Dolphins-Bucs afterthoughts: Five things nobody is talking about

By Hugo Guzman  |   Sunday, August 10, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Miami Dolphins
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You know the NFL season is in full swing when even a preseason game generates dozens of articles and literally thousands of posts on various Miami Dolphins fan forums. The abundant coverage ensures that virtually no stone is left unturned and that nearly every facet of the game is analyzed -- over-analyzed in some cases -- no matter how seemingly insignificant.

That said, RealFootball365.com’s task is to attempt to uncover storylines that aren’t being given much attention by the mainstream media. Therefore, here is a list of five Dolphins-related issues that nobody seems to be talking about.

Bell's still not a ball hawk:

On Miami’s first defensive series Saturday, safety Yeremiah Bell dropped what appeared to be a sure interception. It was nevertheless a solid pass breakup, but Bell’s failure to come away with the pick is a problem that has existed during his entire Dolphins tenure. Bell has exactly one INT in 46 regular-season games, and though he's a fan favorite because of a penchant for pressuring the quarterback, causing fumbles and generally playing well, his inability to intercept passes is what keeps him from taking that next step into Pro Bowl territory.

Carey's solid on the right side:

It’s no coincidence that the majority of running plays were to the right side against Tampa. No disrespect to the first overall pick in the draft, Dolphins left tackle Jake Long -- who will likely be a pillar of the offensive line for years to come -- but head coach Tony Sparano & Co. know that respectable gains are likely to follow whenever the team runs behind Vernon Carey. Most of Miami’s early ground success occurred on the right side and Carey’s pass protection was also consistent. Actually, both Carey and Long did a great job of guarding the quarterback, signaling what looks to be the beginning of a terrific bookend combo at offensive tackle.

Daniels puts toastmaster label to rest (for the time being):

The word out of training camp is that converted cornerback/safety/cornerback Travis Daniels has been getting toasted in deep coverage. However, when isolated in single coverage against Buccaneers wideout Antonio Bryant, Daniels did a nice job of staying behind the receiver and tracking the ball on a deep fly pattern. In fact, he almost came away with an interception on the play. That’s really good news for a guy who seemed to be in danger of losing his roster spot because of his habit for giving up the big play.

Pennington better than Favre at throwing the deep ball?

This tidbit comes courtesy of my brother Alex, one of RF365's founders and senior editors. He passed along an ESPN.com blog post which seems to prove that allegedly weak-armed quarterback Chad Pennington is actually more effective at connecting on long completions than Brett Favre. OK, so maybe a lot of Pennington's past 20-plus yard completions were 10-yard slants that became 21-yard pickups, but it's still interesting.

Sixty minutes played, zero turnovers.

Many have complained about Miami’s overall effort and production in its first preseason appearance. However, the fact that the Dolphins avoided the costly turnover through four quarters is about as positive as it gets for a franchise that gave the ball away 29 times in 2007. Is this a sign of the Bill Parcells philosophy taking shape? Dolphins fans should hope so.

Training Camp: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
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About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
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