Although Team looks dreadful in 17-0 loss, individuals standout

Sunday, August 22, 2004
Robert Henderson
MDBW Staff Writer

The Dolphins looked abysmal in their 17-0 loss to the Redskins on Saturday night, seeing half of the “sold out” crowd leave by half time and the rest by the start of the fourth quarter. Were this a Madden game, Wannstedt would have pulled up the start menu and quit the game in the second quarter. However, it wasn’t. In fact, a Madden video game would have been a more important contest than this.

The only competition the coaches were interested in, in this second pre-season game would have been the individual battles.

Everyone who watched the game knows where the weaknesses were and what needs to be improved, but most have probably failed to seek out the positives and the strong individual performances that are ultimately more important than the final score.

First of all, this was the Redskins third game this pre-season, which the coaching staff game planned and practiced specifically for. The Dolphins, in their second game, were only looking to give the young guys a chance and see who performed well, who knew their plays, and who separated themselves from others at their position. Wannstedt, yesterday, said that the Dolphins did not game plan for this game at all. However, they have already started game planning for Tampa Bay.

The quarterbacks failed to separate themselves from each other again, however this time it was due to poor play. Fiedler, though, seemed to be more comfortable in the pocket than Feeley, but was struggling due to the second-string offensive line and play confusion amongst the receivers, namely Antonio Freeman, who joined the Dolphins on Monday. Fiedler will most likely be the Dolphins starter for the fifth straight year unless Feeley looks outstanding in his last two pre-season games.

Travis Minor looked good on the first drive with a couple 5-yard runs in which he weaved in and out of the defense. Then, after that drive, he and the rest of the team seemed to freeze and not be able to do anything. Minor finished with 8 carries for 15 yards which brings his average up to 1.2 ypc this pre-season. The other running backs didn’t do anything worth talking about. The line was just not opening the holes.

The left side of the starting offensive line looked pretty solid, it was generally the right that let in the pressure. The starting line did not look that bad in reality, but Vernon Carey should start next week instead of Taylor Whitley at RG.

Chris Chambers looked very good, making some nice catches, namely a diving catch on the sideline from an off-target A.J. Feeley pass and a brave catch over the middle which he then fumbled on a hard Sean Taylor hit. Antonio Freeman, generally coming in to play slot on third downs, was only thrown to twice, both from Fiedler. One he caught for 19 yards, and the other he ran the wrong route. However, when he wasn’t thrown to, he always seemed to be open. A.J. Feeley failed to find him open many times because he tended to lock down on Chambers. The only receiver who didn’t really play well was Snoop Minnis, who dropped two passes.

The offense was clearly lacking in Rob Konrad’s absence, whose injury might be more serious than the Dolphins are leading on. Even though this is not official, according to Konrad’s dad, the injury really hurts him and is the same one he sustained all the way back at the beginning of last season against the Giants. The offense also was much different under A.J. Feeley, rather than Fiedler who seems more confident. It is worth mentioning that the Dolphins offense only had the ball for 19 minutes and gained a mere 98 yards.

The defense, although giving up 17 points had some very good individual performances. Junior Seau, after jumping offsides on the first play, had some nice tackles, including one for a 4-yard loss, tracking down Clinton Portis in the backfield. Zach Thomas was not really noticeable; he missed Portis on a blitz up the middle, and didn’t seem as strong on his hits. However, this is his first real action since getting injured. Morlon Greenwood played very well, living up to the team’s reports that he is having his best camp since being drafted by the Dolphins in the third round a few years ago. He was especially noticed when he sped up the middle of the field on a punt and nailed the returner for no gain. Arturo Freeman layed a nice hit on Laveranues Coles from behind, shaking the receiver up. The starters didn’t play more than two series, so it was hard for them to be that noticeable.

There were some noticables from the subs on defense however. Yeremiah Bell finished with 8 tackles and seemed to be near the play every play. He should make the final roster cut. Another player likely to make the cuts is rookie Derrick Pope who made some excellent sticks and finished with 7 tackles. Antuan Edwards, the DB Miami picked up from Green Bay, also looked solid, finishing with 8 tackles. Corey Jenkins made 4 tackles and knocked a ball out of midair to end a Redskins drive.

Special teams had its blunders, including a penalty on each of its first two plays (opening kickoff and the Skins first extra point) and a dropped kickoff by Fred Russell, but it also looked very sharp. Matt Turk punted 8 times (which is appropriate due to the goose egg left on the scoreboard) and averaged 45 yards a kick with a long of 52 yards. Fred Russell made up for his blundered catch on the kickoff with an impressive 49-yard return in the second half, which was one of very few moments the fans had a chance to cheer.

The coaches should be pleased with some of the individual performances in the game, namely on defense, but next week will be a game in which the young players will have to be exceptional as the slim-down to 65 will be three days away. Hopefully Marty Booker will be able to do something after a week of practice and play study, and Antonio Freeman will be more solid on his plays. Expect Fiedler to make the start and play for most of the half which will pretty much indicate who will be starting against Tennessee on September 12th.