Dolphins’ first-string offense and defense have better showing

By Jason Kirk  |   Saturday, August 13, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Miami Dolphins
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The first quarter of tonight's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars showed a lot of promise for the Miami Dolphins' defense. After getting very little pressure on the Chicago Bears' Rex Grossman last Monday night, the defense came out tonight very determined. The defensive line provided constant pressure on Jaguar's quarterback Byron Leftwich, sacking the third-year player three times. On all three of Jacksonville's possessions, the Miami Dolphins' defense forced the Jaguars to punt, allowing only two first downs. On one series rookie Travis Daniels, who started the game at corner opposite Sam Madison, made an outstanding play running step-for-step with Pro Bowl wide receiver Jimmy Smith and knocking the pass away. The only mistake made by the Miami Dolphins was on special teams, when a Matt Turk punt was returned 76 yards for a touchdown by the Jaguars' backup running back, David Allen.

The Miami Dolphins' offense, however, wasn't as spectacular, although they did show a lot of promise. Quarterback Gus Frerotte, who started tonight's game, was both hot and cold. He made some nice throws but made a couple of costly over-throws that should have been made. Starting wide receiver, Chris Chambers, made perhaps the best play of the night. After making a catch across the middle, Chambers was immediately hit by Jaguars' safety, Deon Grant, causing the ball to bounce out of Chambers' hands. It seemed as if the ball would hit the ground, but Chambers reached out and caught the ball, and the play resulted in a first down. Another bright spot for the Dolphins was the play of the offensive line. After getting outplayed last Monday versus the Bears, the line gave Gus Frerotte good protection and opened up some running lanes.

After playing sparingly last game, Ricky Williams got a few more touches and made the most of his playing time. The running back finished the night with six carries for 39 yards. He made several nice runs and showed flashes of the runner he was when he ran for a league high 1853 yards in his first season with the Miami Dolphins in 2002. On one play he made a nice juke that made Jacksonville cornerback Scott Starks fall backwards and as Starks came to recover, Williams stopped on a dime and pushed the rookie down before getting tackled.

All in all the Miami Dolphins first-string offense and defense had a lot better showing in their second game of the pre-season. Head coach Nick Saban still has a lot of work to do, but the way the team is starting to handle the new schemes, his work might be a bit easier. Only time will tell, but at this point the Dolphins look as if they should definitely improve on last season's 4-12 record.
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