JohnnyUtah Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Here's the link: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=270909028 Why To Watch Head Coach Cam Cameron is bringing a fresh offensive system with him from San Diego. He will rely on QB Trent Green to apply the system and have a productive offense in Miami. The Dolphins have struggled on the offensive side of the ball and they haven't played up to their potential in the past. The Cameron era begins against a Redskins defense that has been stingy. The Washington linebacking corps and secondary fly to the ball and keep offenses guessing with disguised coverages and pressure. The Redskins offense is still unproven with QB Jason Campbell. If they get off to a good start, they may have a chance to stun the Miami defense. This will be a big season for Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs. Gibbs has to show improvement by leading the organization to more victories. There will be more pressure to win this year than in the past. When the Dolphins have the ball Rushing: Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman will anchor the running game with an average offensive line. The weakest part of the offense is the offensive line for now. Rookie center Satele Samson is talented but the rest of the line including Samson has yet to gel to become a unit which opponents respect. One of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL, Hudson Houck, will get the O-Line to play to its potential by midseason. The Redskins defensive line is average at best. The team upgraded the linebackers in the offseason by adding ILB London Fletcher to the mix. The combination of Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, and Marcus Washington should be a good one. The Redskins run defense in 2006 was towards the bottom of the league in yards allowed per game. Fletcher will improve the run defense but better play from the defensive line is necessary to keep Fletcher free from being blocked by opposing offensive lineman. Passing: Green has wide receivers Chris Chambers and Marty Booker who can catch intermediate balls including the occasional vertical bomb in Cameron's offense. TE David Martin is very capable of being a vertical threat due to his athleticism along with being effective as a blocker. Cameron will also use the running backs as outlets in the passing game along with running back screens. That will put Washington's linebackers to the test. The Redskins secondary may be the most talented position group on the team. Shawn Springs, Sean Taylor, Carlos Rogers, rookie first rounder LaRon Landry, and Fred Smoot ? enough said. This unit has the talent to shut down any passing game in the NFL. They under-achieved in 2006 but the addition of Landry should solidify the group even more. When the Redskins have the ball Rushing: One of the only strengths of the Washington Redskins in 2006 was the run game. Clinton Portis is a talented running back that gives the Redskins a chance to win every Sunday. His vision, burst and exceptional balance allows him to gain yards after the initial hit. The Redskins have recently acquired OG Pete Kendall from the NY Jets. Kendall along with RT Jon Jansen and CCasey Rabach are the anchors of the offensive line. The Dolphins have one of the most talented front seven on defense in the NFL. Pro Bowlers Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, and Joey Porter are the best at their positions. Add defensive tackles Keith Traylor and Vonnie Holliday to that mix and that will be enough to make opposing offenses think twice about wanting to establish a running game. Passing: The pressure for Campbell to produce begins now. His supporting cast in the passing game includes receivers Antwaan Randle El and Santana Moss. Both are vertical threats but they lack the height to go up and pluck the ball versus a good size corner. TE Chris Cooley has good hands and runs good routes. Washington play caller Al Saunders prefers to incorporate the TE in his offense and Cooley has given him reason to. The Dolphins pass defense was among the best in the NFL in 2006. The ability of the front seven to rush the passer is what made Miami successful. Taylor is one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the NFL. Add Porter to the mix on third down and it turns in to a race on who can grab the most sacks. Free safety Renaldo Hill and corner Will Allen will lead the secondary. Special Teams Dolphins' special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong is one of the best in the NFL. Kicker Jay Feely wasn't as productive as former Dolphin kicker Olindo Mare in 2006, but Mare was kicking in friendlier climactic conditions in Miami as opposed to New York. Ted Ginn Jr. should add another dimension to the Miami special teams in return game. Washington's special teams coordinator Danny Smith improved his squad in 2006. Expectations should be higher this season. Kickoff Returner Rock Cartwright and punt returner Randle El are exceptional at what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoskins Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I didn't watch the Dolphins much last year, but I've always felt that the Defenses and Physical play of the NFC east often skew my perception of non-league defenses, but.....The Dolphins defense doesn't scare me? Sure they are a solid crew, but I don't think they would have had nearly the defensive rating that they did last year if were in our division. Maybe I'm a total homer, but that's how I see it... I don't know, it's probably the other way around. The AFC is that much better right now. Remember the Dolphins defense last year did pretty well against the Patriots, who are a better offense obviously than we are right now. Not saying our offense can't be special as the year goes on, but this is an extremely tough defense for us to get started with. Didn't Tom Brady get sacked 5 times in one game by these guys? I don't want to see JC on the ground that many times. And neither do the coaches, so I would expect (hope) to see a lot of max protect, which really limits our offensive firepower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Here's the link: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=270909028 Johnny Utah, QB for Ohio State right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoolmaster Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Methinks this game will be ugly, with a capital UG. Cooley will stay in to block as the Skins stick to max-protect. Santana will be double-covered all game, and Campbell won't feel comfident/comfortable with Randle El or Lloyd to get things rolling. Both offenses will look anemic. Skins pull out a win 13-10. To me, this game is all about Al Saunders and his system. Last year he hided behind the fact that the Skins were new to his '700 page' playbook, and the QB position wasn't settled. This year you've got everybody acclaimated to the playbook, and a young but studied QB ready to execute the playbook. And