By Paul Smythe 

The Miami Dolphins are in Minnesota and are preparing for their game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings are predicted by a lot of “experts” and analysts to beat the Dolphins, and that is a shame for those analysts. I hate seeing analysts messing up picks because they are paid to be experts and when they mess up it looks bad, but that is what will have to happen Sunday.

I am sorry to say it, but anyone who picked the Vikings to beat the Dolphins will be wrong.

Miami has not won two straight games since 2002, so this would be a pretty big win for Miami if they can pull it out. Especially since the Dolphins have really struggled to win at all in the beginning of previous seasons.

A lot will have to go right if the Dolphins want to beat the Vikings, but it is completely possible. People are overrating the Vikings, and especially Brett Favre, and they are underrating Miami this year. Brett Favre is nowhere near where he was last year.

Everyone knows it. They just do not want to admit it. But, they won’t have a choice other than to accept it when the Miami Dolphins come in and stomp on Favre and his team. In order to do that, though, here are three things the Dolphins will have to do:

1. Capitalize On Brett Favre’s Risks

Brett Favre is the king of risks.

There might as well be a variation of the board game Risk named after Favre called Risk: Brett Favre Edition. It would have a “waffling meter” that helps each player make decisions on attacking. Whenever a player wants to attack a country they would have to push a button and the “waffling meter” would decide whether the general wants to attack or not. The meter would go back in forth for an unnecessarily long period of time before finally deciding.

Just an idea.

Sorry about that, but I just couldn’t resist. I will try to stay on topic for the rest of this article, though.

Favre does like to take a lot of risks, and that can be a great thing for his Vikings or a horrible thing. It always seems like he is going to try and fit the ball in there. It doesn’t even matter to him if he has to throw it through a defenders chest, he will still try.

Sometimes it works, and he ends up a hero like he was for the majority of last season. Other times things don’t work out so well, and he just ends up looking like an idiot like he did after his interception in the NFC championship game last year.

If the Dolphins want to win this game, their secondary must capitalize whenever Favre has one of those urges to throw even when he shouldn’t, because when he gets an urge to pass the ball into an extremely tight spot he rarely doesn’t act on it.

No one on the Dolphins defense got an interception last week against Buffalo, but that will have to change this week.

2. Pressure Brett Favre

This goes with #1, but it is also important on its own. The Dolphins D did a great job putting pressure on Trent Green last week. They were able to sack him three times, but the best part of their performance was their ability to bat down the ball whenever Green threw it.

We need them to continue the sacks and bat-downs on Favre Sunday. Both are great ways to kill offensive drives pretty quickly, and they keep Favre from having any chance to throw the ball long.

Also, the more pressure that we can apply on Favre, the more likely he is to take risks and throw the ball where he shouldn’t. Pressure will turn in to turnovers, and that statement is always amplified when Brett Favre is the player being pressured.

Winning this game will start with pressuring the quarterback. It is a proven way to bring down prolific passing offense like the 2007 New England Patriots, so why would pressuring the quarterback not be a good way to bring down an offense without it’s number one receiver and an old, beaten-up quarterback?

3. Passing The Ball Effectively

At first I wanted to title this reason “Passing The Ball Downfield”, but I decided not to because we don’t need Chad Henne throwing the ball deep every passing play. Not that I think the Dolphins will take advice from me. I just don’t want people to think that I am some crazy fan who wants 80-yard bombs every play.

The Dolphins do need to keep their short-ranged passes in the offense for sure. Without them our offense would lose an important dimension. But, they do need to start throwing the ball longer than they did against Buffalo last week. 15 points is not good enough to win a lot in the NFL, and it was against the Bills, which makes it even worse.

We have the tools in place for Henne, now. We added Brandon Marshall for goodness sakes! What more could you want? Now all he has to do is get the ball to him.

Success on the long ball means more points, and more points means a better chance of winning. It is pretty simple.

If the Dolphins are able to do at least two of those three then they should come out with a win. I just can’t wait to hand Brett Favre another loss since we beat him two years ago. It will be nice to go 2-0 and really start the season off well.

http://www.dolphinshout.com/

() FA Rank

QB Michael Vick (#2)- franchised

Andy Reid brought the most out of Michael Vick this season, turning him into an MVP candidate and a true dual threat at quarterback, more than living up to his potential as a former #1 overall pick. He’ll get paid.

