Dolphins preseason musings, Part III: Baby, we were born to run

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, August 27, 2007  |  Comments( 8 )

Miami Dolphins
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Have you ever watched a guy running and said to yourself, "Man, he makes going fast look easy!"? There's a certain effortlessness and a gliding motion that lets you know he was just born to run.

There's also the type of guy who's just shifty, jumpy and lightning fast -- the kind who seems to be itching for a breakaway run every time he touches the football. When we were kids, we called them "toys," because they would simply toy with opposing tacklers.

On Saturday night, I got the distinct feeling that the Miami Dolphins got one of each in this year's NFL draft.

Ted Ginn and Lorenzo Booker didn't get into the end zone. They didn't even break off any electrifying runs. Still, the way in which they moved about when called upon should give observant, patient Dolphins fans reason for optimism.

While on the topic of optimism, other than one fluttering duck that seemed to be more of a slip of the hand than anything else, QB John Beck displayed the kind of poise, accuracy and decisiveness that is typically reserved for veterans, not rookies.

Meanwhile, Ginn bailed the offense out several times during Miami's impressive first-quarter touchdown drive, showcasing that elegant stride that made him a track phenom and standout receiver at Ohio State. The first-round pick also showed impressive footwork and hands on a sideline route later in the game, managing to keep his feet inbounds to preserve a first-down connection.

Booker's effort was a bit less impressive in the sense that it came against subpar reserves. However, the third-rounder from Florida State's ability to find space and make people miss was clearly evident, giving a degree of credence to the mountainous praise showered upon him by defensive teammates like Channing Crowder.

Let's make one thing clear: Both of these young speedsters are far from proven commodities at the NFL level. They will both spend their rookie seasons as role players on offense, contributing only meager statistics over the whole of the season. Still, it's nice to know for Miami's fans that head coach Cam Cameron's plan to inject some speed and explosiveness into the offense could pay dividends immediately, even if sparingly.

Starting offense shows resiliency:

When Trent Green made that ridiculously ill-fated screen pass to a seemingly lackadaisical Ronnie Brown, leading to Cato June's interception and return for a touchdown, that "here we go again" feeling must have bathed over Dolphin fans like a swarm of morale-eating locusts.

But instead of allowing that early miscue to set the tone for the evening (a staple of recent Dolphin offenses), Miami's first-team 'O' bounced back to generate two touchdown drives against Tampa Bay's starting defense.

Green made up for his early miscue by avoiding pressure and making the most out of what the Buccaneers' defense was giving him. The payoff was a smooth-looking touchdown pass to tight end David Martin, which capped off an 18-play, 73-yard drive.

Brown atoned for his lack of tenacity and awareness by keying that touchdown drive with 36 total yards. The defining play was an Earl Campbell-esque carry in which Brown essentially pummeled the Bucs' defensive front for 8 extremely tough and impressive yards. Yeah, he didn't break off a long run on the drive, but his physical brutality set the tone and helped loosen up the secondary for the passing game.

Incidentally, the second touchdown drive was set up by a great defensive play. Third-year end Matt Roth pulled off a very convincing Jason Taylor impersonation, snagging an intended screen pass while in the midst of rushing from the outside. Miami took over on a short field and made sure to capitalize on the opportunity, pulling off a Statue of Liberty play reminiscent of the one that catapulted Boise State to victory over Oklahoma in January's Fiesta Bowl.

Kudos to Cameron on that one. Miami hasn't possessed that kind of offensive spirit here since, well, never.

Get original 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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CommentsComments: 8  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
T.R.		11:10 AM
08/27/2007
Is it possible to ask for more controversial commentary. I don't wanna hear about Channing Crowder sleeping with ______'s wife,...
No.2
Dolfins		12:28 PM
08/27/2007
Booker is a 3rd round pick not 4th. I in Cam. Looking forward to a positive future. The years record with not reflect what is...
No.3
Lurker		01:29 PM
08/27/2007
Your observations about Ginn and Booker re-enforce my own. Will Booker actually score touchdowns this season or will he be...
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