DKphin
Club Member
Read more:http://www.finheaven.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=2"I appreciate the fact that people are saying a lot of good things about us," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I think we're going to be a good football team, but we want to be great and I think we've got some work to do."
The Dolphins certainly do. They have suffered three straight losing seasons for the first time since 1966-69 - their first four years in the league - and are coming off a 6-10 campaign which began with seven consecutive losses.
"Expectations for this team outside our locker room are pretty low," guard Richie Incognito said. "People don't expect us to do much, which is fine. We have to prove their expectation levels are wrong, and we can only do that by having success on the field."
Philbin, who spent the previous five seasons as Green Bay's offensive coordinator, will be relying heavily on No. 8 overall draft pick Ryan Tannehill. The former Texas A&M standout beat out veteran Matt Moore for the starting quarterback job after an injury to David Garrard, who was released Tuesday.
"The decision-making is always the first thing you evaluate," Philbin said. "When you are sitting there and you have the rush all around you, the decisiveness that (Tannehill) plays with tells you so much about him.
"We always tell the players that you have to react quickly in this game. Ryan has shown that ability. He can run a play quickly and can run it decisively. Ryan can process things quickly and at that position it is a vital part of the game."
Tannehill won't have the luxury of throwing to Brandon Marshall, traded to Chicago during the offseason, and his receiving corps is full of unheralded players following the release of Chad Johnson. However, Tannehill should find comfort in handing off to Reggie Bush, who could be asked to shoulder an even bigger load after running for a career-high 1,086 yards last season - his first with Miami.
While it could take some time for Tannehill to adjust to the next level, the Dolphins defense is hoping to pick up right where it left off. Miami gave up 95.6 rushing yards per game to rank third in the league last year and finished tied for 10th with 41 sacks.
Cornerback Vontae Davis is no longer around after being sent to Indianapolis for two draft picks Aug. 26.
"We don't have a lot of superstars," linebacker Karlos Dansby said, "but we all feel like we're superstars. That's our confidence level."
The Dolphins could have a hard time slowing down Arian Foster, who led the NFL with an average of 141.6 scrimmage yards per game and scored 12 touchdowns last season despite missing three games. The 2010 rushing champion signed a five-year, $43.5 million extension in March and is expected to carry the load again despite the emergence of Ben Tate.
Houston has taken all six matchups in this series, most recently winning 23-13 on Sept. 18, 2011, in Miami. Tate ran for 103 yards on 23 carries after Foster exited early with a tight hamstring.
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