR: Davone Bess (Starter)

KR: Patrick Cobbs (Starter)

LS: John Denney (Starter)

INJURY REPORT:

OAKLAND RAIDERS:

DNP: CB Chris Johnson (groin) and WR Chaz Schilens (knee)

Limited Participation: Nnamdi Asomugha (ankle), S Tyron Branch (shoulder, S Hiram Eugene (neck), G Robert Galley (fibula), WR Darrius Heyward- Bey (hamstring) and TE Zach Miller (foot)

MIAMI DOLPHINS:

DNP: WR Brandon Marshall (hamstring)

Limited Participation: C Joe Berger (knee), T Vernon Carey (knee), LB Karlos Dansby (toe), QB Chad Henne (knee) and WR Roberto Wallace (knee).

Full Participation: S Chris Clemons (groin), S Tyrone Culver (ankle), S Reshad Jones (shin), and T Jake Long (shoulder)

Depth Chart vs Chicago 11/18/10


OFFENSE: Pro Style


QB: Tyler Thigpen (Starter), Patrick Ramsey (2nd)

FB: Lousaka Polite (Starter)

RB: Ronnie Brown (Starter), Ricky Williams (2nd)

WR: #1 Brandon Marshall (Starter, probable), Davone Bess (2nd)

WR: #2 Brian Hartline (Starter), Marlon Moore(2nd)

TE: Anthony Fasano (Starter, probable), Jeron Mastrud (2nd)

LT: Jake Long (Starter, injury* uncertain), Lydon Murtha (2nd)

LG: Richie Incognito (Starter), Cory Procter (2nd)

RT: Vernon Carey (Starter,probable)

RG: John Jerry (Starter), Pat McQusitan (2nd)


DEFENSE: Base 3-4 D


LDE: Kendall Langford (Starter,probable), Tony McDaniel (2nd)

RDE: Randy Starks (Starter), Ryan Baker (2nd)

NT: Paul Soliai (Starter)

LOLB: Koa Misi (Starter), Ikaika Alama-Francis (2nd)

LILB: Channing Crowder (Starter,probable), Tim Dobbins (2nd,probable)

ROLB: Cameron Wake (Starter)

RILB: Karlos Dansby (Starter, probable)

LCB: Vontae Davis (Starter), Benny Sapp (2nd)

RCB: Sean Smith (Starter), Al Harris (2nd)

SS: Yeremiah Bell (Starter, probable), Tyrone Culver (2nd)

FS: Chris Clemons (Out), Reshad Jones (2nd)


SPECIAL TEAMS:


PK: Dan Carpenter (Starter)

P: Brandon Fields (Starter)

H: Brandon Fields (Starter)

PR: Davone Bess (Starter)

KR: Patrick Cobbs (Starter), Nolan Carroll (Starter)

LS: John Denney (Starter)


INJURY REPORT:

Chris Clemons (hamstring)- Out

Joe Berger (knee)- Out

LT Jake Long (uncertain)

DB Tyrone Culver (ankle)- Questionable

WR Roberto Wallace (knee)- Questionable

WR Brandon Marshall – (Probable)

SS Yeremiah Bell (Probable)

T Vernon Carey (Probable)

LB Channing Crowder (Probable)

LB Karlos Dansby (Probable)

LB Tim Dobbins (Probable)

DE Kendall Langford (Probable)

Dolphins 29, Titans 17

With QB’s Chad Henne and Chad Pennington knocked out early in the game, Miami managed to hang on and defeat the Tennessee Titans.

Pennington suffered a right shoulder injury that could possibly be career ending, and Henne was on crutches with an injured left knee.

After Pennington was hit while throwing an incompletion, 3rd string QB Tyler Thigpen came off the bench and went 4 for 6 for 64 yards, which included a 9 yard strike to Tight End Anthony Fasano. He also led an 85 yard touchdown drive for the game’s final points.

Meanwhile, Tennessee struggled on offense when QB Vince Young fumbled while being sacked by Randy Starks of Miami which  caused a turnover. The Dolphins capitalized off of the turnover and hit RB Patrick Cobbs for a 13 yard pass to put the team up 20-10.

Trying to make a comeback and put the team in a good position to win, Young responded by a 73 yard touchdown drive that ended with a 14 yard scoring toss to Wide Receiver Nate Washington. However, Vince threw an interception when his team was down 12 points in the 4th quarter. Randy Moss was shut down all game by Cornerback Vontae Davis as he only caught one pass for 26 yards.

STATS: RB Chris Johnson ran for 117 yards (5th 100 yard game this season)

TE Anthony Fasano (5 passes for 107 yards and 1 touchdown)

RB Ronnie Brown (12 carries, 11 yards, 1 touchdown)

Miami Depth Chart vs. Tennessee

OFFENSE:

Quarterback: Chad Pennington (Starter), Chad Henne (2nd)

FullBack: Lousaka Polite (Starter)

Wide Receiver 1: Brandon Marshall (Starter), Davone Bess (2nd)

Wide Receiver 2: Brian Hartline (Starter), Marlon Moore (2nd)

Tight End: Anthony Fasano (Starter)-Probable, Jeron Mastrud (2nd)

Left Offensive Tackle: Jake Long (Starter)-Probable, Lydon Murtha (2nd)

Left Offensive Guard: Richie Incognito (Starter), Cory Procter (2nd)

Center: Joe Berger (Starter)

Right Offensive Guard: John Jerry (Starter), Pat McQuiton (2nd)

Right Offensive Tackle: Vernon Carey (Starter)

DEFENSE:

Left Defensive End: Kendall Langford (Starter), Tony McDaniel (2nd)

Nose Tackle: Paul Soliai (Starter)

Right Defensive End: Randy Starks (Starter), Ryan Baker (2nd)

Left Outside Linebacker: Koa Misi (Starter), Ikaika Alama-Francis (2nd)

Left Inside Linebacker: Channing Crowder (Starter), Tim Dobbins (2nd)

Right Inside Linebacker: Karlos Dansby (Starter)- Probable

Right Outside Linebacker: Cameron Wake (Starter)

Left Cornerback: Vontae Davis (Starter), Benny Sapp (2nd)

Right Cornerback: Sean Smith (Starter), Nolan Carroll (2nd)

Strong Safety: Yeremiah Bell (Probable), Tyrone Culver (2nd) -Out with Injury

Free Safety: Chris Clemons (Starter)-Probable, Rashad Jones (2nd)

Special Teams: Kicker (FG): Dan Carpenter

Punter: Brandon Fields

Kicker (KO): Dan Carpenter

Long Snapper: John Denney

Kick Returner: Patrick Cobbs (Starter), Nolan Carroll (2nd)

Punt Returner: Davone Bess (Starter), Brain Hartline (2nd)

Holder: Brandon Fields

INJURY REPORT: Titans WR Kenny Britt (hamstring)- Doubtful

Titans QB Vince Young (ankle) -Questionable

Titans CB Ryan Mouton (hamstring) – Questionable

Dolphins Safety Tyrone Culver (ankle)- Out

Dolphins WR Roberto Wallace- (undisclosed injury)-Out

Dolphins Safety : Yeremiah Bell (toe)- Probable

Dolphins Safety: Chris Clemons (groin)- Probable

Dolphins Linebacker Karlos Dansby (elbow)- Probable

Dolphins Tight End Anthony Fasano (chest)- Probable

Dolphins Tackle Jake Long (knee)- Probable

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