RB Jerome Harrison

RB Eldra Buckley

G Max Jean Gilles

G Reggie Wells

C Nick Cole

DT Mike Patterson

DE Victor Abiamiri

OLB Ernie Sims

OLB Akeem Jordan

MLB Stewart Bradley

MLB Omar Gaither

CB Ellis Hobbs- announced retirement

S Quintin Mikell (#46)

A solid safety for the Eagles for years and turned in his 3 best years in the last 3 years, but he’s over 30 so a big, longterm deal might not be the best idea.

S Antoine Harris

K David Akers- transition tagged 

P Sav Rocca 

Offseason moves:

Signed Rashad Jeanty

Franchised Michael Vick

Transition tagged David Akers

Signed Phillip Hunt

Draft 

Below is a list of positional battles that will have significant fantasy consequences this season, thus making them extremely important to monitor in training camp.

Jonathan Stewart/DeAngelo Williams

Both backs are extremely talented and averaged more than 5 YPC last season, but they still both have to split carries, as Stewart had 221 last year and Williams had 216. Stewart is younger so this may be the year he gets a more significant chunk of the carries.

Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones

Jamaal Charles had an amazing 2^nd half last year with 1417 all purpose yards, despite not receiving double digit carries until week 10. He would be a lock to be a top 5 pick this year, however, the Chiefs decided to added Thomas Jones in the offseason. Jones ranked 3^rd in the league in rushing yards last year, but turns 32 before next season and may have just been the product of New York’s amazing line last year. There’s a good chance that Jones cuts into Charles’ carries in a way that’s fantasy significant, even if it only means Jones gets the bulk of the carries inside the 20.

Joseph Addai/Donald Brown

Brown was drafted in the first round in 2009 as the apparent successor to Joseph Addai, a serviceable, but mediocre running back. However, Brown got hurt and was unable to put together a strong enough campaign to take Addai’s job at any point last year. Brown is healthy this year and Addai is still serviceable, but mediocre. He hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry in any season since his rookie year and his longest run in that time frame is a mere 23 yards.

Ben Tate/Arian Foster

Arian Foster took over the Texans starting running back job late last season, after Gary Kubiak changed starting running backs for the 10257^th time last season. However, Kubiak further proved he wasn’t satisfied with his backs by drafting the talented Ben Tate in the 2^nd round.

Michael Bush/Darren McFadden

McFadden had all the promise in the world when he was drafted 4^th overall in 2008. However, injuries and a 3.9 YPC in his career have destroyed a lot of that promise and now he appears to be on the verge of losing his starting job full time to the up and coming Michael Bush.

Felix Jones/Marion Barber

Marion Barber has been the starter in Dallas for several years and now it appears 2008 1^st round pick Felix Jones could take the lead back role. He has always been explosive in bursts, but hasn’t been the lead back on any level since high school.

Montario Hardesty/Jerome Harrison

Harrison was amazing in the last 3 weeks last season, with 593 total yards and 5 touchdowns, but issues about his size and durability caused the Browns to draft Hardesty in the 2^nd round in 2010. Hardesty has been getting most of the first team reps in OTAs and camp. 

Justin Forsett/Julius Jones

Julius Jones was a favorite of Jim Mora last year, but after Mora was fired, and new coach Pete Carroll’s project LenDale White was cut, Forsett began taking all of the first team reps, though Jones is still in the mix.

Fred Jackson/Marshawn Lynch/CJ Spiller

Spiller was drafted with the 9^th overall pick this past April, in a complete surprise pick. It has been said by people inside the Bills organization that Spiller will receiver about 12 carries per game and line up in the slot at times. That will leave Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch to fight out for the rest of the Bills’ carries. Jackson was a great surprise story in 2009 with 1433 total yards, but Lynch is a 2007 first round pick who had two straight 1000 yard seasons to start his career, back in 2007 and 2008.

Matt Forte/Chester Taylor

Forte was the definition of fantasy bust last year. After going for 1715 total yards and 12 scores in 2008, he was a top 5 pick in almost every league, but dropped down to 1400 total yards and 4 scores in 2009, as he was fairly out of shape. The Bears brought veteran Chester Taylor in from Minnesota to compete with him. Taylor had a 1000 total yard season as recently as 2007, but dropped down to 3.6 YPC last year and 727 total yards last season as a clear backup to Adrian Peterson.

Larry Johnson/Clinton Portis

Portis has been the main man in Washington, with 1250 or more rushing yards in every year from 2004-2008, with the exception of 2006, but that all came to a crashing halt last year as, at age 28, Portis suffered numerous injuries and was held to just 494 yards last year. Johnson was brought in during the offseason and appears to be the back most likely to challenge Portis for his job.

