FOF2K7: My quest to make the Miami Dolphins champions again!!

[DolphinFan1]

I will be starting to post my new dynasty on the Dolphins.

Some notes:

It will be a slow moving detailed dynasty as I like to take my time with slow simming games and really getting into the stats. There will not be a lot of roster and box scores posted as I am running this on my laptop and basically keep notes on my team by hand writing them. But I will go into detail on each game and the off season.

I don't play with house rules as I am not very good at the game anyway. If I do get really good then I may change it. I don't take advantage of the AI, besides I can't make a trade to rob the AI anyway. I use the draft value chart to make draft day trades and that is usually accurate.

I will be starting using yabaroster from 1970 fictional set. I am using full x-factor and default rosters he set up. I will quick sim 5 years and take over the team in 1975. I was going to sim longer but I have done this before and with 5 years having the AI run my team I have enough of a challenge as it is.

My 1st season will be not too detailed as we suck but I will post it shortly along with plans for 1976.

[DolphinFan1]

The 1970-1974 seasons were completely run by the AI. I took no action. Here are our records:

1970: 11-5 and AFC East Champs and lost division final.
1971: 5-11
1972: 6-10
1973: 5-11
1974: 5-11

I started using yabaroster with the default salary cap of $17 million. Unfortunately I made a mistake and forgot to change the default of salary cap increase. So for the 1st few years we all will have a lot of cap space. I have since changed it to 28-50.

I thought I had my notes from 1975 but I think I deleted them. So my detailed dynasty will start in 1976.

We went 3-13 in 1975, losing our last 8 games.

Next up:

A look at our needs for 1976.

[DolphinFan1]

Our team really sucks and we need help at virtually every position. But our biggest needs are Starting QB, starting RB, defensive backs good at run and BNR (I will be running a 4-3 with cover 2 BnR defense.) I should also note that I let the computer handle game plans and I watch the games through solevision. But I handle everything else, depth charts and such. So it's key to get good coaches.

For summer league I send 2nd round pick RT- Travis Bush.

I don't have a lot of talent for UFA and RFA so I won't detail them here.

FA: I sign a QB- Darrell Sanders who has some talent and should get us by until I get a franchise QB.

We have the 3rd pick in the draft and I may trade down for more picks as we have a lot of holes to fill.

Up next: The 1976 Draft. (Who do we go with? The possible franchise QB or RB) Stay tuned to find out.

[DolphinFan1]

For the draft I interview the top 10 adj. rated guys as even if I trade down from 3 I will stay in the top 10 and get someone to start, hopefully.

I also concentrate on QB and RB for interviews. For the rest of the interviews I used them on OT, DT, OLB and CB.

There is a QB and RB who should go 1 and 2. The RB is underrated and has very high volatility. The QB is underrated and has high intelligence and good combine numbers. The other top 10 guys are good but probably not worth the pick. If either of these two go I will trade down to get more picks.

The QB position is average but the RB class has some good backs. The DT class is stacked and we should be able to land a decent pick here.

As predicted the QB and RB go 1,2. So I trade out of the 3rd spot and get an extra 1st round pick. That was crucial as I forgot I made a trade last year for a QB and gave up a 2nd round pick. (Must be a Dolphins thing with trading draft picks for ineffective QBs.) Needless to say he wasn't worth the traded draft pick. I also traded our 4th round pick for extra 5th round picks. Here are my draft picks for this year.

1(7): RB- Neal Newton (66/81) Indiana. Should be the power back we need.
1(24): RDT- Nathan Dobbins (32/70) California. If he develops could be the big run stopper up the middle we need.
3(14): QB- Benjamin Kolodziejski (11/54) Louisiana State. Maybe not the franchise QB but he could be better than anything now on the roster. If he develops.
5(12): RB- Edwin Craig (23/41) Michigan State. Drafted strictly because he has great bars for 3rd down running and 3rd down catching.
5(14): OLB- Martin Kimbrell (15/60) Syracuse. Great potential in key ratings if he develops.
5(15): LCB- Raymond Barclay (18/60) Michigan.
6(13): OG- Shannon Snyder (18/51) Louisiana State.
7(30): LT- Doug Ramirez (14/52) Georgia

It should be noted I went with mostly underrated guys in this draft. If this doesn't work I will change my strategy next year.

I sign some undrafted FA that I had interviewed to fill out my roster.

Up next: A look at our pre camp roster.

[DolphinFan1]

Post draft our Starting RDE- Withers is holding out for a better contract. He is a 7 year vet but dropped a little in ratings this year. I decide to let him holdout and move one of our stud DE to RDE.

Here is our 1976 pre training camp roster:

Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB 10 35 37 4 yrs
Tozer, Vince 6 QB 7 20 48 1 yr.
Price, Bryce 14 QB 2 10 41 1 yr.
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 1 11 54 3 yrs
Moore, Derek 28 RB 12 35 35 1 yr.
Smith, Mark 42 RB 8 33 33 ---
Dugans, Frankie 24 RB 2 28 33 1 yr.
Newton, Neal 32 RB 1 66 81 5 yrs
Craig, Edwin 31 RB 1 23 41 3 yrs
Blanda, Darryl 29 FB 6 49 51 3 yrs
Wright, Jessie 39 FB 2 19 45 2 yrs
Burke, Andrew 47 FB 1 22 43 3 yrs
Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE 6 58 58 3 yrs
Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 5 27 36 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 4 48 52 1 yr.
High, Lincoln 89 FL 5 35 35 1 yr.
Antonides, Phillip 85 FL 3 41 54 1 yr.
Barber, Sam 83 SE 9 43 43 2 yrs
Wilkerson, Donovan 80 SE 4 24 35 1 yr.
Swift, C.J. 87 SE 2 33 48 3 yrs
Mohr, Derrick 59 C 11 79 79 2 yrs
Sherman, Freddie 51 C 2 32 48 2 yrs
Springer, Mitch 74 LG 5 66 66 4 yrs
Cortez, Clifton 62 LG 2 20 44 1 yr.
Lee, J.B. 68 RG 6 55 55 1 yr.
Marcus, Billy Joe 64 RG 2 19 31 2 yrs
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 1 18 51 3 yrs
Green, Curtis 61 LT 11 68 68 1 yr.
Atkinson, Ty 69 LT 5 17 38 1 yr.
Ramirez, Doug 60 LT 1 14 52 3 yrs
Newton, Troy 67 RT 6 42 42 1 yr.
Tucker, Orlando 65 RT 2 21 37 2 yrs
Bush, Travis 71 RT 2 40 61 2 yrs
Singleton, Bruce 12 P 6 52 52 2 yrs
Jerman, Leonard 3 K 2 51 61 3 yrs
Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE 4 81 81 2 yrs
Daulton, Deltrick 94 RDE 7 36 36 1 yr.
$$Withers, Keith 95 RDE 7 52 52 1 yr.
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE 3 48 69 3 yrs
Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 9 52 52 1 yr.
Modargri, Wes 90 LDT 2 15 35 1 yr.
Bennett, Aaron 70 RDT 4 27 27 1 yr.
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT 2 32 58 2 yrs
Dobbins, Nathan 75 RDT 1 32 70 4 yrs
Stokes, Mitch 53 MLB 7 30 38 1 yr.
Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 3 53 53 4 yrs
Brooks, Ross 56 SLB 9 43 43 1 yr.
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 1 16 56 2 yrs
Dyson, Josh 54 WLB 10 25 25 1 yr.
Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 2 19 39 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB 1 15 60 3 yrs
Addy, Larry 22 LCB 8 42 42 1 yr.
Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB 5 54 54 1 yr.
Buckley, Desmond 23 LCB 2 11 32 1 yr.
Barkley, Raymond 33 LCB 1 18 62 3 yrs
Barton, Al 25 RCB 2 50 54 3 yrs
Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS 8 44 44 2 yrs
Mihna, Don 34 SS 11 44 44 1 yr.
Schindler, Kenneth 21 SS 1 18 49 2 yrs
Lang, Danny 36 FS 5 29 35 ---
Pearson, Chester 37 FS 3 32 44 2 yrs
Carr, Carlos 48 FS 2 35 49 2 yrs

$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 60
Inactive: 0
On Active Roster: 60

Salary Cap: $60,100,000
Cap Room: $16,870,000
Maximum for New Player: $17,110,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $470,000
Front Office Football 2007

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $210,000
Cap Room Required Next Year: $33,830,000

Up next: post camp notes

[DolphinFan1]

One note I forgot to add on my settings. I use 100 on injuries as I found 200 to be too much for me to handle. This is just my preference.

Post camp roster and notes:



Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB 10 37 39 4 yrs
Tozer, Vince 6 QB 7 20 48 1 yr.
Price, Bryce 14 QB 2 10 41 1 yr.
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 1 15 58 3 yrs
Moore, Derek 28 RB 12 27 27 1 yr.
Dugans, Frankie 24 RB 2 27 33 1 yr.
Newton, Neal 32 RB 1 66 80 5 yrs
Craig, Edwin 31 RB 1 23 35 3 yrs
Blanda, Darryl 29 FB 6 45 47 3 yrs
Wright, Jessie 39 FB 2 19 44 2 yrs
Burke, Andrew 47 FB 1 22 40 3 yrs
Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE 6 52 52 3 yrs
Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 5 29 36 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 4 50 50 1 yr.
High, Lincoln 89 FL 5 35 35 1 yr.
Antonides, Phillip 85 FL 3 42 54 1 yr.
Barber, Sam 83 SE 9 39 39 2 yrs
Wilkerson, Donovan 80 SE 4 25 35 1 yr.
Swift, C.J. 87 SE 2 36 48 3 yrs
Mohr, Derrick 59 C 11 77 77 2 yrs
Sherman, Freddie 51 C 2 34 47 2 yrs
Springer, Mitch 74 LG 5 70 70 4 yrs
Cortez, Clifton 62 LG 2 22 43 1 yr.
Lee, J.B. 68 RG 6 56 56 1 yr.
Marcus, Billy Joe 64 RG 2 21 32 2 yrs
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 1 20 48 3 yrs
Green, Curtis 61 LT 11 61 61 1 yr.
Atkinson, Ty 69 LT 5 18 38 1 yr.
Ramirez, Doug 60 LT 1 14 44 3 yrs
Newton, Troy 67 RT 6 42 42 1 yr.
Tucker, Orlando 65 RT 2 22 37 2 yrs
Bush, Travis 71 RT 2 42 61 2 yrs
Singleton, Bruce 12 P 6 53 53 2 yrs
Jerman, Leonard 3 K 2 52 52 3 yrs
Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE 4 81 81 2 yrs
Daulton, Deltrick 94 RDE 7 36 36 1 yr.
$$Withers, Keith 95 RDE 7 42 42 1 yr.
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE 3 53 68 3 yrs
Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 9 36 36 1 yr.
Modargri, Wes 90 LDT 2 16 35 1 yr.
Bennett, Aaron 70 RDT 4 27 27 1 yr.
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT 2 34 58 2 yrs
Dobbins, Nathan 75 RDT 1 34 64 4 yrs
Stokes, Mitch 53 MLB 7 32 32 1 yr.
Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 3 52 52 4 yrs
Brooks, Ross 56 SLB 9 39 39 1 yr.
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 1 17 50 2 yrs
Dyson, Josh 54 WLB 10 22 22 1 yr.
Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 2 22 40 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB 1 16 52 3 yrs
Addy, Larry 22 LCB 8 35 35 1 yr.
Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB 5 54 54 1 yr.
Buckley, Desmond 23 LCB 2 11 32 1 yr.
Barkley, Raymond 33 LCB 1 17 53 3 yrs
Barton, Al 25 RCB 2 53 53 3 yrs
Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS 8 45 45 2 yrs
Mihna, Don 34 SS 11 45 45 1 yr.
Schindler, Kenneth 21 SS 1 19 44 2 yrs
Pearson, Chester 37 FS 3 35 45 2 yrs
Carr, Carlos 48 FS 2 37 48 2 yrs

$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 60
Inactive: 0
On Active Roster: 60

Salary Cap: $60,100,000
Cap Room: $16,870,000
Maximum for New Player: $17,110,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $470,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $210,000
Front Office Football 2007
Cap Room Required Next Year: $33,830,000


Post camp notes:

QB- Rookie Kolodziejski came out of camp higher rated at 15/58 that's +4 both current and future, possibly future starter.
QB- Sanders came out +2 in both current and future.
RB- Moore is declining after 12 years in league. -8 in both current and future.
RB- Rookie Newton came out as advertised. Will start from day one.
RB- Rookie Craig came out -6 future. Maybe still a viable 3rd down back to spell Newton a rest.
FB- Blanda came out -4 current and future. Still a starter.
FB- Rookie Burke came out -3 in future, will battle for backup job.
TE- Dunkelburger came out -6 in current and future. Looks like he's on the decline. Next year draft quality TE.
SE- Barber is -4 current and future. Only a stopgap anyway until next year's draft.
LG- Springer improved +4 in current and future.
LT- Rookie Ramirez dropped 8 in future. Still not a bad 44 for 7(30) pick. Will be a backup.
LT- Green is on the decline in his 11th year. -7 after camp.
K- Jerman dropped 9 after camp. Will be looking for a stud kicker next year.
RDE- Withers dropped 10 after camp and is holding out. He can ride the pine if he comes back.
LDT- Goodwin dropped 16 in his 9th year. Will be looking for better options.
RDT- Rookie Dobbins dropped 6 in future. Still good. Will move him to LDT to help with the declining Goodwin.
WLB- Rookie Kimbrell dropped 8 in future. Still good.
LCB- Addy dropped 7 after camp. On the decline.
LCB- Rookie Barkley dropped 9 after camp. Still good.


Week one preseason we have a bye

Up next: The preseason and roster cuts to 53.

[DolphinFan1]

Atlanta comes to our house for our 1st preseason game of the year.
We win the game 20-17 with Atlanta scoring a TD with 1 minute to go in the game. We were pinned deep and they got a short field and made us pay. But we held on.

Some notes on the game:


SE- Wilkerson fumbles opening kickoff. I will consider a better option. Too many fumbles.
New acquisition SS- Schindler interception.
TE- Burford FF and TE- Chavarria FR.
MLB- Stokes interception return for TD.
MLB- Cochrane FF and OLB- Franz FR.
OLB- Franz interception.
New acquisition FS- Tigchelaar interception.
Both QBs Sanders and Rookie Kolodzijski impressive in first games.
SE- Barber also impressive.
SE- Blair undrafted FA I signed. Good 3rd down rec. and big play. Wilkerson is gone.

[DolphinFan1]

We head to Dallas for our 2nd preseason game.
We win the game 17-7 and it was a good game for the whole team. We started out on our 1st drive with a 7 play 80 yard drive. TOP was 35-25.


Week three preseason notes:

FL- High 55 yard TD reception.
SE- Barber catching everything again.
QB- Tozer battling for a roster spot impressive 11/14 153 yards and 2 TD.
SE- Blair makes his 1st catch.
QB- Price struggled 4/9 24 yards and 1 int.

[DolphinFan1]

New Orleans come to town for our 3rd preseason game. We are both 2-2.
We lose the game 37-14 and really were never in it. We gave up a 99 yard kickoff return.


Week four preseason notes:

QB- Tozer not as sharp this week. Only 4/7 32 yards and 1 int.
FB- Wright battling for backup spot makes a big 3rd down and long reception for 1st down.
Very poor showing by the defense in this one.
QB- Kolodzijski not as good this game. Only 15/27 for 128 yards with 1 TD and 2 Int. He still has a lot to learn.
RT- Bush was 5/5 on KRB with no sacks allowed.
RB- Duggans was 11/79 with 1 TD in mop up duty. Still on the bubble.

[DolphinFan1]

We head to Philadelphia for our final preseason game. Time for some of the bubble guys to show me something or get cut. We both come in 2-1 in the preseason.

DE- Withers ended his contract holdout. He will still be delegated to a backup role unless he shows something.
Rookie RB- Craig in on 3rd down plays makes a 17 yard catch for a 1st down on a 3rd and 4 play.
1st drive we get to the 14 and stall when Barber drops a pass. He's been money all preseason. Still 12 plays 65 yards and a FG.

That was it for our offense as we lose 22-3. We did force 5 FG from them. Our defense only allowed one TD.

On offense no one was impressive.
Rookie RB- Newton in his 1st action of the preseason had 42 yards on 13 carries.

On defense, MLB- Cochrane was a monster with 12 tackles and 2 assists.
The DL got 4 sacks.

After the game I check the tranaction wire. SE- Wilkerson (who I cut) was picked up by Baltimore. We don't play them this year so he can't burn us unless we make the playoffs and face them.


Notes as I cut roster to 53:

QB- Kolodzijski +3 current will be 3rd QB. I have to cut Price. He was an Undrafted FA last year.
RB- In a tough decision I will cut Duggans. He showed some flashes but I think Rookie Craig has a greater upside as a 3rd down back.
FB- Wright gets the axe. Rookie Burke shows more promise.
SE- Swift impoved +2 current.
OG- Cortez gets the axe. Undrafted FA last season. Only backup G in extreme circumstances.
OT- Tucker gets the axe. A 5th round pick last year that never panned out.
Rookie LDT- Dobbins +4 current.
DT- Modargri gets cut. An Undrafted FA last year. I have better backups than him.
CB- Buckley +3 current and CB- Barkley +4 current.
FS- Carr +2 current.
Final cut is OLB- Dyson. Was the final OLB but a Special Teams player. Declining over the years anyway.

QB- Sanders will start the year with Tozer backing up. Kolodzijki will learn the trade and may get some work in later in the year.


Up Next:

Our 53 man roster for the 1976 season.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB QB 10 37 39 4 yrs
Tozer, Vince 6 QB 7 21 48 1 yr.
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 1 18 58 3 yrs

Sanders will start here with Tozer, (who cost me a 2nd round draft pick) backing up. Kolodziejski will be the 3rd QB. The hope here is Kolodziejski will maybe develop and become a good starter for us.

Moore, Derek 28 RB 12 27 27 1 yr.
Newton, Neal 32 RB RB 1 66 80 5 yrs
Craig, Edwin 31 RB 1 23 35 3 yrs

Rookie Newton will start with the veteran Moore backing up. Craig will see plenty of action however on 3rd down plays.

Blanda, Darryl 29 FB FB 6 47 47 3 yrs
Burke, Andrew 47 FB 1 22 40 3 yrs

Blanda will start with Burke a backup.

Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE TE 6 52 52 3 yrs
Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 5 29 36 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 4 50 50 1 yr.

Dunkelberger is our starter with Burford a close second. Chavarria may see some action but mostly will be deactive unless we have an injury.

High, Lincoln 89 FL 5 35 35 1 yr.
Antonides, Phillip 85 FL FL 3 42 54 1 yr.
Barber, Sam 83 SE 9 39 39 2 yrs
Swift, C.J. 87 SE SE 2 38 48 3 yrs
Blair, Leroy 81 SE 1 19 31 1 yr.

Our starting FL and SE are young and have good bars where needed. Barber is a good veteran 3rd receiver. High is declining and Blair is a rookie. Let's see how much production this group will give us.

Mohr, Derrick 59 C C 11 77 77 2 yrs
Sherman, Freddie 51 C 2 35 47 2 yrs

Clearly a strong position here as Mohr is aging but one of the best centers in the league. The hope is 2nd year Sherman will improve and maybe take over if Mohr retires.

Springer, Mitch 74 LG LG 5 70 70 4 yrs
Lee, J.B. 68 RG RG 6 56 56 1 yr.
Marcus, Billy Joe 64 RG 2 21 32 2 yrs
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 1 20 48 3 yrs

Our starting G are solid. Lee tends to give up a lot of sacks as he is very strong in run blocking but poor in pass blocking. Maybe Snyder will be that sleeper pick in the draft and develop better than his scouted 48 potential. Marcus is only a last resort as he isn't very good at all.

Green, Curtis 61 LT LT 11 61 61 1 yr.
Ramirez, Doug 60 LT 1 15 44 3 yrs
Newton, Troy 67 RT 6 42 42 1 yr.
Atkinson, Ty 69 RT 5 29 38 1 yr.
Bush, Travis 71 RT RT 2 43 61 2 yrs

Green is declining in his 11th year but still our best option at LT. Bush will start fresh from his tour of the summer league. Newton is a good backup and Ramirez can be a solid player if he develops.


Singleton, Bruce 12 P 6 53 53 2 yrs
Jerman, Leonard 3 K 2 52 52 3 yrs

Singleton is a better punter than his 53 rating. He has excellent power and should get us out of trouble. Jerman only missed 4 FG for us last season. He was 18/22 but his long was only 46 as he was 2/4 from 40-49 and 0/2 from 50+.

Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE LDE 4 81 81 2 yrs
Daulton, Deltrick 94 RDE 7 36 36 1 yr.
Withers, Keith 95 RDE 7 42 42 1 yr.
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE RDE 3 58 68 3 yrs

Our bookend DEs are very good and young. McWilliams keeps improving so Withers can stay a backup. He wanted to holdout and McWilliams stepped it up. We are solid here.

Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 9 36 36 1 yr.
Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT LDT 1 39 64 4 yrs
Bennett, Aaron 70 RDT 4 27 27 1 yr.
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT RDT 2 35 58 2 yrs

Dobbins and Petkovich can be very good players if they develop. Goodwin was a great player but is declining rapidly in his 9th season.

Stokes, Mitch 53 MLB 7 32 32 1 yr.
Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB MLB 3 52 52 4 yrs

Cochrane is our starter with Stokes a decent backup in key ratings.

Brooks, Ross 56 SLB SLB 9 39 39 1 yr.
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 1 17 50 2 yrs
Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 2 22 40 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB WLB 1 16 52 3 yrs

Brooks will start because he is better developed with the hope Franz can improve and take over. Kimbrell will start from day one as he is better in key areas even though Fredrickson is better developed overall.

Addy, Larry 22 LCB 8 35 35 1 yr.
Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB LCB 5 54 54 1 yr.
Barton, Al 25 RCB RCB 2 53 53 3 yrs
Buckley, Desmond 23 RCB 2 14 32 1 yr.
Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 1 21 53 3 yrs

Pirrup and Barton will start as they are the best options. Buckley is the 5th CB and only used on special teams as a return man. He is solid there.

Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS SS 8 45 45 2 yrs
Mihna, Don 34 SS 11 45 45 1 yr.
Schindler, Kenneth 21 SS 1 19 44 2 yrs
Pearson, Chester 37 FS 3 35 45 2 yrs
Carr, Carlos 48 FS FS 2 39 48 2 yrs

At SS we have a small problem. Both Tigchelaar and Mihna are good. But Tigchelaar is better is some key areas which helps us. However, Mihna will not like sitting out. So I will have to get him in sometimes. Carr will start the year with Pearson getting plenty of playing time.

This is our 53 man roster for week one of the 1976 season.



Up Next:

Week one, Miami at Buffalo.

[DolphinFan1]

Week one notes:

We play at Buffalo. QB- Tudrick (Our last year's starter) is on their roster. He is starting.
Of course they shred out defense on the 1st drive of the game and go 80 yards and a TD. Tudrick was 3/3 for 36 yards and a TD.
We have no answer and only get to the Buffalo 40 and punt. We pin them deep at the 3.
Buffalo moves the ball again at will until an Off. Holding penalty gives us new life. We respond by sacking Tudrick twice on successive plays and force a punt.
We get on the board with 3 after driving 84 yards but stall at the Buffalo 10.
We can't stop anyone and they drive right down the field and get a TD. I need help on the defense.
SE- Swift fumbles the ball deep in our territory which results in a FG for Buffalo. At the half we trail 17-3.
To start the 3rd we move the ball a little but stall and have to settle for a 48 yard Jerman FG. Buffalo 17-6.
We finally make a defensive stop and force a punt, but a offsides penalty keeps the drive alive for Buffalo. They get a TD out of it. We are making Tudrick look like a HOFer. Of course he isn't, our defense just sucks.
We really stunk it up and lose 27-6.
A bright spot was new QB- Sanders was 20/35 for 212 yards. He didn't get it in the endzone but he didn't turn the ball over. Small plus.
Bad break, we lose our starting LCB (Pirrup) for the season with a severe hamstring pull. I put him on IR. Addy will start. I sign a 3 year backup. Brenden Hanks. He's ok against the run and BnR. He will backup Addy.


Some key stats in the game:

TOP: Buffalo 35, Miami 25
Rookie RB- Newton had only 33 yards on 10 carries.
WR- Barber had 4 catches for 123 yards.
P- Singleton had 3 punts with 2 inside the 20 with a net average of 40.3
K- Jerman hit both his FG attempts with a long on 48
MLB- Cochrane had 13 tackles and 2 assists.
DE- Hughes added 8 tackles, 1 assist and a sack.

Not a good way to start the year. Hopefully we can rebound.

Up Next:

San Francisco comes to town.

[DolphinFan1]

S.F. comes to our house. They were shutout in week one 27-0. So this should be interesting for two teams who can't score.
We only gain 32 yards on offense our 1st drive. But on the second play on defense, LCB Addy intercepts a pass. Great start in place of Pirrup.
An offensive holding penalty negates a good gain and we settle for a FG. Still, points off turnover is good. Miami 3-0.
Once again we can't stop anyone as S.F. answers with a TD drive right down the field.
We actually have an answer with a nice TD drive to retake the lead 10-7. Rookie RB- Newton had a couple of nice runs, but it was the veteran Moore who punched it in from 2 yards out.
S.F. moves the ball again but we make a stop at our 42 to force a punt. But we lose starting FS- Carr to injury. I hope it isn't too serious.
We were pinned deep and FL- Antonides makes a big 3rd down catch to move the chains out of the shadow of our own goal.
RB- Newton is running well so far with 9 rushes for 80 yards. He fumbled but we recovered.
We move the ball to the S.F. 21 and stall then Jerman misses a 38 yard FG. We still lead 10-7.
Playing bend but don't break defense we force a 45 yard FG try and S.F. misses and we lead at the half 10-7.

To start the 3rd quarter we force a 3 and out on S.F.
Newton fumbles again but he recovers. But we still have to punt.
We force a second 3 and out on S.F. Good to see the defense making some adjustments at halftime.
We go 3 and out and so does S.F. Looks to be a field position battle.
We take the ball and move down the field and get a TD to extend the lead to 17-7. FL- Antonides is having a big day. He had 3 big receptions on that drive. RB- Moore gets the 9 yard TD catch for the score.
Two drives later OLB- Franz intercepts a pass at the S.F. 35 yard line. We get a TD out of it and lead 24-7 with 9:03 to play. Rookie RB- Newton gets his 1st TD run of his career. He finishes the day with 130 yards on 26 carries.
We add a couple FG to make the final score 30-7.

QB- Sanders had a better day finishing with 18/30 for 202 yards and 1 TD.
WR-Antonides had 6 catches for 87 yards.
WR-Swift added 4 catches for 58 yards.
MLB-Cochrane had 7 tackles and 2 assists.
Some plusses in the game. Our OL didn't allow a sack. Nice 2nd half by the defense. Newton, Antonides, Sanders and Moore great games.
Some minuses. We started out slow and could have dug a hole for ourselves.
Good news! Starting FS- Carr is only questionable for two weeks with a sprained knee. That's our only new injury.

Up Next:

Cleveland comes to our house with an 0-2 record

[DolphinFan1]

Cleveland 0-2 at Miami 1-1

We take the ball down the field and score a TD on the opening drive of the game. 2/2 on 3rd down conversions on the drive.
We stop them after 1 first down on the following drive. Nice start by both the offense and defense in this one.
Newton fumbles the ball on our next drive. That's not good. I hope he learns to hang on to the ball.
Our defense gets a sack and knocks them out of FG range and force a punt.
We take the ball down the field for a TD. Newton recovers after his blunder to punch it in from 9 yards out. He has 58 yards on 9 carries in the 1st quarter.
After 1 quarter Miami 14 Cleveland 0. Total plays Miami 19 Cleveland 7. Total yards Miami 159 Cleveland 0.

In the 2nd neither team can move the ball until Cleveland late in the second. In our territory Pearson, in place of the injured Carr, intercepts a pass.
We drive deep but settle for a short FG. We lead 17-0.
They take the ball down the field for a TD. We helped with 3 defensive penalties on the drive.
On the next drive our QB Sanders goes down with an injury.
At the half we lead 17-7. However, Sanders is out with an injury. That could hurt our chances. Tozer will take over.

We start the 2nd half and force a 3 and out. A second 3 and out by our defense.
Our offense is struggling with the pass with Tozer. He is only 2/8 for 36 yards.
Our defense steps up with a sack on the 1st play and then on 3rd down, Pearson gets his 2nd INT of the day. He is making a case to stay in the starting lineup.
Just as I start to doubt Tozer he responds with a 19 yard TD strike to FL- High. We lead 24-7 with 2:37 to go in the 3rd.
Our defense is stellar today as CB- Barton intercepts a pass on the next drive.
Newton responds on the very next play with an 18 yard TD run for a 31-7 lead.
After a big KO return we give up a TD but the 2 point try is no good and we lead 31-13 with 12 minutes to go in the game.
Cleveland gets a TD late but we win 31-19.

Stats:

Newton had 138 yards on 32 carries with 2 TD. He added one catch for 11 yards and had the one fumble lost.
Sanders was 12/16 for 142 yards before his injury.
Tozer was only 4/12 for 57 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.
Our top 3 receivers, Antonides, Swift and High had 13 catches for 162 yards and 1 TD.
Our defense played great in this one holding them to 48 yards on 16 carries.
DE- Hughes had 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and 2 knockdowns.
DE- McWilliams had 1 tackle, 2 assists, 1 sack, an incredible 7 hurries and 2 knockdowns.
FS- Pearson had 5 Tackles, 1 assist, .5 sack, 2 passes def. and 2 int.
Great game by Pearson, McWilliams and our OL, no sacks allowed for the 2nd game.
Sanders has a pulled groin and is questionable for 2 weeks. We go to N.E. for the division lead at 2-1 each. Just figures we lose our starting QB.
Pearson got the Defensive player of week honors.

Up Next:

We head to N.E. with the division lead on the line.

[DolphinFan1]

I have a lot of time tonight as I am home early from a church New Year's Eve party. Wife is in bed early not feeling well. So here we go.

We head to N.E. with the early division lead on the line as we are both 2-1. As stated earlier, Tozer gets the start as Sanders is out with a pulled groin.

We start our ominously as N.E. moves the ball a little and pins us at our 4 after a punt. Tozer proceeds to throw an Int. deep in our own end.
N.E. gets a TD on the 1st play and we are in the hole 7-0.
We respond with a 3 and out. Tozer is 0/3 with 1 int.
N.E. goes down the field and now lead 14-0. It's not looking good.
We go 3 and out and pin N.E. at the 2. It doesn't matter as they move the ball at will. But we hold them to a FG, but still trail 17-0.
We can't move the ball and have to punt.
But our defense finally makes a play as MLB- Cochrane intercepts a pass and returns it to the N.E. 5.
We almost blow a great chance with an Offensive holding penalty, but FL- Antonides comes up big with the TD catch. We cut the lead 17-7.
After a couple 1st downs we force a punt on New England's next drive.
We do nothing with the ball and a sack and penatly and we get -5 yards on the drive.
Our defense is finally waking up as Cochrane gets his 2nd Int of the game on the next play following the punt.
We move the ball a little but have to settle for a FG. N.E. 17 Miami 10.
We let them get a FG just before halftime and we trail 20-10.
Let's see if our coach can make some adjustments at halftime.

We start out much like the 1st with an Int by Tozer.
We hold but get the ball at our 2.
We manage to move the ball to the 46 but stall.
We pin them deep and force a punt. We get the ball in good field position at the 47.
We stall at the 23 and Jerman misses a 40 yard FG.
They just about seal our fate with a long TD drive to lead 27-10 at the start of the 4th quarter.
We lose by that score. Tozer was just awful in this one. 12/41 116 yards with 1 TD and 3 int. Not to metion a lot of bad throws.
I will consider putting the rookie in the backup role when Sanders returns.

Other stats:
Newton had 56 yards on 12 carries but he never really had a chance as we fell behind early.
WR- Barber had 4 catches for 77 yards.
MLB- Cochrane had 3 tackles, 5 assists and 2 interceptions.
C- Mohr was 4/5 on KRB.
We had no sacks by our Defense and very little pressure.

Up next:

We head to Jacksonville trying to rebound.

[DolphinFan1]

We head to Jacksonville at 2-2. They are 3-1. SLB- Brooks is back from injury. FS- Carr and QB- Sanders are out at least one more week.
Again we can't stop anyone as they take the opening kickoff and go down for a TD.
We are pathetic. We have to punt and then force Jax. to punt, but Tozer is awful. He gets sacked and fumbles the ball.
Jax. punches it in and we trail 14-0. It's becoming a familiar theme.
Another TD drive and it's 21-0.
A FG and it's 24-0. This one is getting ugly.
A spark of life has Newton return the KO 74 yards to the Jax. 20. Let's see if we can punch it in.
A sack takes away any chance at a TD. We get a FG to trim the lead 24-3.
Jax. scores again before the half and lead 31-3.
We get a FG to end the half trailing 31-6. Probably the worst half of football I have ever seen.
Rookie QB- Kolodzieski comes out to start the second half.
On his 2nd drive he throws a pick after 1 first down. It just keeps getting worse.
We lose 34-13.
I cut this report short as we never had a chance.

Some stats:

Kolodzieski finished 14/29 for 133 yards with 1 TD and 2 Int. Most of that was junk yardage at the end of the game. Still he has potential.
Newton had 97 yards on 16 carries. But again, we trailed so much it didn't matter.
WR- Swift had 6 catches for 104 yards and a TD.
Nobody else stood out in this one.

Up next:

Tennessee comes to our house.

[DolphinFan1]

We start a 3 game home stretch before our bye. We need to go 2-1 or 3-0 to have an shot this year. After the bye we have 4 straight road games. Who makes this schedule?
We get QB- Sanders and FS- Carr back this week. I will slot Kolodzieski in the backup role to Sanders.
Tennessee is coming in with a 4-1 record. We definitely have our work cut out for us.

We lose RDT- Dobbins on the 1st play to a serious leg injury. Great.
We hold them to a 3 and out. We get one 1st down but have to punt.
Carr gets injured but it's a minor ribcage injury. He stays in the game.
Our defense holds after an initial 1st down.
Glad to have Sanders back as he leads us down the field and we get a TD on a 7 yard pass to SE- Barber.
Our defense is playing good but we just lost S- Mihna to an injury. The injuries are starting to mount in this one.
Sanders throws an int. and Tenn. makes us pay and ties the score 7-7.
We answer with a 2 play drive for a TD. Newton gets a 47 yard run and then Sanders hits Antonides on a 21 yard strike to give us the lead back. 14-7.
We stop them on a 3 and out with a sack and hurry.
We can't move the ball and they take it down the field for the tieing TD.
We respond with a long pass to Newton, a long run by Newton and a 10 yard TD pass to TE- Chavaria.
The defenses stayed home for this one as Tenn. ties it right back with a TD. 21-21.
We have a chance at the end of the half for a FG, but Jerman misses the 31 yard try. I definitely will look for a new kicker next year.
So the halftime score is 21-21.

We open the 2nd half and punt. Then our defense holds on a 4th and 2 at our 42. We have great field position. Let's make it count.
We can't as we gained a grand total of 5 yards on the drive. But the deep punt pins them at their 4.
We force a punt and get the ball at their 43.
We get a 26 yard TD run by Newton to take the lead but it is costly as FL- Antonides goes down with an injury.
Tenn. drives at will again until Carr knocks the ball free at our 9 and backup CB- Hanks returns it 91 yards for the TD. Miami 35-21. So glad I signed him.
We stop them and go down the field for another TD and should be enough as we lead 42-21 with 8:11 to play.
QB- Sanders is sharp 17/24 237 yards with 4 TD and 1 Int. RB- Newton is over 160 yards rushing and a TD. He also has 30 yards receiving.
They get a TD late and Jerman misses a 44 yarder.
We win 42-28.
It is costly as the injuries are severe.
RDT- Dobbins has a stress fracture and is out for 8 weeks.
FL- Antonides is out for about 2 weeks with a strained elbow tendon.
SS- Mihna is out for about 3 weeks with a hyperextended elbow.
FS- Carr is probable with a bruised ribcage. He will play.
So we are 3-3. 3-0 at home and 0-3 on the road.

Some stats:

Newton had 168 yards on 25 carries but his YPC is high due to two big runs of 26 and 47. But he was a force today.
Antonides was good before he went down with an injury, he had 5 catches for 84 yards and a TD.
Barber added 3 catches for 42 yards and a TD.
Jerman was 0/2 on FG.

Up Next:

Buffalo comes to town. Big division game for us to keep the momentum.

[DolphinFan1]

Buffalo comes to town with a 2-3-1 record. We are 7 point favorites.
Both offenses struggle as they punt then Sanders is intercepted on a tipped pass. However, CB- Barton returns the favor with one of his own.
Early in the 1st Houston is up 14-0 on N.E. They are 3-2 and lead the division. We are 3-3.
We drive but stall and settle for a 27 yard FG to take a 3-0 lead. Newton is running well with 5 rushes for 35 yards.
Houston extends the lead on N.E. to 21-0. That's good news.
Addy intercepts another pass from Tudrick. Yes, the same Tudrick that played for us last season. Good to see I made a good decision to let him go.
We start on Buffalo's 35 after the TO.
Another tipped pass is intercepted and ends our threat.
Our defense forces a punt.
We go 3 and out. Houston adds another TD and leads 28-0. Let's win this one and take the division lead.
An offensive holding penalty stops a long pass and OLB- Brooks intercepts another pass by Tudrick.
Bad news as Newton goes down with an injury on the 1st play following the TO.
We drive to the Buffalo 29 on a reception by FL- High starting in place of the injured Antonides but he fumbles the ball.
They make us pay with a TD drive to take the lead 7-3. An offsides penalty on a 3rd down play kept the drive alive.
We try to drive to end the half but stall at the Buffalo 39 to go into the locker room trailing 7-3.

We come out in the 3rd and go 3 and out. Late in the 2nd quarter Houston still leads 28-0 over N.E. We have a great opportunity here.
Our defense falls asleep and Buffalo gets another TD and we trail 14-3.
Houston leads N.E. 28-3 at the half.
We lose C- Mohr on the next drive.
We drive but have to settle for a 39 yard FG and trail 14-6.
Our defense shows up and forces a 3 and out.
We can't do anything and punt. We start the 4th quarter trailing 14-6.

They drive down the field and add a FG to lead 17-6. Two unsportsmanlike penalties kept the drive alive.
We go 3 and out and with 8 minutes to go in the game it doesn't look good. The only good news in N.E. is still losing.
We lose 20-6. Sanders threw two picks but both were tipped.
Houston beats N.E. 35-6. So we are still in the division race.
Buffalo is 3-3-1, N.E. is 3-3 and we are 3-4. But we have lost to Buffalo twice. And we are 0-3 in our division.
Good news is Newton is ok to play this week.
C- Mohr has a hyperextended elbow and is doubtful for two weeks. FL- Antonides and S- Mihna are out this week and should be back after our bye week.

Stats:

Sanders was marginal as he was 17/33 for 195 yards with no TD's and 2 interceptions but both were tipped passes.
Newton had 53 yards on 11 carries before he left the game with an injury.
WR- High had 5 catches for 86 yards and Barber added 5 catches for 65 yards.
DT- Goodwin got the Defensive Player of the Game in the loss with 4 tackles, 1 assists, 2.5 sacks, 1 hurry and 1 knockdown.

Our defense kept us in the game until the end. The offense just couldn't punch it in the endzone.

Up Next:

Indy comes to our house before our bye week.

[DolphinFan1]

Indy comes to town with an identical 3-4 record. We are 4 point favorites. The Jets travel to N.E. and Buffalo has a bye.
We open the game with an impressive drive but stall at the Indy 7 yard line. We take the 3-0 lead. Newton returns from injury with 28 yards on 4 carries on the drive.
We stop them on 3 plays and after a good PR we have the ball at the 50.
We drive to the 3 and stall again. We get 3 more. We need to punch these in the endzone.
Two sacks by our defense on the next drive stops them cold.
We drive from our 27 to the Indy 28 and miss a 45 yard FG. We still lead 6-0. Newton has 70 yards on 10 carries.
Our defense continues to shine as we force another punt. We start at our 6 but Newton bails us out with a 30 yard run. After a pass interference penalty gives us the ball in Indy's territory, we stall and have to punt.
Our defense finally caves and they drive for the TD and the lead just before halftime.

Our defense stayed in the locker room to start the 2nd half and let Indy just walk down the field. We did stop them at the one yard line. INDY hits the FG and now lead 10-6.
We follow with a drive and have a 1st and goal at the Indy 9. We stall at the one and get the FG to cut the lead to 10-9. That's 3 inside the 10 yard line and no TDs. That could come back to haunt us.
On a crazy play after a long KO return an Indy receiver catches a 10 yard pass. He fumbles and gets it back himself and goes 43 yards for a TD. They now lead 17-9. That just can't happen. We have to get those fumbles.
On another disappointing drive, we have a 1st and goal at the 5. A 15 yard sack stalls us and again we settle for a FG in the red zone. A 25 yard FG and we trail 17-12. The only bright spot is Newton is running all over them. He has 159 yards on 19 carries.
We couldn't stop a college team in the 2nd half. We are giving up huge passing yards and a TD by Indy has them leading 24-12 with 10 minutes to go in the game.
Two plays later and Sanders just about ends our chances in this one with an interception. Can't really blame him there as he needed to make something happen. Only Newton and our blockers showed up for this one.
Our final gasp is a drive deep with under a minute and it ends with another pick at the Indy 2 yard line. We lose 27-12.

What is alarming is the 3 drives inside the 10 that ended in FGs. And another inside the 20. If we punch those in the endzone, the game would be totally different.
We are at the midpoint in the season at 3-5 a game and a half out of the lead.
Our bye week is next and we should have everyone back at 100% except DT- Dobbins.
We are at the same record as last year through 8 games. We went on to lose 8 in a row. I think we are better than that this year.
Bright spots of the 1st half. Newton has over 800 yards and 5+ ypc. Sanders at QB has been decent. Our Defensive line is pretty good stopping the run.

After the bye week, Buffalo leads with a 4-3-1 record, N.E. is 4-4 we are 3-5 and the Jets are 2-6. We trail Buffalo by 1 1/2 games and lost to them twice. We trail the wild card by 2 games. Which is why I said we needed to go 2-1 or 3-0 before our bye. We went 1-2. We now go on the road for 4 straight basically looking to win out or at least 6-2 or 7-1.
Everyone is 100% except C-Mohr. He is still probable this week. We might be able to play without him. Dobbins is about 5 weeks away from returning.

Up Next:

We head to Houston after our bye week trying to start the 2nd half of the year on a good note.

[Noop]

I'm reading...

[DolphinFan1]

I'm reading...

Cool, I was beginning to wonder where all my former dynasty readers were. More updates shortly as I am not tired yet.

[DolphinFan1]

We go to Houston to start our road trip. They are 3-4-1. We are 3 point underdogs. We can take a big step forward with a solid win. Both teams are in the top 10 in rushing and defending the run. The rest is average at best. We are facing the #1 pick in the draft this year, QB- Glenn.

They take it down the field and get a TD on the opening drive. Glenn showed why he was the #1 pick.
We drive to the 38 but stall. The punt pins them at the 6. It doesn't matter as they go 94 yards for the TD. It looks like we haven't learned anything since the bye week. We still can't stop the pass.
We drive the ball to the 16 but Sanders throws a interception in the endzone to end the threat.
We haven't stopped them today as they drive 80 yards for another TD and we are down 21-0.
So, they have scored 3 TDs on their first three drives. They have 25 plays on offense for 236 yards. That's not good.
They drive again but we stop them because of a dropped pass.
Here are the awful halftime stats. Houston leads all catergories.
21-0 Houston, Total yards 281-123, plays 36-26, 1st downs 15-7, 3rd down conv. 6/8 Houston 2/5 Us. That was a pathetic half of football by our team.

We start out the 3rd quarter and go 4 plays for the TD. We now trail 21-7. Now if we could only stop them we could come back.
We hold them to a FG. We now trail 24-7. I guess that was a positive.
I guess the 1st drive was a fluke as we go 3 and out.
We actually force a 3 and out but fumble the PR. Figures.
They make us pay with a TD and Houston basically puts this one away with 3 minutes to go in the 3rd.
We actually drive and score a TD and the 2 point conversion to cut the lead to 31-15. But with 13 minutes to go in the game it may be a case of too little too late. We have to get a turnover.
We had a chance as they fumble the KO but emerge from the pile with the ball.
They move a little but we force a punt. For us to have any chance at all we need another TD on this drive with 8:53 to go.

We drive down the field and get a quick TD, but our coach goes for one instead of 2 and the extra point is blocked. We trail 31-21 with 5:21 to go. That makes no sense as we had trailed by 24 and he went for two to cut it to 16. So he should have went for two again to cut it to 8 and one score.
They run 3 times to use clock and we force the punt. So we have the ball with 2:26 to go and needing 2 scores. We need a miracle.
We get the TD and we trail only 31-28 with 57 seconds to go. We need to recover the onside kick and move into FG range.

Houston gets the ball. Houston wins the game. It was an ugly game for us but at least the team came back and didn't give up. If we had made just one stop earlier then maybe it would have been different.
Looks like we need to shore up our pass defense in the offseason.
Buffalo won and we trail by 2 1/2 in the division. We trail the wild card by 2. We need to win some games. At 3-6 I don't want to lose the rest of the way like last season.
The only positive besides the heart of the team is there were no new injuries.

Stats:

Sanders was 28/46 for 287 yards and 3 TDs and 1 int.
Newton only had 62 yards on 12 carries and a TD. But again, we trailed by a lot early. I want us to get out ahead and see what he could do.
Antonides was a force with 10 catches for 79 yards and 2 TDs.
Swift had 6 catches for 67 yards.
High had 5 catches for 65 yards.
I won't even go into the defensive stats as it's not pretty.


Up Next:

We try to rebound with a key division game at the N.Y. Jets.

[DolphinFan1]

We travel to the N.Y.Jets after losing 3 in a row and 5 of 6. If we ever needed a win to at least keep some hope, we need it now. The Jets are 2-7 and we are one point favorites. They are without their top two QBs and top WR due to injuries. We get C- Mohr back this week.

The Jets come out firing and get two quick passes for a 1st down. Then on the 2nd run play, DE- McWilliams punches the ball loose and MLB- Cochrane recovers the ball at our 37.
We start out with a false start then 3 and out and have to punt.
Our defense comes up big again as OLB- Brooks tips and intercepts the pass and we have the ball at the Jets 23. Our offense goes 4 plays for the TD. It was all Newton as he had 3 runs for 20 yards and then the 3 yard TD catch.
Our defense made a big stop on 2nd and 3rd and 1 and force a punt.
We go down the field for another TD as Sanders is sharp today. He hits FB- Blanda on a 13 yard strike.
After one 1st down our defense gets a big sack on 3rd and short and forces a punt.
Another nice drive by Sanders and Moore punches it in from 3 yards out and we lead 21-0. I hope we can hold this lead. We are not used to being ahead.
N.Y. gets a drive extended on a defensive penalty, but S-Carr intercepts a pass at our 45 yard line.
We can't move it this time and punt. However, we pin them at their one yard line after the punt.
They only get 9 yards and we have the ball at our 49 after the punt with 4:25 to go in the 1st half.
We stall at the 17 and settle for the 34 yard FG and a 24-0 lead. However we lost Newton to injury on the drive.
That's the end of the 1st half with Miami leading 24-0. It would be an almost perfect half except for Newton's injury.

We start the 3rd with the ball and punt following a 1st down. Then we get a sack and they fumble and Carr returns it 6 yards for the TD. We lead 31-0.
Someone blows the coverage as they get a 47 yard TD pass. They go for two and the score is now 31-8.
They drive again and it's starting to get dicey until Brooks punches the ball loose and WLB- Kimbrell recovers the ball at our 24 with 14:51 to go in the game.
We only move it a little but pin them deep after the punt and take 3 1/2 minutes off the clock.
After a long pass we force a punt but are pinned at our 2 yard line.
We punt and then Hanks intercepts a pass on the next drive.
We lose SE- Barber on the next drive and then Carr intercepts another pass. We have forced 7 TO today! 7!!!
We win 31-8. Great game by the whole team.

Stats:

Sanders was efficient 14/20 for 165 yards with 2 TD and no int.
Newton had 64 yards on 14 carries one receiving TD.
Moore (In relief of Newton) had 85 yards on 27 carries with one TD.
Swift and Antonides had 54 and 68 yards respectively.
On the defensive side of the ball:
OLB- Brooks had 7 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 2 Forced fumbles and one int.
S- Carr only had one tackle and one assist but had 2 interceptions and one fumble recovery for a TD.

The news on the injuries. Newton is Doubtful for 3 weeks with a pulled groin. I guess it could be worse. Barber just has knee tendinitis. Dobbins is getting better but still not well enough to play.

Up Next:

Can we keep the momentum up as we head to Arizona?

[DolphinFan1]

N.E. beat Buffalo last week so we trail in the division by 1 1/2 games but still 2 in the wildcard. We travel to Arizona this week and they have a 2-8 record. This will be our 1st week without Newton starting since we drafted him. Moore will have to step it up. Barber is deactive also and I have Blair in his place. I wanted as many 100% as possible. We are 4 point favorites.

We manage one 1st down on the opening drive but an offensive holding call stops us and we punt.
We start out getting torched through the air and Arizona takes the early 7-0 lead.
Sanders throws a pick on the 2nd play of the drive.
Arizona makes us pay with another TD through the air.
We get a nice drive and a TD called back at the 3 with an off. holding and settle for a FG. We trail 14-3.
We finally stop them but get pinned at our 8. The drive shows promise but stalls at the Arizona 41. We pin them deep at the 4.
Our defense can't stop this 2-8 team through the air. They score another TD.
Our offense gets going and Moore punches it in from 8 yards out. We trail 21-10.
They try 3 bombs and we stop them just before halftime.

Our defense must have made some adjustments at halftime and we force a 3 and out.
A sack puts us in 3rd and long and we cannot recover.
After a trade of punts we have a promising drive stopped when Moore fumbles the ball at the Arizona 21.
They get a long pass that puts them in FG range and now lead 24-10 to start the 4th quarter.
Sanders responds with a 3 play drive with 2 long passes to Antonides, a 34 yard TD catch and we are within 7.
They get a long KR to the 50 but we stop them without a 1st down. So we have our chance at our 20 with 10:30 to go in the game.
We cannont get a 1st down and punt.
Arizona puts it away with a long TD drive and chews up all but 4 minutes and lead by 14. We just didn't show up on defense today.
Sanders throws a pick for a TD and Arizona adds a FG to rub it in. Arizona 41-17.

The only plus is Buffalo and N.E. both lost so we still trail the division lead by 1 1/2 games. We had a chance to move into 1/2 game of the lead but couldn't get it done.

Stats:

Not many worth mentioning but here are a few:
Antonides had 85 yards on 3 catches and a TD.
Moore had 64 yards on the ground and a TD and Craig added 51.


Newton still isn't ready. Dobbins is a couple weeks away. C-Mohr has a strained hamstring. They will all be deactive. Antonides and Barber both have knee tendinits. But they will both play. We go to S.D. next week. We need this game.

Looking back at our cuts this season. Only Wilkerson and Cortez (N.E.) were picked up by anyone. Neither is a factor, playing sparingly.

Up next:

S.D. and a key game. (Aren't they all?)

[DolphinFan1]

S.D. is 5-6 and we are 4-7. We absolutely need this game. We can't have another loss to an AFC team which is ahead of us in the wildcard standings. They are 5 point favorites.

We take the opening drive 60 yards for the TD. We converted a big 3rd and 11 to keep the drive alive. Moore punches it in from 2 yards out.
They drive right back but a couple sacks holds them to a FG.
We drive down the field on an impressive 71 yard drive with a 19 yard TD pass to Antonides for a 14-3 lead.
They drive down the field again but another sack forces a FG. We lead 14-6. Surprisingly they are moving the ball by running. Their QB is running all over us. We need to find a way to contain him.
We stall on our next drive. We actually hold them to a 3 and out.
We do nothing and then let them go down the field in the last 2 minutes and get another FG before halftime. We lead 14-9. We let them get a 45 yard pass play to set up the FG. Overall not a bad showing. We played bend but don't break defense. We need a few more scores to win this thing.

They open the 2nd half and drive down the field and are threatening but McWilliams gets a sack and knocks the ball loose. It's on the ground at our 10 yard line. DT- Goodwin recovers. Big turnover by our defense.
We move the ball a little but punt.
We stop them on a 3 and out and get our 5th sack of the day.
A defensive penalty keeps our drive alive but we stall at the S.D. 47 and punt. N.E. and Buffalo are both trailing in their game so we can gain ground in the division with a win.
Another 3 and out by our defense.
This time we get to the S.D. 43 and have to punt.
After one first down we force a punt but have the ball at our 4 yard line.
We get the ball to our 37 and Moore fumbles and S.D. recovers. We need a big stop now.
Our defense holds them to a FG and we still lead 14-12 with 4:50 to go.
We get one first down and punt and S.D. uses 2 timeouts on defense.

Here's the situation: S.D. ball at their 17 with 1:52 to play and 1 timeout. We lead 14-12.
1st play is a 7 yard pass.
2nd play is a 5 yard sack by McWilliams. It's 3rd and 8 at their 19.
3rd down is a long pass and incomplete. We need to stop this 4th down. N.E. just scored in their game to take the lead. Buffalo is losing big.
They complete the 4th down play for 13 and have it at their 32. They take a timeout. None left. 52 seconds to play.
7 more yards and the ball is at their 39. They hurry to the line and throw a bomb for 50 yards and complete it!! No way!!
We lose 15-14 when S.D. kicks the FG. There is no way that should happen.
Basically our chances at the postseason are done. If we won either of the last two weeks we had a shot at the division. We trail the leader by 2 games with 4 to go. This was a tough loss. A big turnover in our end and then the long pass on the next drive cost us. We clearly need help on pass defense next year.
On the injury front we are one week away from both RB- Newton and DT- Dobbins being 100%. Unfortunately we will be out of contention by then.

Stats:

Moore and Craig only had 85 yards on 29 carries and one TD.
Sanders was efficient by not making any mistakes again. He was 18/31 for 207 yards with one TD.
Our defense recorded 6 sacks but it wasn't enough.
To lose on 5 FGs is tough.

Up next:

We try to keep whatever small chance for a playoff berth alive when we face a 9-3 St. Louis team.

[DolphinFan1]

St. Louis comes to our house. We went 1-3 on the road trip. We need to win out and get a lot of help to make the playoffs. If we lose it's over.
They are favored by 7. No surprise as they are 9-3.

They drive to our 27 and we hold. They miss the 44 yard FG.
We go 3 and out.
They get a big 3rd down conversion but on the next play, DT- Bennett intercepts a pass at our 30. He returns it to their 46.
We get the TD on a 3rd and goal from the 2 when Sanders runs a QB draw.
They get a couple 1st downs, but a couple penalties and a sack ends their drive.
We have the ball at our 37 after the punt. We stall at their 41 and punt.
They drive to our 4 and we hold them to a FG. We lead 7-3.
A short kickoff and good return and we have the ball at the St. Louis 47.
We drive to the 18 and Sanders is sacked and fumbles and St. Louis has the ball. That was a great chance to score and we blew it again.
The halftime score is Miami 7, St. Louis 3. N.E. is leading Arizona at halftime 14-13. Seattle is leading Buffalo at halftime 21-7.

Sanders completes a big 3rd down play to FB- Blanda who breaks it for 45 yards. Then RB- Craig runs it in from 9 yards out and we lead 14-3 on the 1st drive of the second half. Bad news in N.E. as they scored another TD to lead 21-13.
After a 1st down they have a 4th and 1 at their 36. They go for it. What? But we can't stop them. They get the 1st down to continue the drive. Questionable playcalling there. They move the ball a little more but we hold them after a couple offensive penalties. We have the ball at our 7.
N.E. still leads Arizona 21-13 with 6 minutes to go in the 3rd. Seattle extends their lead over Buffalo to 28-7 in the 3rd.
We are killing ourselves. We move the ball to the St. Louis 17 clearly in FG range. Craig fumbles the ball and St. Louis recovers. We could have put this one away.
Our defense is doing a good job as they force the punt. But we are pinned deep again this time at our 4.
We start the 4th with a 14-3 lead. N.E. still leads. Buffalo scored but still trails.
We go 3 and out and St. Louis has it again at their 44.
It looks like it may not matter as N.E. gets a fumble return for a TD. We needed them to lose as we play them next week.
St. Louis drives deep but we knock the ball loose and recover at our 6.
We move it some and punt. But they start again in our territory this time at our 43 with 8 minutes to go in the game.
They drive to our 32 and we hold them to a long FG try. They miss it.
We don't get a 1st down and punt.
But they have the ball at their 20 with 4:11 to go needing 2 scores.
We stop them on 4 plays and have it at their 21 with 3:16 to play.
Moore runs it in from 18 yards out to put it away.
We win 21-3. Unfortunately N.E. also won. Buffalo lost but that doesn't matter. We need to win our 3 last games and N.E. needs to lose the last 3 to take the division. Buffalo needs to lose one of their last three also.
Well, we are 5-8 already 2 more wins than last year.
No new injuries to report. We get Newton and Dobbins back this week. C- Mohr is still Questionable with a strained hamstring.

Stats:

RB- Moore and Craig combined for 128 yards on 30 carries with 2 TDs.
Sanders was excellent with 213 yards with 17/23 and one rushing TD.
TE- Dunkelberger had 7 catches for 102 yards.
MLB- Cochrane was the player of the game with 6 tackles, 4 assists and 1.5 sacks.
DE- Hughes was a force with 6 tackles, 2 assists, 1/2 sack and 5 hurries and 2 knockdowns.
OL only allowed one sack.

Up Next:

N.E. comes to our house in another big game. Amazingly we have a small glimmer of hope to win the division. We are 5-8 and trail N.E. by 2 games. Buffalo is still in it.

[DolphinFan1]

N.E. comes in and we are 1 point favorites.
We start great with a 3 and out on offense. Not what I hoped for.
We totally suck on our pass defense. They go down the field for the TD.
We answer with a nice drive of our own to tie the score.
After a first down we force a punt but we are pinned deep at our 6 yard line.
A long pass to Antonides gets us out to our 41 yard line.
We drive to the 25 and have to try a 42 yard FG which Jerman of course misses. Jerman, sorry man you are gone next year.
Our defense holds them to a 3 and out.
We also go 3 and out.
We force another punt.
We cannot do anything with the ball again.
They go down the field and get a TD to take the 14-7 lead.
On the ensueing KO, CB- Buckley goes down with a career threatening knee injury. He is our 4th CB but a decent return man and special teams player.
New England leads 14-7 at the half.

Early in the 3rd on a nice drive, a ball is tipped and intercepted and N.E. proceeds to drive down for the TD and a 21-7 lead. It's all slipping away. Really it was over weeks ago. Everyone kept losing to keep us alive.
Just when I think it's over, Barton returns the KO 89 yards for the TD. We are back within 7.
After we hold them we take the ball to start the 4th and drive for the tieing TD. Newton gets the 7 yard TD run. Nice to have him back.
Our defense falls asleep and they quickly move it down the field. But we do hold them to a FG. They lead 24-21 with 10:53 to play.
We go 3 and out.
We get another chance as we force the punt.
We drive to the 49 and stall.

We force a punt and have the ball trailing by 3. There's 2:09 to play and we have 1 timeout and the 2 minute warning. The ball is on our 23 yard line.
We are moving it nicely and are in FG range. Antonides is a monster today, 9 catches for 158 yards.
We get the 42 yard FG to tie the game and send it to overtime.
We win the toss to start.
We take the ball in overtime and go down the field for the winning 18 yard FG. 15 plays 69 yards and 7:30. A great drive to end it.

Sanders was 32/52 for 390 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.
Antonides ended the day with 10 catches for 170 yards.
Newton was overshadowed in his return but had a strong game with 49 yards and a TD. He also added 17 receiving yards.
Buffalo won so we trail N.E. by one game and Buffalo by a half with 2 to go.

Here's the word on Buckley. He is out with ACL Knee Surgery. He won't be back until the start of 1978. He is a FA this year. No way I will resign him. Too bad. He wasn't anything special on defense, but a decent return man and special teams player.

Up next:

We head to Seattle as we try to keep it alive.

[DolphinFan1]

Basically here's the situation. N.E. plays at St. Louis and at Buffalo. They must lose both. Buffalo plays at S.F. and then the Patriots. They must lose one. It has to be this week as I need them to beat N.E. We must win both to take the division. We travel to Seattle this week and then the Jets come to our house.
Here we go.

I accidently forgot to save it after this game. So I had to replay it. Not much change. I won't go into detail, just stats. We lose 27-21. N.E. and Buffalo both won so it didn't matter.
Sanders was 26/42 347 yards with 1 TD but 3 int. He also rushed for a TD.
Swift and Antonides both had over 100 yards receiving.
MLB- Cochrane was a monster in the middle with 15 tackles, 3 assists and a sack.
So we are 6-9 and are out of the playoffs. But we are 3 games better than last year. For the last week some of the rookies will start. QB- Kolodziejski will start.

Up next:

Week 17 vs. the Jets.

[DolphinFan1]

I quick simmed and we lost 30-6. Here are the relevent stats.
We opened with a nice 9 play 62 yard drive for a FG to start the game.
Newton had 57 yards on 10 carries.
Kolodziejski in his start was 16/24 for 171 with 2 int. I just wanted to get him some experience. Tozer came in and stunk it up. 1/7 for 14 yards with 2 int. He won't be back next year.
Swift had 8 catches for 84 yards and Antonides added 54 yards.
I will be evaluating the roster under a microscope during the offseason. We need a lot of upgrades on this team.
Still 6-10 is 3 games better than last year. If we keep doing that we will be over .500 next year.
Team leaders:
QB- Sanders was 257/430 for 3085 yards with 14 TD and 12 int. for a 81 QB rating.
RB- Newton had 1092 yards for a 4.94 ypc with 6 TD. Not bad for rookie season and he missed 3 games to injury.
WR- Antonides had 954 yards with 7 TDs.
WR- Swift had 849 yards with 2 TDs.
MLB- Cochrane led the team with 116 solo tackles, 38 assists, 4.5 sacks, 3 hurries, 2 int. and 2 passes defended.
DE- McWilliams had 11.5 sacks and 19 hurries.
DE- Hughes had 9 sacks and 21 hurries.

Newton had the highest YPC in the league.

Bad news. Looking at the injury report from the game. Cochrane has a compound leg fracture, full strength in 1978. He will be out all next year. I thought I rested most of my starters. I goofed. That will definitely hurt us up the middle next year.

Cincinnati beat N.O. 37-31 in overtime to win the Front Office Bowl 1976.

My end of year evaluation:
Team Performance 22
Franchise value 32
Profit/loss 43
Roster strength 78
Overall 37

Better than last year.
Time to move on to 1977 and see who retired, who to keep, who should retire and such.



Front Office Football 2007
1976 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 14 2 0 .875 412 229 11-1 6-0
Baltimore 9 7 0 .563 302 244 7-5 4-2
Pittsburgh 4 12 0 .250 172 300 3-9 1-5
Cleveland 3 13 0 .188 231 398 2-10 1-5

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Jacksonville 13 3 0 .813 417 222 9-3 5-1
Tennessee 8 8 0 .500 355 347 5-7 3-3
Indianapolis 8 8 0 .500 274 316 6-6 2-4
Houston 7 8 1 .469 281 281 6-5-1 2-4

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Buffalo 8 7 1 .531 236 280 7-4-1 5-1
New England 8 8 0 .500 313 290 6-6 4-2
Miami 6 10 0 .375 315 368 4-8 2-4
New York J 5 11 0 .313 246 276 4-8 1-5

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 12 4 0 .750 397 242 10-2 6-0
San Diego 7 8 1 .469 273 298 6-5-1 2-3-1
Kansas City 6 9 1 .406 241 288 5-6-1 2-3-1
Oakland 4 12 0 .250 198 312 3-9 1-5

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Green Bay 10 6 0 .625 351 289 9-3 4-2
Chicago 10 6 0 .625 274 275 8-4 4-2
Detroit 8 8 0 .500 304 308 6-6 3-3
Minnesota 4 12 0 .250 251 372 3-9 1-5

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 14 2 0 .875 454 244 10-2 5-1
Tampa Bay 11 5 0 .688 354 253 9-3 4-2
Carolina 8 8 0 .500 327 356 6-6 2-4
Atlanta 5 11 0 .313 253 333 2-10 1-5

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Washington 12 4 0 .750 315 206 9-3 4-2
Philadelphia 9 7 0 .563 424 291 5-7 3-3
New York G 6 10 0 .375 227 371 4-8 2-4
Dallas 4 12 0 .250 250 362 4-8 3-3

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
St. Louis 11 5 0 .688 330 268 9-3 4-2
Seattle 10 6 0 .625 343 317 6-6 4-2
San Francisco 7 9 0 .438 256 306 5-7 3-3
Arizona 3 13 0 .188 233 367 1-11 1-5 

[DolphinFan1]

Quick note: Been a little busy with the family life. But look for the new season to start this weekend. I plan to have a very detailed offseason.

[DolphinFan1]

Sorry for the delay. I came down with the flu this week. I made it through the work week but I got 2 hours sleep last night and I am exhausted. I'll try to get an update posted soon.

[DolphinFan1]

We start the 1977 offseason with some holes to fill.

Here is our roster at the start of the offseason:



Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Future Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB 11 39 39 3 yrs
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 2 24 58 2 yrs
Tozer, Vince 6 QB 8 21 48 ---
Newton, Neal 32 RB 2 76 80 4 yrs
Craig, Edwin 31 RB 2 25 35 2 yrs
Blanda, Darryl 29 FB 7 50 50 2 yrs
Burke, Andrew 47 FB 2 23 40 2 yrs
Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE 7 52 52 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 5 50 50 ---
Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 6 30 36 1 yr.
Antonides, Phillip 85 FL 4 48 53 ---
High, Lincoln 89 FL 6 35 35 ---
Swift, C.J. 87 SE 3 44 44 2 yrs
Barber, Sam 83 SE 10 39 39 1 yr.
Blair, Leroy 81 SE 2 19 31 ---
Mohr, Derrick 59 C 12 80 80 1 yr.
Sherman, Freddie 51 C 3 43 48 1 yr.
Springer, Mitch 74 LG 6 70 70 3 yrs
Lee, J.B. 68 RG 7 56 56 ---
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 2 21 48 2 yrs
Marcus, Billy Joe 64 RG 3 21 32 1 yr.
Green, Curtis 61 LT 12 61 61 ---
Ramirez, Doug 60 LT 2 15 44 2 yrs
Bush, Travis 71 RT 3 49 61 1 yr.
Newton, Troy 67 RT 7 42 42 ---
Atkinson, Ty 69 RT 6 29 39 ---
Singleton, Bruce 12 P 7 53 53 1 yr.
Jerman, Leonard 3 K 3 52 52 2 yrs
Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE 5 81 81 1 yr.
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE 4 72 72 2 yrs
Withers, Keith 95 RDE 8 42 42 ---
Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT 2 47 64 3 yrs
Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 10 36 36 ---
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT 3 52 59 1 yr.
Bennett, Aaron 70 RDT 5 27 27 ---
**Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 4 52 52 3 yrs
Stokes, Mitch 53 MLB 8 32 32 ---
Brooks, Ross 56 SLB 10 38 38 ---
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 2 19 50 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB 2 22 52 2 yrs
Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 3 22 40 ---
Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB 6 54 54 ---
Addy, Larry 22 LCB 9 37 37 ---
Hanks, Brenden 49 LCB 4 28 28 ---
Barton, Al 25 RCB 3 53 53 2 yrs
Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 2 23 53 2 yrs
**Buckley, Desmond 23 RCB 3 15 35 ---
Mihna, Don 34 SS 12 45 45 ---
Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS 9 45 45 1 yr.
Schindler, Kenneth 21 SS 2 19 44 1 yr.
Carr, Carlos 48 FS 3 42 50 1 yr.
Pearson, Chester 37 FS 4 39 46 1 yr.

$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 32
Inactive: 0
On Active Roster: 32

Salary Cap: $67,200,000
Cap Room: $34,070,000
Maximum for New Player: $29,870,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $300,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $0
Cap Room Required Next Year: $23,500,000


Let's start by noting our retirees and any key retirees in the league.
1st is DE- Daulton. He was a backup last year but still a good player. I will need to find a decent backup DE.
Next I see RB- Moore retired. He is our all time leading rusher. Just until Newton gets a few years under him. He was good but was declining. I will be looking for a backup here also.
Those are our only two retirees this year.
I don't see anyone I recognize who retired.

Our roster is 32 signed players. Time to evaluate our coaching staff and roster.

FB- Blanda has improved to 50/50 that's +3 current and future.
SE- Swift is fully developed but is now 44, that's -4 future.
C- Mohr has improved +3 current and future to 80/80.
RDE- McWilliams has improved to 72/72 that's +4 current and future.
LCB- Addy has improved 2 to 37/37.
SS- Pearson improved +1 in future
SS- Carr improved +2 in future.

Those are the notable changes.
I have to decide who to send to summer camp later. I may send QB- Kolodziejski as my 1st two picks, Newton and Dobbins are very well developed.

Our scout is still under contract and he has neither declined nor improved in any area. We will not make any changes here. He is Ave in QB,LB,YT. Good in Rec,OL,K. VG in RB,DL,SEC.
Our head coach is also under contract and has no changes. We will keep him. He is Good in Dis. and Off. Play calling. VG in Mot.,Def. Play Calling and Avoiding injuries.
Our off. coor. is aslo under contract and has no changes. We will keep him. He is Ave in Rec. Good in YT. VG in QB, K. Excellent in RB and OL.
Our def. coor. contract expired. I can't even offer him what he wants as our owner has set a limit on Def. coor. lower than he wants.
I find 52 year old Reggie Reid. He was Jax. DC for 3 years. He comes in under what the owner will allow. I go as high as I can for 3 years. He is VG in K/P and Sec. Good in DL, LB and YT.
He accepts our offer.

