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Commentary: 2006 Dolphins preview (June Edition)

Aqua4Ever04

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Here is an article I wrote on what you can expect to see from the Dolphins in 2006.

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are going to be a very interesting team in the 2006 season. Nick Saban took a sub par team, and lead them on a 6 game winning streak to finish the season 9-7. They are a team that could end up at home in the Super Bowl, or not even in the playoffs at all. The catalyst that brings the question? Daunte Culpepper. If the Dolphins get 2004 Daunte (who threw for 39 TDs compared to just 11 INTs), they should return to dominance. Many people will argue that Culpepper was a product of the system that is Randy Moss. But keep in mind that in Culpepper's best year, Moss was absent from from 3 games, and saw limited time in 3 others. That season, Moss had 49 catches for 13 TDs. Reports out of Miami are that Culpepper looks very good and could be a go for training camp. The bottom line is that Miami has found their franchise QB.

The other weak spot of the Dolphins team in 2005, was their secondary. Subtract Sam Madison, Reggie Howard and Tebucky Jones. Enter rookie Jason Allen, Will Allen, a healthy Will Poole, Deke Cooper and Renaldo Hill. The starters will be determined at camp and it will be a good healthy competition in late July. Will Allen brings a physical specimen who will come up and stop the run but can also drop into coverage. I like Will Poole to start at the other corner spot. He had a fairly good rookie season in 2004, most noteablly when he matched up against Cincinnati's Chad Jackson and kept Johnson out of the end zone and held him in check. 2nd year corner back Travis Daniels returns after a solid rookie campaigne. Saban drafted Daniels out of his old stomping grounds at LSU and inserted him into many of his difficult to undersand packages and coverages. I like Daniels to play the nickle because it better suits him. The five safties are Allen, Hill, Cooper, Tavares Tillman and Yerimah Bell. I like Allen and the free safety spot to counter Renaldo Hill at the SS spot. The good thing this year, is the depth Saban has added to the defensive secondary. It should be a much improved unit from last year.

The other part of the defense hasn't seen many changes. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor will anchor the front 7 once again. Everyone is a year smarter in Saban's defense however and I expect to see people being in the right spot more often. Channing Crowder could be a superstar in this league and will greatly benefit from Thomas and Taylor. The defensive line returns Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday and Keith Traylor. The big question mark is the strong side linebacker spot. Saban brought in Sedrick Hodge and Keith Newman. Donnie Spragan also has a chance to win the spot and at this point, it's anyone's spot.

Ricky Williams may be lost for the season, but that leaves Ronnie Brown chomping at the bit. Brown had 907 yards last year but averaged 4.6 YPC. The big question surrounding him is, can he carry the load? I think he can. He showed some flashes of greatness in his rookie season and I like him to carry the ball about 300 times. If he can remain healthy, and carry the load, I like the Dolphins to be a great team. Sammy Morris has looked very good in OTAs and I expect him to be a good spell to Brown.

The offensive line they are running behind doesn't have many changes. This biggest change, however, is the most important spot. New acquistion L.J Shelton looks to take over the left tackle spot. It's very important that he can protect Culpepper's blind side to save that healing knee. Other additions are Mike Pearson and Bennie Anderson. It's not yet determined what the starting lineup will be although there is a good idea for it. Rex Hadnot has moved to center and will likely push Seth McKinney out of a starting job. The line was much improved last year under Hudson Houck and expect them to get even better this year.

Finally that leaves the recievers. Chris Chambers will solidify himself as a top 5 NFL reciever this year. He made his first pro bowl last year and I think he excels now that he finally has a quality QB throwing him the ball. Marty Booker was hurt in OTAs but he will be fine for training camp. He is a nice compliment to Chambers and I really like that tandem. The number 3 spot is for grabs between 3rd round pick Derek Hagan, the speedy Wes Welker and big play Kelly Campbell who was signed over from Minnesota. I like Hagan to win the spot and Campbell and Welker will compete for the return jobs. Saban added some much need depth to this posistion and it now looks like a solid corps.

I love what Saban and the Dolphins did this season. They found a franchise QB, added depth to the Oline and reciever spots, rebuilt the entire secondarym and restored a winning attitude in Miami. It should be a great season and the Dolphins look to be great once again.

Regular Season prediction: 11-5 (AFC East champs)
Last game of Season: Loss in the AFC championship game

Welp, that's it. I started to lack information towards the end because I was getting tired, but tell me what ya'll think. Thanks guys.:)
:dolphins:
 
Nice in depth report!! Very well written and well spoken. But I think that if we get to the AFC Championship we'll go all the way and win the Superbowl. I am really feeling confident in this team, unlike past years when I would predict sub-par seasons.
 
cheyannefan said:
Nice in depth report!! Very well written and well spoken. But I think that if we get to the AFC Championship we'll go all the way and win the Superbowl. I am really feeling confident in this team, unlike past years when I would predict sub-par seasons.