the defense is healthy and now has the experience and speed at key positions to make plays. I think what you will see in this game are two things: a) What happens when the Skins have a legitimate running AND passing attack What I'm saying here is that a defense can't effectively scheme for both a run and a pass at the same time. Portis almost requires that you keep at least 7 in box. If you do that you are vulnerable in the secondary. If you don't have the 7 in the box, although Miami has a talented group, Portis and/or Betts will still find running lanes. What happens when the Skins have the speed, aggressiveness, and smarts to shut down the passing game. The addition of London Fletcher and LaRon Landry is huge. London in a word is a tackling machine - and he is the field 'general' that the Skins have been sorely missing. The Skins have had some good talent in the past, but they didn't have the 'smarts' to make the appropriate adjustments at the last second. In Landry, they now have a saftety with speed, aggressiveness, and smarts. Even though he is a rookie he prepares and plays like a seasoned Vet. He will be like a young Jordan out there.... he'll make play after play.... but more importantly, he'll make everybody around him better - including Sean Taylor... that's scary. I think Miami will see quickly that they are playing a better team... at their place. If they get down early, they will be forced to try to get the ball down the field... against arguably the best defensive backfield in the league.... you do the math. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyUtah Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Johnny Utah, QB for Ohio State right? Haha, yeah, I was going to go Pro until I blew out my knee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyUtah Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 To me, this game is all about Al Saunders and his system. Last year he hided behind the fact that the Skins were new to his '700 page' playbook, and the QB position wasn't settled. This year you've got everybody acclaimated to the playbook, and a young but studied QB ready to execute the playbook. And the defense is healthy and now has the experience and speed at key positions to make plays.I think what you will see in this game are two things: a) What happens when the Skins have a legitimate running AND passing attack What I'm saying here is that a defense can't effectively scheme for both a run and a pass at the same time. Portis almost requires that you keep at least 7 in box. If you do that you are vulnerable in the secondary. If you don't have the 7 in the box, although Miami has a talented group, Portis and/or Betts will still find running lanes. What happens when the Skins have the speed, aggressiveness, and smarts to shut down the passing game. The addition of London Fletcher and LaRon Landry is huge. London in a word is a tackling machine - and he is the field 'general' that the Skins have been sorely missing. The Skins have had some good talent in the past, but they didn't have the 'smarts' to make the appropriate adjustments at the last second. In Landry, they now have a saftety with speed, aggresiveness, and smarts. Even though he is a rookie he prepares and plays like a seasoned Vet. He will be like a young Jordan out there.... he'll make play after play.... but more importantly, he'll make everybody around him better - including Sean Taylor... that's scary. I think Miami will see quickly that they are playing a better team... at their place. If they get down early, they will be forced to try to get the ball down the field... against arguably the best defensive backfield in the league.... you do the math. I live down here in Miami and go to law school. I'm getting so tired of all of my classmates trying to call out the Redskins' defense based upon our horrid last season. While, I can't necessarily argue with what happened last year, I could not agree more with what you posted here. This is exactly how I see the game playing out, in terms of how these players will play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 i don't see a lot of point scored. this game will determine who's in charge of the offense. if we see a ton of runs up the gut and screens, gibbs is calling or vetoing the plays. if we see directional running and passing attempts in all three levels, then its saunders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asnpcwiz Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 This guy has a mancrush on the Miami front 7... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Haha, yeah, I was going to go Pro until I blew out my knee. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 We all saw how JC was taking advantage of Jacksonville's corner in the last preseason game when he threw the TD pass to ARE. Look for that same thing to happen with Moss being covered by Will Allen. Also look for JC and Portis to exploit the blitz and capitalize on "special" plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucfSKINS Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Free safety Renaldo Hill and corner Will Allen will lead the secondary. The same Will Allen Santana used to burn everytime we played the VaGiants. Can't wait, if we can get decent protection, Campbell to Moss will work very well in the first game. HTTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMuller7 Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Good article...Agreed. The Dolphins had the fourth best defense in the league last season and their front seven was the reason why. They're good and it will be a huge test for our line and protection schemes. I think from Rabach over to Jansen we're fine, but Samuels will have a big battle against Jason Taylor and Kendall is unproven in our offense, but other than that I have a feeling they will hold up fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Methinks this game will be ugly, with a capital UG. Cooley will stay in to block as the Skins stick to max-protect. Santana will be double-covered all game, and Campbell won't feel comfident/comfortable with Randle El or Lloyd to get things rolling. Both offenses will look anemic. Skins pull out a win 13-10. Can't remember where but somewhere along the line an article said that Randle El and JC had spent a lot of the off season working together. Don't be surprised to see a lot more balls thrown Antwaan's way. The 23 yard touchdown strike from JC to Randle El during the Jags preseason matchup is perhaps a preview of what's ahead. If the stinking fish dare JC to beat them through the air I think it's possible for JC, Moss, El and Lloyd to get it done IF an OLINE with a new left guard, rusty LT and cracked ribbed RT can keep the young JC upright. Max protect will be the rule of the day since Jason may not be able to scramble away for pressure because of the knee. If Moss is doubled I look for Randle El to have a big day. Washington 20-17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.