Thus far, Dolphins aren’t giving it away

By Hugo Guzman  |   Sunday, August 17, 2008  |  Comments( 7 )

Miami Dolphins
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After a solid showing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which their starting units were relatively dominant this past weekend, fans and media alike are pulling out plenty of interesting stats regarding the Miami Dolphins.

Some point to Ricky Williams’ healthy 4.3 yards per carry average to go along with a touchdown. Others mention Chad Pennington’s nearly flawless 5-of-6 passing performance and his two nifty scrambles that netted 18 yards and a first down. The rest talk about the ascent of second-year wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who made several impressive grabs and finished the game with four receptions for 58 yards. A slight bobble on a deep sideline throw by rookie Chad Henne would have put Ginn over the 100-yard mark.

The defense was also impressive, generating a turnover in a key goal-line situation when tackle Paul Soliai punched the ball away from the Jags' Maurice Jones-Drew as he galloped toward the end zone. Joey Thomas came away with a second turnover when he worked the sideline to intercept a pass from ex-Dolphin Cleo Lemon. As a unit, the defense held the normally efficient David Garrard to a pedestrian 7-of-14 outing.

The scoreboard was also telling. Miami’s starters shut out the Jaguars, taking a 13-0 lead at halftime, and the reserves held on for a 19-14 victory.

However, the most important stat of the day was a big fat zero, the second in as many weeks; it resides in the Dolphins’ turnover column. Miami has been victimized by the turnover bug for years. Even its two greatest offensive icons of the past decade – Williams and an aging Dan Marino – have been susceptible.

Now, though, it appears that the Bill Parcells regime is turning the tide, albeit in two meaningless preseason games. This is a potentially franchise-changing development; after all, as any self-respecting handicapper will tell you, the ability to protect the football is the often the difference between winning and losing at the NFL level. It’s hard to say what coach Tony Sparano and his cohorts have done to generate such positive results, but whatever the cause, it’s making a tangible impact on Miami’s ability to compete.

Hopefully for the Dolphins, the trend will continue on into the regular season, paving the way for a resurrection of a once-proud organization.

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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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