Dolphins stuck in a numbers game

By Hugo Guzman  |   Wednesday, October 03, 2007  |  Comments( 7 )

Miami Dolphins
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For head coach Cam Cameron and the rest of the Miami brain trust, times couldn't be tougher.

Journalists in South Florida are blaming Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga for the team's 0-4 start. Radio hosts are ripping Randy Mueller, the general manager, and fans are calling for Cameron's head on a platter.

Oh, and everyone seems to be hankering for the return of Ricky Williams.

Anyone with a working pair of eyes can see that the on-field product is simply not cutting it, resulting in a plethora of scapegoats with an utter dearth of hope and possibility. Therefore, this writer has decided to take a mathematical approach to the situation.

311 - 797 = minus-486.

That's the difference between the number of yards Ronnie Brown has rushed for and the amount of yards Miami's defense has given up on the ground. For those of you scoring at home, the Dolphins are dead last against the run, allowing an unhealthy 199.2 yards per game.

4 - 7 = minus-3.

That's the difference between the number of touchdowns Trent Green has thrown and the number of interceptions he's given away to the other team. Green is tied with Drew Brees for the league lead in interceptions thrown.

3 - 9 = minus-6.

That's the difference between the number of turnovers the Dolphins have come up with and the number of turnovers that they have committed. Only the Bears and Saints have a worse turnover ratio.

Twenty-nine.

The total of penalties the Dolphins have committed. Only four teams have been charged with more.

One.

First-day draft picks currently starting on Miami's offense. Second-round QB John Beck was expected to ride the pine in 2007, and it's still too early to pass judgment on first-round receiver Ted Ginn and third-round runner Lorenzo Booker; however, when only one of your four first-day picks is making an impact, people tend to get impatient. Without question, Dolphins fans are thankful for Samson Satele.

Zero.

Major offseason acquisitions who have made a positive impact on the Dolphins. Tight end David Martin seems pedestrian at best, linebacker Joey Porter has yet to make a big play, and Green's most notable exploit is his aforementioned penchant for throwing interceptions. Incidentally, zero also denotes the number of wins Miami has notched through four games in 2007.

There are some subtle reasons for optimism, though.

The obvious ones are the apparent rise of Brown and the unexpected cohesion of the O-line, but there are other even more esoteric bright spots, like Cameron's recognition of TE Justin Peelle's underappreciated skill set, or his decision to dump kicker Olindo Mare in favor of Jay Feely, or his rather gutsy and refreshing approach to fourth-and-short scenarios.

Unfortunately, those positives are being drowned out by a sea of negatives so tangible that even a mathematical analysis bears them out.

Work on your Miami Dolphins arithmetic at RealFootball365.com
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 7  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
david		08:10 AM
10/03/2007
trent green SUCKS. plain and simple.they need to play cleo lemon.he done a better job than trent green in preseason. he has been...
No.2
florida dennis		08:26 AM
10/03/2007
I wish the Buffalo Bills played the fish this weekend. We could use another W. When I am feeling low about the Bills, I read...
No.3
Alex Guzman		10:43 AM
10/03/2007
Dol-fans, things are definitely bleak but we might be winning our first game of the season at Houston if Miami keeps leaning on...
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