2007 Outlook:

The Miami Dolphins are finally getting better. A decent draft filled the voids left by the massive departures of the 2006 squad. Culpepper is out. Trent Green has arrived. It is not known whether Cameron will start Lemon or Green to begin the season and if either or both falter, Rookie Beck could get the call. WR's Chambers, Booker, and newcomer Ted Ginn Jr are fired up and ready for the season opener in Washington. Although Ginn isn't named the starter yet it's likely he will be heavily involved with the pass attack in Miami sooner than later. With major improvements to the defense this year the Fins get much needed help from both the draft and free agency filling voids that left the defense in shambles. The Dolphins look to be in good shape coming into the season, with a fresh new defense and a solid running back. This season will be more stable at the least, but perhaps the Dolphins are still a couple years away.

2007 Draft Review:

Miami took some risks this year in the draft. Passing over Brady Quinn for Ted Ginn, and then drafting QB Jon Beck in the 2nd round. It actually worked out well. Drafting a play maker like Ginn, who also has amazing ability returning the ball was an excellent choice considering the age of the current line up of wide receivers. John Beck was drafted in the 2nd round. The BYU product has great talent and given a few years and some added muscle mass to his frame, could become a great QB. With the rest of the picks the 'Fins took care of business and filled the gaps on defense. Miami did a decent job this year and much better than the previous years in picking up talent.

Draft Grade: B-

Key Acquisition:

Joey Porter is now the man in Miami. Porter was released by Pittsburgh due to what team officials called "Salary-cap related issues" citing they needed to free up space for the upcoming years and that Coach Tomlin said his image didn't fit the team's needs. Why Porter was released and not traded doesn't matter. Porter was signed to a 5-year $32 million dollar contract. Perhaps the Dolphins paid too much for the aged veteran, however this gives the Dolphins one of the best line backing groups in the business with Porter, Crowder, and Thomas.

Key Departure:

Randy McMichael was the go-to guy in Miami. McMichael posted 640 yds and 3 TD in '06. McMichael was released from the team along with Welker to make room for the hefty additions of Porter, Green, Martin, Feely, and Worrel. McMichael will be greatly missed in Miami, especially since they now have a significant drop off in production in Martin. While Martin had some great games in Green Bay, a full time starting tight end he is not. Perhaps he will sup rise us all, but we doubt it.

Offensive Preview:

The Dolphins line-up saw some changes this year on the line that could have a huge impact on QB protection. At the end of the season they released or traded 4 out of 5 offensive players. McMichael is gone, Harrington is gone, and back-up Sammy Morris is gone, leaving behind some questions for Cam Cameron to answer. With Green coming in to take over the offense, you have to wonder how long he will last. Ronnie Brown still has major value along with Chris Chambers and Marty Booker. Offensively speaking, the team will be dependent on Green returning to his 2005 form as Cleo Lemon proved that he is not quite ready to lead an NFL team, nor did he show that he may ever be. Miami does have some exceptional talent on the outsides and with Brown pounding the ball inside, the opportunities will be there to put some points on the board. It will be up to the Dolphins extremely young offensive line to open up holes and provide Green and Co. with time in the pocket if the Dolphins are to make any improvements this season. Bottom line: There are one to many 'IF' statements for the Dolphins to really make some noise this season.

Defensive/Special Teams Preview:

Miami might have just bought themselves the best defense in the league. With the addition of Porter at LB alongside Thomas and Crowder and with Taylor storming around the end, this defense will be a force to be reckoned with. Last year Miami held opponents to 289.1 yds of total offense and an average of 17.7 ppg. Miami's defense will be unstoppable this year. Dolphin fans are giving thanks as the defense will likely carry this team once again. Despite the addition of offensive mastermind, Cam Cameron, Miami will be giving their fans 13-10 ball games all season long. The special teams also picked up kicker Jay Feely from the Giants for a 3-year $6 million dollar deal. The kicker went a combined 61/65 on the season. Along with Feely came Ginn from the draft, an amazingly talented return specialist. While the Dolphins defense will be stout, fantasy wise, they should fall in the 7-10 best defensive team range due to the questions surrounding their offense.

Season Prediction:

With the loss of so many players it would seem as if the Dolphins shot themselves in the foot this year. Nevertheless, Coach Cameron takes dead aim at the defense and gathers up some serious players. With defense and special teams being so crucial to Coach Cam's team he forgot to take care of the offense as well. Green is risky and his back up, Lemon, failed to prove that he could lead a successful NFL attack. There is great potential on offense but it's still shaky at best as to who will be giving orders on the field. Miami has problems this year. The Patriots, Jets, and Bills have all improved over last season. The Dolphins have definitely improved but it's too much to ask the defense to keep you in the game when you can't put points on the board. Cellar dweller is the only option here.

Projected Finish

6 Wins, 10 Losses (4th AFC East)

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