Time to move on to early FA. I need to decide who to send to summer league, franchise and look over my roster for needs. I may be only looking in the draft here as we are spending too much and losing money every year. My owner is none too pleased.


Up next: Early FA

[DolphinFan1]

I have decided to send 5th round pick WLB- Kimbrell to summer league. He started 15 games last year and is currently 22/52. He will be starting again this year.
Kolodziejski may not start this year. I may have him back up Sanders one more year.

We have 15 UFA and 5 RFA. I need to decide who to keep.

Let's go by position.

QB- Sanders and Kolodziejski are under contract. Tozer is an UFA. I will let him go. That was a trade in 1975 that never panned out. I will look for a 3rd QB in the draft as I feel we are pretty good here with Kolodziejski learning from Sanders(Mentor) for the future to take over.
RB- With Moore retiring that leaves me with Newton and Craig. I will look for a backup in the draft or late FA.
FB- Blanda and Burke are under contract and I feel we are good here.
TE- Dunkelberger and Chavarria are under contract. Bufford is my 2nd TE and is an UFA. He isn't good enough for the franchise tag. But I will try to sign him.
WR- We only have SE- Swift and Barber signed. FL- Antonides is a RFA and our leading receiver. I will definitely sign him. SE- Blair is a RFA. He was nothing special. I will try to look for an upgrade in the draft. I may sign him and let him compete for a roster spot. FL- High is an UFA. But he isn't worth the franchise tag. It's possible I could offer him a contract, but I will probably look to get a future starter in the draft.
C- We have 2 signed. Mohr is in his 12th year and the final year of his contract. Sherman was a 7th round pick 2 years ago. He has the skills to be a starter just not dominate like Mohr. I probably can wait until next year if Mohr retires to upgrade this position.
OG- Springer is signed through 1979. So LG should be ok for the near future. Marcus is a backup and signed, Snyder is also signed. Lee is an UFA. He may be worth the franchise tag.
LT- Ramirez was a 7th round pick last year. He is signed and should be a decent player for a 7th round pick. Green is an UFA and in his 12th year. He is definitely worth the tag. I am hesitant to sign him long term because of his age. It would be worth the loyalty hit to keep him. Newton is an UFA and angry for not playing more. I won't be able to sign him and I probably wouldn't try anyway. Bush is our starting RT and is signed. Atkinson is an UFA and a backup. I could offer him a low contract as he is a decent backup. So we have 2 signed. One I might franchise. One to let go. And one maybe a small contract.
P- Singleton is a good punter and signed through this year. No worries here.
K- Jerman is a disappointment. He's still ok but he missed 4 FG in his rookie year and 8 last year. I will look for an upgrade in the draft even though he is signed.
DE- Hughes and McWilliams are monsters and are signed. Withers is an UFA. I will not franchise him this year. I might try to sign him low but I don't think he will accept. He will be a backup behind my studs. I need 2 here so if I sign Withers I need 1.
DT- Dobbins is signed and starting. Petkovich is signed and starting. My other two backups Goodwin and Bennett are UFA. Neither is worth a lot of money. I may see what they want but if not I will need two here.
MLB- I am in trouble here. With Cochrane out the whole 1977 season I have a lot of money tied up. Add to that he is signed through1979. Stokes is an UFA. But he isn't a starter. So I need to put Cochrane on IR and look for a starter and backup. If no one is available in FA I will have to draft the future at MLB.
OLB- SLB Franz and WLB- Kimbrell are signed and will be starting. Even though they are not fully developed. It's my best option right now. Brooks is an UFA but not worth signing. Fredrickson is a RFA and I will see what he wants. Either way I will need one or two here.
CB- RCB- Barton and Barkley are signed. I will need three here and one to be a LCB starter. Pirrup is an UFA as is Addy. Hanks who was a fill in last year when Pirrup went down is a RFA. Buckley is a RFA but out with an injury. I will only try to sign Pirrup. So I will need two more.
S- Schindler is signed. Tigchelaar is signed and starting. Pearson and Carr are signed. Carr is the starter. The only FA is Mihna and he may not be worth signing.

I franchised LT- Green because of his age. He may retire and isn't worth a long contract. He is a great LT and his loyalty is still 49. Hopefully he won't holdout.
I put MLB- Cochrane on IR to free up that roster spot.

Up next: Early FA and draft preview

[DolphinFan1]

Stage 1 of Early FA:

My 1st action in the 1st stage of FA is to sign Antonides to a contract. He is a RFA so I can deal with him. I have to wait on our UFAs until week 2. He wants a 5 year deal. I tweak a little and he signs a 5 year $12 million.
SE- Blair only wants a 1 year no bonus deal for $250,000. I sign him. He can compete if I sign more than 5 WR.
WLB- Fredrickson wants a 1 year no bonus deal for $310,000. I sign him. Same deal as Blair.
The only other RFA is CB- Hanks and I am not signing him.
I manage a trade with Tampa Bay. I trade K- Jerman for a 6(27) pick in this year's draft and a 7th round next year. That was the best I could work out. I should be able to find a better option in the draft.
We have 35 players signed right now. One is on IR so really 34.

Time to look at the draft preview and do any interviews. We have the 9th pick in the draft.

A quick survey of the draft shows no super studs for the #1 pick. So glad we have the 9th pick.

I will do interviews after I try to sign some of my UFA in the early stages of FA.

Stage 2 of Early FA:

TE- Bufford is looking for a 1 year deal. I offer him 2 year deal.
SE- High wants a little more than I wanted. I will wait on him.
RG- Lee wants a 4 year deal. He is in his 7th season. I will try to sign him. That should end his career in Miami.
RT- Atkinson I will wait on.
DE- Withers won't sign with me because I franchised him last year. He would only be a backup anyway.
DT- Goodwin only wants a 1 year deal. I offer it to him. Bennett also wants a 1 year deal. I offer it to him.
CB- Pirrup wants a 1 year deal. I offer him a 2 year deal.
SS- Mihna wants a little more than I wanted. I will wait on him.

Players not offered or won't offer: QB- Tozer, RG- Newton, DE- Withers, MLB- Stokes, OLB- Brooks, CB- Addy.
This may change but for now this is how it is.

I find a RB who could help us. Kurt Crichlow. He played for Arizona 4 years and Minn. the last two. He is a mentor and had a 4.56 ypc last year and 4.4 ypc for his career. He would only be used to spell Newton a rest. He only wants a 1 year deal. I offer him a little more than he wanted.
I also see a FL who could help. Freddie Cole. He is in his 6th year all with Jax. He has good stats. He could be a good 3rd WR for us. He only wants a 1 year deal.
I offer a MLB- Clifton Whiting a contract. He is in his 6th season and is not outstanding. But he could start until we find a better option. I offer him a 1 year deal.
I make 1 more offer. DE- Daniel Ward is pretty good. He could start if we didn't have the studs we have. He is in his 9th year. He wants 2 years. I offer it to him.

Up next: Early FA continues

[DolphinFan1]

After stage two, Bufford and Whiting signed with us.

After stage three, Ward signs with us.
OG- Lee and CB- Pirrup are generating a lot of offers. Hopefully they will stay with us.

After stage four we get some good news, Pirrup signs with us. So does Lee. We also get Cole.
Mihna and OG- Newton have offers from other teams. Newton I will let go. Mihna I will try.

After stage five, I get Mihna on a cheap deal. Also Goodwin signs with us. Newton goes to Jax.

After stage six, we are still waiting on RB- Crichlow and DT- Bennett.

After stage seven, Bennett signs with us. OLB- Brooks goes to TB, DE- Withers goes to S.F.

After stage eight, Crichlow signs with us. So everyone we wanted we got.

After stage nine, I offer a OLB- Jerry Litingo a 1 year no bonus contract. He is VG in Run and BNR defense. He is a nine year vet. I just want to get some competition between my LB.
He signs with us. I may not keep him, but we'll see.

That's it for FA.

Up next: My draft interviews and our needs.

[DolphinFan1]

Our needs now are: 3rd QB, 1 future starting LT and a backup T, 1 K, 1 Backup DE, 1 future MLB, 1 OLB, 2 CB.

Draft preview:

Top 10 adjusted rating:

RDT: Ricky Droughns is a 1st round pick although not worth 1(1). Of course no one is this year. Interview is as scouted.
RDT: Lamont Lindsay is more experienced at LDT. More developed than Droughns. Interview is overrated. I would take him over Droughns as he is more developed.
RDE: Harvey Schroeder is overrated and a team leader. 43% developed. Possible but probably won't be available at 9.
RDE: Bob Burnett is as scouted but a red flag player. He is 44% developed. But the flag is troublesome. Interesting to see who takes him.
RDE: Pat Ngata is overrated. 53% developed. I would pick him at 9 if he is there. He also is a team leader.
LCB: Orlick Carr is underrated at 63% developed. Not very good run defense. I would not take him early.
RT- Gary Hargrave is overrated but nice bars. 51% developed. Possible to pick and move to LT for future.
RDT- Ted Basham didn't workout. He is overrated and 62% developed. He is an option.
RG- Lenny Armstrong is as scouted and great bars. He could move to LG and even LT. I will consider this with my pick. Only 38% developed but our Off. Coor. is excellent at developing OL.
LT- Kendall Levine is overrated and good bars. I think Armstrong is a better option for us if I go this route.

Our options at 9 may come down to Armstrong or Levine. We need a future LT but I think Armstrong could make the switch. He has better bars.

Now to evaluate each position for interviews. I will start with our needs 1st.

QB:
I won't be wasting too many interviews here. I will look down and guess a late round pick and do about 5 interviews.
Monty Winters- Is as scouted and VG bars in Acc., Timing, Screen, Long and Deep passes and Read Def. High Vol. and Smart. #4 QB on board.
Jamie Browning- Is as scouted and Short, Med., Deep passes. Acc. Timing and Read def. is good. med.high vol and smart. #6 QB on board. Drafted
Van Emerson- Is as scouted and no workout. Very high vol. Good bars. Smart. #10 QB on board. Probably my 1st pick as a good value pick. Even without workout.
Arnie Downs- Is very overrated and could be a later round project pick. Very high vol. and very smart and 2 affinities. I might try him with a 7th round pick. 35th QB on the board.
Lee Carlisle- Is overrated and very good bars. Would be a project. #13 QB on the board.
The QB class is very weak this year. My order of picks would be, Emerson, Carlisle and then Downs only late rounds. No one else stikes me.

OT:
I need a future LT and backup T. I will do probably 10 interviews here including my top 10. I will scout by blocking strength.
LT- Charles Borders is very underrated and good bars. But not as good as I thought. Very young. #10 T on board.
RT- Hargrave is above. #1 T on board.
RT- Kelvin Irwin is as scouted. VG pass blocking and strength. Poor run blocking and no endurance. Possibly move to LT. #17 T on board. Middle round pick.
RT- Gary Ross is underrated. VG Run and pass blocking. Ave. strength. VG endurance. Better experience at LT. Would move here. #5 T on board. Only 28% developed.
LT- Levine is above and 45% developed. #2 T on board. I may rethink my earlier strategy to pick Armstrong. This may be my pick. High leadership and vol.
LT- Nicky Marcum is as scouted, 35% developed. #4 T on board.
LT- Duane Collier is as scouted. 35% developed. No run blocking. Good other bars. 24th T on board. Maybe a late round project pick.
RT- Gary Barnes is underrated. Only 28% developed. Ave. bars across the board. Maybe a late project pick.
LT- Edwin Wilkins is overrated. 43% developed and no workout. If available in middle rounds. Doubt it as he is #6 T on board.
This may be a crapshoot as no one stands out.

K:
I won't waste a lot of interviews here. But I do need a K. I will interview top 3.
Neal Hayes is underrated but bars all to the right. 54% developed. I will definitely try to pick him here. Without a 3rd round pick I hope he is there in the 4th.
Juan Hammond is very underrated. Acc. is VG, Power and distance is Ave. Hang time is poor. Probably pick only 6th or 7th round.
Kurt Nielson is overrated. Ave, acc and power. VG distance and hang time. Probably pick him before Hammond. But only in later rounds.
Looks like if I don't get Hayes we may be out of luck. No one else is great.
I won't interview any more but Will Lane is 69% developed. Acc is very good but Power is poor. May be an option in late rounds for a acc. kicker. Young and High vol. #6 K on board.

I have 35 interviews left. I will use 5 on DE and OLB, and 10 on ILB and CB. The remaining 5 will be used on the best Special Teams and return guys in the draft.

DE:
I need a backup DE.
After the top 3 DE listed above there is a big drop off in talent. Scouting by strength after the top 3.
LDE- Curtis Burkhart is as scouted. Young. 19% developed. #24 DE on board. I will see if he is available in later rounds. Good bars except Technique.
RDE- Tyrone Gardiner is very overrated. 39% developed and team leader. Young. Not good against run but good pass rush tech. and strength. #28 on board. Maybe late rounds.
LDE- Van Conrad is very overrated. 38% developed. Leadership, intell. and vol. very high. Strickly a project pick in last rounds.
RDE- Quentin Gindin is overrated and 41% developed. No workout. Maybe a project. #15 DE on board.
LDE- Jake Gordon is very overrated and is 48% developed. Very high loyalty. High Vol. #16 DE on board.


ILB:
I need a stud MLB as Cochrane is out for at least this year and who knows if he comes back the same.
I will scout based on Run defense and BNR, also play diagnosis and punishing hitter.
MLB- Albert Reade is as scouted. Run ave., BNR VG. Great special teams. #2 MLB. 60% developed.
MLB- Luke Eastridge is overrated. Good in Run, VG in BNR, Play and Punish. ave. 36% developed. #6 MLB on board. Should be there in 3rd.
MLB- Bryant Huffman is very underrated. VG in run and BNR. Ex. in special teams. 44% developed. High vol. leadership. #12 MLB on board. Maybe an option if available later.
MLB- Joel Alcott is very overrated and 23% developed. Ave. in run, play and punish. VG in BNR. Project pick later.
MLB- Ed Duncan is overrated and 55% developed. #1 MLB on board. No way he falls below 2nd round but if he does I will pick him.
MLB- Edgar Parker is overrated and 32% developed. No workout. Very high vol. and smart. May be an option.
MLB- Ricardo Grasmanis is as scouted and 56% developed. May be a good pick and better than what I have this year. #13 MLB in draft.
I will stop here as it isn't worth the interviews. Very shallow and weak MLB selection.

OLB:
This group is deeper. 1st two are in the top 15 overall on board. Should be some quality picks here.
SLB- Todd Raymond is #1 OLB in draft. He is very overrated. But still good bars.
SLB- Quentin Christopher is as scouted and no workout. I would take him above Raymond.
SLB- Lee Smithwick is underrated. Good bars.
SLB- T.J. Tanner is very overrated. Ex. run defense. Young but not worth early round pick.
SLB- Travis Dellinger is as scouted and good bars where needed. Team leader. If available draft him.
SLB- Jim Hamilton is as scouted and team leader. Good bars where needed. Better developed than Dellinger and move to WLB maybe.
WLB- Ernie Henderson is as scouted. 67% developed. Good bars Run and BNR. Move to MLB. Pick him above the rest in later rounds. #9 OLB in draft.

CB:
I really need 2 here. One future starter and another role player.
LCB- Carr is scouted above. I would not chose him. Poor run defense.
LCB- Ronnie Randle is underrated. Young, high vol. Good bars where needed. 34% developed.
RCB- Vinny Philip is underrated. Great run defense and Good BNR. 57% developed.
RCB- Herman Meraz is Overrated and 62% developed. Decent bars where needed. Move to LCB, more experienced.
LCB- Everett Herring is as scouted and 53% developed. Ave. bars across the board. High vol.
RCB- Keith Devine is very overrated and 26% developed. Maybe an option in middle rounds.
RCB- Sean Satterlee is as scouted and 54% developed. VG run.
RCB- Matthew Renze is very underrated 42% developed. Decent bars.

I have 9 interviews left. I will interview return and special teams guys now.
FL- Darren Nelson is very overrated. Good at PR. and 3rd down catching. Very high vol. and intell.
FL- Archie Lane is overrated and 44% developed. PR and Special teams good.
SE- Henry Fries is as scouted and 27% developed. Good at KR. High vol.
SS- Kirk Serra is very overrated and 47% developed. High Vol. loyalty. Good KR.
FS- Rogers Lively is overrated and 37% developed. Decent KR.
LCB- Artie Dewey is very overrated and team leader. 35% developed. Good PR. Probably one of the best.
RCB- Charlie Romano is as scouted. 37% developed. High vol. Good PR. If available late take him for PR. **
LCB- David Holmes is as scouted. 32% developed. VG KR and good special. Take him before Romano. ****
FL- Bernie Plotz is very overrated and only 5% developed. Special teams player. Maybe 7th round pick or undrafted FA.

This is a weak draft. I will try to draft as scouted to see if I do better.

Looking closely at the players who might be available at 9 I may trade down. Our immediate needs are a OLB and CB. I can probably get a quality OLB later in the 1st round and get extra picks. We'll see how it goes.

UP next: The 1977 Draft

[DolphinFan1]

As predicted, most of the top 10 adjusted rated players are gone before our pick at 9.

RDT Droughns went 1(1)
DE- Burnett goes to Philly. I'm curious to see how the red flag works out.
OG- Armstrong went at 7. So now my options are Levine or RDT Basham unless I want to take OLB Raymond.
I'm not sure that Levine or Raymond are worth this high of a pick. And Basham isn't as we are solid at DT.
I think I will trade down and take OLB Christopher later.

I trade out of the 9th spot to Philly for 1(21), 2(22), 3(21) and 7(3). That gives me 13 picks and room to manuever or take some chances on sleepers later.

OT- Levine is still available at 21. I am surprised he fell that far. Maybe due to high vol. and he is overrated. I will pick him and hope OLB- Christopher falls to 2nd round. He should. I already have a star LT but he is in his 12 year.

My next pick is at 2(10). Looking at what's left. Christopher is the top OLB left on the board. He may not be available at 2(10). We'll wait and see.



Well my gamble didn't pay off as Christopher went to N.O. at 1(31). Back to the drawing board.
Dellinger is the 4th best OLB available on board. He would be my next pick. Only question is do I take him with 2(10) or wait until 2(22) We'll see what goes 1st. Looking at the needs list, no one is listed as needing a OLB. I may trade out of 2(10) and get some picks next year and pick Dellinger with 2(22). I hope it doesn't backfire.


Two OLB went in the first 9 picks of the 2nd round. There is one rated higher than Dellinger. I'm not sure if he will be there at 22. I trade 2(10) to Detroit for their 2nd and 3rd round pick next year.
I hope this doesn't backfire, but I want extra picks to build a young team for the future.
As predicted ILB Duncan didn't fall below the 2nd round.


Dellinger is available at 22. He's the 9th non-kicker available on the value board based on grade, not adjusted grade. I have to take him.
I have 1 pick in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th. My next 4 picks will be a CB,QB,ILB and a K. I will try to trade up or I will wait until 5th to get a K.


The 3rd round is a disaster before my pick at 21. All my targeted CB are gone as is my K. I select QB- Winters as best value for what I need.
I have 2 picks in the 4th. Kicker is out as no one is worth a 4th round pick. I need a MLB and CB. It may not be pretty.


With the 10th pick in the 4th round I selected a C. He was the 3rd best non-kicker available on the board. The best MLB left was selected and there were no CB worth this pick. Mohr is in his 12th year and the center I drafted 2 years ago to be his replacement isn't very good. I will try to trade him.


I trade C- Sherman and my 7(24) this year for a 7th next year. It's the only deal they would take. Basically we made nothing on the deal.


With my 4(24) I select a CB who I didn't interview. He is good in all the things I want. Run Def., BNR, Play Dia., Punish. and Int. Combine scores are good and 50% develped. High vol. Let's hope he works out.
I have the 9th pick in the 5th. I may select a MLB and a Kicker with one of my 6th round picks.
I get a MLB in the 5th.

With the 10th pick in the 6th round I select a Kicker I didn't interview. He is Ex. in acc. and good in power. Ave. in distance and VG in hangtime. He is rated at 28/71. I expect that to drop a little. Still it should be better than last year.
I have 4 picks left. 6(27), 7(3,7 and 9). I may go best available. I do need some depth at CB, DE and OT.
I select a DE with my 6th round pick.
I select an OT for depth with 7(3).
I select a CB for depth with 7(7).
I select a WR for PR and special teams with my 7(9).
Well that ends this draft for me. Let's see how it turned out.


Here's what our draft picks are rated post draft and pre camp:

1(21) LT Kendall Levine 43/59
2(22) OLB Travis Dellinger 26/62
3(21) QB Monte Winters 13/51
4(10) C Everett Hickman 24/58
4(24) RCB Artie Terry 24/42
5(9) MLB Luke Eastridge 17/39
6(10) K Dixon Harvey 28/71
6(27) LDE Curtis Burkhart 24/49
7(3) RT Kelvin Irwin 18/49
7(7) LCB Doug Zygmunt 17/38
7(9) FL Archie Lane 16/28

If our top picks work out it could be called a positive draft. We got some good future picks on the OL and OLB. The lower picks were middle of the road. Maybe some will improve after camp.

Up Next:

Late FA and post camp roster cuts and notes.

[DolphinFan1]

Time for late FA and to try to sign my draft picks.
Starting Late FA I get two emails, SE- Swift is holding out for a longer more lucrative contract. I give him what he wants as he is a big part of our receiving corp. Also, DE McWilliams is holding out. I will also give him what he wants. Unlike last year with Winters, I don't have a better option.
I sign all my rookies and will now sign some Undrafted FA to send to camp.
I offer T- Atkinson a 1 year no bonus deal to compete for a roster spot.
I also offer CB- Hanks a 1 year deal to compete for a roster spot. He was a good fill in last year.
I sign a bunch of Undrafted FA to compete. I have 74 players going to camp. I sign extra kickers as this is a much need spot this year.

Pre camp roster:



Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Future Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB 11 39 39 3 yrs
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 2 22 55 2 yrs
Tozer, Vince 6 QB 8 20 47 ---
Winters, Monty 13 QB 1 13 51 4 yrs
Perry, Glen 17 QB 1 11 58 1 yr.
Newton, Neal 32 RB 2 75 80 4 yrs
Crichlow, Kurt 46 RB 7 42 42 1 yr.
Craig, Edwin 31 RB 2 24 31 2 yrs
Blanda, Darryl 29 FB 7 50 50 2 yrs
Burke, Andrew 47 FB 2 22 37 2 yrs
Needham, Marcus 39 FB 1 20 50 1 yr.
Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE 7 50 50 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 5 50 50 2 yrs
Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 6 30 36 1 yr.
Ellard, Reggie 1 TE 1 21 52 1 yr.
Antonides, Phillip 85 FL 4 50 56 5 yrs
Cole, Freddie 88 FL 6 41 41 1 yr.
High, Lincoln 89 FL 6 35 35 ---
Nishioka, Dana 3 FL 1 24 49 1 yr.
Nelson, Darren 2 FL 1 18 27 1 yr.
Lane, Archie 80 FL 1 16 28 3 yrs
Swift, C.J. 87 SE 3 41 41 4 yrs
Barber, Sam 83 SE 10 39 39 1 yr.
Hancock, Glen 5 SE 1 22 54 1 yr.
Blair, Leroy 81 SE 2 19 30 1 yr.
Fries, Henry 9 SE 1 14 34 1 yr.
Mohr, Derrick 59 C 12 80 80 1 yr.
Hickman, Everett 52 C 1 24 58 3 yrs
Springer, Mitch 74 LG 6 68 68 3 yrs
Chandiramani, Craig 78 LG 1 18 39 1 yr.
Lee, J.B. 68 RG 7 57 57 4 yrs
Marcus, Billy Joe 64 RG 3 21 33 1 yr.
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 2 20 45 2 yrs
Gomez, Anthony 63 RG 1 19 51 1 yr.
Green, Curtis 61 LT 12 61 61 1 yr.
Levine, Kendall 65 LT 1 43 59 4 yrs
Ramirez, Doug 60 LT 2 14 40 2 yrs
Bush, Travis 71 RT 3 47 58 1 yr.
Atkinson, Ty 69 RT 6 28 37 1 yr.
Irwin, Kelvin 73 RT 1 18 49 3 yrs
Singleton, Bruce 12 P 7 53 53 1 yr.
Hammond, Juan 4 K 1 37 69 1 yr.
Lane, Will 14 K 1 36 49 1 yr.
Harvey, Dixon 11 K 1 28 71 3 yrs
Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE 5 79 79 1 yr.
Burkhart, Curtis 90 LDE 1 24 49 3 yrs
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE 4 72 72 4 yrs
Ward, Daniel 72 RDE 9 46 46 2 yrs
Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT 2 45 61 3 yrs
Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 10 35 35 1 yr.
Gilmore, Bruce 97 LDT 1 17 53 1 yr.
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT 3 49 56 1 yr.
Bennett, Aaron 70 RDT 5 27 27 1 yr.
Whiting, Clifton 94 WILB 6 38 38 1 yr.
Alcott, Joel 96 WILB 1 10 27 1 yr.
%%Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 4 54 54 3 yrs
Stokes, Mitch 53 MLB 8 32 32 ---
Eastridge, Luke 54 MLB 1 17 39 3 yrs
Litingo, Jerry 58 SLB 9 37 37 1 yr.
Dellinger, Travis 56 SLB 1 26 62 3 yrs
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 2 19 46 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB 2 21 46 2 yrs
Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 3 21 39 1 yr.
Armstrong, Orlando 95 WLB 1 18 34 1 yr.
Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB 6 54 54 2 yrs
Addy, Larry 22 LCB 9 35 35 ---
Hanks, Brenden 49 LCB 4 29 29 1 yr.
Alston, Bo 27 LCB 1 17 49 1 yr.
Zygmunt, Doug 24 LCB 1 17 38 3 yrs
Barton, Al 25 RCB 3 49 49 2 yrs
Terry, Artie 43 RCB 1 24 42 3 yrs
Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 2 22 48 2 yrs
**Buckley, Desmond 23 RCB 3 13 29 ---
Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS 9 45 45 1 yr.
Mihna, Don 34 SS 12 45 45 1 yr.
Harrison, Alonzo 28 SS 1 18 50 1 yr.
Schindler, Kenneth 21 SS 2 18 40 1 yr.
Carr, Carlos 48 FS 3 41 47 1 yr.
Pearson, Chester 37 FS 4 38 44 1 yr.
Lane, Patrick 42 FS 1 18 38 1 yr.

$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 75
Inactive: 0
On Active Roster: 74

Salary Cap: $67,200,000
Cap Room: $15,180,000
Maximum for New Player: $15,430,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $350,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $50,000
Cap Room Required Next Year: $42,290,000

Up next:

Post camp notes and cuts to 60.

[DolphinFan1]

Here is the post camp notes and cuts to 60 players.

QB:
Sanders dropped 3 in C/F. He's definitely on the decline. Kolodziejski may get more playing time. 3rd round pick Winters has a big drop in potential of -11. Hopefully he can rebound. He is only rated 40 now. Undrafted FA Glen Perry dropped 9 in potential. He is 49 now. It will be interesting to see who makes the roster. Sanders may be out. It will be a fierce batter as I am ready to make a switch if someone shows me something. One will get the axe after preseason.

RB:
Newton is still a stud at 74/80. Craig improved 2 in potential and still a viable 3rd down back. FA signee Crichlow improved 1 to 43/43 to be a decent backup to Newton. No cuts here as I have 3 and keep 3.

FB:
Disappointing news here. Starting FB Blanda dropped 7 in c/f to 43. Still our starter but might be on the decline. Last year's backup, Burke improved a meager 1 in c/f to 23/38. Undrafted FA signee Needham is +2 current and -3 future to 22/47. Still, he may beat out Burke for the backup job. One gets the axe after preseason.

TE:
Starter Dunkelburger stayed the same after camp which is good news. Burford dropped only 1 and is right behind Dunkelburger at 49/49. Chavarria dropped 1 in current and 2 in potential to 29/34. Undrafted FA Ellard dropped 5 in potential but is stilll rated 47. I cut Ellard anyway. He just didn't have good ratings in blocking catergories. I will keep the 3 remaining.

WR:
We went to camp with 10. FL- Antonides is our star at 51/56. He has been improving a little each year in potential and with a vol. of 95 he could be a boom. FA signee Cole improved 1 to 42/42 and will be a big part of our offense as a 3rd receiver. SE- Swift stayed the same and will start again this year. Undrafted FA- Nishioka dropped 4 in potential but at 45 is still almost a lock to make the team as a 4th receiver. SE- Barber dropped 9 in c/f and is on the decline in his 10th year. He gets the axe as does Undrafted FA Nelson. 7th round pick Lane will get a chance to earn a spot on his PR and special teams skills. Blair stayed the same but will be fighting for a roster spot. Undrafted FA Hancock dropped 9 in potential but is still a 45. Will be fighting for a spot. So we have 7 WR going into preseason. I will keep 5. Blair, Hancock and Lane will be competing for the 5th WR spot. Blair has receiving experience going for him. Hancock is raw and is on the outside right now. Lane would only be used in special teams and PR.

C:
We only have two so both will make the roster. Mohr has a slight drop to 76/76. Still clearly a great C. 4th round pick, Hickman improved +3 current and +2 future to 27/60. He could be our best value pick in the draft. He still is raw in run and pass blocking. He may be an option for summer camp next year. Mohr is in the last year of his contract and is willing to sign for an extra year and not cost us much more. I decide it would be a good idea seeing how Hickman will not be ready to start next year. But besides that Mohr is a mentor and I need Hickman to develop.

OG:
We brought 6 to camp and will keep 4 after preseason. Starting LG Springer improved 1 to 69/69. Starting RG Lee stayed the same at 57/57. I am cutting 3rd year player Marcus. He was a 7th round pick in 1975 but he has the worst ratings of the bunch. The remaining 3 OG will compete for 2 spots during preseason. There are no standouts and no one is a lock.

OT:
We brought 6 to camp and will keep 5 after preseason. Starting LT Green dropped 5 and looks to be on the decline. Still our best option at 56/56. But he may retire soon as he is in his 12th year. Which is why I franchised him. I didn't want to give him a long term contract. Starting RT Bush dropped 8 but is fully developed at 50/50. I hope he rebounds. 1st round pick Levine looks to be the real deal at 42/59 after camp. He will replace Green when he retires. He is very well developed except for pass blocking. Hopefully he can bring up during preseason. The other 3 T are nothing to get excited about. I cut Atkinson as he has the least ability of the rest. So my 4th and 5th guards are 7th round picks. Last season's 7th rounder, Ramirez and this year's Irwin.

P:
Singleton only dropped 1 to 52/52. We are ok here.

K:
We went to camp with 3 rookie Kickers and this looks to be the fiercest competition during preseason. Our 6th round pick Harvey is +4 current and -5 future after camp at 32/66. Hammond went undrafted and I don't know why. He is +15 current and no change in future after camp. He is an impressive 52/69. He is the front runner. I hope he keeps his ratings. Lane isn't too shabby at 44 potential but no where near as good as the other two. He gets the axe. Hammond and Harvey will battle in preseason to make the team.

I'm down to 67 players before preseason. I need to cut 7 more.

DE:
My two stud DE Hughes and McWilliams both improved 1 to 80/80 and 73/73 respectively. FA signee Ward dropped 6 to 40/40. But should give us some decent depth. 6th round pick, Burkhart dropped 2 to 24/47 but should still be ok. All will make the team here.

DT:
Our two starters are solid. Both improved a little in current and no change in potential. Dobbins is 48/61 and Petkovich is 52/56. Goodwin is only 35/35 and a 10 year vet. I will keep him because he is a mentor and I have a lot of young talent at DT. Bennett is 26/26 and clearly the weak link and I will cut him. Undrafted FA signing Gilmore dropped 6 to 18/47 but still the better of the two. Maybe he will surprise me.

MLB:
Cochrane is on IR and I am hoping he can fully recover as he is still young and has some years left. FA signee Whiting stayed the same and isn't that good. But as I am trying to play certain coverages he may work. He will start at least early on. Undrafted FA Alcott improved +2 cur/fut. to 12/29. Not very good. 5th round pick Eastridge improved +4 cur and +1 future to 21/40. Alcott was a shot in the dark and Eastridge is better at run and bnr coverages as I want. So I cut Alcott.

OLB:
We went to camp with 6 and will keep 4. I will cut one now and let the others compete for the 4 spots. FA Signee Litingo dropped 7 after camp but is still good in run defense and bnr. Franz is the same. Kimbrell improved +6 current and +1 future after camp to 27/47. Maybe because I sent him to summer camp. 2nd round pick Dellinger dropped 4 in future and is 26/58. The remaining 2, Fredrickson and undrafted FA Armstrong are not very good. They will be hard pressed to make the team. I cut Armstrong. Fredrickson and Litingo will battle for the 4th OLB spot. Dellinger may start ahead of Franz as he is more developed.

CB:
We have 7 after camp and will keep 5. Pirrup held up his ratings after his injury which is good news. He is 54/54. Barton also stayed the same at 49/49. Hanks and Barkley stayed the same. 5th round pick, Terry dropped 5 in pot. He is 25/37. Alston and 7th rounder Zygmount are nothing special. No stand outs after my starters. I hope no one goes down with an injury. Zygmount gets the axe. Also Hanks as the others have more upside.

S:
Our two veteran SS, Tigchelaar and Mihna both dropped 4 in cur/fut. to 41/41. They are 9 and 12 year players respectively. May be time for a change soon. I cut FS- Carr as he dropped 10 in current and 8 in future and as a 31/39 player is the weakest of the bunch. Pearson will start this year, he improved 3 in current and one in future to 41/45. Undrafted FA Harrison is an impressive 19/48 after camp only a drop in 2 in future. He is good in run def. and great pot. in zone. Undrafted FA Lane makes the 60 man roster as I cut Schindler. They were about even in key catergories but the edge went to Lane on good special teams ratings.

We are down to 60 players for the preseason. Time for these guys to show me something.


Up next:

The 1977 preseason starts

[DolphinFan1]

With a bye in week one we start our 1st game in week two. I start Kolodziejski and Winters as the backup. Sanders is the 3rd QB. With 4 QB's and 4 games each will start one game. Perry will play some. Right now going in, he is on the bubble as his ratings are not where I want in key catergories. But he may surprise me. Detroit comes to town and we are ready to kick off the 1977 exibition season.
Kolodziejski opens the game with a 34 yard pass to newly acquired FL- Cole. Cole made it happen with 20 yards after the catch. Still a nice 14 yard pass from Kolodziejski. We can't get any more yards and new kicker Hammond misses a 45 yard FG, but it was a bad snap. I hope that gets better.
We stop them on their 1st drive but fail to get a 1st down on our next drive. They have a short field and get a TD. Former Dolphins OG- Atkinson made two key run blocks for them. So glad I cut him. Not!
Cole makes another key 3rd down catch. Looks to be a good acquisition for us. 7th round pick, Lane also makes a key 3rd down catch on the drive. He has a lot of ground to make up to make the team.
Kolodziejski leaves after one quarter with a decent start, 4/9 for 74 yards. But a couple of good 3rd down plays. Winters takes over on the 10 yard line and can't complete a 3rd down play. Hammond hits the 28 yard FG. RB- Crichlow is rushing well as he has 39 yards on 8 carries.
A good defensive stand forces a 3 and out. We also recorded a sack.
We go 3 and out and Winters really looks raw out there.
They don't take long with the short field and we trail 14-3.
They get it right back after we fail to get a 1st down and drive to our one yard line and try a FG. DT- Dobbins blocked the kick and S- Mihna recovered at our 11.
We get -7 yards on 2 rushes for no gain and 7 yard sack allowed by 7th round pick Irwin. He is not impressing me.
They go and get another TD before halftime and lead 21-3.
The 3rd quarter was quiet except for a Detroit FG.
QB- Winters goes down early in the 4th quarter with an injury and didn't return.
Sanders comes in and finishes the drive and we get a TD on a Crichlow TD run. He has 66 yards on 14 carries and a TD.
Just when I think we may make a comeback we turn it over twice on the successive drives. First we force a punt and Tigchelaar fumbles a punt return and they get a FG out of it. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Crichlow fumbles this one. Not good.
We lose 30-10.

Here are some key stats:

RB- Crichlow finished with 81 yards on 15 carries for a 5.4 ypc average and one TD. He did have the one KO return fumble. That was probably his only bad play.
Kolodziejski's stats are listed above. Winters was 6/10 for 45 yards. Sanders was 5/10 for 65 yards.
Receivers had a decent day. Cole finished with 76 yards on 3 catches. Lane had 60 yards on 5 catches. Nishioka had 20 yards on 3 catches. No dropped passes by anyone.
On the blocking side of the ball, aside from our 2 centers who were 5/5 on key run blocks and no sacks, no one stood out.
Defensively we created no turnovers. OLB- Dellinger led the way with 7 tak. and 3 ass. S- Lane added 7 tak. MLB- Eastridge wasn't too shabby as he had 5 tak. and 5 ass.
Overall not too bad for a 1st game.
On the injury front only Winters came away with more than one week out. He has a sprained knee and is Questionable for 2 weeks.
As for former Dolphins players, besides Atkinson, S- Carr signed with Detroit, CB- Hanks signed with Philadelphia as did SE- Barber.

Up next: Week 3 of the 1977 preseason

[DolphinFan1]

We travel to San Francisco for our second preseason game. I decide to let Kolodziejski start this game also. I want a little better look at him against a 1st team defense. Perry will backup to get some work in. Sanders will be the 3rd QB again as Winters is questionable.
We start out allowing a big kickoff return to give them a short field. But our defense holds them to a FG.
We get a nice kickoff return of our own but fail to get a 1st down.
We move the ball deep but stall at the 19 and settle for a FG to tie the score.
We force a punt after one 1st down and move the ball a little but also punt. Our receivers are catching almost everything thrown at them.
They start to move the ball and get into our teritory but a big sack on 3rd down by Burkhart and Goodwin put an end to that.
The punt pins us at our 2 and we only gain 5 yards. But our punter bails us out of trouble with a big punt and a holding penalty backs them up more.
They get a 1st down but our defense holds after a sack by Franz and a blocked pass by Burkhart. But we lost Mihna on the play.
We get 2 yards after the punt.
Burkhart gets another sack on the following drive. So, he has 1 1/2 on the day. He is playing better than a 6th round pick.
We force a punt but are pinned at our 3 yard line.
We try to get out of trouble and get to the 7 yard line. But on 3rd down, FB- Burke allows a big sack for 6 yards and pins us at our 1 yard line and we have to punt. Burke is not making a good case to stay on the team.
They get a good return after the punt, but the 1st half runs out with the score 3-3. That could have worse.
We start the 2nd half not too good as on a 3rd and long, Kolodziejski throws an interception. He was 13/17 for 73 yards in the 1st half.
They start at our 22 after the turnover and waste little time with a two play drive which results in a San Francisco TD.
We go 3 and out on our next drive as Perry makes his debut at QB and gets a one yard pass.
On S.F. 1st play they get a 75 yard pass play with their TE getting 64 YAC. We trail 17-3.
Perry is looking good on his second drive as he throws two big passes to Nishioka for 14 and 30 yards.
We stall at the 19 however and have to settle for a 36 yard FG.
We force a 3 and out.
WR- Lane catches a pass on a 3rd and 10 to get a 1st down. We stall however and have to punt.
They move the ball deep but a sack by Goodwin forces a long 3rd down play and 4th round pick CB- Terry makes a big interception at our 4 yard line.
We can't get a 1st down and have to punt. Our offense is anemic but most of our star players are inactive to avoid injuries.
Our defense holds them to a 3 and out however and they punt. With the exception of the long play earlier they have played well.
Perry is not playing very well and is sacked deep in our own end and fumbles, but RB- Craig is alert and picks it up and returns it 84 yards for the TD. OG- Gomez allowed the sack, his second of the day. He is on the bubble to make the team.
Our defense holds and we fumble the punt return, (Tigchelaar), but rookie MLB- Eastridge is alert and gets it and returns it 10 yards to the 26. We trail 17-13 with 9:39 to go in the game.
After a holding call on 2nd down, Perry throws an ill-advised pass which is picked off for a TD. He is also on the bubble to make the team.
Gomez allows another sack on the following drive. That's three.
They get a FG and lead 27-13. On the ensuing kickoff, CB- Alston gets a nice return to our 47 but fumbles the ball to S.F.
Well, this is a tale of two halves as our defense has played well but our offense and special teams have given them short fields all day.
Our defense holds them to 3 plays and 2 yards.
We lose 30-13. It's amazing the score was only 3-3 at halftime. Also we only trailed by 4 with 9 minutes to play.

Some interesting revelations in this game. Most of them are not good.
Let's hit the injuries 1st. QB- Winters is still questionable for 2 weeks. That's not good as I wanted to get some playing time in for him the last game. Perry hasn't looked good and he may be gone. S- Mihna has a sprained knee and is questionable for 4 weeks.

Now for some stats:
QB- Kolodziejski was 13/18 for 73 yards with an interception. He was ok except for that mistake. Perry wasn't very good as he was 9/25 for 82 yards and 1 int. and a fumble after the sack.
RB- Crichlow wasn't very good in this game, he had 36 yards on 10 carries. But the blocking wasn't very good.
WR- Nishioka was impressive as he had 5 catches for 73 yards. Lane made 2 catches as he is trying to make the team.
K- Harvey was 2/2 on FG but his long was only 36 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, MLB- Eastridge led both teams with 8 solo tackles and 2 assists. DT- Goodwin added 7 tackles, 2 assists and 1 1/2 sacks. DE- Burkhart added 5 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks.

I try to make a trade for MLB- Lincoln Alarcon. He plays for Philadelphia and is in his 5th year. He is rated 56/56 and has 325 tackles in his 4 years. I noticed he was a holdout and just returned to the team. I almost make a deal with a 2nd and 3rd round pick for him. They wanted more. I really can't justify more. He was a 2nd round pick but that's a steep price even if we are weak at middle linebacker.

Up next:

Week 4 of the 1977 preseason

[DolphinFan1]

We travel to G.B. for our 3rd preseason game. I decide to let Perry start with Kolodziejski backing up. It's his last time to show me something.
We get the ball to start and Perry completes a 13 yard pass to WR- Cole on 3rd and 11. Cole is showing me he was a good pickup. I hope he can keep it up in the regular season.
We can't get another 1st down however and punt.
Our defense actually stopped somebody on a 3 and out and even got a TFL.
Cole makes another nice grab on a 3rd down play to keep the drive alive.
RB- Crichlow is running well and he breaks a couple for 13 and 20 yards and has 50 yards on 5 rushes.
With people on the bubble to make the team they are stepping up. Perry takes us down the field for a TD with an 8 yard pass to WR- Hancock. Perry is 5/7 for 57 yards and a TD.
They move the ball to our 49 but we hold. Unfortunately the punt pins us at our 4 yard line.
Kolodziejski comes in early in the 2nd quarter to continue a drive started by Perry from our own 4 yard line. Kolodziejski is sharp in relief and hits WR- Nishioka on a 3 yard TD pass for a 14-0 lead. Perry finished the day 9/11 for 72 yards and a TD.
After a big kickoff return we hold them to a punt after one 1st down. We also recorded a sack by rookie OLB- Dellinger.
We have to punt on this drive as we only move to our 42 this time.
The punt pins them at their 6 yard line.
An impressive start for our defense as after we allow one 1st down and then on the next play they complete an 18 yard pass. CB- Alston makes the tackle and forces the fumble and recovers it at G.B. 41.
Three plays later, Kolodziejski completes a 28 yard TD pass to RB- Craig and we lead 21-0.
They mount a drive in the final 2 minutes of the 1st half but they run out of time and we take the 21 point lead into the locker room.

We open the 2nd half allowing a couple big plays and then S- Tigchelaar makes an interception at our 43 and returns it to the G.B. 29 yard line.
We give it right back as Crichlow fumbles it and G.B. recovers at their 32.
Our defense finally gives in and allows a TD and also committed some stupid penalties to keep the drive alive.
We go 3 and out on our next drive and G.B. has good field position after the punt return.
Our defense does it's job this time and forces a 3 and out.
We start to drive the ball until Kolodziejski makes a stupid pass which is intercepted at the G.B. 46 and they return it for a TD. Our lead is now 21-14.
We only manage one 1st down and allow a sack and G.B. has the ball back with 12 minutes to go in the game.
Our defense is doing a good job today as we force a punt after a 3 and out.
We fail to get the 1st down on a 3rd and 2 and punt it right back.
They get a couple of 1st downs but our defense makes a play and force another punt.
We allow a sack and a fumble but FB- Needham recovers it but we still have to punt.
G.B. has the ball at their 48 trailing by 7 with 3:50 to play.
They have two incomplete passes and then on 3rd down DE- Burkhart sacks the QB to force a punt.
We are pinned deep at our 4 with 3 minutes to play. We need a couple of 1st downs to ice it.
Crichlow runs hard on 2 plays and gets a 1st down and put him over the century mark on 20 carries.
Crichlow then breaks one for 17 yards but fumbles the ball and G.B. has it at our 31 with 2 minutes to go and 2 timeouts. Bad break.
Great play by the defense as S- Pearson sacks the QB on the next play and DT- Petkovich recovers it at our 36.
We get a 1st down and G.B. has no more timeouts and that will end the game as we win 21-14.
Great game by the defense.

Stats on the game:

We dominated TOP 36 to 24.
Total yards 357 to 240.
We had two long drives of 10 and 14 plays and 80 yards and 96 yards. We scored on 3 of our first 5 drives but nothing after that.
Crichlow had 124 yards on 23 carries for a 5.39 YPC. But he did have 2 fumbles one could have cost us the game.
Perry was 9/11 for 72 yards with 1 TD.
Kolodziejski was 17/21 for 158 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT.
Hancock is making a case for making the team as he had 4 catches for 59 yards and a TD.

Up next:

Our final preseason game is vs. St. Louis and it's the last chance for some of these guys to make the team.

[DolphinFan1]

Our final tune up for the season is vs. St. Louis.

Just before our last preseason game, I make one more try to trade for Philly- MLB, Lincoln Alcorn. I manage to get him for a 2nd and 3rd round pick 1978 and a 2nd in 1979. We had an extra 2nd this year from Detroit. So, I hope it was worth it. He has good ratings and is a 5 year vet and signed through 1978. A bonus is he is a mentor. I now have to cut someone. I am not ready to cut a MLB just in case of a freak injury. I will cut K- Harvey. Hammond will get the spot. Harvey was a 6th round pick but Hammond has more upside.

St. Louis comes to our house for our final preseason game. I have my probable starting lineup in there for half the game.

Our defense stops them on the opening drive with a 3 and out.
On our 2nd offensive play, Sanders throws into double coverage and it is intercepted.
Three plays later they get the TD.
We mount a nice drive but stall on the St. Louis 43 and punt. We pin them at their nine yard line.
They get out of trouble with a long 30 yard pass but our defense stops them at our 48. Unfortunately we get pinned at our 10 yard line.
Sanders makes up for his earlier blunder by making some nice passes and Newton caps the drive with an 18 yard TD run.
On the ensuing KO, we allow a long return and gives them a starting position at our 49.
A blocked pass by DE- Ward and a sack by DE- Hughes gives them a 3rd and 18 at their 43. They complete a pass for 14 yards on 3rd down and are at our 43. Our defense holds. But once again the punt pins us deep at our 9 yard line.
We lose 3 yards on the drive and have to punt from the 6. Of course, Singleton shanks a punt for 30 yards and to add insult to injury, we commit a fair catch interference penalty to give them the ball at our 21.
Three plays later they get the go ahead TD.
On our next drive, RT- Bush gets hurt and doesn't return. I hope it isn't serious.
On the drive we fail to convert on a 3rd and 2 from our 47 but our coach goes for it on 4th down. Sanders completes the pass to Crichlow for 3 yards.
Kolodziejski comes in to finish the drive and Crichlow punches it in from 2 yards out and we tie the score at 14.
After a nice KO return gives them the ball at their 43, Dobbins sacks the QB on the 1st play and knocks the ball loose. McWilliams recovers for us and returns it to the St. Louis 15.
It took us 6 plays but Kolodziejski completes the 2 yard TD pass to Crichlow for a 21-14 lead.
Our defense holds again thanks to an offensive holding penalty.
Kolodziejski tries to make something happen with 1 minute to go in the half and gets sacked and fumbles and St. Louis recovers at our 29.
Our defense holds them to a FG. We go into the locker room with a 21-17 lead.

On the opening drive of the 2nd half, we get a 3rd down conversion called back because of an offensive holding penalty and we can't convert again.
Our defense forces a punt.
We can't get a first down and also punt.
They mount a drive that stalls at our 35 and they punt.
We drive down the field and it gets extended on an intentional face mask penalty by St. Louis. We have to settle for a FG however as we stall at the 16. But we lead 24-17 with 12 minutes to go in the game.
On the KO, Rookie, RCB Terry forces a fumble and TE Bufford recovers it at their 29.
We only gain 2 yards but Hammond is showing me I made the right decision to keep him as he hits the 44 yard FG. We lead 27-17.
They go right down the field on our defense and get a TD to cut the lead to 27-24 with 6 minutes to play.
Of course we fumble the KO return and they recover at our 18. Barton fumbled the ball.
They get the TD to take the 31-27 lead.
We go 3 and out and punt.
We get the ball back using our timeouts on defense but are pinned at our 15 with 1 minute to play.
We only get one first down but we fail to get another one and lose 31-27.
Tough loss but it is a preseason game.

Stats on the game:

Newton had 51 yards on 13 carries and 1 TD in limited duty.
Sanders started in limited playing time and was 11/16 for 112 yards and 1 INT.
Kolodziejski 14/28 for 106 yards with 1 TD.
Cole had 4 catches for 60 yards.
Hammond was 2/2 on FG with a long of 44.
Alarcon had 6 tackles and 1 assist in his 1st game.

Up Next:

Roster cuts to 53 and notes as we head to the regular season.

[DolphinFan1]

Post preseason notes and roster cuts to 53:

Well, we went 1-3 in the preaseason. But after our first two games were blowouts, we went 1-1 in two very close games. We still have some holes, mainly our secondary needs to stop giving up the big play. Also our coverage teams are not doing a very good job. We are allowing the opponent great field position on all returns. I will evaluate who is on special teams. Now for the roster cuts.

Starting with QB, I cut undrafted FA Perry. He has better potential than Winters, but with the veteran Sanders starting and Kolodziejski looking solid in preseason, I think we will be ok with 3rd round pick Winters as the 3rd QB. If we have a long term injury here requiring IR then I may resign Perry.

Next is the FB position where I cut 2nd year undrafted Burke. Undrafted Rookie FA Needham has a lot more potential and they are rated the same in current. So I feel he is better as a backup to Blanda.

I need to cut 2 WR but I will come back to them later. Let's go to OG where I need to cut one as I keep 4 on the roster. I will cut Gomez and keep Chandiramani. Gomez has a little better potenial but he gave up more sacks in preseason than Chandiramani and also didn't have as many key blocks. Either way our depth here is weak behind Springer and Lee.

At MLB I need to cut one with the signing of Alcorn. 5th round pick Eastridge makes the roster with Alcorn being a mentor and playing equal to FA signee Whiting. Hopefully Cochrane can come back 100% next year and we will have two very good MLB.

At OLB we have 5 on the roster and I will keep 4. Rookie SLB Dellinger will start as he is more developed than Franz who will backup. Kimbrell will start at WLB. That leaves FA signee Litingo and Fredrickson. Litingo gets cut as Fredrickson is younger and more upside. If my starters stay healthy this could be a good LB group this year.

Now we head to the WR position where I have 7 and will keep 5. FL Antonides and SE Swift are our starters. FL Cole showed me he is a great 3rd receiver. Undrafted FA Nishioka will be the 4th receiver. The 5th spot is between Blair, undrafted FA Hancock and 7th round pick Lane. Blair has shown me in the past he can catch, just not a great player. Lane has some special teams skills. Hancock has some decent potential in catching catergories. It's a toss up so I go with Hancock. I will cut the other two.

Ok, our roster is now down to 53. Time to set the depth charts and start the season in our quest to the Front Office Bowl.

Our roster:



Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB QB 11 36 36 3 yrs
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 2 23 55 2 yrs
##Winters, Monty 13 QB 1 12 40 4 yrs

Sanders will start at QB with Kolodziejski waiting in the wings. Winters will be
the 3rd QB. No changes to ratings after preseason except Kolodziejski improved 1
in current.


Newton, Neal 32 RB RB 2 74 80 4 yrs
Crichlow, Kurt 46 RB 7 43 43 1 yr.
##Craig, Edwin 31 RB 2 25 33 2 yrs

It's obvious here who will start and Crichlow will backup. Craig is still a decent
3rd down guy in a pinch. Craig improved 1 in current.

Blanda, Darryl 29 FB FB 7 43 43 2 yrs
Needham, Marcus 39 FB 1 23 47 1 yr.

Blanda will start with hopefully Needham developing some. Needham improved 1 in
current.

Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE TE 7 50 50 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 5 49 49 2 yrs
##Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 6 30 34 1 yr.

Dunkelberger will start and Burford will get plenty of playing time as well.
Chavarria improved 1 in current.

Antonides, Phillip 85 FL FL 4 51 56 5 yrs
Cole, Freddie 88 FL 6 42 42 1 yr.
Nishioka, Dana 3 FL 1 25 45 1 yr.
Swift, C.J. 87 SE SE 3 41 41 4 yrs
Hancock, Glen 5 SE 1 21 45 1 yr.

Antonides and Swift will start at FL and SE respectively. Cole will be the 3rd
receiver. Nishioka will start the year as the 4th receiver and Hancock could
get some playing time if he shows me something. Nishioka improved 1 in current.

Mohr, Derrick 59 C C 12 76 76 2 yrs
Hickman, Everett 52 C 1 32 60 3 yrs

Mohr will start with the hope Hickman can develop into the starter with Mohr
in his 12 year. Hickman improved 5 in current.

Springer, Mitch 74 LG LG 6 69 69 3 yrs
Chandiramani, Craig 78 LG 1 19 35 1 yr.
Lee, J.B. 68 RG RG 7 57 57 4 yrs
##Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 2 22 44 2 yrs

Spinger and Lee will start. We have very poor depth here so hopefully everyone
can stay healthy. Chandiramani improved 1 in current.

Green, Curtis 61 LT LT 12 56 56 1 yr.
Levine, Kendall 65 LT 1 44 59 4 yrs
**Bush, Travis 71 RT RT 3 50 50 1 yr.
##Irwin, Kelvin 73 RT 1 21 44 3 yrs
##Ramirez, Doug 60 RT 2 17 40 2 yrs

Green and Bush will start with Levine getting plenty of playing time to
develop into Green's replacement. Irwin and Ramirez will split backup
time. Levine improved 2 in current. Ramirez improved 2 in current.

Singleton, Bruce 12 P 7 52 52 1 yr.
Hammond, Juan 4 K 1 55 69 1 yr.

This is pretty straightforward. Singleton has a great punting average each
year. Hammond showed me in preseason that he is a big upgrade from last
years kicker. He improved 3 in current.

Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE LDE 5 80 80 1 yr.
Burkhart, Curtis 90 LDE 1 25 47 3 yrs
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE RDE 4 73 73 4 yrs
Ward, Daniel 72 RDE 9 40 40 2 yrs

Hughes and McWilliams will start with Ward and Burkhart backing up. We
should be solid here for a few more years until age starts to catch up
to us. Burkhart improved 1 in current.

Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT LDT 2 50 61 3 yrs
Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 10 35 35 1 yr.
Gilmore, Bruce 97 LDT 1 20 47 1 yr.
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT RDT 3 54 54 1 yr.

Dobbins and Petkovich will start with Goodwin and Gilmore backing up.
With the exception of Goodwin we are very young and makes us a force
with our DL if we stay healthy and develop the young guys. Dobbins,
Gilmore and Petkovich improved 2 in current although Petkovich dropped
2 in potential. Hopefully he doesn't continue that trend.

Alarcon, Lincoln 95 MLB MLB 5 56 56 2 yrs
%%Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 4 54 54 3 yrs
##Eastridge, Luke 54 MLB 1 21 40 3 yrs
Dellinger, Travis 56 SLB SLB 1 28 58 3 yrs
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 2 19 45 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB WLB 2 27 47 2 yrs
##Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 3 23 39 1 yr.

With the trade for Alarcon that fills a big hole at MLB with the injury
to Cochrane. Eastridge is raw but hopefully he can develop. Dellinger
will start over Franz and Kimbrell fresh off his summer camp tour starts
again at WLB.

Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB LCB 6 54 54 2 yrs
Barton, Al 25 RCB RCB 3 49 49 2 yrs
Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 2 26 47 2 yrs
Terry, Artie 43 RCB 1 26 37 3 yrs
##Alston, Bo 27 RCB 1 20 45 1 yr.

Pirrup and Barton start a left and right CB. Barkley, Terry and Alston
are solid backups in run and BNR ratings. Also they have good special
team skills and Alston will take some kickoff returns as well.

##Mihna, Don 34 SS 12 41 41 1 yr.
Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS SS 9 41 41 1 yr.
Harrison, Alonzo 28 SS 1 19 48 1 yr.
Pearson, Chester 37 FS FS 4 41 45 1 yr.
Lane, Patrick 42 FS 1 24 39 1 yr.

Mihna and Pearson will start. Tigchelaar will also play a lot if Mihna falters.
Harrison and Lane have some decent potential. It will be interesting as all
my safeties are FA after this year. So, maybe they will play above their heads
to justify asking for new contracts.

$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 54
Inactive: 10
On Active Roster: 43

Salary Cap: $67,200,000
Cap Room: $17,280,000
Maximum for New Player: $17,470,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $580,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $130,000
Cap Room Required Next Year: $46,890,000

Looking at the power rankings we are right in the middle at #16 with a 45. Better than last year.

Here is our schedule for 1977:



Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins 1977 Regular Season Schedule

Week Opponent Result Attendance Weather
Week 1 at New England Patriots
Week 2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Week 4 at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 5 BUFFALO BILLS
Week 6 at Cleveland Browns
Week 7 PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Week 8 OPEN
Week 9 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Week 10 BALTIMORE RAVENS
Week 11 at New York Jets
Week 12 CAROLINA PANTHERS
Week 13 at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 14 ATLANTA FALCONS
Week 15 NEW YORK JETS
Week 16 at New Orleans Saints
Week 17 at Buffalo Bills

Home Games in ALL CAPS

Season Tickets Sold: 47,400
Stadium Capacity: 75,000

Up next:

Week one preview and gameday.

[DolphinFan1]

1977 Week one: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots preview.

We start out week one going to N.E. for a big division game to start the year. We are 1-5 on opening day vs. our division losing the last 3 years. Let's turn that around. N.E. power ranking is also 45 so they are tied with us for #16.

Sunny and 65 degrees with a 9 MPH wind. N.E. is favored by one.

Injury report:

Miami: Out: MLB-Cochrane (IR), RT- Bush, strained foot ligament 2 weeks.
Probable: SS- Mihna, sprained knee 2 weeks, inactive. C- Hickman, broken finger 1 week, will play. QB- Winters, sprained knee 1 week, 3rd QB.

Inactives for week one: Bush (injured), Mihna (injured), TE- Chavarria, SE- Hancock, LG- Chandiramani, LDT- Gilmore and WLB- Fredrickson.

[DolphinFan1]

GAME DAY:

Week One: Miami at N.E.

1st QUARTER: We get the ball at our 31 to start the game and then proceed to give up 2 straight sacks. (LT- Green and C- Mohr). Sanders fumbles but the rookie Levine saves us at our 20. We have a 3rd and 21. On an incredible play, Sanders hits the rookie Nishioka for 30 yards and a 1st down. A little later Cole shows me he was a great FA signing with a 35 yard TD catch that he broke for 21 YAC. Miami 7-0. Great recovery after our 1st two plays.

They drive the ball right down the field but our defense holds them to a 43 yard FG. Miami 7-3.

We trade punts and that ends the 1st quarter with the score Miami 7-3.


2nd QUARTER: A short punt and great return Tigchelaar gives us the ball at the N.E. 30 yard line. We complete the short drive with a 20 yard TD pass to Swift and we lead 14-3.

They drive the ball again on our defense but an off. holding call backs them up and they settle for another FG. We lead 14-6.

On the 2nd play of the following drive Newton fumbles after a nice 7 yard gain and N.E. recovers at our 39. Our defense holds them to another FG and our lead is cut to 14-9.

We respond with a nice drive near halftime and Sanders hits Cole again this time for an 18 yard TD and we lead 21-9.

They run out the clock in the 1st half and we lead 21-9. Sanders was an impressive 14/15 for 207 yards and 3 TD in the 1st half. After his early fumble which we recovered he's been great. Maybe he's feeling the pressure of Kolodziejski right behind him. Good.


3rd QUARTER: We open the 2nd half allowing N.E. to move the ball into our territory but finally force a punt. But on the 1st play, Sanders is sacked and again fumbles. But this time N.E. recovers it at our 15.

INCREDIBLE, on the very next play, 2nd year player Kimbrell, sacks the QB and forces a fumble and Franz recovers it at our 20 and we get a break. We only manage one first down but a good punt and a penalty pins them at their 15.

We stop them on 3 plays and a good PR once again by Tigchelaar gives us great field position at the N.E. 49. We run it two times and an incomplete pass and we have to punt and squander great field position. A short punt gives them the ball at their 16.

On the next play they try a long pass and Barton is there for the interception at their 44. A couple of nice runs by Newton and a pass to Swift sets up Newton for a 3 yard TD run and we now lead 28-9.

The 3rd quarter ends with them driving and they have it at our 34 and a 1st down.


4th QUARTER: We can't keep them out of the endzone this time and they cut the lead to 28-16.

We drive to their 27 and stall. We will try the 44 yard FG. This is a big kick to take a 12 point lead and extend it to 15. Let's see if rookie Hammond can do it. The kick is on the way and.....it just clears the goalpost for the 3 points. Big pressure kick by the rookie. We lead 31-16 with 8 minutes to play in the game.

We stop them on 3 plays. We also fail to get a 1st down but take more time off the clock with 3 running plays and they have the ball at their 21 with 4 minutes to play and down by 15. If we don't give up the big play we are ok.

We force a turnover on downs and then we miss a 54 yard FG.

But Pearson intercepts a pass at our 9 with 1:30 to play.

This is crazy. We can't get a 1st down and punt. They have it at their 40. They then complete a 59 yard pass to our 1 yard line with 27 seconds to play. They of course get the TD and the lead is now 31-23. We need recover the onside kick.

Another crazy play. They have no timeouts and they kickoff to us. What? I'll take it but that doesn't make sense. We win a big division 31-23 to start the year.

Stats and notes on the game:

Player of the game: QB Sanders: 17/22 for 250 yards with 3 TDs and no int.
Newton had 95 yards on 30 carries and 1 TD. Most of the extra carries came late in the game trying to use up the clock and went for little gain.
Swift had 95 yards on 6 catches and 1 TD.
Cole had 66 yards on 4 catches and 2 TD.
Pearson and Petkovich both led the team with 8 tackles and 1 assist each. Pearson added an interception.

On the injury front, there were no new injuries. QB- Winters and C- Hickman are 100%. SS- Mihna and RT- Bush are still 1 week away from returning.

Overall we it was a good opening day. Our defense had some lapses, but they made some key stops. We didn't get a lot of pressure on the QB today.

Up next: We head to Tampa Bay.

[DolphinFan1]

We head to Tampa Bay in week two. They are 1-0 after defeating Atlanta in week one.

Sunny and 83 degrees and calm. Tampa is favored by 5.

Injury report:

Out: MLB-Cochrane (IR)
Probable: SS- Mihna and RT- Bush with sprained knees. I will keep them deactive to not risk a reinjury

Our inactives will remain the same this week as we played well and I want to see how we do with this core group of guys. Some things may change next week if we get Mihna and Bush back.


Up next: Week 2 Gameday.

[DolphinFan1]

GAME DAY:

Week two: Miami at Tampa Bay:

1st QUARTER: One note to start the game. Our kicker from last year is playing for Tampa. You just know he is going to make everything against us. It's always the way. Let's get some blocks.
We start out with the ball and an off. holding call and can't get a 1st down and punt. They get two first downs and then we get some pressure on the QB to force the punt.

We trade punts again and have the ball at our 7 yard line.

We only get one first down and punt again. Tampa now moves on our defense and is at our 8 yard line with a 1st and goal at the end of the 1st quarter with the score 0-0.

2nd QUARTER:

Two plays into the 2nd they get the TD and lead 7-0.

Our next drive starts at our 16 and with the running game getting nowhere, Sanders comes out throwing. He hits Dunkelberger on an 11 yard pass, and then Cole on a 17 yard pass. This opens up the running game a little for Newton to tack on a 6 yard run. We are at the 50 with a 2nd and 4 and our offense finally is showing some signs of life. Crichlow comes in and gets 18 yards on 2 carries and then Sanders hit Dunkelberger again for 12 more yards. 1st and 10 at the Tampa 20. On a 3rd and 6 from the 16, Sanders hit Cole on a key 3rd down play and converts for 7 yards. 1st and goal at the 9. The very next play is a 9 yard TD to Cole. We tie the game 7-7. Great answer drive by the offense. Cole is definitely showing us he was worth the FA money in the 1st six quarters he has played this season.

They drive right down the field again and our defense makes a big sack and then stops them one yard short on a 3rd and 11 at our 20 but we commit an illegal contact penalty for an automatic 1st down. Stupid! Two plays later they get the TD passing into double coverage. They lead 14-7. One note. We must really suck in our secondary. Almost every double coverage pass is completed.

We move the ball on a 2 minute drill but Sanders throws a pick just before halftime and we go into the locker room down 14-7.

3rd QUARTER:

Our defense comes out in the 3rd and holds them to 3 plays. We also can't get a 1st down and punt.

An offensive holding call negates a long pass from Tampa and that stalls their drive and they punt.

Sanders puts a nice drive together but we stall at the Tampa 30. Time for Hammond to show he was worth getting rid of Jerman. The kick is up and GOOD!! We still trail 14-10. But a good 47 yard FG.

Again we can't stop anyone after a score as we commit a stupid unnecessary roughness penalty to keep the drive alive. And then they throw into double coverage again and get the 16 yard TD to the 21-10 lead.

We go 3 and out.

They end the 3rd quarter mounting another drive.

4th QUARTER:

On the opening play of the 4th we lose starting LCB Pirrup to an injury. He doesn't return. The following play is another completed pass into double coverage. There's something wrong with that. They get the TD to basically put this one away and lead 28-10 with just under 12 to play.

They tack on 3 FG as we go for it on every 4th down and fail to convert any. Of course Jerman hits all of them including a 51 yarder. He couldn't do anything for us. We lose 37-10. We still need help in the secondary but I gotta wonder about the game dynamics of making all these double coverage passes. Also how the game handles former players playing against their old teams playing better than they ever have. Something doesn't seem right.

Stats and notes on the game:

Bush and Mihna are now 100%. However we lost CB Pirrup to a separated shoulder for about 6 weeks. That will hurt.

After being down 14-7 at the half and 14-10 early in the 3rd, we let it slip away. They dominated TOP 37 minutes to 23.

No one on offense stood out as having a good game. Hammond hit his only FG try from 47 when the game still mattered. So that was a plus.

Newly acquired Alarcon was a force at MLB recording 10 tackles and 3 assists.

Our OL didn't allow a sack.

In our division, the Jets lost and N.E. won so we are all 1-1 with Buffalo 0-2. Indianapolis comes to town next week and they are 1-1.


Up next: Week three Indy at Miami preview.

[DolphinFan1]

Rain and 97 degrees with 10 MPH winds.

We are favored by 2. They are stacked with 11 first rounders on their starting off. and def. We have our work cut out for us.

Injury report:

Out: Cochrane (IR), Pirrup separated shoulder 6 weeks.

No other injuries.

Other inactives besides Pirrup, Chavarria, Hancock, Chandiramani, Ramirez, Gilmore and Fredrickson. Bush comes back to start at RT. Mihna comes back at SS.

Up next: Gameday week 3

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

Week three: Indy at Miami:

1st QUARTER:

We start out with a good KO and they have a holding on the return and start at their 3 yard line. Let's make a play on defense to start. 1st play is a TFL of 2 yards and they fumble. But they recover it at their one yard line. They get a 5 yard run so it's 3rd and 7 at the 6. On 3rd down they complete a pass but only for 3 yards and have to punt. Great stop and we should get great field position.

We get the ball at our 47 but commit a holding on the return penalty which backs us up to our 35. We cannot get a 1st down and have to punt.

They take the ball right down the field for a TD. They completed another pass into double coverage. This is ridiculous. I think there is a bug somewhere. Too many passes into double coverage are completed. Some should be knocked down or int.

We go 3 and out. We hold them to 3 plays but fumble the PR at our 6 yard line. WE SUCK! Mihna fumbled. So glad he came back from injury. Maybe he'll get hurt again.

Two plays later it's 14-0.

The end of the 1st quarter has us driving and at the Indy 27 with a 3rd and 1.

2nd QUARTER:

Sanders gets sacked for a 5 yard loss and we lose a great chance. Mohr allowed the sack. He's our best lineman. We are just not playing up to our potential. A positive is Hammond nails the 49 yard FG and we cut the lead to 14-3.

Now I know there is something wrong with either the game or the PBP calling. On a couple of pressures and passes into single coverage we force an incompletion. But on a 3rd and long again with pressure and thrown into double coverage they complete a pass. I think it is in the PBP (at least I hope so.) They continue for the TD and the 21-3 lead.

We finally show some life and Sanders passes us down the field and hits Swift on a 28 yard TD strike to cut the lead to 21-10.

We actually make a stop and force a punt after a 3 and out. Then we block the punt at the Indy 29. Franz blocks the punt.

Two plays later Sanders makes them pay with a 24 yard TD pass to Swift and we trail 21-17.

Another 3 and out by the defense and we have a chance with 2 minutes to play in the half. We get a long pass called back because of holding call and can't get another 1st down.

The half ends with a 50 yard FG miss by Indy and we trail 21-17.

