BetFirms: 2009 AFC East Predictions
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http://www.betfirms.com/2009-dolphins-predictions/2009 Miami Dolphins NFL Season Predictions
Written June 11, 2009 by Jason Lowry
In one of the more remarkable turnarounds in NFL history, the Miami Dolphins went from a pitiful 1-15 team in 2007 to a 11-5 AFC East division winner in 2008. The Dolphin’s playoff run didn’t last long, as they fell short to the Ravens in the first round, but not enough can be said about what Bill Parcells has done for this franchise in just his first year with the team. The Dolphins also got a gift at quarterback last year, as Chad Pennington became available after the Jets went after veteran Brett Farve. Even with the big turnaround last year, 2009 will not be easy, as the Dolphins have one hard schedule in front of them.
The offseason has seen a number of players come and go, but after it all settled down it looks as though this team is ready for a solid 2009 season. The team allowed corner Andre Goodman and safety Renaldo Hill to leave town, but feel like they will be just fine with the free agent signings of corner Eric Green and safety Gibril Wilson, plus they added two more corners in the draft in Vonte Davis and Sean Smith. The Dolphins let long time veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday walk this offseason, but the team returned long time Dolphin Jason Taylor back to the mix. The other notable addition to the 2009 Dolphins is the team’s second round draft pick of West Virginia quarterback Pat White, who could become the star of the Wildcat offense this team implemented last year.
Even with the draft pick of White and the youngster Chad Henne waiting to take over at the quarterback spot, Chad Pennington should be the man in charge this season for the Dolphins. Pennington really played well last season posting a 97.4 passer rating and completed 67.4% of his passes. With Pennington at quarterback the wide receiver group came alive, as Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo, and Davone Bess all had at least 50 catches. The only problem was the trio combined to score just 5 touchdowns in 2008. A big reason for that was the success of the running game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams and Pennington finding tight ends Anthony Fasano and David Martin 10 times for scores. Brown should be primed for another great year running the football, and while Williams is getting old he still can be very valuable to this team. With nearly every other offense in this division taking a step forward in the offseason, I think it will be just as important for this group to get even better in 2009 if they want any chance at repeating as division winners.
The defense really turned it around last year, and they are going to be counted on to perform very well in 2009. Up front the Dolphins are set in the middle with Jason Ferguson, but a lot will ride on 2nd year ends Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford, who both must prove they can perform for a full season. The Dolphins have plenty of options at linebacker with the addition of Taylor the Dolphins should be better suited to adjust to the situation, as they can rotate a number of players based on whether it’s a pass or run situation. Look for Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele to be mainstays in the middle, and while Taylor might start for the Dolphins outside opposite of Pro Bowler Joey Porter, expect to see plenty of Matt Roth on the outside as well, as he made a very good transition from end to linebacker last season. The secondary will miss the strong play of Goodman, the team has plenty of options to fill his spot. Pro Bowler Will Allen is excellent corner on one side of the ball, and it should come down to a battle between Green and the two rookies, Davis and Clemons. Strong safety Yeremiah Bell turned in a Pro Bowl type season in 2008, and if he can stay healthy he should only get better. Opposite of Bell will be free agent pick up Gibril Wilson, who should be an upgrade over Renaldo Hill of a year ago. Overall the unit looks good, and as the young players improve, so will this defense. http://affiliates.commissionaccount.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_1031b_447
72champagne
the annual ritual
that's over a month old and states nothing not well-known here. noticed he made a mistake of thinking clemons is a corner instead of smith too.
SRM
Scout Team
Lol, any one of us could have wrote that up. But thanks anyways man.
Hopefully that's the worst case scenario though I wouldn't mind 9-7
RealDriscoll
Still Perfect.. and You're Not.
It's fair. I have us at 11-5.