2008 Miami Dolphins Season Preview

2008 Miami Dolphins preview from MadduxSports.com. With the AFC East being one of the harder divisions to forecast in terms of nfl point spread success, be sure to have an ace in the hole on your side this season. That ace being Maddux Sports' weekly NFL picks.

2008 Miami Dolphins Predictions
By Adam Barone

Rundown
Last season the Dolphins barely managed to put one win on the board. Thanks to the Ravens, a few people might actually forget Miami’s 2007 season. Wholesale changes here come as no surprise, and with Bill Parcells running the show, the surprise will come if this team doesn’t show rapid improvement. Don’t expect it this season though.

Former Cowboys’ offensive line coach Tony Sparano takes over as head coach for Cam Cameron, who lasted only one season and was never really right for the job. Cameron probably isn’t right for any NFL head coaching job. General Manager Randy Mueller is gone, and was replaced by Jeff Ireland, who, like Sparano, is a “Parcells guy.”

Lots of off-season talk about dealing Jason Taylor hasn’t led to anything, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Taylor is in his 12th season and certainly doesn’t factor in to the plans for the future.

Losing star running back Ronnie Brown for all but seven potential-reaching games last season sealed the deal for the Fins. Backup Jesse Chatman did an admirable job in his place, but he left for division rival New York as a free agent. Ricky Williams is slated to be Brown’s understudy in 2008.

Yes, that Ricky Williams. Supposedly he’s not high anymore.

An off-season makeover saw the likes of running backs Chatman and Lorenzo Booker, receiver Marty Booker, quarterbacks Trent Green and Cleo Lemon, guards Rex Hadnot and Chris Liwienski, tackle L.J. Shelton, linebackers Donnie Spragan and Zach Thomas, and nose tackle Keith Traylor waive goodbye.

On top of nine draft picks, the Dolphins brought in quarterback Josh McCown, guard Justin Smiley, linebackers Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor, defensive tackles Jason Ferguson and Randy Starks, receiver Ernest Wilford, and tight end Anthony Fasano.

Fasano and Ayodele were acquired in a steal of a trade with Dallas, and both should make an impact. Fasano in particular could prove to be a star. He was Jason Witten’s backup with the Cowboys, so he rarely saw action. He has the skills to be a front-line NFL tight end.

Draft Analysis
The Dolphins needed to draft a whole new team this April, but since that wasn’t going to happen, they got some extra picks—nine total.

They had the first overall pick and chose Michigan left tackle Jake Long. Long should protect the Fins’ quarterback, whoever he is, for years to come. Clemson defensive end Philip Merling went to Miami in the second round. Merling is only a decent pass rusher, but is versatile and can stop the run.

Michigan quarterback Chad Henne should not have been available to the Dolphins at pick 57, but he was. The previous regime drafted John Beck out of BYU a season ago, but this suggests that Parcells and his guys aren’t too high on him. Henne simply has a better arm and more experience in an NFL style offense and in big games.

After viewing the Miami Dolphins preview read about their rivals in the AFC East including the Patriots, Jets, and Bills.

Related Pages:
Dolphins Official Site
NFL Sports Betting