3rd QUARTER:

We open the 3rd with an impressive drive by Sanders. He completes a big 3rd and 7 at the 16 to Cole for a 1st down. Sanders completes the drive with a 1 yard TD pass to Newton and we take the lead 24-21 coming all the way back from 21-3.

In other games in our division. N.E. and the Jets are both losing so we could take a one game lead in the division with a win. Still a long way to go as there is a lot of time left in this one.

They drive the ball to our 27 but we hold them to a 44 yard FG try. And they hit the FG to tie the score at 24.

We respond with another good drive and Cole catches another nice pass and Newton finishes it with a 28 yard TD run for the 31-24 lead with 2:30 to play in the 3rd quarter.

The 3rd ends with that score but they are driving again and have it at our 35 on a 2nd and 2.

4th QUARTER:

The opening play of the 4th is a disaster for our defense as we allow a 6 yard pass to turn into a 35 yard TD play. Tie score 31-31.

We start at our 36 and Crichlow breaks one for 17 and then Antonides catches one for 25 and we have a 1st and 10 at their 22. We stall at the 18 and have to settle for a 35 FG and a 34-31 lead. 11 minutes to play. Time for the defense to make a play.

On a 3rd and 4 at their 48 they complete a 3 yard pass. We stopped them. The punt goes in the endzone and we have it at our 20 with 8 minutes to play. Time to put this one away with a long scoring drive.

The 1st play Mohr makes up for his earlier blunder and creates a huge hole for Newton who breaks it for 63 yards. 1st and 10 at the 17. On a 3rd and 4 at the 11, Newton catches a pass for 4 yards. Just enough for a 1st down. Let's punch it in. Two plays later Newton punches it in from 5 yards out and we lead 41-31 with 4 minutes to play.

On a deseration throw late, rookie Terry intercepts a pass for a 35 yard TD and we go on to win 48-31. Great 2nd half by the team.

More great news is everyone else in our division lost so we have an early one game lead.

Notes, injuries and stats on the game:

Newton was a force today as he had 144 yards on 16 carries and 2 TDs.
Sanders was 21/28 for 262 yards and 3 TDs.
Antonides had 6 catches for 86 yards and Swift added 3 catches for 81 yards and 2 TDs.
The Rookie Terry had an interception for a TD.
Hammond was 2/2 on FG.
Alarcon had 8 tackles and 1 assist.
Dellinger had 6 tackles and 2 assists.
Our DL didn't have a sack but McWilliams and Hughes combined for 2 blocked passes, 6 hurries and 11 QB knocked downs.

No new injuries, Pirrup is still out for about 5 weeks.

If anyone has an ideas on this double coverage issue let me know. I'd like to know why most of the passes into double coverage are completed and the single coverage passes as not.

Up next: We head to Cincinnati and face a 3-0 Bengals team.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny and 64 degrees and calm.

Cincinnati is favored by 4. They are rated #2 in power rankings and we are rated #12.

Injuries are the same with Pirrup out and the same inactives as they are playing well.

Up next: Gameday week four

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

Week four: Miami at Cincinnati:

1st QUARTER:

We stop them after an intial 1st down when Tigchelaar defends a pass.

On our 3rd play, Crichlow runs for 3 yards and fumbles and Cincinnati recovers at our 32. Not a good start.

Four plays later they make us pay with a TD pass and lead 7-0. (Just a note, former Dolphins receiver Lincoln High is playing for Cincinnati and he caught a 19 yard pass on the drive.)

We drive to the 9 yard line but stall and settle for the 26 yard FG to cut the lead to 7-3. Sanders converted 2 third downs to Swift early in the drive.

We stop them on 3 plays thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty on them. We have the ball at our 34.

We end the 1st quarter with 2 consecutive false start penalties and start the 2nd with a 3rd and 15 at our 29.

2nd QUARTER:

We can't convert and have to punt. The penalties hurt.

They drive right down the field and have a 3rd and 16 at our 27 after a big sack. The 3rd down pass is dropped and we escape a bad defensive drive with only a FG allowed. We trail 10-3.

We only get one first down on our next drive and punt again.

After one 1st down we hold them to a punt. High dropped a pass on 2nd down. Nice to see all our former players are not superstars after I let them go.

A penalty on the return gives us the ball at our 9 yard line with 4 minutes to go in the half and down by 7.

Stupid, stupid! Sanders throws a bad pass which is intercepted at our 32 and returned to our 25. Not a good play when we just needed to run a little to get out of our own end.

They make us pay 5 plays later to take a 17-3 lead.

We make an attempt to get into FG range before the half but stall at their 47 and go into the locker room down 17-3.

In other games in our division: The Jets are winning by 7 at halftime, N.E. is trailing by 14 early in the 3rd and Buffalo is down by 13 in the 3rd.

3rd QUARTER:

We start the 2nd half with the ball trailing by 14. Sanders hits Cole for 13 to start the drive. Then he hits Antonides for 23 and he had 11 YAC. We have the ball at their 42. Another 23 yard pass to Antonides gives us a 1st down at the 19 yard line. Then a pass to Dunkelberger for 12 and we have a 1st and goal at the 7. A one yard loss by Newton followed by a 3 yard catch by Cole gives us a 3rd and goal at the 5. Sanders drops back and throws to Craig who catches it and gets to the endzone. We cut the lead to 17-10. Sanders was 6/6 for 79 yards and a TD pass. Impressive drive coming out of the locker room. Now let's see some defense.

The 1st play is a sack by Petkovich. 2nd play is an 8 yard catch by High which sets up a 3rd and 7 at their 25. Our defense steps up when Tigchelaar intercepts a pass at their 43 and returns it to the 17. We have our chance to tie the score.

Another stupid play by Sanders when on the 2nd play he is intercepted in the endzone. We are not even trying to run the ball.

They start to drive but we hold them but we have it at our 7 after the punt.

We go 3 and out and they have great field position at their 44.

We hold them after a 1st down but CB- Barkley goes down with an injury and doesn't return. We are already thin at CB with Pirrup out. That will hurt.

We have a 3rd and 1 at our 29 and Crichlow gets stopped for no gain. We need to convert those.

The end of the 3rd has us trailing 17-10 and they have a 2nd and 6 at their 43.

4th QUARTER:

They get to our 26 and we hold them to a FG try. We need to block this to keep it a one score game. They hit the 43 yard FG to extend the lead to 20-10. The Jets are still leading now by 14. N.E. and Buffalo are still trailing by double digits.

On a key third down and 8, Sanders is pressured and throws it deep to Swift. He makes the catch 25 yards and we have a 1st and 10 at the Cincinnati 43. On the following play, Sanders is sacked and loses the ball. Springer keeps us alive by recovering it at the 50. We can't recover from the sack and have to punt. The punt pins them at the 6. Maybe our defense can force a turnover deep in their territory.

They are eating up clock on this drive as we had a chance to stop them early on a 3rd and 10 from their 22 and they get 10 yards for the 1st. We finally force a punt at our 47 but their is only 3 minutes to go in the game and we trail by 10.

We can't get a 1st after 4 plays and lose it on downs.

We hold but they get a FG and lead 23-10 with 1:30 to play.

Just to make it interesting, Sanders completes a couple of long passes and then hits Swift for a 10 yard TD strike to cut the lead to 23-17 with 30 seconds to play. Now we just need to recover the onside kick and hit another bomb to win.

We can't recover the kick and the game is over. We lose 23-17. The Jets won. N.E. and Buffalo lost.

Notes, injuries and stats:

Barkley has a severe wrist sprain and is out for about 3 weeks. He was already starting in place of Pirrup who is out for 4 more weeks. So we have only 3 healthy CB.

OLB- Jerry Litingo, who we cut after preseason, was signed by the Jets.

Crichlow and Newton were an anemic 42 yards on 19 carries.
Sanders was 26/44 for 308 yards with 2 TD and 2 INT.
Our receivers played well:
Swift led the team with 7 catches for 95 yards and a TD.
Antonides had 5 catches for 83 yards.
Cole had 6 catches for 67 yards.
Alarcon had 10 tackles and 2 assists. (He's been a good pickup in place of Cochrane. Nice to see one of my trades is paying off.)
Petkovich had our only 2 sacks.

Buffalo comes to town next week with an 0-4 record. N.E. heads to Baltimore. The Jets go to Cincinnati. Now, Cincinnati is 4-0 and we just lost to them. So, you just know the Jets will win and Buffalo will play above their 0-4 record against us. We need to decide what to do about our CB situation. We won't have Pirrup and Barkley back until our bye week in 4 weeks.

We have moved up in the power rankings to #6 with 69.

Up next: 1st quarter of the season standings and team summary

[DolphinFan1]

Standings after 4 weeks:



Front Office Football 2007
1977 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 4 0 0 1.000 81 50 3-0 1-0
Baltimore 2 2 0 .500 61 69 2-1 1-0
Pittsburgh 2 2 0 .500 57 48 2-1 0-1
Cleveland 2 2 0 .500 66 74 2-1 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Jacksonville 3 1 0 .750 84 61 3-0 1-0
Indianapolis 1 3 0 .250 111 114 1-2 1-0
Tennessee 0 3 0 .000 44 68 0-2 0-1
Houston 0 4 0 .000 30 93 0-3 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Miami 2 2 0 .500 106 114 2-1 1-0
New York J 2 2 0 .500 73 91 2-1 1-0
New England 1 3 0 .250 70 74 0-3 0-1
Buffalo 0 4 0 .000 47 88 0-3 0-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 3 1 0 .750 71 54 2-1 1-0
Denver 2 2 0 .500 90 98 2-1 1-0
San Diego 2 2 0 .500 79 92 2-1 0-1
Kansas City 1 2 0 .333 57 55 0-2 0-1

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 2 1 0 .667 67 37 1-1 1-0
Detroit 2 2 0 .500 50 61 1-2 1-0
Green Bay 1 3 0 .250 75 82 1-2 0-1
Minnesota 1 3 0 .250 62 82 0-3 0-1

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tampa Bay 4 0 0 1.000 126 30 3-0 1-0
New Orleans 3 1 0 .750 73 58 3-0 1-0
Atlanta 3 1 0 .750 92 72 2-1 0-1
Carolina 3 1 0 .750 80 60 2-1 0-1

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 4 0 0 1.000 118 56 3-0 1-0
Washington 2 2 0 .500 85 74 2-1 1-0
Dallas 2 2 0 .500 88 81 1-2 0-1
New York G 0 3 0 .000 37 66 0-2 0-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
San Francisco 3 1 0 .750 65 70 2-1 1-0
St. Louis 2 2 0 .500 74 82 1-2 1-0
Arizona 2 2 0 .500 60 80 1-2 0-1
Seattle 1 3 0 .250 53 98 0-3 0-1 


Team summary after 4 weeks:



Front Office Football 2007
1977 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1977
Record 2-2
Winning Pct. .500
All-Time 43-73
Winning Pct. .370
Playoffs 1-1
Playoff Visits 1
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 36-80
Winning Pct. .310
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 24.8 21
Rushing Yards 103.0 21
Yards Per Carry 4.16 11
Pass Attempts 31.8 20
Completions 19.5 16 (T)
Completion Pct. 61.4 11
Passing Yards 234.5 6
Yards Per Attempt 7.39 4
Yards Per Catch 12.03 7
Total Yardage Gained 327.3 11
3rd Down Conversions 38.0 7
Points Per Game 26.5 4
Pass Rush Pct. 9.6 5
Pass Defense Pct. 62.8 28
Turnovers 8 23 (T)
Turnover Margin -2 23 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 26.5 15
Rushing Yards 99.8 10
Yards Per Carry 3.76 11
Pass Attempts 39.8 30
Completions 24.0 30
Completion Pct. 60.4 20
Passing Yards 243.3 27
Yards Per Attempt 6.12 17
Yards Per Catch 10.14 14
Total Yardage Gained 334.5 26
3rd Down Conversions 39.7 27
Points Per Game 28.5 31 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 4.9 3
Pass Defense Pct. 68.3 14
Turnovers 6 11 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 31 at NED 23
2 10 at TBY 37
3 48 IND 31
4 17 at CIN 23
5 BUF
6 at CLE
7 PIT
9 NED
10 BAL
11 at NYJ
12 CAR
13 at KCY
14 ATL
15 NYJ
16 at NOS
17 at BUF

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
7 D. Sanders QB 127 78 938 7.39 9 4 94.5
**Team --- 127 78 938 7.39 9 4 94.5
$$Opp --- 159 96 973 6.12 10 5 85.7

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 75 332 4.43 3 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 20 74 3.70 0 1
**Team --- 99 412 4.16 3 6
$$Opp --- 106 399 3.76 2 4

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
87 C. Swift WR 26 17 281 16.53 10.81 1 4
85 P. Antonides WR 26 16 230 14.38 8.85 2 0
88 F. Cole WR 24 15 196 13.07 8.17 1 3
32 N. Newton RB 23 14 68 4.86 2.96 1 1
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 14 9 99 11.00 7.07 2 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 31 7 0.0 0 0 2 73.6
37 C. Pearson S 18 2 0.0 0 1 3 73.7
99 R. Petkovich DT 16 3 2.0 2 0 0 79.8
44 R. Tigchelaar S 15 4 0.0 0 1 2 87.2
56 T. Dellinger OLB 14 6 0.0 0 0 1 73.4
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 13 8 1.0 1 0 0 71.1
25 A. Barton CB 10 4 0.0 0 1 0 82.4
75 N. Dobbins DT 10 2 1.0 1 0 1 82.4
33 R. Barkley CB 10 0 0.0 0 1 0 79.0
93 E. McWilliams DE 8 2 0.5 8 0 0 79.7
77 H. Hughes DE 7 4 1.5 6 0 0 81.7
43 A. Terry CB 7 2 0.0 0 1 1 82.1
55 L. Franz OLB 6 2 0.0 0 0 0 62.3
41 B. Pirrup CB 5 2 0.0 0 0 3 81.1
42 P. Lane S 5 4 0.0 0 0 0 78.2
72 D. Ward DE 4 0 0.0 1 0 0 82.5
92 S. Goodwin DT 4 1 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
28 A. Harrison S 4 1 0.0 0 0 0 59.0 

All things considered we are not in too bad of shape. Tied for the division lead and winning our 1st division game in week one. We just need to keep it together.


Up Next: Buffalo

[SFL Cat]

If you really want to get the Fins over the hump, hire Nick Saban!!! ;)

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 69 degrees and calm.

We are favored by 12. We are #6 in power rankings and Buffalo is #31.

I decide there is no one on the FA wire who is better than our current CB. Unless someone else goes down we will go with what we have. The rookie Terry will start at LCB opposite Barton in place of the injured Pirrup and Barkley. The other inactives are Chavarria, Hancock, Chandiramani, Ramirez and Gilmore.

Up next: Gameday, Buffalo at Miami

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK FIVE: BUFFALO AT MIAMI:

1ST QUARTER:

One note as we start the game. Tudrick is starting for them once again. He did fairly well against us last year. Let's change that.

Our defense holds them to a 3 and out when Pearson defends a pass on 3rd down.

But once again we fumble the punt return (Tigchelaar) and they recover at our 39. A few plays later they turn it into a TD. You see why I was worried about an 0-4 team. We just can't fumble the ball.

Sanders puts together a nice drive mixing the run and pass and we have a 3rd and goal at the 3 yard line. He then throws a screen pass to Craig which goes nowhere and actually lost a yard. We have to settle for the short FG. We trail 7-3. We need to punch those in.

The quarter ends with our defense going to sleep and they are at our 21 with a 1st down.

2nd QUARTER:

We are making a former Dolphin (Tudrick) look like a HOFer again. He completes three 3rd and longs for 1st downs on this drive. The last for a 17 yard TD. We trail 14-3.

On a big 3rd and 7 at our 24, with the risk of giving the ball right back, Sanders hits Cole on a 16 yard pass and a 1st down. Another key 3rd down converted as Sanders hit Crichlow for 4 yards on a 3rd and 2. We have a 1st down at their 48. Once again a 3rd and 2 at the 40 and Sanders comes through with a 19 yard completion to Antonides. Newton gets us to the one yard line and Sanders hits Blanda on the one yard TD pass and we cut the lead to 14-10. Great drive by Sanders.

On the 1st play we get a TFL and force a fumble but they recover it. That would have been a great opportunity late in the half. A dropped pass and a short completion and we force a punt. The punt is short and we have great field position at our 44 with a chance to take the lead with 3:30 to play in the half.

The 1st play is a 23 yard pass to Antonides. Five more yards to Dunkelberger and we have a 2nd and 5 at the Buffalo 28. The next play Sander throws a long pass to Swift. He catches the 28 yard TD pass and we take the lead 17-14 with 2 minutes to play in the half.

We force a punt after 3 plays and have the ball at our 28 with just over 1 minute to play in the half.

Looks like we are content to go into the locker room with the lead with a running play and a short screen pass. However, on the short screen pass to Blanda, he breaks a tackle and gets 25 yards. We have a 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 44 with 44 seconds to play. But on the next play, Sanders throws an interception at the 38 and they have it at their 45.

They try to get into FG range but run out of time. We go into the locker room leading 17-14. We lost a great opportunity there.

In other games, Cincinnati is leading the Jets 10-0 and Baltimore is leading N.E. 10-6.

3rd QUARTER:

We get the ball to start the 2nd half and our receivers pick up where they left off. Sanders hits Antonides on a 32 yard pass which 17 was after the catch and a broken tackle. That puts Antonides over 100 yards receiving on the day on 5 catches. Two more nice passes to Swift gives us a 1st and goal at the 10. The next play is a pitch to Newton which Mohr creates a hole and he gets the 10 yard TD run and a 24-14 lead. Great way to start the 2nd half.

A big sack by Petkovich and Hughes on 3rd down forces a punt and we get the ball right back.

We try to run it twice and only gain 2 yards and fail to complete the pass on 3rd down and they have the ball at their 14 after the punt.

They are ripping off yardage and have a 3rd and 7 at our 38 when we force an incompletion on a QB pressure. However we are offsides and they have another chance. They try to run and we hold. Incredible, we stopped a 3rd and short. But they go for it on a 4th and 1 at our 32 and get the 1st down. But wait...an offensive holding call brings it back! Finally a call goes our way. They punt.

Baltimore extends their lead on N.E. to 17-6 and Cincinnati has a 16-0 lead on the Jets. N.E. is in the 4th and the Jets are late in the 3rd.

We are getting nothing on the ground and a false start gives us a 2nd and 17 at our 13. But Sanders hits Antonides again, this time for 22 yards. Another 17 to Antonides and we have a 1st and 10 at their 48. Again a loss of yards on the 1st down run and then another false start. We have another 2nd and long. Antonides catches another pass for 13 yards which gives us a 3rd and 5 at the Buffalo 43. Sanders is over 300 yards and Antonides is over 150 yards. On the 3rd down play Sanders looks for who else but Antonides. He finds him for a short gain but he is open and gets 37 yards after the catch and the 43 yard TD. That drive was all Sanders and Antonides. We lead 31-14 to end the 3rd.

4th QUARTER:

They drive to our 37 but we hold.

Our 1st play is a pass to Newton for 26 yards. We have a 3rd and 19 and Sanders finds Antonides again but only for 11 yards and we have to punt.

N.E. has cut the lead to 17-12 at Baltimore late in the 4th. Cincinnati still leads by 16 against the Jets.

We stop them on three plays and Barton gets a 7 yard sack on 3rd down. They go for it on 4th and long at their 18 and we hold them. We have it at their 29 with 8 minutes to play in the game leading 31-14.

We run the ball on every play and get one 1st down but have to settle for a long FG try. But we took a lot of time off the clock. Hammond misses the 38 yard try. We still lead 31-14 with 3:16 to play.

Incidently this game, most of the passes into double coverage are not completed. Strange.

We stop them on a 4th down and have the ball with 2 minutes to play.

Kolodziejski gets some work in the game now. He's just in their to hand off and we get a 1st down and Buffalo uses their timeouts and we take some knees to end it. We win 31-14.

I switch to the other games in the division. Just as I switch to the N.E. game they complete a last second drive to win the game 18-17. The Jets lost so we still have a 1 game lead in the division.

This was a great game by the team after the early fumble and we let them take a 14-3 lead. Sanders and Antonides had great games. Newton couldn't get anything on the ground. The OL didn't allow a sack and DL put pressure on Tudrick all day even with only 2 sacks.

Other notes, injuries and stats:

Sanders was the player of the game: 24/28 for 384 yards with 3 TDs and 1 int.
Antonides had 10 catches for 213 yards and 1 TD with 78 YAC.
Swift added 63 yards and a TD.
Newton had an anemic 2.05 ypc.
Crichlow had 8 rushes for 43 yards.

On the injury front, Barkley is 2 weeks away. Pirrup is ahead of schedule as he is also about 2 weeks away. He is probable this week but I don't want to risk it. Terry played decent in his place.
No new injuries.

UP next: We try to keep it going as we head to Cleveland

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny and 60 degrees with a 1 MPH wind.

We are favored by 6.

We have moved up to 73 and #5 in the power rankings. Cleveland is 44 and #21.

We will use the same lineup as last week as I don't want to risk Pirrup.

We are facing the #1 pick in this year's draft: NT- Ricky Droughns.

The Jets travel to play N.E. this week so we need to win to hold our 1 game lead. They are both 2-3. Buffalo plays Pittsburgh.

Up next: Gameday Week 6

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 6: MIAMI AT CLEVELAND:

1st QUARTER:

Cleveland starts with the ball and takes it to us and finishes with a 29 yard TD run and the early 7-0 lead.

Sanders hits Cole on a 3rd down play to keep the drive alive. Then on a 3rd and long from the Cleveland 32, Sanders hits Swift on a 32 yard TD pass to tie the score.

Our defense holds them to 3 plays this time but the punt pins us at our 3 yard line.

Newton gets us out of trouble with a 15 yard run. He broke 2 tackles. It's about time as he hasn't done anything for 2 games. Another 3rd down play and Sanders hits Antonides for just enough yardage for the 1st down. The passing game is starting to open up some running lanes as Newton and Crichlow run for 10 and 15 yards respectively on successive plays to give us a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 28. Another 6 yard run and that ends the 1st quarter with the score 7-7 but we are at the 22.

2nd QUARTER:

Newton continues with a 13 yard run to give us a 1st and goal at the 9. A sack pushes us back to the 15, but it doesn't matter as on the next play Sanders hits Blanda on a 15 yard TD pass for the 14-7 lead. Two great drives to start the game for our offense.

Our defense isn't too sharp today as they move down the field until McWilliams pressures the QB on a 3rd down at our 33 and we hold. They punt instead of trying the 50 yard FG and we have it at our 20.

An offensive holding call stalls our drive and we punt it right back. A big return gives them the ball at our 45.

We can't stop them and they tie the score at 14.

We go 3 and out and have to give it right back to them at the 2 minute warning. A good punt pins them at their 9.

The clock runs out and we go into the locker room tied at 14.

Our offense went to sleep after the 1st two drives. We get the ball to start the 2nd half. We need a statement drive.

At halftime, N.E. leads the Jets by 4 and surprisingly, Buffalo leads Pittsburgh by 3.

3rd QUARTER:

A short KO gives us the ball at our 42 to start. Let's make it work. A short run and then a 29 yard pass to Antonides, with 13 coming after the catch, gives us the ball at their 26. A key 3rd and 11 and Sanders hits Swift on a 22 yard pass. We have a 1st and goal at the 5 yard line. Two plays later Sanders finds Swift again on a 3 yard TD pass and we have a 21-14 lead. Swift has 5 catches for 83 yards and 2 TD.

Our offense woke up to start the 2nd half but our defense is still asleep as they start with a 47 yard pass. Our defense is anemic as they take it right down the field for the tieing score. I need to rethink our CB situation next week. I may need to play Pirrup at less than 100%.

It just gets worse as Sanders throws an interception at our 37 on a 3rd down play and our defense, (if you want to call it that), is right back on the field. Our defense stops them on 3rd down but not before they get enough yardage to hit the 46 yard FG and the 24-21 lead.

Another short KO gives us the ball at our 44 to start. Newton rips one for 15 yards and we are in Cleveland territory. A nine yard pass and another 10 on the ground from Newton gives us a 1st down at the Cleveland 22. Two more runs give us a 1st and 10 at the 12 to end the 3rd.

4th QUARTER:

Two plays and we have a 3rd and 1 at the 3. The give is to Crichlow and he can't get the yard. We settle for the short FG and the tie at 24.

Our defense had an easy time as Cleveland committed 4 false starts on the drive and we force a quick punt.

We start at our 44 with 11 to play in the game and tied at 24. 3rd and 5 at our 49 and Sanders comes through again to Swift for 6 yards and the 1st down. The next play is a screen pass that goes nowhere and Newton fumbles the ball. Dunkelberger is alert however and we keep the ball. A 3rd and 1 at the 36 and Blanda catches one for 4 yards and a 1st down. A few plays later we have a 3rd and 2 at the 4. Sanders hits Crichlow on a pass but for only 1 yard and we have a 4th and 1 at the 3. Hammond hits the short FG and we take the lead 27-24 with 5 minutes to play.

The 2nd play they hit a 31 yard pass and they have a 1st down at our 44. McWilliams steps up and sacks the QB on successive plays to set up a 3rd and 20 at their own 46. They only get one yard on the short pass and our defense holds.

After the punt we have the ball at our 23 with 2:53 to play and a 3 point lead. We just need to run out the clock. The first play is a run for one yard. On 2nd and 9, Newton breaks one for 28 yards and we have a 1st down at the Cleveland 48. A false start pushes us back but Newton rips another long gain this time for 22 and Cleveland spends their last timeout. Another 1st down running the ball and we run out the clock. WE WIN 27-24!!!

Big win for this team.

I switch games to catch the Jets finish off the Patriots. Pittsburgh just scored to take the lead against Buffalo. They hold on to win.

Stats, notes and injuries:

QB- Glen Perry was signed by Jacksonville.

Notes, stats and injuries:

McWilliams DPOW with 4 tackles, 1 assist, 2 knockdowns, 1 hurry and 3 sacks. He was the reason we won the game at the end when he sacked the QB twice on Cleveland's last drive at our 44.
Sanders was 27/33 for 261 yards with 3 TD and 1 Int. and player of game. Strange as McWilliams was player of week.
Newton had 153 yards on 22 carries after a very slow start.
Antonides had 97 yards on 7 catches and Swift added 92 yards on 7 catches but 2 TD.
Hammond hit both FG and the game winner late. Great pressure kick.
Our OL only allowed one sack.
Lee was 4/6 on KRB with 1 pancake block.
Springer was 3/6 on KRB with 1 pancake block.
Green was 3/5 on KRB.

This was a team win as the offense kept us in the game until the defense woke up and then the defense held on for the win.
Another key was we held the #1 pick Droughns to only 3 tackles. That's it.

We are 4-2 and are in 1st place by one game. We play a 3-3 Pittsburgh team at home this week before our bye week. It would be nice to be 5-2 at our break and leading the division.
No new injuries and Pirrup and Barkley are probable and about 1 week away from full strength. Our coaching staff think there is a low chance of reinjury. I will risk it as we need the win before our bye week.

Other notes through 6 games:

Sanders has his career best in completion pct. so far. Also 15 TD is a career high as is his QB rating at 107. Let's hope he keeps it up.
Swift has been the scoring machine with 7 TD through 6 games.
FA pickup Cole only has 18 catches for 236 yards, but 9 catches on 3rd down and 7 converted for 1st downs. That's been key for us to have a key 3rd down target.
Hammond is 8/10 on FG with his only misses are one for 38 and 1 over 50. I can live with that. Better than last year's kicker.

Up next: We face Pittsburgh before our bye week.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 90 degrees and a 9 MPH wind. Hopefully the heat will wear them down.

Power rankings we are a 71 and moved up to #4. Pittsburgh is #22.

We are favored by 8.

Injuries: Pirrup and Barkley are probable and both are active this week with Pirrup starting.
Inactives: Chavarria, Hancock, Chandiramani, Ramirez, Gilmore, Fredrickson and Harrison.

The Jets play Cleveland at home, both are 3-3. N.E. (2-4) play a 5-0 Cincinnati team at home. Buffalo (0-6) travels to Baltimore (2-4).

Up next: Week 7 Gameday

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 7: PITTSBURGH AT MIAMI:

1st QUARTER:

Pittsburgh gets the ball to start and a penalty starts them at their 14. Two quick first downs before we stop them on a 3rd and 6. The punt pins us at our 8.

Newton starts us off with a 14 yard run with a key block by Mohr. Another 8 yards on a block by Burford. A third straight run for 2 yards and the 1st down. Springer with the block. The next play is an 11 yard completion to Cole when Pittsburgh plays the run. Another 8 yard pass to Newton this time and we have a 2nd and 2 at the Pittsburgh 49. No gain on the next run. A bad pass on 3rd down and we stall. But a nice drive to get us out of bad field position. A chance to pin them deep, but the punt goes into the endzone.

Our defense holds them to 3 plays when Kimbrell hurries the QB.

A great return by Tigchelaar to the Pittsburgh 21 is nullified on a holding on the return. We start at our 39. Newton continues where he left off the 1st drive with 2 runs of 9 and 12 yards. But then Sanders throws an interception at the Pittsburgh 22. That's two good chances lost.

A 4 yard run then a sack by Dobbins and Dellinger sets up a 3rd and 11 at the Pittsburgh 21. Hughes tips the 3rd down pass away and we hold them to another 3 and out.

We start at our 39 again. A 1st down run goes nowhere. Then Sanders hits Swift for 30 yards. Our OL is blocking well as Newton rips another 7 yards. Mohr creates an opening and Newton has another 6 yards. He finally is stopped for a 1 yard loss and a dropped pass to Swift sets up a 3rd and 11 at the Pittsburgh 21. Sanders runs for it and only gets 4 yards. We will settle for the 34 yard FG try. Hammond hits the FG for the 3-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter.

In other games, Baltimore is leading Buffalo 14-7, Cincinnati leads N.E. 7-0, and the Jets are leading Cleveland 3-0.

2nd QUARTER:

Pittsburgh starts the 2nd a big run, but it is called back on a penalty. A 2nd and long pass into double coverage is incomplete and they have a 3rd and 17 at their 15. We have a chance to put their defense right back out their on this hot day. They can't complete the pass and we force a 3 and out again.

A short punt and good return by Tigchelaar gives us the ball at the Pittsburgh 30. They are expecting the pass, but we keep it on the ground. Mohr creates a huge hole for Newton who gets 16 more to give us a 1st and 10 at the 14. Two more yards gives us a 2nd and 8 at the 12. Our OL finally caves a little and gives up a 7 yard sack. We have a 3rd and 15 at the 19. A short pass to Antonides only gives us 6 yards. We will settle for the 30 yard FG try. Hammond hits it and we lead 6-0. I hope these chances don't come back to bite us.

On the positive side, Newton is a monster today. He has 73 yards on 12 carries through 1 1/2 quarters.

Baltimore is all over Buffalo 28-7. N.E. has tied Cincinnati at 7 and the Jets and Cleveland are tied at 3.

A big KO is a touchback and they start at their 20. Our defense is playing well again but they get the 3rd down conversion for just enough yards. Another 3rd down, Ward sacks the QB and we hold. The punt gives us the ball at our 38.

I like our coach's offensive playcalling in this one. They are playing the run, and rightfully so. But our coach calls a pass and Sanders hits Swift to 17 yards. Back to the ground for 4 and then another pass to Swift for 20 more. We have a 1st and 10 at the 21. Two short runs sets up 3rd and 6 at the 17. Sanders hits Burford for only 3 and we have to settle for another FG. Hammond hits the 31 yard FG and we lead 9-0. We are moving the ball well but keep stalling. The way this is going, Hammond is going to be our MVP of this game even with Newton's great runs.

Two nice stops on runs gives them a 3rd and 9. Then McWilliams pressures the QB and they have to punt and we get the ball right back with 2:51 to play in the half and we get the ball to start the 2nd half.

On a 3rd and 7, Mohr creates a hole and Newton rips another 18 yards. Two short passes gives us a 3rd and 6 at the Pittsburgh 44 with 20 seconds to play in the half. A 3rd down pass to Swift is dropped and we lose a great opportunity. The 1st half ends with us leading 9-0. We really dominated the game so far but failed to punch it in.

In the other division games:

Baltimore 35, Buffalo 10 late in the 2nd quarter.
New Engand 14, Cincinnati 7 late in the 2nd quarter.
Cleveland 10, N.Y. Jets 10 middle of the 2nd quarter.

3rd QUARTER:

We start the 2nd half with the ball at our 28. A 6 yard pass to Antonides and then 8 yards on the ground by Newton. Newton is over 100 yards already. Crichlow gets 5 yards but coughs it up and Pittsburgh recovers it at our 32. Costly turnover when we are really dominating the game. Let's see if our defense can hold them.

Our defense holds them to dump off passes and we hold. But they hit the 43 yard FG to cut our lead to 9-3. But it could have been worse. Our pass defense is much better today as their QB is only 6/13 for 27 yards. But that could be a combination of a bad QB or receivers.

Our offense goes 3 and out and we have to punt the ball right back to them.

A good punt gives them the ball at their 23. Just as I praise our pass defense, they proceed to move down the field and with the help of an unnecessary roughness penalty gives them a 1st and 10 at our 19. They finish the drive with a TD and what was once a 9-0 halftime lead is a 10-9 deficit. I said we needed TD not FG earlier.

Back to the ground for 8 yards and then a pass to Antonides for 18 and we have a 1st down at our 48. Crichlow makes up for his earlier blunder and rips one for 16 yards with a key block from Springer. We lose 3 yards and then 2 incomplete passes and we stall at the Pittsburgh 39. A promising drive ends in a punt. But a nice punt by Singleton pins them at their 5. Let's see if our defense can make something happen.

We stop them on the first two plays and they have a 3rd and 6 at their 9. Time for our defense to play like they did in the 1st half. That's how the 3rd quarter ends.

Baltimore is still killing Buffalo. N.E. and Cincinnati are tied at 14. Cleveland leads the Jets by 7.

4th QUARTER:

The 3rd down pass is stopped short by a yard by Alarcon but we get called for defensive holding and they get the automatic 1st down. That's a killer penalty. That penalty seems to have deflated our defense as they move it at will to our 31 with a 1st down. Another 1st down at our 20. Finally a play as Franz sacks the QB for 8 yards. But we still need to hold. We hold them on 3rd down and they will settle for the 34 yard FG try. They hit it to extend the lead to 13-9 with 9 minutes to play in the game. If we had just converted one of those FG into a TD we would be tied right now. But no use crying over spilt milk. Our defense has played surprisingly well and kept us in the game. Time for the offense to put a TD drive together to win this game.

Crichlow returns it to our 38 and fumbles the ball....NO! But he recovers his own fumble. His job is on the line. I will not accept these fumbles. The 1st play is a screen pass to Newton for 8 yards. A 3 yard run by Newton and we have a 1st down. Money man Antonides catches one for 17 and we have a 1st and 10 at the Pittsburgh 34. A short pass for 2 and then an incomplete pass sets up a 3rd and 8 at the 32. This is a key 3rd down here with 6 minutes to play. An incredible play as Sanders hits Newton for the 8 yard completion and just enough for the 1st down. But we lost center Mohr on the play. That could hurt us. We have a 1st and 10 at 24. 1st down is an incomplete pass to Cole. Someone needs to step up for a TD. We have settled for FG all day and that won't cut it being down by 4. A 2nd down pass to Antonides is knocked down which sets up another big 3rd down at the 24. Sanders hits Swift, but for only 4 yards and we stall again. We have a 4th and 6 at the 20, down by 4 with 5 to play. What will our coach do? He decides on the FG to cut the lead to one and then hoping to get the ball back and a FG to win it. Hammond lines up for the 37 yarder....and he misses is to the right. UGH! His 2nd miss from under 40, but at a really bad time. We still trail by 4.

A couple of big plays eats up yardage and clock but we hold.

But we are in a hole. We have it at our 7 yard line with 2 minutes to play and one timeout. Well, time for these high priced offensive guys to make it happen. First down pass to Swift is dropped. He picked a bad time to have butterfingers. He's been money all season. Then Dunkelberger drops a pass. What is going on? The 3rd down pass to Swift is intercepted and that will end our chance to win this one. We lose 13-9.

I switch to the other games in our division. Buffalo is still losing big. N.E. is trailing by 3 but Cincinnati has the ball late. The Jets trail Cleveland by 14. We lost a great opportunity to open up a lead in our division if these scores hold up.

The scores do hold up, everyone in our division lost. So this loss hurt. Especially when we only managed 3 FG when we moved the ball easily in the 1st half. The turning point was the opening drive of the 2nd when Crichlow fumbled deep in our own end. Our defense held them to a FG but the momentum shifted to Pittsburgh and we never recovered.

Other notes, stats and injuries:

I am happy with the defense and how they played limiting Pittsburgh to only 13 points. If you give up only 13 you will win most games. And our OL was blocking excellent for Newton. We just need to finish the drives.

On the injury front. Pirrup and Barkley are now 100% and risking playing them didn't hurt us. They beefed up our defense even if we lost.
We lost center Mohr for 4 weeks with a strained foot ligament. So the rookie Hickman will start in his place. He is a step down from Mohr, but not terrible.

Sanders finished the day 18/30 for 162 yards and 2 int. Definitely not as well as he's played so far.
Newton had 121 yards on 22 carries and he added 4 catches for 24 yards.
Swift added 71 yards and Antonides had 47 yards. But Swift had 3 dropped passes.
Alarcon had 9 tackles and 3 assists.
Our OL was a force today. 12/23 with only 1 SA. Better than 50% blocking. If we do that every week we will win most games.

This lose hurt but we head into our bye week with a one game lead in the division. Something we haven't been able to do in previous years. After the bye week, N.E. comes to town and we have a chance to sweep them.

Since our bye week is only one week away from the midpoint of the season, it's a good time to evaluate where we are, where we need to be, standings and stuff.

UP next: Standing, team summary and roster report

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1977 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 6 0 0 1.000 121 78 5-0 1-0
Cleveland 4 3 0 .571 153 118 4-2 1-1
Pittsburgh 4 3 0 .571 91 100 4-2 0-2
Baltimore 3 3 0 .500 120 104 3-2 1-0

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Jacksonville 4 2 0 .667 125 112 4-1 2-1
Indianapolis 4 3 0 .571 196 182 4-2 2-0
Tennessee 2 4 0 .333 123 118 2-3 0-2
Houston 0 7 0 .000 64 162 0-6 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Miami 4 3 0 .571 173 165 4-2 2-0
New York J 3 4 0 .429 114 154 3-3 2-0
New England 2 5 0 .286 126 139 1-5 0-2
Buffalo 0 7 0 .000 88 175 0-6 0-2

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 4 2 0 .667 115 90 3-2 1-1
Denver 3 3 0 .500 131 139 3-2 1-0
San Diego 3 3 0 .500 126 125 3-2 1-1
Kansas City 2 4 0 .333 100 121 1-4 0-1

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 4 2 0 .667 107 88 3-2 2-0
Detroit 3 4 0 .429 93 126 2-4 1-1
Green Bay 2 5 0 .286 125 142 2-4 1-1
Minnesota 1 5 0 .167 85 140 0-5 0-2

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tampa Bay 6 0 0 1.000 179 56 5-0 1-0
Carolina 5 2 0 .714 131 110 4-2 1-1
New Orleans 4 2 0 .667 129 114 4-1 1-0
Atlanta 3 3 0 .500 119 123 2-3 0-2

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 7 0 0 1.000 192 93 6-0 2-0
Washington 3 3 0 .500 119 88 3-2 1-1
Dallas 3 4 0 .429 136 137 2-4 0-2
New York G 2 4 0 .333 95 95 2-3 1-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
San Francisco 5 2 0 .714 130 141 4-2 2-0
Arizona 3 3 0 .500 77 117 2-3 0-2
St. Louis 3 4 0 .429 144 142 2-4 1-1
Seattle 2 5 0 .286 107 140 1-5 1-1


Team Roster and notes:



Front Office Football 2007
Miami Dolphins Roster, Scout Overview

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Future Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB QB 11 36 36 3 yrs
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 2 26 55 2 yrs
Winters, Monty 13 QB 1 14 40 4 yrs

Sanders has played well above his rating of 36. He has a career
high for TD through 7 games. Kolodziejski has been the backup
and Winters the 3rd QB. Neither has thrown a pass. Kolodziejski
has improved 3 in current and Winters 2 in current. Sanders
will continue to start as he is playing well enough to take
us to the playoffs.

Newton, Neal 32 RB RB 2 77 77 4 yrs
Crichlow, Kurt 46 RB 7 43 43 1 yr.
Craig, Edwin 31 RB 2 25 25 2 yrs

Newton has dropped 3 in future but is fully developed. Craig
has dropped 8 to 25. Newton has 651 yards and 4 TD with a
4.62 YPC so far. Definitely our #1 weapon. Crichlow has been
a solid 3rd down back and relief for Newton, but he needs to
hang on to the ball. Craig looks to be a career bench player.
He was a decent 3rd down option last year, but Crichlow has
filled that role.

Blanda, Darryl 29 FB FB 7 43 43 2 yrs
Needham, Marcus 39 FB 1 24 47 1 yr.

Blanda has started all 7 games and done a good job blocking.
Needham has improved 1 in current and could be a starter for
us later.

Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE TE 7 50 50 2 yrs
Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 5 49 49 2 yrs
##Chavarria, Patrick 82 TE 6 30 33 1 yr.

Dunkelberger and Burford have done a good job so far. Chavarria
has been deactive all season. I don't think he will be with
the team next year.

Antonides, Phillip 85 FL FL 4 56 56 5 yrs
Cole, Freddie 88 FL 6 42 42 1 yr.
Nishioka, Dana 3 FL 1 26 45 1 yr.
Swift, C.J. 87 SE SE 3 41 41 4 yrs
##Hancock, Glen 5 SE 1 21 45 1 yr.

Here is where our playmakers are besides Newton. Antonides has
fully developed. He has been our go to guy for YAC and Swift
has been the TD machine. Cole has been our 3rd down guy. All
three of these players will continue to play extensively for
the rest of the year. Nishioka has been the 4th receiver but
only has two catches for 37 yards with 9 targets. Hancock
has been deactive all season, but I will give him a chance
with Nishioka being a non factor. If Cole keeps on his pace,
I will have to offer him a contract next year.

**Mohr, Derrick 59 C C 12 76 76 2 yrs
Hickman, Everett 52 C 1 35 60 3 yrs

Mohr has been the starter all year, but with his injury for
4 weeks, Hickman will play. Hickman has improved 3 in current.
He should turn out to be a decent center.

Springer, Mitch 74 LG LG 6 69 69 3 yrs
##Chandiramani, Craig 78 LG 1 19 35 1 yr.
Lee, J.B. 68 RG RG 7 57 57 4 yrs
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 2 22 44 2 yrs

Our starting G are playing solid. Snyder has played limited
duty in a backup role. Chandiramani has been deactive all
year. If our starters stay healthy we will be ok here.

Green, Curtis 61 LT LT 12 56 56 1 yr.
Levine, Kendall 65 LT 1 45 59 4 yrs
Bush, Travis 71 RT RT 3 50 50 1 yr.
Irwin, Kelvin 73 RT 1 21 44 3 yrs
##Ramirez, Doug 60 RT 2 17 40 2 yrs

Green has played great in possibly his final year. Levine
started the year in place of the injured Bush, but has
been a backup since. But he should be just fine taking
over for Green should he retire next year. Bush has been
a non factor as most of our runs have been to the left
side as that is our strong side. Irwin and Ramirez have
played little but are decent backups if they develop.

Singleton, Bruce 12 P 7 52 52 1 yr.
Hammond, Juan 4 K 1 61 69 1 yr.

Singleton has continued to punt decent getting us out of
trouble. He's not great and I may look for an upgrade here
next year. Hammond has been a big improvement over last
year's kicker. He has missed 3 FG, but has hit most of
his pressure kicks. He has improved 6 in current. If he
stays here, he will be our kicker for years.

Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE LDE 5 80 80 1 yr.
Burkhart, Curtis 90 LDE 1 25 47 3 yrs
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE RDE 4 73 73 4 yrs
Ward, Daniel 72 RDE 9 40 40 2 yrs

Hughes and McWilliams have been decent but not as much of
a force as last year. They have only 6 sacks and 18
hurries between them. But They still have great ratings
and should start for us for a few years. Ward has been
a decent FA pickup and good relief for our starters.
Burkhart hasn't played much to show me anything yet.
Hughes is an UFA after this year and I may try to sign
him before the season is over.

Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT LDT 2 53 61 3 yrs
Goodwin, Samson 92 LDT 10 35 35 1 yr.
##Gilmore, Bruce 97 LDT 1 20 47 1 yr.
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT RDT 3 54 54 1 yr.

Our starters, Dobbins and Petkovich have more tackles than
our DE and have played well. Goodwin has played good in
a backup role. Gilmore has been deactive all year. With
Petkovich a RFA after this year, I will have to spend
some money here.

Alarcon, Lincoln 95 MLB MLB 5 56 56 2 yrs
%%Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 4 54 54 3 yrs
Eastridge, Luke 54 MLB 1 23 40 3 yrs
Dellinger, Travis 56 SLB SLB 1 32 58 3 yrs
Franz, Larry 55 SLB 2 19 45 1 yr.
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB WLB 2 27 47 2 yrs
##Fredrickson, Randall 50 WLB 3 23 39 1 yr.

With the trade for Alarcon, this has definitely improved
our LB corps. He leads the team in tackles and assists.
Dellinger and Kimbrell are also 2nd and 4th on the team
in tackles. Kimbrell isn't developing as fast as I hoped
when I decided to send him to summer camp. With only
Franz and Fredrickson FA after this year, we should
be ok for a couple years. If Cockrane comes back from
injury 100%, we are in really good shape.

Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB LCB 6 54 54 2 yrs
Barton, Al 25 RCB RCB 3 49 49 2 yrs
Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 2 28 47 2 yrs
Terry, Artie 43 RCB 1 27 37 3 yrs
Alston, Bo 27 RCB 1 21 45 1 yr.

With only 3 interceptions so far, this group is playing
very weak. We lost Pirrup and Barkley for a few weeks
and Terry and Alston played ok in their place. But we
definitely need upgrades here next season.

Tigchelaar, Ryan 44 SS 9 41 41 1 yr.
Mihna, Don 34 SS SS 12 41 41 1 yr.
##Harrison, Alonzo 28 SS 1 19 48 1 yr.
Pearson, Chester 37 FS FS 4 42 42 1 yr.
Lane, Patrick 42 FS 1 24 39 1 yr.

Pearson has dropped 3 in future but is fully developed.
He has played well, as has Tigchelaar who has an
outstanding 87.3 PDPct. With all my S FA after this
year, I have some decisions to make. Mihna is in
his 12th year and has been a minor factor. I will
probably not resign him. Pearson and Tigchelaar
will be offer contracts. As long as Tigchelaar can
hold onto the ball on returns he will be ok.
Harrison and Lane need time to develop, but will
probably never be more than role players.


$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 54
Inactive: 7
On Active Roster: 46

Salary Cap: $67,200,000
Cap Room: $17,280,000
Maximum for New Player: $17,470,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $580,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $130,000
Cap Room Required Next Year: $46,890,000


Team Summary


Front Office Football 2007
1977 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1977
Record 4-3
Winning Pct. .571
All-Time 45-74
Winning Pct. .378
Playoffs 1-1
Playoff Visits 1
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 38-81
Winning Pct. .319
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 27.0 18
Rushing Yards 120.1 11
Yards Per Carry 4.45 8
Pass Attempts 31.1 22
Completions 21.0 11 (T)
Completion Pct. 67.4 2
Passing Yards 249.3 6
Yards Per Attempt 8.00 2
Yards Per Catch 11.87 8
Total Yardage Gained 361.7 4
3rd Down Conversions 41.7 4
Points Per Game 24.7 4
Pass Rush Pct. 9.1 5
Pass Defense Pct. 61.4 29
Turnovers 14 26 (T)
Turnover Margin -8 29 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 24.6 7
Rushing Yards 103.9 11
Yards Per Carry 4.23 20
Pass Attempts 35.4 25
Completions 21.9 26
Completion Pct. 61.7 20
Passing Yards 217.6 19
Yards Per Attempt 6.14 13
Yards Per Catch 9.95 11
Total Yardage Gained 309.4 15
3rd Down Conversions 36.6 22
Points Per Game 23.6 30
Pass Rush Pct. 4.3 1
Pass Defense Pct. 62.4 5
Turnovers 6 28 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 31 at NED 23
2 10 at TBY 37
3 48 IND 31
4 17 at CIN 23
5 31 BUF 14
6 27 at CLE 24
7 9 PIT 13
9 NED
10 BAL
11 at NYJ
12 CAR
13 at KCY
14 ATL
15 NYJ
16 at NOS
17 at BUF

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
7 D. Sanders QB 218 147 1745 8.00 15 8 99.3
**Team --- 218 147 1745 8.00 15 8 99.3
$$Opp --- 248 153 1523 6.14 12 5 86.8

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 141 651 4.62 4 2
46 K. Crichlow RB 38 174 4.58 0 3
**Team --- 189 841 4.45 4 11
$$Opp --- 172 727 4.23 6 5

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 53 37 587 15.86 11.08 2 1
87 C. Swift WR 48 32 507 15.84 10.56 6 7
32 N. Newton RB 37 27 154 5.70 4.16 1 1
88 F. Cole WR 33 21 252 12.00 7.64 1 3
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 20 13 121 9.31 6.05 3 0
29 D. Blanda FB 7 7 58 8.29 8.29 0 2

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 49 13 0.0 0 0 2 72.5
56 T. Dellinger OLB 25 9 0.5 1 0 3 74.2
37 C. Pearson S 24 3 0.0 0 1 5 75.9
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 23 10 1.0 2 0 2 71.0
44 R. Tigchelaar S 22 7 0.0 0 1 4 87.3
99 R. Petkovich DT 22 5 2.5 2 0 0 80.9
25 A. Barton CB 22 5 1.0 0 1 1 78.3
93 E. McWilliams DE 19 5 3.5 11 0 0 80.8
75 N. Dobbins DT 16 5 2.0 5 0 1 81.2
77 H. Hughes DE 14 7 2.5 7 0 0 81.4
33 R. Barkley CB 11 0 0.0 0 1 0 77.8
42 P. Lane S 11 6 0.0 0 0 0 74.6
55 L. Franz OLB 9 4 1.0 0 0 1 72.7
43 A. Terry CB 9 6 0.0 0 1 1 82.3
41 B. Pirrup CB 8 2 0.0 0 0 3 78.0


The biggest thing that stands out is our -8 turnover margin. That has to change.

Our ypc is 8th in the league at 4.45. That is good.
Most of our offensive catergories are in or near the top 10.
Our defense is where we are weak. I think we need to get more pressure on the QB and force some turnovers to help the offense.

Sanders is on his way to a career best season.
Newton is well on his way to a 1000 yard season.
Antonides should get a 1000 yards receiving as should Swift. Swift should also get double digits in TD.

Alarcon is showing me I made a good trade as he leads the team in tackles.
McWilliams and Hughes sacks are down this year. But they have 18 hurries between them. Where it's hurt us is in the secondary.

Hopefully we can put some wins together to win the division.

Up next: We open after our bye week with a key division game vs. N.E.

[DolphinFan1]

1977 WEEK 8: Bye

The Jets beat Buffalo to keep them winless and move to withing 1/2 game of us for the division lead.
N.E. beat Cleveland to climb within 1 1/2 games of us.

Cincinnati finally lost so the only undefeated team left is Philadelphia at 7-0.

1977 WEEK 9: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-5) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-3) PREVIEW:

Sunny, 92 degrees and calm.

We won the 1st meeting in the 1st game of the season 31-23.

Power rankings: Miami #7 with a 57, N.E. #9 with a 56.

We are favored by 2.

Injuries and inactives: C- Mohr is still out for about 4 weeks. Other inactives, Chavarria, Nishioka, Chandiramani, Gilmore, Fredrickson and Harrison.

Key matchup: Miami rookie center- Hickman vs. N.E. 11 year veteran NT- Matthew Noonan rated 57/57. N.E. 2nd all time sacks, blocked passes and hurries. Can the rookie hold him off?

Up next: Gameday

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 9: NEW ENGLAND AT MIAMI:

1ST QUARTER:

Other division games: Cincinnati travels to Buffalo and the Jets go to Pittsburgh.

We start with the ball at our 20. Sanders starts us off with a 14 yard pass to Swift. Lead by a nice block by Springer, Newton rips one for 9 yards. An offensive holding call followed by a loss of one yard, sets us up with a 3rd and 12 at our 32. Sanders can't complete the 3rd down pass and we have to punt. A promising start is ended with a holding call.

A booming punt by Singleton for 65 yards pins them at their 3 yard line. Maybe he's trying to keep his job as he is a FA after this year.

They get a 16 yard pass play on 2nd down to get out of the shadow of their own goal. We are stopping the run, but they are passing on our defense at will and have a 1st down at our 41. They are using only short passes but are completing them for 1st downs and they are at our 18. They complete the 17 yard drive from their 3 yard line for a TD. Our defense was nonexistent.

We can't get a 1st down as another offensive holding call gives us a 3rd and long and the pass to Antonides is short of the 1st down. New England gets the ball right back.

Another booming punt by Singleton and a holding call pins them at their 8. Let's see if we can stop them this time.

The 1st quarter ends with N.E. leading 7-0 and they have a 3rd and 8 at their 31.

Cincinnati leads Buffalo 14-0 after 1 and the Jets and Pittsburgh are tied at 7.

2nd QUARTER:

Another 3rd down completion and they are moving it again. On the next play, Kimbrell intercepts a pass at our 42. Our defense finally makes a play.

We are pathetic today as after a false start we get 0 yards and punt.

This is awful as they again complete passes at will. We finally hold them to a FG as their 3rd down pass is short. But our pass defense needs help. Our run defense is only allowing 3.4 ypc. But we trail 10-0.

We go 3 and out again. There are going to be some jobs on the line if they don't start producing on offense or defense soon.

A good return on the punt gives them the ball at our 45. Now we can't stop them on the ground as they are running on us. They get down to our 1 yard line and we actually stop them for no gain on a 3rd and goal. They hit the FG for the 13-0 lead, but it could have been worse.

The 1st half ends with us running out of time on a drive. We go into the locker room trailing 13-0 but the score doesn't tell the story. Total yards: N.E. 232, Miami 67. 1st downs: N.E. 16, Miami 3. N.E. 9/11 on 3rd downs, We were 0/4. N.E. 45 plays to our 17. That was a pathetic 1st half of football by our team. It's amazing we are only down by 2 scores.

Cincinnati leads 28-0 over Buffalo, Pittsburgh leads the Jets 13-7.

3rd QUARTER:

On the 1st play of the 2nd half, we knock out their QB. Their backup QB proceeds to complete a pass for 17 yards! Then he proceeds to scramble for 10 yards! We finally defend a pass on 3rd down and force a punt. Kimbrell defended the pass. So he has an interception and a pass defended. Is he the only one on defense who showed up today?

We start at our 20 and Newton gets a 10 yard run. We then proceed to get -1 yards on 3 plays and have to punt. We just didn't show up today.

Another 60+ yard punt pins them at their 8. Singleton has 5 punts with a net average of 50 and 3 inside the 20. So besides Kimbrell, our punter came to play today.

We finally force a 3 and out and should get good field position.

We have it at our 45. We need a score here. We only gain 5 yards and have to punt again. Is this the same team that was 4-2 a couple of weeks ago?

Another punt inside the 10. We stop them on 3 plays again.

We have the ball at our 47. So we are getting good field position we need to do something. We start with a sack and a fumble, thankfully Springer recovered the ball. We go 3 and out again. I don't think it's all because Mohr is out. Our OL isn't all that bad without him in the lineup. I think the bye week hurt us.

Another booming punt pins them at their 5. On the 2nd down play we lose Pearson to a serious hamstring injury. That's not good. We hold them to another 3 and out and they punt. But we are running out of chances trailing by 13 late in the 3rd.

We have it at our 43. We lose 3 yards on the run. Then Antonides breaks one for 18 with 12 coming after the catch. It's about time. We then go 3 and out after that. This is pathetic.

A good punt pins them at their 8. That's 6 inside the 20. They get 12 yards on a run and that ends the 3rd quarter with the score still 13-0.

Cincinnati leads Buffalo 31-0 late in the 3rd. Pittsburgh leads the Jets 16-7 after 3. We had a chance the last few weeks to take control of the division. But we are playing like a team that just doesn't want it.

4th QUARTER:

They proceed to basically put this one away with a long TD drive and lead 20-0. This is with their backup QB. We have some serious issues on this team.

Another 3 and out and I can't watch anymore of this. No wait! We go for it from our 20 on a 4th and 10 and guess what....we don't gain a yard. Turnover on downs.

They add a FG and then Kolodziejski comes in and throws a pick for a TD.

We go on to lose 30-0 in the worst game I have ever seen. I switch to the Jets game as the Bills are getting blown out.

The Jets get a late TD but lose to Pittsburgh 19-14. So we still lead the division by a 1/2 game but we don't deserve it.

Notes, stats and injuries:

Here are the ugly stats on the game:

Rushing yards: N.E. 146 to 19.
Total yards: N.E. 377 to 122.
Total plays: N.E. 78 to 49.
1st downs: N.E. 24 to 7.
TOP: N.E. 40 to 20
Our longest drives were 6 plays and 26 yards.

I won't even go on.

Forget individial stats save one: Singleton, 9 punts, 45.9 net average with 7 inside the 20.

We would have lost to a college team with this performance.

On the injury front, Mohr is still 3 weeks away from returning. Pearson is out for the season with a hamstring pull. I put him on IR. Looking at the FA wire, I don't see any safeties better than what we have. So my options are limited. I decide to see who I have on my team who could make the switch to FS. My scout tells me that rookie 4th round pick, CB- Terry could make the switch and maybe improve his ratings with a small experience hit. I decide to make the switch as he won't get much playing time at CB with Barton, Pirrup and Barkley ahead of him on the depth chart. GREAT! He was rated 27/37 before the move. He is now 27/49. If he fully develops he could be a good safety for us. That should fill the hole left by Pearson. Now I need to fill the roster spot at CB. I find a 9 year veteran, RCB- Adrian Douglas who has a career 80.3 PDpct. He is only rated 31/31 but good in run defense, BNR, Play diagnosis, interceptions, and can also play some special teams and kick returns. He will be a dime back for us. After signing him he goes to 34/34.

Well, that takes care of our roster. Now time to prepare for next week's game.

UP next: We try to rebound against Baltimore

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 75 degrees and a 10 MPH wind.

We are favored by 4.

We have dropped to 14 in the power rankings and Baltimore is 23.

Buffalo travels to N.E. and the Jets have their bye week. Let's hope Buffalo can get their 1st win. The Jets come to town after their bye week. So the next two weeks could make or break our season.

Up next: Gameday

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 10: BALTIMORE AT MIAMI:

1ST QUARTER:

Newly acquired Douglas starts us off with a good kick return to our 40. Newton then goes through a huge hole created by Green and gets 30 yards. Where was that last game when we needed a spark? Sanders and Cole connect on a 3rd and 9 for 21 yards to give us a 1st and goal. Cole gained 9 yards after the catch. A run and a short pass gives us a 3rd and goal at the 5. Let's punch this in the endzone. Sanders drops back to pass, he tosses a pass to Cole who catches it and gets into the endzone for the TD. We take the early 7-0 lead. That's our 1st TD in 3 games.

Our defense holds them to a 3 and out. One note I forgot to mention. Rookie Terry is making his 1st start at FS. I know it was risky but it was the best option.

The short punt gives us the ball at our 40 again. On a 3rd and 8, Sanders hit Swift for 18 yards and a 1st down. (New England just scored a TD against Buffalo.) Another pass to Swift for 22 yards gives us a 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 18. A short run and pass and we have a 3rd and 3 at the Baltimore 11. On the play, Lee creates a hole and Newton squirts through for 4 yards and the 1st down. The next play is a 7 yard TD pass to Cole and we lead 14-0. Cole looks to be the man today.

After a defensive penalty gives them a 1st down, we stop them when Burkhart sacks the QB on 3rd down. He strips the ball loose, but Baltimore recovers at their 31. But we force a punt.

Another short punt gives us good field position again, this time at our 47. On the 1st down play, rookie center Hickman creates a hole for Newton who gets 9 yards. Nice to see the rookie make a block. Two plays later, Sanders throws an interception at the Baltimore 32. We could have really opened up the lead there. Tough break.

After one 1st down, we get a couple of QB pressures and force a punt.

This time we start at our 22. We end the 1st quarter with a 14-0 lead and the ball at our 39 with a 2nd and 5.

New England leads Buffalo 7-0 after one quarter.

2nd QUARTER:

A 3rd and short converted to Swift and we keep the drive alive. A long pass to Antonides and Dunkelberger gives us a 1st and 10 at the 13. On a 3rd and 5 from the 8, Sanders hits 2nd TE Burford on an 8 yard TD pass and we extend the lead to 21-0!

They get a couple of 1st downs and then our DL forces 3 QB hurries and they have to punt. Where was this pressure the last 2 games?

We start at our 26. (Buffalo just got a FG, but they still trail N.E. 7-3.) We have to punt this time after a 3 and out when the 3rd down pass to Swift is short of the 1st down. (N.E. just got a quick TD to extend the lead to 14-3 on Buffalo.)

On a 3rd and 2, Dobbins sacks the QB. But we commit an unnecessary roughness penalty to give them a 1st down. On the next play, Dellinger intercepts a long bomb at our 8 yard line.

We can't get a 1st down and have to punt.

They have it at their 45. Dellinger isn't playing like a rookie today as he sacks the QB on the 1st play for a loss of 15 yards!!! A false start gives them a 2nd and 30 at their 25. Another false start pushes them back to their 20. A nine yard pass gives them a 3rd and 26, Dellinger made the tackle again. On the 3rd down play, newly acquired Douglas makes an interception at their 41. Nice to see the new guy make a play.

New England adds a safety and lead 16-3. Looks like Buffalo is heading for an 0-10 record.

We get 11 yards on a pass to Swift and then 8 more on a pass to Newton. A penalty gives us a 1st and 10 at the 12 with just over 2 minutes to play in the half. Crichlow gets 9 yards to set up a 2nd and 1 at the 3. Bush gets knocked down and Newton is tackled for a 3 yard loss to give us a 3rd and 4 at the 6. A pass to Burford, but he is stopped just short of the 1st down marker. We hit the 20 yard FG and take the 24-0 lead. But OG Lee went down with an injury on the play and will not return.

They just run the ball to end the half. We go into the locker room with a 24-0 lead. I have to say this is a big difference than last week. The only negative is losing Lee.

At the half N.E. leads Buffalo by 16. They just added a FG.

3rd QUARTER:

Our defense comes out and continues there smothering play and force a 3 and out. This was important as we needed to keep the momentum in our favor. Baltimore is 0/8 on 3rd downs.

Our coach calls 3 running plays and Baltimore was ready for them and we only gain 5 yards. Looks like our coach is trying to use clock but I think it's a little early for that.

A big punt gives them the ball at their 23. A sack by McWilliams gives them a 3rd and long and we stop them again.

We have it at our 39. A short pass opens up some running lanes for Newton as he rips off 10 and 13 yards and we have a 1st and 10 at the Baltimore 35. Hickman makes another block and Newton gets 12 more. Hickman once again and Newton gets 16 more to give us a 1st and goal at the 7. The next play, Green creates the hole and Newton gets the 7 yard TD run for a 31-0 lead.

New England is running away from Buffalo in their game 26-3.

A QB hurry by McWilliams on 3rd down forces a long FG try. They miss it and we still lead 31-0 with 2 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.

After a 14 yard pass to Antonides, Sanders gets the rest of the day off. Kolodziejski comes in for some work. We can't get another 1st down and punt.

Our defense is caught sleeping after a 6 yard loss on an run. We then allow a short pass to a WR and he breaks it for 86 yards and the TD. The 3rd quarter ends with us leading 31-7.

4th QUARTER:

INCREDIBLE! On the kickoff, Alston returns it 98 yards for the TD! We lead 38-7! I would have taken just one of these TD against Pittsburgh 2 weeks ago.

Here is the crazy game again. They complete a 2 yard pass, and Terry makes the tackle and forces a fumble. They recover it and return it 78 yards and a TD. They go for 2 and fail. We lead 38-13.

A pass and a long run by Newton gives us the ball at the 10 of Baltimore. But we only get to the 2 yard line. Hammond adds the FG and we lead 41-13.

We trade punts. Then on Baltimore's next drive we lose Tigchelaar to an injury and he doesn't return.

We win 41-13!!!!

New England beats Buffalo so we lead our division by 1/2 over N.E. and 1 game over the Jets who we face next week.

NOTES, STATS AND INJURIES:

Buffalo is the only winless team at 0-10. Philadelphia finally lost, so no one is undefeated anymore.

The word on Tigchelaar is he is out for about 6 weeks with Torn calf muscle. That will hurt our special teams as he was a good punt returner. But Alston and Douglas showed they can return punts and kicks.
The other injury is to Lee. He is questionable for 4 weeks with a sprained knee. That hurts as we are weak a OG. But I will move backup rookie tackle, Levine to guard until Lee returns. He is a better option than our backup guards. Also, Mohr isn't healing very fast as he is still out for about 3 weeks. I wonder if age has an effect on healing in this game. Seems to be.

I have to say that Hickman played well in his 2nd start in place of Mohr. Also that Terry make a nice transition to FS and played a solid game. So did Douglas in his 1st game with the team. They are all going to have to play like that to win this division.

Newton had 161 yards on 30 carries with 1 TD.
Sanders was 23/27 for 208 yards with 3 TD and 1 int.
Swift had 6 catches for 70 yards.
Cole only had 3 catches for 33 yards, but 2 TD.
Singleton is still making a case to be our punter next year as he had a 45.2 net.
Dellinger led the team with 6 tackles and 3 assists and also added a sack. He also had an interception.
Our defense had 6 sacks.
McWilliams and Hughes had 7 hurries and 4 knockdowns.
Our OL didn't allow a sack.
Green was 4/10 with one pancake block.
Springer was 4/7 with one pancake block.
Hickman was 3/7.

This was a big win for this team as bad as we played last week vs. N.E. We need another big win against the Jets next week to hold onto the division lead. We will have to do it with some key injuries.

Up next: A big division game against the Jets.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 61 degrees and 9 MPH wind.

We are favored by 4.

We are #13 in the power rankings while the Jets are 30. I guess no one is impressed with their 4-5 record. Our opponents have a .536 winning pct. The Jets opponents have a .429 winning pct.

Key matchup: The Jets OL vs. the Miami pass rush. Can we get pressure on their average QB? They have a very good OL. Hughes and McWilliams will have to play like they did last year.

Injuries and inactives:

Tigchelaar, Lee and Mohr are all injured and inactive. The other 4 inactives are: Chavarria, Nishioka, Gilmore and Fredrickson.


Up next: GAMEDAY

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 11: MIAMI AT NEW YORK:

1ST QUARTER:

New England and Buffalo have bye weeks this week so it's just the Jets and us playing this week in our division.

The Jets start with the ball at their 21. Our DL is up to the task on the 1st three plays as Dobbins knocks down a pass on 1st down. Then they get pressure on the QB on 2nd down and force and incomplete pass. Then on 3rd down, LB- Dellinger and DE- Hughes combine for a sack and we force a 3 and out. So the early key matchup is Miami DL 1, Jets OL 0. Great defensive start.

They get a booming punt and it pushes us back to our 19. A false start pushes us back 5 yards. Crichlow runs for 3 yards on 1st down. Then on 2nd down, Newton runs through a huge hole created by OT- Levine, starting at G in place of injured Lee. Newton ran for 46 yards on the play. We have a 1st down at the 37 of the Jets. A couple of short runs gives us a 3rd and 4 at the 31. Sanders throws a pass to Antonides who gets 13 yards and the 1st down. That's a big 3rd down conversion as we were just on the edge of K- Hammond's FG range. We have a 1st down at the N.Y. 18. Crichlow gets 8 yards on the 1st down play. Newton finally comes back in the game after his big run and gets the 1st down with a 6 yard run led by OT- Green. We have a 1st and goal at the 4. Another run for 2 yards and we have a 2nd and goal at the 2. Green makes another good block and Newton gets into the endzone for the score....no, we get called for offensive holding and the TD is taken off the board. I guess Green's block was too good. So we are at the 12. Newton gets 3 yards, so now we have a 3rd and goal at the 9. On the 3rd down play, Sanders is sacked for 8 yards. OT- Bush allowed the sack. So now we have to settle for the FG try. Hammond hits the 34 yard FG and we lead 3-0. But the penalty hurt. It cost us 4 points. But I'll take points on our 1st drive.

They get one 1st down and then our defense holds them.

Another good punt and we have it at our 19 again. We only gain 1 yard as Sanders was 0/2 passing on this drive and we punt.

The 1st quarter ends with them on a drive at our 28 and we lead 3-0.

2ND QUARTER:

What I feared is happening. They are winning the battle on the offensive line pushing us around and running all over us. To top it off, we lose CB- Barton to an injury on the drive. He doesn't return. We finally make a stop on a 3rd down with McWilliams making a big sack and forcing a 42 yard FG try. They hit the FG and tie the score at 3.

We go 3 and out again as we try to run 3 times.

We stop them on 3 plays as Hughes hurries the QB.

We try to pass on 1st and 2nd down and the passes are not completed, but N.Y. gets called for defensive pass interference and we have a gift 1st down at the Jets 43. Sanders is horrible today, 1/4 for 13 yards. Newton breaks another long gain for 23 this time and we have it at their 20. Besides the 2 long runs by Newton, our offense is nonexistent. As I say that, Crichlow comes in and rips one for 16 when OG- Springer opens a huge hole and we have another 1st and goal at the 4. Let's get the TD this time. Crichlow gets 3 yards and we have it at the 1. Backup T- Ramirez blocks for Newton who gets into the endzone...TD MIAMI. We lead 10-3. Nice blocking by the OL.

