Can declining Green help Miami?

By Adam Best  |   Friday, June 22, 2007  |  Comments( 15 )

Miami Dolphins
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I've been pretty critical of new Miami Dolphins QB Trent Green, and rightfully so -- after all, I watched him play the past six seasons.

Green is about as mobile as a vending machine that's drilled to the floor. After he took that vicious, clearly accidental hit at the hands of Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers last year, he was never quite the same.

At the age of 37, Green is on the decline.

We all know why Green succeeded in Kansas City, but what did he succeed in spite of? What weapons do head Coach Cam Cameron and his Dolphins have in their arsenal that the Kansas City Chiefs were lacking?

In Kansas City he did have a great offensive line -- initially. Ex-Pro Bowl tackle Willie Roaf essentially missed both of the last two years, and former Pro Bowl guard Will Shields might as well have missed last year -- it seemed like his heart just wasn't in it any longer. Now, Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters and center Casey Wiegmann have been rock solid, but everyone else -- starter, part-time starter or backup -- played poorly.

Last year, the line was especially bad with Jordan Black -- who earned the moniker "I-65" because he was essentially a highway to QBs for pass rushers -- and Kyle Turley masquerading as starters. Turley had shrunk to such a degree that when he initially came out of retirement it was as a tight end. Needless to say, the offensive line did not play up to its reputation as one of the NFL's best last season.

Need further proof? In '06, with an NFL-record 416 rushing attempts, running back Larry Johnson barely ran for more yards (1,789) than he did the previous season (1,750 yards) while receiving 80 fewer carries. That -- along with Johnson's paltry 13 rushes for 32 yards in last year's wild-card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts -- shows you that there was more wrong with the Chiefs' offense than just Green.

Sure, Chiefs backup QB Damon Huard came in and played well at first after Green went down in Week 1. After teams caught on to Huard's tendencies and Chiefs offensive coordinator Mike Solari's insanely predictable play-calling, however, Huard struggled. Miami's fans can attest to that after witnessing Huard stumble during a loss at Dolphin Stadium during Week 10 of '06.

Green's receivers and defense were also inferior to what the Dolphins now boast, for the most part. Wideout Eddie Kennison is a pretty good player, but a Chris Chambers-Marty Booker combo is easy to take over a Kennison-Samie Parker one. The Dolphins' front seven also blows away what the Chiefs had up front defensively during Green's tenure. If the secondary plays even adequately, Green will likely play alongside a better defense then he ever did as a Chief.

I'd be a fool to ignore tight end Tony Gonzalez and Johnson here. As great as Gonzalez and Johnson are, and anyone with half a brain will agree that both are top-five players at worst for their respective positions, TE David Martin and RB Ronnie Brown certainly possess talent. There isn't quite as big of a drop-off at RB and TE as one might expect, especially with rookie runner Lorenzo Booker now in the fold. Booker could be what San Diego Chargers RB Michael Turner was for Cameron last year -- a home-run hitter off the sideline.

The offensive line might be able to jell into a better or at least similar unit than the Chiefs fielded a year ago. If that happens, Green has a shot at putting up another fine season. He doesn't have Gonzalez and Johnson on board, but the Dolphins possess several other strengths that the '06 Chiefs didn't -- most notably a great offensive play-caller in Cameron, whom Green already has a great relationship with.

Green's most glaring weakness, other than his statue-like mobility, is his confidence. Sometimes he telegraphed passes thinking that he could beat defenders and didn't. Other times he overestimated his arm strength, and the speed of Chiefs receivers, and threw long interceptions. Cameron can likely help Green mask these deficiencies, as Solari's predecessor, Al Saunders, did while he was with the Chiefs.

Unfortunately, that hit may have rattled Green's cage for good. Too many QBs -- from Steve Young to Troy Aikman -- get rocked like that and come back as an inferior, timid player. There comes a point in every good QB's and kick returner's career when they decide that they don't want to absorb hits any more. Trent Green has perhaps reached that point. Miami had better hope not.

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CommentsComments: 15  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Mick		08:59 AM
06/22/2007
Huizenga`s Miami teams have essentially been set up as the quick fix at quarterback since the great Dan Marino played. Trent...
No.2
YOYO		09:44 AM
06/22/2007
Good article Adam. I happen to agree with most of what was said. I think Green has a fighting chance this year to prove that he...
No.3
Reed		10:09 AM
06/22/2007
Clearly accidental hit? OK. By the way the drop off of talent when comparing fish's TE and RB to KC's is as big as a drop off...
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