Hakeem Nicks/Mario Manningham

Manningham had a great start to last year, but his inconsistencies and drops flared up late last year and he lost a lot of reps to 2009 1^st round pick Hakeem Nicks. Nicks is expected to take Manningham’s starting job from him this year.

Roy Williams/Dez Bryant

Williams really struggled last year, especially late when he had a combined 2 catches for 18 yards in the last 3 weeks, prompting the Cowboys to draft Dez Bryant in the first round back in April. It is believed to be only a matter of time before Bryant takes Williams’ job, but a Bryant ankle injury during training camp may buy Williams a bit more time.

Devin Aromashodu/Devin Hester/Johnny Knox

Knox had 45 catches for 527 yards and 5 scores last year as a rookie and figures to be a good fit for Mike Martz’ new scheme in Chicago. Hester is an explosive former kick returner who improved last year in his 2^nd year as a receiver and could break out in his 3^rd year at the position. He also is a good fit for Martz’ downfield scheme. Aromashodu really stepped up late last season with 24 catches for 282 yards and 4 scores in his final 4 games last year and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler went on record in saying that Aromashodu was the most likely receiver to step up and have a breakout year this season.

Jacoby Jones/Kevin Walter

Kevin Walter has been the Texans #2 receiver for the past few years, but Jones is expected to give him a run for his money this season and possibly take his job.

Devin Thomas/Malcolm Kelly/Joey Galloway

Kelly and Thomas were both 2^nd round picks in 2008 and were expected to compete to take the starting wide receiver this year, but offseason acquisition Joey Galloway, an experienced veteran, has been taking the first team reps in camp.

Jabar Gaffney/Demaryius Thomas/Eddie Royal

Eddie Royal had an amazing rookie year in 2008 as the Broncos slot receiver with 91 catches for 980 yards and 5 touchdowns, but when new coach Josh McDaniels came in, he made Royal their deep threat and his stats suffered as he only caught 37 passes for 345 yards and 0 scores. McDaniels has recently said that he sees Royal as a slot receiver so he may move him back, making him worthy of a late round pick again as he catches Kyle Orton’s girly armed short throws as a slot receiver. We’ll have to see where he lines up in the preseason. Gaffney had an amazing statistical week last week 17, albeit it was against the Chiefs, with 14 catches for 213 yards in a loss, with Brandon Marshall suspended. Gaffney is expected to compete with rookie Demaryius Thomas, a raw, but athletic receiver, for Marshall’s old #1 role.

Fred Davis/Chris Cooley

Cooley had 277 catches for 3143 yards and 22 touchdowns from 2005-2008, but got hurt week 7 last year and 2008 2^nd round pick Fred Davis really stepped up big time in his absence with 48 catches for 509 yards and 6 scores last year. The two will compete for a starting job this offseason and one or the other could be traded. 

One of the smartest moves of the day. If it isn’t broke, why change it. Brackett is a perfect fit for the Colts defensive scheme and he’s their defensive captain and he’s extremely consistent. The 33 million over 5 years is roughly the amount per year the Bears are paying Chester Taylor so it’s fairly easy to say the Colts got a great value here by staying exactly where they were.

Grade: A

By Kevin Harrison 

The heart attack Jets were at it again this past Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.  It was the Jets vs. their old coach, Eric Mangini.  It was a homecoming for Braylon Edwards.  It was Rex Ryan vs. brother Rob Ryan.  It was a bunch of Ex Jets vs. their old teammates.  It was all against the team that made the dumb trade for us to draft Mark Sanchez.

I’m definitely going have heart failure watching these Jets as nothing seems to come easy.   Our last three wins have been wins that Championship teams are made of; you just find new ways to win games that seem lost at one point.  

We got lucky in Denver with the pass interference call.  We stole away a victory last week in Detroit with a miracle comeback.  And then this week, we give up the lead with 44 seconds left in regulation and then win in overtime with just 16 seconds left.  Sometimes luck is just with you and this seems to be one of those years like no other that I’ve ever had.  Actually, back in 1998, we had 4 crazy 4^th quarter comebacks that season, including the Monday Night Miracle, and that season took us all the way to the AFC Championship Game where the Jets fell apart in the 2^nd half after holding a 10 point lead. 