A penalty on the kickoff return pins them at their 7. On 2nd down, we allow a long pass for 46 yards. They get down to our 27 where we stop them just short of the 1st down. They hit the 44 yard FG and our lead is cut to 10-6.

We have the ball at our 17 at the 2 minute warning. Instead of running out the clock, our coach stupidly calls 3 passing plays which Sanders fails to complete on any of them. To top it off, he gets sacked on 3rd down to push us back and the Jets have time to get something going.

They get the ball at their 37 with 52 seconds to play in the half. A long run and another long pass and they have a 1st down at our 15 with 21 seconds to play. They get called for tripping on the next play to push them back to our 25. A 6 yard pass sets up a 3rd and long but only 3 seconds to play and they will try the 36 yard FG. No wait...they go for the long TD pass and Hughes pressures the QB and we hold them to end the half with the 10-6 lead.

We got a break at the end of the half. I am not happy with our offensive playcalling. Also, our offense is not a factor with the exception of a couple of long runs by Newton and Crichlow. Sanders is dreadful today. Our defense has been giving up some big gains, but held the Jets to 2 FG. The loss of CB- Barton seems to have hurt our pass defense.

3RD QUARTER:

We start the 2nd half with the ball at our 32. The 1st play is a dropped pass by the usually sure handed Antonides. But Crichlow bails us out with a 13 yard run and a 1st down. We have a 3rd and 6 and Sanders completes a screen pass to Newton who gets 8 yards after the catch and we keep the drive alive. Sanders then completes a 23 yard pass to Swift, but it's called back for offensive holding. UGH! On a 2nd and 18, Sanders hits Antonides for 21 yards with 11 coming after the catch. It just gets worse for our offense when on a 3rd and long in FG range, Sanders is intercepted at the 15 and they return it to the 24. I hope our coach is thinking of making a QB change here as Sanders clearly doesn't have it today.

They drive right down the field and our defense finally holds at our 25. They try the 42 yard FG and it's missed to the left. We still lead 10-6. Our defense is playing bend but don't break.

Newton gets 11 yards on the 1st play and we have a 1st down at our 43. We go backwards after that and Bush allows another sack and we punt. A booming punt by Singleton and they have it at their 20 after an 11 yard return.

We force a 3 and out when Dobbins gets a QB hurry. They get a good punt and we have it at our 24. LB- Franz was injured on the play, but he should return.

We complete a short pass on 1st down but get called again for offensive holding. These penalties are killing us. Sanders tries 3 more passes and he is pathetic and we have to punt. We had -14 yards on that drive. How are we still leading 10-6 in this one?

They return the punt to our 49 and there is a fumble, but recover. We needed to get that. That ends the 3rd quarter.

4TH QUARTER:

Dobbins gets a big sack for a 12 yard loss on 2nd down to set up a 3rd and 19 at their 42.

THEN, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. I will be firing my head coach for his poor offensive and defensive playcalling in this one. Also some defensive backs job's are on the line. They throw a bomb and complete it for 44 yards on a 3rd and 19!!!! They finish the drive with a TD a few plays later and our tentative lead is gone. We now trail 13-10. We didn't deserve to lead in this one anyway.

We have 11 minutes for our offense to show up and try to score to win this one.

We get one first down and have a dropped pass on 3rd down, but an unnecessary roughness penalty on N.Y. keeps our drive alive. On a 2nd and 8, Sanders throws to little used SE- Hancock and he completes one for 16 yards and we have a 1st down at the N.Y. 34. Then he completes one to Dunkelberger for 13 more. Maybe Sanders is waking up. Green throws a huge block and Newton breaks one for 21 yards and the go ahead TD. Great run by Newton. We retake the lead 17-13.

They have the ball at their 26 with 6:55 to play. A lot of time in this one. We allow another long pass for 15 yards. We stop them on 1st and 2nd down and then on 3rd and 10 they complete one for 17 yards. But it's called back for illegal use of hands. We get a break. It's now 3rd and 20 at their 31. Let's stop them this time. They try to run and only gain 5 yards and we hold them thanks to a penalty.

We have the ball at our 25 with a 4 point lead and 5 to play. We try to run and use clock and can't get a 1st down. To top it off, Singleton picks a bad time to shank a punt and they get a big return to our 28. There is 2:41 to play. We stop them on 1st and 2nd down, but they complete a 17 yard pass on 3rd down. Another 10 yards and they have a 1st and goal at the 1. We need a turnover. They get the one yard TD pass and the 20-17 lead.

We have the ball at our 38 with 1:28 to play and 3 timeouts trailing by 3. 1st down: incomplete. 2nd down: A long pass to Cole is incomplete, but a 5 yard penalty gives us another chance. Sanders can't complete another pass and we go on to lose this one 20-17.

This was disappointing as we only needed to get the offense going to win this one. As bad as our pass defense was, we were in the game.

Notes, stats and injuries:

Well, we are now tied at the top of the division with the Jets and N.E. with 5-5 records. But we don't deserve to be there after starting 4-2 and going 1-3 in our last 4 games and our offense only showing up in one of those games. Our defense kept us in all the games except the N.E. game. But I still think our biggest need in the offseason will be a shut down corner. Then I may also rethink the QB situation.

The stats were not pretty with the exception of Newton who had 126 yards on 23 carries and 2 TD. But a bunch of those yards came on 2 very long runs.
Crichlow had 49 yards on 7 carries.
Sanders was a pathetic 8/24 for 71 yards and one interception.
Alarcon led the defense again with 9 tackles, 3 assists and 2 passes defended.
Our starting DL was ok with 11 tackles, 2 assists, 2.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 6 hurries and 6 knockdowns.
Our OL did ok with run blocking but allowed 3 sacks, two by Bush.
Our secondary was bad.

Now for the injuries:

CB- Barton is doubtful for about 4 weeks with a pulled groin. He will be deactive.
LB- Franz suffered minor concussion in the game and played. But he is probable for about one week. He will also be deactive as I don't want to risk it.
Barkley will start in place of Barton, and Fredrickson will take Franz's spot in the backup LB role.

As for the existing injuries:

C- Mohr is progressing well finally and is about 1 week away from full strength. There is a moderate risk of reinjury, so he will sit out one more week.
G- Lee is still questionable for about 3 more weeks. As it is a knee injury, no way I will risk it.
S- Tigchelaar is still out for about 5 more weeks.

The injuries aren't devestating and maybe someone will step up to keep his spot on the team for next year. Because the way it looks right now, I am ready to cut the whole secondary and my QB. They need to start playing to save this season.

As I will deactivate all the injured players, that means only 2 healthy inactives for next week's game vs. Carolina. Chavarria and Nishioka are the other 2 inactives.



Up next: Can we rebound to stay in the playoff hunt against a 7-3 Carolina team?

[larrymcg421]

Ugh. I hate the Jets. I took care of them for you in my dynasty.

[DolphinFan1]

Good because I can't seem to beat them. I've been reading your dynasty. As you can see, we win one and lose one.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 68 degrees and a 1 MPH wind.

Carolina is favored by 4. Their pass offense and pass defense is near the bottom of the league. Maybe our secondary will have a good game.

We are facing a guy I had on my draft board in the 1st round this year, OG Lenny Armstrong. He is only 9/41 on KRB with 2 sacks allowed. At 22% blocking, he is not a force yet. He is 66/78 so he is a stud.

Keys to the game:

Can our secondary stop a mediocre offense?
Their DL is comprised of all pro players except their RDE, can our OL hold them off to get our offense going?
Can Sanders rebound to have a good game and keep us in contention for a playoff spot?


Up next: gameday

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 12; CAROLINA AT MIAMI:

1ST QUARTER:

Well, we start out allowing a 20 yard pass play, so I guess we can't even stop a middle of the road QB. But our defense steps up after that forcing a punt. Alarcon had a defended pass on 2nd down.

The punt puts us at our 11. Newton breaks one for 19 yards on 2nd down. On a 3rd and 1, Crichlow breaks one for 13 and we have a 1st down at our 49. A 13 yard pass to Dunkelberger and then an 18 yard pass to Blanda gives us a 1st down at the Carolina 20. A holding call pushes us back, but on the next play we get a 1st down on an illegal contact penalty. We are at the 23. Two short plays sets up a 3rd and 3 at the 16. Sanders hits Cole, but he is stopped just short of the 1st down marker. He fumbles the ball. But he recovers his own fumble and gets 8 yards to the 6 and a 1st down. That could have been a disaster. Newton then rushes for 5 yards and we have a 2nd and goal at the 1 yard line. The next play, Newton punches it in and we take the lead 7-0. Great opening drive by the offense. 14 plays, 86 yards and a nice mix of run and pass.

I am so sick of giving up 3rd and longs for 1st downs. We stop them on 1st and 2nd downs with the help of some false start penalties. They have a 3rd and 21 at their 12. We get pressure on the QB and he throws it up and they make the catch for 22 yards and a 1st down. After we stop a run on 1st down another completion for 16 yards. This from a near bottom of the league passing offense. The 1st quarter ends with the score still 7-0 but they have a 3rd and 3 at our 38.

Other division games: Buffalo and N.O are scoreless, As are N.E. and Atlanta, Tampa Bay and the Jets are tied at 3.

2ND QUARTER:

What a play to start the 2nd quarter. Backup safety Harrison blitzes and he and McWilliams sack the QB. They force a fumble and DT Goodwin recovers it at our 44. We needed that.

We are moving the ball well again with Sanders completing short passes and then he hits Newton on a go route for 19 yards and we have a 1st down at the Carolina 15. The next play, Carolina overplays the pass and the handoff is to Newton. OT Green creates a hole and Newton gets the 15 yard TD run and we lead 14-0. All Right!!! Points off turnovers.

They take it right too us as we cannot stop the pass again. They finish the drive with a 7 yard TD run with Armstrong leading the way. I said he was a stud. Our lead is cut to 14-7.

A nice return on the kickoff by CB Douglas gives us the ball at our 44. After one first down we have a 3rd and 8 at the Carolina 43. Sanders hits Cole for 11 yards and the 1st down. Key 3rd down conversion. After a 3 yard run, Green again creates a hole and Newton breaks a pair of tackles and gets 27 yards and is stopped just short of the endzone. We have a 1st and goal at the 2 yard line. After Newton is stopped on 1st and 2nd down, Crichlow gets a chance. C- Hickman creates the hole and he gets into the endzone and we lead 21-7. Nice block by the rookie.

Carolina has the ball at their 15 with 2 minutes to go in the half. It would be nice to stop them before the half and we get the ball to start the 2nd half. They have a flurry of plays and get to our 40. But an intentional grounding call pushes them back. On 3rd and long, DT- Petkovich sacks the QB and forces a fumble. DE- Hughes recovers it at their 35 as time runs out. We go into the locker room leading 21-7.

Other division games: Buffalo had a short lead of 7-0, but N.O. scores twice very quick and leads 14-7. Atlanta leads N.E. 13-0. Tampa Bay leads the Jets 10-3. So we are getting help today. Hopefully we can make it work for us.

3RD QUARTER:

We start the 2nd half with one first down but stall at our 41 and have to punt.

A nice punt puts them at their 13. They move again at will and we finally make a play with our secondary. CB- Pirrup intercepts a pass at our 47. It's about time.

We go to work and Sanders hits Cole for 11 to start the drive. After a couple of short plays we have a 3rd and 6 at their 38. C- Hickman creates a hole for Newton who gets a huge run for 26 yards. A 4 yard run by Newton and then Sanders hits Newton for an 8 yard TD pass and we lead 28-7. Newton has 3 TD today, 1 receiving and 2 rushing, Crichlow has the other one.

We finally make a play on 3rd and long and defend a pass. But we get called for pass interference and give them a 1st down. Two plays later we make another play when LB- Dellinger intercepts a pass and returns it to 50. That's 4 turnovers forced today. It's about time. We were -8 for the year.

We move the ball again and on a pass to FL- Antonides, Sanders is injured on the play. But he stays in the game. Newton is ripping up huge yardage today as he gets another long run, this time for 19. OT- Levine created the hole. Newton has 145 yards rushing today. The next play, Sanders hits Antonides on a 6 yard TD pass and we are pulling away in this one as we lead 35-7. We needed this.

We stop them on 3 plays.

The 3rd quarter ends with a loss of 2 yards and we have a 3rd and 12 at our 8 yard line.

4TH QUARTER:

Kolodziejski comes into the game with us leading 35-7. He can't get the 1st down and we punt.

They get to our 32 and we hold them They try the 49 yard FG and miss it.

We go 3 and out but are content to run it on every down with a 28 point lead with 10 to play in the game.

We force a 3 and out.

We continue to trade punts until CB- Douglas makes an interception with 2 minutes to play. Our coach lets our 3rd string QB- Winters get some snaps in the game now. We get a 43 yard FG from Hammond and we win 38-7!!!

Other division games: Buffalo is heading for a winless season as they lose again. The Jets come on strong in the 2nd half to beat Tampa Bay. I switch to the N.E. game which is in the final minute. Atlanta leads 20-14 but N.E. has a 1st down at their 38. Atlanta holds on to win. So the Jets and us are tied atop the division at 6-5, but they beat us so they have the tiebreaker right now. We do have to play them again. N.E. falls a game back. This was a good rebound game for us. Now we need to string a couple in a row.

Notes, stats and injuries:

Three big team stats in this one: We had an all time low 4 penalties for 46 yards, We won the turnover battle 5-0 and and we were 5/5 on in the redzone with all TD.

Individual stats:

Newton had 154 yards on 31 carries with 2 rushing TD and one receiving TD and 6 runs of over 10 yards.
Sanders rebounded to have a good game protecting the ball, 15/20 for 128 yards with 2 TD. He didn't have to throw much with Newton and Crichlow carrying the load.
Singleton is still booming punts for net averages over 44 yards.
Our secondary had 4 passes defended and 2 intercepted.
We also had one pass defended by Alarcon and Dellinger intercepted one.
Our OL had 13 KRB with no sacks allowed.

Next week we head to Kansas City and face a 4-7 team who Philadelphia just beat 26-0. They have lost 3 of the last 4 games scoring only 15 points and allowing 84 points in the 3 losses. Hopefully we can continue to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Jets face a hot Houston Texan team who started the season 0-7 and have won 4 in a row. New England plays Tennessee who are also 4-7. Buffalo isn't worth mentioning at 0-11 and have all but sewn up the #1 pick in the draft.

Injuries:

The word on QB- Sanders is he has a sprained ankle and is probable for about 2 weeks. I will play him as we do need this game as it is another conference game. If he gets knocked out, hopefully Kolodziejski can carry the team.
CB- Barton is still questionably for about 3 more weeks with his pulled groin. He will still be deactive as I'd like to have him ready against the Jets in 3 weeks.
C- Mohr is still one week away and the coaching staff says there is a moderate risk of reinjury. He will sit out again. He is taking a long time to heal.
OG- Lee is also a couple weeks away and he is also a moderate risk. I need these guys healthy so I will go it with what we have.
S- Tigchelaar is still out for 4 more weeks.
OLB- Franz is fully recovered from his concussion.

Up next: We head to K.C. to try and keep our playoff hopes alive.

[larrymcg421]

I foresee an 11-5 finish.

[DolphinFan1]

I foresee an 11-5 finish.

Ha, Ha, Ha! Don't I wish. With this pass defense I highly doubt it. We are in the show up every other week mode right now. Don't know how to break that.

[DolphinFan1]

I had planned on playing a little tonight before bed, but I will try maybe tomorrow. I just got a phone call that a good friend at my church is in the hospital. He doesn't know who he is or anything. I don't have a lot of details. But I will be doing a lot of reading and praying. For those of you who are Christian, believe in God or pray, his name is Roger. Signing off for tonight. Thanks.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 50 degrees with a 3 MPH wind.

We are favored by 6.

We have moved back up to #4 in the Power Rankings. K.C. is #20.

Key matchup: The 11th pick in the draft, OLB- Todd Raymond is starting for them. He is a guy I passed on with the 9th pick and traded down because he was overrated. He is at 63/70 now and has 62 tackles and 19 assists. We need to keep him in check.

All of our injured are deactive and I let Franz sit on the bench one more week to see if Fredrickson can show me something in a backup role again. Our inactives are the same as last week.

Up next: GAMEDAY

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 13: MIAMI AT KANSAS CITY:

1ST QUARTER:

We start out with the ball and Sanders immediately makes me regret playing him as on the 1st play he throws an interception to their other OLB. I guess I was worried about the wrong guy. They have it at our 16. Not a good start.

Four plays later they get a 6 yard TD run and the 7-0 lead. So much for them only scoring 15 points is 3 of the last 4 games.

We start at our 20 and Newton runs three times for 21 yards on 3 nice blocks by our OL. We use the short passing game along with the running game and get to the 29 of K.C. and that's when Raymond defends a 3rd down pass and stops our drive. Looks like he's already hurting us. We try the 46 yard FG and Hammond's kick falls just short. So we still trail 7-0.

On the 2nd down play, LB- Fredrickson blitzes and sacks the QB. He forces a fumble which DE- McWilliams recovers at their 29. That's a great play by the defense to give our offense another chance. Now I'm glad I played Fredrickson in place of Franz.

On a 3rd and 2 from the 21, we get a 3 yard run from Crichlow to get the 1st down. But wait...it's called back for offensive holding. We now have a 3rd and 12 at the 31. Sanders throws a deep pass to Cole and it's not complete as he was pressured to let it go early. To top it off, we commit a false start on the 4th down play which was a long FG try anyway and now are at their 36. We punt. What was a promising drive following the turnover, results in nothing. We cannot allow a 4-7 team to dictate to us how the game will go. We need to take control.

Here we go again. A 3rd and long pass into double coverage is completed for the 1st down. Another 3rd and 10 where McWilliams is chasing the QB and he throws it up for the 11 yard completion for the 1st down. This is awful. No pressure this time and they get another long pass, this time for 27 yards and have a 1st and goal at our 6. On the last play of the 1st quarter, they get a 1 yard TD run and lead 14-0. We need to wake up and break this win one, lose one string we are forever on. And we need to defend some passes on 3rd down.

2ND QUARTER:

We start the 2nd quarter with a 9 yard pass to Newton and a 14 yard pass to Burford to give us a 1st down at the K.C. 47. We need a score here. We then proceed to go 3 and out. Another pathetic performance by our offense.

Thankfully, the Jets and N.E. are both trailing by 7 in their games. But there is a long way to go.

They drive to our 33 and have a 3rd and 23 after a couple of penalties. Let's see if we can stop them on 3rd down. The only reason we stopped them is they throw a screen pass for one yard. I don't know why they just don't throw deep on every ball. We can't stop it. Their QB is 8/9 for 105 yards. Of course they BOOM the kick throw the goalposts. A 49 yarder. We trail 17-0.

We get one 1st down, but then a penalty pushes us back and we can move it no more. We punt again.

Singleton again pins an opponent deep. It's downed at the 4. We need a turnover now.

Here we go. We play the run, they pass twice for 18 yards and are out of trouble. We suck!! Hey, we actually stop them on the next three plays and they punt.

We start at our 30 with 2:13 to play in the half trailing by 17. We need a score before halftime to have a shot in this one. After a one yard run and a defensive penalty, OT- Green opens up a huge hole. Newton breaks one for 57 yards and we are in business at the K.C. 7. A one yard run and a false start followed by a run for no gain gives us a 3rd and goal at the 11. Sanders drops back and throws to Cole and he's running for the endzone....but he is stopped at the 3 yard line by guess who....LB- Todd Raymond. Hammond hits the 20 yard FG and we get on the board before halftime. That should have been a TD with a 1st and goal from the 7. Penalties are killing us.

The 1st half ends with K.C. leading 17-3.

In other games: N.E. is trailing 21-7 and the Jets are trailing 17-14.

3RD QUARTER:

They start out the 3rd quarter with one 1st down and we hold.

But the punt pins us at our 6 yard line. Sanders starts us off with a short 3 yard pass to SE- Swift who fumbles the ball. But RB- Craig is there for us and returns it 11 yards to the 20. He may have just saved us any chance in this one with that recovery. We then have a 3rd and 4 and Sanders hit Dunkelberger for 19 yards and a 1st down. It's about time. The next play is a 30 yard pass to Swift and we have it at the K.C. 25. So much for that. An incomplete pass and then we allow 2 sacks to take us out of FG range.

The Jets have taken the lead 21-17 in their game. We need to rebound in this one.

Our defense is trying to keep us in this one with a 3 and out and they are playing very stout against the run. A long punt gives us the ball at our 25.

We go 3 and out and allow another sack on 3rd down and it doesn't look good in this one or our chances at the division with the Jets winning.

They drive down the field and we hold them to a 48 yard FG. Another long FG. Who is this guy? We now trail by 17 again, 20-3.

We end the 3rd after a long pass and a loss on the next play.

4TH QUARTER:

Kolodziejski is in the game. We have a 2nd 13 at the 46. He proceeds to throw 2 incompletes and we punt. Incidently, Raymond defended one of the passes again. Looks like he is showing me how he feels about being snubbed by us in the draft at the 9th pick.

Singleton pins them at their 4, but we are running out of time. We need a turnover here. We don't get the turnover, but we hold them one yard short of the 1st down.

CB- Douglas returns the punt to our 43. We need a TD now! Kolodziejski starts with a 19 yard pass to WR- Cole. Then he throws 3 passes and only completes one for 3 yards. And the coach punts from their 35 with 11 to play trailing by 17!! What!! We needed to go for it to have a chance.

Our defense holds to a 3 and out. But it probably won't matter now. Of course they boom a punt 62 yards. Funny how everyone plays better against us.

Kolodziejski tries to keep us alive with a quick drive and ends it with an 18 yard pass to Cole and we cut the lead to 20-10 with 8:15 to play.

A couple of false start penalties pushes them back and we force a punt after a 3 and out.

We start at our 27 trailing by 10 with 5 minutes to play. We turn it over on downs when Kolodziejski can't complete a pass.

We hold them to a long FG try and they miss it to give us one last hope.

Just over 2 to play and we need 2 scores. But Kolodziejski is intercepted by who else....LB Raymond to end any chance we have.

To rub it in, their kicker hits a 56 yard FG. We lose 23-10.

The Jets win to take a one game lead in the division. The Patriots lose. But we are in trouble at 6-6.

Buffalo had a chance to drive for the winning score down by only 3 with 2 minutes to play but fumbled the punt return and they are now 0-12

Raymond ate us up today.

Not that it helps us much as we already played them twice, but N.E. lost their 5 year (4 starting) QB to a degenerative hip condition for 101 weeks. His career may be cut short.

Notes, stats and injuries:

Let's start out by saying that LB- Raymond wasn't stopped as I said he needed to be. He had 7 tackles, 1 assist, 2 passes defended and one int.

On our side we had Newton rush for 107 yards on 18 carries.
Sanders was ineffective at 10/18 for 133 yards with 1 int.
Kolodziejski wan't any better at 5/17 for 95 yards with 1 TD and 2 int., but he came in when we were in a hole.
On the positive side, we only allowed 226 yards and gained 322. But we gave them the short field with the turnovers.
WRs Cole and Hancock lead the team with 45 and 50 yards receiving respectively with Cole getting a TD.
MLB- Alarcon led the team again with 9 tackles and 7 assists.
OLB- Dellinger had 6 tackles and 3 assists.
Our OL allowed 4 sacks which hurt any momentum we tried to get.

At 6-6 and trailing both the Jets in our division and the last wildcard by one full game, we need wins badly. We probably have to win out or at least 3 of 4 and definitely beat the Jets in 2 weeks.
The more the weeks go on, I now am convinced we need a stud cornerback no matter what the cost. Even when Barton comes back he hasn't been a game changer and we need that in our secondary.

Our next two games are at home against Atlanta (5-7) and the Jets. We need to win both as we then head to N.O who are (9-3) and finish at Buffalo. So we are in good shape schedule wise if we win our two home games as we should beat the Bills. But we need to get over this win one lose one mentality. Our guys need to understand we play every week, not every other week.

Injuries:

We get C- Mohr back this week.
Sanders is still not 100% but he will play again.
OG- Lee and CB- Barton are still about 2 weeks away from full strength.
S- Tigchelaar is 3 weeks away.


Up next: We face Atlanta in an almost must win situation

[DolphinFan1]

Here is the 3 quarter report:


Front Office Football 2007
1977 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 9 3 0 .750 233 169 7-3 2-2
Cleveland 7 5 0 .583 250 192 7-3 3-1
Pittsburgh 7 5 0 .583 179 188 6-4 1-3
Baltimore 6 6 0 .500 204 215 5-5 2-2

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Indianapolis 8 4 0 .667 327 257 7-3 3-1
Jacksonville 7 5 0 .583 228 195 6-4 2-2
Tennessee 5 7 0 .417 238 224 4-6 0-4
Houston 4 8 0 .333 172 254 3-7 3-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 7 5 0 .583 234 237 6-4 4-0
Miami 6 6 0 .500 279 258 5-5 2-2
New England 5 7 0 .417 230 211 4-6 2-2
Buffalo 0 12 0 .000 146 324 0-10 0-4

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 8 4 0 .667 302 229 7-3 3-1
Oakland 5 7 0 .417 182 218 4-6 2-2
Kansas City 5 7 0 .417 190 231 4-6 1-3
San Diego 5 7 0 .417 234 254 5-5 2-2

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 10 2 0 .833 236 135 8-2 4-0
Green Bay 4 8 0 .333 222 254 4-6 2-2
Minnesota 4 8 0 .333 206 280 3-7 1-3
Detroit 4 8 0 .333 142 209 3-7 1-3

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tampa Bay 9 3 0 .750 277 163 8-2 3-1
New Orleans 9 3 0 .750 316 205 8-2 3-1
Carolina 8 4 0 .667 202 222 7-3 2-2
Atlanta 5 7 0 .417 231 265 3-7 0-4

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 9 3 0 .750 275 164 7-3 3-1
Washington 6 6 0 .500 208 179 5-5 3-1
Dallas 6 6 0 .500 232 208 4-6 1-3
New York G 3 9 0 .250 160 233 3-7 1-3

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
San Francisco 8 4 0 .667 261 271 7-3 3-1
Arizona 5 7 0 .417 198 269 4-6 2-2
St. Louis 5 7 0 .417 216 236 4-6 2-2
Seattle 3 9 0 .250 176 237 2-8 1-3

We trail the Jets by one game also 3 other teams in the wildcard race with 7-5 records. We beat Cleveland, but lost to Pittsburgh and didn't play Jacksonville. So we have the tiebreaker with Cleveland but not against Pitts. Also, Balt. is 6-6 like us but we beat them. So it's a mess. Our best chance is to win out and hope for these teams to lose at least once.



Now for our team summary:


Front Office Football 2007
1977 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1977
Record 6-6
Winning Pct. .500
All-Time 47-77
Winning Pct. .379
Playoffs 1-1
Playoff Visits 1
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 40-84
Winning Pct. .322
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 27.6 16
Rushing Yards 127.2 9
Yards Per Carry 4.61 2
Pass Attempts 30.3 25
Completions 18.8 20
Completion Pct. 61.8 4
Passing Yards 208.6 15
Yards Per Attempt 6.88 8 (T)
Yards Per Catch 11.12 14
Total Yardage Gained 326.3 9
3rd Down Conversions 36.2 12
Points Per Game 23.3 4
Pass Rush Pct. 9.4 4
Pass Defense Pct. 64.8 24 (T)
Turnovers 20 16 (T)
Turnover Margin -5 23 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 27.3 15
Rushing Yards 104.1 10
Yards Per Carry 3.82 6
Pass Attempts 33.0 18
Completions 20.1 19 (T)
Completion Pct. 60.9 21 (T)
Passing Yards 212.8 23
Yards Per Attempt 6.45 17
Yards Per Catch 10.60 17
Total Yardage Gained 300.9 16
3rd Down Conversions 35.5 19
Points Per Game 21.5 27
Pass Rush Pct. 5.9 3
Pass Defense Pct. 67.5 11
Turnovers 15 26 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 31 at NED 23
2 10 at TBY 37
3 48 IND 31
4 17 at CIN 23
5 31 BUF 14
6 27 at CLE 24
7 9 PIT 13
9 0 NED 30
10 41 BAL 13
11 17 at NYJ 20
12 38 CAR 7
13 10 at KCY 23
14 ATL
15 NYJ
16 at NOS
17 at BUF

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
7 D. Sanders QB 336 217 2387 7.10 20 11 91.7
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 28 8 116 4.14 1 3 16.7
**Team --- 364 225 2503 6.88 21 14 85.4
$$Opp --- 396 241 2554 6.45 15 11 80.7

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 251 1206 4.80 9 2
46 K. Crichlow RB 66 292 4.42 1 3
**Team --- 331 1526 4.61 10 15
$$Opp --- 327 1249 3.82 11 11

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 85 50 761 15.22 8.95 5 2
87 C. Swift WR 77 46 667 14.50 8.66 7 7
32 N. Newton RB 52 38 229 6.03 4.40 1 2
88 F. Cole WR 55 31 357 11.52 6.49 3 6
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 34 19 201 10.58 5.91 3 0
29 D. Blanda FB 18 16 89 5.56 4.94 0 2

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 84 33 0.0 0 0 5 74.7
56 T. Dellinger OLB 51 21 2.0 1 2 3 74.7
99 R. Petkovich DT 37 6 3.5 5 0 0 81.0
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 37 14 1.0 3 1 4 76.7
93 E. McWilliams DE 36 7 8.0 16 0 0 80.8
44 R. Tigchelaar S 30 11 1.0 0 1 4 85.3
41 B. Pirrup CB 27 4 0.0 0 1 5 77.2
25 A. Barton CB 27 6 1.0 0 1 2 78.5
75 N. Dobbins DT 27 9 4.5 10 0 1 81.7
37 C. Pearson S 26 5 0.0 0 1 5 76.5
34 D. Mihna S 21 10 0.0 1 0 1 74.0
77 H. Hughes DE 21 11 3.5 16 0 0 81.8
42 P. Lane S 21 12 0.0 0 0 2 78.3
43 A. Terry S 19 8 0.0 0 1 2 80.4
33 R. Barkley CB 18 0 0.0 0 1 1 78.2
92 S. Goodwin DT 15 4 0.0 3 0 0 80.0
55 L. Franz OLB 14 5 1.0 0 0 1 69.1

The 1st thing to note is the improvement from -8 to -5 in turnover margin. Of course that was helped from the +5 turnover game against Carolina a few weeks ago.

Our YPC are 2nd in the league which is a testament that Newton is a stud. At least I made a good draft pick there 2 years ago.

At QB: Sanders is having his career best in a lot of catergories. His 20 TD and 91.7 QB rating is his career high. His yards are still a little short of his career best. But he is playing a lot better than last year.

As for RB, What can I say about Newton? There is no Sophomore jinx here. He is the stud I thought he could be when I drafted him. His 1200 yards, 4.9 ypc and 9 TD put him in the top 3 in all catergories for RB.

Crichlow has been a big upgrade over Craig on 3rd downs and to give Newton a break. He also has broken his fumble issues earlier in the year.

At WR, Antonides, Swift and Cole have been as good as any team's top 3 WR in the league. Maybe not stats wise, but combined have been a threat with the running of Newton. The only concerns are the increase in drops by Swift. But him and Cole have been the go to guys for TD. Antonides still is getting large YAC which opens up our offense.

While our offense has played well most of the time, I can't say the same for our defense. Some games they don't show up.

But MLB- Alarcon has shown me that it was worth the draft picks I gave up in the trade. He leads the team in tackles and assists and tied for passes defended. He is close to the top in the league in tackles also.

Rookie OLB- Dellinger has come on strong in the last few weeks to move up to #2 on the team in tackles. So that has helped.

Our starting DL has 19.5 sacks which is a little less than I hoped, but we have 47 QB hurries, unfortunately our secondary hasn't stepped up to the plate when the QB is hurried allowing too many completions.

Only 6 interceptions with our DB and 23 passes defended don't really tell the story. That's why I like to watch every game and play slow. We really can't defend the pass on 3rd down. Most of those TO and defended passes were in situations which the game was out of hand or in bunches. We are not consistent. That will have to change the final 4 games of this year as people will be playing to keep their jobs.

Overall through 12 weeks, I am ok with a 6-6 record if I just look as record. As we had only 3 wins 2 years ago, and were 6-10 last year. So we should improve on that this year with 4 games to go. It would be nice to make the playoffs this year, but I think we are a player or two away from making a serious run at the Front Office Bowl.

Back to the games.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 60 degrees and a 6 MPH wind.

We are favored by 4.

Atlanta has a few key injuries. Their all-pro guard is out as is their very good safety. Their other guard and cornerback are less than 100%. So they are coming in wounded.

Key matchups:

They have a very good veteran QB who has started 8 games and has only thrown 3 int.
Their RB also has rushed for over 1100 yards and 4.24 ypc.
We need to stop these two.

Also they have two offensive tackles I had targeted in the draft. RT- Gary Hargrave is only rated 44/60 and was a 1(8) pick. Their 2nd round #7 pick, LT- Edwin Wilkins is rated 68/68 and has been a force for them. I missed him with my pick. He didn't workout and was overrated so I got scared away. So this will be the other key matchup.

On defense their best player is their OLB who is rated 60. So clearly the test for us this week will be stopping their offense as we should be able to move the ball on their defense.

Let's get it done.

Up next: GAMEDAY

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 14: ATLANTA AT MIAMI:

1ST QUARTER:

The Jets face a (9-3) New Orleans team this week, so maybe if we take care of business they will help us to set up a showdown vs. the Jets next week.

We start with the ball at our 20. On a 3rd and 1 we get a 5 yard run from Crichlow with a key block from Springer. Nice to not go 3 and out to start the game. On the next play, Springer creates another hole and Newton breaks a tackle and gets 28 yards. On a 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 33, Springer gets his 3rd key run block on this drive and Newton gets 10 yards and the 1st down. We finally get stopped on 3rd down at the 19 and have to settle for the 36 yard FG try. Hammond hits the FG and we lead 3-0. Nice 10 play drive to start the game. I'll take the 3.

Bad news in N.Y. They just got a TD and take the early 7-0 lead against N.O.

They commit an offensive holding call on 2nd down and then Pirrup gets a defended pass to set up a 3rd and 15 at their own 22. They come out with a 5 WR set and Alarcon stops the pass and we hold someone to a punt on a 3rd and long. It's about time.

We start at our 37. Springer continues where he left off and creates another hole and Newton rips another 13 yards. He has 58 yards on 7 carries so far. An incomplete pass and a 6 yard scramble by Sanders sets up a 3rd and 4 at their 44. They play the pass and we give it to Crichlow and he gets 5 yards and the 1st down thanks to a key block by OT- Bush. The next play, Newton gets 16 more on a key block by OT- Levine in place of injured Lee. We get stopped again inside the 20, this time at the 18. We will try the FG again. Hammond hits the 35 yarder and we lead 6-0. I hope this isn't another one of those FG games where we get hurt for not punching it in later.

N.O. gets a FG and trails 7-3 against the Jets.
N.E. trails Carolina 14-7.

Our defense came to play today as we stop them again on 3 plays.

A big punt and a good return by CB- Douglas gives us the ball at the Atlanta 48. Newton rips two more good runs on a pair of blocks by C- Mohr. Nice to have him back. OT- Bush creates a hole now and Newton takes it to the Atlanta 13. A nine yard pass to Dunkelberger gives us a 2nd and 1 at the Atlanta 4. That's the end of the 1st quarter.

N.O. has just taken the 10-7 lead on the Jets.
Carolina still leads N.E. by 7.

2ND QUARTER:

After Newton gets dropped for a 1 yard loss, Sanders hits WR- Cole on a 5 yard TD pass and we lead 13-0. We needed the TD there. With Newton running all over them, we needed to make a statement. I said I wasn't worried about their defense except for their OLB, who incidently is making most of their tackles. But our OL is dominating their DL.

After a 2 yard run, Atlanta commits 2 false starts and then an incomplete pass to set up a 3rd and 18 from their 14. They come out in a 5 WR set and complete a pass, but for only 9 yards and we force another 3 and out. Nice to see we are not giving up the 3rd and longs this game.

We start at our 36. We have a 3rd and 6 and Sanders hits Newton on screen pass and Newton scampers for 7 yards and the 1st down. A couple more 1st downs and then OT- Bush opens another hole for Newton who gets 13 more and takes it to the Atlanta 20. Newton has 121 yards on 15 carries so far. The next play we get an illegal hands penalty to push us back to the 30 and a 1st and 20. But Sanders hits Antonides for 17 to give us a 2nd and short. The next play, Springer does it again and Newton gets through the hole and gets the 13 yard TD run. We lead 20-0.

They get good field position at their 40 after the kickoff. The 1st down pass is incomplete and then they get a 19 yard pass to our 41 for their first 1st down with 6:13 to play in the 1st half. Now they are moving as a couple plays later they get 18 more and are at our 18. We are back to our old ways as a 3rd and 10 is a 13 yard completion to our 5. Two runs and a loss of 2 yards sets up a 3rd and goal at our 7. Of course we can't stop the 3rd down pass for the TD. Our lead is cut to 20-7.

In danger of giving it right back with 2 minutes to play in the half, Sanders completes a 3rd and 7 to Antonides for 13 yards and the 1st down. Following the 2 minute warning, Sanders finds Antonides again for 24 yards and we have it at their 40. A 13 yard pass to TE- Burford and we have it at the 27. After a dropped pass, the next play Sanders is intercepted on a tipped pass. We lost a great opportunity there.

On the 1st play following the turnover, McWilliams is pressuring the QB and he throws it deep. It's into double coverage and CB- Douglas intercepts it at our 44. Nice to see our defense stop a pass thrown into double coverage.

A 10 yard pass to Dunkelberger and we have it at their 46 with 31 seconds to play in the half. Cole then catches one for 13 and we have it at the 33 with 19 seconds to play. A 3 yard run by Newton and we spend our last timeout and will try the 47 yard FG just before halftime. Hammond's kick falls just short and we go into the locker room leading only 20-7. The turnover hurt us.

At the half, The Jets and N.O. are tied at 10. Carolina leads N.E. 21-7. And Buffalo is on their way to 0-13 record as they trail 28-13.

3RD QUARTER:

On the opening kickoff of the 2nd half, Atlanta fumbles but they recover at their 34. All of a sudden on the last two drives we cannot stop the pass again and they drive right down the field. They finish with a 12 yard QB scramble and our lead is now cut to 20-14.

We start and run the ball and Newton is pounding it. Then Dunkelberger creates a huge hole and Newton breaks 2 tackles and gets a 57 yard TD run! We extend the lead back to 13 at 27-14. Nice drive to answer. Newton is over 200 yards.

The kickoff is a touchback. Our defense needs a stop to get their confidence back like the 1st quarter. The game is back to it's crazy things again. A long pass into double coverage is completed for 22 yards. I hate that this happens repeatedly. That opens up a hole for a 17 yard run and all of a sudden our defense can't stop them. They are at our 45. We finally get a sack and that sets up a 3rd and 19 at their 46. WOW! We get a defended pass on a 3rd and long when S- Terry steps up. Great.

We start at our 19 after the punt. Sanders throws a screen pass to TE- Dunkelberger and he gets 19 yards after the pass. We can't get another 1st down and have to punt. OT- Levine was injured but he stays in the game. The punt by Singleton is a good one and pins them at their 4.

Another 3rd down we can't stop gets them out of trouble. That ends the 3rd with Miami leading 27-14 and they have it at their 25 and a 1st down.

T.B. leads Buffalo 38-24, Carolina leads N.E. 28-10, and the Jets lead 17-10.

4TH QUARTER:

Just as we start the 4th, N.O. ties the score against the Jets.

They get to our 41 where we stop them short of a 1st down. The punt pins us at our 7.

We get a 2 yard pass and then Levine opens a hole for Newton. NEWTON BREAKS A PAIR OF TACKLES AND GOES 91 YARDS FOR THE TD! INCREDIBLE! HE HAS 295 YARDS ON 23 RUSHES AND 3 TDS! We lead 34-14. That was a big TD for us.

On the following drive, S- Mihna goes down with an injury and doesn't return. We don't need to lose anymore players with the showdown with the Jets next week. DE- Hughes makes a sack on 3rd down. They go for it on a 4th and 12 from our 40 and Hughes knocks the pass down and we get the ball. We lead by 20 with 8 minutes to play.

The Jets are back up by 7 against N.O. We are getting no help today.

Kolodziejski is in the game and they are heavily playing the run and Newton loses 3 yards on 1st down. It may be hard to get over 300 yards as everyone is in the box right now. We can't get a 1st down and punt.

Again on a 3rd and 20 we allow a 25 yard pass for a 1st down. But on the next play we actually stop them. MLB- Alarcon intercepts a pass.

We get a 4 yard TD run from Newton to give him 4 TD on the day and 297 yards. We win 41-14!!!

The Jets go on to beat N.O. 24-20 to still lead the division by one game. N.E. and Buffalo lost.

Notes, stats and injuries:

Well, we won 3 games 2 years ago. We won 6 last year. We have 7 wins with 3 games to go this year. So even with our pass defense problems, we have turned it around. We just need a little more to get us over the hump.

How Newton didn't get offensive player of the week is beyond me. They gave it to T.B. QB- Odom, 25/31 for 342 yards and 4 TD. Newton had 297 yards with 4 TD and a 9.9 ypc. He also broke the record for single game rushing for a player.

Looking at the standings and wildcard race. We trail the Jets. Also, Jacksonville, Cleveland and Pittsburgh all won so we trail all by 1 game still. So we got no help this week. Looks like we may need to win out to make the playoffs.

Stats: We outgained Atlanta 515 yards to 302, due in a large part to Newton's almost 300 yards rushing.
Another game with low penalties, 4 for 34 yards.
We scored on our 1st four possessions with 2 FG and 2 TD.
Newton had 30 rushes for 297 yards with a 9.9 YPC with 4 TD and 10 rushes over 10 yards.
Sanders had an efficient day as he was 21/27 for 185 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.
Antonides led the team with 60 yards receiving.
CB- Douglas and MLB- Alarcon each had an interception.
Our secondary stepped up with 5 passes defended and one interception.
Our OL stepped up big for Newton and gave up no sacks. Springer lead the team with a 5/11 performance on KRB. Overall our starting OL was 16/31 with 3 pancake blocks. Better than 50% blocking.
Great win.

Now for the injuries:

The big new injury is to starting SS- Mihna. He has a pulled groin and is doubtful for about 4 weeks. He will miss the Jets game. With Tigchelaar still questionable and in better shape, he will try to give it a go against the Jets. If he can't go, the rookie Harrison will get his 1st start in a big game.

The other new injury is to OT- Levine who has been starting at G in place of Lee. He has a bruised ribcage and is probable. He will start against the Jets with Lee still probable with a sprained knee for about 1 more week. A ribcage is a lot less risky than a knee, so Lee will sit out again.

CB- Barton is still probable for one more week with his pulled groin. Our coaching staff think there is a moderate risk of reijury, but we need him. So I will risk it.

Up next: With the division on the line, The hated N.Y. Jets come to town

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 71 degrees and calm.

We are favored by 4.

Keys to the game:

The #1 key is to win this game as we won our last one. We need to break this show up every other week. We also need to win a big division game late in the season.

How do we do that? Play solid pass defense like last week against Atlanta.

The other keys are to get pressure on the QB as they have a very good OL and our DL needs to penetrate.
Our OL needs another solid game so Newton can control the game. If we can keep the ball away from their offense, we can win the game.

Injuries to note: The Jets are without their top CB who is out with a broken arm.

Up next: GAMEDAY

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 15: NEW YORK AT MIAMI:

1ST QUARTER:

Baltimore plays at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati plays at Cleveland and Jacksonville plays at Houston in the other games of teams we are chasing in the wildcard race. But we need to take care of business 1st. Here we go.

We start with the ball at our 20. We get a couple of 1st downs on nice runs by Newton and Crichlow with nice blocks by our OL. But we stall when C- Mohr allows a sack and the lost yardage we can't recover from. We punt from our 48. Singleton punts a little too good as it goes into the endzone.

They start with a false start and then a 4 yard run. On 2nd and 11, McWilliams gets pressure on the QB. He throws into double coverage and it's not completed. McWilliams gets credit for forcing the incompletion. It's about time a pressure results in an incomplete pass. However, here is a 3rd and 11 coming up. They complete a pass for only 6 yards and we hold. There was also an offensive holding call on them so it wouldn't have mattered. We decline and force a 3 and out to start our defense. Great start and it's about time.

A good return by Tigchelaar is negated on a holding call. We start at our 24. On a 3rd and 9 in danger of punting it right back, Sanders hits SE- Swift on a 20 yard pass for the 1st down. After a holding call pushes us back, Sanders throws an ill advised pass and it is intercepted and returned to our 16. We can't afford to give up the ball.

Our defense holds them to a FG. They hit the 31 yard FG and they take the early 3-0 lead. Our defense stepped up after the turnover. Let's see it our offense can rebound.

We start at our 20 and our 3rd holding call of the day pushes us back. Not a good start by our OL. However, WR- Cole comes up with a big 16 yard reception to set up a 2nd and 4 and on the next play, Springer blocks for Newton who gets 5 yards and the 1st down. After another 1st down, Sanders throws a long pass into double coverage and I hold my breath. However, FL- Antonides catches the ball for 26 yards to give us a 1st down at the Jets 30. Two more runs and that ends the 1st quarter. We have a 3rd and 3 at the 23 of the Jets.

End of 1st quarter: Jets 3 Miami 0

Baltimore leads Pittsburgh 7-0, Cincinnati leads Cleveland 3-0 and Jacksonville and Houston are scoreless.

2ND QUARTER:

On the 3rd down play, New York expects a pass and instead Newton gets the ball. Springer blocks and Newton just gets the 3 yards for the 1st down. A one yard run by Crichlow and then a block by RT- Bush lets Crichlow break one for 14 yards and we have a 1st and goal at the 5. The next play Sanders drops back to pass and hits Antonides for the 5 yard TD pass and we lead 7-3!!!!

They get a good return on the kickoff and start at their 47. Not a good play by our coverage team. They get 9 yards on 1st and 2nd down to set up a 3rd and 1 at our 44. Can we stop them? DE- Burkhart and DE- McWilliams bust through the line and sack the QB for 7 yards and we stop the 3rd and short. All Right!!!!

However, the punt pins us at our 3 yard line. But a nice defensive stand. An offsides call gives us 5 yards. But we get flagged for a false start so we are pushed back to our 4. We get a 5 yard run by Newton, but give it right back on the next play with another false start. We need to stop the penalties. We already have 5 which is more than the whole game last week. Dunkelberger bails us out with an 11 yard reception and we are out of the shadow of our own goal. But guess what. On the next play we get called for illegal use of the hands so we have a 1st and 18 at our 8. We are killing ourselves. We go backwards and allow a sack on a 3rd and long and have to punt from our 2 yard line. That was one of the worst offensive series I have seen by this team. Singleton gets off a 47 yard punt (good considering the position he was in), and they return it to our 40.

The run 3 times and plow through our DL and have a 2nd and 4 at our 21. Then they get a 21 yard TD pass....but wait....it's called back for offensive holding. Let's see if we can stop them now. Ridiculous!!!! They throw a pass into double coverage and of course complete it for 14 yards and the 1st down. But they fumble the ball. And they recover it and go 17 yards on the fumble for the TD. That is stupid!!! Sometimes I hate this game. They retake the lead 10-7.

We start at our 33 with 5 minutes to play in the 1st half. We go 3 and out and have to punt it right back. Our OL is not blocking for our RB like last week.

A couple of long passes and they have it at our 26. Just like that. Again another play where McWilliams is chasing the QB and he throws it up and completes it. We can't stop them as they pound it and get an 8 yard TD run and take a 17-7 lead. Looks like we are back to the show up every other week mode again. I will accept any help or ideas anyone has on how to break this. This is stupid.

We try to get something going with about a minute to go before halftime. Sanders completes one for 18 and then throws two incomplete passes. But on 3rd and 10 from our 42, he hits Cole and he breaks a tackle to break free. He goes all the way, 58 yards for the TD!!! He got 37 YAC. We are back in the game just before halftime. We go into the locker room trailing 17-14.

Baltimore leads Pittsburgh 13-0, Cincinnati leads Cleveland 9-0 and Houston leads Jacksonville 17-7. So things right now are going are way if we can pull this one out.

3RD QUARTER:

We allow another good kick return and they start at their 39. We allow another 3rd down conversion and they are at the 50. The next play, DT- Goodwin stops the RB for no gain and knocks the ball loose. There is a scramble for the ball. DT- Petkovich recovers it for us at our 49!!! We created a turnover. Let's see if we can turn it into points.

Two runs get us a 1st down. Then two incompletes by Sanders. However, N.Y. gets called for defensive pass interference and we have a 1st down at the Jets 20. The next play is stopped for no gain, but N.Y. gets called for offsides. However, we lost TE- Dunkelberger on the play. He doesn't return. Two more runs for no gain set up a 3rd and 5 at the Jets 15. Sanders tries to hit Cole on the 3rd down play, but it is incomplete and we have to settle for the FG try to tie it. Hammond hits the 32 yarder and we tie the game at 17. At least we go points off the turnover.

Our special teams is killing us. A short kickoff and a 40 yard return gives them the ball at our 40. We stop them short on a 3rd and 6 and they have a 4th and 1 from our 31. What will they do? Of course they hit the 48 yarder to retake the lead 20-17.

CB- Douglas gets a decent return to give us the ball at our 31. On a 2nd and 9, Sanders throws into double coverage and Antonides catches the pass for 27 yards. But wait...we get called for offensive holding again and it's negated. Our special teams and penalties are killing us. We can't recover from the penalty and have to punt.

A nice punt but they get a another good return and start at their 35. We allow a 1st down and then a sack sets up a 3rd and 12 at their 43. Can we stop them on a key 3rd down to keep us in the game? They drop back to pass and throw it deep, DT- Goodwin pressures the QB and the pass is....NOT COMPLETED!!! Wow! We finally make a stop. Now our offense needs to score.

They boom a punt and we start at our 20 after the touchback. The 1st play, Sanders tries to hit Antonides and the pass is intercepted and returned 38 yards for the TD! We now trail by 10, 27-17. UGH! We are doing it again.

We go three and out on the next drive and are on our way to another disappointing division loss.

The 3rd quarter ends with us in a big hole, trailing 27-17.

4TH QUARTER:

They take it right down the field and we hold them to a FG and they lead 30-17 with 9:28 to play and our season slipping away.

We go 3 and out and SE- Swift drops a 3rd down pass which would have kept the drive alive. Singleton booms one 61 yards and they have it at their one yard line. Maybe our defense can force a turnover here.

They get 5 yards and we hold but we are running out of time. We squander good field position after a holding on the punt return penalty.

We start at our 33 with 6 minutes to play down by 13. Sanders only gets 1 completion for 2 yards on the 1st three plays. However, he hits, Swift on 4th and 8 for 9 yards to keep us alive. But the next 4 plays are incomplete and that will end any chance at a win or the division crown again this year.

We get the ball back after a blocked FG and have one last prayer with just over 2 minutes to play. Sanders takes us down the field with little time to cut the lead to 30-24 with 48 seconds to play. We will try the onside kick. We cannot recover it and we will go down in this one 30-24. Don't let this score fool you. We were never really in this one at about midway through the 3rd quarter.

The only good news is Baltimore beat Pittsburgh, and Houston beat Jacksonville. Cleveland won. But we are still barely alive in the wildcard race, but the Jets win the division leading by 2 with 2 to play. This loss drops us to 7-7 and again we win one lose one.

Notes, stats and injuries:

Newton only gained 69 yards on 23 carries in this one.
Sanders was 18/40 for 244 yards with 3 TD but 2 costly picks.
Cole had 4 catches for 97 yards and a TD.
Swift had 4 catches for 60 yards.
Antonides had 3 catches for 47 yards and a TD.
Alarcon led the way again with 12 tackles and 2 assists.
Our OL only allowed 2 sacks but was only 9/26 on KRB. Not bad, but not even close to last week.
Our WR dropped 5 passes today.
A telling stat was Sanders was only 3/10 on 3rd downs with 2 conversions.

The only new injury was to TE- Dunkelberger. He has a high ankle sprain and is out for about 4 weeks. So unless we get a miracle to make the playoffs, his season is done. Burford will start in his place and Chavarria will make his 1st appearance of the season in two TE sets.

OG- Lee and CB- Barton have fully recovered.
S- Tigchelaar came through the game without reinjuring himself. He is close to 100% and will play next week.
LT- Levine is almost 100% and he will play again, but he will return to his backup role to Green and Bush at T.
S- Mihna is still questionable for about 3 weeks with his pulled groin. He will sit out again.

So we need to beat a 10-4 New Orleans team on the road next week and then beat Buffalo the last week of the season and hope for some others to lose.

One more note as I close the book on this disappointing week. Buffalo lost and they are 0-14 and officially have the #1 pick in the draft. It will be interesting what they do, as they appear to have a lot of holes to fill so a trade down may happen. We'll see.

Up next: We try to rebound and keep our slim playoff hopes alive against a very good New Orleans team.

[larrymcg421]

Ouch, a tough loss. That was an amazing performance by Newton the previous week.

What is the wildcard situation looking like?

[DolphinFan1]

We are trailing by one game, but 4 teams are in it for one spot.

[DolphinFan1]

As for Newton, he has turned out to be a great back in only his second year. I have to get him some help on the defense to win more games. I don't want to kill him running 30 times a game.

[DolphinFan1]

Sunny, 68 degrees and calm.

N.O. is favored by one.

N.O. is # 2 in the league in PPG and we are #3.

Key matchups: We face OLB- Quentin Christopher who we targeted in the draft. He is only rated 54/69 but has 80 tackles and 16 assists. He also has 4 interceptions and one for a TD. So he is a playmaker we need to shut down.

Their offense is stacked with all pro players so that is going to be a challenge for our defense. The only plus is this is the week we usually show up to play. We lost last week. So we should win this week.

Their defense has some studs also. Besides Christopher, their MLB, RDE and RDT are very good. So we need to run to the other side and try to avoid these guys. Easier said than done.

Up next: GAMEDAY

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

1977 WEEK 16: MIAMI AT NEW ORLEANS:

1ST QUARTER:

We start out moving the ball well until a 3rd and 2 at the N.O. 39. Sanders tries to hit TE- Burford for a 1st down and their CB steps in front of Burford for the pick. I wonder if Dunkelberger would have made the play or at least broke it up.

On a 3rd and 7, they throw it deep and of course complete it for 26 yards. A few plays later, another long pass for 32 yards and they have a 1st and goal at the 2. Their 1st run of the day is a 2 yard TD run on the next play and we trail 7-0.

On the ensuing kickoff, CB- Douglas goes down with a ribcage injury. He stays in the game. We get one 1st down but 2 false starts push us back and we can't recover and have to punt.

They take it right down the field and get another TD. The TD pass was into double coverage (what else is new) for 35 yards with 19 coming after a broken tackle. We trail 14-0.

Mixing the run and pass well, Sanders engineers a nice 80 play drive which he finishes with an 11 yard TD pass to FL- Antonides. We cut the lead to 14-7. But to have a chance, our defense needs to stop their offense.

We kickoff and they start at their 13 which ends the 1st quarter.

2ND QUARTER:

Our defense steps us and stops them on 3 plays when DE- Hughes pressures the QB to throw before he was ready on 3rd down.

A short punt gives us the ball at our 47. On a 3rd and 9 from the 38 of N.O., Sanders throws a long pass to TE- Chavarria. He makes the catch for 27 yards to give us a 1st down at the 11. Big catch in his 1st game playing this year. I guess he's trying to make a case to stay on the team. Two plays later, N.O. plays the run and Sanders finds WR- Cole on an 8 yard strike for the tieing TD.

We give them good field position at their 44 after a short kickoff. They are taking it right down the field on our defense again. Then on the drive, S- Tigchelaar goes down with a serious leg injury. They get down to our 8 yard line on a 3rd and 4 and DT- Petkovich drives through the line and stops them for no gain to force the FG try. They hit the FG to retake the lead, 17-14.

A sack and a penalty kill our drive without a 1st down and we punt it right back to them.

A short punt and they have it at our 44 to start the drive. Our defense allows them to our 8 again but stop them and we force another FG to keep us in the game. They lead 20-14 just before halftime.

We only get one play off before halftime. So we go into the locker room trailing by 6 with our slim postseason hopes on the line.

In other games that matter for our wildcard hopes. Every game is close and we have a chance so far.

3RD QUARTER:

We start the 2nd half on a good note. N.O. commits a false start penalty and then LB- Dellinger sacks the QB so they have 2nd and 21 at their 27. Then LB- Alarcon and DT- Petkovich bust through the line for a 1 yard loss on a run. So we have a big 3rd and 22 to stop here. The pass is only for 13 yards so we stop them.....but wait we are called for defensive holding and an automatic 1st down. NO! We can't give this offense second chances. Our defense stops them amazingly on the next three plays when their 3rd down pass is stopped just short of the 1st down.

We get one 1st down and then another pass to Burford is intercepted. I gotta wonder if this is coincidence or I am onto something. Two passes to Burford have been intercepted.

They don't take long as 4 plays later they get the TD and a commanding 27-14 lead.

In danger of giving it right back, Sanders hits WR- Hancock on a 24 yard pass on a 3rd and long to keep us alive. Hancock is showing me he can make a play here and there since he took over as the 4th receiver over Nishioka. The next three plays are for over 10 yards each and we have a 1st and goal at the 8 yard line. The next play is an 8 yard TD pass to Cole but it's called back for offensive holding. Newton then busts through the line with a block by Springer and we have a 2nd and goal at the 7. The 2nd down pass to Hancock is blocked at the line to set up a key 3rd and goal with time winding down in the 3rd quarter and our season. Sanders can't complete the 3rd down pass to Antonides and we stall after a costly penalty. Hammond hits the short FG and we cut the lead to 10 at 27-17 but we needed 7 right there.

Another short kickoff and good return and they start at our 46. The last couple games our special teams coverage has been killing us. Our defense stops them at our 32 when DT- Goodwin blocks a pass on 3rd down. They hit the 49 yard FG to extend the lead back to 13 at 30-17. Does anyone miss FG against us?

We end the 3rd quarter with two ineffective runs.

4TH QUARTER:

We have a 3rd and 11 at our 35. We only get a 2 yard pass and have to punt and just about ends our chances.

They are not content to run and kill some clock. They continue to pass on our defense, but a key 3rd down sack by DE- McWilliams forces another FG, but they lead by 16, 33-17.

We start at our 9 after a penalty on the kickoff. We have 8 minutest to score 2 TDs and two conversions. We only manage two first downs and we have to punt and that will do it with under 6 to play.

We get one last chance when we stop them with just under 3 to play. But as Sanders takes us down the field inside the 40, he throws his 3rd interception of the day.

We use our timeouts to get it back and I don't know why we bother. Sanders wastes no time throwing his 4th pick of the day to end the game 33-17.

Notes, Stats and injuries:

Well, we broke the win one lose one curse, except it was a lose two that did it. Not what we wanted.

Somehow we are still alive for the last wildcard spot. But a lot of things have to happen and I am not sure what. But Jax. at 8-7 leads the way. Pittsburgh is also 8-7 so they have a chance with a win and a Jax. loss. Baltimore and us are 7-8 and somehow still alive for the wildcard. So we need to beat an 0-15 Buffalo team and hope for a lot of help. We lost to Pittsburgh and beat Baltimore in the regular season. We didn't play Jax. So it will come down to another tiebreaker. But you know the Bills are going to get their 1st win to spoil any slim chance we have. We can't make them go 0-16, can we? Let's try!!!!

New injuries: S- Tigchelaar reinjured his torn calf muscle and is out for 8 weeks.
S- Mihna is still questionable for 2 weeks with his pulled groin. But I will risk it and play him.

TE- Dunkelberger is still out for 4 more weeks.
CB- Douglas is probable with his bruised ribcage. He will play.

LT- Levine is 100%.

Stats on the game:

Newton only had 61 yards on 16 carries.
Sanders wasn't very good when we needed him. The stats are misleading. He was 22/38 for 255 yards with 2 TD and 4 int.
Antonides had 8 catches for 106 yards and 1 TD.
Alarcon was a monster as he had 15 tackles and 7 assists.
Our OL only allowed one sack but they only had 4 KRB.

We now go to play an 0-15 Buffalo team who we beat in week 5, 31-14.

Up next: Can we finish the year with a win to get to 8-8?

[DolphinFan1]

Snow, 22 degrees and a 12 MPH wind. Great! Just what we need. Maybe our coach will pound Newton down their throats.

We are favored by 9.

I've never seen a preview on a team like this. Buffalo is 26th in one catergory, 27th in another, 29th in another and then 30-32nd in everything except rushing yards per carry (2nd) and rushing yards allowed per carry (1st). We are 1st in rushing yards per carry. So it will be their only strength against our big guy Newton.

We face our old nemisis: QB - Karl Tudrick. We stopped him the last time. Let's do it again.

Looking at the 4 teams involved in the final wildcard spot, we are 7-8 and so is Baltimore. Jax and Pitts. are 8-7. So it's clear they have to lose for us to get in if we win. And we beat Balt. so that may not matter but it won't hurt if they lose. So we will be rooting for all three to lose if we beat Buffalo and we should be in.

Up next: GAMEDAY

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

WEEK 17: MIAMI AT BUFFALO:

1ST QUARTER:

We start out with the ball and I am ready to fire my coach right now. With a blowing 12 MPH wind and snow, he comes out throwing on every play and only completes one pass for -2 yards. He should have pounded it with Newton. You'd think we were the 0-15 team.

Buffalo starts with the ball at their 25. On the 1st play, DT- Dobbins sacks Tudrick. Then on 2nd down they complete a 1 yard screen pass and they fumble the ball when S- Terry strips the ball. S- Mihna recovers for us at the Buffalo 20. All Right!! We made a play on defense.

We are killing ourselves with penalties again. Two penalties push us back to the 30 and we have a 2nd and 20. Another screen pass for 0 yards but we get called for offensive holding. So now it's 2nd and 30 at the 40. Sanders finally completes a pass for over 1 yard when he hits WR- Cole for 18 to give us a 3rd and 12 at the 22. Then he hits RB- Craig for 7 more to give us a better FG try....but wait....we get called for offensive holding again. Now we have a 3rd and 22 at the 32. Sanders hits FL- Antonides for 16 yards to give us the ball at the 16. But it's 4th down. We will try the 33 yard FG in the snow. Hammond hits the FG and we lead 3-0.But we had 4 offensive penalties on that drive alone.

Our defense stops them on 3 plays.

They are playing the run heavily and Newton gets stuffed for -7 yards on 2 carries. But Sanders hits Newton on pass on 3rd and long and Newton breaks free for a 27 yard gain and a 1st down. The next play is a 18 yard completion to Antonides and we have a 1st down at the Buffalo 33. A run for 3 yards and a pass for -1 gives us a 3rd and 8 at the 31.We only get 3 yards on a run and will try a long 45 yard FG in the snow. Hammond misses it so we still lead 3-0.

On a 2nd down play, they run for the 1st down and fumble the ball again. This time they recover it. The 1st quarter ends with Buffalo at our 37 with a 3rd and 6.

In the other 3 games with wildcard implications: Baltimore and Cincinnati are scoreless, Indy leads Jax. 14-7 and Cleveland leads Pitts. 3-0.

2ND QUARTER:

On the 3rd down play, McWilliams hurries the QB and the 3rd down pass is incomplete. They punt and it goes in the endzone.

We get one first down and then have a 3rd and 7 at our 34. Sanders drops back to pass and throws it deep to SE- Swift. He makes the catch for 19 yards and the 1st down. Another 16 yards to Swift and we are at the Buffalo 31. Swift has 3 catches for 46 yards on this drive. We then run the ball 3 times and get stopped on a 3rd and 2 at the 23 and we have to try another FG. Another miss from Hammond. Seems the weather is a big factor in today's game. Hammond has been almost automatic this year. We still lead just 3-0.

On the 1st play after the miss, we lose DE- Ward to an injury and he doesn't return. We hold them to just 3 plays and on 3rd down, DT- Dobbins sacks the QB again for a loss of 7 yards.

A short punt and we have the ball at our 41. We get one first down and then stall at the Buffalo 39 when OT- Bush allows a sack. The punt goes into the endzone and Buffalo will start at their 20.

They get one first down then a couple of penalties push them back and we hold them.

On a 2nd and 2 after a Buffalo penalty, Green creates a hole and Newton finally breaks one for 24 yards. He only had 4 yards on 8 carries before that run. We have a 1st down at our 47 with 2 minutes to play in the half. A 14 yard pass to Antonides on 2nd down gives us the ball at the Buffalo 39. On a 2nd and 8 we come out with a 5 WR set and Buffalo is looking for a run. HUH? No wonder they are 0-15. Sanders finds Hancock for 28 yards and we are at the 9. Crichlow runs for 6 yards and we have a 2nd and goal at the 3. The next play Crichlow punches it in from 3 yards out and we lead 10-0.Crichlow has more yards than Newton today. Figure that out. Great drive by the offense when we started at our 15 with just over 3 minutes to play in the half.

That's then end of the 1st half and we lead 10-0.

Very sloppy 1st half. We missed 2 FG, and both teams combined for 14 penalties for 115 yards.

Cincinnati leads Baltimore 10-0. That's good. Indy is all over Jax. 28-10. That's good. Cleveland leads Pitts. 10-9. That's good.

3RD QUARTER:

Buffalo comes out throwing to start the 2nd half and we are giving up the deep ball again. We can't stop this winless team and they take it right down the field and get a 9 yard TD run to cut our lead to 10-7.

In danger of going 3 and out, Sanders finds Cole for 11 yards and a 1st down. We do go 3 and out after that 1st down and Buffalo will get the ball back when LB- Howard stops Cole just short of the 1st down.

Maybe our defense had to warm up after sitting in the locker room at halftime because they stop Buffalo on 3 plays this time.

We start at our 32. We can do nothing on offense and then Sanders' 3rd down pass is intercepted and Buffalo has it at our 44.

A false start and then a sack by DE- McWilliams pushes them back to their 46 with a 2nd and 20. A 5 yard pass sets up a 3rd and 15 and we of course allow a 19 yard pass for the 1st down. They get to our 21 and we hold them. They hit the 38 yarder to tie the score at 10. What did I say last game? Everyone hits every FG against us. Even in the snow.

The 3rd quarter ends and we get a 1st down at our 36.

Cincinnati now leads Baltimore 24-0, Indy 41, Jax. 13. Cleveland leads Pitts. 16-9.

4TH QUARTER:

We continue to move the ball well until an offensive holding call negates a 1st down and we can't get another 1st down. We punt again.

Our defense comes up big with a 3 and out.

We get help from a Buffalo offsides call and still can't get a 1st down. We are letting an 0-15 team hang around.

Buffalo gets called for 2 false starts on sucessive plays which helps us hold them to a 3 and out. The two teams have combined for 23 penalties for 170 yards. Awful.

We have the ball at our 32 with 6:35 to play and the score tied 10-10. We need to score now!!! The 1st play Sanders throws deep to Cole who catches it for 37 yards. 1st down at the Buffalo 31. Buffalo plays the run on the next play and Sanders finds Swift for 14 and we are now at the 17. After a 1 yard loss, Newton gets a 14 yard run by a key block by Springer and we have a 1st and goal at the 4. Buffalo is offsides to give us 2 more yards. Two plays later, Springer opens another hole and Newton gets the 2 yards for the TD. We lead 17-10.

Buffalo commits a penalty on the return and start at their 7 with 3:38 to play. A false start and a short run creates a 2nd and long. They try to throw a long pass and get called for holding in the endzone and we get 2 points on the safety!!!! We lead 19-10.

We can't get a 1st down to kill the clock, so Buffalo will get it back.

We get called for pass interference and they are at our 13 with 1:46 to play. Incredible! They complete a pass for 12 yards and the receiver tries to extend the ball to the endzone and CB- Douglas knocks the ball loose. S- Mihna recovers for us at our 1 yard line.

We run out the clock and win 19-10 to keep Buffalo winless. It wasn't a pretty win but with the weather conditions, I'll take it.

Now to see if we made the playoffs.

Checking the scores, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Jacksonvill lost, so let's see if that was what we needed to get in.

I check the standings and see we sneak into the playoffs with an 8-8 record. All Right!!!!

We are heading to cold Denver Colorado to face a 10-6 Bronco team.

Notes, stats and injuries:

This was a big win on the road in the cold. Even though Buffalo was winless, it is never easy against a division opponent.

I check out the tranaction wire and see, OG- Gomez (we released him at the start of the season) was picked up by New Orleans as one of their G is on IR.

Here are some stats on the game:

We outgained Buffalo 381 to 195.
We were both horrible on 3rd downs, Miami 3/13, Buffalo 2/10
Penalties: Miami 13/137 yards Buffalo 17/113. A total of 30 penalties and 250 yards. Awful. Maybe it was the weather, but it's still bad.
Newton rushed for 86 hard yards on 27 carries. And he had 1 TD and 3 runs over 10 yards.
Sanders was 20/27 for 269 yards with 1 int.
Our top 3 receivers did their job except get into the endzone. Antonides had 6 catches for 78 yards, Cole had 5 catches for 71 yards and Swift had 4 catches for 60 yards.
Alarcon led the defense again with 9 tackles, 3 assists and one pass defended.
Dobbins only had 2 tackles but he had two big sacks.
Our OL had a mixed day. They blocked well for Newton and Crichlow on some plays, then on others they either didn't block or got called for offensive holding.
Springer, Lee and Green combined to go 11/22 with no sacks allowed.
Bush gave up our only sack, but like I said there were numerous offensive penalties.

Now for the injuries:

DE- Ward went down early in the game and he has a pulled groin and is questionable for 1 week. Game time decision.
SS- Mihna played through his injured groin and he is close to 100% so he will play again.
CB- Douglas' ribcage is still less than 100% but he will play.
FB- Blanda has a sprained ankle and is probable for about 2 weeks. He will try to give it a go.

