With Jones out, Dolphins should tee off on Kitna

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, November 23, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Miami Dolphins
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Although he is still listed as questionable on the team's injury list, Detroit Lions RB Kevin Jones is expected be out of the lineup on Thanksgiving Day. And although Jones has been far from a world-beater this season, his absence will severely handicap an already substandard offense, making the Lions fairly one dimensional.

Jason Taylor and his cohorts are already salivating.

The 2-8 Lions are still reeling from a 17-10 loss to the abysmal Arizona Cardinals, which saw quarterback Jon Kitna end his streak of seven consecutive games with a touchdown pass. And now that his backfield mate, the aforementioned Jones, is set to be shelved for a few weeks, Kitna is likely in for another ineffective outing.

Think about it: Jones has accounted for roughly 30 percent of Detroit's offensive yardage and has scored seven of the team's 20 offensive touchdowns. The former Virginia Tech standout has toted the rock 153 times and has caught 50 passes in Mike Martz's Detroit version of the "Greatest Show on Turf" (which some would argue has morphed into one of the worst shows on turf).

Without Jones, the Lions will rely on notables such as Arlen Harris and Aveion Cason to carry the load at running back. Against a Miami team that is fifth in the league in total defense and has not allowed a 100-yard rusher since Week 7, the going will likely be extremely tough for this duo.

So that brings us back to Kitna. He has been the model for mediocrity thus far, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while completing 62.9 percent of his passes for 2,624 yards.

Kitna's passer rating of 80.9 is good for 17th in the NFL, which is actually impressive considering the fact that he's been sacked 33 times in 10 games. The former Bengals' signal caller has been a sitting duck all season long, and things seem to be getting worse with every passing week. Consider this: in his last two outings, against the 49ers and Cardinals, two teams with subpar pass-rushing ability, Kitna was taken down seven times.

Which brings us back to Jason Taylor and his buddies along the defensive front.

The Dolphins should bring pressure early and often on Thursday, because Detroit's offensive line is clearly incapable of protecting its journeyman quarterback. And as long as Kitna is running for his life and unable to connect with his two top wideouts, Roy Williams and Mike Furrey, who have seven touchdowns on the season between them, Miami should have little trouble keeping the Lions' offense off the field and off the scoreboard.

Miami's 'D' will be matching up against a Detroit offense that is even more one dimensional than usual. Now its just a matter of taking advantage of that opportunity.

If the Dolphins do, Miami fans will have one more thing to be grateful for on Thanksgiving -- a fourth straight victory.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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