 The Miami Dolphins used the Wild Cat to win the AFC East. This season the experiment continues. It is incredible that the basis of just about any success for this time is running in the opposite direction of the game. While the rest of the league covets its quarterbacks the Dolphins rely on their running backs to run an option. This option-oriented offense has led to a 2-3 a record and third place in the AFC East. Still, to say that the Dolphins are ignoring the quarterback position is simply overstating the case. Miami and all the fans at Land Shark Stadium know the value of a field general after watching Dan Marino for years. The football team simply has not fond that player to replace that legend. The hope is that second round draft pick Chad Henne will emerge as that kind of a player. The last game against the Jets is probably what the offensive coordinator would like to see. The Wild Cat offense confused and dominated the supposedly-dominant Jets defense and stifled their coached love the blitz on passing downs. Then Henne came in and delivered strikes, including a 53-yard touchdown strike to Ted Ginn Jr. A look at the team stats shows nothing surprising. On offense the Dolphins running game scoring 22.4 points a game and is leading the NFL with 177 yards a game. The Miami passing game is a work in progress with 163 yards a game. The defense is in the middle of the pack, giving up 21.2 points a game. The defense is pretty good in terms of yardage, allowing only 301.4 yards a game. This is good for 8th in the NFL. The scoring defense problem is probably attributed to the offense and their seven turnovers. The club cannot stop the pass, but can plug the holes and collapse on the run. As long as running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are able to put the ball in the end zone (eight touchdowns between the two) then teams will have to be wary of the Miami Dolphins. This team eats up the clock so any mistakes will prove very costly to the opposition. Fans have to wonder if the reliance on the Wild Cat will hurt the development on Chad Henne and the Dolphins passing game. Coming in and out of the games to be replaced by a running back has to hurt ones confidence. Also, the less time he spends on the field the less time he has to establish a rhythm. The Jets game had the offense running perfectly in sync, but Henne cannot be asked to make those kind of throws of he is on the field only half the time on offense. The schedule ahead has a bye week before a rough patch that brings the New Orleans Saints to Miami to Land Shark Stadium before the Dolphins head on the road for divisional games against the Jets and the Patriots. The Dolphins need to win those two division games to make up for the 0-3 non-division record and have a chance to get to the postseason for a second year in a row.
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