Thank you! I sure hope we go all the way but I just don't think we are the best team in the NFL yet. We'll see once the season gets going.
 

Hey Aqua, my dolphin brother just 40 mins north me. Good Article. Can tell you'v done your homework. I like how you broke it down.
Surprisingly the x factor I think on the dolphins that Im surprised was left out was little Vick. Weather he is WR, RB, or a return guy, I think he might be a spark on the team. On the D line, you didn't mention Roth, Im just a fan, so I caught that, think he will be really good. The other thing I think was over looked was the fact that we brought in 3 young D linemen in the draft(if you count Manny) that is showing the youth Saban is injecting to learn under our great vet D linemen.
On the O line you say not much has changed. I beg to differ. You forgot one of my favorite additions L.J. Shelton, I think he will be a great addition. The other addition is Toledo the 4th round pick, allthough I hate UW, sounds like he could be a good addition, and help add depth to our line.
Also I think a big point is left out. The coaching additions. Dom Capers D cordinator is a big addition, and Mike Mularkey. Those guys will bring alot to the table.
Those are just what I thought, but good read bro!
 
playmaker1 said:
Hey Aqua, my dolphin brother just 40 mins north me. Good Article. Can tell you'v done your homework. I like how you broke it down.
Surprisingly the x factor I think on the dolphins that Im surprised was left out was little Vick. Weather he is WR, RB, or a return guy, I think he might be a spark on the team. On the D line, you didn't mention Roth, Im just a fan, so I caught that, think he will be really good. The other thing I think was over looked was the fact that we brought in 3 young D linemen in the draft(if you count Manny) that is showing the youth Saban is injecting to learn under our great vet D linemen.
On the O line you say not much has changed. I beg to differ. You forgot one of my favorite additions L.J. Shelton, I think he will be a great addition. The other addition is Toledo the 4th round pick, allthough I hate UW, sounds like he could be a good addition, and help add depth to our line.
Also I think a big point is left out. The coaching additions. Dom Capers D cordinator is a big addition, and Mike Mularkey. Those guys will bring alot to the table.
Those are just what I thought, but good read bro!

Hey thanks my man. I love seeing Dolphin fans from the Northwest, so good to see you're aboard. As for the stuff I left out, I had a bit or a writters block in the middle of this thing. At first, I was going to do it on the whole AFCE, but that would've taken hours so I just went with what I know, and that's the Fins. I know I could've gone even more in depth with the DL and coaching staff and what not, but decided to cut it short. Oh and for the record, I did mention L.J Shelton.:wink:

Thanks though man!

EDIT: Nevermind, I did leave off Shelton. Weird I typed his name but it cut left out for some reason. Did you notice the part that said new acquisition blank? Weird, thanks for the heads up! It's fixed now!
 
Aqua4Ever04 said:
Hey thanks my man. I love seeing Dolphin fans from the Northwest, so good to see you're aboard. As for the stuff I left out, I had a bit or a writters block in the middle of this thing. At first, I was going to do it on the whole AFCE, but that would've taken hours so I just went with what I know, and that's the Fins. I know I could've gone even more in depth with the DL and coaching staff and what not, but decided to cut it short. Oh and for the record, I did mention L.J Shelton.:wink:

Thanks though man!

EDIT: Nevermind, I did leave off Shelton. Weird I typed his name but it cut left out for some reason. Did you notice the part that said new acquisition blank? Weird, thanks for the heads up! It's fixed now!

After I read your responce I reread your article twice and didn't see his name, but I did wonder why it kinda looked cut off. I now see where you were going with it. You were right. Great read, good work man!:D
 
Aqua4Ever04 said:
Here is an article I wrote on what you can expect to see from the Dolphins in 2006.

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are going to be a very interesting team in the 2006 season. Nick Saban took a sub par team, and lead them on a 6 game winning streak to finish the season 9-7. They are a team that could end up at home in the Super Bowl, or not even in the playoffs at all. The catalyst that brings the question? Daunte Culpepper. If the Dolphins get 2004 Daunte (who threw for 39 TDs compared to just 11 INTs), they should return to dominance. Many people will argue that Culpepper was a product of the system that is Randy Moss. But keep in mind that in Culpepper's best year, Moss was absent from from 3 games, and saw limited time in 3 others. That season, Moss had 49 catches for 13 TDs. Reports out of Miami are that Culpepper looks very good and could be a go for training camp. The bottom line is that Miami has found their franchise QB.