Checking out our playing time issues:

LB- Fredrickson has been disgruntled all year and he is unhappy now. He is only a backup and that's all he will be doing. He is a RFA after this year so it looks like he won't be a Dolphin next year.
QB- Kolodziejski is disgruntled. He feels he should be starting. Well, as bad as Sanders has played in some games, most of the issues were from the defense. Sanders has put up career bests in
yardage, completion pct. and TDs.
FS- Lane is disgruntled. Maybe he feels he should start. But he is a rookie and raw. Terry has made the transition from CB and played well. So deal with it.

UP next: Final regular season standings and team summary for regular season. Then we will head to DENVER for our wildcard game.

[DolphinFan1]

Here is the final regular season standings and team summary:


Front Office Football 2007
1977 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 11 5 0 .688 313 228 8-4 3-3
Cleveland 10 6 0 .625 326 245 9-3 5-1
Pittsburgh 8 8 0 .500 234 253 6-6 1-5
Baltimore 7 9 0 .438 255 321 6-6 3-3

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Indianapolis 11 5 0 .688 455 337 8-4 4-2
Jacksonville 8 8 0 .500 297 296 6-6 2-4
Tennessee 7 9 0 .438 347 340 6-6 2-4
Houston 5 11 0 .313 228 357 4-8 4-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 10 6 0 .625 326 314 7-5 5-1
Miami 8 8 0 .500 380 345 6-6 3-3
New England 7 9 0 .438 293 279 6-6 4-2
Buffalo 0 16 0 .000 183 424 0-12 0-6

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 10 6 0 .625 389 324 8-4 4-2
Kansas City 7 9 0 .438 270 318 6-6 3-3
San Diego 7 9 0 .438 293 314 6-6 3-3
Oakland 6 10 0 .375 253 310 4-8 2-4

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 13 3 0 .813 301 191 9-3 5-1
Minnesota 7 9 0 .438 294 340 5-7 3-3
Green Bay 6 10 0 .375 281 307 4-8 2-4
Detroit 5 11 0 .313 201 290 4-8 2-4

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tampa Bay 13 3 0 .813 386 223 10-2 5-1
New Orleans 11 5 0 .688 414 285 9-3 4-2
Carolina 10 6 0 .625 282 287 8-4 3-3
Atlanta 6 10 0 .375 287 364 3-9 0-6

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 13 3 0 .813 387 215 9-3 5-1
Dallas 9 7 0 .563 331 297 5-7 2-4
Washington 8 8 0 .500 270 240 6-6 4-2
New York G 3 13 0 .188 207 315 3-9 1-5

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Arizona 9 7 0 .563 345 333 6-6 4-2
St. Louis 9 7 0 .563 332 290 6-6 4-2
San Francisco 9 7 0 .563 332 392 7-5 3-3
Seattle 3 13 0 .188 216 334 2-10 1-5 


Here is the team summary before our wildcard game:


Front Office Football 2007
1977 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1977
Record 8-8
Winning Pct. .500
All-Time 49-79
Winning Pct. .382
Playoffs 1-1
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 42-86
Winning Pct. .328
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 28.4 12 (T)
Rushing Yards 135.2 2
Yards Per Carry 4.75 1
Pass Attempts 31.0 25
Completions 19.1 20
Completion Pct. 61.7 5 (T)
Passing Yards 216.0 14
Yards Per Attempt 6.97 7
Yards Per Catch 11.29 10
Total Yardage Gained 342.5 4
3rd Down Conversions 37.0 10 (T)
Points Per Game 23.8 6
Pass Rush Pct. 9.1 5
Pass Defense Pct. 63.6 27
Turnovers 28 20 (T)
Turnover Margin -8 26

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 26.8 13
Rushing Yards 100.3 6
Yards Per Carry 3.75 6
Pass Attempts 32.2 14
Completions 20.0 22
Completion Pct. 62.1 28
Passing Yards 209.9 18
Yards Per Attempt 6.52 21 (T)
Yards Per Catch 10.50 13
Total Yardage Gained 294.0 10
3rd Down Conversions 34.9 22
Points Per Game 21.6 28
Pass Rush Pct. 5.8 1
Pass Defense Pct. 69.9 19
Turnovers 20 28 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 31 at NED 23
2 10 at TBY 37
3 48 IND 31
4 17 at CIN 23
5 31 BUF 14
6 27 at CLE 24
7 9 PIT 13
9 0 NED 30
10 41 BAL 13
11 17 at NYJ 20
12 38 CAR 7
13 10 at KCY 23
14 41 ATL 14
15 24 NYJ 30
16 17 at NOS 33
17 19 at BUF 10
$$WC at DEN

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
7 D. Sanders QB 468 298 3340 7.14 26 19 86.5
**Team --- 496 306 3456 6.97 27 22 82.2
$$Opp --- 515 320 3359 6.52 18 13 82.2

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 347 1719 4.95 14 3
46 K. Crichlow RB 88 402 4.57 2 3
**Team --- 455 2163 4.75 16 16
$$Opp --- 428 1604 3.75 15 17

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 116 71 1052 14.82 9.07 6 4
87 C. Swift WR 108 62 823 13.27 7.62 10 7
32 N. Newton RB 67 49 308 6.29 4.60 2 3
88 F. Cole WR 78 47 595 12.66 7.63 3 9
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 41 24 252 10.50 6.15 3 0
29 D. Blanda FB 24 21 121 5.76 5.04 1 2

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 125 47 0.0 0 1 7 74.1
56 T. Dellinger OLB 66 28 3.0 1 2 3 74.1
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 52 22 1.0 3 1 5 74.4
93 E. McWilliams DE 51 11 11.5 24 0 0 80.9
99 R. Petkovich DT 47 13 3.5 6 0 0 81.4
41 B. Pirrup CB 35 9 0.0 0 1 7 78.2
25 A. Barton CB 34 9 1.0 0 1 3 77.6
44 R. Tigchelaar S 33 13 1.0 0 1 4 85.1
75 N. Dobbins DT 33 9 6.5 11 0 1 81.9
34 D. Mihna S 28 12 0.0 1 0 1 74.6
77 H. Hughes DE 27 13 5.5 21 0 0 81.7
43 A. Terry S 27 10 0.0 0 1 4 79.8
37 C. Pearson S 26 5 0.0 0 1 5 76.5
33 R. Barkley CB 25 0 0.0 0 1 2 76.2
42 P. Lane S 23 13 0.0 0 0 3 79.0
92 S. Goodwin DT 19 7 0.0 4 0 0 80.7
28 A. Harrison S 16 6 0.5 0 0 1 74.3 

I will go over the stats and how our individual players ranked in the league following the playoffs.

UP next: Wildcard preview vs. Denver and then GAMEDAY will be live and in real time as I play it. Stay tuned.

[DolphinFan1]

We head to snowy Denver where it is 32 degrees and a 7 MPH wind.

Denver is favored by 3.

Denver is in the top half of the league in most catergories. They are weakest in rushing and defending the run. That's where we need to attack. Their QB is very good with 23 TD and 8 int. Their RB is weak, he has 1300 yards but only a 3.66 ypc and 6 fumbles. They have a very strong offensive line on the left side.

They are on a 2 game losing streak to end the season. They did have a 7 game winning streak just before that. So we have the momentum as we won our last game.

They have a +11 TO margin where as we are -8.

Their leading tackler is a safety.

So this could be a game of offenses even in the snow.

Other wildcard games: Cleveland Browns (10-6) at New York Jets (10-6), Carolina Panthers (10-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (13-3), New Orleans Saints (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7).

Time to play the games.

UP NEXT: GAMEDAY LIVE AS IT HAPPENS.

[DolphinFan1]

GAMEDAY:

WILDCARD WEEK: MIAMI AT DENVER:

Welcome to snowy Denver where the Miami Dolphins come in to face the Denver Broncos in an AFC Wildcard game. Denver is favored by 3 and with the weather conditions look to see a lot of running from Miami.

Their 2nd year RB- Neal Newton racked up over 1700 yards to lead the league. He has an amazing 4.95 ypc which ranks 2nd in the league and he has 14 TD. Denver has a pair of RB who have combined for over 1900 yards and 19 TD. Their ypc aren't as good as Newton's however.

Denver's QB Marcus King is in his 10th year. His production is a bit down this year from his career highs. But he still put up good numbers. Only a 58% completion pct. but 3500 yards and 23 TD with only 8 int.

On Miami's side, Darrell Sanders in his 11th season has put up career highs in Completions: 298, Attempts: 468, Yards: 3340 and TD: 26. He did have 19 interceptions but was solid for Miami for most of the year.

We are just about set for the kickoff so let's get down to the field.

[DolphinFan1]

1ST QUARTER:

Miami wins the toss and receives. CB- Adrian Douglas returns it to the Miami 24 and that's where the Dolphins will start. Denver comes out playing the run and Miami sees it and comes out throwing. Sanders hits Newton and WR- Hancock on a couple of short passes to move the chains. Another pass to Newton for 10 yards and then OG- Lee opens a hole for backup RB- Crichlow and he busts through the line and gets 11 yards. Miami has a 1st down at the Denver 43. A couple of short runs sets up a 3rd and 4 at the Denver 37. Sanders tries to hit WR- Cole with a pass on 3rd down but it falls incomplete and Miami will have to punt. Still a nice opening drive by Miami to start the game and move the chains. P- Singleton's kick goes into the endzone and Denver will start at their 20 with 11:01 to play in the 1st quarter.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver comes out running and gets one first down. But on a 3rd and 6 from their 36 they commit a false start to push them back to their 31 and sets up a 3rd and 11. Miami plays the pass and Denver gives the ball to RB- Curtis Lane. He breaks a pair of tackles and he reaches the ball out for the 1st down marker. Miami MLB- Lincoln Alarcon and DE- Everett McWilliams hit him just before the 1st down marker and knock the ball loose. Denver's Nicky McIntyre pounces on it at the Denver 41, but it is just short of the 1st down. Denver goes for it from their own 41. Miami plays the run but it doesn't matter as they get 3 yards and the 1st down. Two plays later Lane gets another 10 yard run and loses the ball again. But again Denver recovers it. They have a 1st down at the Miami 44. Denver converts a 3rd and 8 for 15 yards and then another 1st down and they have it at the Miami 16. An incomplete pass and a run for 2 yards sets up a 3rd and 8 at the 14. Miami plays the run and King finds WR- Shauntae Joe in the back of the endzone for the 14 yard TD pass. They hit the extra point to take the 7-0 lead. Miami gets a holding call on the kickoff return and will start at their 5 yard line trailing 7-0 and only 1:18 to play in the 1st quarter.

[DolphinFan1]

Miami tries to run on 1st down, but Denver is ready and stuffs the leagues leading rusher for no gain. Sanders tries to hit SE- C.J. Swift on a go pattern but it is incomplete. On the play a Miami player is down. It is FL- Phillip Antonides. He is being carted off the field. That's not good news for Miami. He is their leading receiver in yardage. On a key 3rd down and 10 from their 5 with the risk of giving the ball right back, Sanders again tries to hit Swift. This time he connects for a 20 yard gain and a 1st down at the 25 as the 1st quarter ends.

We'll be back after a short break.

[DolphinFan1]

2ND QUARTER:

Miami cannot continue the drive when Sanders only hits one screen pass for 0 yards and Newton can only get 3 yards on 3rd down draw play. A good 54 yard punt by Singleton but the Denver return man, Funerburk gets a 20 yard return to the Denver 38. Miami safety Patrick Lane makes the tackle and strips the ball loose. It is on the ground. However, Denver again gets the fumble. That's 3 fumbles today and all 3 Denver has managed to recover. Missed opportunities by Miami.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver gets one first down and then Miami stops the next two passes to set up a 3rd and 10. Denver runs it and Lane runs through a huge hole but LB- Dellinger makes the tackle just short of the 1st down at the Miami 43. They decide to punt this time and it's a good one. Denver downs the ball at the Miami 7 and that's where they takeover with 10:50 to play in the 1st half with Miami still trailing 7-0.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver comes out playing the run and Sanders finds FB- Darryl Blanda for 10 yards. After a couple of penalties by both teams, Sander hooks up with WR- Cole on a 27 yard play and Miami has a 1st down at their 42. Another pass to Swift for 15 after a run by Newton and Miami is in Denver territory. A 4 yard run by Newton and a blocked pass sets up a 3rd and 6 at the Denver 38. Sanders tries to hit Swift but he had to throw it before he was ready when Denver's Myron Gifford put the pressure on. Another Miami drive ends just out of FG range. A nice punt by Singleton pins Denver at their 3 yard line.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver comes out throwing and is taking to the Miami defense eating up chunks of yardage. After a few 1st downs, Denver has the ball at the Miami 42 with 2 minutes to play in the 1st half. A false start pushes them back and then on a 3rd and long, Miami DE- Harvey Hughes pressures King and the Miami defense holds. Miami gets the ball at their 14 after a 7 yard return by CB- Douglas.

[DolphinFan1]

Miami is content to run out the clock with only 50 seconds to play in the 1st half and bad field position.

Halftime score: Denver 7 Miami 0.

Other games; Philadelphia leads Carolina 21-3, New Orleans leads Arizona 14-10 and The New York Jets lead Cleveland 14-10.


We will take a break at the half. Stay tuned later for the second half. Can Miami come back and spring the upset?

[DolphinFan1]

We're almost ready to start the 2nd half. Let's take a look at some of the halftime stats:

Denver leads in total yards 165 to 140.
Denver leads in 1st downs 10 to 8.
Denver also leads in 3rd down conversions, 4/7 while Miami was only 1/5.

Let's go down to the field to talk with the head coach of the New England Patriots, Glenn Flynn.

Coach, what surprised you the most about the 1st half?

Glen Flynn: Well, I was surprised with how much better the Denver running game was. Curtis Lane out rushed the leagues leading rusher by 36 yards and had a better ypc.

What does Miami have to do to come back and pull the upset?

Glen Flynn: Well, we played Miami twice and split. But let me tell you that just because Newton only has 31 yards in the 1st half doesn't mean he can't rack up 150 in the 2nd half. He just gets stronger as the game goes on. He wears down defenses. I think it plays into Miami's favor only being down by 7 as they can stick to their gameplan, pound Newton. If you saw the game earlier this year when he almost got 300 yards, you know how he just exploded in the 2nd half.

One final question coach. What's your prediction on the final score?

Glen Flynn: Well, even with Newton I think the home crowd and the fact that Denver gets the ball to start the 2nd half is a little too much. Denver 17 Miami 14.

Thanks coach. Well, it's almost time to kickoff the 2nd half.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver starts at their 21 to start the 2nd half. The 1st play Miami gets called for defensive pass interference giving Denver a 1st down at their 32. Miami then holds them to 3 plays when they stop them 5 yards short on a pass on 3rd down. After the punt Miami has it at their 12. A nice start by the Miami defense after the penalty. Just what they needed.

[DolphinFan1]

Miami only gains 4 yards and has to punt it right back. Denver starts at their 34.

[DolphinFan1]

Miami returns the favor with a 3 and out defensive stand when LB- Alarcon defends a pass on 3rd and 2 to force a punt. Miami gets the ball at the 17 after a punt. Another drive starting inside the 20 for Miami.

[DolphinFan1]

On a 3rd and 13 after a penalty, Sanders finds SE- Swift open and hits him for 15 yards and a 1st down. Two plays later he connects with Hancock for 11 more and Miami is moving the ball surprisingly through the air. The next play he hooks up with Hancock again for 13 more and Miami is once again in Denver territory. Newton tries to run on the next play and gets stuffed for a 2 yard loss. Then on 2nd down, Sanders tries to force one in to Cole and it is tipped and intercepted by Denver's Randy Whitlock and he returns it to the Denver 45. That's the 1st turnover of the day and it could be a costly one for Miami.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver mixes the run and pass well and gets a couple of big passing plays before RB- Lane punches it in from one yard out to extend the lead to 14-0 with 3:40 to play in the 3rd quarter.

[DolphinFan1]

A short kickoff and return gives Miami it's best starting field position of the day at their 39 yard line. Miami comes out and tries to run on 1st and 2nd down but there is little running room for Newton and he only gets one yard. Then on 3rd down, Sander throws into double coverage and tries to find Cole again but once again he is intercepted and Denver has it right back at the Miami 45 and it looks bleak for Miami.

[DolphinFan1]

The 3rd quarter ends with Denver converting a 3rd and 5 and they have a 1st down at the Miami 31.

4TH QUARTER:

Miami stops Denver 2 yards short of the 1st down, but it still is in FG range for Denver's Malcolm Rocco. He will try it from 40 yards out. The ball just clears the goal post and Denver extends the lead to 3 scores at 17-0 with 13:05 to play in the game.


(note: like I said before, nobody seems to miss FG against us. Even in the snow from 40+ yards out. I think the game is biased against the human player. Seem kinda funny how they hit everything. Just a rant. Ok, back to the game.)

[DolphinFan1]

Miami goes backwards on the next drive with a couple of penalties and allowing a sack on 3rd down. They will punt from their 11 with 11:13 to play in the game.

[DolphinFan1]

A good punt by Singleton and Denver starts at their 45 after an 11 yard return. Miami holds Denver to 3 plays but time is running out on the Dolphins season. The punt goes into the endzone and Miami will start from their 20 yard line.

[DolphinFan1]

Sanders comes out throwing and on a 3rd and 10, he throws his 3rd interception of the day and the intended receiver was Cole for the 3rd time. After the runback, Denver has it at the Miami 33 and that may just about seal the deal on this one.

[DolphinFan1]

Denver runs it on every play and gets one first down but they take the clock to under 4:30 and are going to try a 41 yard FG. And they hit another FG in the snow from 40+ yards. Denver leads 20-0.

[DolphinFan1]

Sanders comes out throwing and gets one 1st down and the Dolphins stall at the Denver 33 with just over 2 minutes to play and that will do it.

Denver goes on to shutout the Miami Dolphins 20-0 to move on into the division round of the 1977 playoffs.

[DolphinFan1]

In the other wildcard games:
Philadephia moves on by beating Carolina 28-6.
The Jets hold on to beat Cleveland 24-19.
Arizona upsets 11-5 New Orleans 24-21.

In the division playoffs:
Arizona continues to pull the upsets by beating Tampa Bay 38-18.
Indianapolis takes care of Denver 34-10.
The New York Jets get a FG with 1:27 to play to beat Cincinnati 16-13.
Philadelphia continues to run over opponents by beating Chicago 27-12.

The Conference Finals:
AFC Championship: The New York Jets are headed to the Front Office Bowl in 1977 by beating the Indianapolis Colts 26-17.
NFC Championship: Arizona's Cinderella run ended in Philly where the Eagles destroyed the Cardinals 34-10.

The 1977 Front Office Bowl:

Before the Front Office Bowl I want to take a look at any of our players we might want to extend contracts or some who are FA.

Our only UFA who I am considering resigning before I continue to the next season would be DE- Harvey Hughes. He has been a stud for us but his tackles and sacks were way down this year. That could be because McWilliams was getting most of them. He wants a huge signing bonus. And he only wants a 2 year extention. I decide to wait and take my chances next year. He is a 5 year vereran and will probably get some offers. But he has an 85 for loyalty. I want to see how I stand with a couple other FA who are injured.

So, not willing to sign anyone now, I decide to finish the season. Let's go see who wins the Front Office Bowl.

The Jets hung with the Eagles for a half only trailing 17-14. But in the 2nd half Philadelphia scored 16 unanswered points to blow it open and go on to win 33-22.


Our end of year evaluation is:

Team performance: 45
Franchise value: 31
Profit/loss: 39
Roster: 77

Overall: 42

Since I started running the team in 1975 after 5 quick sim years, my overall evaluation has improved from 32 to 37 and now 42. Nice trend. Now we need to make some good offseason moves to take the next step.


As I move into the 1978 season, I am going to try something different. I will continue to post rosters, standing and team summaries. But I want to have weekly reports like a newspaper column. So starting with the offseason in 1978 I will have a Dolphins Weekly column, which will have any transactions, news on injuries and such as well as the game played if there was one. Also, to get a little more immersive into the league and the players, I want to have a short league report on teams and some of the stud players. So, I will try to have a FOF2K7 weekly league report.

As I close the book on the 1977 season, overall I am happy with the team. There were some standout performances. There is a lot of room for improvement and some guys will be looking for work.

Up next: We move on to the 1978 season.

[DolphinFan1]

I will have a new season started either later tonight or sometime tomorrow. Oh wait....tomorrow is the Super Bowl. Oh that's right, the Dolphins aren't in it. I should have time to play tomorrow.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY:


As the 1st week of the new season opens, the league announces a new 4 year television contract. The salary cap rises $4.8 million to $72 million. The league's minimum salary is now $200,000.

A total 91 players retired.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY:


As the Dolphins start another offseason, there were a few surprises. When the league report of retirees came out, there were no Dolphins on it. It was a surprise, but not to GM, DolphinFan1.

DolphinFan1: "I wasn't surprised by some of our aging veterans staying on. Most of them are still playing near the top of their game. And after reviewing last season's performance with the coaching staff, we realized we are not that far away from a serious run at a Championship. So some of the older guys came back to get a ring. We plan on being very active and aggressive this offseason to give it to them."

When asked what he would do with two starting middle linebackers with the return of Christian Cochrane, DolphinFan1 offered no comment as not to reveal too much about his plans. He did say that Cochrane has recovered nicely to where he was before his injury. One option to the Dolphins is to switch to a 3-4 defense to utilize the 2 star MLBs, Cochrane and Lincoln Alarcon who they received from Philadelphia for a 3rd round pick.

The Dolphins enter the 1978 with 31 players signed. They also have all their staff under contract for this year. They have $25 million under the cap and the draft figures to take up about $4.2 million of that. So that leaves them in good shape with just under $21 million to sign FA. Their biggest UFA is LDE- Harvey Hughes who is entering his 6th year. When asked if he was upset with the Dolphins for not getting a new contract before the end of last season, Hughes agent, Stanley Andrews offered this statement:

Stanley Andrews: "Harvey is not upset at all with the Dolphins. He is very happy here. He is also a favorite of the fans. He is sure they can work out a deal. Of course, there are a lot of teams out there looking for a star DE. So you never know."

Another big name UFA is LT - Curtis Green. He is entering his 13th season. He was franchised last year. The Dolphins may not be willing to offer him a long term contract as he is 35. He may be franchised again this year. When asked if this was ok with him, Green's agent, Peter Schaffer offered this statement:

Peter Schaffer: "We realize the Dolphins have an interest to protect the team, but Green has shown he is worth the money. I hope we can work out a deal. If they decide to franchise him (Green) again, we will have to talk. That's all I have to say about that for now."

All total the Dolphins have 11 UFA and 13 RFA. The most notable FA on that list besides the aforementioned Green and Hughes are starting safeties, Ryan Tigchelaar and Don Mihna who both had injury plagued years. Also starting FS- Chester Pearson who missed 8 games with a hamstring injury. The Dolphins may not be willing to spend a lot of money on so many defensive players who were injured for most of the year. Another UFA who really was a playmaker was #3 receiver Freddie Cole who was a big 3rd down receiver for the Dolphins last year. Also on the FA list is P- Bruce Singleton who in a lot of games singlehandly kept the opposing offenses pinned inside the 10 yard line to help the defense. It's no question with the problems that this defense had last year defending the pass, without Singleton, it would have been worse. On the RFA side of things, there are 3 notable names on that list. Three year starter at RT- Travis Bush is a FA and is almost a lock to get an offer from the Dolphins. Another three year starter is RDT- Riddick Petkovich. He has been solid in the middle of the defensive line. One other name being talked about is 2nd year undrafted free agent kicker, Juan Hammond. He was signed by the Dolphins last year following the draft when the kicker they drafted didn't come out of camp as well as the coaching staff had liked. He finished the year 21/28 but 2 misses were over 40 yards in the snow in Buffalo in the final regular season game. Of his other 5 misses, only 2 were under 40 yards.

So it will be interesting what the Dolphins do with all these FA and who will they decide to franchise. We'll have a detailed report next week on who they franchise, send to summer camp and a report on the top UFA and who the Dolphins might be targeting.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for the pre early free agency period 1978:


Now that teams are gearing up for the early free agency period and the draft, let's take a look at the key releases and franchise players. Surprisingly only 3 teams used the franchise tag. Only Miami, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets used the tag. Miami used their tag on LT- Curtis Green, a 13 year veteran. This was expected as reports said they had no intention of offering a 35 year old offensive lineman a long term deal. He has been a solid contributor for the Dolphins for the last 8 years only missing 4 games to injury. But Miami was unwilling to take a chance as they drafted a solid LT in Kendall Levine who is expected to take over when Green retires. The only other 2 franchise players were Jets QB- Ike Hanson and Pittsburgh QB- Kake Sardell. Sardell started 13 games for the Steelers last year and played solid in leading Pittsburgh to a 7-6 record in games he started. Hanson started all 16 games for the Jets in leading them to the Front Office Bowl. Drafted in the 7th round in 1972, he has been with the Jets his whole career and has been their starter the last 2 years. He was solid in the postseason last year putting up 883 yards in 4 games with 4 TD and 2 interceptions.

There was only one notable release in pre free agency period. Six year veteran FS- Tyrell Crapo had been with Jacksonville his entire career. He was drafted in the 1st round in 1972. He has started 78 games with 16 interceptions, 214 tackles and 18 passes defended. The move to release Crapo was a strange one as Jacksonville only has 2 safeties on the roster. When asked about his release, Tyrell had no comment.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY:



It's time for another edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. This week we will look at the Dolphins moves and potential free agent targets.

Miami started the week by using the Franchise Tag on LT- Curtis Green. Green was the franchise player last season and it was expected again this year as he is 35. He didn't seem too happy about getting the tag again this year, but he wasn't surprised by it. Talking to sources from the team, the reason behind the tag was age. They didn't want to sign Green to a long term deal in case of a freak injury. The only other player the Dolphins were considering was DE- Harvey Hughes. But at 28 he is 7 years younger than Green and the Dolphins are looking to lock up the 6 year veteran to a long term deal which would keep the star DE with the team for the rest of his career. However, as one of the top free agents available, there should be a fierce bidding war for the Dolphins DE.

As for the Summer league, Miami sent FS- Artie Terry. Terry was a 4th round draft pick as a CB, but when Miami lost 3 safeties to injury, they moved him to FS where he started 12 games for the Dolphins. He ended the year with one interception for a TD and 4 passes defended. He finished with a 79.8 pass defense pct. He also had 27 tackles and 10 assists. It's the hope of the Dolphins that the Summer league can help the young player to develop faster as he looks to start this year as he is the only safety currently signed.

Now for the surprise of the week. Miami traded former 1st round pick, CB- Al Barton to Jacksonville for a 4th round draft pick in this year's draft. Barton has been a disappointment in starting 45 games and only getting 3 interceptions and 18 passes defended. When asked about the trade, Miami GM DolphinFan1 had this to say:

DolphinFan1: "We liked Al, but he just doesn't fit our plans for the future. He has underperformed, but that wasn't the sole reason for the trade. We are looking for more impact players and Al just didn't create the turnovers like we hoped."

The Dolphins are looking to upgrade a secondary which was decimated by injuries and opposing offenses.

Other moves by the Dolphins were signing of some of their restricted free agents.
Miami resigned RT- Travis Bush to a 2 year, $2.2 million deal. Bush has started 43 games for the Dolphins in the past 3 years and had a solid season last year. He was 14/29 on key run blocks and only allowed 4 sacks with a 1.0 sack allowed pct.
Miami also resigned RDT- Riddick Petkovich to a 5 year, $12 million deal with a voidable year if he reaches 5 sacks in 1981. Petkovich has started all 48 games in his 3 seasons recording 129 tackles, 36 assists and 7 sacks. He also has forced 5 fumbles.
The Dolphins also resigned kicker Juan Hammond to a 3 year $1.63 million deal. Hammond was signed as an undrafted FA last season and impressed coaches with his accuracy inside of 40 yards only missing 2 on the year. He brought a little stability to the Dolphins FG woes of years past.

That's all for this week. Next week we will have a report on UFA targets by the Dolphins and any offers made by them. Catch all the Dolphins news here. See you next week.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY:



As we head into the 2nd week of early free agency, teams are gearing up for a bidding war for the unrestricted free agents out there. Teams locked up any restricted free agencts they wanted last week. Now it's time to look at the top free agents and see where the Dolphins may target.

Clearly the biggest need is in the secondary. It isn't good when your best player in the pass defense scheme is a rookie safety converted from cornerback. The talk of town last week was how Miami traded CB- Al Barton to Jacksonville for a 4th round pick when he was a 1st round draft pick 4 years ago. As GM DolphinFan1 stated last week, he was a disappointment. He was supposed to create things on defense but with only 3 interceptions in 45 games, that's not creating things. So the Dolphins might be looking to pick up a veteran CB in free agency. The top CBs who could be on the radar are:
LCB- Alan Jarvis is an 8 year veteran who has bounced around his last 3 years after spending his 1st four with Green Bay. He has started 40 games in his last 3 years and has 5 interceptions and 18 passes defended. For his career he has 9 interceptions and has a career pass defense pct. of 79.4. He has had 151 tackles and 42 assists in his career. He has only had two minor injuries in his career. Miami scouts say he is good in run defense, bump and run coverage, play diagnosis and is average as a hitter and at intercepting the ball. He fits the Dolphins scheme.
RCB- Adrian Douglas is currently a Dolphins unrestricted free agent. Miami signed him in the middle of last year when injuries forced a few secondary players on injured reserve. He filled in nicely playing in 8 games, starting 2 and recording 3 interceptions. He had an 84.2 pass defense pct. He has 13 interceptions in his last 4 years and has a career pass defense pct. of 80.7. He is 30 years old but the Dolphins might look to resign him as he knows the scheme and has decent return skills.
LCB- Vincent Kreider is 6 year veteran who has been with the Carolina Panthers since he was drafted in 3rd round in 1973. He is the top rated CB on the free agent wire. He averages about 30 tackles a year and 5 passes defended. He only has 5 interceptions in his career and hearing GM DolphinFan1 talking about creating things, it's hard to see them trying to land him.
The Dolphins may also look for a standout CB in the draft as there is 5 or 6 possible future starting caliber cornerbacks.

The next biggest need is at the safety position. As previously stated, with the only signed safety a converted 2nd year cornerback, the Dolphins have some work to do here. The top 2 free agent safeties are:
SS- D.J. Hawk, a 5 year veteran who has been with the Dallas Cowboys his entire career. He is not outstanding as he has been a backup until starting for 7 games last year.
The other is the recently released Jacksonville FS- Tyrell Crapo. Neither are worth a big contract, but both are better than anyone the Dolphins had last year. However, there seems to be a conflict with Hawk and Pearson. So if they go this route there may be a problem. Crapo would be a leader on the team and Mihna doesn't care for him, but Tigchelaar does. So that could put a wrench in a free agent plans at the safety position.
The other free agent safeties are a step down but one more potential target could be former Buffalo, St. Louis and Pittsburgh SS- Emmitt Wampus. He is an 8 year veteran who scouts say is very good at run defense and good at zone defense. He fits the Dolphins scheme well. So it will be interesting to see what the Dolphins do here.
The Dolphins could also draft a safety in the middle rounds as there are no standouts, but about 10 possible upgrades here.

One other need it to try to sign unrestricted free agent DE- Harvey Hughes. He has been a solid contributor for the Dolphins the past 5 season since being drafted in 1973 with the 7th overall pick by Miami. If the Dolphins cannot get a deal worked out then they will need to get a starting LDE.
The free agent pool at defensive end is a big step down from Hughes, so he would be a priority. Also the draft looks weak at the DE position. There are a couple of potential picks who could develop into starters, but no one who is of the caliber of Hughes. So he looks to be the biggest priority at the DL position.

The other areas of need are minor and backups. They need a backup running back as Crichlow is a free agent. He was only signed last year for one season. But he played well in backing up Newton, so the Dolphins may look to resign him. The Dolphins have a few free agents at the wide receiver position so they will need a few players here. They are set at the starting offensive line position. They just need a few quality backups here. This was a solid group only allowing 22 sacks last year which was their 2nd lowest in team history (13 in 1970). The only problem with the OL last year was the offensive penalties. But the coaching staff has said those will be addressed in training camp.

So, it will be interesting who the Dolphins target as the free agency period goes into full gear this week. We will be back next week with a report on who the Dolphins have offered or signed and any other relevant news.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for week 2 of the early free agency period:


Week 2 of the early free agency period generated quite a few offers but only 5 players signed contracts at this point.
The most notable was Miami DE- Harvey Hughes who was the top coveted free agent available. He accepted a lower offer to remain in Miami turning down more money from both San Francisco and Seattle. The reports from Hughes' agent was a 5 year deal upwards of $37+ million with a reported $11 milliion in bonus money.
San Diego signed free agent DE- Roger Ocasio to a 2 year deal worth around $2.3 million. Ocasio is in his 8th year and had played his entire career in Pittsburgh but was released just last week. Speculation was it was a salary cap issue. His stats have dropped off of his career high 3 years ago so that may have been a factor. Ocasio excells against the run and figures to bolster a run defense that ranked 23rd in both rushing yards allowed and rushing yards per carry allowed last season.
Tennessee signed free agent DE- Jerome Van Pelt to a 3 year deal worth around $3.3 million. Van Pelt is also in his 8th year. He was a 5 year starter in Kansas City before going to Carolina the last two and became a backup. He was released by the Panthers last week when Van Pelt informed the team he was upset with not starting the last two years.
DT- Brett Bower signed a 1 year deal to play with the N.Y. Giants. He was an Atlanta unrestricted free agent and the Falcons didn't offer him a contract.
The final free agent signee was kicker Alvin Bowman who generated interests from 4 different teams before agreeing on a 1 year deal with San Francisco. Green Bay, the Giants and Seattle offered him a contract but he turned it down. He was an unrestricted free agent from Oakland who didn't offer him a contract. He is in his 10th year and hit 17/19 last season but a long of only 46. He has only kicked 1 field goal over 50 yards in his career. That could be the reason for Oakland not offering him a deal.

There are a lot of offers out there so we should see plenty of deals being signed in the next few weeks.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY:



Welcome to another edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. The Dolphins were busy this week with offers. But the top story around the league is DE- Harvey Hughes agreeing to a 5 year deal to stay with the Dolphins. Hughes was the top rated free agent and had offers from both San Francisco and Seattle for reportedly more money but chose to stay in Miami. This was good news for Dolphins' fans as Hughes is fan favorite and a big contributor to the defense.

The Dolphins reportedly made offers to LCB- Alvin Jarvis, SS- Emmitt Wampus, along with their own unrestricted free agents LCB- Adrian Douglas, RB- Kurt Crichlow and Punter Bruce Singleton. Details on the offers were not disclosed at this time. None have agreed to sign with the Dolphins yet, but the good news is only Crichlow have reportedly received offers from other teams and the Dolphins are said to be have the high offer on Crichlow.

Only one free agent that Miami didn't offer a contract to as of press time has gotten an offer from another team. The Seattle Seahawks have reportedly offered WR- Freddie Cole a 1 year deal. Miami signed him as an unrestricted free agent last year from Jacksonville as a 3rd down back and he was a solid contributor in that regard. He appeared in all 16 games, starting 4 and he had 47 catches for 595 yards with 9 TDs. But his biggest help was bolstering a passing attack on 3rd down. He caught 18 passes in 28 targets on 3rd down converting 14 of them for 1st downs. He also had 13 catches in the redzone for 110 yards. It is unclear if Miami have intentions of offering him a contract, but if they do they better do it quickly.

There were also rumors that 3rd year RB- Edwin Craig was being shopped around. No confirmation from the team or Craig's agent but the unconfirmed report stated that QB- Benjamin Kolodziejski and Craig had a little disagreement during last season. Craig was drafted in the 5th round in 1976 and was used primarily as a 3rd down back in his rookie year. But the Dolphins signed Crichlow last year and Craig was a forgotten man in the offense. He didn't carry the ball at all and only had 6 catches out of the backfield. Again these reports are unconfirmed. We will let you know if any of this comes to pass.

We'll be back next week to keep you abreast of all the Dolphins news.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for week 3 of the early free agency period:



Welcome to Pro Football Weekly for week 3 of the early free agency period 1978. There was a lot of action in the 3rd week of the free agency period. A total of 40 players signed new deals this week. We won't go into detail here on all 40, but we will note the bigger names and where they went. SS- D.J. Hawk signed a 1 year deal with the Cleveland Browns turning down offers from Arizona, Chicago and Minnesota. Hawk spent his 1st four years in the league with the Dallas Cowboys and is unclear the reason they failed to offer him a contract. Sources from the Cowboys declined to comment on the matter.

MLB- Ryan Diaz signed a 1 year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. Diaz is in his 6th season spending last year with Oakland. He was in the top 5 with 114 tackles last year. He also had 3 interceptions with one being returned for a TD and he forced 3 fumbles. Diaz generated a lot of offers with a total of 7 teams expressing interest. In the end he took the offer with the most money turning down an offer from Oakland to stay with the Raiders.

One other highly rated defensive player was CB- Vincent Kreider. He reportedly resigned with the Carolina Panthers for 4 years and upwards of $8.5 million. Kreider is in his 6th year and has been with the Panthers since being drafted in 1973.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 3 of the early free agency period:



Welcome to the Dolphins weekly report for week 3 for the early free agency period. Let's get right to the news.

It was a quiet week for the Dolphins. They did sign 2 free agents to new contracts. The 1st was punter Bruce Singleton. Singleton accepted a 2 year deal worth a reported $1.5 million. Singleton is entering his 8th season all with Miami. He was drafted 4th round in 1971. He has been a solid punter for the Dolphins and kept them in a lot of games pinning teams deep. He ranks ninth on the all-time list for punting inside the 20 with 254.

The other free agent who agreed to terms with the Dolphins was LCB- Alvin Jarvis who played for Jacksonville last season. Alvin reportedly signed a 2 year deal worth $1.56 million. Miami hopes Jarvis will help a secondary that ranked near the bottom last year in most catergories. He is a playmaker who is very good against the run and in bump and run coverage. With Miami already having a LCB starter in Bert Pirrup, it is expected that Jarvis will move to the right side to take the place of Al Barton who was traded a few weeks ago.

The Dolphins may still look to draft a young CB as they will need some depth and Pirrup has been injured and missed significant playing time the last two years.

One other note this week was reports that Miami offered FL- Freddie Cole a 2 year deal to stay with the team. Cole has generated interest from the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks. If Miami fails to land Cole, they will need to find another receiver who was key on 3rd downs last year. The report right now is that Miami has the top offer. As soon as we know more we will report it here.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for week 4 of the early free agency period:


Welcome to Pro Football Weekly for week 4 of the early free agency period 1978. There was only slightly less action this week in the free agency period. A total of 35 players signed new deals this week. Let's take a look at some of the top end players signed for the week.

Tampa Bay signed center Dustin Kramer from Oakland. He signed a one year deal worth a reported $680,000. Dustin started 14 games for Oakland last year with 16 key run blocks and a 31% blocking pct. only allowing 3 sacks for a .7 sack pct.

MLB- Chuck Osterman generated the 2nd most offers this week. It was reported that Chuck had offers from 15 different teams before agreeing to a one year deal to play for the Cleveland Browns this year. Osterman has been a backup during his entire 7 year career with the exception of starting 14 games for the New England Patriots last year.

The guy who generated the most offers this week was DT- Don Hochheiser. He had offers from 16 different teams before agreeing to a one year deal with Tennessee. He is in his 7th year all as a backup. He spent the 1st 5 years with Detroit before going to Cleveland last season. He has been a backup because of the talent at the DT position on the Lions and the Browns. He hopes to start in Tennessee.

Some other top free agents who signed this week were free safety Tyrell Crapo who agreed to a one year deal with the Oakland Raiders and the top WR available, Andrew Sheridan who resigned with the Houston Texans. He signed a 2 year deal worth a reported $2 million. He turned down offers from New England, St. Louis and Tampa Bay to stay with the Texans. He is a 13 year veteran and has had 470 catches and 6391 yards with 40 TDs in his career.

Things should start to slow down as most of top end free agents have been signed. We'll let you know of any major deals as they happen.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 4 of the early free agency period:



Welcome everyone to another edition of Miami Dolphins weekly.

We have some breaking news. Just hours after the Dolphins reported resigning backup RB- Kurt Crichlow to a one year deal, Miami has released 3rd year running back Edwin Craig. Rumors were abound for a couple of weeks that a few players on the team has issues with the backup running back. When asked about the release, Craig's agent said that it was a mutual decision when Crichlow was resigned and Edwin realized he wasn't going to get much playing time again this season. Drafted in the 5th round by Miami in 1976, he was a 3rd down back for the Dolphins in his rookie year. Last season the Dolphins signed Crichlow as an unrestricted free agent and filled the 3rd down back role. So that left Craig as the odd man out. The Dolphins will probably look to the draft for another young running back to learn from the mentor Crichlow.

The Dolphins also got an agreement to a one year deal with CB- Adrian Douglas. He filled in nicely last season with the injuries to the secondary and should be a help this year. The Dolphins are still looking for a young future CB and will probably draft one. But Douglas also can return kicks.

Miami is still waiting on offers made to FL- Freddie Cole who was with the team last season and was a key in the 3rd down offense. Also word is that SS- Emmitt Wampus has received an offer from Minnesota and for more money. If the Dolphins still want the 8 year veteran, they may have to up their offer.

The Dolphins are filling a few holes during free agency, but the pool of free agents is not deep. They are going to have to make smart draft picks to fill in some holes. But with 11 picks in the draft that gives them some room to move up if they desire as right now they hold the 18th pick in the 1st round.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 5 of the early free agency period:



Welcome to another edition of Miami Dolphins weekly.

It was a quiet week in Dolphins camp with only one signing. SS- Emmitt Wampus signed a one year deal with the Dolphins for a reported $700k with a $40k bonus. Miami had started with a lower offer but they found out Minnesota had offered the 8 year veteran more money. Wampus is expected to compete at the starting SS position with Mihna and Tigchelaar unrestricted free agents and the Dolphins as of this point not offering them contracts. With only 2 safeties signed, Wampus and converted cornerback Artie Terry, Miami will have look to the draft to get some help at this position.

Miami is still waiting on their offer to FL- Freddie Cole. He has now generated offers from Kansas City, the Jets and Seattle. So it will be interesting what he decides to do as he says he isn't overly fond of the Dolphins. But he did get a lot of playing time last year and that may be a factor in his decision.

Well, that's all for news this week. Next week we will take an early look at the draft and who the Dolphins may decide to pick at #18 should they stay put.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 6 of the early free agency period:


Welcome to another edition of Miami Dolphins weekly.

Big news from Miami was the trade with Kansas City sending 2nd year MLB- Luke Eastridge to the Chiefs for a 5th round draft pick in 1979. Sources from the team say with Cochrane coming back from his injury 100% and with Alarcon signed for this year, the 2nd year player wasn't going to get much playing time anyway. Eastridge was a 5th round pick last year and didn't really show any outstanding talent. Eastridge and his agent could not be reached for comment.

It was a slow week for the Dolphins with only one free agent signing. FL- Freddie Cole finally agreed to a 2 year contract with the Dolphins. The signing of Cole means the Dolphins have their top 3 WR under contract for at least the next two years.

It's time to take a look at the draft. The Dolphins' scouts say this draft is a weak one with no consensus #1. There are a lot of starting caliber players who are middle 1st round material, just not top 5. So the Dolphins having the 18th pick in the draft could be a good value pick.

The top two players according to league scouts are DT- Conrad Harvey and RB- Kenneth Brocklebank. Since the Dolphins biggest needs are a cornerback or a safety, I can't see them trading up to pick either of these two guys.

There is a cornerback who should go top 5 and is underrated after Miami interviews. Wayne Durham looks to be the real deal. He is a speedster, low volatility, high test score and scored a good position drill. His only weakness appears to be he is only about 31% developed. He would be a great pick for the Dolphins, but to trade up to get him could cost too much.

The next two cornerbacks should be top 10 picks. Tyrell Huffman didn't workout at the combine, but after the interview he is reported to be very underrated. He is 58% developed, so even with a slightly high volatility he could be a relatively safe pick. Geoff Cochrane is a little bit of a step down from the other 2 corners, but he did a lot better on his test and position drill. He is also 56% developed. His only knock is after Miami scouts watched him, he isn't very good at getting interceptions. Which is why Miami traded Barton. So I can't see them trading up to pick him.

Moving down to see who could be available at 18, there is DT- Gerald Combs. While DT isn't a big need as they have two young starters, they need some quality backups for depth in case of injury. After the interview, he is very overrated and seems to be right down the middle in all ratings. However, he is about 54% developed and has very low volatility so there should be little risk.

If he isn't available at 18, there are 4 quarterbacks who figure to be available here. Only 2 look to be good enough to be a middle 1st round pick. The Dolphins have 3 QBs on the roster, but no standouts. Erik Branch is good in most catergories and very low volatility. However he is very raw, being only 12% developed. He is fast for a QB, but being that he is so underdeveloped, I can't see the Dolphins drafting another QB who can't come in and start in a couple years.

The other QB who looks good at 18 is Bryan Sansbury. He is very underrated and very smart. He has very good ratings in a lot of catergories and low volatility. He also is reported to have an affinity with one leader on the Dolphins. The only knock is he is only 25% developed. While better than Branch, he still is raw. But I could see the Dolphins picking Sansbury over Branch if they go this route.

The next two players who figure to be available at 18 are an OG and a CB. While the Dolphins are set at the starting OG position, they are relatively weak at the backup position. Michael Basford is very overrated and low volatility. He is only 37% developed, but he seems to be one of the strongest lineman in the draft. This could be a pick of the Dolphins at 18.

The CB- Skip Russett is very underrated and has very low volatility. He looks to be a playmaker and has very good ratings in the scheme the Dolphins run. He is very fast but is only 34% developed. But he looks to be a middle 1st round pick.

Looking at all the options the Dolphins have, I see them either picking QB- Sansbury or CB- Russett. DT- Combs will probably go before 18, the Dolphins need a CB or QB of the future before a DT. I don't see them trading up as after the top 5, everyone is about the same value. However, they may surprise everyone and try to make a trade to get into the top 5 to get CB- Durham.

Looking further down the draft, the Dolphins are going to need a safety. There is good news and bad news here. The bad new here is there are no safeties in the draft worth a middle 1st round pick. But the good news is there are about 6 solid looking safeties who could be 2nd or 3rd round picks who could help the Dolphins. More good news is they are very close in ratings, so if the Dolphins land any of the 6, it should help the team.

After that the Dolphins will probably go with the best player available while trying to fill backup positions at RB, FB, TE, WR, and OLB.

Whoever the Dolphins choose, it is a good year to have a middle pick in the 1st round. It would be tough to pay someone top 5 money in this draft. But as we stated earlier, the Dolphins desperately need a starting CB, so they may trade into the top 5 and spend the money. We'll have to wait and see.

That's all for this week. We'll be back in a few weeks with the draft.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 8 of the early free agency period:


Welcome to another edition to Miami Dolphins Weekly. Not much happened with the Dolphins in the last couple weeks except one signing. Miami agreed to terms with 9 year veteran FS- Jerry Sirialton on a 1 year deal. He has spent the first 7 years of his career with Atlanta before playing for Baltimore last season. He excels in intercepting passes which is what Miami is looking for. He had 4 interceptions last year in 12 games started and 8 passes defended. He has a career pass defense pct. of 81.4 with a high of 84.6 last season. He also is a good kick returner which is something the Dolphins lack. He will probably start with 2nd year FS- Terry backing up in dime situations. With the signing of Wampus at strong safety and Sirialton at FS, it seems unlikely that the Dolphins intend to sign Mihna, Tigchelaar or FS- Pearson. Clearly the Miami coaching staff thinks a complete overhaul is in order in the secondary. And I can't say I disagree with them.




MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 11 of the early free agency period:

The Dolphins have been quiet the last few weeks. But there was a Dolphin in the news. Unrestricted Free Agent Safety Don Mihna, signed a one year deal with the Indianapolis Colts. Mihna is in his 13th year and has played his entire career with the Dolphins. He was a solid player for Miami in his career before being slowed by injuries the last 3 years which was a primary reason the Dolphins failed to offer Mihna a contract. Another reason the Dolphins failed to try to resign Mihna is the Miami coaching staff is not happy with the lack of turnovers forced by the defense last year. The Dolphins appear to be just waiting for the draft as they have not offered anyone else offers in the last few weeks.




MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week 12 of the early free agency period:


As the early free agency period comes to a close the Dolphins sat back and watched another unrestricted free agent sign with another team. Safety Ryan Tigchelaar signed a one year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Tigchelaar is in his 10th season and the Chiefs are his 5th team. He spent the last 2 seasons with the Dolphins and was a solid player but was slowed by nagging injuries. With the Dolphins not resigning any of their free agent safeties and with the trading of CB- Barton, they appear to be going into the season with a totally new starting secondary with the exception of starting LCB- Bert Pirrup. It seems the Miami coaching staff is committed to revamping the defense as they only recovered 7 fumbles and 13 interceptions and had a -8 turnover ratio last season. As we get ready for the draft, the Dolphins seem to have addressed some of the issues in the secondary with the signing of some veteran playmakers. Only time will tell if the guys they draft can fit in and make this team a contender again. We'll be back next week with a live draft report.

[larrymcg421]

I think the Dolphins should pick Sansbury. Never pass up a good looking 1st round QB.

[DolphinFan1]

I think the Dolphins should pick Sansbury. Never pass up a good looking 1st round QB.

Thanks for the tip. If he is there at 18 I may pick him. We need a good CB, but at 18, the best will be gone. But you never know.

I hope to have at least a couple rounds of the draft done tomorrow. It's going to take awhile the way I have it planned. Let me know if you like it after.

BTW, what do you think of the new format?

[DolphinFan1]

1978 AMATEUR DRAFT:


Moderator: "Welcome, we are live at Madison Square Garden for the 1978 Amateur Draft. With us today is retired QB Densel Warren, who played his entire 14 year career with the Arizona Cardinals. Warren is the Cardinals only QB since the league started and led the team to the NFC conference Championship last season. Also with us is retired RB Bobby Griffith, who played his entire 10 year career with the Indianapolis Colts. Griffith is the Colts only starting running back since the league started. Griffith led his team to the AFC division finals last season. Both had stellar careers for their teams and now offer their insight into this year's draft. Welcome gentleman."

Warren: "Thanks for inviting me."

Griffith: "Yes, it's great to be here to see who the Colts pick to try to replace the best running back they've ever had."

Moderator: "Well, there will be a bit of a wait before both the Cardinals and the Colts pick at 22nd and 28th in the 1st round. But looking at the Arizona roster, they only have 2 QBs signed and only one has starting experience and then only started 2 games in his career. It looks like a given that the Cardinals will draft a QB. What do you think Densel?"

Warren: "I think that they will go that route. But picking at 22 means a few of the top QBs could go and they may trade up to get one."

Moderator: "Turning to the Colts, they signed a veteran RB in free agency. Bobby, do you think they will still draft a RB or go in a different direction?"

Griffith: "I think they will still draft a RB. This is a deep quality draft at RB. There is only one standout, Kenneth Brocklebank who should go top 3. But there are a lot of quality backs who will be there in the late 1st or 2nd round. I don't think they will trade up to get Brocklebank, it would cost too much to trade up from 28. But they should still land a quality back."

Moderator: "Well, the draft is about to start. Let's head to the stage."

NFL Commissioner: "Welcome to the 1978 NFL draft. The Buffalo Bills are officially on the clock."

Moderator: "Now that the draft has officially started. What do you think the Bills will do with the 1st pick?"

Warren: "This is a team with a lot of needs. They went 0-16 last year. So they should have a lot of needs. It's hard to predict who they will pick with the holes they have. With no outstanding QBs worth the #1 pick, they may trade down as their other huge need is at CB and the best one in the draft, Wayne Durham is maybe a top 5 pick but not #1."

Griffith: "I disagree. Trading down may happen, but they really need a DT. They have some sericeable veterans, but no standouts. They will pick the best guy in this draft, DT- Conrad Harvey."

Moderator: "Thanks guys, but the Commissioner is heading back to the stage."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 1st pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select, CB- Wayne Durham from Duke University. The New York Giants are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well guys, what do you think about that pick?"

Warren: "Well, they went with a big need. But I didn't think Durham was a #1 pick. But apparently they thought differently."

Moderator: "This certainly clears up one thing. There were rumors that if Durham fell below the top 5, the Miami Dolphins would trade up to pick Durham. Now that is out of the question."

Griffith: "While I agree, Durham wasn't a #1 pick, he could surprise us. As for the Dolphins, there are a few quality CB who could be solid starters and should be available when they pick at 18."

Moderator: "Let's turn our attention to the New York Giants who hold the #2 pick in the draft. Who do you think they will pick, let's start with you Bobby?"

Griffith: "Well, originally I thought this could be a trade situation to pick Durham a little later. But with Durham going 1st and the Giants needing a CB, that takes care of that. The consensus #2 guy is RB- Brocklebank. But the Giants already have a great RB in 2nd year Nate Caillouet who they drafted 1(10) last year. And DT- Harvey is still there. So, either they go with Harvey or trade down. Both Seattle at #3 and Houston at #4 need a starting RB. So it should be interesting."

Warren: "I agree. With the Giants already having a franchise back, they should trade down. But what they should do and will do are two different things. We've seen strange things in the draft."

Moderator: "The Commissioner is heading back to the podium. Let's see what he has to say."

NFL Commissoner: "With the 2nd pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select, CB- Tyrell Huffman from San Diego State. The Seattle Seahawks are on the clock."

Moderator: "Wow! The Giants went with a CB, but do you think he went a little high?"

Griffith: "Definitely. Huffman didn't workout at the combine so I am surprised he went that high. But I felt they could have got him later if they traded down."

Warren: "I agree. They should have traded down. they could have got him a few picks later. Seattle and Houston were sitting there hoping that RB didn't go. And he didn't. So Seattle or Houston will pick Brocklebank and the other should pick Harvey."

Moderator: "The Commissioner is back at the podium."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 3rd pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks have traded their pick to the Oakland Raiders. The Oakland Raiders have selected, RB - Kenneth Brocklebank from the University of Massachusetts. The Houston Texans are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well guys, what do you think of that."

Warren: "We were both right with Broklebank going 3 or 4, but Seattle trading their pick when they clearly needed a franchise RB is questionable."

Griffith: "I wouldn't have a problem with it if in the trade they got a RB from Oakland. But Oakland didn't have a 1st round pick this year, so Seattle traded for a 1st in both 1979 and 1980. Definitely questionable as this leaves them with no 1st rounder this year. Their next pick is the 2nd pick of the 2nd round. Now, as for building for the future, having two first rounders the next 2 years is definitely a plus. Whether or not they will have the cap space for all those picks is another story."

Moderator: "The picks are coming quick now. Let's head back to the podium."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 4th pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select, DT- Conrad Harvey from Chadron State. The Detroit Lions are on the clock."

Moderator: "No surprise here guys."

Griffith: "No. With Brocklebank going, they clearly went with the best player available."

Warren: "They could have traded down to a team that needed a starting DT. I'm sure some teams are shocked that Harvey fell to #4 and probably were trying to make a deal. Apparently, Houston wasn't interested in trading down."

Moderator: "We will take a break and come back a little later to evaluate the picks."

[DolphinFan1]

Moderator: "We are back and we have a little catching up to do. Here are the last 5 picks. What do you think guys?"

1(5) Detroit Lions - CB- Geoff Cochrane - Cornell College.
1(6) Tennessee Titans - DT- Jonathan Carter - Washington State.
1(7) Atlanta Falcons - DT- Kendall Blair - Rutgers.
1(8) Green Bay Packers - QB- Bryan Sansbury - Indiana.
1(9) Tennessee Titans - OG - Michael Basford - Mississippi State.

Warren: "Well, I think Detroit taking Cochrane is a gamble. I didn't have him rated that high. But having 3 cornerbacks selected in the 1st five picks is going to change some teams plans. I think some thought Cochrane would drop a little. As for the others, Carter and Blair are good picks. I thought Sansbury and Basford were picked a little high."

Griffith: "I agree with you on Cochrane. He has some coverage skills. He just doesn't look to be a playmaker. However, I don't have a problem with Sansbury. This guy could be a franchise QB if he fully develops. Now, Basford is a reach at 9. I thought he was maybe a late 1st rounder at best. What's interesting now is what do teams do that need a CB. There are a few quality ones left, but there are quite a few teams in need of a starting CB."

Warren: "Like the Miami Dolphins. Their secondary was awful last year. They made a few moves in free agency and basically revamped the starting secondary with the exception of LCB- Bert Pirrup. But I had them picking a CB in the 1st round. They pick 18, so there might not be much left at the CB spot for 1st round material."

Moderator: "Thanks guys. Interesting that you mention the Dolphins. Rumors were abound earlier that they were going to trade into the top 5 to try to draft Durham who went #1. Now the attention is back on them as we are at the 10th pick so it is within reach of moving up without costing them a fortune. Do they move up to try to get one of the better CB left on the board? Or do they stay put and take their chances? We will find out as Tampa Bay is on the clock and the Commissioner is at the podium."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 10th pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select, DT- Albert Okunevich from East Carolina. The New England Patriots are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well, no trade there. What do you think of that pick guys?"

Griffith: "Tampa Bay needed a DT, they have a 12 year veteran and two young guys who are nowhere near this guy. What probably scared teams away from him earlier is his high volatility."

Warren: "Also he isn't the strongest guy in the draft. It will be interesting how he combats his lack of strength against some of the better lineman. But now it gets interesting. The next 4 teams need cornerback help. There could be a little jockeying for position."

Moderator: "Thanks guys. We have to take a break. We'll be back a little later to evaluate the next few picks."

[DolphinFan1]

Moderator: "We are back and we have some interesting developments. First, here are the last 5 picks."

1(11) New England Patriots - WR- Kris Finch - Boise State.
1(12) San Francisco from Kansas City - WR- Rodney Nussbaum - Florida State.
1(13) Carolina from Baltimore - QB- J.T. Davis - Louisiana State.
1(14) Minnesota Vikings - CB- Anthony Talley - Utah.
1(15) Jacksonville Jaguars - WR- Adam Collier - Miami, Florida.

Moderator: "A couple of trades and another QB and CB go. But we also saw the first three receivers go."

Warren: "Yes, some teams who needed WR help got them with the best three WR in the draft. But Carolina trading up to take a QB who didn't workout is a big gamble."

Griffith: "You are right about that. Also, Minnesota picking CB- Anthony Talley is questionable as CB- Skip Russett is a safer pick. Also, Russett is a much better run defender than Talley who showed nothing against the run according to the scouts."

Moderator: "I'm getting word that we are going to speak to the GM of the Miami Dolphins, DolphinFan1. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us."

DolphinFan1: "It's a pleasure."

Moderator: "You have your 1st pick coming up at 18 only 3 picks away. Are you surprised with the picks so far? Are any of your targets still there?"

DolphinFan1: "Well, I don't want to give too much away. But a few of our targets are still there. We did see a couple of guys go off the board who we would have loved to pick at 18. But it's tough when you have to wait so long."

Moderator: "DolphinFan1, rumors had you trading up to pick CB- Durham. Was that a serious consideration?"

DolphinFan1: "We thought about it. But he went #1 overall and we didn't have him that highly rated. If he had fell below the top 5 we would have tried to work out a deal. But without a 3rd round pick this year, we would have seriously hurt ourselves trying to trade up using our 2nd round pick this year."

Moderator: "Well, thanks for your time. Good luck with the rest of the draft."

Warren: "I think the Dolphins are in good shape at 18 now. I see three players they could choose at 18, CB- Skip Russett, DT- Gerald Combs or QB- Erik Branch."

Griffith: "Well, they are 3 picks away so if those are their targets, they are in good shape. But I don't see them selecting Branch. While they could use a future franchise QB, I don't think he is it. While he is solid in some areas and very smart, he is reported to have a conflict with one of the Dolphins' team leaders. Also he is very raw. The Dolphins may not be willing to take another QB who may never live up to his potential. DT- Combs would be a solid pick. But the Dolphins are in good shape at DT. Also I think Combs isn't good enough to be picked at 18. I think the Dolphins are targeting CB- Russett. While a little undersized for the position, he is a playmaker and very fast."

Moderator: "Well, we will soon find out as Pittsburgh is ready to pick."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 16th pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select, CB- Skip Russett from Michigan State. The Washington Redskins are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well, that takes care of that. Looks like the Dolphins waited too long and should have traded up."

Warren: "Trading up would have hurt their future. They need to use the picks they have and make quality selections. There are still playmakers available."

Griffith: "If Russett was their target, the Dolphins are probably sorry they didn't trade up to get him. Where they go now is anyones guess."

Moderator: "The next pick is about to be made."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 17th pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select, QB- Erik Branch from Baylor. The Miami Dolphins are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well, that definitely will change the plans of the Dolphins."

Griffith: "I told you they should have traded up."

Warren: "Well, they may take DT- Combs now. Unless they want to pick another CB who they may not have as highly rated. Which could be a stretch."

Moderator: "The Commissioner is headed back to the podium."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 18th pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins have traded their pick to the Carolina Panthers. They are now on the clock."

Moderator: "Ok guys. Why did they do that?"

Griffith: "They clearly had either Russett or Branch as their target and felt that either Combs wasn't worth the 18th or that he wasn't needed. Obviously they felt that the other CBs aren't worth the 18th pick."

Warren: "This is a great decision by Miami. The report I just got was they received the following picks from Carolina, 1(24), 3(25), 7(24) and a 7th rounder next year. The Dolphins were without a 3rd round pick this year. So they moved down a little to make it a better value to draft a CB and also gained a 3rd round pick. Plus with 4 picks in the 4th round and 4 picks in the 7th round, they may not be done. They may look to trade up later."

Moderator: "Well, it's definitely been interesting. We have to take a break. We will be back with the rest of the 1st round in a little while."

[DolphinFan1]

Moderator: "We are back and we are at the Arizona Cardinals pick at 22. But before we talk about who they might draft, let's take a look at the last few picks.

1(18) Carolina from Miami - OLB - Marshall Wheeler - Catawba.
1(19) Jacksonville Jaguars - OT - Stephen Prescott - Auburn.
1(20) San Francisco from Dallas - CB- Howie Gordon - Northern Illinois.
1(21) Carolina from St. Louis - DE- Cornell Eckman - Maryland.

Moderator: "A few surprises. Carolina with their 3rd trade in the 1st round have picked 3 times. They look to be trying to build their future right now."

Griffith: "Carolina is making noise and they probably have the steal of the draft. DE- Cornell Eckman falling to 21 is great for the Panthers. He is a great pick. He is fast, strong and agile. The only problems are he is about 30% developed and had a high volatility. Which is probably why he fell a little. But Carolina has given up a lot to get 3 first round picks. They have traded away almost all their picks for the next couple years. They only have 2 more picks this year, 2(23) and 4(24). Then they only have a 2nd and a 4th next year, and in 1980 they only have 3 picks, a 4th, 6th and a 7th. Clearly this team is trying to get everyone they need this year for the future."

Warren: "Yes, Carolina is gambling a lot on these rookies, trading away their next 3 drafts. But let's talk about another solid pick. Jacksonville getting OT- Stephen Prescott. He is a very good blocker although he lacks great strength but he is average there. But his endurance is great. He might have been picked a little high as he isn't a premier lineman, but he should be a very good tackle if he develops. Another questionable pick was San Francisco trading up to pick CB- Howie Gordon at 20. He is a good coverage guy, but not a playmaker. He doesn't hit hard and he is poor at play dianosis. He can play special teams great and can return kicks. But I think he has too many weak spots to pick this high."

Moderator: "Ok, Arizona is almost ready to pick. Warren, who do you think they go with?"

Warren: "Well, their biggest needs are starting MLB, QB and S. There are no MLB worth the 22nd pick. There probably won't be a MLB selected until the early 2nd round. The safety position has some solid players but again not this high. I think they go with QB- Monty Sweeney. He is the 2nd player for value left on the board and the top QB available. He is very smart and excels at short passes and is 41% developed. He has a few weaknesses, mainly he is awful at 3rd down passes. So the coaches would have some work to do there. But that's who I think they pick."

Moderator: "Well, we won't have to wait anymore. The Commissioner is heading to the podium."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 22nd pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select, S- Earl Davison from Mississippi. The Cleveland Browns are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well, there are some grumblings in the crowd from the Cardinal fans. What do you think of that pick?"

Warren: "I'm surprised. I didn't have Davison going until the early 2nd round. He's a good pick, I just think that the Cardinals needed a QB and they could have gotten a solid safety later."

Griffith: I like the pick. Davison is a hitter. He will hurt some people. He is great against the run, very good in coverage and has good hands to make a few picks. He has a high volatility rating and is only 31% developed. But it's a good pick."

Moderator: "The Commissioner is back at the podium."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 23rd pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns have traded their pick to the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers have selected, QB - Monty Sweeney from Temple. The Miami Dolphins are now on the clock."

Moderator: "Well, here's another team trading and getting three 1st round picks. What do you think of this pick?"

Griffith: "Well, clearly when San Francisco saw Arizona let Sweeney pass by them, they moved and traded up to take him."

Moderator: "We are back to the Miami Dolphins who traded down from 18 earlier when a few of the guys they had pegged at 18 had been picked. Now at 24, who do they go with?"

Warren: "Well, DT- Combs is still there. But I still think he is a 2nd round pick. There is a good RB and a few project QBs but not a CB worth this pick either. Maybe they trade down again."

Griffith: "No way. They can't keep trading down. They need an impact player. I say they take a chance on a CB even if they pick him earlier than expected. They need an impact player."

Moderator: "Well, no more speculation. The Dolphins are set with their pick."

NFL Commissioner: "With the 24th pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select, S- Richard Ballard from Oregon. The Denver Broncos are on the clock."

Moderator: "Well, did they surprise you with that pick?"

Warren: "Wow. That is a pick no one expected. They need a good safety, but they needed an impact CB 1st."

Griffith: "You want impact. This is a 6' - 4" 220 lb. safety who runs a 4.46 40 yard dash. He is great against the run, m2m and zone defenses. He is also great at intercepting balls which is something the Dolphins lacked last season. His volatility is a little high. But this is a pick who could be a sleeper if he works out."

b]Moderator[/b]: Let's get a word with the GM of the Dolphins again. DolphinFan1, everyone is surprised with your pick. Can you shed some light on the pick?"

DolphinFan1: "Well, when our targets we had at 18 went off the board, we decided to trade down to get extra picks and to get better value down the road. Ballard is the best DB on our draft board that we interviewed. He is a big safety, can hit and causes turnovers. We need that. We'll see how he comes after camp. But the plan is to hope he starts from day one."

Moderator: "Thanks for your time. Good luck with the rest of the draft. With that we will take another break. When we come back we will wrap up our coverage with the rest of the 1st round picks."

[DolphinFan1]

Moderator: "We are back to finish up our coverage of the 1st round. Let's take a look at the last 8 picks of the 1st round."

1(25) New England from Denver - DT- Erik Whittenburg - The Citadel.
1(26) New Orleans Saints - C - Keith Holmes - West Virginia.
1(27) Cincinnati Bengals - OLB - Hugh Harper - Michigan.
1(28) Indianapolis Colts - RB - Brad Howe - Valparaiso.
1(29) Chicago Bears - TE - Jason Benson - Dartmouth.
1(30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DT - Gerald Combs - Rutgers.
1(31) New York Jets - TE - Billy Joe Randle - Arizona.
1(32) Philadelphia Eagles - ILB - Travis Norton - Ohio State.

Moderator: "Well Bobby, looks like Indianapolis did select a RB with their pick at 28. But are you surprised at who they picked?"

Griffith: "Yes, Howe is a stretch as he looks to be a late 2nd or 3rd round pick. I thought Perry Gouveia was a better pick. But I guess we'll find out when he gets drafted and a few years down the road."

Moderator: "As we wrap up today Densel, who do you think are the biggest winners in the 1st round?"

Warren: "Well, as Carolina and San Francisco both trading away their future drafts for three 1st round picks, I would have to say they would be the front runners to be the biggest winners in the 1st round. Of course, we will have to wait and see how all these picks shape up after a few years."

Griffith: "I think the biggest winner of the draft was the Houston Texans. They got the best guy in the draft DT- Conrad Harvey at #4."

Moderator: "Well, that's all the time we have for today. Thanks for joining us and we hope to do it again next year. Tune in later for all the picks in the rest of the draft."

[DolphinFan1]

That's it for tonight. That took longer than I thought to evaluate all those players. I will have the rest of the draft picks sometime this weekend along with the late free agency period.

note: the rest of the draft report will be a condensed version. But I will have the Miami Dolphins weekly following the draft. Stay tuned.


One more note to my readers: I have added a poll to get a gauge of what you like to read. The new detailed weekly report in newspaper format, or the old way in simple report format.

[larrymcg421]

I really like the new format. It has a great, immersive factor. Good luck ont he new Safety.

[PiemasterUK]

Yay, I've just been born

[DolphinFan1]

I really like the new format. It has a great, immersive factor. Good luck ont he new Safety.

Thanks. I was wondering how it was going to look. It was just a fly by night idea to do the weekly reports. Then I decided I liked it to give myself a little more insight on the players. It will take a little bit longer to play a season, but I slow play anyway.

As for the safety. After all my targets went and no CB were worth that high of a pick IMO, I took another look at some of the players I interviewed. I must have missed this guy as he is a playmaker and a hitter. He can cover also. Of course, he needs to come out good after camp. But he looks good so far.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY: POST DRAFT REPORT


Welcome to another edition of Pro Football Weekly for the post draft report for 1978. There were some interesting developments in the draft. But before we talk about the potential winners and losers, let's look at the entire draft.

