Despite success, Dolphins still swim under radar

By Adam Sweeney  |   Monday, May 18, 2009  |  Comments( 5 )

Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins, the reigning champions of the AFC East, are swimming well under the national media's radar as the 2009 NFL season approaches. But should they be?

The New England Patriots -- the front-runner in the division -- are obviously going to gain a relative amount of buzz now that Tom Brady is returning from knee surgery. The future Hall of Famer has earned that; and to be honest, they possibly would have won the division last season if Brady was taking snaps and not replaced by Matt Cassel. The Pats have proven that all they do is reload on both sides, but their defense still leaves something to be desired. We also don't know what they will lose now that ex-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is in Denver. Of course, they are stacking the running backs, so the load should be a bit lighter for Brady.

The New York Jets are actually getting plenty of buzz with Rex Ryan as the new head coach, the possibly brilliant draft pick of Mark Sanchez and the acquisition of Bart Scott -- who will only make their defense that much better. But with Thomas Jones and Leon Washington both making a fuss in the backfield, not to mention the lack of a big-play receiver, the Jets have issues to deal with.

Then there's the Buffalo Bills, who grabbed Terrell Owens -- to some, that reeks of desperation -- and traded left tackle Jason Peters. They're also a team that got off to a 5-1 start last year but quickly sank after, finishing 7-9. Whether they improve depends on third-year quarterback Trent Edwards, who's battled injuries and inconsistency since his days at Stanford.

That brings us to the Dolphins, who mostly had a quiet offseason. The Dolphins are going from a last-place to a first-place schedule this year, which is a major reason why they're not the most respected 11-5 team ever. But maybe anonymity suits them. Their top players have all have been the black sheep at certain points in their careers. Chad Pennington, Ronnie Brown (who at Auburn was the second banana in hype to Cadillac Williams), Joey Porter, Ricky Williams and even Jason Taylor have all taken their lumps. That gives them a huge chip on their shoulder with which to play. And be honest, would you rather be playing with the weight of expectation or have the chance to pick teams off because they don't see you coming?

The Dolphins got attention last season with the way they played, and gained a certain amount of respect. That doesn't mean that media members are ready to vault them into the role of a consistent playoff contender. 2009 is their chance to make it happen.
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About Adam Sweeney

Adam Sweeney spent 4 years as an opinions and arts & entertainment columnist with the Lone Star Lutheran, also working with Sports Illustrated.com. Along with his work on Realfootball 365 he currently is a contributor for Film School Rejects, SLAM Online, Talkhoops.net, and C-Heads Magazine.
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