The other weak spot of the Dolphins team in 2005, was their secondary. Subtract Sam Madison, Reggie Howard and Tebucky Jones. Enter rookie Jason Allen, Will Allen, a healthy Will Poole, Deke Cooper and Renaldo Hill. The starters will be determined at camp and it will be a good healthy competition in late July. Will Allen brings a physical specimen who will come up and stop the run but can also drop into coverage. I like Will Poole to start at the other corner spot. He had a fairly good rookie season in 2004, most noteablly when he matched up against Cincinnati's Chad Jackson and kept Johnson out of the end zone and held him in check. 2nd year corner back Travis Daniels returns after a solid rookie campaigne. Saban drafted Daniels out of his old stomping grounds at LSU and inserted him into many of his difficult to undersand packages and coverages. I like Daniels to play the nickle because it better suits him. The five safties are Allen, Hill, Cooper, Tavares Tillman and Yerimah Bell. I like Allen and the free safety spot to counter Renaldo Hill at the SS spot. The good thing this year, is the depth Saban has added to the defensive secondary. It should be a much improved unit from last year.

The other part of the defense hasn't seen many changes. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor will anchor the front 7 once again. Everyone is a year smarter in Saban's defense however and I expect to see people being in the right spot more often. Channing Crowder could be a superstar in this league and will greatly benefit from Thomas and Taylor. The defensive line returns Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday and Keith Traylor. The big question mark is the strong side linebacker spot. Saban brought in Sedrick Hodge and Keith Newman. Donnie Spragan also has a chance to win the spot and at this point, it's anyone's spot.

Ricky Williams may be lost for the season, but that leaves Ronnie Brown chomping at the bit. Brown had 907 yards last year but averaged 4.6 YPC. The big question surrounding him is, can he carry the load? I think he can. He showed some flashes of greatness in his rookie season and I like him to carry the ball about 300 times. If he can remain healthy, and carry the load, I like the Dolphins to be a great team. Sammy Morris has looked very good in OTAs and I expect him to be a good spell to Brown.

The offensive line they are running behind doesn't have many changes. This biggest change, however, is the most important spot. New acquistion L.J Shelton looks to take over the left tackle spot. It's very important that he can protect Culpepper's blind side to save that healing knee. Other additions are Matt Pearson and Bennie Anderson. It's not yet determined what the starting lineup will be although there is a good idea for it. Rex Hadnot has moved to center and will likely push Seth McKinney out of a starting job. The line was much improved last year under Hudson Houck and expect them to get even better this year.

Finally that leaves the recievers. Chris Chambers will solidify himself as a top 5 NFL reciever this year. He made his first pro bowl last year and I think he excels now that he finally has a quality QB throwing him the ball. Marty Booker was hurt in OTAs but he will be fine for training camp. He is a nice compliment to Chambers and I really like that tandem. The number 3 spot is for grabs between 3rd round pick Derek Hagan, the speedy Wes Welker and big play Kelly Campbell who was signed over from Minnesota. I like Hagan to win the spot and Campbell and Welker will compete for the return jobs. Saban added some much need depth to this posistion and it now looks like a solid corps.

I love what Saban and the Dolphins did this season. They found a franchise QB, added depth to the Oline and reciever spots, rebuilt the entire secondarym and restored a winning attitude in Miami. It should be a great season and the Dolphins look to be great once again.

Regular Season prediction: 11-5 (AFC East champs)
Last game of Season: Loss in the AFC championship game

Welp, that's it. I started to lack information towards the end because I was getting tired, but tell me what ya'll think. Thanks guys.:)
:dolphins:

Great job, man! I think we're on the same wavelength as I was agreeing with almost everything you said. I think Campbell, Hagan and Aromashodu will play a part in an improved Miami offense this year. All we need is a little luck and for the injury bug to spare us and then anything is possible.
 
endorPHINS72 said:
Great job, man! I think we're on the same wavelength as I was agreeing with almost everything you said. I think Campbell, Hagan and Aromashodu will play a part in an improved Miami offense this year. All we need is a little luck and for the injury bug to spare us and then anything is possible.

Thanks for the props. I sure hope we can avoid the injury bug. If we can, should be a great season!
 
Great in depth report, gave me goosebumps and pne of the best articles so far this off season. You know what you're talking about.
 
fishfan34 said:
Good Job. Nicely written, except, who is Matt Pierson? Is that supposed to be Mike Pierson?

Yes it is. LOL. My bad there, I just go off my head on these articles and when I'm in the flow, I cruise. HAHA so i just screwed that one up, I'll edit it.
 
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