1st round:

1(1) Buffalo - CB - Wayne Durham - Duke.
1(2) N.Y. Giants - CB - Tyrell Huffman - San Diego State.
1(3) Oakland from Seattle - RB - Kenneth Brocklebank - Massachusetts.
1(4) Houston - DT - Conrad Harvey - Chadron State.
1(5) Detroit Lions - CB- Geoff Cochrane - Cornell College.
1(6) Tennessee Titans - DT- Jonathan Carter - Washington State.
1(7) Atlanta Falcons - DT- Kendall Blair - Rutgers.
1(8) Green Bay Packers - QB- Bryan Sansbury - Indiana.
1(9) Tennessee Titans - OG - Michael Basford - Mississippi State.
1(10) Tampa Bay - DT - Albert Okunevich - East Carolina.
1(11) New England Patriots - WR- Kris Finch - Boise State.
1(12) San Francisco from Kansas City - WR- Rodney Nussbaum - Florida State.
1(13) Carolina from Baltimore - QB- J.T. Davis - Louisiana State.
1(14) Minnesota Vikings - CB- Anthony Talley - Utah.
1(15) Jacksonville Jaguars - WR- Adam Collier - Miami, Florida.
1(16) Pittsburgh - CB - Skip Russett - Michigan.
1(17) Washington - QB - Erik Branch - Baylor.
1(18) Carolina from Miami - OLB - Marshall Wheeler - Catawba.
1(19) Jacksonville Jaguars - OT - Stephen Prescott - Auburn.
1(20) San Francisco from Dallas - CB- Howie Gordon - Northern Illinois.
1(21) Carolina from St. Louis - DE- Cornell Eckman - Maryland.
1(22) Arizona - S - Earl Davison - Mississippi.
1(23) San Francisco from Cleveland - QB - Monty Sweeney - Temple.
1(24) Miami - S- Richard Ballard - Oregon.
1(25) New England from Denver - DT- Erik Whittenburg - The Citadel.
1(26) New Orleans Saints - C - Keith Holmes - West Virginia.
1(27) Cincinnati Bengals - OLB - Hugh Harper - Michigan.
1(28) Indianapolis Colts - RB - Brad Howe - Valparaiso.
1(29) Chicago Bears - TE - Jason Benson - Dartmouth.
1(30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DT - Gerald Combs - Rutgers.
1(31) New York Jets - TE - Billy Joe Randle - Arizona.
1(32) Philadelphia Eagles - ILB - Travis Norton - Ohio State.

2nd round:

2(1) Buffalo - QB- Sam McKnight - Northeastern.
2(2) Seattle - RB - Earnest Cherney - West Virginia.
2(3) N.Y. Giants - OLB - Leonard White - Stanford.
2(4) Philadelphia - WR - Britt Baxter - UCLA.
2(5) Houston - FB- Cedric Mayfield - Clemson.
2(6) Atlanta - TE- Tony Banks - Arizona State.
2(7) Green Bay - S - Andy Humphries - East Carolina.
2(8) Tennessee - S - Jamal Stropka - North Carolina.
2(9) San Diego - CB- Derek Francis - Indiana.
2(10) Miami from Denver - CB - Hunter King - Michigan.
2(11) Kansas City - OG - Tyrus Lawrence - Wyoming.
2(12) Baltimore - OG- Mercury Harley - Indiana.
2(13) Minnesota - QB - Mark Karim - Northwestern.
2(14) Tennessee - RB - Perry Gouveia - Duke.
2(15) Carolina from Pittsburgh - RB - Ross Burgess - Friends.
2(16) Washington - DE- John Downs - Syracuse.
2(17) Denver - CB - Chris Maru - Brigham Young.
2(18) Oakland from Jacksonville - ILB - Adam England - Louisville.
2(19) Dallas - RB - Glen Willis - Oklahoma.
2(20) St. Louis - RB - Lawrence Bell - California-Davis.
2(21) Arizona - ILB - Timothy Austin - Samford.
2(22) Jacksonville - WR - Riddick Pasricha - Nebraska.
2(23) Carolina - DT - Eric Patchet - Washington State.
2(24) Denver - DT - Jorge Hutto - Ball State.
2(25) Cleveland - CB - Korey Yamamoto - Washington.
2(26) Cincinnati - CB - Kyle Gunn - Illinois.
2(27) Indianapolis - S - Bill Lowe - Iowa State.
2(28) New Orleans - RB - J.J. Crawford - Troy State.
2(29) Tampa Bay - WR - Emmitt Terry - Navy.
2(30) Chicago - OG - Lee Oliver - El Paso.
2(31) N.Y. Jets - DT - Antonio Freund - Florida A & M.
2(32) Philadelphia - WR - Floyd Campbell - Louisville.

3rd round:

3(1) Buffalo - DT- Jon Pasquarella - Virginia.
3(2) N.Y. Giants - RB - Donovan McAlpin - Iowa State.
3(3) Seattle - DE- Paul Parker - Harvard.
3(4) Houston - OLB - Bill Dodge - Canisius.
3(5) Philadelphia - CB- Dale Hentrich - Mississippi State.
3(6) Green Bay - OT - Vinny Danner - UCLA.
3(7) Oakland - WR - David Lestage - UCLA.
3(8) Atlanta - DE- Tyrone Heinrich - Boston College.
3(9) New England - RB- Geoff Lincoln - Temple.
3(10) Kansas City - OG - Jeremy Gibson - San Jose State.
3(11) Baltimore - S - Shannon Wiggins - Miami, Florida.
3(12) Minnesota - S - Bobby Lofton - Arkansas.
3(13) Tennessee - CB - Bryce Talbott - New Mexico.
3(14) Tampa Bay - OT - Cary Musterer - Arizona State.
3(15) Washington - FB - Trevor Virgadamo - Princeton.
3(16) Philadelphia - CB - Brandon Lee - Arkansas.
3(17) Jacksonville - ILB - J.C. Hitchcock - Colorado.
3(18) Pittsburgh - DT - Christian Hopper - Southern Mississippi.
3(19) Denver - DE - Neil Stehlik - Washington State.
3(20) Arizona - OT - J.T. Flowers - Washington.
3(21) Kansas City - DT - Deron Damon - California.
3(22) Dallas - DE - Shannon Colford - Pittsburgh.
3(23) Denver - OLB - Rickey Sherman - Maryland.
3(24) Cleveland - CB - Carl Brandon - UCLA.
3(25) Miami - OG - Marco Williamson - Georgia Tech.
3(26) Indianapolis - S - Cedric Rios - Miami, Florida.
3(27) New Orleans - CB - Monty Jarvis - UCLA.
3(28) Cincinnati - OLB - Emmanuel McVay - Nebraska.
3(29) Pittsburgh - RB - Rondell Hamilton - Rutgers.
3(30) Tampa Bay - TE - Phil Stevens - Tuskegee.
3(31) N.Y. Jets - RB - Lewis Derks - Newberry.
3(32) Philadelphia - DE - Jeff Gerhardt - Memphis.

4th round:

4(1) Buffalo - WR - Herb Kissinger - Tennessee.
4(2) Seattle - DT - Wally Hoye - Texas A & M.
4(3) Cincinnati - OG - Horace Cook - West Viginia.
4(4) Detroit - OG - Ellis Hopkins - Ohio State.
4(5) Houston OLB - Matt Lyle - Arizona.
4(6) Philadelphia - DT - Arnie Blair - Central Florida.
4(7) Atlanta - DE- Karl Hutton - Texas Tech.
4(8) Cleveland - OG - Fred Mitchell - Memphis.
4(9) Kansas City - WR - Deron Sampson - Oklahoma State.
4(10) Baltimore - DT - Arnold Layton - Rutgers.
4(11) Minnesota - WR - Troy Shea - Michigan.
4(12) Tennessee - CB - Lawrence Lane - California.
4(13) Miami - OLB - Wes Cordon - Florida.
4(14) New England - ILB - Roger Wolf - Oregon State.
4(15) Denver - OLB - Troy Stanton - South Carolina State.
4(16) Jacksonville - RB - Thurman Sasser - Georgia Tech.
4(17) Pittsburgh - WR - Clyde Yunker - Oklahoma State.
4(18) Washington - WR - Rondell Smithwick - Iowa.
4(19) Buffalo - OT - Blaine Farr - Louisville.
4(20) San Francisco - TE - Korey Hancuff - Utah.
4(21) Dallas - ILB - Roderick Gray - Bowling Green.
4(22) N.Y. Jets - OLB - Dwight McClendon - Washington State.
4(23) Cleveland - OG - Bennie Quinn - Toledo.
4(24) Carolina - CB - Billy Joe Denoncourt - South Carolina.
4(25) Denver - S - Mario Holmes - Notre Dame.
4(26) New Orleans - P - David Dawkins - Baylor.
4(27) Cincinnati - WR - Cole Bunch - Auburn.
4(28) Miami - FB - Shaun Pihos - Ohio.
4(29) Tampa Bay - OLB - Lamar Ferderer - Georgia Tech.
4(30) Chicago - OG - Tommie Buhl - Washington State.
4(31) Miami - RB - Burt Henson - Arizona State.
4(32) Philadelphia - S - Danny Stewart - Mississippi State.

5th round:

5(1) Buffalo - CB - Riddick McConnell - Mississippi State.
5(2) N.Y. Giants - K - Trevor Ogden - North Texas.
5(3) Seattle - DT - James Wolf - Michigan.
5(4) Houston - P - Van Bernard - Monroe.
5(5) Detroit - FB - Brad Connell - Brigham Young.
5(6) Atlanta - C - Jake Bush - Oklahoma.
5(7) Green Bay - DE - Herb Pirtle - Notre Dame.
5(8) Jacksonville - QB - Rob Strickland - Pittsburgh.
5(9) Baltimore - ILB - Clarence Plourde - Georgia.
5(10) Minnesota - CB - Phillip Ogle - Wake Forest.
5(11) Tennessee - DE - Cris Wagner - Auburn.
5(12) San Diego - CB - Darrell Sherp - Wake Forest.
5(13) New England - OG - Ralph Dibeck - Florida State.
5(14) Kansas City - QB - Brant Osorio - Iowa.
5(15) Jacksonville - OLB - Eddie Webb - San Diego.
5(16) Pittsburgh - FB - Jeff Perkins - Texas.
5(17) Arizona from Washington - P - Wayne Lanier - Colgate.
5(18) Miami - TE - Vincent Crowell - Oklahoma.
5(19) San Francisco - OT - C.J. Lindsay - Rutgers.
5(20) Dallas - S - Mitch Sualua - Virginia Tech.
5(21) Denver - OG - Reggie Dent - Texas.
5(22) Buffalo - OLB - Jack Davison - Mississippi State.
5(23) N.Y. Jets - OG - Al Van Pelt - Illinois.
5(24) Denver - WR - Darryl Ashton - Oregon.
5(25) Cleveland - QB - Duane Ansara - Louisiana-Monroe.
5(26) Cincinnati - ILB - Sammy Navies - San Diego State.
5(27) Indianapolis - DT - Marlon Meier - UCLA.
5(28) New Orleans - QB - Devin Whitlock - Auburn.
5(29) Chicago - DE - Pete Norris - Boise State.
5(30) Tampa Bay - CB - Howie Angell - California-Davis.
5(31) N.Y. Jets - OLB - Jamie Richard - Texas-El Paso.
5(32) Philadelphia - OT - Riddick Goode - Rhode.

6th round:

6(1) Buffalo - WR - Jessie Blanks - Houston.
6(2) Seattle - WR - R.J. Flannery - St. Peter's N.J.
6(3) N.Y. Giants - DE - Buddy Dillon - Louisiana State.
6(4) Detroit - OLB - Ken Stockdale - Duke.
6(5) Houston - WR - Ted Crane - Arkansas.
6(6) Green Bay - OT - Marvin Crawford - Northwestern.
6(7) Oakland - DT - Jimmie Fitzgerald - Missouri.
6(8) Atlanta - QB - Sam Greene - Southern Arkansas.
6(9) Minnesota - WR - Trevor Engel - Alabama.
6(10) Tennessee - WR - Bernard Wolfe - Boston College.
6(11) San Diego - WR - Burt Boyer - Arizona State.
6(12) New England - OG - Christian Brady - Temple.
6(13) Kansas City - S - J.J. Wilkins - Georgia Tech.
6(14) Baltimore - DE - Kenny Sims - South Carolina.
6(15) Pittsburgh - QB - Gilbert Norris - East Carolina.
6(16) Minnesota - OT - Ronald Talley - Boston College.
6(17) Miami - WR- Erik Carruthers - Louisiana State.
6(18) Jacksonville - DT - Patrick Bush - Georgia.
6(19) Dallas - CB - Glenn Buckley - Southern Mississippi.
6(20) Denver - K - Johnny Brennan - Tennessee-Martin.
6(21) Buffalo - OT - Brad Scibona - Cincinnati.
6(22) San Francisco - WR - Donnell Bielby - San Jose State.
6(23) Denver - C - Randall Tyler - Clemson.
6(24) Cleveland - S - Dan Whiting - Virginia Tech.
6(25) Houston - CB - Eddie Ramsey - West New Mexico.
6(26) Indianapolis - QB - Mel Downs - Western Michigan.
6(27) New Orleans - S - Skip Lofton - New Mexico.
6(28) Cincinnati - QB - Morris White - South Carolina.
6(29) Tampa Bay - CB - Derrick Murphy - Pittsburgh.
6(30) Chicago - CB - Reggie Rivera - UCLA.
6(31) Jacksonville - DT - Wally Jefferson - Delaware State.
6(32) Philadelphia - RB - Ben Stevenson - Duke.

7th round:

7(1) Buffalo - TE - Arnold Parrella - Houston.
7(2) N.Y. Giants - OT - Dexter Randall - Southern Utah.
7(3) Seattle - OLB - Trent Humphries - Florida State.
7(4) Houston - DE - Rodney Halpin - Washington State.
7(5) Detroit - ILB - Karl Bennett - Davidson.
7(6) Jacksonville - DE - Dale Hiles - Michigan.
7(7) Atlanta - RB -Deion Benson - Mississippi State.
7(8) Green Bay - DT - Trent Stevens - Fresno State.
7(9) Tennessee - WR - Ernest Warren - Texas.
7(10) San Diego - OLB - Preston Finister - Baylor.
7(11) New England - K - Kerry Dotson - Kentucky.
7(12) Kansas City - S - Deron Bess - Penn State.
7(13) Baltimore - OT - Neil Smith - Eastern Michigan.
7(14) Minnesota - RB - Cornelius Morrison - Austin Peay.
7(15) Minnesota - OG - Joel Wren - Lock Haven.
7(16) Miami - S - Austin Peterson - Califonia.
7(17) Jacksonville - DE - Rex Middleton - Texas Christian.
7(18) Pittsburgh - DT - Skip Greenberg - Washington State.
7(19) N.Y. Jets - CB - Bernard Archie - Central Florida.
7(20) Washington - DT - T.J. Barnett - Florida.
7(21) Kansas City - WR - Brian Ferguson - Carnegie Mellon.
7(22) Miami - WR - Graham Langen - Penn State.
7(23) Cleveland - OLB - Dixon Boone - Mississippi State.
7(24) Miami - OLB - Scott HIckman - Lehigh.
7(25) Denver - FB - Carl Edwards - Furman.
7(26) New Orleans - WR - Kyle Barnette - Arizona State.
7(27) Cincinnati - RB - Desmond Flannery - Illinois.
7(28) Indianapolis - CB - Damon Coyote - Alabama.
7(29) Chicago - QB - Jessie Wayne - Western Carolina.
7(30) Miami - DT - Archie Briggs - Syracuse.
7(31) N.Y. Jets - S - Azimuth Zeutschel - South Carolina.
7(32) Philadelphia - QB - Scottie Lock - Cincinnati.

Well, the draft started off with the usual questions of would the team with the #1 pick trade that pick. Buffalo was sitting with the 1st pick with a dreadful 0-16 season behind them. A team with a lot of needs and no consensus #1 according to expert scouts, most thought a trade was a sure thing. If not, then either RB- Brocklebank or DT- Harvey would go first. But Buffalo shocked everyone when they selected CB- Wayne Durham from Duke. While Durham is projected to be a good player, he was on everyone's draft board as a #5 pick at the highest. The reason for this is most scouts had him as very raw. But Buffalo picked him anyway.

With that out of the way, the Giants were next. They also shocked everyone by also selecting a CB. Tyrell Huffman from San Diego State. This is a guy with loads of potential and more developed than #1 pick Durham. However, he didn't work out at the combine. So he dropped on most everyone's draft board. The Giants apparently weren't discouraged.

So this set up Seattle at #3 or Houston at #4 with the top two guys according to scouts as the best guys in the draft. What would they do? Either should get a great player for years to come. Seattle desperately needed a franchise RB. However, they also shocked everyone by trading their pick to Oakland for their next two year's 1st round picks. Shocking but Seattle would now have two first round picks in 1979 and 1980. So, Oakland traded up and they selected RB- Brocklebank. Some scouts say this guy is the best guy in the draft.

At #4 Houston had a decision to make. Not really needing a DT and Harvey clearly the next guy who should go, should they trade or get a franchise DT. They decided to go with Harvey at #4.
So that was most of the excitement in the early part of the draft. Clearly some shockers and only time will tell who made the best decisions.

Now who were the winners and losers? Well, Carolina and San Francisco were very active in the 1st round making 3 trades and each ending up with 3 first round picks. Now if all three of those picks become solid players, they would be winners in this draft. But we won't know that for awhile. Another winner could be either Oakland or Houston who got the top two rated guys by scouts assessments at 3 and 4.

Now as for who may have had the worst draft. Early reports have the Cincinnati Bengals as having a not so good draft. They made some questionable picks with clearly higher rated guys on the board. Again only time will tell if these guys can live up to their picks or not.

Well, that's it for this week. We will be back for the late free agency report and any other league news.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY: POST DRAFT REPORT:



It's time for another edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. The 1978 Draft is over and Miami had 12 picks and made some interesting choices. We talked with the team scouts and coaches and we have some early assessments on the picks. Here are the Dolphins' picks:

1(24) FS - Richard Ballard - Oregon.

Early projections have him battling for the FS starting position. The Dolphins were reported as wanting to pick, CB- Skip Russett or QB- Erik Branch at 18 but both went just before their pick. They also were reported as wanting to trade up to pick CB - Wayne Durham. But he went #1 and the Dolphins had him pegged as a #5 or less pick. So the Dolphins traded down with Carolina for a 3rd round pick which they didn't have. They also got a 7th rounder this year and next year. When their pick came at 24 they had another decision to make. They really needed CB help, but they didn't think any of the CB left were worth the 24th pick. So when they selected a safety, not many thought it was the right choice. However, besides GM of the Dolphins, DolphinFan1, one other person thought they made a good decision. Former RB for the Indianapolis Colts, Bobby Griffith. Here is what he had to say about Ballard being an impact player. "You want impact. This is a 6' - 4" 220 lb. safety who runs a 4.46 40 yard dash. He is great against the run, m2m and zone defense. He is also great at intercepting balls which is something the Dolphins lacked last season. His volatility is a little high. But this is a pick who could be a sleeper if he works out." Only time will tell if this will help Miami's secondary woes of last season.

2(10) RCB - Hunter King - Michigan.

Miami traded one of their 4th round picks (#15) to Denver to move up 7 spots for this pick. He is very raw but projects to be another impact DB the Dolphins need.


3(25) OG - Marco Williamson - Georgia Tech.

Here was a pick not many Dolphin Fans were expecting. The Dolphins needed another OLB as 3rd year WLB - Kimbrell isn't developing as expected. But the Dolphins felt no one was rated as good as good as what they had. The Dolphins have 2 solid starting OG, but the backups are questionable. Williamson is blocking machine. But speculation is the reason he dropped so far is that he is very raw. So the Dolphins are taking a chance and hoping the coaching staff can develop this guy.

4(13) OLB - Wes Cordon - Florida.

This was a guy the coaching staff didn't interview. But all the guys they did interview who they had pegged high were already off the board. But this guy fast for a LB and can defend the run and play some pass coverage. He should be a great special teams player. But again another pick who is raw. He also is poor at pass rushing and play diagnosis. But the Dolphins can live with that.

4(28) FB - Shaun Pihos - Ohio.

The Dolphins had seemingly taken care of their major needs so were looking for depth or possible future starters. Current starter Blanda is in his 8th year and in decline. 2nd year undrafted free agent, Needham is unsigned and the Dolphins are not sure whether he can be a starter in this league. Pihos was selected as a pure blocking specialist.

4(31) RB- Burt Henson - Arizona State.

The youngest guy in the draft. (He just turned 20.) Selected as a project and as a 3rd down back or receiver. The Dolphins have Crichlow, but he is in his 8th year.

5(18) TE - Vincent Crowell - Oklahoma.

The Dolphins have two good TE and were looking for a good blocker and possible future TE to take over. He looks to be an exceptional special teams player and long snapper.

6(17) WR - Erik Carruthers - Louisiana State.

The Dolphins were looking for a 4th WR. There was a run on WR in the early 6th round. Carruthers looks to be a decent possession receiver and 3rd down target. He will probably make the team on his exceptional special teams, punt and kick return skills. He is very raw so the coaching staff have their work cut out for them.

7(16) SS - Austin Peterson - Califonia.

This would have been a risky pick if he was picked higher than a 7th round pick. Why you ask? He is a red flag player. But his skills are very good. He is a speedster and is excellent at zone defense, play diagnosis and interception passes. If he makes the team he would be good in the nickel or dime defensive situation to try to take the ball away. Something the Dolphins need, a guy to play center field. He also has a very good special teams rating. The Dolphins needed to improve on their coverage teams. One of his negatives is his high volatility. He wasn't interviewed before the draft, so we will have to wait until after camp to see how he turns out.

7(22) WR - Graham Langen - Penn State.

A shot in the dark with good possession skills. Very high volatility and very raw.

7(24) OLB - Scott Hickman - Lehigh.

Drafted purely on his special teams skills.

7(30) DT - Archie Briggs - Syracuse.

If he makes the team would only be used as a passing specialist. Very raw.

The Dolphins seem to have improved their secondary with free agency and the draft. Only time will tell how well they mesh together. We will be back in a few weeks with the late free agency report and pre training camp news.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY FOR LATE FREE AGENCY:


Welcome to Pro Football Weekly for the Late Free Agency period. We are going to cover all 5 weeks in the Free Agency period.

The Atlanta Falcons released 11 players. They wanted to clear some cap space. None of the players or their agents could be reached for comment.

Some Notables:

MLB - Juan Bernstein: Started 32 games last 2 years. In 5th year. 252 tackles, 105 assists, Scouts still rate him at 51/51.
FL - Hardy Levine: In 4th year. Started 45/48 games. 176 catches, 2583 yards, 12 TD, 45/89 3rd down catches with 34 3rd down conversions for 1st downs. Scouts rating 51/51.
SS - John Middleton: In 9th year. Missed entire 1976 season with ACL knee injury and 5 games of 1977 with hamstring injury. Scouts still rate him 56/56.
FB - Leslie Hedgepeth: In 3rd year. Excellent blocking FB and 3rd down receiving skills. Scouts rate him 46/55.

Chicago signs MLB - Bernstein.
Tennessee signs FL - Levine to a 5 year/$10 million deal.
Jacksonville signs SS - Middleton to a 3 year/$5.4 million deal.
Miami signs FB - Hedgepeth to a 3 year/$1.95 million deal.

12 players have notified their teams they are holding out for better contract:

Pittsburgh: QB- Jake Sardell, was franchised by team.
Tennessee: QB- Tod Walker.
Cincinnati: QB - Kenneth Carson.
San Francisco: SILB - Curtis Cain.
Jacksonville: RDE - Kenny Fiola.
N.Y. Jets: QB - Ike Hanson, was franchised by team.
Tennessee: RB - Clyde Hailey.
San Francisco: RB - Donnie Fredrickson.
Green Bay: LDE - Norbert Pariso.
Cincinnati: RDE - Derek Dixon.
Kansas City: LDE - Darrell Daniels.
New Orleans: MLB - Quentin Warnock.

All are starters for their respective teams. None of the agents for the players could be reached for comment. Some of the players are rumored to be interested in a trade if they cannot reach a new deal with their current teams.

Pittsburgh's QB - Jake Sardell ended his contract holdout after training camp.
Tennessee's QB - Tod Walker ended his contract holdout after the team renegotiated a 3 year/$5.31 million deal.
San Francisco's LB - Curtis Cain ended his contract holdout after training camp.
Tennessee's RB - Clyde Hailey ended his contract holdout after training camp.
San Francisco's RB - Donnie Fredrickson ended his contract holdout after training camp.
Cincinnati's RDE - Derek Dixon ended his contract holdout after training camp.
Kansas City's LDE - Darrell Daniels ended his contract holdout after the team renegotiated a 5 year/$13.4 million deal.

Cincinnati's QB - Kenneth Carson, Jacksonville's RDE - Kenny Fiola, N.Y. Jets' QB - Ike Hanson, Green Bay's LDE - Norbert Pariso and New Orleans' MLB - Quentin Warnock have not reported to their respective teams and apparently are intending to sit out the year without a new contract.

The preseason power rankings have been released by the league:

The Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles have been picked to win their respective conferences with power rankings of 100 each.

We will be back next week with week one of the exhibition season.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR THE LATE FREE AGENCY PERIOD AND TRAINING CAMP:


Welcome to a multi week report for the Miami Dolphins. Team sources have told us that they received 3 trade offers for QB- Benjamin Kolodziejski.

First the Green Bay Packers offer a 7th round pick for Kolodziejski.
Then the Seattle Seahawks offer a 6th round pick.
After the Late Free Agency period, Green Bay comes back with a 7th rounder and 5th year TE - Leslie Dillon.

GM of the Dolphins, DolphinFan1 was reached for comment on the trade offers: "I don't want to say the trade offers were ridiculous, but they weren't good. He was a 3rd round pick in 1976 and we still think he could be a starter for us. Offering a 7th rounder for him is just not a good trade for us."

Miami was busy in the late free agency period. When they learned that Atlanta had released a few quality starters, Miami coaches were busy contacting agents. Some of the player's demands were too high for the Dolphins' taste. But they landed FB- Leslie "I'm not a girl" Hedgepeth. He is in his 3rd year and is excellent in blocking skills and has good 3rd down receiving skills. Word has it that Blanda may lose his starting job. Blanda or his agent could not be reached for comment. But this improves the Dolphins already very good running game. It should take pressure off whoever is the QB.

The Dolphins also make offers to some undrafted free agents and two of their own unrestricted free agents to compete for roster spots. Here are the signings:

After week one.

Undrafted free agent RCB - Preston Ash. 2 year/$490k.
SE- Hancock agrees to resign with us 1 year/$270k.
Undrafted free agent RT- Alfred Harrison. 1 year/$200k.
FB - Hedgepeth. 3 year/$1.95 million.
Undrafted free agent RT- Gene Townsend. 1 year/$200k.

Buffalo offers S- Chester Pearson a contract. He hasn't accepted yet. We are not offering him a contract.

After week two:

DT- Gilmore agrees to resign with us 2 year/$670k.

After week three:

Buffalo signed former Miami FS- Chester Pearson as an unrestricted free agent.

Undrafted free agent OG- Marc Riffle 2 year/$500k.
Undrafted free agent CB- Harvey Henselman 2 year/$490k.

Post training camp notes:

The Dolphins spent a little more time on special teams. The coaching staff had a discussion with GM, DolphinFan1 who wasn't happy with the special teams last year.

The Dolphins sold 48,500 season tickets. An increase of 1,100 from last year.

Preseason power rankings: Miami is 10th with a 61 rating.

Here are some of the coaches' notes after camp.

Rookie +/- after camp:

1st round pick: SS- Ballard +4 current -5 potential, now a 40/67. Still should battle for starting SS spot. Moved to SS as we are weaker here. Dropped to 36/67.

2nd round pick: RCB- King +3 current -9 potential, now a 29/60. Probably still start at RCB.

3rd round pick: RG- Williamson +3 current -7 potential, now a 25/59. Will be a backup and maybe a starter down the road.

4th round pick: WLB- Cordon +2 current -7 potential, now a 17/51. Needs to develop. Kimbrell will start the year.

4th round pick: FB- Pihos current the same +1 potential, now a 24/47. With the signing of Hedgepath, Blanda or Pihos may go.

4th round pick: RB- Henson -1 current -3 potential, now a 27/44. Not what I expected.

5th round pick: TE- Crowell current the same -9 potential, now a 23/52. Will be 3rd TE and play special teams.

6th round pick: FL- Carruthers -1 current -7 potential, now a 22/50. Has decent potential to be a solid receiver. Will be 4th rec. and play special teams and return kicks and punts. Good there.

7th round pick: FS- Peterson +2 current -8 potential, now a 23/47. Moved to FS, more experience. Could be dime back in zone coverage. Interception rating good. Special teams player.

7th round pick: FL- Langen +2 current - 7 potential, now a 16/36. Shot in the dark missed it's mark. Other receivers better in key catergories. Probably not make team.

7th round pick: WLB- Hickman +1 current, potential the same, now a 19/35. Would only be good as a special teams player.

7th round pick: LDT- Briggs +4 current +3 potential, now a 19/29. No run defense, pass rusher only. Decent there. May make team to see if he continues to creep.

Undrafted FA: LG- Riffle +2 current -2 potential, now a 21/47. Possibly fight for a backup OG spot.

Undrafted FA: RT- Townsend +3 current -6 potential, now a 12/48. Maybe a backup and try to develop him.

Undrafted FA: RT- Harrison +3 current -5 potential, now a 12/48. Almost identical to Townsend. Better endurance. May be ahead of Townsend to make team.

Undrafted FA: LCB- Henselman -1 current -11 potential, now a 10/40. Was a stab in the dark. Probably be cut.

Undrafted FA: RCB- Ash +1 current -7 potential, now a 19/37. If he makes team only as a punt returner and occasional dime back.

Veterans who have noticeable changes:

LG- Spinger is in decline, dropped 7 to 62/62. Still our best OG.

LT- Green is in severe decline: dropped 9 to 47/47. Levine may start if Green struggles. Levine is 50/59 but not fully developed in pass blocking.

K- Hammond has improved a little and is fully developed. He is 67/67 now.

MLB- Alarcon has a boom in his 6th year. Up to 70/70 now up 14 from pre camp. Volatility 84, nice trade. Cochrane will be a backup.

Miami goes into preseason with a much better roster than last season. There are still question marks around the QB. Can Sanders still get it done at 32 and his 12th year in the league? Does Kolodziejski get his chance as this is his 3rd year in the league and he is a RFA after this season?

The Dolphins have definitely improved the secondary. At least on paper. They have many more impact players and special teams was worked on in training camp.

We will be having our weekly reports and weekly game reports starting in week 2 of the 1978 exhibition season. The Dolphins head to Detroit for their 1st preseason game.

[DolphinFan1]

1978 Miami Dolphins Preseason Roster

The Miami Dolphins have released their 60 man preseason roster for the 1978 season. Comments on players and position battles are from GM, DolphinFan1:

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB 12 37 37 2 yrs
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 3 28 51 1 yr.
Winters, Monty 13 QB 2 13 33 3 yrs

Sanders is still a good QB, but we need to find out if our 3rd
year QB, Kolodziejski can live up to his potential. He will
get most of the snaps in preseason to evaluate him better.
Winters is a career 3rd QB only on the team for his 100 in
kick holding. Drafted as a 3rd rounder, he is a huge
disappointment. No cuts here after preseason.

Newton, Neal 32 RB 3 79 79 3 yrs
Crichlow, Kurt 46 RB 8 39 39 1 yr.
Henson, Burt 49 RB 1 27 44 4 yrs
Hedgepeth, Leslie 23 FB 3 50 56 3 yrs
Blanda, Darryl 29 FB 8 42 42 1 yr.
Pihos, Shaun 45 FB 1 24 47 3 yrs

With the signing of Leslie "I'm Not A Girl" Hedgepeth, we have
our strongest backfield ever and some depth. We will go with
5 backs here so one will be cut after the preseason. The guy
on the bubble right now is Blanda as the two rookies have some
good potential in key areas. Also Henson is the youngest guy
in the league.

Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 6 48 48 1 yr.
Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE 8 47 47 1 yr.
Crowell, Vincent 81 TE 1 23 52 3 yrs

Dunkelberger and Burford have been staples for the Dolphins for
quite a few years. They are holding up pretty well. Crowell was
drafted as a project to see if we could groom someone for the
future. Only time will tell. We keep three so no cuts after
preseason.

Antonides, Phillip 85 FL 5 58 58 4 yrs
Cole, Freddie 88 FL 7 42 42 2 yrs
Carruthers, Erik 80 FL 1 22 50 3 yrs
Langen, Graham 89 FL 1 16 36 3 yrs
Swift, C.J. 87 SE 4 39 39 3 yrs
Hancock, Glen 5 SE 2 19 36 1 yr.

Antonides is creeping up and looks to be our star receiver.
Swift is good as a #2 although I'd like to get someone to
be a little better. Cole is a great 3rd down option. Rookie
Carruthers will probably be a #4 receiver as he is a good
possession receiver. He also can play special teams and
return kicks and punts. We will keep 5 after preseason so 2nd
year SE- Hancock and Rookie FL Langen are fighting for a
roster spot.

Mohr, Derrick 59 C 13 75 75 1 yr.
Hickman, Everett 52 C 2 47 60 2 yrs
Springer, Mitch 74 LG 7 62 62 2 yrs
Riffle, Marc 64 LG 1 21 47 2 yrs
Lee, J.B. 68 RG 8 52 52 3 yrs
Williamson, Marco 62 RG 1 25 59 3 yrs
Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 3 23 42 1 yr.
Levine, Kendall 65 LT 2 50 59 3 yrs
Green, Curtis 61 LT 13 47 47 1 yr.
Bush, Travis 71 RT 4 48 48 2 yrs
Irwin, Kelvin 73 RT 2 23 42 2 yrs
Ramirez, Doug 60 RT 3 18 37 1 yr.
Townsend, Gene 69 RT 1 12 48 1 yr.
Harrison, Alfred 76 RT 1 12 48 1 yr.

Our OL is very solid as far as starters go. At center we are
set for awhile with Mohr and Hickman ready to take over when
Mohr retires or an injury occurs. We keep 2 centers, 4 OG
and 5 OT after preseason. So we will cut 1 G and 2 OT before
the regular season starts. Springer and Lee are going to
start the season at left and right guard respectively.
Williamson could be a great 3rd round pick if he lives up
to his potential. Riffle and Snyder will battle for the 4th
guard spot. At OT we have Green and Bush starting with Levine
ready to take over for Green if he falters in his 13th year.
The other 4 will battle for 2 backup spots. I'm not impressed
with Ramirez and Irwin's development so far, maybe one of the
rookies can show me something in preseason to make the roster.

Singleton, Bruce 12 P 8 45 45 2 yrs
Hammond, Juan 4 K 2 67 67 3 yrs

We are set here. Singleton had some great games last year.
Hammond was a great find as an undrafted free agent. He
missed a few kicks but hit a lot of clutch kicks.

Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE 6 78 78 5 yrs
Burkhart, Curtis 90 LDE 2 25 44 2 yrs
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE 5 67 67 3 yrs
Ward, Daniel 72 RDE 10 36 36 1 yr.
Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT 3 54 54 2 yrs
Gilmore, Bruce 97 LDT 2 21 43 2 yrs
Briggs, Archie 70 LDT 1 19 29 3 yrs
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT 4 52 52 5 yrs

Our DL is set as we keep 8. Our starters are still good so
we need to make a run soon. We have decent backups and
Briggs makes the team over the veteran Goodwin as a pass
rusher only.

Alarcon, Lincoln 95 MLB 6 70 70 1 yr.
Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 5 56 56 2 yrs
Dellinger, Travis 56 SLB 2 40 55 2 yrs
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB 3 29 41 1 yr.
Hickman, Scott 98 WLB 1 19 35 3 yrs
Cordon, Wes 96 WLB 1 17 51 3 yrs

We will keep 6 so no cuts here after preseason. Alarcon is a
huge lift for us. He climbed 14 points after camp. He will
start over Cochrane. Dellinger and Kimbrell will start.
Hopefully Cordon can develop in preseason to take over.
Hickman is a special teams player only.

Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB 7 54 54 1 yr.
Jarvis, Alvin 48 LCB 8 38 38 2 yrs
Douglas, Adrian 26 RCB 10 30 30 1 yr.
King, Hunter 21 RCB 1 29 60 3 yrs
Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 3 29 42 1 yr.
Ash, Preston 44 RCB 1 19 37 2 yrs
Wampus, Emmitt 25 SS 8 41 41 1 yr.
Ballard, Richard 34 SS 1 36 67 4 yrs
Sirialton, Jerry 22 FS 9 46 46 1 yr.
Terry, Artie 43 FS 2 35 46 2 yrs
Peterson, Austin 36 FS 1 23 47 3 yrs
Henselman, Harvey 24 FS 1 11 44 2 yrs

This is where we made almost a complete overhaul. A lot of
evaluation will be done during preseason. Pirrup is the only
starter to holdover from last year. Everything else is up
for grabs. Someone has to step up. We will keep 5 at each
position so someone is playing for a starting position and
also a roster spot.


$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 60
Inactive: 0
On Active Roster: 60

Salary Cap: $72,000,000
Cap Room: $5,980,000
Maximum for New Player: $6,220,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $960,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $30,000
Front Office Football 2007
Cap Room Required Next Year: $53,920,000

[larrymcg421]

This is a good squad. Your OL is particularly strong. Your main weaknesses seem to be at QB and secondary. Hopefully Kolodziej, King, and Ballard will be able to develop this year.

[DolphinFan1]

This is a good squad. Your OL is particularly strong. Your main weaknesses seem to be at QB and secondary. Hopefully Kolodziej, King, and Ballard will be able to develop this year.

I've been a little busy this week with work and a little thing they call an Ice storm up here this week.

I should have the preseason finished this weekend with roster cuts and notes.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for week one of the preseason:


Denver destroyed Green Bay 27-7. Green Bay took an early 7-0 lead halfway through the 1st quarter. After that it was all Denver. Green Bay rookie QB- Bryan Sansbury was impressive in his 1st start during the preseason leading the Packers to their only score. He finished the day 9/11 for 77 yards with 1 TD.

The other preseason game had Dallas shutting out Houston 23-0. Houston had a total of 101 yards. Houston was without their 1st round pick, DT- Conrad Harvey who has not signed his rookie contract as of this time. It definitely showed as Dallas held the ball for 41 minutes and had over 200 yards rushing.

There were no major injuries in week one of the preseason.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week two of the preseason:


Detroit beats the Dolphins 20-7. Miami took a 7-3 lead midway through the 2nd quarter. Detroit then scored the last 17 points in the game. Most of the Miami starters sat out the game. QB- Kolodziejski started and played about a quarter and a half. He was 7/9 for 58 yards and 1 interception. Winters came in and finished the game with 10/21 for 69 yards and 1 TD. Some of the rookies played solid games. There were a couple of troubling episodes in the game. Rookie RB- Henson fumbled the ball away 1st drive of 2nd half when the Dolphins were still in the game. Rookie FS- Peterson, the red flag player, was on the field during a Detroit drive which had two unnecessary roughness penalties. Coincidence? I'm not sure but it's something we will keep an eye on.

Safety Sirialton went down in the 2nd quarter with an injury and didn't return. After the game it was learned that he is questionable for about 3 weeks with a sprained knee.

That was the only injury so I guess it wasn't too bad.

Former Dolphins CB- Bo Alston was signed by New Orleans.

The Seattle Seahawks come to town for week three of the preseason. We'll have all the news from the game and any other team news next week.


PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for week two of the preseason:


The preseason is a time for rookies to show they are worth the big money the teams pay for them. But two high draft picks have decided they want more money than their teams are offering. The #1 pick in this year's draft, CB- Wayne Durham, has turned down another contract offer from the Buffalo Bills. Likewise, the #4 pick, DT- Conrad Harvey, has also refused all contract offers from the Houston Texans. Buffalo and Houston drafted these guys because of huge needs at these positions. But apparently the rookies feel they are needed too much as neither team is budging on their offers at this time. We will keep you informed of all the happenings with these rookies.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week three of the preseason:


Seattle took the opening kickoff down the field but the Miami defense finally stepped up and forced a FG at the 12 yard line. Miami OL allowed 2 sacks on their 1st drive. Rookie FL- Carruthers fumbled a punt return.

Halftime: Seattle 6-0. Total yards Seattle leads: 155-42.

Miami ties the score at 6 early in the 4th quarter only to allow another FG and Seattle led 9-6 midway through the 4th quarter. Miami gets the ball with just over 2 minutes to go in the game. QB- Sanders engineers a drive and WR- Cole catches a 42 yard pass and WR- Hancock catches one for 18 yards to give Miami the ball at the Seattle 10 yard line with 59 seconds to play. On a 3rd and goal from the Seattle 9 yard line with 36 seconds to play, Miami rookie RB- Burt Henson gets the ball and runs inside the left guard and reaches for the endzone. He gets stood up at the one yard line and as he extends the ball for the endzone the ball gets stripped and he loses the ball. Seattle DE- Paul Parker recovers for Seattle at the one yard line and Seattle wins this one on a battle of the FG kickers 9-6.

Miami was 1/13 on 3rd down conversions. Miami also had 10 penalties for 68 yards.

There were no new injuries in the game. FS- Sirialton is still questionable for about 2 more weeks with a sprained knee. As he is slated to start the season as the starting FS, I won't risk it. He will sit out the last two preseason games.

Miami heads to Minnesota who are 1-1 in the preseason.

[DolphinFan1]

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY for week four of the preseason:


Some new developments on the players holding out. At the start of the week there were still 5 players holding out for new contracts. They are: Cincinnati's QB - Kenneth Carson, Jacksonville's RDE - Kenny Fiola, N.Y. Jets' QB - Ike Hanson, Green Bay's LDE - Norbert Pariso and New Orleans' MLB - Quentin Warnock. We received a report that Carson, Fiola and Hanson have ended their holdout. Only Green Bay's Pariso and New Orleans' Warnock have not reported to the team. We will keep you updated on their status.

As for the two rookies who have not signed their contracts yet. Both Buffalo's CB- Durham and Houston's DT- Harvey have not signed as of yet. Sources say that neither side is budging on their demands. With only one week to go before the start of the season, it would be difficut for these two rookies to get up to speed even if they did sign next week. One has to wonder if they intend to sit out the entire season and re-enter next year's draft. We will keep you updated on their status.



MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week four of the preseason:


Miami takes the opening kickoff right down the field. But RB- Crichlow was injured on the drive and didn't return. Miami finishes it with a TD pass to the rookie FL- Carruthers. Miami QB- Kolodziejski was 4/4 for 39 yards and a TD on the drive. Minnesota answers pounding it with runs and finishes it with a 46 yard TD catch which the receiver breaks a tackle to break free and tie the score. CB- Raymond Barkley was injured on the ensuing kickoff. It is a serious hamstring injury. Carruthers fumbles the ball after a catch on the next drive. CB- Alvin Jarvis was injured but he stays in the game. Minnesota gets a TD drive after the fumble to lead 14-7. RB- Burt Henson fumbles the ball again. That's his 3rd one in 3 preseason games. I know he's young, but his chances of making the team are in serious jepardy. Minnesota gets a FG when rookie CB- Hunter King defends a pass on 3rd down. Minnesota leads 17-7. The rookie CB- King intercepts a pass. Kolodziejski finishes a 24 yard drive with a 3 yard TD pass to rookie Carruthers. Minnesota 17-14. Minnesota comes right back before halftime to get the TD right back. Minnesota 24-14. On the kickoff with just 30 seconds to play, CB- Douglas returns the kick 67 yards to the Minnesota 31 to give us a FG try just before the half. Inexplicitedly, our coach passes it and we end the half.

QB- Winters leads the team on a long TD drive early in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to 24-21. RB- Henson finished the drive with a 3 yard TD run. Another unsportsmanlike penalty on the Dolphins on a 3rd and long. Maybe Peterson again as I have him in there in Dime situations. MLB- Cochrane and SLB- Dellinger force a fumble and CB- Jarvis recovers it. Winters leads the team on a tieing FG drive to start the 4th. Hammond with the 43 yarder and the score is 24-24. Minnesota with another FG to lead 27-24 with 5:53 to play. Winters leads us on an impressive drive and Henson gets stopped just short of the goal on a 3rd and goal from the 8. He got to the one yard line and stretched for the endzone but he was just stopped. But he held onto the ball this time. Hammond ties the score at 27. On the kickoff, rookie TE- Crowell knocks the ball loose and WR- Carruthers recovers for us at the Minnesota 10 yard line with 2:16 to play. Three plays later, Winters hits FB- Blanda on a 12 yard TD pass to give us the 34-27 lead. We stop them on a last minute drive and we win 34-27. It's only preseason, but a nice showing by the team. Even with the early fumbles, everyone recovered to play well in the 2nd half.

Injuries:

CB- Raymond Barkley is out for about 18 weeks with a severe hamstring pull. If he comes back it will be late in the playoffs. He will be put on IR.
RB- Kurt Crichlow is out for about 4 weeks with a strained deltoid muscle.
CB- Alan Jarvis is questionable for about 3 weeks with a broken toe. He will sit out the final preseason game and we will see if he can give it a go to start the season.

FG- Sirialton is probable for one more week with his sprained knee. He should be ready to go to start the season.

Some stats on the game:

The Dolphins came out in the 2nd half a different team after their turnovers in the 1st. They outscored Minnesota 20-3 in the 2nd half.
Miami was 5/5 in the redzone with 4 TD and 1 FG.
In Kolodziejski's first long outing of the preseason, he finished with a 16/20 for 120 yards and 2 TD.
Winter's came in and had a good day with a 14/19 for 125 yards with 1 TD.
RB- Henson recovered after his fumble and had 25 rushes for 84 yards with 1 TD. Not a good YPC, but ran hard after his 1st half troubles.
WR- Carruthers had a great day with the exception of his 2nd fumble of the preseason. He had 11 catches for 73 yards and 2 TD.
WR- Langen fighting for a roster spot had 5 catches for 46 yards.
MLB- Cochrane has shown he has returned as good as he ever was with a 12 tackles, 6 assists performance.
CB- King had 1 pass defended and one interception in a key spot in the game.
The entire seconday had 4 passes defended and one interception.
The OL had a good day allowing no sacks. They were 9/25 on key run blocks.
Some guys stepped it up with their jobs on the line. Only one preseason game left to make an impression.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY for week five of the preseason:


The Dolphins final preseason game is against the St. Louis Rams at home. The projected starting lineup for the regular season are in the game to start. QB- Sanders will start this one, but the coaching staff isn't sure who will start the season. Kolodziejski looked good in extended playing time last week. Is he ready to lead this team?

The Dolphins open the game with an impressive 66 yard drive on 6 plays. Sanders hits TE- Dunkelberger on a 4 yard TD pass. RB- Newton and RB- Henson had 3 rushes for 36 yards and Sanders was 3/3 for 30 yards and a TD. The Miami defense allowed some yards before rookie CB- King intercepts a pass at the Miami 26. That's his 2nd in 2 games. Let's hope he keeps it up in the regular season. On the next drive, the Dolphins make a play on a 3rd and long when DE- McWilliams and DE- Hughes sack the QB. Early in the 2nd quarter, S- Wampus intercepts a tipped pass. Kolodziejski comes in midway through the 2nd quarter to lead us on a TD drive and hits SE- Swift on a 9 yard pass for a TD and a 14-0 lead. That's the halftime score.

To start the 2nd half, St. Louis completes a long pass for 42 yards whenDE- McWilliams was chasing the QB. Later on the drive, CB- Pirrup was injured but stayed in the game. They finish the drive with a 7 yard TD run. Miami still leads 14-7. For the rest of the 3rd and most of the 4th there were a few drives by each team and each defense stopped the opposing offense when they needed to. The only threat was a Miami 45 yard FG try by Hammond which falls just short. St. Louis made one last bid to tie it with a drive with 4 minutes to go, but the Miami defense stopped a 4th and 7 at the Miami 42. Miami wins 14-7.

Injury report:

FS- Jerry Sirialton is now 100%.
CB- Alvin Jarvis is probable for about 2 weeks with a broken toe.
RB- Kurt Crichlow is out for about 3 weeks with a strained deltoid muscle.
CB- Bert Pirrup is probable for about 3 weeks with a bruised ribcage.
CB- Raymond Barkley is on IR for a hamstring pull.

Some stats on the final preseason game:

RB- Henson got to show some moves with a long 46 yard run. He finished the day with 106 yards on 15 carries. Even taking out the long run he was over 4 yards per carry.
RB- Newton was ineffective as he had 43 yards on 17 carries.
QB- Sanders started and was 6/9 for 51 yards and a TD.
QB- Kolodziejski was 9/15 for 60 yards with 1 TD and 1 int.
The secondary had 3 interceptions.
DE- Hughes and McWilliams combined for 5 sacks, 4 hurries and 5 knockdowns. All together the defense had 7 sacks.
The OL allowed no sacks.

Notes on the preseason:

The Dolphins played much better in the final two preseason games. They showed that the secondary is much better than last year. The only question is can they keep it up when it counts.

We'll have a special edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly the day before the Dolphins' 1st game. It will have a preview of the season and all the cuts on the roster to get to 53.

[DolphinFan1]

1978 MIAMI DOLPHINS SCHEDULE

Week Opponent Result Attendance Weather
Week 1 at New York Jets
Week 2 CHICAGO BEARS
Week 3 CLEVELAND BROWNS
Week 4 at Buffalo Bills
Week 5 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Week 6 DENVER BRONCOS
Week 7 OPEN
Week 8 at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 9 at Oakland Raiders
Week 10 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Week 11 NEW YORK JETS
Week 12 at Minnesota Vikings
Week 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 14 DETROIT LIONS
Week 15 BUFFALO BILLS
Week 16 at Green Bay Packers
Week 17 at New England Patriots

Home Games in ALL CAPS

Season Tickets Sold: 48,500
Stadium Capacity: 75,000

1978 MIAMI DOLPHINS 53 MAN ROSTER

Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Sanders, Darrell 7 QB QB 12 37 37 2 yrs
Kolodziejski, Benjamin 18 QB 3 32 51 1 yr.
Winters, Monty 13 QB 2 14 33 3 yrs

Well, the preseason is over and not much was decided. Both Sanders
and Kolodziejski looked good enough to start. But I have decided
to start the year with Sanders the #1 QB. He took us to the playoffs
last year. He deserves a chance to see if he can take us further.
If he falters during the season, there will be a QB switch.
Winters is still the 3rd QB and showed some flashes in limited
playing time.

Newton, Neal 32 RB RB 3 79 79 3 yrs
##Crichlow, Kurt 46 RB 8 39 39 1 yr.
Henson, Burt 49 RB 1 29 44 4 yrs
Hedgepeth, Leslie 23 FB FB 3 50 56 3 yrs
##Blanda, Darryl 29 FB 8 42 42 1 yr.
Pihos, Shaun 45 FB 1 24 47 3 yrs

We will only keep 5 backs. So one needs to go. Newton, Crichlow, Hedgepeth
are locks. That leaves Blanda and the two rookies, Henson and Pihos.
Tough decision here. Blanda has been solid for us but is in the decline.
Pihos has some good potential. Henson is very young but was fumble
prone early in preseason. But he had a great final preseason game.
With Crichlow injured for a few more weeks, I decide to give Henson
a chance to show how he does in a real game as a 3rd down option.
So it's down to Pihos or Blanda. I decide to go young here and
cut Blanda. Pihos is a blocker mainly and will backup Hedgepeth.

##Burford, Kenneth 84 TE 6 48 48 1 yr.
Dunkelberger, Oliver 86 TE TE 8 47 47 1 yr.
Crowell, Vincent 81 TE 1 24 52 3 yrs

No cuts here as we will keep 3 TE. Dunkelberger and Burford will
split the starting duties. The rookie Crowell has some potential
and will get some playing time to develop.

Antonides, Phillip 85 FL FL 5 58 58 4 yrs
Cole, Freddie 88 FL 7 42 42 2 yrs
Carruthers, Erik 80 FL 1 23 50 3 yrs
Swift, C.J. 87 SE SE 4 39 39 3 yrs
##Hancock, Glen 5 SE 2 20 36 1 yr.
Langen, Graham 89 SE 1 18 36 3 yrs

Our top 4 are set with Antonides, Swift, Cole and the rookie
Carruthers. Langen and Hancock both have some talent. I go
with the rookie here just on the fact that he showed some
flashes in preseason. He won't play much as a 5th receiver
though.

Mohr, Derrick 59 C C 13 75 75 1 yr.
Hickman, Everett 52 C 2 50 60 2 yrs
Springer, Mitch 74 LG LG 7 62 62 2 yrs
Riffle, Marc 64 LG 1 22 47 2 yrs
Lee, J.B. 68 RG RG 8 52 52 3 yrs
Williamson, Marco 62 RG 1 26 59 3 yrs
##Snyder, Shannon 79 RG 3 23 42 1 yr.
Levine, Kendall 65 LT 2 50 59 3 yrs
Green, Curtis 61 LT LT 13 47 47 1 yr.
Bush, Travis 71 RT RT 4 48 48 2 yrs
##Irwin, Kelvin 73 RT 2 23 42 2 yrs
##Ramirez, Doug 60 RT 3 19 37 1 yr.
##Harrison, Alfred 76 RT 1 13 48 1 yr.
Townsend, Gene 69 RT 1 12 48 1 yr.

We will keep 11 OL like last year, 2 C, 4 OG and 5 OT. Mohr will
start with Hickman backing up at center. Springer and Lee start
at the guards. Williamson is the 3rd guard. Riffle gets the final
roster spot at guard over Snyder. If he develops, he has better
endurance than Snyder. Green, Bush and Levine are the top 3 OT.
Ramirez isn't developing as I hoped. I make a trade with Irwin to
Atlanta. So that leaves the two undrafted rookies. I will keep
them as they have potential.

Singleton, Bruce 12 P 8 45 45 2 yrs
Hammond, Juan 4 K 2 68 68 3 yrs

This is pretty straightforward. Hopefully these two can continue
to play as well as last season.

Hughes, Harvey 77 LDE LDE 6 78 78 5 yrs
Burkhart, Curtis 90 LDE 2 25 44 2 yrs
McWilliams, Everett 93 RDE RDE 5 67 67 3 yrs
##Ward, Daniel 72 RDE 10 36 36 1 yr.
Dobbins, Nathan 75 LDT LDT 3 54 54 2 yrs
Gilmore, Bruce 97 LDT 2 21 43 2 yrs
Briggs, Archie 70 LDT 1 20 29 3 yrs
Petkovich, Riddick 99 RDT RDT 4 52 52 5 yrs

We keep 8 DL so they are set. Hughes, McWilliams, Dobbins and
Petkovich are the starters. Briggs is a pass rusher only in
place of Petkovich who is best against the run.

Alarcon, Lincoln 95 MLB MLB 6 70 70 1 yr.
Cochrane, Christian 91 MLB 5 56 56 2 yrs
Dellinger, Travis 56 SLB SLB 2 44 55 2 yrs
Kimbrell, Martin 57 WLB WLB 3 29 41 1 yr.
##Hickman, Scott 98 WLB 1 20 35 3 yrs
Cordon, Wes 96 WLB 1 19 51 3 yrs

We keep 6 LB so no cuts. Alarcon will start at MLB. Dellinger
has improved 4 in current during preseason. He will start at
SLB. Cordon looked good in preseason, but Kimbrell will start
the year at WLB. Hickman is the 6th LB and only used on special
teams. Cochrane will backup Alarcon and Dellinger.

Pirrup, Bert 41 LCB LCB 7 54 54 1 yr.
##Jarvis, Alvin 48 LCB 8 38 38 2 yrs
King, Hunter 21 RCB RCB 1 32 60 3 yrs
Douglas, Adrian 26 RCB 10 30 30 1 yr.
%%Barkley, Raymond 33 RCB 3 29 42 1 yr.
Ash, Preston 44 RCB 1 19 37 2 yrs

With the injury to Barkley and him being on IR, no cuts here.
We keep 5 CB. Pirrup and King will start at Left and Right
cornerback. Jarvis is the nickel corner. Douglas and Ash are
special teams players and return men.

Wampus, Emmitt 25 SS 8 41 41 1 yr.
Ballard, Richard 34 SS SS 1 38 67 4 yrs
##Sirialton, Jerry 22 FS 9 46 46 1 yr.
Terry, Artie 43 FS FS 2 39 46 2 yrs
Peterson, Austin 36 FS 1 23 47 3 yrs
##Henselman, Harvey 24 FS 1 11 44 2 yrs

The easy cut here is Henselman who was an undrafted rookie CB
who I converted to safety as he was more developed there. But
not enough to make the team. I'm impressed with Terry who is
fresh off his summer camp tour. He has improved 4 in current.
We have a stacked safety group this year with the only holdover
the 2nd year Terry. The rookie Ballard and Sirialton will start.
Terry is the dime safety and Wampus will see some playing time.
Peterson is a good special teams player.

$$ - player is suspended, ## - player is inactive,
** = player is injured, %% - player is on IR.

Players Under Contract: 60
Inactive: 13
On Active Roster: 46

Salary Cap: $72,000,000
Cap Room: $5,980,000
Maximum for New Player: $6,220,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $960,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $30,000
Front Office Football 2007
Cap Room Required Next Year: $53,920,000

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY:



Welcome to a special edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. This issue will focus on the cuts the Dolphins made to get the roster to 53. Also it will have the projected starting lineup and depth chart. We will also preview the Dolphins season and talk about how they should do this season. Well, we have a lot to cover, so let's get started.

The first thing we need to cover is the roster cuts to 53. The Dolphins went into the preseason with the maximum allowable players of 60. So they needed to cut 7. Except that 3rd year CB- Raymond Barkley pulled his hamstring in week 4 of the preseason and was put on injured reserve. So that freed up a roster spot.

The other news coming from the Dolphins front office, is 2nd year backup tackle, Kelvin Irwin was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 5th round draft pick in 1979. Irwin was a 7th round pick in 1977 and only played as a backup in limited duty last season. Irwin was reported to be happy with the trade as he didn't expect to get much playing time with Green, Bush and Levine the top 3 tackles.

Also cut was FB- Darryl Blanda. He is an 8 year veteran who joined the team as an UFA in 1975. A solid FB for the Dolphins the last two years, but the Miami front office has noted his declining performance last season. Plus with the signing of Leslie "I'm Not A Girl" Hedgepeth, they have a young stud FB who will shoulder the load.

The rest of the cuts were, SE- Glen Hancock, RG- Shannon Snyder, RT- Doug Ramirez and FS- Harvey Henselman. The only surprise here is Ramirez. With Irwin being traded, that leaves two undrafted rookies who are very raw backing up Green, Bush and Levine. When asked about the cuts, GM of the Dolphins had this to say:

DolphinFan1: "We can't keep everyone. We spoke to Kelvin (Irwin) and his agent about a possible trade. When he understood he would get very little playing time unless we have an injury, he had no problem with being traded. As for Ramirez, he just isn't where we expected him to be in his development. The two rookies, Harrison and Townsend have good potential and played well in preseason. The other tough decision was who to let go at the running back position. With Crichlow being out for a few more weeks, we decided to keep the rookie, Henson on. He had some fumble problems in the early preseason games, but we worked with him and he seems to have fixed that. Letting Blanda go was tough. We almost went with 6 backs, but that would have meant probably cutting another offensive tackle. With the signing of Hedgepeth and rookie FB- Pihos, we feel we were stronger with those two than with Blanda. We wish him the best and hopefully he will find a team to play for this year."

Now let's take a look at the projected starting lineup and depth chart for your 1978 Miami Dolphins:

QB- Sanders, Kolodziejski, Winters-- Word from the front office is Sanders gets another year to take them all the way. If he falters, Kolodziejski will come in. This is a decision that could have gone either way. Sanders did take them to the playoffs last year. But Kolodziejski is in his last year of his rookie contract. Obviously he wants to play to show he is worth more money.

RB- Newton, Crichlow, Henson--- This is a lock. Newton is a stud who will carry the load. Crichlow will be the #2 as soon as he comes back from injury. Until then Henson will backup.

FB- Hedgepeth, Pihos--- This was a great free agent signing. A great blocker who should open some holes for Newton. Pihos is a solid rookie with potential.

TE- Dunkelberger, Burford, Crowell--- We will predict Dunkelberger to start, but it could be Burford. Both have talent in key areas. Crowell is raw but has potential and can play special teams.

WR- Antonides, Swift, Cole, Carruthers, Langen--- The top 3 receivers are back again. Carruthers has some good potential and can play special teams. Langen won't see much time with this group.

C- Mohr, Hickman--- Mohr will start and Hickman will be waiting. Both are very good.

OG- Springer, Lee, Williamson, Riffle--- Springer and Lee are back and good as ever. Rookies, Williamson and Riffle add decent depth to this group.

OT- Green, Bush, Levine, Harrison, Townsend--- We predict that Green will start at LT because he is a better pass blocker. But when Levine develops he will start. Bush starts again at RT. The rookies will alternate backing up.

P/K- Singleton, Hammond--- This is straightforward. Singleton and Hammond both had a good season a year ago.

DE- Hughes, McWilliams, Ward, Burkhart--- The same group returns as they are great to solid. Good depth here.

DT- Dobbins, Petkovich, Gilmore, Briggs--- Solid group with Gilmore and Briggs coming in on passing downs for Petkovich who is mainly a run stopper.

MLB- Alarcon, Cochrane--- With Alarcon having a monster camp, he will start. Cochrane coming back at 100% after his injury provides a lot of insurance at the MLB position.

OLB- Dellinger, Kimbrell, Cordon, Hickman--- Dellinger had a nice camp and preseason. Kimbrell starts over the rookie, Cordon. Hickman is a special teams player.

CB- Pirrup, King, Jarvis, Douglas, Ash--- Pirrup and the rookie King start. Jarvis is the nickel corner. With Douglas and Ash backing up and playing special teams.

S- Ballard, Sirialton, Terry, Wampus, Peterson--- The rookie Ballard starts at strong safety and we think Sirialton will start at free safety with Terry the dime safety. Wampus is a good insurance policy. Peterson is a special teams player.

This looks to be a solid starting lineup for the Dolphins. Obviously the tough decisions were who to start at QB, LT and FS. This may change but this is our prediction for your 1978 starting lineup for week one.

Now for the season preview. Most experts predict that the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles will play in the Front Office Bowl this year. As for the AFC East. New England is predicted to win the east with Miami a close second and the Jets and the Bills in 3rd and 4th. Miami is expected to make a return trip to the playoffs and could make some noise. We predict that with the first 5 games being at the Jets, home for the Bears and Cleveland and then at Buffalo and home for San Diego, the Dolphins could be 4-1 or 5-0 with all those teams figuring to be bottom feeders this year. That could put the Dolphins in good shape with the tough schedule after that. Of course this is all pending on how all these new acquisitions in the secondary work out.

But the season starts with week one at the New York Jets. A key division opponent to start the season. The Dolphins have lost the last three against the Jets so it's key to get off to a good start this year and break that streak. Let's get a quick preview of the game:

The word on the game is it looks to be about 57 degrees with rain and a 10 MPH wind. Miami is the early favorite by 5. The Jets have returning QB- Ike Hanson starting. But he recently held out for a new contract so was late reporting. No telling how that will affect him. He has been a Dolphins killer the past two seasons. The new Miami secondary should get an early test.

The Dolphins have some injuries coming into the game:

CB- Barkley- Out - IR.
RB- Crichlow- Out - 3 weeks, strained deltoid muscle.
CB- Pirrup- Probable - 3 weeks, bruised ribcage.
CB- Jarvis- Probable - 2 weeks, Broken toe.

Pirrup and Jarvis are expected to play. The inactives for the game are: Crichlow, Burford, Langen, Riffle, Townsend, Briggs and Hickman.

That's it for this special edition of the Miami Dolphins Weekly. We will be back next week for post game comments of week one. See you then.

[DolphinFan1]

1978 Week One:


JETS FLY PAST MIAMI TO KEEP THEIR DOMINATION OVER THE DOLPHINS


New York-- The Miami Dolphins started the game with a couple of impressive drives to take a 10-0 lead after one quarter. But after that it was all New York who start the year with a 23-10 win. Much was talked about the Jets QB situation. No one knew going in who would start. Ike Hanson had started the year holding out for a new contract. But he came back just in time to get a week of practice in. But after missing all of preseason, it was expected he'd be rusty. Then the talk was on the revamped Miami secondary. With only 3 returning players and one starter, this was supposed to be a much improved group. But they certainly didn't show it as New York racked up 310 yards of total offense all after the 1st quarter. Hanson was 20/26 for 186 yards and a touchdown pass. Running back Rondell Flemons had 102 yards on the ground. The Dolphins were still in the game with the score tied at 10 to start the 3rd quarter. That all changed when the Jets Curtis Grantham took the opening 2nd half kickoff 97 yards for the touchdown and a 17-10 lead and the Jets never looked back.

Miami opened the game with an impressive 13 play, 62 yard drive but stalled at the Jets 8 and settle for a short FG. The drive took 6:51 off the clock to start the game. Miami QB- Darrell Sanders was 4/6 for 44 yards on the drive. After the Miami defense held the Jets to 4 plays, the Dolphins finish the 1st quarter with the ball. They go on a 14 play, 84 yard drive and end it with RB- Neal Newton on a 5 yard touchdown run to lead 10-0 to end the 1st quarter. Miami TE- Oliver Dunkelberger was the go to guy in the 1st quarter. He had 5 catches for 58 yards and 3/3 on 3rd down catches for 1st downs.

After that the Jets never looked back scoring the final 23 points. But the turning point was the kickoff return for a touchdown to start the 2nd half.

The Jets held last year's leading rusher, Newton to 86 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. More impressive is they held him to just one run over 10 yards. This from a guy who had eight 100 yard rushing games last year and averages 3.5 runs of over 10 yards a game. But maybe it's not too surprising as in his short 3 year career he has faced the Jets 5 times. In those 5 games he has rushed over 100 yards only one time.

So with Newton ineffective, the load fell on Miami QB- Darrell Sanders. Going into the year, no one knew who would start for the Dolphins. Would 3rd year QB- Benjamin Kolodziejski get a chance? But the Dolphins went with the veteran who took the team back to the playoffs last season. He started the game well, but seemed to struggle after the 1st quarter. He was only 20/43 for 172 yards and one interception. One has to wonder where the Dolphins go from here. Does Kolodziejski get his chance?

One other stat that is incredible. The Dolphins scored on their first two drives and had the ball 4 times in the 1st half. The had 219 yards on 41 plays in the 1st half. In the 2nd half they had just 37 yards.

So after one week of the season, the Jets find themselves tied for 1st place in the AFC East with surprising Buffalo who upset the New England Patriots 26-3.



PRESEASON FRONT OFFICE BOWL FAVORITES BOTH WIN



The Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles both had a lot of pressure on them as they were both preseason favorites to go to the Front Office Bowl this year.

The Oakland Raiders had the upset going after taking two leads on the Broncos. They led 9-0 just before halftime before Denver scored two touchdowns to take a 14-9 lead. Then Oakland score 10 points and led 19-14 early in the 4th quarter before the Broncos scored a touchdown and two point conversion with 11 minutes to play in the game to come from behind to win 22-19. Oakland rookie RB- Kenneth Brocklebank did his part with 157 yards on 22 carries with one TD and an amazing 7.14 yards per carry. He also added 4 catches for 26 yards but it wasn't enough.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles led the entire game but Dallas kept it within one score for much of the game. Ultimately the Eagles go on to win 26-21.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK ONE



The Offensive Player of the Week was Tampa Bay's QB- Delarious Odom. He was 31/40 for 327 yards with 2 touchdowns in a 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The Defensive Player of the Week was Baltimore's DT- Martin Briggs. He had 8 tackles and 2 sacks in a 26-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Power Rankings after week one still have Denver and Philadelphia atop the league with a score of 100.

The final two veteran holdouts came back to their respective teams when they worked out new deals with their teams. Green Bay's DE- Norbert Pariso renegotiated a 4 year $18.98 million deal. New Orleans' MLB-Quentin Warnock renegotiated a 4 year $12.24 million deal.

The two rookie holdouts, CB- Wayne Durham and DT- Conrad Harvey, have failed to sign their contracts and the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans have not budged on their offers. Houston and Buffalo both won their season openers much to the surprise of many as both teams combined for 5 wins all of last year with Buffalo going a perfect 0-16.

On the injury front, Jacksonville lost their starting QB- Anthony Christie for about 9 weeks with a broken Fibula. He has led the Jaguars to two Front Office Bowls, (1973 and 1974), in his 10 year career. He is the Jaguars leading passer in all catergories.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK ONE OF THE 1978 SEASON:


An editorial:

What do the Dolphins do now? That is the question everyone is asking. The Dolphins played great defense in the final two preseason games and even forced some turnovers. So what happened against the Jets? I will give you my opinion. The Dolphins have almost a totally new secondary. They are very young and have to mesh. Facing a veteran like Ike Hanson from the Jets showed just how far this team has to go. This was a guy who held out almost all of preseason. So he should have been rusty. The Dolphins' defense should have picked him apart. But looking closely at the game, did the Dolphins defense really play that bad and was it totally their fault? Yes and no. The offense got off on the right foot by taking a 10-0 lead and dominating the 1st quarter holding the ball for all but 4 plays. Then the Jets took over and they drove down the field. But that isn't the whole story. There were two key plays in the game. With the score 10-7 Miami right after the Jets scored, Miami drove within field goal range. But holder Monty Winters didn't get the snap down clean and Hammond pulled his kick. That would have made the score 13-7. Why was that important? That would have been three drives and three scores for the Miami offense. So even though the Miami defense allowed the Jets to score on their second drive of the game, they would have answered with some points and got some momentum back. No telling what would have happened then. The second and biggest turning point in the game came on the Jets opening kickoff return of the 2nd half which they returned for a touchdown and a 17-10 lead. How can you fault the Dolphins defense for that? That was a special teams blunder.

This is not to say the Dolphins' defense didn't have some fault in the game. They did allow some big plays and big drives. They also didn't get an interception. Granted they have a lot of new faces in the secondary and some rookies. But these are players that experts are calling impact players. That's why the Dolphins picked them. But I am willing to give the young and new secondary the benefit of the doubt. They will mesh and will play with some impact as expected.

