Five Dolphins questions to ponder before preseason

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Tuesday, July 01, 2008  |  Comments( 25 )

Miami Dolphins
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With training camp a few weeks away, NFL junkies are in mourning because the only bodies who are currently at team facilities across the league are coaches, equipment managers and front-office personnel.

The Miami Dolphins are like every other franchise in the NFL in that their camp will start with a bunch of questions about their 2008 season. While some questions have been answered this offseason, it seems there is more uncertainty than knowledge for fans to consider before preseason kicks into gear later this summer.

Having said that, here are five burning questions for Dolphins fans to ponder while they work on their South Beach tans and long for Aug. 9, when Miami opens its preseason schedule against Tampa Bay:

1. Who is going to be the starting quarterback when the regular season rolls around?

Unofficial word from organized team activities was that Josh McCown made the biggest impression among the three quarterbacks vying for the starting job. The problem is that until McCown or either of the other quarterbacks actually plays in a game, not much can be read into his progress. John Beck and Chad Henne will be taking plenty of snaps during the four-game preseason, so that will be the ideal time to evaluate which quarterback will give the Dolphins the best chance to win.

2. What about the running backs?

There are probably just as many questions concerning Miami’s running game than with its starting QB race, believe it or not. Will Ronnie Brown’s injured knee be fully healed when the season starts? If so, will it hold up to his style of running, in which changes of direction occur on almost every play? Which Ricky Williams will the Dolphins be getting in ’08, the crazy version or the talented one who focuses on football? If Brown is healthy, how will he handle the likelihood of Williams cutting into his playing time? Regardless of the questions, the bottom like is that until the quarterback, whomever it is, proves he can perform well, opposing defenses will probably stop the Dolphins from running and dare them to pass.

3. To whom does Will Allen owe money? Better yet, to whom doesn't he owe money?

Allen, one of the team's starting cornerbacks, supposedly owes money to the firm that used to represent him, and it has also been rumored that he has outstanding gambling debts. Whether those allegations are are true, they have to be a distraction to Allen’s preparation for the upcoming NFL season. Fans need to hope that Allen gets all of his offseason challenges straightened out before he takes the field.

4. Is Ted Ginn Jr. ready to be Miami’s No. 1 receiver?

Since entering the league as a first-rounder in 2007, Ginn has said all the right things about realizing the potential that he had at Ohio State. The problem is that no one, not even Ginn, will know whether he is ready until the season begins. The Dolphins have arguably the weakest receiving corps in the NFL, so Ginn had better be prepared to serve as a No. 1 pro receiver, or it may be another long year in Miami.

5. Where will Jason Taylor be flinging his body with reckless abandon?

Taylor will most assuredly be playing somewhere in the NFL in ’08. The question: Will it be in Miami, where the superstar defender has spent his entire career, or in Green Bay, New England or some other city with a franchise that is on the verge of the Super Bowl? The Packers have expressed an interest in Taylor, but nothing has progressed regarding trade talks. The 34-year-old Taylor, who wants to play for a title contender, doesn't desire to play for the Dolphins, so the next couple months should be interesting in determining where he ends up.
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every...
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CommentsComments: 25  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
11:34 AM
07/01/2008
Starting QB will probably McCown or Henne because Parcells brought them in. And Ronnie Brown is going to be a good back this year...
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No.2
RedskinFan21ST		02:23 PM
07/01/2008
I really don't know who starting QB will be, there's no way it should be Henne. Ronnie Brown might still need a few weeks into...
No.3
Nico		02:41 PM
07/01/2008
McCown is the best bet as the starter. The other two guys are not ready to take over the team, in my opinion anyways. Ronnie...
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