It would just be nice if we could win a game with out making us sweat it out at the end.  I’d like to see a 31-10 victory already.  But, I’ll surely take what has transpired through the first 9 games of the season and I’m surely not complaining about a 7-2 record as it could be a lot worse if the ball didn’t bounce our way.

The story of the game was Mark Sanchez passing for 299 yards, 2 TD passes, and 1 TD rush.  But, there was as scare in the 2^nd half when our Sanchize went down and Mark Brunell was warming up.  However, our fearless leader re-entered the game to eventually lead us to victory.  There were a few key plays in the game.  There was an amazing scramble my Mark Sanchez who hit a limping Jerricho Cotchery who dove and made a miraculous catch for a first down to keep their drive alive which had put them up by 7 points after connecting a field goal.  It could have been the catch of the NFL this season.

Unfortunately, the defense just couldn’t hold the Browns who walked down the field and tied up the game with just 44 seconds left.  You would think that with a 7 point lead and the game on the line that our defense would have been able to stop the Browns.  It was quite disgusting to watch as we had the game in hand and the defense let it slip away.

But, our lucky Jets, for the 2^nd week in a row, won the coin toss.  However, it didn’t result in a score.  The overtime was back and fourth for a bit but things were looking bleak until the Browns, ex-Jet Chansi Stucky, turned over the ball in field goal range.   The Jets then missed a FG in return. Luckily, we were able to get the ball back and Jets were in a 3^rd and long situation and chucked the ball deep down field which was intercepted with about 1:34 left in the OT.  This turned out to be the crucial play in overtime.  The defender should have dropped the ball, forcing the Jets to punt. However, instinct took over and the Browns started with the ball on their own 1 yard line. 

Our Defense was now not going to lose this game and before I could let out a deep breath; the Browns were punting the ball back to us with not a lot of time on the clock.  It did help that the Browns threw on 1^st down stopping the clock.  Luckily, Jim Leonhard had a nice 18 yard punt  return to help our field position and then on first down, Sanchez hits Santiono Holmes on a crossing route which resulted in a 37 yard TD with just 16 seconds remaining before the game would have been declared a tie.  And again the Jets win.

Things didn’t start out pretty.  We were playing from behind a lot in the first half.  And we didn’t help ourselves with Nick Folk missing three field goals.

The most painful part of the game was coming out in the second half to conduct a 19 play, 10+ minute drive that resulted in zero points due to a missed field goal.  Come on…you gotta make that kick.

Again, it wasn’t a perfect Jets victory but it was a victory and that’s all that matters in this game.  If the keep playing like they do, I’ll take it as long as they win; but, I would like them to have a complete game already.  Bring on the Texans !

Here are some interesting stats of this game:

1. Jets had their second straight overtime win.
2. Jets have won 8 consecutive regular season road games.
3. Jets are the first team to win consecutive overtime road games.
4. It was the first time the Jets won an overtime game on a TD reception since October 18, 1987.
5. The Jets rushed for over 100 yards for the ninth straight game to open the season.  They haven’t accomplished that feat since 1978.
6. The Jets deprived the Browns their 500^th franchise win.
7. The Jets have not allowed 100 yards to any running back this season.
8. Nick Folk missed a career-high 3 field goals.

http://khbirdmantalkingjets.blogspot.com/ 

Go back to Jets Fan Spot 

McClain is a solid player who plays inside when the Ravens run a 3-4 and outside when the Ravens run a 4-3. On ProFootballFocus, he ranked 22^nd on ProFootballFocus’ outside linebacker rankings. This seems like a pretty reasonable deal for a player who is the definition of average. He got 10.5 million over 3 years.

Grade: B

Jermichael Finley is a frustrating player. He was very good in the 2^nd half of 2009 once he was given the chance to start and he was off to a good start in 2010 before getting hurt. He came back this season and was off to a great start, but ended up with a solid, but disappointing 55 catches for 767 yards and 8 touchdowns. Meanwhile, his 12 drops led all tight ends and really hurt the Packers down the stretch. He’s not even 25 yet (25 in March), so the upside is still there, so I really like that the Packers didn’t commit a lot to him. This is a mere 2 year deal, 15 million dollar deal.

