Miami Dolphins Season Preview: Expectations Are High

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

In 2007, the Miami Dolphins were one overtime loss against the Baltimore Ravens away from a winless season. Needless to say, expectations couldn't have been much lower heading into 2008. A new head coach, a new quarterback and 10 additional wins later, and the Miami Dolphins were one of the most unexpected playoff teams in recent memory. Can they do it again?

Offense -- One man's trash is another man's treasure, or something like that. After the Jets parted ways with Chad Pennington to make room for their one-year experiment with Brett Favre, the Dolphins scooped up the former first-round pick and were rewarded with an AFC East title and their first trip to the playoffs since the 2001 season. Pennington excelled in the regular season, tossing 19 touchdowns to only seven interceptions and posted a 97.4 passer rating -- second only to San Diego's Phillip Rivers -- before struggling in an opening round playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The most notable aspect of the Miami offense, however, is the phenomenon that has become the "Wildcat offense." It remains to be seen whether or not it's just a fad, or something a team like Miami can continue to build on, but it certainly appears as if it's going to be something to watch in '09, especially with the addition of second-round pick Pat White. 2008 No. 1 overall pick Jake Long has the look of a franchise offensive tackle. Heat Index: 8

Defense -- Chad Pennington was a nice comeback story on the offensive side of the ball, and boisterous outside linebacker Joey Porter was a nice comeback story on the defensive side of the ball. After signing with Miami prior to the 2007 season, a year that saw him record a disappointing 5.5 sacks, Porter played like a man possessed in 2008 and set a new career-high with 17.5 sacks, shattering his previous high of 10.5. After a disappointing one-year stint with the Washington Redskins, Jason Taylor has returned to Miami, while the team also signed free-agent safety Gibril Wilson, and continued to rebuild its secondary with first-round draft pick Vontae Davis and second-round pick Sean Smith. Heat Index: 7

Special Teams -- Nothing really exciting here from a season ago in the return game and improvement is needed. The Dolphins finished 2008 in the bottom third of the NFL in terms of their own kickoff return coverage, and what they allowed their opponents to do, while they were 28th in terms of net punting average. Heat Index: 5

Coaching -- Taking over a team that went 1-15 the previous season, Tony Sparano had quite a mountain to climb in his first year as an NFL head coach. A 10-win improvement and an unexpected division title is obviously quite an accomplishment, but it sets the bar rather high heading into year two. Heat Index: 8


Intangibles -- Miami's schedule is quite a bit tougher in 2009, and they're not going to surprise anyone this time around. While the Dolphins feasted on cellar-dwellers like Seattle, Oakland, St. Louis and San Francisco the final four weeks of the 2008 season, rolling into the playoffs, they will close out this season with a four-game stretch that includes contests at Jacksonville and Tennessee, and home against Houston and Pittsburgh. Even though the playoffs ended with a disappointing loss at home, it's a stepping stone for a franchise that appeared to be a lot further away heading into the season. Heat Index: 6

Total Heat Index: 34/50 -- I think Miami takes a small step back in '09, mainly due to a slightly tougher schedule -- on paper, and, admittedly, this can change as the season progresses -- and the return of Tom Brady in New England (hey, they have to face the Patriots twice). Still, Miami should be in the hunt for a playoff spot, though, it might be a wild card instead of a repeat as division champion.