The other problem I have is the offense. After the 1st half, they went home. Veteran QB- Darrell Sanders played like a rookie in the second half. With the defense and RB- Newton struggling, he needs to carry the team. It was obvious that the Jets were keying on Newton. He was last year's leading rusher. The Jets were playing up and telling Sanders to beat them and he couldn't do it. Does this mean Kolodziejski should finally get his shot to show this is his team? Maybe. He played well enough in preseason. But one thing is certain, the Dolphins need to play better in all aspects of the game or this season could go down the drain very fast.

The Dolphins play Chicago and Cleveland at home the next two games before going to Buffalo. They need to get their act together quick. They are in good shape injury wise, so there should be no excuses there. I think the Miami coaching staff will pull this team together and put this disappointing week one behind them.

Until next week. Keep the faith.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Baltimore 1 0 0 1.000 26 14 1-0 1-0
Cincinnati 1 0 0 1.000 23 17 1-0 1-0
Cleveland 0 1 0 .000 17 23 0-1 0-1
Pittsburgh 0 1 0 .000 14 26 0-1 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 1 0 0 1.000 28 15 1-0 1-0
Houston 1 0 0 1.000 17 16 1-0 1-0
Jacksonville 0 1 0 .000 16 17 0-1 0-1
Indianapolis 0 1 0 .000 15 28 0-1 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Buffalo 1 0 0 1.000 26 3 1-0 1-0
New York J 1 0 0 1.000 23 10 1-0 1-0
Miami 0 1 0 .000 10 23 0-1 0-1
New England 0 1 0 .000 3 26 0-1 0-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
San Diego 1 0 0 1.000 31 6 1-0 1-0
Denver 1 0 0 1.000 22 19 1-0 1-0
Oakland 0 1 0 .000 19 22 0-1 0-1
Kansas City 0 1 0 .000 6 31 0-1 0-1

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 1 0 0 1.000 21 14 1-0 1-0
Chicago 1 0 0 1.000 23 20 1-0 1-0
Green Bay 0 1 0 .000 20 23 0-1 0-1
Minnesota 0 1 0 .000 14 21 0-1 0-1

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tampa Bay 1 0 0 1.000 17 3 1-0 1-0
New Orleans 1 0 0 1.000 31 27 1-0 1-0
Atlanta 0 1 0 .000 27 31 0-1 0-1
Carolina 0 1 0 .000 3 17 0-1 0-1

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Washington 1 0 0 1.000 14 0 1-0 1-0
Philadelphia 1 0 0 1.000 26 21 1-0 1-0
Dallas 0 1 0 .000 21 26 0-1 0-1
New York G 0 1 0 .000 0 14 0-1 0-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Arizona 1 0 0 1.000 26 21 1-0 1-0
Seattle 1 0 0 1.000 24 21 1-0 1-0
St. Louis 0 1 0 .000 21 24 0-1 0-1
San Francisco 0 1 0 .000 21 26 0-1 0-1 


Team Summary



Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 0-1
Winning Pct. .000
All-Time 49-80
Winning Pct. .379
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 42-88
Winning Pct. .323
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 25.0 17 (T)
Rushing Yards 106.0 17
Yards Per Carry 4.24 12
Pass Attempts 43.0 5
Completions 20.0 16 (T)
Completion Pct. 46.5 28
Passing Yards 172.0 23
Yards Per Attempt 4.00 28
Yards Per Catch 8.60 29
Total Yardage Gained 261.0 26
3rd Down Conversions 47.1 11 (T)
Points Per Game 10.0 28
Pass Rush Pct. 7.0 16
Pass Defense Pct. 52.7 25
Turnovers 1 7 (T)
Turnover Margin +1 4 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 36.0 25 (T)
Rushing Yards 129.0 20 (T)
Yards Per Carry 3.58 11
Pass Attempts 26.0 6 (T)
Completions 20.0 16 (T)
Completion Pct. 76.9 28
Passing Yards 186.0 14
Yards Per Attempt 7.15 18
Yards Per Catch 9.30 10
Total Yardage Gained 310.0 15
3rd Down Conversions 56.3 29
Points Per Game 23.0 21 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 14.1 29
Pass Defense Pct. 76.2 25
Turnovers 2 4 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 CHI
3 CLE
4 at BUF
5 SDO
6 DEN
8 at KCY
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
7 D. Sanders QB 43 20 172 4.00 0 1 47.8
**Team --- 43 20 172 4.00 0 1 47.8
$$Opp --- 26 20 186 7.15 1 0 108.8

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 16 86 5.38 1 0
49 B. Henson RB 7 14 2.00 0 0
7 D. Sanders QB 2 6 3.00 0 0
**Team --- 25 106 4.24 1 2
$$Opp --- 36 129 3.58 0 4

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 8 6 68 11.33 8.50 0 0
85 P. Antonides WR 9 4 35 8.75 3.89 0 0
87 C. Swift WR 4 4 27 6.75 6.75 0 0
88 F. Cole WR 9 2 19 9.50 2.11 0 0
32 N. Newton RB 5 2 5 2.50 1.00 0 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 2 2 18 9.00 9.00 0 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 8 2 0.0 0 0 1 86.5
56 T. Dellinger OLB 7 1 0.0 0 0 0 76.0
21 H. King CB 6 0 0.0 0 0 0 45.3
34 R. Ballard S 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 76.9
41 B. Pirrup CB 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 73.3
93 E. McWilliams DE 3 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5
91 C. Cochrane ILB 3 3 0.0 0 0 0 52.5
72 D. Ward DE 2 3 0.0 0 0 0 82.5
48 A. Jarvis CB 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 55.9
75 N. Dobbins DT 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 73.9
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 73.3
43 A. Terry S 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 52.5
96 W. Cordon OLB 2 1 1.0 0 0 0 82.5
22 J. Sirialton S 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 75.3
26 A. Douglas CB 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 68.1
25 E. Wampus S 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 82.5
77 H. Hughes DE 1 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5
99 R. Petkovich DT 1 1 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
90 C. Burkhart DE 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 82.5
97 B. Gilmore DT 1 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5
80 E. Carruthers WR 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 82.5 

[DolphinFan1]

1978 Week two:



DOLPHINS WEATHER STORM IN MIAMI, BEAT CHICAGO



Miami-- With a 20 MPH wind and heavy downpours in Miami, the Dolphins defense came up big forcing 6 turnovers en route to a 27-3 win. Benjamin Kolodziejski got the start for the Dolphins, in place of Darrell Sanders, and all he did was go 25/30 for 233 yards and one touchdown and he also got offensive player of the week honors. But it was the Dolphins defense who took over a close game in the second half. With the game only 13-3 midway through the 3rd quarter, Chicago had the ball at the Miami 43. That's when the Miami defense came to life. Middle linebacker, Lincoln Alarcon intercepted a pass, and the Dolphins took over the game after that. Besides Alarcon, the revamped secondary forced 3 more interceptions and put the game away late in the 4th quarter when rookie safety, Richard Ballard intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.

The weather had a factor in the game early when Chicago had to punt on their first drive. With the wind at his back, punter Les Drake, had a 72 yard punt. Miami took the ball at their 20 and went right down the field and Kolodziejski found rookie flanker Erik Carruthers in the back of the endzone for the 2 yard touchdown pass and Miami was up quickly 7-0. Later in the quarter Chicago drives to the Miami 37 when safety Jerry Sirialton punches the ball free and cornerback Bert Pirrup recovers it at the Miami 44 yard line. The Dolphins take it down the field and settle for the 29 yard FG and for the second straight week they led early 10-0. But this week the outcome was much different. It was clear from the outset this was a different Miami defense than the one that let the Jets take over after the 1st quarter last week. They did allow the Bears to come right back and get a field goal to cut the lead to 10-3, but that was as close as they would get.

For the 2nd straight week a team keyed on the run and would not allow Miami star running back, Neal Newton beat them. He did manage 107 yards but only a 3.15 yards per carry. But he did have 4 runs of 10 yards or more. Which is more like his average. But Kolodziejski was the offfensive star in this one. He found open guys all day. Tight End Oliver Dunkelberger was a favorite target for the 2nd straight week as he caught 8 passes for 73 yards. He had 3 catches on 3rd downs which he converted for 1st downs.

But this was a team effort as the defense did their part only allowing Chicago 203 yards of total offense and only 3 points. The got pressure on the QB all day getting 4 sacks and knocking him down 4 times. They also blocked 3 passes to go along with the 4 interceptions. Everyone stepped up to play and this is just what the Dolphins fans expected when the Dolphins drafted defense in the first two rounds. They are going to need to keep this up to win the AFC East as the Jets won again.


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:

The New York Jets go to 2-0 to stay atop the AFC East when they come back to beat the Minnesota Vikings (0-2) by a score of 26-24. The Jets had the game well in hand leading 23-7 with just over 2 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter when Minnesota made a furious comeback scoring the next 17 points to take a 24-23 lead with 1:06 to play in the game. But Minnesota played too soft a defense and allowed the Jets to get into field goal range and Jackie Lofton hit his 4th field goal of the day with just 4 seconds to play to give the Jets the win.

In Green Bay, the Packers (1-1) brought the Buffalo Bills (1-1) back down to earth, by beating the Bills 28-0. But the Buffalo defense kept this one scoreless until the Packers scored 2 touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes just before halftime to take a 14 point lead into the locker room. After that it was all Packers. The Green Bay defense forced 6 turnovers and didn't allow the Buffalo offense inside their 20 yard line all day. The Bills are still without their 1st round pick cornerback Wayne Durham who has not signed his rookie contract yet. No word on the progress of the talks between the Bills and Durham's agent.

The AFC East favorites to win the division fell to 0-2 when they lost in Detroit (2-0). The Lions scored the winning touchdown with 6 minutes to go in the game to win 21-17.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK TWO:


The Offensive Player of the Week was Miami QB- Benjamin Kolodiejski who was 25/30 for 233 yards and a touchdown leading the Dolphins to a 27-3 win over the Chicago Bears.

The Defensive Player of the Week was Cincinnati DE- Derek Dixon. He had 5 tackles, 2 assists and 3 sacks. He also added 2 hurries, a forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown in the Bengals 31-3 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The power rankings have changed a little with Philadelphia, New Orleans and Denver the top three and all 2-0. Denver had an easy time with a 26-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals (1-1). New Orleans was down 9-0 with 12 minutes to go in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2), but scored twice to go on to win 10-9. In Jacksonville (0-2), Philadelphia had their hands full and needed a last second field goal to force overtime and then won it with an impressive touchdown drive to remain undefeated.

In San Francisco (0-2), the 49ers lost to the Oakland Raiders (1-1) when rookie running back Kenneth Brocklebank kept up his amazing running when he had 115 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown and a 6.05 yards per carry. Picked 3rd in the draft after most experts had him going #1 or #2, Brocklebank is showing the two teams that passed on him that he would have been worth the top pick in the draft.

On the injury front:

New Orleans lost starting strong safety Alan Longfellow for about 7 weeks with broken ribs. Longfellow, drafted in the 2nd round in 1975, has been a solid starter for the Saints since he was drafted and his injury will hurt the New Orleans defense.

The Carolina Panthers lost starting LT- James Van Pelt for the season when he went down with ACL tear in his knee. Van Pelt was a 1st round pick in 1975 and has started every game in his career. He will be missed on the Carolina offensive line.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Baltimore 2 0 0 1.000 60 24 1-0 1-0
Cincinnati 2 0 0 1.000 54 20 1-0 1-0
Pittsburgh 0 2 0 .000 23 36 0-1 0-1
Cleveland 0 2 0 .000 41 50 0-1 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 2 0 0 1.000 40 37 1-0 1-0
Tennessee 2 0 0 1.000 52 31 1-0 1-0
Jacksonville 0 2 0 .000 43 50 0-1 0-1
Indianapolis 0 2 0 .000 15 59 0-1 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 2 0 0 1.000 49 34 1-0 1-0
Buffalo 1 1 0 .500 26 31 1-0 1-0
Miami 1 1 0 .500 37 26 0-1 0-1
New England 0 2 0 .000 20 47 0-1 0-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 2 0 0 1.000 48 26 1-0 1-0
San Diego 1 1 0 .500 34 40 1-0 1-0
Oakland 1 1 0 .500 46 38 0-1 0-1
Kansas City 0 2 0 .000 23 55 0-1 0-1

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 2 0 0 1.000 42 31 1-0 1-0
Chicago 1 1 0 .500 26 47 1-0 1-0
Green Bay 1 1 0 .500 48 23 0-1 0-1
Minnesota 0 2 0 .000 38 47 0-1 0-1

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 2 0 0 1.000 41 36 1-0 1-0
Tampa Bay 1 1 0 .500 27 37 1-0 1-0
Atlanta 1 1 0 .500 54 55 0-1 0-1
Carolina 0 2 0 .000 6 48 0-1 0-1

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 2 0 0 1.000 59 48 1-0 1-0
Washington 1 1 0 .500 35 23 1-0 1-0
Dallas 1 1 0 .500 52 26 0-1 0-1
New York G 0 2 0 .000 16 38 0-1 0-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 2 0 0 1.000 58 24 1-0 1-0
Arizona 1 1 0 .500 33 47 1-0 1-0
St. Louis 1 1 0 .500 45 41 0-1 0-1
San Francisco 0 2 0 .000 37 53 0-1 0-1 


Team Summary after week two:




Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 1-1
Winning Pct. .500
All-Time 50-80
Winning Pct. .384
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 43-88
Winning Pct. .328
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 34.5 6 (T)
Rushing Yards 122.0 13
Yards Per Carry 3.54 28
Pass Attempts 36.5 9 (T)
Completions 22.5 10 (T)
Completion Pct. 61.6 14
Passing Yards 202.5 17
Yards Per Attempt 5.55 24
Yards Per Catch 9.00 26
Total Yardage Gained 316.0 16
3rd Down Conversions 51.5 1
Points Per Game 18.5 19 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 8.8 10
Pass Defense Pct. 72.6 11
Turnovers 2 8 (T)
Turnover Margin +6 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 26.0 10 (T)
Rushing Yards 101.0 9 (T)
Yards Per Carry 3.88 14
Pass Attempts 30.5 14
Completions 17.5 9 (T)
Completion Pct. 57.4 11
Passing Yards 173.0 10
Yards Per Attempt 5.67 11
Yards Per Catch 9.89 10 (T)
Total Yardage Gained 256.5 8
3rd Down Conversions 40.7 20 (T)
Points Per Game 13.0 6 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 8.0 21
Pass Defense Pct. 63.5 10
Turnovers 8 3

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 CLE
4 at BUF
5 SDO
6 DEN
8 at KCY
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
7 D. Sanders QB 43 20 172 4.00 0 1 47.8
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 30 25 233 7.77 1 0 110.1
**Team --- 73 45 405 5.55 1 1 75.4
$$Opp --- 61 35 346 5.67 1 4 51.6

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 50 193 3.86 1 0
49 B. Henson RB 12 25 2.08 1 1
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 4 21 5.25 0 0
**Team --- 69 244 3.54 2 3
$$Opp --- 52 202 3.88 0 7

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 17 14 141 10.07 8.29 0 0
85 P. Antonides WR 15 8 97 12.13 6.47 0 0
88 F. Cole WR 14 7 86 12.29 6.14 0 0
32 N. Newton RB 10 7 16 2.29 1.60 0 0
87 C. Swift WR 5 4 27 6.75 5.40 1 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 3 3 27 9.00 9.00 0 0
80 E. Carruthers WR 4 2 11 5.50 2.75 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 13 5 0.0 0 1 1 88.1
56 T. Dellinger OLB 11 1 1.0 0 0 0 75.1
21 H. King CB 9 0 0.0 0 0 0 63.7
77 H. Hughes DE 6 2 2.0 3 0 0 82.5
34 R. Ballard S 6 3 0.0 0 1 1 93.0
22 J. Sirialton S 5 3 0.0 0 1 0 82.1
41 B. Pirrup CB 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 74.4
93 E. McWilliams DE 4 1 1.0 2 0 0 82.5
26 A. Douglas CB 3 2 0.0 0 1 1 96.1
48 A. Jarvis CB 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 63.9
91 C. Cochrane ILB 3 4 0.0 0 0 0 65.7
75 N. Dobbins DT 3 2 0.0 1 0 0 79.9
97 B. Gilmore DT 3 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5
43 A. Terry S 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 68.8
96 W. Cordon OLB 3 1 1.0 0 0 0 82.5
72 D. Ward DE 2 4 0.0 0 0 0 82.5
99 R. Petkovich DT 2 1 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 77.3 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK TWO OF THE 1978 SEASON:


Welcome to another edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. We have a lot of news so let's get started.

Let's start first with Miami's impressive win over the Chicago Bears. Last week we talked about how this defense had to mesh and force some turnovers. Well, they did that and more forcing 6 turnovers en route to a 27-3 drubbing in a downpour with gusts of wind over 20 MPH. Somewhat of a surprise was the starting quarterback for the Dolphins. Apparently the Miami coaching staff decided that Darrell Sanders didn't do a good enough job last week. Third year QB- Benjamin Kolodiejski got the start. He stepped up and made plays when it was clear that the Bears focused on running back Neal Newton. He also got offensive player of the week honors. Let's look over some of the stats on the game:

Kolodziejski was 25/30 for 233 yards and 1 TD. He also rushed 4 times for 21 yards.
Newton had 107 yards on 34 carries.
Henson had only 11 yards on 4 carries but he had a TD and a costly fumble lost at the one yard line of Chicago.
Dunkelberger had 8 catches for 73 yards.
Cole had 5 catches for 67 yards.
Antonides had 4 catches for 62 yards.
Carruthers had only 2 catches but one was a TD.
The Miami Defense forced 6 turnovers and had a one interception returned for a TD.
The OL allowed no sacks.
The Dolphins had the ball for 39 minutes.
They were 9/16 on 3rd down conversions.

Two disturbing stats:

Rookie Running Back Burt Henson fumbled the ball inside the Chicago one yard line. He did that in preseason trying to reach for the endzone.
The Dolphins committed 11 penalties for 95 yards.

All in all a great team performance where everyone stepped up. Word out of Miami is that Sanders isn't happy about being benched. But the coaching staff is standing firm by their decision as they have told us they intend to go with Kolodziejski for the rest of the season unless an injury forces a change.

The Dolphins came out of the Chicago game with only one new injury. MLB- Christian Cochrane has knee tendinitis but is not expected to miss any playing time.

As for the existing injuries:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
RB- Crichlow is probable with his strained deltoid muscle. He could play but the medical staff is advising one more week off.
CB- Pirrup (ribcage) and Jarvis (broken toe) are almost 100% and played last week.

So, the Dolphins had a good week with a good game. The only negative was the hated Jets won again so they still trail in the division. But it's early yet. If the Dolphins can keep up the momentum against Cleveland next week, they could go on a run.

The early report on the game next week is it will be a nice 84 degree day and no wind. A big change from this week. Miami is the early favorite by 3 points.

We'll be back next week will all the team news.

[larrymcg421]

"It's about time they put Kolodiejski in. Sanders is a has been that had very little upside. With Kolodiejski at the helm, I think we can make a real run at the playoffs."

[DolphinFan1]

1978 WEEK THREE:


MIAMI AND CLEVELAND LEAVE DEFENSES AT HOME


Miami-- The Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins combined for 77 points and 858 yards of offense in a back and forth contest that saw the Browns outlast the Dolphins 42-35. The winning score came with 1:44 to play in the game. It was the 4th possession in a row which resulted in a touchdown for the Browns, the last three were 80 yard drives or more. But while the Dolphins defense gave up long drives, the offense did it's best to win the game. The Dolphins scored on three straight possessions of their own to continue to tie the game, but it wasn't enough.

The game didn't start with the defenses staying home. There were 6 possessions in the 1st quarter with the only score a Miami 34 yard FG, but the drive was only 9 yards. Miami forced 2 turnovers in the 1st quarter and they also missed a 48 yard FG. But after the 1st quarter, the offenses of both teams took over the game.

Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski wasn't as sharp as last week, but he didn't lose the game for the Dolphins either. Making only his 3rd career start, he kept leading his team down the field mixing the run and pass well. Miami RB Neal Newton did what he could as he rushed for 194 yards on 24 carries and 1 touchdown. But while the Miami duo of Newton and Kolodziejski was good, the Cleveland trio of QB James Morris, RB Donnell Graham and WR Paul McNeil was better. Morris was 22/28 for 314 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Graham had 91 rushes on 16 carries and 2 touchdowns. McNeil had 5 catches for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The score was just 10-7 with under two minutes to go in the 1st half when both teams struck for touchdowns on quick drives to make the halftime score 17-14 Miami.

The 3rd quarter only had one score by Cleveland and the lead was 21-17.

Then the offenses really took over and scored on 6 straight possessions. But ultimately it was the Cleveland offense who was better on this day.

AFC EAST ROUNDUP:


The New York Jets continue their surprising run with their 3rd win in as many games by beating the Indianapolis Colts 33-17. Many predicted the Jets to be fighting to just make the playoffs never mind leading the division by 2 games this early on. But that was based on the fact that their starting QB, Ike Hansen started the year holding out. Now that he came back just in time to start the regular season, Many experts are revising that prediction and now have the Jets winning the division.

The Buffalo Bills have come down to earth following their opening week win and lost their second in a row to fall to 1-2. The Baltimore Ravens simply pounded the ball in the 30-7 win. There was good news for Buffalo. The Bills front office finally came to an agreement with their 1st round draft pick, CB Wayne Durham. But it was the Bills who finally changed their offer and that was what ultimately led to the deal being signed. It is reported as being a 5 year/$22.5 million deal.

In Tennessee, the New England Patriots finally broke into the win column with a 33-7 drubbing of the Titans. From the opening drive to the end of the game, the Patriots dominated the game. The Titans only managed 125 yards of offense and New England, who many had picked to win the AFC East, had the ball for over 43 minutes in the win.

OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK THREE:


The Offensive Player of the Week was Philadelphia QB- Stephen Gulley. He was 25/34 for 349 yards with 5 touchdowns in leading his team to a 3-0 record in the 35-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Defensive Player of the Week was Houston FS- Neil Ortega. He had 1 tackle, 2 interceptions and 2 passes defended in a 30-14 win over the Oakland Raiders.

The New Orleans Saints have jumped ahead of the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles in the Power Rankings. This is due to the Saints easy win over 37-13 win over the St. Louis Rams. While the Saints had an easy time, the Broncos and Eagles had much tougher battle. For the 2nd straight week, the Eagles had to come from behind in the final minutes to win the game. Offensive Player of the Week, Stephen Gulley completed his 5th touchdown pass of the game with just 1:14 to play to lead his team to a 3-0 record. But while the Eagles won, it wasn't without cost. Gulley went down following the winning drive with a strained hamstring. His status is questionable, but the Eagles have a bye so he may be ready for the game following the bye week.

As for the rookie holdouts, while Buffalo CB Wayne Durham signed and will join the team next week, Houston DT Conrad Harvey has failed to come to an agreement with the team. But this hasn't stopped the Texans from posting a 3-0 record.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Baltimore 3 0 0 1.000 90 31 2-0 1-0
Cincinnati 2 1 0 .667 82 58 1-1 1-0
Pittsburgh 1 2 0 .333 39 43 1-1 0-1
Cleveland 1 2 0 .333 83 85 1-1 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 3 0 0 1.000 70 51 2-0 1-0
Tennessee 2 1 0 .667 59 64 1-1 1-0
Jacksonville 0 3 0 .000 53 67 0-2 0-1
Indianapolis 0 3 0 .000 32 92 0-2 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 3 0 0 1.000 82 51 2-0 1-0
Buffalo 1 2 0 .333 33 61 1-1 1-0
New England 1 2 0 .333 53 54 1-1 0-1
Miami 1 2 0 .333 72 68 0-2 0-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 3 0 0 1.000 86 54 2-0 1-0
San Diego 1 2 0 .333 41 56 1-1 1-0
Kansas City 1 2 0 .333 40 65 1-1 0-1
Oakland 1 2 0 .333 60 68 0-2 0-1

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 3 0 0 1.000 79 38 2-0 1-0
Chicago 2 1 0 .667 62 67 2-0 1-0
Green Bay 1 2 0 .333 55 54 0-2 0-1
Minnesota 0 3 0 .000 51 70 0-2 0-1

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 3 0 0 1.000 78 49 2-0 1-0
Tampa Bay 1 2 0 .333 58 72 1-1 1-0
Carolina 1 2 0 .333 29 55 1-1 0-1
Atlanta 1 2 0 .333 81 83 0-2 0-1

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 3 0 0 1.000 94 79 2-0 1-0
Dallas 2 1 0 .667 75 39 1-1 0-1
Washington 1 2 0 .333 42 46 1-1 1-0
New York G 0 3 0 .000 23 75 0-2 0-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 3 0 0 1.000 86 51 2-0 1-0
Arizona 1 2 0 .333 53 83 1-1 1-0
San Francisco 1 2 0 .333 68 60 1-1 0-1
St. Louis 1 2 0 .333 58 78 0-2 0-1 

Team summary after week 3


Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 1-2
Winning Pct. .333
All-Time 50-81
Winning Pct. .381
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 43-89
Winning Pct. .325
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 34.0 6 (T)
Rushing Yards 153.3 4 (T)
Yards Per Carry 4.51 5
Pass Attempts 33.0 16
Completions 19.7 17
Completion Pct. 59.6 19
Passing Yards 198.3 16
Yards Per Attempt 6.01 21
Yards Per Catch 10.08 21 (T)
Total Yardage Gained 339.7 13
3rd Down Conversions 48.9 1
Points Per Game 24.0 12
Pass Rush Pct. 6.8 16
Pass Defense Pct. 67.0 17
Turnovers 2 4 (T)
Turnover Margin +8 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 28.3 14 (T)
Rushing Yards 123.7 25
Yards Per Carry 4.36 25
Pass Attempts 29.7 11 (T)
Completions 19.0 13 (T)
Completion Pct. 64.0 21
Passing Yards 220.0 17
Yards Per Attempt 7.42 22
Yards Per Catch 11.58 24
Total Yardage Gained 328.0 20
3rd Down Conversions 43.2 25
Points Per Game 22.7 22 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 9.8 28 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 60.4 8
Turnovers 10 2 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 at BUF
5 SDO
6 DEN
8 at KCY
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 56 39 423 7.55 3 0 109.4
7 D. Sanders QB 43 20 172 4.00 0 1 47.8
**Team --- 99 59 595 6.01 3 1 82.7
$$Opp --- 89 57 660 7.42 5 5 81.6

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 74 387 5.23 2 0
49 B. Henson RB 16 34 2.13 2 2
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 9 34 3.78 0 1
**Team --- 102 460 4.51 4 5
$$Opp --- 85 371 4.36 2 9

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 21 16 168 10.50 8.00 1 0
85 P. Antonides WR 19 10 163 16.30 8.58 0 1
87 C. Swift WR 13 8 98 12.25 7.54 1 1
32 N. Newton RB 11 8 21 2.63 1.91 0 0
88 F. Cole WR 14 7 86 12.29 6.14 0 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 7 6 41 6.83 5.86 0 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 23 10 0.0 0 1 2 84.5
56 T. Dellinger OLB 15 2 1.0 0 1 0 78.8
21 H. King CB 15 0 0.0 0 0 0 61.2
34 R. Ballard S 9 5 0.0 0 1 2 89.2
77 H. Hughes DE 8 5 3.0 4 0 0 82.5
22 J. Sirialton S 7 4 0.0 0 1 0 78.3
93 E. McWilliams DE 6 1 1.0 2 0 0 82.5
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 6 2 0.0 0 0 0 69.0
48 A. Jarvis CB 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 69.7
41 B. Pirrup CB 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 74.7
91 C. Cochrane ILB 5 6 0.0 0 0 0 65.9
99 R. Petkovich DT 5 3 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
26 A. Douglas CB 4 2 0.0 0 1 1 89.7
75 N. Dobbins DT 4 2 0.0 1 0 0 80.6
96 W. Cordon OLB 4 1 1.0 0 0 0 78.6
72 D. Ward DE 3 4 0.0 0 0 0 82.5
97 B. Gilmore DT 3 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5
43 A. Terry S 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 71.4 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK THREE:


What a difference a week makes. The Dolphins couldn't keep the momentum from last week as the defense couldn't stop the Cleveland Browns offense. The only consolation is the Miami offense put up 35 points of their own and Newton broke out for 194 yards. But the defense couldn't make a play when they needed to. To make matters worse, Miami heads to Buffalo next week and the Bills have finally come to an agreement with their 1st round pick, CB Wayne Durham. But he should be a little rusty as he has not practiced with the team at all yet.

Let's take a look at some of the stats from the Cleveland game:

The Dolphins offense had 387 yards of total offense but the defense allowed 471.
For the second straight game the Dolphins committed over 10 penalties. They had 10 for 117 yards.
RB- Newton had 194 yards on 24 carries and 1 TD. He had 5 rushes of over 10 yards.
The rookie Henson had a TD but fumbled the ball again and Miami recovered.
Kolodziejski was 14/26 for 190 yards and 2 TD.
SE- Swift led the team with 4 catches for 71 yards and a TD.
MLB- Alarcon led the team with 10 tackles, 5 assists, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovered. He also had a pass defended.
The OL allowed 3 sacks.

The Dolphins came out of the Cleveland game injury free. CB- Adrian Douglas left the game for a few plays but returned.

Injuries:

CB- Barkley - OUT - Hamstring pull - IR.
MLB- Cochrane - Probable - Knee tendinitis - about 3 weeks.

CB- Douglas - 100%.
CB- Jarvis - 100%.
CB- Pirrup - 100%.
RB - Crichlow - 100%.

The report we have is Crichlow will play as the 3rd down back and give Newton a break in some spots. Henson will be inactive as the coaching staff thought he had his fumble problems solved.

The Dolphins are heading to Buffalo and are tied with New England and the Bills at 1-2 with the Jets leading the entire division by 2 games. This is a must win if there is one this early in the season. If the Dolphins want to have any serious hope to win the division or make the playoffs, they can't lose another game to a division opponent and fall further behind.

The early preview on the game: It will be sunny and about 41 degrees with a mild 1 mph wind. Buffalo is favored by one. Three former Dolphins are expected to be in the starting lineup. QB- Karl Tudrick (1975), SLB- Christian Howard (1973-1975) and FS- Chester Pearson (1974-1977).

[DolphinFan1]

1978 WEEK FOUR:


DOLPHINS KEEP BUFFALO REELING, SEND THE BILLS TO THIRD STRAIGHT DEFEAT

Buffalo-- The Buffalo Bills shocked everyone by beating the then favorites to win the AFC East New England Patriots in week one. But since then they have lost three straight. Even with finally coming to terms with 1st round draft pick CB Wayne Durham, the Bills had no chance in this one.

The Miami Dolphins forced 7 turnovers and now have a league high 17 on the season with a +14 turnover margin. This is a team that had only forced 20 turnovers all of last year. They went out and basically replaced 80% of the secondary. The front office and coaching staff wanted impact players. Well, it's seems they have it.

Trouble started early for the Bills. The Dolphins drove down the field on the opening drive of the game, but had to settle for a 40 yard FG. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Miami rookie backup tight end, Vincent Crowell, forces a fumble and middle linebacker, Lincoln Alarcon recovers for Miami at the Buffalo 27. Miami didn't waste any time as on the 1st play following the turnover, running back Neal Newton runs through a huge hole created by center, Derrick Mohr. Newton went 27 yards to the endzone and Miami led early 10-0.

So the Bills were in a 10-0 hole and their offense hadn't even been on the field yet. It just got worse as surprise starter at QB, Sam McNight, threw an interception on Buffalo's 1st drive. Miami rookie safety, Richard Ballard, gave Miami the ball back at their 20. Newton continued to rip off chunks of yardage, but Miami stalled and settled for another FG. So, even with the 2 turnovers, Buffalo was only down 13-0 after one quarter.

But it just got worse as Buffalo continued to hurt themselves all day with turnovers on promising drives. The Miami defense was all over the field, and in the end it was Miami dominating in a 37-9 win. This was as close to a must win as you could get this early in the season. Miami trailed the AFC East leading New York Jets by 2 games coming in and already lost to them once. The Jets had won their game earlier, so they needed to keep them in striking distance.

Miami RB Neal Newton, kept up his league leading pace by rushing for 142 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. He had 6 rushes of 10 or more yards. Add to that, he had 5 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown and Buffalo had no chance. In his third start this year, Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski was solid again as he went 19/29 for 194 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Now the question becomes, can the Dolphins put together two wins in a row?

AFC EAST ROUNDUP:

The Bills loss to the Dolphins was even worse after the game. It was learned that solid backup running back, Bart Thomason will be out for the rest of the season with reconstructive knee surgery. Add to that, they also lost starting center, Del Cantrall for about 8 weeks with a broken fibula.

In Kansas City, the New York Jets held off the Chiefs 14-12 to stay undefeated at 4-0. It was a defensive battle for most of the game with the score just 7-0 New York midway through the 3rd quarter. The Jets added another touchdown from QB Donnie Peterson, starting in place of the injured Ike Hanson. But the Chiefs (1-3), wouldn't go away. The climbed back in the game with a couple of FGs and a touchdown (missed extra point) with just 6 minutes to play in the game and trailed only 14-12. The Chiefs held and got the ball back with just under 3 to play. They had the ball at the New York 27 and a 1st down with 1:25 to play. But then they committed two penalties to push the ball back to the New York 42. Then they missed a long 59 yard FG with under a minute to play which would have given them the victory.

In New England, the Patriots fell to 1-3 on the year when they blew a 19-7 lead with 3 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter. The Oakland Raiders (2-2), won despite the Patriots holding rookie running back sensation Kenneth Brocklebank to only 73 yards on the ground.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK FOUR:


The Offensive Player of the Week is Tampa Bay QB- Delarious Odom for the 2nd time this year. He was 25/33 for 244 yards with 3 touchdowns leading his team to a 27-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Defensive Player of the Week is Green Bay DE- Norbert Pariso. He had 6 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 block, 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns. He also forced a fumble.

On the injury front:

The Chicago Bears lost starting LDE- Deke Edwards for the season with a ruptured achilles tendon.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 1st round draft pick, CB- Skip Russett 63 weeks with ACL Knee Surgery. Russett was the 16th pick in this year's draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars injury woes continue. Already without starting QB- Anthony Christie for at least another 6 weeks from his broken fibula, they lost starting SS- John Middleton for about 8 weeks with a broken clavicle. If that wasn't enough, they lost starting center Drew Barrett for the year with a ruptured elbow tendon.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Baltimore 4 0 0 1.000 121 40 3-0 1-0
Cincinnati 3 1 0 .750 95 65 2-1 1-0
Pittsburgh 2 2 0 .500 60 50 2-1 0-1
Cleveland 1 3 0 .250 86 111 1-2 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 3 1 0 .750 77 72 2-1 1-0
Tennessee 3 1 0 .750 85 67 2-1 1-0
Indianapolis 0 4 0 .000 41 123 0-3 0-1
Jacksonville 0 4 0 .000 60 80 0-3 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 4 0 0 1.000 96 63 3-0 1-0
Miami 2 2 0 .500 109 77 1-2 1-1
Buffalo 1 3 0 .250 42 98 1-2 1-1
New England 1 3 0 .250 72 78 1-2 0-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 3 0 0 1.000 86 54 2-0 1-0
Oakland 2 2 0 .500 84 87 1-2 0-1
San Diego 1 2 0 .333 41 56 1-1 1-0
Kansas City 1 3 0 .250 52 79 1-2 0-1

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 3 1 0 .750 106 66 2-1 1-0
Chicago 2 2 0 .500 74 88 2-1 1-0
Green Bay 2 2 0 .500 96 68 1-2 1-1
Minnesota 0 4 0 .000 65 111 0-3 0-2

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 4 0 0 1.000 106 76 3-0 1-0
Tampa Bay 2 2 0 .500 85 85 2-1 2-0
Carolina 2 2 0 .500 50 67 2-1 0-1
Atlanta 1 3 0 .250 94 110 0-3 0-2

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 3 0 0 1.000 94 79 2-0 1-0
Dallas 2 1 0 .667 75 39 1-1 0-1
Washington 1 3 0 .250 55 67 1-2 1-0
New York G 1 3 0 .250 43 81 1-2 0-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 4 0 0 1.000 107 64 3-0 1-0
St. Louis 2 2 0 .500 79 92 1-2 1-1
Arizona 1 3 0 .250 59 103 1-2 1-0
San Francisco 1 3 0 .250 82 81 1-2 0-2 





Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 2-2
Winning Pct. .500
All-Time 51-81
Winning Pct. .386
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 44-89
Winning Pct. .330
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 31.8 9
Rushing Yards 155.3 3
Yards Per Carry 4.89 3
Pass Attempts 32.0 17 (T)
Completions 19.5 18
Completion Pct. 60.9 15
Passing Yards 197.3 18
Yards Per Attempt 6.16 17
Yards Per Catch 10.12 20
Total Yardage Gained 343.5 11
3rd Down Conversions 44.1 5
Points Per Game 27.3 4
Pass Rush Pct. 7.4 14 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 74.8 6
Turnovers 3 5 (T)
Turnover Margin +14 1

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 28.0 17
Rushing Yards 131.3 26
Yards Per Carry 4.69 29
Pass Attempts 34.8 22 (T)
Completions 20.3 16 (T)
Completion Pct. 58.3 13 (T)
Passing Yards 240.3 22
Yards Per Attempt 6.91 21
Yards Per Catch 11.86 28
Total Yardage Gained 352.8 26
3rd Down Conversions 43.4 25
Points Per Game 19.3 16
Pass Rush Pct. 8.0 21
Pass Defense Pct. 64.0 12
Turnovers 17 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 SDO
6 DEN
8 at KCY
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 85 58 617 7.26 5 1 103.9
7 D. Sanders QB 43 20 172 4.00 0 1 47.8
**Team --- 128 78 789 6.16 5 2 85.0
$$Opp --- 139 81 961 6.91 5 9 64.4

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 93 529 5.69 3 0
49 B. Henson RB 16 34 2.13 2 2
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 9 34 3.78 0 1
**Team --- 127 621 4.89 5 5
$$Opp --- 112 525 4.69 3 12

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 32 18 293 16.28 9.16 0 2
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 21 16 168 10.50 8.00 1 0
32 N. Newton RB 18 13 56 4.31 3.11 0 1
87 C. Swift WR 15 10 118 11.80 7.87 1 1
88 F. Cole WR 16 8 89 11.13 5.56 0 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 8 7 44 6.29 5.50 0 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 35 13 0.0 1 1 4 84.3
56 T. Dellinger OLB 21 3 1.0 0 2 0 77.8
21 H. King CB 17 2 0.0 0 1 1 72.9
93 E. McWilliams DE 13 2 3.5 3 0 0 82.5
22 J. Sirialton S 11 5 0.0 0 1 0 77.3
77 H. Hughes DE 11 6 3.5 7 0 0 81.5
34 R. Ballard S 11 6 0.0 0 2 4 94.0
41 B. Pirrup CB 9 3 0.0 0 0 0 74.1
48 A. Jarvis CB 8 0 0.0 0 0 1 72.3
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 8 2 0.0 0 1 0 80.1
26 A. Douglas CB 7 2 0.0 0 1 1 81.6
96 W. Cordon OLB 7 1 1.0 0 0 0 75.3
75 N. Dobbins DT 6 3 1.0 2 0 0 81.4
91 C. Cochrane ILB 5 8 0.0 0 0 0 70.8
99 R. Petkovich DT 5 3 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
97 B. Gilmore DT 4 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK FOUR:



The Miami Dolphins came back strong and forced 7 turnovers. Is this the impact everyone wanted? They have 17 turnovers already. The team record is only 37 set in 1972. The league record is 41, set by the Green Bay Packers in 1976. The Dolphins are on a pace to shatter both those records. The defense is making things happen and while Kolodziejski isn't setting records of his own, he is making plays when he has to and Newton is running as good as ever.

Let's look at some stats on the game:

The Dolphins still had 9 penalties for 73 yards. That is a concern.
They were also only 3/12 on 3rd down conversions.
On the positive side, we already mentioned the 7 turnovers forced.

RB- Newton had 142 yards on 19 carries and 1 TD. He also had 5 catches for 35 yards and a TD. Also 6 rushes of 10+ yards.
QB- Kolodziejski was 19/29 for 194 yards with 2 TD and 1 interception.
WR- Antonides had 8 catches for 130 yards and 1 TD.
MLB- Alarcon had 12 tackles, 3 assists, 2 passes defended and a fumble recovery.
DE- McWilliams had 7 tackles, 1 assist, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles with one recovery. He also had 1 block, 1 hurry and 3 knockdowns.
Rookie Safety Richard Ballard had 1 interception and 2 passes defended.
Rookie Cornerback Hunter King had 1 interception and 1 pass defended.

The OL allowed no sacks.

Injuries:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
MLB- Cochrane is probable for 2 more weeks with knee tendinitis. He has been playing with it.

New injury is to backup center Everett Hickman. He is questionable for about 5 weeks with a torn thumb ligament.

The preview on the game next week. The San Diego Chargers (1-2) come to Miami. The early weather report is heavy rain and 92 degrees with a 24 mph wind. Much like the game against Chicago a few weeks ago. Hopefully the defense can have a game like the one last week against the Bills. Miami is the early favorite by one.


Let's take a quick look at our rookies through the first four weeks:

1(24) Safety- Richard Ballard- He has 2 interceptions and one for a TD. He has 4 passes defended and only 3 caught against him. A 94 pass defense pct. Also 11 tackles, 6 assists and a forced fumble. Early report on the pick. He is showing he is worth the 1st round pick.

2(10) CB- Hunter King- Had a great preseason. Not so good so far. Has 17 tackles, 2 assists, 1 interception and one pass defended. There have been 14 balls caught against him. Pass defense pct. is 72.9. Early report on the pick. He has some development to go. He played well last week. He should turn out to be worth the 2nd round pick spent on him.

3(25) OG- Marco Williamson- Hasn't played much as a backup to Springer and Lee. Has good potential. Early report on the pick. So far not worth a 3rd round pick.

4(13) WLB- Wes Cordon- Playing as a backup to Kimbrell, has 7 tackles and 1 assist. He also has a sack. Early report on the pick. As a backup he has played ok. If he develops as Kimbrell's replacement, could be a steal as a 4th rounder. As for now, it is still up in the air.

4(28) FB- Shaun Pihos- Playing only as a backup to Hedgepeth and special teams. A non factor so far.

4(31) RB- Burt Henson- Only has 34 yards on 16 carries, but 2 TD. He has had fumble problems which has led to him being inactive since Crichlow has come back from injury. Early report on the pick. If he doesn't correct his fumble problems, he could be gone soon.

5(18) TE- Vincent Crowell- A backup to Dunkelberger. Has been a good special teams player. If he develops could be a good value pick in the 5th round.

6(17) WR- Erik Carruthers- The 4th receiver only has 2 catches but one was a TD. And one of his catches was a 3rd down conversion for a 1st down. For a 6th round pick he is worth it. He is raw and if he develops even a little could be a good receiver.

7(16) FS- Austin Peterson- The 5th safety with some off the field issues. Hasn't played at all except for 4 plays on special teams. A non factor, but for a 7th round pick, not much risk. He may develop into something someday as he has high volatility.

7(22) WR- Graham Langen
7(24) LB- Scott Hickman
7(30) DT- Archie Briggs

All three have been inactive for the first four games.

[larrymcg421]

Kolodziejski looks like the real deal.

[DolphinFan1]

Kolodziejski looks like the real deal.

I have to get used to the fact of the ratings and that they don't always tell the whole story. He's only 33/51. But playing better than that. Of course, Sanders is a mentor, but he is not happy now being benched. But this is Kolodziejski's final year of his rookie contract. I need to see if he is worth starter money. Let's hope he can keep it up.

Of course having a stud running back like Newton and solid receivers and OL help him a lot.

[larrymcg421]

I have to get used to the fact of the ratings and that they don't always tell the whole story. He's only 33/51. But playing better than that. Of course, Sanders is a mentor, but he is not happy now being benched. But this is Kolodziejski's final year of his rookie contract. I need to see if he is worth starter money. Let's hope he can keep it up.

Of course having a stud running back like Newton and solid receivers and OL help him a lot.

If you think he can reach that 51 potential, then I'd say he's definitely worth starter money. With Newton, you don't need a stud QB, just someone who won't throw picks. So far it seems that Kolodziejski's hidden Avoid INT rating is pretty good.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI'S JECKEL AND HYDE SEASON CONTINUES

Miami-- The Miami Dolphins can't seem to string together two wins in a row. The San Diego Chargers came into Miami and stopped the potent Miami offense 23-6. The Chargers forced 3 turnovers and blocked a punt for a touchdown. The Dolphins came into the week with the highest turnover ratio in the league at +14, but you wouldn't know it. All of Miami's turnovers were from starting QB Benjamin Kolodziejski. He fumbled twice on two sacks and threw one interception. The Dolphins running game wasn't much better. Neal Newton, the league's leading rusher, started the game with a 55 yard run. He finished the day with only 69 yards on 15 carries. His lowest output this season.

San Diego had only forced 4 turnovers in their first three games this year, but in the wind and rain they stacked the line against Newton all day. They dared Kolodziejski to throw but Miami kept trying to run. When they did try to throw, Kolodziejski threw into a stiff wind and was picked off, only his 2nd this year. Miami only tried to throw 5 times in the 1st half when the score was only 13-0 San Diego. They were dedicated to the run. But in the 2nd half they tried to pass more and had some success until Kolodziejski was sacked and fumbled for the 2nd time in the game.

The Miami defense played well given the turnovers and San Diego getting the short field all day. But they didn't force any turnovers. The Dolphins actually outgained the Chargers 251-177 yards. But the Dolphins had 16 penalties for 117 yards with many of them coming on returns.

San Diego moves to 2-2 with the win. Miami drops to 2-3 and fall 3 full games behind the New York Jets in the AFC East who won again to go 5-0.


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:


The New York Jets stayed unbeaten by overcoming a 10-0 first quarter deficit to take command in the AFC East by beating the New England Patriots 35-28. The Jets got starting QB- Ike Hanson back from injury and all he did was go 23/35 for 302 yards with 4 TD and 1 interception. He also rushed for a TD. The Patriots fell to 1-4 with the loss.

The Buffalo Bills lost their 4th in a row to fall to 1-4. The Denver Broncos returned from their bye week and won 38-13 to go to 4-0. The Bills look to be headed for another high round draft pick.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK FIVE:


The Offensive Player of the Week was Denver QB- Marcus King. He was 20/25 for 270 yards and 3 TD.

The Defensive Player of the Week was Seattle DE- Joe Horie. He had 5 tackles, 1 assist and 2 sacks. He also had 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns.

The Houston Texans refuse to up their offer to their 1st round draft pick, DT- Conrad Harvey and Harvey and his agent refuse to sign at the current offer. Houston is 3-1 finally losing this week 21-7 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Injury news:

The San Diego Chargers win over the Miami Dolphins was not without cost. They lost starting SLB- Fernando Shinn for about 12 weeks with Plantar Fasciitis.

The New Orleans Saints lost starting SLB- Quentin Christopher for 18 weeks with a high ankle sprain. The Saints are already without starting LT- Ken Bashir for about 6 weeks with a Broken Fibula. Also SS- Alan Longfellow is still doubtful for about 4 more weeks with broken ribs. That hasn't stopped the Saints from going 5-0.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 4 1 0 .800 115 71 3-1 2-0
Baltimore 4 1 0 .800 127 60 3-1 1-1
Pittsburgh 2 3 0 .400 84 77 2-2 0-1
Cleveland 2 3 0 .400 110 121 2-2 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 3 1 0 .750 77 72 2-1 1-0
Tennessee 3 1 0 .750 85 67 2-1 1-0
Indianapolis 1 4 0 .200 68 147 1-3 0-1
Jacksonville 0 5 0 .000 70 104 0-4 0-1

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 5 0 0 1.000 131 91 4-0 2-0
Miami 2 3 0 .400 115 100 1-3 1-1
Buffalo 1 4 0 .200 55 136 1-3 1-1
New England 1 4 0 .200 100 113 1-3 0-2

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 4 0 0 1.000 124 67 3-0 1-0
Oakland 3 2 0 .600 112 108 2-2 1-1
San Diego 2 2 0 .500 64 62 2-1 1-0
Kansas City 1 4 0 .200 73 107 1-3 0-2

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 3 1 0 .750 106 66 2-1 1-0
Chicago 2 2 0 .500 74 88 2-1 1-0
Green Bay 2 3 0 .400 120 96 1-3 1-1
Minnesota 0 5 0 .000 75 141 0-4 0-2

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 5 0 0 1.000 134 100 4-0 1-0
Tampa Bay 3 2 0 .600 115 95 3-1 2-0
Atlanta 2 3 0 .400 142 152 1-3 1-2
Carolina 2 3 0 .400 92 115 2-2 0-2

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 3 1 0 .750 110 100 2-1 1-0
Dallas 2 2 0 .500 96 68 1-2 0-1
Washington 2 3 0 .400 89 84 2-2 1-0
New York G 2 3 0 .400 64 101 2-2 0-1

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 0 0 1.000 128 80 4-0 1-0
Arizona 2 3 0 .400 88 124 2-2 1-0
St. Louis 2 3 0 .400 99 113 1-3 1-1
San Francisco 1 4 0 .200 99 115 1-3 0-2 




Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 2-3
Winning Pct. .400
All-Time 51-82
Winning Pct. .383
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 44-90
Winning Pct. .328
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 30.0 12
Rushing Yards 141.0 6
Yards Per Carry 4.70 3
Pass Attempts 33.0 16
Completions 19.6 19
Completion Pct. 59.4 20
Passing Yards 195.6 20
Yards Per Attempt 5.93 22
Yards Per Catch 9.98 20
Total Yardage Gained 325.0 13
3rd Down Conversions 41.9 8
Points Per Game 23.0 11 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 7.8 13 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 72.9 8
Turnovers 6 8 (T)
Turnover Margin +11 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 29.2 18 (T)
Rushing Yards 121.4 22
Yards Per Carry 4.16 17
Pass Attempts 32.6 17
Completions 19.2 14
Completion Pct. 58.9 13
Passing Yards 214.8 19
Yards Per Attempt 6.59 19
Yards Per Catch 11.19 22
Total Yardage Gained 317.6 18
3rd Down Conversions 40.6 21
Points Per Game 20.0 15 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 8.2 24
Pass Defense Pct. 64.1 11
Turnovers 17 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 DEN
8 at KCY
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 115 75 771 6.70 5 2 91.6
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 165 98 978 5.93 5 3 78.8
$$Opp --- 163 96 1074 6.59 6 9 67.8

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 108 598 5.54 3 0
49 B. Henson RB 16 34 2.13 2 2
46 K. Crichlow RB 11 32 2.91 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 11 33 3.00 0 3
**Team --- 150 705 4.70 6 7
$$Opp --- 146 607 4.16 3 13

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 42 23 347 15.09 8.26 1 2
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 26 21 203 9.67 7.81 1 0
32 N. Newton RB 22 16 81 5.06 3.68 0 1
87 C. Swift WR 21 13 147 11.31 7.00 2 1
88 F. Cole WR 22 9 131 14.56 5.95 0 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 10 8 47 5.88 4.70 0 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 41 15 0.0 1 1 6 85.4
56 T. Dellinger OLB 27 3 1.0 0 2 0 78.4
21 H. King CB 21 3 0.0 0 1 1 72.0
34 R. Ballard S 19 9 0.0 0 2 4 90.5
93 E. McWilliams DE 17 3 3.5 4 0 0 81.7
77 H. Hughes DE 16 8 5.5 7 0 0 81.7
22 J. Sirialton S 13 6 0.0 0 1 1 77.8
96 W. Cordon OLB 11 1 1.0 0 0 0 64.9
41 B. Pirrup CB 10 3 0.0 0 0 0 74.4
48 A. Jarvis CB 9 0 0.0 0 0 1 72.2
26 A. Douglas CB 8 2 0.0 0 1 1 81.8
75 N. Dobbins DT 8 4 2.0 4 0 0 81.5
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 8 4 0.0 0 1 0 80.5
91 C. Cochrane ILB 7 8 0.0 0 0 0 73.7
99 R. Petkovich DT 6 4 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
97 B. Gilmore DT 5 1 0.0 1 0 0 82.5 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK FIVE:

The Miami Dolphins keep falling further behind in the division race. This is a team who seems to have identity issues. They play like Front Office Bowl contenders one week, then like bottom feeders the next. Granted the weather was difficult, but this team is built for that. They run, run, run and force the other team to go the length of the field and force turnovers. But none of that happened this week. When they tried to run, nothing was there. Then they tried to pass and nothing was there. The defense didn't play all that bad. Even though the Dolphins lost 23-6, only 16 of those points were the defense's fault. The other touchdown was the result of a blocked punt for a score inside the 5 yard line. The Defense also held the Chargers to only one long drive of 75 yards and 13 plays. The other drives were short from turnovers and the defense held them to field goals. But they didn't get any turnovers this week. This from a team who forced 17 in the first four weeks. With the 4-0 Denver Broncos coming to Miami next week, this team better turn it around.

Let's take a look at some of the stats:

QB- Kolodziejski was 17/30 for 154 yards with 1 interception and 2 fumbles.
RB- Newton had 69 yards on 15 carries but one rush was 55 yards on the 1st play of the game. After that he was stopped cold.

The Dolphins had 16 penalties for 117 yards.

LT- Curtis Green allowed 3 sacks.

New injuries:

QB- Kolodziejski is probable for one week with a viral infection.
LT- Levine is probable for one week with a bruised ribcage.

Existing injuries:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
C- Hickman is Questionable for about 4 weeks with a torn thumb ligament.
MLB- Cochrane is probable for about 2 weeks with knee tendinitis.

Word from sources in Miami is QB- Darrell Sanders is very unhappy with not starting. But the Miami coaching staff is committed to Kolodziejski.

Another development is the Miami coaching staff is not happy with veteran LT- Curtis Green's 3 sacks allowed this week. Reports have 2nd year LT- Kendall Levine starting in place of Green next week versus Denver.

The weather report from Miami for the game next week is sunny, 88 degrees and a mild 3 mph wind. Denver is favored by 8.


We'll be back next week with all the news from the Denver/Miami game.

And in two weeks, Miami has a bye week. But we will have a special edition of the Miami Dolphins Weekly. We will have an interview with the GM of the Miami Dolphins, DolphinFan1. So get your questions in early.

NOTE: PM me with any questions you would like to ask and I will answer them in the weekly report in two weeks.

[DolphinFan1]

DENVER STAYS UNDEFEATED, BEATS MIAMI 24-17

Miami-- The Miami Dolphins stayed with the Denver Broncos for the whole game, but in the end it was the experience of 11 year QB Marcus King who came through. King led his team from a 17-14 deficit with just over 12 minutes to play in the game and the Broncos won 24-17. The winning score came on a 20 yard pass from King to WR Danny Funderburk with 1:24 to play.

Denver showed why they were unbeaten on the 1st drive of the game. They took the opening kickoff right down the field in 15 plays and 77 yards. RB Ross Talley ran it in from 3 yards out and Denver led early 7-0. Not to be outdone, Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski and RB Neal Newton took the Dolphins down the field on a 64 yard, 8 play drive of their own. Newton punched it in from 3 yards out and the game was tied and the 1st quarter was just about over.

In the 2nd, Denver CB Bryce Crawford intercepted a Kolodziejski pass at the Denver 47 and returns it to the Miami 12. Three plays later King finds FB Mo Zolnoski on a 6 yard pass and it's 14-7 Broncos. Miami answers again and it's Newton on a 9 yard TD run and the score is tied 14 all.

That's how the 1st half ended and the Dolphins had to feel good about being tied with one of the top teams in the league at halftime.

Miami came out in the 2nd half with the ball and took it right down the field. However, they stalled at the Denver 7 yard line and have to settle for a 24 yard Juan Hammond FG. But Miami was ahead for the 1st time in the game 17-14.

That's how the score stayed until late in the 3rd and Denver went on a drive into the 4th. The Miami defense finally stopped them at their 13 but Denver hits the 30 yard FG and it was 17-17. The teams trade punts and Miami gets the ball with 4:30 to play. Kolodziejski starts to find open guys and leads the Dolphins to the Denver 21 yard line. But a sack pushes them back and they can't get the 1st down. So with a 4th and 8 at the Denver 19, the Dolphins line up for the 36 yard FG. However, Miami holder Monty Winters has trouble getting the ball down and Hammond pulls his kick to the right and the score stayed 17-17.

That's when Denver took it to the Dolphins defense for the winning score. Miami had one last shot to tie it with just over one minute to play. Kolodziejski drove the Dolphins to the Denver 31 and with 4 seconds to play, he completes a 22 yard pass to WR C.J. Swift but it's not enough. Miami ran out of time.

Denver goes to 5-0 with the win. Miami falls to 2-4.

AFC EAST ROUNDUP:


The New England Patriots had a bye week so they remain in 3rd place in the AFC East with a 1-4 record.

The Buffalo Bills lost their 5th straight falling to the Oakland Raiders 13-9. The loss puts the Bills at 1-5 on the season. The Bills held a 9-7 lead midway through the 4th quarter until Oakland got 2 FG in the final 7 minutes to come from behind to win. Oakland improved to 4-2.

The New York Jets continued their stranglehold on the AFC East going to 6-0 by destroying the San Diego Chargers (2-3) by a score 43-20. The Jets now lead the 2nd place Miami Dolphins by a full 4 games. San Diego led 20-14 at halftime, but the Jets scored 29 unanswered points in the second half with kicker Jackie Lofton hitting 5 FG and QB Ike Hanson connecting on 2 TD passes. Unless the Jets self destruct, they should have no problem making the playoffs and winning the AFC East. This from a team the experts had picked to finish 3rd in the division in the preseason predictions.

OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK 6:

The Offensive Player of the Week was New Orleans QB- Ladon Moore. He was 37/41 for 430 yards with 4 TD. He led his team to a come from behind victory over Tampa Bay 38-31.

The Defensive Player of the Week was Detroit DT- Jamirio Jay. He had 13 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 hurries and one forced fumble. Despite this the Lions lost to the Chicago Bears 24-17.

There are only 4 teams still undefeated. In the AFC, the Jets are 6-0 and lead the division by 4 games. The Denver Broncos are 5-0 and lead their division by 1 1/2 games. In the NFC, the Saints are 6-0 and lead their division by 3 games. The Seattle Seahawks are 5-0 and lead their division by 3 games.

There are 2 teams without a win. They are the Jacksonville Jaguars 0-6, and the Minnesota Vikings 0-6.

Injury News:

The New Orleans Saints keep winning despite losing another starter for the year. Already without SLB- Quentin Christopher, LT- Ken Bashir and SS- Alan Longfellow, the Saints lost starting RT- Delvin Ross for the season with a serious back injury. He will require surgery. They also lost backup FS- Brant Niechniedowicz for 4 weeks with a torn wrist tendon. But somehow this team keeps winning going to 6-0 this week.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 4 2 0 .667 115 87 3-2 2-1
Baltimore 4 2 0 .667 127 84 3-2 1-1
Pittsburgh 3 3 0 .500 100 77 3-2 1-1
Cleveland 2 4 0 .333 127 159 2-3 0-1

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 4 1 0 .800 109 67 3-1 1-0
Houston 4 1 0 .800 115 89 3-1 1-0
Indianapolis 2 4 0 .333 99 154 2-3 1-1
Jacksonville 0 6 0 .000 77 135 0-5 0-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 6 0 0 1.000 174 111 5-0 2-0
Miami 2 4 0 .333 132 124 1-4 1-1
New England 1 4 0 .200 100 113 1-3 0-2
Buffalo 1 5 0 .167 64 149 1-4 1-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 5 0 0 1.000 148 84 4-0 1-0
Oakland 4 2 0 .667 125 117 3-2 1-1
San Diego 2 3 0 .400 84 105 2-2 1-0
Kansas City 1 4 0 .200 73 107 1-3 0-2

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 3 2 0 .600 98 105 3-1 2-0
Detroit 3 2 0 .600 123 90 2-2 1-1
Green Bay 2 4 0 .333 127 124 1-4 1-1
Minnesota 0 6 0 .000 89 162 0-5 0-2

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 6 0 0 1.000 172 131 5-0 2-0
Tampa Bay 3 3 0 .500 146 133 3-2 2-1
Atlanta 3 3 0 .500 163 166 2-3 1-2
Carolina 3 3 0 .500 120 122 3-2 0-2

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 4 1 0 .800 148 116 3-1 1-0
Dallas 3 2 0 .600 127 84 2-2 1-1
Washington 3 3 0 .500 112 90 3-2 1-0
New York G 2 4 0 .333 80 132 2-3 0-2

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 0 0 1.000 128 80 4-0 1-0
Arizona 2 4 0 .333 104 162 2-3 1-0
St. Louis 2 4 0 .333 105 136 1-4 1-1
San Francisco 1 4 0 .200 99 115 1-3 0-2 



Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 2-4
Winning Pct. .333
All-Time 51-83
Winning Pct. .380
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 44-91
Winning Pct. .325
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 30.0 11
Rushing Yards 136.7 7
Yards Per Carry 4.56 4
Pass Attempts 32.8 17
Completions 19.8 18
Completion Pct. 60.4 16 (T)
Passing Yards 208.0 14
Yards Per Attempt 6.34 16 (T)
Yards Per Catch 10.49 14
Total Yardage Gained 334.0 10
3rd Down Conversions 43.0 8
Points Per Game 22.0 11
Pass Rush Pct. 7.7 14
Pass Defense Pct. 71.8 7
Turnovers 7 6 (T)
Turnover Margin +10 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 29.7 20
Rushing Yards 125.5 24
Yards Per Carry 4.23 20
Pass Attempts 31.5 14
Completions 18.8 11 (T)
Completion Pct. 59.8 17
Passing Yards 213.3 16
Yards Per Attempt 6.77 20
Yards Per Catch 11.33 29 (T)
Total Yardage Gained 322.3 21
3rd Down Conversions 42.0 22
Points Per Game 20.7 14 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 7.8 22
Pass Defense Pct. 64.2 12
Turnovers 17 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 at KCY
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 147 96 1041 7.08 5 3 88.8
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 197 119 1248 6.34 5 4 78.8
$$Opp --- 189 113 1280 6.77 8 9 74.4

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 134 698 5.21 5 0
49 B. Henson RB 16 34 2.13 2 2
46 K. Crichlow RB 14 45 3.21 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 12 35 2.92 0 3
**Team --- 180 820 4.56 8 8
$$Opp --- 178 753 4.23 4 14

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 52 30 450 15.00 8.65 1 2
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 28 22 204 9.27 7.29 1 0
87 C. Swift WR 29 18 254 14.11 8.76 3 1
32 N. Newton RB 26 17 84 4.94 3.23 0 1
88 F. Cole WR 28 14 182 13.00 6.50 0 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 12 10 52 5.20 4.33 0 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 49 19 0.0 1 1 6 84.3
56 T. Dellinger OLB 30 4 1.0 0 2 0 78.9
21 H. King CB 24 4 0.0 0 1 1 71.6
34 R. Ballard S 24 10 0.0 0 2 4 86.7
93 E. McWilliams DE 20 3 3.5 4 0 0 81.0
77 H. Hughes DE 18 9 6.0 10 0 1 83.0
22 J. Sirialton S 15 7 0.0 0 1 2 78.3
41 B. Pirrup CB 13 3 0.0 0 0 1 75.1
96 W. Cordon OLB 12 2 1.0 0 0 0 66.1
48 A. Jarvis CB 10 0 0.0 0 0 1 73.7
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 10 6 0.0 0 1 0 78.0
26 A. Douglas CB 9 2 0.0 0 1 1 81.8
99 R. Petkovich DT 9 6 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
75 N. Dobbins DT 9 5 2.0 4 0 0 81.6
91 C. Cochrane ILB 8 8 0.0 0 0 0 72.9
97 B. Gilmore DT 7 2 0.5 1 0 0 82.5 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK SIX:


The Miami Dolphins' playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy. The Dolphins fell to 2-4 after losing to the Denver Broncos and are now 4 games behind the Jets in the AFC East and 2 games back in the Wild Card race. Don't get me wrong, Denver is a good team and the Dolphins showed a lot of heart in this one. But for the 2nd straight game, the Dolphins' defense failed to cause a turnover. Something they did 17 times in the first four games.

Newton had a 100 yard game and 2 rushing TD, but it wasn't enough. The Dolphins also did better in the penalty department with only 6 for 39 yards.

Some other stats on the game:

QB- Kolodziejski was 21/32 for 270 yards and one interception.
WR- Antonides had 7 catches for 103 yards.
WR- Swift had 5 catches for 107 yards.
WR- Cole had 5 catches for 51 yards.

The OL only allowed one sack.

Overall the Dolphins played well in this one except for the fact they didn't force any turnovers. To be in the game to the end with a team like Denver is a plus for a young Dolphins team like this.

The Dolphins have their bye week next week and no new injuries. Everyone should be 100% except for C- Hickman who should be close to it and will play anyway.

The Dolphins play 4 straight AFC opponents following their bye week. This is the critical stretch if they want any chance to make the playoffs this year.

Even though the Dolphins are off next week, we will still be here. We will have a special Miami Dolphins Weekly with an interview with the GM of the Dolphins, DolphinFan1. See you next week.

[DolphinFan1]

1978 WEEK SEVEN:

AFC EAST ROUNDUP:


The New York Jets fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. The surging Oakland Raiders (5-2) won their 4th in a row by beating the Jets 31-21 and are in the Wildcard race. Oakland score 10 points in the final 2 minutes to break a 21-21 tie. Rookie RB- Kenneth Brocklebank had 115 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown in the win. Oakland QB- Alfred Dircks was the player of the game leading his team with a 26/32 for 279 yards with 2 TD and 1 interception and he also rushed for a TD. The Jets RB- Rondell Flemons tried to carry the team with a 148 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown rushing and one receiving, but it wasn't enough. Even with the loss the Jets still lead the 2nd place Miami Dolphins (2-4) by 3 1/2 games. The Dolphins had a bye this week. Oakland trails undefeated Denver by 1 1/2 games in the AFC West, but are in the lead for the Wildcard.

The only other AFC East team playing this week was the New England Patriots. They won for only the 2nd time this season by beating the Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) by a score of 31-9.

OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK 7:

The Offensive Player of the Week for the 2nd time is Denver QB- Marcus King. He was 29/36 for 362 yards and 5 TD leading Denver to a 7-0 record and a 38-14 thrashing of the San Diego Chargers.

The Defensive Player of the Week is New England ILB- Robert Becker. He 7 tackles, 1 assist, 2 sacks and one knockdown. He helped his team beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.

The only undefeated team left is the Denver Broncos (6-0). Besides the Jets losing, the New Orleans Saints fell to the Chicago Bears (4-2) by a score of 21-17. Also previously undefeated Seattle Seahawks lost to the Arizona Cardinals (3-4) by a score of 30-24.

BREAKING NEWS: This just in. Word out of Houston is 1st round draft pick, DT- Conrad Harvey has finally agreed to a contract. Houston didn't budge on their offer of 5 years/$15.14 million, but apparently he had a change of heart. Or maybe it's the fact that the Texans are 4-2 and right in the thick of the wildcard and division race. He will be in uniform next week when the Texans face the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) in Houston.

Injury News:

The injuries on the New Orleans Saints just keep coming. They lost another starter and their 3rd on the offensive line this week. Center, Brian Torelli, will be out for about 7 weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Torelli is in his 8th season all with the Saints. This will be his 1st time missing a game in his career. The injuries to the Saints finally took their toll this week when the Chicago Bears handed New Orleans their 1st loss of the season.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK SEVEN:


Miami Dolphins Weekly: 'Welcome to a very special edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. The Dolphins have a bye this week so we have devoted our issue to an interview with the GM of the Dolphins, DolphinFan1. Thanks for joining us today."

DolphinFan1: "It's a pleasure to be here. I always enjoy answering questions from fans."

Miami Dolphins Weekly: "Let's start out with an easy one. How did you get the name, 'DolphinFan1'?"

DF1: "Well, I have always been a fan of football. When the league started in 1970 I watched and studied all I could about the game. When the opportunity came in 1975 I took it. I was active writing to different magazines. It was how I signed my letters. It kind of stuck."

MDW: "You're a very active GM, to the extent of having most of the say on draft day and even setting the depth charts. How do your coaches feel about that?"

DF1: "I sit down with the coaches and explain to them why I make some decisions. But they have enough to do with calling all the plays and player development. I do take their advice sometimes when it comes to who plays. But sometimes I have to override them."

MDW: "Here's a tough one. This year Darrell Sanders started the 1st game of the season and the Dolphins lost to the Jets. The next week you decided to put Benjamin Kolodziejski in and he has started ever since. What was the reason behind that decision? And how is Darrell handling it?"

DF1: "Well, Benjamin had a great preseason. We told Darrell that he had to play well early or there would be a quick hook. We felt that Benjamin needed to play to show us if he was ready to lead this team. He is in the final year of his rookie contract. Even though he is in his 3rd year, he is still really a rookie as he only started one game before this season. As for Darrell, he has told us he isn't happy but is supportive to Benjamin."

MDW: "Following the San Diego game, you decided to take offensive tackle Curtis Green out of the starting lineup and put Kendall Levine in his place. What was the reason behind this decision?"

DF1: "I talked to the coaching staff about this. No one was happy that Curtis, a 13 year veteran, allowed 3 sacks in a game that we really needed to win. Not that he was the only reason we lost. But this is a guy who should be our leader on the offensive line. We felt we needed to make a statement. This would let the everyone on the team know that if we would bench a veteran like Green after a bad performance, then they could also be benched. Curtis will be back in the starting lineup after our bye week."

MDW: "One more question. How do you feel about the overall team performance so far this season?"

DF1: "Well, we need to get over the show up every other week problem. I am happy so far with the defense forcing a lot more turnovers this year. Granted they had a tough couple of weeks. But overall they have played well. This is what this team lacked in past years. The offense has had some explosive games and some tough ones. But overall Newton has been our rock. Kolodziejski has played well and I think with a few more games under his belt he will learn to have more patience. On defense, Lincoln Alarcon had a monster training camp and is having an all pro year. I think we are ready to go on a run."

