With Mularkey demoted, Fins’ offense should balance out

By Hugo Guzman  |   Tuesday, July 31, 2007  |  Comments( 3 )

Miami Dolphins
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Here's a quick Miami Dolphins factoid: Did you know that former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is still employed by the franchise, currently listed as the team's tight ends coach?

That might come as somewhat of a surprise to the more casual Miami fan, considering the oft-boneheaded and ultimately ineffective approach that Mularkey engaged in during the 2006 season. His biggest offensive sin was an inexplicable desire to throw the football despite having the services of an injured Daunte Culpepper -- who looked more like a practice dummy than a quarterback when in the pocket -- and a relatively incompetent Joey Harrington, who had a nasty penchant for tossing the pigskin directly into the hands of opposing defenders.

Granted, the Dolphins often fell behind early in games last season, but that excuse is not sufficient when one considers the grand disparity between pass attempts and handoffs, especially when the starting running back, Ronnie Brown, is known as a workhorse who gets better with every additional carry.

Get this: Miami threw the ball 591 times in 2006. Only Green Bay, Detroit and St. Louis had more attempts. By comparison, the Dolphins only ran the ball 402 times. Only three teams ran the ball less: Oakland, Cleveland and Detroit.

Sure enough, most fans blame the aforementioned Brown for Miami's lack of rushing output. Hence the hasty calls for Ricky Williams' return to action, which was and is little more than a fleeting fantasy. Oddly enough, though, Brown had a respectable 4.2 yards per carry average, going over the 100-yard mark in three of the five games in which he was given 20-plus carries. He also gashed the Jets for 110 yards on a hefty 6.1 per-carry average when given 18 attempts in Week 16.

Unfortunately, there were 18 running backs in the league who got more carries than Brown did in '06, and the fact that he reached the 20-carry plateau in only five of the 13 contests he played in is laughable. When you're a power runner who gets only 241 carries in a season, it's hard to make your full presence felt in a significant and consistent manner.

Thankfully for Miami, first-year head coach Cam Cameron is known for his reliance on the running game. Don't worry, Dolphin fans, he's not going to return the team to the Dave Wannstedt era of offense, where running the football became predictable and obvious.

Cameron believes in a concept that is a bit of a novelty in South Florida. It's called balance.

Training Camp Notes:

- Ronnie Brown was involved in a particularly intense contact drill on Sunday, which isn't at all surprising when you consider that the Dolphins' featured back is often seen jarring with opposing defenders after big collisions. Brown welcomed physicality on Monday, but Cameron has already indicated that the RB's health is of paramount importance and that his contact will be watched closely.

- Ted Ginn Jr. showcased his blazing speed Monday on a deep route, cruising comfortably past reserve cornerback Cameron Worrell. The pass was severely overthrown, but Ginn's ability to create separation was evident. Miami hopes that will continue to be the case against starting-caliber cornerbacks during the regular season.

Get daily Miami Dolphins coverage at RealFootball365.com
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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