Grade: A 

Quarterback 

Notre Dame

6-3 222

40 time (projected): 4.84

Draft board overall prospect rank: #2

Draft board overall quarterback rank: #1

Overall rating: 98* 

1/16/10: Didn’t step up clutch in close games last year, but still had a hell of a statistical year for a mere junior throwing 28 touchdowns to 4 picks and averaging 8.8 YPA out of a pro style offense. It’s safe to say that while he lost a lot of close games, all 6 of his losses were by a touchdown or less, Notre Dame would have gotten destroyed without him. He played his best in big games and got absolutely no help from his defense. He has experience playing behind a poor offensively line, which he’ll likely have to do in the NFL if he goes top 5 as he’s projected, and he played most of last season through an injured foot, showing his toughness. He’s the top quarterback prospect in this draft class and gets a 98 rating. For the record, Matt Stafford got a 97 last year.

            10/14/09: Jimmy Clausen is tearing it up this season for Notre Dame and is a Heisman candidate, maybe the favorite at this point, but I’m not completely sold on him as an elite quarterback prospect because I’m not sold on his decision making. Yes, he’s having a great year this year 5 games in with a 67.6% completion percentage and a YPA of 10.4, but you can’t forget about his first two years. His freshman year he didn’t even have a 60% completion percentage and last year he threw 17 picks. It’s obvious he has a good strong arm, but his decision making is questionable. He can be a bit of a gunslinger and forces a lot of bad throws when down. This year he has had the supporting cast, with a good defense supporting him, and amazing receivers, but if he goes top 5 next year, he’s not going to a team with a good supporting cast. He’ll be down a lot and I don’t know if he’ll play well from behind. The consistency hasn’t been all there this year as he has a completion percentage last than 60% in two of his 5 games. That being said, he does have an amazing arm. He can be accurate on the long ball if he makes the right read and doesn’t force things. He is accurate on short passes as well and can really air it out. He is putting up these stats in a pro style offense against BCS caliber defenses so talent wise and scheme wise he won’t face much of an adjustment to the NFL. He has a really good chance to go top 5, depending on how lenient scouts are when it comes to Sam Bradford’s injury. I would take him top 10 and I definitely think he has a chance to be a franchise quarterback, but I’m not sold on him as an elite quarterback prospect right now. I think Bradford’s decision making is about 10 times better than Clausen’s and a lot of the time that trumps talent.

NFL Comparison: Tony Romo 

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

WR Vincent Jackson DOWN

I had Jackson lower than normal already due to the possibility that he might get suspended. Now he actually has been suspended, for 3 games. Add in his bye week, and he’ll be missing 4 weeks out of your 13 or 14 week regular season. If you spend a 3^rd round pick on this guy, you’re going to be missing the guy who was supposed to be your 3^rd best player for about 30% of your regular season. That’s a good way to lose your league. Also, his contract negotiations are at a standstill with the team and he has yet to sign his tender. Not only is not practicing not good (triple negative?) for a player’s fantasy prospects, there’s a possibility he gets traded. Chances are, if he gets traded, it’s going to be to a team whose passing game and quarterback are worse than the Chargers, meaning a team other than New Orleans, Indianapolis, Dallas, and New England. There are a lot of red flags with him.

WR Malcom Floyd UP

I had him as a sleeper based on the potential that Jackson would get suspended. Now Floyd will be the Chargers #1 receiver for at least 3 weeks next year. This guy already had 34 catches for 525 yards in his 8 starts last year as their #2 receiver, now he has at least 3 weeks of being the #1 guy in that offense and 3 weeks of no Vincent Jackson to take away red zone looks. This guy is a major sleeper and could be a top 15 fantasy wide receiver if Jackson gets traded.

WR Legedu Naanee UP

I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t know much about this guy. But as long as he’s a starter in San Diego’s receiving corps for at least 3 weeks, he has some fantasy value, potentially more if he’s good. I won’t call him a true fantasy sleeper yet, but in deep leagues, you may want to keep your eye on him throughout the early parts of the season.

Deal for Raiders: They almost had to move Morrison after drafting Rolando McClain, but they are selling him too cheap here (seems like a theme of the offseason). I know the Raiders’ weren’t great on defense last year, but Morrison was one of their best (along with Nmandi Ashmouga and Richard Seymour). In fact, I don’t even think McClain is much of an upgrade over him, especially in a 4-3. The only issue with Morrison is he only has one more year left on his deal.

Grade: C- 

Deal for Jaguars: The Jaguars made some stupid draft choices, but this trade was smart. They wanted Rolando McClain at 10, but Morrison is not really much worse than McClain and, if they can resign him longterm (doubtful given their financial issues), this is a very good deal. If they can’t, it’s just a 4th rounder and Morrison helps them short term. Plus, I like Austin Lane, who they didn’t with that 5th rounder, just for the record.

Grade: A