AP: Dolphins head to Atlanta, Sparano wonders how ready they are

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Ready or not — and Sparano wonders which side of the ledger his team falls under — the Dolphins open their preseason schedule in Atlanta on Friday night, after less than a dozen practices and with plenty of chapters within the playbook apparently still untouched.

“I don’t want to use the term ‘vanilla,’ but it’s kind of where you’re going to be,” Sparano said Wednesday. “You’ve got to let these guys have a chance to play. To put them out there and to ask them to do something that maybe they’ve only done once out here on the practice field right now doesn’t really give them a chance. ... You’ve really got to just ask these guys to do minimal in this ballgame.”

Which will make Sparano’s evaluation of the tape after the game that much harder.

“I can’t afford it,” Sparano said. “I have no gauge on how many plays we’re going to play ... if our offense isn’t going to be out there for 40 plays and our defense out there for 70 or vice versa. So with that in mind I can’t afford to keep a group out there too long without getting some of these young players evaluated. I need to make sure these players get evaluated because as we get going here into the next couple weeks I really can’t waste that kind of time.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport.../08/10/gIQASyu26I_story.html?wprss=rss_sports

 

[hoops]

don't show atlanta anything really...play the starters minimal and give the kids the run to make a proper evaluation...end of story

 

[Slim]

God i'm not looking forward to the morning after this game.

I hope people understand that Offenses are going to SUCK BIG TIME in weeks 1 and 2 (minimum) of the Pre Season. Not to mention we'll run a total of maybe 20 different plays. Having said that, people will still spaz out during and after the game.

 

[hoops]

problem with us changing offenses is that we probably are gonna have to show some things to try and work out kinks...but belichick if you show him too much will figure out where the weaknesses are...

if he sees a lot of spread and henne in the shotgun he'll have some wrinkle ready for us week 1...

 

[Nublar7]

God i'm not looking forward to the morning after this game.

I hope people understand that Offenses are going to SUCK BIG TIME in weeks 1 and 2 (minimum) of the Pre Season. Not to mention we'll run a total of maybe 20 different plays. Having said that, people will still spaz out during and after the game.

The reaction is going to be negative no matter what happens.

If the Dolphins suck, it will be dooms day and people we bash players, coaches, and the owner because they played so bad in the first game.

If the Dolphins come out and light up the Falcons, those same people will be saying that it is just Preseason and these games don't show the true team and that they still suck.

 

[DuderinoN703]

Why the hell is this in the Washington Post? I guess I'll have to buy a paper here and see it for myself

 

[hoops]

i doubt anyones gonna show us any zone or umbrella coverage looks in the preseason anyways...henne can make plays vs man to man...thats not the issue...so i expect him to look pretty good in the preseason...

i don't really think its gonna tell us much in regards to him...

 

[Fin_Of_Steal]

i doubt anyones gonna show us any zone or umbrella coverage looks in the preseason anyways...henne can make plays vs man to man...thats not the issue...so i expect him to look pretty good in the preseason...

i don't really think its gonna tell us much in regards to him...

Exactly. Does anyone remember the third preseason game last year, which theoretically is the most important game of the preseason? This was Henne's line:

C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT RATING
C. Henne 11/14 151 10.8 2 0 151.2

 

[Rev Kev]

problem with us changing offenses is that we probably are gonna have to show some things to try and work out kinks...but belichick if you show him too much will figure out where the weaknesses are...

if he sees a lot of spread and henne in the shotgun he'll have some wrinkle ready for us week 1...

I am pretty sure he knows exactly what everyone in the Division is up to

 

[Hayden Fox]

You have to evaluate individual performances. Does Murtha get beaten like mule off of the edge? Does Gates show vertical stretch ability? Does Thomas run hard? Can Misi get to the QB?

That is what I will give grades to as opposed to the overall team success. However, I expect the defense to be outstanding versus a good offense.

 

[Rev Kev]

The reaction is going to be negative no matter what happens.

If the Dolphins suck, it will be dooms day and people we bash players, coaches, and the owner because they played so bad in the first game.

If the Dolphins come out and light up the Falcons, those same people will be saying that it is just Preseason and these games don't show the true team and that they still suck.

No if we lose in the PRE season- then we lost to Matt Ryan again for gosh sakes- and so the "ground hog day" tract begins a fresh each new season

 

[newlownorder]

It's not like Atlanta is going to be playing their starters the whole game, they are in the same boat we are. Doom and Gloom will happen the next day, but totally unwarranted.

 

[datruth55]

God i'm not looking forward to the morning after this game.

I hope people understand that Offenses are going to SUCK BIG TIME in weeks 1 and 2 (minimum) of the Pre Season. Not to mention we'll run a total of maybe 20 different plays. Having said that, people will still spaz out during and after the game.

I don't know about suck. Sure there's no game planning in the preseason except for maybe week 3 but I don't think we even do that this year because of the shortened off season but I'm looking for execution. Last preseason our offense couldn't execute simple plays running or passing. Even if the plays are vanilla we should be able to execute them and move the ball, Atlanta's not game planning for us they're just running vanilla plays as well.

 

[jacquesstrap]

I will be at the game!!! WooHoo!!!

 

[MD]

Anyone with any knowledge won't be ecstatic or spewing hatred based on a score in This game It's all about evaluating talent this week