In Miami’s base offensive rushing set, they require two RBs on the field. Ours doesn’t, so Stewart could much more capably fill in for Williams than somebody like Pat White or Hilliard can for Brown.

I guess that’s Aussie English for ya…

What I’m most interested in as a storyline for this game is that the Wildcat is finally coming home! Henning first implemented the Wildcat in the NFL with Carolina against Atlanta back in 2006 because Weinke was such a shell-shocked quarterback.

(By the by, feel like watching 15 minutes of that game, starting with Jeff King’s first-ever NFL catch?)

No one remembers that game because it was so damned uninteresting to the national market. And the form of the Wildcat that we used wasn’t as well-developed as Miami’s (which uses more sophisticated misdirection). But still, the Wildcat’s coming back to where it first appeared in the NFL!

I have heard him say that….but I’ve also heard him say he wants to contribute to a win. If contributing means moving around a bit to get mismatches and to get away from double teams then I think he’d come around. He can’t have it both ways.

Who ever runs the ball better wins the game

You have capable receivers but a QB who likes taking risk

While on the other hand we have QB taught by a safe play calling Pennington and receivers that ooze butter from their hands

Your O-line will have a tough test containing our pass rush since you LT is out. But don’t expect Porter to have a field day on Delhomme, expect it to come from any other OLB or Safeties

We have kinda given up on him or atleast i have

Apologies for not getting online to post my usual two-cents of reponse to your analysis, James. I’ve been down with the flu bug the past couple of days. And I’ve had a writing assignment looming over my head that I’m trying meet deadline on. So, anyway…here’s some counterpoints or extra points to what you brought up:

wildcat rushing attack vs. Carolina’s run defense:[/b]

With Ronnie Brown out, it hurts Miami, no doubt. The Dolphins are already a mostly one-dimensional team, because they lack a passing threat at QB and WR. The wildcat helped obscure or hide that, because it makes defenses hesitate on commiting to the run, since they don’t know which RB to key on. Subtract Ronnie Brown and they become a little more one-dimensional, without the means to hide it as well. Of course, everyone’s assuming Pat White will get inserted and play more snaps in the wildcat. If that happens, they’re going to try and keep the defense guessing that way, as well. And it just might pay off for them. Regardless, the Panthers defense doesn’t have Thomas Davis to help “spy” White in case he runs with the ball. And, lacking speed at the LB positions, I suspect we’re going to need lots of run support from the safeties, which leaves our corners one-on-one. [b]Advantage: Miami[/b[ (though not by much)

passing attack vs. Carolina’s pass defense:[/b]

This could be a difference maker for the Panthers. If our pass rushers can get to Chad Henne, it could set up more 3rd-and-long situations where the wildcat is neutralized a bit more. We’ll need to watch out for Pat White throwing the ball out of the wildcat a bit more, but our secondary has shown well so far. [b]Advantage: Carolina[/b]

running attack vs. Miami’s run defense:[/b]

Carolina [i]has[/i] to run the ball successfully to avoid falling behind and having to rely on Jake’s arm to bring us back. The big question mark for us is how well Bernadeau and Wharton can run-block in the abscence of Jordan Gross. They did alright against Atlanta when Gross went down. So I’ve got confidence they can handle the job against Miami. [b]Advantage: Carolina[/b]

passing attack vs. Miami’s pass defense:[/b]

To me, the biggest question mark will be how much the Dolphins can pressure Jake. If Wharton doesn’t hold up at LT while filling in for Jordan Gross, we could be in for a long day…because that will limit our ability to move the chains, takes us out of short yardage situations where we can keep running the ball, and could force into three-and-outs whereby Miami gets more chances to run up the score. And that’s not even mentioning the idea that our turnover might go up if we have to rely on the passing game a lot. Despite these concerns, Jake seems to have it together now. The coaches seem to be freeing him up to be himself more. And he’s finding open receivers. I think our pass ranking is misleading, because Jake and the WRs have turned the corner and they’re coming on strong now. Meanwhile, I think Miami’s poor pass defense ranking is well-earned. [b]Advantage: Carolina[/b] (though not by much)

Teams:[/b]

This is a no-brainer. Our special teams continue to suck…badly. While Miami has a bonafide scoring threat in Ted Ginn Jr. We need Rhys Lloyd to put every kickoff in the endzone (just like last week) and pin them on the 20-yard line. We also need smart directional kicking from Jason Baker and he’s got to avoid outkicking his punt coverage unit at all costs. [b]Advantage: Miami[/b]

]
We used to have Dan Henning on our staff and now he’s brought innovation to the Dolphins. Tony Sparano is also a fiery guy who’s willing to take chances. In short, they’re everything Fox and Davidson aren’t. Who’s better? Depends on whether we need conservative play or innovative play to beat Miami. So far, I haven’t seen anything to suggest we can’t handle them using our established philosophy of running the ball and playing good defense. We also have the added benefit of having played Miami in the preseason. We lost that game, but maybe it helps us better prepare for them? I hope so. If this winds up a close game, I fear Fox and company crawl back into their shell and play way too conservatively. Henning and Sparano won’t. [b]Advantage: Miami[/b] (though not by much)

]
I always like to add this last category when assessing a matchup, because it incorporates all those little things that stats don’t tell you. To me, Carolina is on an upswing in terms of their momentum. They went 0-3, then won 4 out of their next 6 games. And one of those losses (i.e., New Orleans) was a game they very well could have won. So, they’re playing with a lot of renewed confidence. They also know they have a much harder schedule coming up later in the year…and if they want to have any shot at the playoffs, they have to turn it on now. Miami’s in a similar position, but I think Carolina has more going for them right now. I also think we have more talented players at a number of positiions. As long as our coaches stay out of their way and coach a smart game, I think we do alright. [b]Advantage: Carolina[/b]