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Dolphins-Packers Preview

breckenridge55

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First off, I am going to make this article as if Favre will be playing on Monday Night. These could change if Favre does not play.

Quarterbacks
Advantage: Green Bay
Even with Favre hurt, he can still throw since it was his knee that is bothering him. He may not be very mobile, and the Dolphins will put lots of pressure on him, but I think he will be ok. Until Lucas proves that he can throw a football since 1999, I have no faith in him. His receivers are good, but they can’t do anything if the ball isn’t close to them.

Running Backs
Advantage: Tie
Ahman Green is a great back, so is Ricky Williams. They are both banged up somewhat and won’t be 100%. I don’t know much about Ahman Green, other than that he is great, but Ricky Williams can do it all. He can catch out of the backfield, pound up the middle, or take a toss to the outside, all very well.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Advantage: Miami
Although Donald Driver and Bubba Franks have great numbers, I don’t think they are as good skill wise as Chambers or McMichael. I think that Favre has a lot to do with their great numbers. I’m not sure if Cris Carter will contribute at all on Monday Night, but, James McKnight and Dedric Ward are solid backups and the Dolphins have a lot of depth at WR. Javon Walker has great potential, but hasn’t reached it yet. Terry Glenn used to be great but doesn’t seem like he is back into his old Patriots form.

Offensive Line
Advantage: Green Bay
The Miami o-line is the worse part of the team. Ricky Williams has earned every yard he has gained this year. It may be improved over last year, but it is still one of the worse 5 or 10 units in the league. The Dolphins o-line needs a stud who can anchor it, and Mark Dixon still is not healthy. Green Bay’s offensive line, although not great, gets the job done.

Defensive Line
Advantage: Miami (barely)
Both teams have a fantastic speed rusher (in Jason Taylor and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila). Vonnie Holiday is back for Green Bay, and can make some plays. Tim Bowens is a great run stopper in the middle for the Dolphins. Both of these units are among the best in the NFL. The only thing that the Packers are missing is some stud defensive tackles. Gilbert Brown and Cletidus Hunt don’t cut it.

Linebackers
Advantage: Miami
Although the Dolphins don’t have much other than Zach Thomas at linebacker, Zach is still far better than anyone that the Packers have. Morlon Greenwood and Derrick Rodgers don’t make huge plays for the Phins, but don’t make big mistakes either, both are very consistent. Hardy Nickerson is a decent linebacker for Green Bay, as is Nate Wayne and Na’il Diggs. But none of the three are great, they are all just average.

Defensive Backs
Advantage: Miami
Green Bay has suffered some heavy injuries at the defensive backs positions. Darren Sharper and Mike McKenzie come back from injury for Green Bay this week. Sharper is among the best at his position in the NFL, almost a certain pro-bowler. But Miami’s corners are much better than Green Bay’s. Pat Surtain and Sam Madison are play well above the level of play that Mike McKenzie and Tyrone Williams do. Brock Marion is also a great safety for the Phins, but, their worse player on defense is Arturo Freeman, the strong safety.

Special Teams
Advantage: Green Bay
Mare and Longwell are both superb kickers. But I think Longwell gets the edge just because he is used to kicking in the weather that Mare will face in Green Bay. Neither team has great returners or great coverage teams. Both teams also have average punters.

Coaching
Advantage: Tie
Dave Wannstedt and Mike Sherman are both great coaches, and I am sure that both took this bye week and used it to the best of their abilities. Norv Turner is one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL right now, but Mike Sherman will make sure that his Packers are ready to play on Monday Night, with or without Brett Favre.

The homefield advantage for the Packers will be a huge help in their attempt to win. The weather will also be a huge help for Green Bay as the forecast calls for a high of 38 degrees, and a low of 24 with no chance of rain/snow. All of these little things will help Green Bay a lot, and if Favre can play, I believe will lead them to victory. It should be another close, hard fought battle, like the Miami-Denver game three weeks ago. In the end, whoever is prepared better will come out on top. It should come down to whoever turns the ball over less, and gets better field position, just like almost every other NFL game.

Prediction:
Miami 24
Green Bay 26
 
Breck, it all sounded pretty good except for one area...

You had:
Special Teams
Advantage: Green Bay
Mare and Longwell are both superb kickers. But I think Longwell gets the edge just because he is used to kicking in the weather that Mare will face in Green Bay. Neither team has great returners or great coverage teams. Both teams also have average punters.

Man, Miami's Special teams units are undeniably lightyears ahead of Green Bays.

Special Teams
Advantage: Miami
Mare and Longwell are both great kickers and can consistantly win with a clutch kick. Miami has 2 very dangerous Kickers in Ward and Minor. Minor is #1 in the NFL in Kick returns (min 5 returns) and Ward is #4 in the NFL in Punt returns (min 5 returns) Green Bay is 18th in Kickoff return coverage and 28th in punt return coverage. And Mark Royals is a top 10 punter in the NFL this year so far.
 
You're absolutely correct. Green Bay's special teams as a whole have been nothing short of the stuff that nightmares are made of. Longwell's kickoffs have always been notoriously short -- he claims that he's been ordered to kick short. Well, kicking short or directionally is ok if you're under covering the danged things, we haven't been. Consequently, opponents offense have had a short field wayyyyyyyy too many times. Further, I believe Longwell is only 15 of 19 this year on Fg's attempted.

Punt coverage...also light, our punter has an average of just short of 43, but nets out at 32. That says more about the coverage than the punter.

Our return teams have been equally disappointing. Special teams most definitely have to go the 'phins.

