2009 Recap: Miami Dolphins

When the Miami Dolphins hired football czar Bill Parcells in 2008, the team had just come off a terrible 1-15 season under new head coach Cam Cameron. Parcells worked his magic once again as he had for the Giants, Patriots, and Cowboys, drafting franchise tackle Jake Long with the first overall pick and with the aid of an easy schedule, shocked everyone by winning the AFC East with a rookie head coach (Tony Sparano) and former Jet’s quarterback cast-off Chad Pennington leading the way.

In 2009, the Dolphins set out to continue building their team through both the draft and free agency. With their first two picks, the team drafted cornerbacks Vontae Davis of Illinois and Sean Smith of Utah. The team also signed future starters in safety Gibril Wilson and center Jake Grove while retaining starting inside linebacker Channing Crowder, right tackle Vernon Carey, safety Yeremiah Bell, cornerback Will Allen, and fullback Lousaka Polite.

To bolster its pass rush, the team also brought back a fan favorite and All-decade defensive end/outside linebacker Jason Taylor and CFL sack-leader Cameron Wake.

The team’s regular season performance could certainly be described as inconsistent despite finishing the pre-season a perfect 4-0. After starting out 0-2, the team suffered a major loss when Pennington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in week three against the San Diego Chargers. Second year quarterback Chad Henne stepped into the starting lineup and performed rather well.

Henne led the Dolphins to consecutive divisional wins against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Over the next eight games, the team positioned itself for a potential playoff berth by going 5-3; however, following a 27-20 overtime loss to the red-hot Tennessee Titans, the team lost its final two games to the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing the season a disappointing 7-9.

Henne finished the season completing 60.78 percent of his passes for 2,878 yards while throwing 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He did throw for three 300 yard games at the end of the season and provides leadership skills and toughness.

The Dolphin’s offense once again was fueled by the running game. In the beginning of the year, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown appeared to be on their way of attaining their goal of being a pair of 1,000 yard backs; however, Brown sustained a serious foot injury and was placed on IR, missing the team’s final seven games. Williams picked up the slack and ended up rushing for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns while also adding 35 receptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He set an NFL record for longest stint between 1,000 yard rushing seasons at six years.

Receiving depth continued to be an area where the Dolphins faltered. Ted Ginn Jr., the ninth overall pick in 2007 out of Ohio State, continued to display inconsistent hands and route running and finished with an underwhelming 38/454/1 line. He did tie an NFL record when he returned two kickoffs of over 100 yards for touchdowns against the Jets.

Rookie fourth round pick Brian Hartline, another Ohio State product, was a surprisingly consistent player who finished the year with 31/506/3. Davone Bess continued to be a reliable possession receiver, leading the team with 75 receptions for 758 yards.

The front five of Long, Justin Smiley, Grove, Nate Garner, and Carey were an average to above average group, surrendering 34 sacks which ranked 15th in the league. They did however pave the way for the league’s fourth ranked rushing attack.

Long was named to his second Pro Bowl in two years as he protected Henne, his former Michigan teammate, from opposing pass rushers.

One area that the Dolphins regressed in was the turnover margin. In 2008, the team only turned the ball over 16 times while in 2009 that number increased to 27.

The Dolphins finished in the bottom third in pass defense (24th) and in the middle (18th) in run defense. Part of their pass defense problems can be attributed to their young corners, particularly Davis who made mental errors. However, both Davis and Smith did flash significant talent and should be mainstays in the secondary. Wilson struggled mightily in coverage but did rank second on the team in tackles with 93. Safety will certainly be a position where the team needs to improve.

In their 3-4 defense, the Dolphins inside linebackers simply did not make enough big plays. Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele only combined for one forced fumble, one sack, and one interception. At outside linebacker, Wake provided a nice pass rushing presence, picking up 5.5 sacks, however, he still needs time to adjust to the NFL and learn to play the run. Joey Porter, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2008, regressed badly with only nine sacks and is a candidate for release this off-season. Taylor returned to post seven sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions at age 35.

Up front, the defensive line played well despite losing starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson to a knee injury. Second year ends Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford each posted 2.5 sacks and over 30 tackles while Randy Starks flashed Pro Bowl ability, finishing with seven sacks and 56 tackles. Depth on the defensive line could be an issue with Ferguson’s age and injury history.

The 2009 season was certainly a learning experience for the Dolphins. They had several players suffer key injuries, yet many of their young players (Henne, Hartline, Long, Smith, Davis, Langford) showed improvement and are promising for the future.

Off-season Issues to Address:

1. Wide Receiver: If the Dolphins' offense is to evolve, Henne is going to need a viable #1 receiver to depend on. Bess is strictly a possession/slot receiver and Hartline could be a good number two, however, I think most would agree that Ginn is simply not going to be a dependable receiver on Sundays. Although it is against Parcells’ way of thinking, the team may have to draft a receiver with its first round pick in the 2010 draft.

2. Linebacker: Porter is as good as gone in Miami due to a lack of production, disagreement with the coaching staff, and his contract. Taylor is 35 and you have to believe that he only has a few seasons left at best. That leaves the Dolphins with Wake and Charlie Anderson at the outside linebacker positions. The team needs more depth and pass-rushing ability here. At inside linebacker, Crowder could be gone and Ayodele will be turning 31 this season. The team needs a playmaker at the position.

3. Nose tackle: Ferguson is 35 and coming off a knee injury. The success of a 3-4 defense relies on the nose tackle to occupy at least two blockers to free up the inside linebackers to make the tackle. The Dolphins could look to sign Vince Wilfork if the Patriots let him walk or they could look to the draft where Alabama’s Terrence Cody and Tennessee’s Dan Williams could be first round options.