I've read a lot of jabbering about this game guys ... ultimately you know, this is going to be a one point game either way, right?
 
I don't know about one point, but this one should be tighter than an 18 year old virgin. :ladysman:
 
Sorry, I don't watch Green Bay's special teams very much, I kinda had to make a guess. Thanks for the comments, and also, I never knew Minor and Ward were so high up in those rankings, not bad for backup returners.
 
Mare went to Syracuse right? If he did, wouldn't he be somewhat use to cold weather conditions? Does Syracuse have a dome?
 
Originally posted by Barbarian
I don't know about one point, but this one should be tighter than an 18 year old virgin. :ladysman:

Shoot, the way things are these days, I thought the only virgins running around were ugly 6th graders. :(
 
Originally posted by weeds
Shoot, the way things are these days, I thought the only virgins running around were ugly 6th graders. :(

That, and Bills fans.
 
"Defensive Backs
Advantage: Miami
Green Bay has suffered some heavy injuries at the defensive backs positions. Darren Sharper and Mike McKenzie come back from injury for Green Bay this week. Sharper is among the best at his position in the NFL, almost a certain pro-bowler. But Miami’s corners are much better than Green Bay’s. Pat Surtain and Sam Madison are play well above the level of play that Mike McKenzie and Tyrone Williams do. Brock Marion is also a great safety for the Phins, but, their worse player on defense is Arturo Freeman, the strong safety."

Huh? The phins are better?? Lets checkout a few facts, 1) the phins pass defense gives up 231.9 yards per - Packers 195.3. 2) The phins have 11 ints - Packers 12 3) Miami has 32 pass defenses - The Pack 42.

The Packers DB's are better.

"Linebackers
Advantage: Miami
Although the Dolphins don’t have much other than Zach Thomas at linebacker, Zach is still far better than anyone that the Packers have. Morlon Greenwood and Derrick Rodgers don’t make huge plays for the Phins, but don’t make big mistakes either, both are very consistent. Hardy Nickerson is a decent linebacker for Green Bay, as is Nate Wayne and Na’il Diggs. But none of the three are great, they are all just average."

Again huh? zach has 64 tackles 0.5 sacks, greenwood 27 and 0, rodgers 20 and 1. The Packers Wayne 53 tackles with 1 sack and 1 FF with 1 INT, Hardy 37 tackles, Diggs 35 tackles with 3 sacks.

Advantage: Packers.


"Defensive Line
Advantage: Miami (barely)
Both teams have a fantastic speed rusher (in Jason Taylor and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila). Vonnie Holiday is back for Green Bay, and can make some plays. Tim Bowens is a great run stopper in the middle for the Dolphins. Both of these units are among the best in the NFL. The only thing that the Packers are missing is some stud defensive tackles. Gilbert Brown and Cletidus Hunt don’t cut it."

What? Your run defense benefits from your porous pass defense. The bills didn't have much trouble last week.

Advantage: Even, except GB is home, so slight edge to Pack.


"Coaching
Advantage: Tie
Dave Wannstedt and Mike Sherman are both great coaches, and I am sure that both took this bye week and used it to the best of their abilities. Norv Turner is one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL right now, but Mike Sherman will make sure that his Packers are ready to play on Monday Night, with or without Brett Favre."

Sherman is 27-12 has a head coach. Wanny?

Edge: Packers. Evidence? See last years late season fall by the wanny phins.

"Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Advantage: Miami
Although Donald Driver and Bubba Franks have great numbers, I don’t think they are as good skill wise as Chambers or McMichael. I think that Favre has a lot to do with their great numbers. I’m not sure if Cris Carter will contribute at all on Monday Night, but, James McKnight and Dedric Ward are solid backups and the Dolphins have a lot of depth at WR. Javon Walker has great potential, but hasn’t reached it yet. Terry Glenn used to be great but doesn’t seem like he is back into his old Patriots form."

Scary. Randy leads the phins with 24 for 327, 13.6 ave, 36 yard long and 4 TD's. The Packers are led by Driver with 32 for 527, 16.5 ave, 85 long and 5 TD's. If Favre makes better WR's randy might be considered good if he played for the Pack. He doesn't.

Not to mention Favre is 70-12 at home.

Packers 27-10. Don't bother staying up late to see the whole game.
 
Not to be cruel or anything, but you are a total moron. Stats aren't everything. Want to know why the Phins pass defense numbers are bad? You know Surtain, Madison, and Marion didn't turn from Pro-Bowlers (or what should be Pro-Bowlers) to sucky 3rd stringers in one season. It's called making the QB beat you. You put 8 or 9 guys in the box against teams like Kansas City and Denver (who have turnover prone quarterbacks) and make their QB beat you. You obviously don't know much about that since you've had Brett Favre as your QB for like 10 years. Against Buffalo, we didn't put 8 or 9 guys in the box, because we knew that Drew Bledsoe could, and would beat us. So we took away their passing game. So they went ahead and ran it. Travis Henry ran well. Before you start throwing at numbers, why don't you watch football.

We get our sacks from our d-line, not by blitzing 8 guys like you do and have the linebackers get sacks. Our sacks are almost always coverage sacks. You probably don't know what that is either.

Also, Randy McMichael isn't a WR like you seem to think he is. And, it's hard to get receptions when you run the ball 35 times a game isn't it?

You want numbers? 9-1, that's Miami's record all-time vs. Green Bay. Their are numbers for you.

By the way, our pass d is still better than our run d. I think I would know, I do goto every home game and watch every minute of every road game.
 
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