MDW: "Well, thank you for your time. I hope you can join us again sometime. We will be back next week with all the news from the Miami/Kansas City game."

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI AND KANSAS CITY DISPLAY DEFENSES IN A 10-3 DOLPHINS WIN



Kansas City-- The Miami Dolphins needed a win in the worst way. The same could be said for the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams came in with 3 wins between them. In the end it was the smothering Miami defense who held off the Chiefs 10-3 in a big win for this young team. The only touchdown of the game came on Miami's 2nd drive of the game. Benjamin Kolodziejski and Neal Newton led the Dolphins on a 13 play, 73 yard drive which ate up 7 minutes of the clock. The score came on a surprise 1 yard TD pass from Kolodziejski to FB- Leslie "I'm Not A Girl" Hedgepeth. With a 3rd and goal at the K.C. one yard line, the Chiefs stacked the line thinking the ball was going to stud Newton. Miami figured as much and had a play fake set up with Hedgepeth going out in the flat. He was wide open for the score.

That was the only scoring in the 1st half. A turnover by each team late in the 2nd quarter stopped any further momentum by either team.

Miami came out on fire to start the 2nd half with a nice drive. But they got stopped on 3rd down at the Kansas City 27. Then on the 44 yard FG try, DE Robert Kotz blocked the kick and former Miami MLB Luke Eastridge recovered for the Chiefs. Kansas City turned the blocked kick into 3 points with a 31 yard FG and the score was 7-3 Miami.

Miami came right back with a 35 yard FG of their own on the next drive after a nice kick return by CB Preson Ash and the score was 10-3 Miami. That was how it would end.

The Miami defense held Kansas City to just 178 yards of total offense. That was Miami RB Neal Newton's total yard rushing and receiving. Newton had 139 yards rushing on 27 carries and he added 4 catches for 39 yards. The Miami defense held Kansas City to just 36 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Miami goes to 3-4 with the win and climb within 3 games of the AFC East lead with the New York Jets (6-1) having a bye week. Kansas City falls to (1-6).


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:



The New England Patriots handed the Denver Broncos their 1st loss of the season by holding off a late rally, but New England won 30-26. New England goes to 3-4 on the year, tied with Miami for 2nd place in the AFC East. Denver falls to 6-1 and lead 2nd place Oakland by one game.

The Buffalo Bills lost to the San Diego Chargers to fall to 1-6. San Diego goes to 3-4.

The New York Jets had a bye week and are 6-1 and lead Miami and New England by 3 games.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK EIGHT:



The Offensive Player of the Week was New Orleans QB- LaDon Moore. He was 27/33 for 332 yards with 3 TD in leading his team to a 34-15 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers (3-5). New Orleans climbs to 7-1.

The Defensive Player of the Week was Cleveland DE- Les Janto. He had 3 tackles and 3 sacks. He also had 1 block, 1 hurry and 2 knockdowns. Cleveland (3-5) beat Indianapolis (2-6) by a score of 27-21.

Injury news:

The MInnesota Vikings lost starting MLB- Korey Ervin for the year with a ruptured elbow tendon. He will likely miss the start of next year. Ervin was a 1st round pick in 1974 and has had over 100 tackles the last two seasons. Minnesota is 2-6.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Baltimore 6 2 0 .750 187 107 5-2 2-1
Cincinnati 5 3 0 .625 173 121 4-3 2-1
Pittsburgh 4 4 0 .500 117 97 4-3 1-1
Cleveland 3 5 0 .375 167 207 3-4 0-2

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 6 1 0 .857 139 79 5-1 2-0
Houston 5 2 0 .714 147 126 4-2 1-1
Indianapolis 2 6 0 .250 134 222 2-5 1-1
Jacksonville 0 8 0 .000 97 185 0-7 0-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 6 1 0 .857 195 142 5-1 2-0
Miami 3 4 0 .429 142 127 2-4 1-1
New England 3 4 0 .429 161 148 3-3 0-2
Buffalo 1 6 0 .143 78 166 1-5 1-1

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 6 1 0 .857 212 128 5-1 2-0
Oakland 5 2 0 .714 156 138 4-2 1-1
San Diego 3 4 0 .429 115 157 3-3 1-1
Kansas City 1 6 0 .143 85 148 1-5 0-2

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 5 2 0 .714 188 103 4-2 1-1
Chicago 4 3 0 .571 126 135 4-2 2-1
Green Bay 3 4 0 .429 140 131 2-4 1-1
Minnesota 2 6 0 .250 124 176 2-5 1-2

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 7 1 0 .875 223 167 6-1 3-0
Tampa Bay 3 4 0 .429 152 160 3-3 2-1
Atlanta 3 5 0 .375 177 217 2-5 1-2
Carolina 3 5 0 .375 142 178 3-4 0-3

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 5 2 0 .714 194 159 4-2 2-1
Dallas 4 3 0 .571 168 128 3-3 1-1
Washington 4 4 0 .500 149 134 4-3 2-0
New York G 2 5 0 .286 103 161 2-4 0-3

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 2 0 .714 169 129 4-2 1-2
Arizona 4 4 0 .500 161 203 4-3 2-0
San Francisco 3 4 0 .429 141 149 3-3 1-2
St. Louis 2 5 0 .286 126 160 1-5 1-1 





Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 3-4
Winning Pct. .428
All-Time 52-83
Winning Pct. .385
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 45-91
Winning Pct. .330
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 31.3 8
Rushing Yards 139.9 7
Yards Per Carry 4.47 6
Pass Attempts 31.9 19
Completions 19.6 17
Completion Pct. 61.4 13
Passing Yards 203.0 16
Yards Per Attempt 6.37 17
Yards Per Catch 10.37 18
Total Yardage Gained 333.7 9
3rd Down Conversions 41.8 9
Points Per Game 20.3 16
Pass Rush Pct. 8.0 9 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 70.1 11
Turnovers 8 5
Turnover Margin +10 5

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 27.4 13 (T)
Rushing Yards 112.7 15
Yards Per Carry 4.11 15 (T)
Pass Attempts 31.9 15
Completions 19.3 17
Completion Pct. 60.5 14 (T)
Passing Yards 205.9 14
Yards Per Attempt 6.46 17
Yards Per Catch 10.67 15
Total Yardage Gained 301.7 14
3rd Down Conversions 38.7 20
Points Per Game 18.1 8
Pass Rush Pct. 7.2 19 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 64.7 14
Turnovers 18 1 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 at OAK
10 NED
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 173 114 1214 7.02 6 4 88.1
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 223 137 1421 6.37 6 5 79.4
$$Opp --- 223 135 1441 6.46 8 10 72.7

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 161 837 5.20 5 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 20 59 2.95 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 18 41 2.28 0 3
49 B. Henson RB 16 34 2.13 2 2
**Team --- 219 979 4.47 8 9
$$Opp --- 192 789 4.11 4 14

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 57 33 492 14.91 8.63 1 2
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 32 24 227 9.46 7.09 1 0
32 N. Newton RB 31 21 123 5.86 3.97 0 1
87 C. Swift WR 31 19 269 14.16 8.68 3 1
88 F. Cole WR 31 16 196 12.25 6.32 0 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 16 13 65 5.00 4.06 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 56 21 0.0 1 1 6 82.8
56 T. Dellinger OLB 32 6 1.0 0 2 1 79.3
21 H. King CB 27 4 0.0 0 1 1 71.2
34 R. Ballard S 27 13 0.0 0 2 5 85.9
77 H. Hughes DE 24 10 6.5 11 0 1 82.5
93 E. McWilliams DE 20 4 4.0 8 0 0 81.3
22 J. Sirialton S 17 7 0.0 0 2 2 80.3
41 B. Pirrup CB 14 4 0.0 0 0 1 75.4
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 14 9 1.0 0 1 0 76.2
96 W. Cordon OLB 13 2 1.0 0 0 0 65.7
48 A. Jarvis CB 12 0 0.0 0 0 1 73.0
75 N. Dobbins DT 11 5 2.0 4 0 0 81.8
26 A. Douglas CB 10 2 0.0 0 1 1 80.2
91 C. Cochrane ILB 10 9 0.0 0 0 0 70.3
99 R. Petkovich DT 9 6 0.0 2 0 0 82.5
97 B. Gilmore DT 8 2 0.5 1 0 0 80.9 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK 8:



Welcome to our regular edition of Miami Dolphins Weekly. The Dolphins were in a defensive battle against the Kansas City Chiefs and came out on top. The Defense only allowed a FG and a total of 178 yards in a big win following their bye week. With the Jets idle, the Dolphins climbed to 3-4 and within 3 games of the division lead. The Dolphins head to Oakland where the Raiders are on a roll winning the last 4 games and have a 5-2 record. Here are some of the stats on the game:

RB- Neal Newton had 139 yards on 27 carries with 6 runs of 10+ yards. He also had 4 catches for 39 yards.
QB- Benjamin Kolodziejski was 18/26 with 173 yards with 1 TD and one Int.
The OL didn't allow a sack.
OT- Curtis Green returned to the starting lineup and was 5/9 on KRB.

The Dolphins are in good shape injury wise. No new injuries were suffered in the game.

CB- Barkley is on IR.
C- Hickman is probable for about one more week with a torn thumb ligament.

Miami heads to 5-2 Oakland in a big game in the AFC playoff chase. The Dolphins are facing rookie 1st round sensation, RB- Kenneth Brocklebank. He has 705 yards on 135 carries for a 5.22 YPC. He has 7 rushing TD. He also has 38 catches for 224 yards and a receiving TD. He is 3rd in the league with 23 runs for 10+ yards, behind only Miami RB- Newton (28) and Detroit RB- Benjamin Buckner (28).

The early weather report on the game is 59 degrees and sunny with a 6 mph wind. Oakland is favored by 8. We'll be back next week with all the news on the game.

[DolphinFan1]

RAIDERS WIN 5TH STRAIGHT TO GO TO 6-2:


The Oakland Raiders and the Miami Dolphins have two of the best running backs in the league. But it was the defenses who stood out on this day. Three field goals was all the scoring in the game and the Oakland Raiders held off a game Miami team who were inside the Oakland 36 yard line late in the game. But a penalty pushed the Dolphins back and they never got close again.

Oakland got the winning FG on their 1st drive of the 2nd half. Miami got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and failed to get a 1st down. Oakland blocked the punt and recovered it at the Miami 8 yard line. The Dolphins defense held them out of the endzone and Oakland hit the short FG to lead 6-3.

Miami started the scoring early in the 2nd quarter with a 41 yard FG to take a 3-0 lead. Oakland tied the score with just under 2 minutes to play in the 1st half with a 38 yard FG.

Coming into the game, everyone figured a high scoring game featuring two of the league's best running backs, Miami's Neal Newton and Oakland's Kenneth Brocklebank. Both had over 800 rushing yards coming into the game. The defenses kept both in check with the exception of a 38 yard run by Brocklebank. He finished the day with 109 yards on 17 carries, but if you take away the one big run, the Miami defense held him to just a 4.44 ypc. That is less than his 5.22 ypc coming into the game. Newton was stymied all day only getting 60 yards on 19 carries. But much of that could be attributed to the Miami offensive line having an off day. They didn't block as well as usual and allowed 6 sacks. Very uncharacteristic from this bunch.

Miami had a chance to extend the 3-0 lead midway through the 2nd quarter when CB- Bert Pirrup intercepted a pass and returned it to the Oakland 45. The Dolphins couldn't get a 1st down however and had to punt. The Dolphins also had a chance to tie the score at the end of the 3rd quarter. But a Miami penalty pushed them back and kicker Juan Hammond's 47 yard FG missed left.

Miami's playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy with the loss. They fall to 3-5.


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:


The Buffalo Bills had a 7-0 lead and also 7-6 at halftime. Then the New York Jets took over in the 2nd half and held off the Bills on route to a 7-1 record in a 26-14 win. Buffalo falls to 1-7 and their 1st win of the season in week one must seem like a lifetime ago.

The New England Patriots move to 4-4 with a 35-14 thrashing of the San Diego Chargers (3-5). The Patriots broke open a 14-10 game with 3 unanswered touchdowns and took over sole possession of 2nd place in the AFC East with Miami losing. They also remained 2 games behind in the wildcard race and 3 behind the Jets in the division race. New England QB Don Rice was outstanding going 24/28 for 256 yards with 3 TD and no interceptions.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK NINE:


The Offensive Player of the Week is Denver QB Marcus King. He was 17/23 for 354 yards with 2 TD. He led his team to a 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver moves to 7-1 and maintain a 1 game lead over the Oakland Raiders.

The Defensive Player of the Week is Houston DE Wally Callanan. He had 5 tackles, 1 assist and 2 sacks. He also had 1 block, 4 hurries and 1 knockdown in the 24-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The final winless team, the Jacksonville Jaguars won their 1st game of the season. Jacksonville beat the Tennessee Titans 26-7 to go to 1-8 on the year.


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK NINE:



The Miami Dolphins still have a problem winning 2 games in a row. The defense kept them in the game only allowing two field goals. But the offense struggled. The OL didn't do it's job. Running back Neal Newton had an off day as did Kolodziejski. Unfortunately they had better get their act together soon. They face division opponents the New England Patriots and the New York Jets the next two weeks. The Dolphins are 3-5 and if they are to have any chance at the playoffs, they are going to have to go on a run right now. They may even have to 7-1 or 8-0 the final 8 games to make the playoffs. The AFC is a strong bunch right now as the two wildcards are 6-2. Let's take a look at the stats from the game:

A big positive in the game is the Dolphins only had 4 penalties for 30 yards. But one penalty was costly on a FG however.

RB- Neal Newton only had 60 yards on 19 carries.
QB- Benjamin Kolodziejski was 19/30 for 170 yards with one interception.
WR- Phillip Antonides had 6 catches for 76 yards.
K- Juan Hammond was 1/2 on FG missing from 47 after a penalty pushed the Dolphins back 5 yards.
OG- Mitch Springer had the best day on the offensive line. He was 4/8 on KRB and no sacks allowed.

The rest of the OL allowed 6 sacks.

Injuries:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
C- Hickman reinjured his Torn Thumb Ligament and is Questionable for about 8 weeks.
OG- Williamson had a bad day allowing 2 sacks in backup duty and also suffered a broken toe and is probable for about 2 weeks.

The New England Patriots come to Miami with a 4-4 record. New England comes in with a 3 game winning streak. The early weather report is for 80 degrees and rain with a 10 mph wind. New England is favored by 4.

Miami has made a few changes to the inactive list for this week. One is a result of Williamson's bad day.

The inactives are: RB- Henson, FB- Pihos, SE- Langen, RG- Williamson, RT- Harrison, DT- Briggs and WLB- Hickman. The changes are Pihos is inactive to get TE Burford in the game. He is a good TE and we need a spark with Dunkelberger not playing as well since the first few weeks of the season. The other change is rookie OG- Riffle getting his 1st playing time of the season backing up OG- Lee on the right side. Williamson has upset coaches last week in limited duty with his 2 sacks allowed and he wouldn't be 100% with the broken toe.

But it doesn't matter who is in the game. The Dolphins need to start winning games and start scoring like earlier in the season. The defense has been playing well, now the offense needs to. We'll be back next week with all the news from the game.




NOTE: I apologize for the lack of standings and team summary for this week. I thought I had printed it before I played the next week and saved, but apparently I didn't.

[DolphinFan1]

NEW ENGLAND BEATS MIAMI TO STAY IN WILDCARD HUNT


MIAMI-- The New England Patriots held on to beat the Miami Dolphins 24-17 to move to 5-4 and within one game of the final wildcard spot. The Dolphins had their chances to win this one but couldn't get much offense going in the 2nd half. In the end, a shanked punt gave the Patriots the ball at the Miami 27 with 10 minutes to play and New England got a FG out of it to cut the Dolphins lead to 17-16. Then Miami couldn't get a 1st down and New England got the ball right back at their 41. They took it right down the field for the touchdown and 2 point conversion and New England led 24-17 with just under 3 minutes to play. Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski tried to get his team down the field for the tieing touchdown in the final seconds, but Dolphins' drive ended at the New England 28.

Miami started out hot as the defense held the New England offense to just 3 plays to start the game. The Miami offense moved the ball well converting two third downs. But the drive stalled at the New England 30 and Miami kicker Juan Hammond hit the 47 yard FG and the Dolphins led 3-0. New England came right back down the field and the Miami defense finally stops them at the 5 yard line. New England hit the chip shot 22 yard FG and the score was tied at 3. The rest of the 1st half was a back and forth affair with New England going ahead 6-3. Then Miami gets a nice drive going and takes it all the way for the touchdown when Kolodziejski found running back Neal Newton on the 4 yard play. Miami had the lead back at 10-6. It was short lived however as right before the half, New England goes the length of the field and running back Jeremy Stephens goes 15 yards for the go ahead touchdown and New England went into the locker room leading 13-10.

Miami got the ball to start the second half and CB Adrian Douglas returned the kickoff 40 yards to the New England 47. It took only 5 plays and Kolodziejski found TE Oliver Dunkelberger on a 12 yard pass and Miami led again 17-13. It stayed that way until New England got the ball after the shanked punt and the Patriots took over.

For the 2nd week in a row, Miami RB Neal Newton was held to under 100 yards. He was held to just 60 yards last week in Oakland. This week he only had 55 yards on 16 carries. He did have 9 catches for 72 yards and a TD. So Miami did get him the ball and into the offense. But this week the defense gave up two scores in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Miami falls to 3-6 with the loss and have all but been eliminated from the playoff race. They trail the wildcard by 3 games. To make matters worse, the 8-1 New York Jets come to town after an impressive 17-10 win over the 7-2 Denver Broncos. The Jets beat the Dolphins in week one 23-10.


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:



The New York Jets kept up their stranglehold on the AFC East with a 17-10 win over the Denver Broncos. The Jets led 17-7 at halftime and only allowed a FG in the 2nd half to move to 8-1 and maintain their 3 game lead over the 2nd place New England Patriots.

The Buffalo Bills lost their 8th in a row to fall to 1-8. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Bills 13-10 to move to 2-7.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK TEN:


The Offensive Player of the Week is Philadelphia QB Stephen Gulley. He was 17/23 for 299 yards with 2 TD and 1 int. in a 30-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Defensive Player of the Week is San Diego DT K.C. Turner. He had 3 tackles, 1 assist and 3 sacks, but it wasn't enough as the Chargers lost to Oakland.

The Denver Broncos lost to the New York Jets 17-10. With the loss, the Broncos fall into a 1st place tie with the surging Oakland Raiders who won their 6th in a row beating the San Diego Chargers 23-0. Both the Broncos and the Raiders are 7-2 with Denver taking the 1st meeting 22-19 in week one. They face each other next week for 1st place in the AFC West.

Despite all the injuries the New Orleans Saints have suffered this season, they keep finding ways to win. The Saints moved to 9-1 as they beat the Atlanta Falcons (4-6) by a score of 24-20 and now lead the 2nd place Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) by 4 games in the NFC South.

On the injury front:

The St. Louis Cardinals are only 3-6, but in the weak NFC West, they only trail the 1st place Seattle Seahawks by 2 games. But they lost starting LG Rickey Barrett probably for the remainder of the regular season with a high ankle sprain. Barrett is one of the top offensive lineman in the league if not the best. The Cardinals are going to miss him.

The Oakland Raiders may have won 6 in a row, but at a cost. Starting QB Maurice Baxter is questionable for about 8 weeks with a sprained lateral knee ligament. It was an injury he suffered in the Miami game 2 weeks ago and he reinjured it against the Chargers. Already without backup Alfred Dircks who is out for about 2 more weeks with a strained foot ligament, the Raiders will have to go with 2nd year undrafted free agent, Rusty Shelton. He joined the Raiders last season but has yet to take a snap in the regular season. The Raiders also signed 3rd year, 7th round pick Reuben Ingram. He played for Green Bay the last 2 years starting one game. So the Raiders may go to him. Whomever starts for Raiders at QB, they will have their work cut out for them when they head to Denver next week.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 6 3 0 .667 197 137 5-3 2-1
Baltimore 6 4 0 .600 221 164 5-4 2-2
Pittsburgh 5 5 0 .500 150 144 5-4 2-2
Cleveland 4 5 0 .444 194 207 4-4 1-2

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 6 3 0 .667 162 129 5-3 2-1
Houston 6 3 0 .667 192 171 5-3 1-2
Indianapolis 3 6 0 .333 165 243 3-5 2-1
Jacksonville 1 8 0 .111 123 192 1-7 1-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 8 1 0 .889 238 166 7-1 3-0
New England 5 4 0 .556 220 175 5-3 1-2
Miami 3 6 0 .333 162 157 2-6 1-2
Buffalo 1 8 0 .111 102 205 1-7 1-2

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 7 2 0 .778 257 155 6-2 3-0
Oakland 7 2 0 .778 185 141 6-2 2-1
San Diego 3 6 0 .333 125 215 3-5 1-2
Kansas City 2 7 0 .222 108 193 2-6 0-3

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 6 3 0 .667 218 132 5-3 1-2
Chicago 4 5 0 .444 140 192 4-4 2-1
Green Bay 4 5 0 .444 175 178 3-5 2-1
Minnesota 2 7 0 .222 141 196 2-6 1-2

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 9 1 0 .900 267 204 8-1 4-0
Tampa Bay 5 4 0 .556 210 176 5-3 2-1
Atlanta 4 6 0 .400 230 255 3-6 1-3
Carolina 3 6 0 .333 152 195 3-5 0-3

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 7 2 0 .778 257 206 6-2 2-1
Dallas 6 3 0 .667 217 156 5-3 2-1
Washington 4 5 0 .444 156 154 4-4 2-1
New York G 4 5 0 .444 152 185 4-4 0-3

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 4 0 .556 200 178 4-4 1-2
Arizona 4 5 0 .444 181 230 4-4 2-1
St. Louis 3 6 0 .333 173 213 2-6 2-1
San Francisco 3 6 0 .333 182 208 3-5 1-2 




Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 3-6
Winning Pct. .333
All-Time 52-85
Winning Pct. .379
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 45-93
Winning Pct. .326
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 30.0 11
Rushing Yards 127.3 9
Yards Per Carry 4.24 11
Pass Attempts 32.3 18
Completions 20.1 15
Completion Pct. 62.2 13
Passing Yards 202.0 18
Yards Per Attempt 6.25 19 (T)
Yards Per Catch 10.04 21
Total Yardage Gained 315.3 14
3rd Down Conversions 39.4 10 (T)
Points Per Game 18.0 21 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 8.2 8
Pass Defense Pct. 66.2 21
Turnovers 9 4 (T)
Turnover Margin +11 3 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 26.2 10
Rushing Yards 111.8 14
Yards Per Carry 4.26 22
Pass Attempts 32.4 17
Completions 20.1 21 (T)
Completion Pct. 62.0 19
Passing Yards 216.3 20
Yards Per Attempt 6.67 17
Yards Per Catch 10.76 16
Total Yardage Gained 313.4 16
3rd Down Conversions 35.0 12
Points Per Game 17.4 10
Pass Rush Pct. 6.7 13 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 64.4 12
Turnovers 20 3 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 3 at OAK 6
10 17 NED 24
11 NYJ
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 241 158 1611 6.68 8 5 87.0
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 291 181 1818 6.25 8 6 80.5
$$Opp --- 292 181 1947 6.67 8 11 74.9

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 196 952 4.86 5 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 29 94 3.24 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 25 58 2.32 0 3
**Team --- 270 1146 4.24 8 9
$$Opp --- 236 1006 4.26 6 16

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 76 42 607 14.45 7.99 2 2
32 N. Newton RB 47 34 208 6.12 4.43 1 2
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 39 31 287 9.26 7.36 1 1
87 C. Swift WR 39 21 312 14.86 8.00 4 1
88 F. Cole WR 37 19 248 13.05 6.70 1 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 22 19 99 5.21 4.50 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 71 25 0.0 1 1 6 79.5
56 T. Dellinger OLB 38 7 1.0 1 2 1 78.3
34 R. Ballard S 35 16 0.0 0 2 6 82.6
77 H. Hughes DE 29 11 6.5 12 0 1 82.5
21 H. King CB 29 8 0.0 0 1 2 73.7
41 B. Pirrup CB 24 5 0.5 0 1 1 74.1
93 E. McWilliams DE 23 5 5.0 10 0 0 81.6
22 J. Sirialton S 20 8 0.0 0 2 3 80.6
96 W. Cordon OLB 19 3 1.0 0 0 0 62.0
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 18 13 1.5 1 1 0 76.2
48 A. Jarvis CB 16 5 0.0 0 0 1 72.3
91 C. Cochrane ILB 16 9 0.0 0 0 0 69.1
99 R. Petkovich DT 14 8 0.5 2 0 0 81.3
75 N. Dobbins DT 13 6 2.5 7 0 0 82.0
26 A. Douglas CB 11 2 0.0 0 1 1 80.6
97 B. Gilmore DT 9 2 0.5 1 0 0 81.2 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK 10:



The Miami Dolphins are in trouble. Sitting at 3-6 and trailing the final wildcard spot by a full 3 games, with the 8-1 New York Jets coming to town, it could be the end of the Dolphins' season. However, should the Dolphins pull the upset, they have some winable games upcoming. After the Jets game, they head to 2-7 Minnesota followed by 1-8 Jacksonville. Then the 6-3 Lions come to Miami followed by the 1-8 Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins finish the season by heading to 4-5 Green Bay and then 5-4 New England. So the Dolphins have a chance to win a few games and with an upset or two could still make the playoffs. But let's be realistic here. The Dolphins need to use these final 7 games to seriously evaluate whether Kolodziejski is the QB of the future of this team or not. He has had some good games, but hasn't been able to lead this team to a victory at the end of a game. The defense has been playing better with the exception of the final 10 minutes against the Patriots. So, it's up to Kolodziejski to step it up a notch. Whether or not he can do that is the question.

That being said, let's take a look at the stats from the game:

For the 3rd straight game, the Dolphins have improved their penalties only getting 3 for 20 yards.
But they were only 4/13 on 3rd down conversions.

QB- Kolodziejski had a good day going 25/38 for 224 yards with 2 TD. But he failed to get the tieing TD at the end of the game.
RB- Newton was held in check on the ground only getting 55 yards on 16 carries, but he had 9 catches for 72 yards and a TD.
TE- Dunkelberger who had been quiet lately had 5 catches for 53 yards and a TD.
K- Hammond was 1/2 on FG missing a 45 yarder. He has been shaky over 40 yards this year. But he is 9/11 under 40 and one was blocked.
CB- Douglas was good on kick returns with a 30.3 average and the big 40 yard return.
The OL allowed 3 sacks and RT- Bush has been struggling of late.

There were a few new injuries and some reinjuries:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
LG- Springer has a broken finger and is probable for about 1 week. He should play against the Jets.
LB- Dellinger has a bad cold and is probable for about 1 week. He should play.
RG- Williamson is still one week away from full strength with his broken toe. He was inactive last week and likely will be this week as the coaching staff isn't happy with his performance.
SS- Ballard is questionable with a broken toe for about 3 weeks. He will try to give it a go.
C- Hickman reinjured his torn thumb ligament and is questionable for about 7 weeks. He will probably be deactive.

The early report on the game is 85 degrees with an 8 mph wind and sunny. The Jets are favored by 5.

Word from Miami as we write this report, is there are some surprising changes to the lineup for the Dolphins. Offensive Tackle, Kendall Levine will start at RT instead of Travis Bush. C- Everett Hickman is deactive and RG- Williamson is active for the game against the Jets. The Dolphins GM seems to be serious about performance as Bush has had a few bad games lately. We'll see how it works out. See you next week.

[DolphinFan1]

DOLPHINS GROUND JETS TO KEEP SLIM PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE


Miami-- The Miami Dolphins used a smothering defense to force 3 turnovers and 8 sacks and Neal Newton racked up 163 yards on 33 carries with two rushing touchdowns. He also added 4 catches for 36 yards and a touchdown en route to a 24-0 shutout of the AFC East leading New York Jets. Miami has had a roller coaster season and have very slim hopes of making the playoffs. But you wouldn't know that with how they played against the Jets. They dominated in every facet of the game and according to Miami GM, DolphinFan1, is how he expected this team to play. "This team has loads of talent and we are very young. We just need to gel and as soon as we do, the rest of the league better watch out. There will be more games like this."

The Dolphins started early on the first drive of the game. Miami took the ball and went 79 yards on 14 plays which took almost 8 minutes off the clock. The Dolphins took the 7-0 lead when running back Neal Newton ran the ball into the endzone from 5 yards out. The Miami defense came out strong and stopped the Jets, but a roughing the punter penalty kept the drive alive. But the Dolphins finally stopped the Jets. The next two drives, the teams both threw interceptions and it was defense for the rest of the half and Miami went into the locker room leading 7-0.

The Dolphins' defense continued on fire at the start of the 2nd half, when the Jets opening drive ended with Miami LB Travis Dellinger intercepting a pass deep in New York territory. But the Miami offense couldn't get anything going and only got a FG and the Jets were still in the game only trailing 10-0. It didn't matter as on the Jets next drive, Miami got their 6th sack of the day on 3rd down. The score stayed that way until early in the 4th quarter when Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski led his team on a drive which ended on an 11 yard touchdown pass to Newton. Miami added a touchdown late when the Jets were going for it on every 4th down trying to get back into the game.

Even with the loss, the Jets (8-2) still lead the AFC East by two games over the New England Patriots (6-4). Miami is now at 4-6, and trails the final wildcard by 2 games.


WE FINALLY BEAT THE JETS!!!!



AFC EAST ROUNDUP:



The Buffalo Bills put a scare in the New England Patriots. The Bills led 6-0 until 5 minutes to play in the game when New England scored 10 points to win 10-6. Buffalo is now 1-9 and just can't get seem to get a win. New England is now 6-4 and are currently in the final wildcard spot.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS WEEK ELEVEN:

The Offensive Player of the Week is Green Bay rookie QB Bryan Sansbury. He was 23/36 for 319 yards with 2 TD in a 41-6 thrashing of the Chicago Bears (4-6). Green Bay climbs to 5-5.

The Defensive Player of the Week is St. Louis DT Glenn Clemons. He had 7 tackles and 3.5 sacks in a 13-0 win over the Seattle Seahawks. With the win, St. Louis (5-5) is now 1 game behind Seattle (6-4) in the NFC West.

The Oakland Raiders (8-2) won their 7th in a row by beating the Denver Broncos (7-3) to take over 1st place in the AFC West. Going into the game we didn't know who would start at QB for the Raiders as both their starter Maurice Baxter and backup Alfred Dircks were injured. But Baxter played despite having a sprained lateral knee ligament and led his team with a 27/36 for 264 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception performance. Rookie RB Kenneth Brocklebank had his sixth 100 yard rushing game of the season with 108 yards on 17 carries and a TD. He only trails Miami RB Neal Newton and Detroit RB Benjamin Buckner for the league lead in rushing yards.

Injury report:

Carolina lost starting RDE Cornell Eckman for about 3 weeks with a high ankle sprain. Eckman was a 1st round pick in this year's draft.

The Oakland Raiders won, but at a cost. They lost starting TE Roy Loomis for the season with a Severe Hamstring Pull.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 7 3 0 .700 221 143 6-3 3-1
Baltimore 6 4 0 .600 221 164 5-4 2-2
Pittsburgh 5 5 0 .500 150 144 5-4 2-2
Cleveland 4 6 0 .400 200 231 4-5 1-3

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 6 4 0 .600 179 162 5-4 2-2
Houston 6 4 0 .600 202 187 5-4 1-3
Indianapolis 4 6 0 .400 198 260 4-5 3-1
Jacksonville 2 8 0 .200 139 202 2-7 2-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 8 2 0 .800 238 190 7-2 3-1
New England 6 4 0 .600 230 181 6-3 2-2
Miami 4 6 0 .400 186 157 3-6 2-2
Buffalo 1 9 0 .100 108 215 1-8 1-3

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 8 2 0 .800 208 151 7-2 3-1
Denver 7 3 0 .700 267 178 6-3 3-1
San Diego 3 7 0 .300 128 241 3-6 1-3
Kansas City 3 7 0 .300 134 196 3-6 1-3

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 7 3 0 .700 242 153 6-3 2-2
Green Bay 5 5 0 .500 216 184 4-5 3-1
Chicago 4 6 0 .400 146 233 4-5 2-2
Minnesota 2 8 0 .200 162 220 2-7 1-3

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 9 1 0 .900 267 204 8-1 4-0
Tampa Bay 6 4 0 .600 234 193 6-3 3-1
Atlanta 4 6 0 .400 230 255 3-6 1-3
Carolina 3 7 0 .300 169 219 3-6 0-4

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 8 2 0 .800 282 220 7-2 3-1
Dallas 6 4 0 .600 231 181 5-4 2-2
New York G 5 5 0 .500 169 195 5-4 1-3
Washington 4 6 0 .400 166 171 4-5 2-2

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 5 0 .500 200 191 4-5 1-3
St. Louis 4 6 0 .400 186 213 3-6 3-1
Arizona 4 6 0 .400 187 250 4-5 2-2
San Francisco 4 6 0 .400 202 214 4-5 2-2 



Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 4-6
Winning Pct. .400
All-Time 53-85
Winning Pct. .384
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 46-93
Winning Pct. .330
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 31.3 8
Rushing Yards 132.2 9
Yards Per Carry 4.22 12
Pass Attempts 30.8 21 (T)
Completions 19.5 17 (T)
Completion Pct. 63.3 12
Passing Yards 195.8 19
Yards Per Attempt 6.36 18
Yards Per Catch 10.04 22
Total Yardage Gained 314.8 14
3rd Down Conversions 40.7 9
Points Per Game 18.6 20 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 8.4 6 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 67.5 16
Turnovers 10 3 (T)
Turnover Margin +13 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 25.8 9
Rushing Yards 110.6 14
Yards Per Carry 4.29 23
Pass Attempts 31.9 15
Completions 19.3 13 (T)
Completion Pct. 60.5 14 (T)
Passing Yards 204.5 12
Yards Per Attempt 6.41 15
Yards Per Catch 10.60 15 (T)
Total Yardage Gained 296.8 11
3rd Down Conversions 32.8 7
Points Per Game 15.7 5
Pass Rush Pct. 6.4 9 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 64.0 9
Turnovers 23 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 3 at OAK 6
10 17 NED 24
11 24 NYJ 0
12 at MIN
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 258 172 1751 6.79 9 6 87.8
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 308 195 1958 6.36 9 7 81.6
$$Opp --- 319 193 2045 6.41 8 13 70.6

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 229 1115 4.87 7 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 33 97 2.94 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 29 69 2.38 0 3
**Team --- 313 1322 4.22 10 9
$$Opp --- 258 1106 4.29 6 18

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 78 43 621 14.44 7.96 2 2
32 N. Newton RB 51 38 244 6.42 4.78 1 3
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 41 33 296 8.97 7.22 1 1
87 C. Swift WR 41 23 349 15.17 8.51 4 1
88 F. Cole WR 40 21 274 13.05 6.85 1 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 24 20 101 5.05 4.21 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 75 27 0.0 1 1 6 79.4
56 T. Dellinger OLB 41 8 1.0 1 3 1 79.7
34 R. Ballard S 36 18 0.0 0 2 6 82.6
77 H. Hughes DE 35 11 9.5 15 0 1 82.0
21 H. King CB 32 9 0.0 0 1 2 73.8
93 E. McWilliams DE 27 8 7.0 10 0 0 81.7
41 B. Pirrup CB 26 7 0.5 0 1 1 74.5
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 25 14 1.5 1 2 0 76.5
22 J. Sirialton S 20 9 0.0 0 2 4 81.8
96 W. Cordon OLB 20 3 1.0 0 0 0 62.5
48 A. Jarvis CB 18 5 0.0 0 0 1 73.3
91 C. Cochrane ILB 18 9 1.0 0 0 0 69.8
75 N. Dobbins DT 17 8 3.5 7 0 0 82.0
99 R. Petkovich DT 15 8 1.5 3 0 0 81.4
26 A. Douglas CB 12 2 0.0 0 1 1 79.7 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK ELEVEN:



Well, the Miami Dolphins did it. They pulled the upset. This team played great in all facets of the game. But where was this fire earlier in the season. They have a chance to go on a roll with the 2-8 Minnesota Vikings and the 2-8 Jacksonville Jaguars up next. But it may be a case of too little too late. They trail the New England Patriots for the last wildcard by two games and lost the 1st meeting between them. But maybe the Dolphins will finally break the one win in a row curse. They may even get 3 in a row. However, Jacksonville is on a roll winning the last two games. They beat Tennessee and Houston who are both playoff contenders. So the Dolphins better not take these 2-8 teams lightly.

But for the good news. The Dolphins got great defense getting 3 turnovers and an incredible 8 sacks. They also got the offense going, getting some great blocking for Newton who had 163 yards on the ground. The Dolphins more than doubled the Jets in 1st downs, yards and kept the Jets from crossing the Miami 20 yard line. This is how they should play every week. They have the talent with Newton and the defensive line. The offensive line has shown they can block and keep some of the best pass rushers away from Kolodziejski. Maybe this will get them on a run. Question is, will it be enough? We'll have to wait and see.

Let's take a look at the stats:

1st downs: Miami 21, Jets 10.
Yards: Miami 310, Jets 147.
Turnovers: Miami 1, Jets 3.
3rd downs: Miami 7/13, Jets 2/14.
Penalties: Miami 6/40, Jets 9/79.
Ave. field position: Miami own 40, Jets own 18.

Individual stats:

QB Kolodziejski was an efficient 14/17 for 140 yards with 1 TD and 1 Int. in the endzone.
RB Newton had 163 yards on 33 carries with 2 rushing TD. He also had 36 yards receiving with a TD catch.
OLB- Dellinger and Kimbrell each had an interception.
DE- Hughes and McWilliams accounted for 10 tackles, 3 assists, 5 sacks, 1 pass block, 3 hurries and 4 knockdowns.

The starting OL only allowed one sack and was 15/34 on key run blocks.

The Dolphins did have one new injury:

SS- Emmitt Wampus is Doubtful for about 4 weeks with a pulled groin.

Existing injuries and recoveries:

SS- Richard Ballard is probable for about 2 more weeks with a broken toe.
C- Everett Hickman is questionable for about 6 more weeks with a torn thumb ligament.
RCB- Barkley is on IR.

LG- Springer, SLB- Dellinger and RG- Williamson are now 100%.

Miami heads to Minnesota in the Dome. Minnesota is actually favored by one.

Let's see if Miami can win two in a row.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI HOLDS ON TO BEAT MINNESOTA IN A CRAZY ENDING


Minnesota-- The Miami Dolphins jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and then had to hang on in a crazy final drive to beat the Minnesota Vikings 17-16. The questionable playcalling started when Miami chose to go for a 52 yard FG with just under 2 minutes to play and leading by one. Miami kicker Juan Hammond had hit a 52 yarder earlier in the game, but it was his 1st FG made over 50 yards in his 2 year career in the league. But on this kick he missed it and Minnesota had great field position at their own 42 only trailing by 1 with 1:54 to play. Then on 2nd down, Minnesota QB Les Winslett threw a ball deep and it was ruled incomplete. However, Miami CB Adrian Douglas was called for defensive pass interference and Minnesota had the ball at the Miami 10 yard line with 1:36 to play. Things looked grim for the Dolphins. But on the very next play, Winslett completed a pass to RB Michael Linquist for just 2 yards. Miami LB Travis Dellinger knocked the ball free on the tackle and DT Nathan Dobbins recovered for the Dolphins at their 8 yard line.

Early on it didn't look like it would be a close contest when Miami drove down the field on their first two drives and were up 14-0 with only 11 minutes gone in the game. Miami RB Neal Newton got both touchdowns on 12 and 37 yard runs. But after that, the Miami offense couldn't generate much and Minnesota climbed back into the game with 3 straight FG to cut the Miami lead to 14-9. Miami added the 52 yarder by Hammond at the end of the 1st half to go up 17-9.

The 2nd half was much of the same for the Miami offense, not getting any long drives and they let 2-8 Minnesota hang around. The Vikings cut the lead to one with a 6 play drive at the end of the 3rd quarter. Suddenly an early 14-0 lead and a potential blowout was in jeopardy. But the Miami defense stepped up at the end.

Miami moves to 5-6 with the win, but still trail the final wildcard spot by 2 games with 5 to go. Minnesota falls to 2-9 with the loss and are out of the playoff picture in the NFC.


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:


The New York Jets were in danger of dropping 2 in a row after trailing 17-7 with less than 8 minutes to play in the game against the Chicago Bears. But the Jets scored 17 points in the final 8 minutes, the winning TD coming with just 41 seconds to play to beat the Bears 24-17. New York QB Donnie Petterson led his team on a 9 play, 80 yard drive in 2 minutes for the victory. With the win the Jets move to 9-2 and stay 2 games ahead of the 2nd place New England Patriots who won again. Chicago falls to 4-7.

As mentioned earlier, New England won their 6th in a row by getting 2 FG in the final 6:15 to beat the Green Bay Packers (5-6) by a score of 23-17. The Patriots move to 7-4 to keep pace 2 games out of 1st in the AFC East and are leading the final wildcard spot by one game.

The Buffalo Bills broke a nine game losing streak by beating the NFC North leading Detroit Lions by a score of 10-3. Buffalo is now 2-9 while Detroit falls to 7-4.


OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK TWELVE:


The Offensive Player of the Week is New Orleans QB LaDon Moore. He was 27/30 for 303 yards with 2 TD leading the Saints to a 33-10 win over the Cleveland Browns (4-7). New Orleans moves to a league best 10-1.

The Defensive Player of the Week is Kansas City DE Darrell Daniels. He had 7 tackles, 2 assists, 3 sacks, 1 block, 1 hurry and 1 knockdown in a 24-21 come from behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams are 4-7.

The Oakland Raiders won their 8th in a row to mantain their one game lead over the Denver Broncos in the AFC West who won also. Oakland needed overtime after Seattle tied the game at 6 with just 4 seconds to play in regulation. But the Seahawks never saw the ball in overtime as Oakland took the ball to the Seattle 14 yard line and hit the 31 yard FG to win 9-6. Seattle falls to 5-6 in the NFC West, but still lead the rest of the division by one game because everyone lost in that division.

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) won their 5th in a row and mantained their 2 game lead over the Dallas Cowboys (7-4). The Eagles detroyed the Tennessee Titans 35-7. Philadelphia QB Stephen Gulley only threw for 204 yards, but had 4 TD and 1 int.

[DolphinFan1]

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 7 4 0 .636 235 163 6-3 3-1
Pittsburgh 6 5 0 .545 170 154 5-4 2-2
Baltimore 6 5 0 .545 235 181 5-4 2-2
Cleveland 4 7 0 .364 210 264 4-5 1-3

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 7 4 0 .636 222 193 5-4 1-3
Tennessee 6 5 0 .545 186 197 5-4 2-2
Indianapolis 5 6 0 .455 219 270 4-5 3-1
Jacksonville 2 9 0 .182 146 222 2-7 2-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 9 2 0 .818 262 207 7-2 3-1
New England 7 4 0 .636 253 198 6-3 2-2
Miami 5 6 0 .455 203 173 3-6 2-2
Buffalo 2 9 0 .182 118 218 1-8 1-3

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 9 2 0 .818 217 157 7-2 3-1
Denver 8 3 0 .727 308 216 6-3 3-1
San Diego 4 7 0 .364 145 248 3-6 1-3
Kansas City 4 7 0 .364 158 217 3-6 1-3

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 7 4 0 .636 245 163 6-3 2-2
Green Bay 5 6 0 .455 233 207 4-5 3-1
Chicago 4 7 0 .364 163 257 4-5 2-2
Minnesota 2 9 0 .182 178 237 2-7 1-3

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 10 1 0 .909 300 214 8-1 4-0
Tampa Bay 7 4 0 .636 254 207 6-3 3-1
Atlanta 4 7 0 .364 240 275 3-6 1-3
Carolina 4 7 0 .364 186 233 3-6 0-4

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 9 2 0 .818 317 227 7-2 3-1
Dallas 7 4 0 .636 251 188 5-4 2-2
New York G 5 6 0 .455 175 215 5-4 1-3
Washington 4 7 0 .364 176 192 4-5 2-2

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 6 0 .455 206 200 4-5 1-3
St. Louis 4 7 0 .364 193 230 3-6 3-1
Arizona 4 7 0 .364 208 274 4-5 2-2
San Francisco 4 7 0 .364 240 255 4-5 2-2 




Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 5-6
Winning Pct. .454
All-Time 54-85
Winning Pct. .388
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 47-93
Winning Pct. .335
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 32.1 7
Rushing Yards 138.7 3
Yards Per Carry 4.32 10
Pass Attempts 29.7 25 (T)
Completions 19.1 20
Completion Pct. 64.2 9
Passing Yards 188.9 21
Yards Per Attempt 6.35 19
Yards Per Catch 9.90 23 (T)
Total Yardage Gained 313.7 14
3rd Down Conversions 41.2 7
Points Per Game 18.5 20
Pass Rush Pct. 8.2 6
Pass Defense Pct. 66.1 19 (T)
Turnovers 12 6
Turnover Margin +13 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 25.3 9
Rushing Yards 108.1 12
Yards Per Carry 4.28 23
Pass Attempts 32.3 16 (T)
Completions 19.6 16
Completion Pct. 60.8 17 (T)
Passing Yards 202.8 11
Yards Per Attempt 6.28 14
Yards Per Catch 10.33 11
Total Yardage Gained 293.5 12
3rd Down Conversions 33.6 8
Points Per Game 15.7 5
Pass Rush Pct. 6.3 7 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 63.6 9 (T)
Turnovers 25 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 3 at OAK 6
10 17 NED 24
11 24 NYJ 0
12 17 at MIN 16
13 at JAX
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 277 187 1871 6.75 9 7 86.8
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 327 210 2078 6.35 9 8 81.1
$$Opp --- 355 216 2231 6.28 9 13 72.1

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 257 1268 4.93 9 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 40 135 3.38 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 34 82 2.41 0 4
**Team --- 353 1526 4.32 12 11
$$Opp --- 278 1189 4.28 6 20

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 84 47 670 14.26 7.98 2 2
32 N. Newton RB 56 41 258 6.29 4.61 1 3
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 44 36 315 8.75 7.16 1 1
87 C. Swift WR 43 25 359 14.36 8.35 4 1
88 F. Cole WR 42 23 298 12.96 7.10 1 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 24 20 101 5.05 4.21 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 83 27 0.0 1 1 7 79.2
56 T. Dellinger OLB 48 9 1.0 1 3 2 78.1
34 R. Ballard S 43 18 0.0 0 2 6 80.3
77 H. Hughes DE 37 11 9.5 15 0 1 81.7
21 H. King CB 32 10 0.0 0 1 2 74.5
41 B. Pirrup CB 30 8 0.5 1 1 1 73.3
93 E. McWilliams DE 29 9 7.0 11 0 0 81.8
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 26 16 2.5 1 2 0 77.3
96 W. Cordon OLB 21 3 1.0 0 0 0 63.7
22 J. Sirialton S 20 10 0.0 0 2 4 81.9
91 C. Cochrane ILB 20 9 1.0 0 0 1 73.6
48 A. Jarvis CB 19 5 0.0 0 0 1 73.5
99 R. Petkovich DT 18 8 1.5 3 0 0 81.5
75 N. Dobbins DT 17 9 3.5 8 0 0 82.1
26 A. Douglas CB 12 4 0.0 0 1 1 78.8 

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK TWELVE:

The Miami Dolphins have finally won two in a row. They shouldn't have after blowing a 14 point lead and Minnesota was in chip shot FG range with under 2 minutes to play in the game. But the Dolphins got a break when they forced a fumble and recovered at their own 8 with under 1:30 to play. Then Miami fans held their breaths as the referees threw a flag on the play. But the penalty was after the turnover and was half the distance to the goal and still Miami ball.

The Miami defense wasn't as sharp as last week and let a 2-9 team hang around and it almost cost them. The offense started out hot with Newton running all over the Vikings. With the win the Dolphins moved to 5-6, but got no help with New England winning and still trail them by 2 games for the final wildcard spot. Let's take a look at the stats on the game:

Miami was 6/13 on 3rd down conversions.
They committed 11 penalties for 116 yards.
QB- Kolodziejski was 15/19 for 120 yards with 1 interception.
RB- Neal Newton had another 100+ rushing game. He had 153 yards on 28 carries with 2 TD.
RB- Crichlow added 38 yards on 7 carries.
K- Juan Hammond was 1/2 on FG. But both were from 52 and he did make one of them. It's just at the edge of his range.

The Defense only had one sack, but forced 2 turnovers.

The OL was solid. They allowed 2 sacks, but the starting OL was 15/32 on key run blocks.
C- Mohr was 5/7 on KRB.
OT- Levine was 4/5 on KRB with 1 pancake.

Injury News: No new injuries.

CB- Barkley is on IR.
C- Hickman is questionable for about 5 more weeks with his torn thumb ligament.
SS- Wampus is questionable for about 3 more weeks with a pulled groin.
SS- Ballard is probable for 1 more week with his broken toe.

The only injured player who will be in uniform is Ballard.

Preview on the game next week:

The Dolphins head to 2-9 Jacksonville and are looking to make it 3 in a row. But they better not take the Jaguars lightly. They did that after being up 14-0 against Minnesota and it almost cost them. They face former Miami CB- Al Barton next week. The weather report is sunny, 59 degrees with a 6 mph wind. Miami is favored by 3.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI GETS TO .500 BY WINNING THEIR 3RD IN A ROW



Jacksonville-- The Miami Dolphins didn't need any miraculous ending to win this one. Miami broke open a 13-0 halftime lead with 2 touchdowns in the first 4 minutes of the 3rd quarter. The first was a 13 yard pass from Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski to WR Phillip Antonides who broke it for the 91 yard TD. Then after an Alvin Jarvis interception gave Miami the ball back at the Jacksonville 15, Kolodziejski found Antonides again from 14 yards out and Miami led 27-0. Jacksonville got 2 touchdowns to close within 13, but Miami CB Adrian Douglas returned the kickoff 96 yards for the touchdown at the end of the 3rd quarter and Miami led 34-14 en route to a 37-17 win.

Neal Newton, the league's leading rusher, had his 3rd straight 100 yard rushing game and his 8th of the season. He ended the day with 144 yards on 24 carries. Kolodziejski only had 199 yards passing, but was 14/20 with 3 touchdowns.

With the win, Miami moves to 6-6 and are now only 1 game behind 4 teams tied for the final wildcard spot at 7-5. With the loss, Jacksonville falls to 2-10 and are offically elimated from playoff contention.

AFC EAST ROUNDUP:

The New York Jets dropped their 2nd game in 3 weeks by losing 21-20 to the Cincinnati Bengals (8-4). The Jets fall to 9-3, but still lead the AFC East by 2 games.

The New England Patriots couldn't take advantage of the Jets loss and remain 2 games back in the AFC East and are in danger of losing the final wildcard spot. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Patriots in overtime 27-24 after allowing a tieing touchdown with 1:30 to play in regulation. Both teams are 7-5, but Pittsburgh now holds the final wildcard spot due to this win this week.

The Buffalo Bills couldn't make it two in a row as they fall to the Houston Texans (8-4) by a score of 24-10. With the loss the Bills are 2-10 and are offically eliminated from playoff contention.

OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK THIRTEEN:


The Offensive Player of the Week is Tampa Bay QB Delarious Odom. He was 20/25 for 237 yards with 5 touchdowns in a 45-13 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals.

The Defensive Player of the Week is Houston DE Wally Callanan. He had 4 tackles, 1 assist and 3 sacks in a 24-10 win over the Buffalo Bills.

The Oakland Raiders (9-3) lost to the Baltimore Ravens (7-5) by a score of 33-10. The Denver Broncos (9-3) beat the Indianapolis Colts (5-7) by a score of 24-14 to move into a tie in the AFC West. Oakland currently holds the tiebreaker.

The Seattle Seahawks are 5-7 and still lead the NFC West by one game as everyone else lost again and are 4-8.

Injury news:

The Denver Broncos lost starting LT Andrew Stone for the final 4 games of the regular season with a hyperextended knee. He might be ready to come back for the playoffs.


League standing:

Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 8 4 0 .667 256 183 7-3 3-1
Pittsburgh 7 5 0 .583 197 178 6-4 2-2
Baltimore 7 5 0 .583 268 191 6-4 2-2
Cleveland 4 8 0 .333 230 291 4-6 1-3

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 8 4 0 .667 246 203 6-4 1-3
Tennessee 7 5 0 .583 231 214 6-4 2-2
Indianapolis 5 7 0 .417 233 294 4-6 3-1
Jacksonville 2 10 0 .167 163 259 2-8 2-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 9 3 0 .750 282 228 7-3 3-1
New England 7 5 0 .583 277 225 6-4 2-2
Miami 6 6 0 .500 240 190 4-6 2-2
Buffalo 2 10 0 .167 128 242 1-9 1-3

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 9 3 0 .750 227 190 7-3 3-1
Denver 9 3 0 .750 332 230 7-3 3-1
Kansas City 5 7 0 .417 185 237 4-6 1-3
San Diego 4 8 0 .333 162 293 3-7 1-3

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 8 4 0 .667 272 180 7-3 2-2
Green Bay 5 7 0 .417 243 226 4-6 3-1
Chicago 4 8 0 .333 169 273 4-6 2-2
Minnesota 3 9 0 .250 197 251 3-7 1-3

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 10 2 0 .833 310 228 8-2 4-0
Tampa Bay 8 4 0 .667 299 220 7-3 3-1
Atlanta 5 7 0 .417 268 275 4-6 1-3
Carolina 5 7 0 .417 209 247 4-6 0-4

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 10 2 0 .833 333 233 8-2 3-1
Dallas 8 4 0 .667 265 198 6-4 2-2
Washington 5 7 0 .417 195 202 5-5 2-2
New York G 5 7 0 .417 175 243 5-5 1-3

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 5 7 0 .417 223 227 4-6 1-3
St. Louis 4 8 0 .333 207 249 3-7 3-1
Arizona 4 8 0 .333 221 319 4-6 2-2
San Francisco 4 8 0 .333 254 278 4-6 2-2 


Team Summary:


Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 6-6
Winning Pct. .500
All-Time 55-85
Winning Pct. .392
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 48-93
Winning Pct. .340
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 32.3 7
Rushing Yards 141.9 2
Yards Per Carry 4.39 8
Pass Attempts 28.9 29
Completions 18.7 23 (T)
Completion Pct. 64.6 8
Passing Yards 189.8 20
Yards Per Attempt 6.56 14
Yards Per Catch 10.17 19
Total Yardage Gained 318.1 12
3rd Down Conversions 39.6 8
Points Per Game 20.0 15
Pass Rush Pct. 8.5 7
Pass Defense Pct. 66.6 18
Turnovers 12 3 (T)
Turnover Margin +15 1 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 25.1 8
Rushing Yards 108.8 11
Yards Per Carry 4.34 26
Pass Attempts 33.7 23
Completions 20.2 22 (T)
Completion Pct. 59.9 12
Passing Yards 207.8 12
Yards Per Attempt 6.17 11 (T)
Yards Per Catch 10.30 10
Total Yardage Gained 299.5 12
3rd Down Conversions 33.8 8
Points Per Game 15.8 4 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 6.2 7 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 63.6 10
Turnovers 27 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 3 at OAK 6
10 17 NED 24
11 24 NYJ 0
12 17 at MIN 16
13 37 at JAX 17
14 DET
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 297 201 2070 6.97 12 7 91.1
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 347 224 2277 6.56 12 8 85.1
$$Opp --- 404 242 2493 6.17 10 15 70.5

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 281 1412 5.02 9 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 48 160 3.33 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 36 91 2.53 0 4
**Team --- 388 1703 4.39 12 11
$$Opp --- 301 1305 4.34 7 21

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 87 50 779 15.58 8.95 2 4
32 N. Newton RB 63 45 284 6.31 4.51 1 3
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 45 37 324 8.76 7.20 1 2
87 C. Swift WR 46 27 383 14.19 8.33 4 1
88 F. Cole WR 43 24 312 13.00 7.26 1 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 27 21 104 4.95 3.85 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 91 29 0.0 1 1 7 77.9
56 T. Dellinger OLB 54 9 1.0 1 3 2 76.3
34 R. Ballard S 46 18 0.0 0 2 6 80.2
77 H. Hughes DE 40 11 10.5 19 0 1 81.8
21 H. King CB 34 11 0.0 0 1 3 75.9
41 B. Pirrup CB 33 8 0.5 1 1 4 75.6
93 E. McWilliams DE 30 9 8.0 12 0 0 81.8
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 27 17 2.5 1 2 0 77.8
22 J. Sirialton S 24 10 0.0 0 2 5 81.0
48 A. Jarvis CB 22 5 0.0 0 1 1 76.1
91 C. Cochrane ILB 22 10 1.0 0 0 1 74.3
96 W. Cordon OLB 21 3 1.0 0 0 0 65.3
99 R. Petkovich DT 20 9 1.5 3 0 0 81.6
75 N. Dobbins DT 20 10 3.5 9 0 0 82.1
26 A. Douglas CB 12 4 0.0 0 2 1 82.7 



MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK THIRTEEN:


The Miami Dolphins have won 3 in a row! Let me say that again. The Miami Dolphins have won 3 in a row! The Dolphins are only one game out of the wildcard race. Of course they have 8-4 Detroit coming to Miami next. But the Dolphins have finally starting playing. They got out to a 27-0 lead against a 2 win team, and when the Jaguars started to come back, the Dolphins opened it up again. That's what they need to do. Newton has been on fire getting another 144 yards and now has a league leading 1412 yards with 49 runs of 10 yards or more. Some stats on the game:

We already mentioned Newton's 144 yards.

QB Kolodziejski was a modest 14/20 for 199 yards, but he had 3 TD and one was a 91 yarder that WR Antonides broke for 78 after the catch.
Punter Singleton has struggled all year, he had a 50.8 average with a 44.8 net. It's about time.
The OL allowed 2 sacks both by Levine.
C- Mohr was 4/10 on KRB and OG- Springer was 4/8 on KRB.

There were no new injuries in the game. Existing injuries:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
C- Hickman is probable for about 4 more weeks with his torn thumb ligament.
SS- Wampus is questionable for about 2 more weeks with is pulled groin.
SS- Ballard is now 100%.

The 8-4 Detroit Lions come to town. The weather is calling for sunny skies and 60 degrees with a 2 mph wind. Detroit is favored by 3.

Let's see if the Dolphins can make it 4 in a row.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI WINS 4TH IN A ROW TO MOVE TO 7-6 ON THE YEAR


Miami-- Neal Newton, the league's leading rusher, had another 100 yard rushing game to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 26-8 victory over the Detroit Lions to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins scored on their 1st drive of the game when Newton got a 3 yard touchdown run. The Miami defense played solid all day recording 5 sacks. The Dolphins' special teams played great getting a Preston Ash 92 yard punt return for a touchdown along with a blocked FG.

The win was not without cost for the Dolphins. On the opening drive of the 2nd half, Miami DT Nathan Dobbins broke his tibia and is out for the year.

Detroit still leads 2nd place Green Bay by 3 games in the NFC North. Miami still trails the wildcard in the AFC by one game as all 4 teams that were 7-5 won.

Miami's 4 game winning streak is the longest since the 1970 when the Dolphins won the final 5 games of the regular season to win the AFC East.

AFC EAST ROUNDUP:

The New York Jets held off the Green Bay Packers to mantain their 2 game lead over the New England Patroits. The Jets won 16-10 to move to 10-3. Green Bay falls to 5-8.

The New England Patroits beat the Chicago Bears 23-3 to remain tied for the final wildcard spot in the AFC. New England moves to 8-5. Chicago falls to 4-9 and are offically elimated from the playoff race.

The Buffalo Bills won for the 2nd time in 3 weeks beating the Minnesota Vikings 34-7. With the win, that moves Jacksonville into the #1 pick in next year's draft.

OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK FOURTEEN:


The Offensive Player of the Week is Philadelphia QB Stephen Gulley. He was 20/25 for 371 yards with 3 TD and 1 int. leading the Eagles to a 35-9 win over the Houston Texans. With the win, their 7th in a row, the Eagles have clinched the NFC East with an 11-2 record. They lead Dallas by 3 games with 3 to play but have beaten the Cowboys in both meetings this season.

The Defensive Player of the Week is Kansas City DE Rob Compton. He had 4 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks, but it wasn't enough as the Chiefs lost to the Seattle Seahawks 24-17.

Some of the division races are going down to the wire. In the AFC North, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore are all tied with an 8-5 record. In the AFC South, Tennessee and Houston are tied with 8-5 records. In the AFC West, both Oakland and Denver lost to fall to 9-4 each. In the NFC West, all 4 teams won so Seattle mantains their one game lead over everyone with a 6-7 record.

Injury news:

Philadelphia may have locked up the division race, but they lost starting WLB J.T. Strickland for about 4 games with a sprained knee. He should be ready for the playoffs. They also lost starting rookie FL Britt Baxter for the rest of the regular season with a severe wrist sprain. He should also be ready for the playoffs.

Seattle lost starting RCB Blake Lane for the rest of the year with an ACL Knee injury. He will be having surgery.

The Miami Dolphins have placed DT Nathan Dobbins on injured reserve. To take his place on the roster, they have signed 3 year DT David Crane.




Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Pittsburgh 8 5 0 .615 225 202 6-4 2-2
Cincinnati 8 5 0 .615 270 207 7-3 3-1
Baltimore 8 5 0 .615 295 201 6-4 2-2
Cleveland 5 8 0 .385 254 291 4-6 1-3

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 8 5 0 .615 255 231 6-4 2-2
Houston 8 5 0 .615 255 238 6-4 1-3
Indianapolis 6 7 0 .462 250 304 4-6 3-1
Jacksonville 2 11 0 .154 176 279 2-8 2-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 10 3 0 .769 298 238 7-3 3-1
New England 8 5 0 .615 300 228 6-4 2-2
Miami 7 6 0 .538 266 198 4-6 2-2
Buffalo 3 10 0 .231 162 249 1-9 1-3

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 9 4 0 .692 237 209 7-3 3-1
Denver 9 4 0 .692 345 247 7-3 3-1
Kansas City 5 8 0 .385 202 261 4-6 1-3
San Diego 4 9 0 .308 169 317 3-7 1-3

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Detroit 8 5 0 .615 280 206 7-3 2-2
Green Bay 5 8 0 .385 253 242 4-6 3-1
Chicago 4 9 0 .308 172 296 4-6 2-2
Minnesota 3 10 0 .231 204 285 3-7 1-3

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New Orleans 10 3 0 .769 320 255 8-2 4-0
Tampa Bay 8 5 0 .615 323 248 7-3 3-1
Atlanta 6 7 0 .462 292 289 4-6 1-3
Carolina 5 8 0 .385 209 271 4-6 0-4

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Philadelphia 11 2 0 .846 368 242 8-2 3-1
Dallas 8 5 0 .615 282 222 6-4 2-2
Washington 6 7 0 .462 215 215 5-5 2-2
New York G 5 8 0 .385 185 260 5-5 1-3

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Seattle 6 7 0 .462 247 244 4-6 1-3
St. Louis 5 8 0 .385 224 262 3-7 3-1
Arizona 5 8 0 .385 240 329 4-6 2-2
San Francisco 5 8 0 .385 278 285 4-6 2-2 





Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 7-6
Winning Pct. .538
All-Time 56-85
Winning Pct. .397
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 49-93
Winning Pct. .345
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 32.8 5
Rushing Yards 145.7 3
Yards Per Carry 4.44 7
Pass Attempts 28.1 30
Completions 18.2 25 (T)
Completion Pct. 64.7 9 (T)
Passing Yards 185.9 22 (T)
Yards Per Attempt 6.62 14
Yards Per Catch 10.24 18
Total Yardage Gained 318.3 13
3rd Down Conversions 38.3 11
Points Per Game 20.5 13
Pass Rush Pct. 8.6 7
Pass Defense Pct. 65.3 18 (T)
Turnovers 13 4 (T)
Turnover Margin +15 2

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 24.8 5
Rushing Yards 104.5 8
Yards Per Carry 4.22 24
Pass Attempts 34.2 27
Completions 20.7 26
Completion Pct. 60.4 14
Passing Yards 208.8 14
Yards Per Attempt 6.10 8
Yards Per Catch 10.09 5
Total Yardage Gained 295.3 11 (T)
3rd Down Conversions 33.7 8
Points Per Game 15.2 1
Pass Rush Pct. 6.0 5 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 64.7 13
Turnovers 28 1 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 3 at OAK 6
10 17 NED 24
11 24 NYJ 0
12 17 at MIN 16
13 37 at JAX 17
14 26 DET 8
15 BUF
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 315 213 2210 7.02 13 8 90.8
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 365 236 2417 6.62 13 9 85.2
$$Opp --- 445 269 2714 6.10 11 15 72.0

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 311 1572 5.05 10 1
46 K. Crichlow RB 54 191 3.54 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 39 91 2.33 0 4
**Team --- 427 1894 4.44 13 11
$$Opp --- 322 1359 4.22 7 23

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 88 51 854 16.75 9.70 2 5
32 N. Newton RB 71 51 317 6.22 4.46 1 3
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 45 37 324 8.76 7.20 1 2
87 C. Swift WR 48 28 397 14.18 8.27 4 1
88 F. Cole WR 44 24 312 13.00 7.09 1 0
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 31 24 116 4.83 3.74 0 1

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 97 31 1.5 1 1 7 77.1
56 T. Dellinger OLB 56 11 1.0 1 3 3 76.8
34 R. Ballard S 50 18 0.0 0 2 6 80.1
77 H. Hughes DE 44 11 11.0 20 0 1 81.2
21 H. King CB 40 12 0.0 0 1 3 74.8
41 B. Pirrup CB 37 9 0.5 1 1 4 74.8
93 E. McWilliams DE 35 10 10.0 14 0 0 81.9
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 30 17 2.5 1 2 2 79.2
22 J. Sirialton S 27 11 0.0 0 2 6 81.0
91 C. Cochrane ILB 25 10 1.0 0 0 1 72.8
48 A. Jarvis CB 22 5 0.0 0 1 1 76.6
75 N. Dobbins DT 22 10 3.5 10 0 0 81.7
96 W. Cordon OLB 22 3 1.0 0 0 0 67.0
99 R. Petkovich DT 21 11 1.5 4 0 0 81.7
26 A. Douglas CB 14 5 0.0 0 2 1 82.0
43 A. Terry S 13 2 1.0 0 0 3 81.6 


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK FOURTEEN:


The Miami Dolphins have won 4 in a row and this is nothing to sneeze at. Two of the wins are against division leaders. But let's not get too excited yet. The Dolphins still trail the wildcard by 1 game as they got no help as all 4 teams at 7-5 won this week. And also, this team is all about Neal Newton. He is the backbone of this team. He had another 160 yards and now has a league leading 1572 on the season. If he averages 140 yards in his last 3 games, he would break the single season record set by Washington RB J.R. Beliveau in 1976 of 1981 yards.

But this team has accomplished one of it's goals at the start of the season. They have a +15 turnover ratio through the 1st thirteen games and have forced 28 turnovers to lead the league. That is a big turnaround from last season. This defense makes things happen. But they will have to continue for the rest of the year without starting DT Nathan Dobbins who broke his tibia in the 2nd half of the Detroit game. He will be missed. The Dolphins have placed Dobbins on injured reserve. The Dolphins sign 3 year DT David Crane to take his place on the roster. Crane was a 3rd round pick in 1976 and had sat on the bench for the New Orleans Saints until they released him in week 7 this year. He could be a solid backup.

Stats on the game:

The Dolphins were only 2/11 on 3rd downs.
They had 10 penalties for 100 yards.

RB- Newton had 160 yards on 30 carries with 1 TD and 7 runs of 10 yards or more. He also added 6 catches for 33 yards.
QB- Kolodziejski wasn't asked to do anything more than complete safe passes. He was 12/18 for 140 yards with 1 TD and 1 int.
Punter- Singleton had 5/7 punts downed inside the 20.
Kicker- Hammond was 2/2 on FG and a nice pressure kick with 4 minutes to play from 39 yards to take a 15 point game and put it out of reach making the game 3 scores.

The Defense had 5 sacks.
The OL allowed 2 sacks, but was great blocking for Newton again.

LT- Green was 5/9 on KRB with one sack allowed.
C- Mohr was 4/9 on KRB.
OG- Springer was 3/5 on KRB.


On the injury front:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
DT- Dobbins is on IR.

SS- Wampus is probable for about 1 more week with his pulled groin.
C- Hickman is probable for about 3 more weeks with his torn thumb ligament.


QB- Sanders is now livid he isn't playing. Oh well, Kolodziejski is still playing solid.

The Buffalo Bills come to town for our last home game of the season. We beat them in week 4 by a score of 37-9.

The weather report is calling for sunny and hot with a high of 87 degrees with an 8 MPH wind. Miami is favored by 7.

[DolphinFan1]

MIAMI SURVIVES WITH LAST SECOND FG TO BEAT BILLS


Miami-- The Miami Dolphins won their 5th straight with a 51 yard FG from Juan Hammond as time expired to move to 8-6 on the season. It was Hammond's 3rd kick of the day. Buffalo kept the league's leading rusher, Neal Newton under 100 yards but couldn't stop Miami QB Benjamin Kolodziejski. Although, Kolodziejski almost stopped himself with 3 fumbles after sacks and lost two of them. But the Miami defense came up with just enough stops to hold off a game Buffalo Bills team who didn't play like their 3-11 record.

Buffalo got on the board first with a 96 yard drive for a touchdown after the Bills defense stopped Miami with the help of a few penalties. Miami didn't take long to tie it however, when four plays later, Kolodziejski found TE Oliver Dunkelberger for a 20 yard TD and we were tied at 7. The Bills found a lot of holes without DT- Nathan Dobbins in there and pounded it up the middle. But Miami CB Bert Pirrup stopped Buffalo with an interception on 3rd down at the 18. The next defensive series, Miami CB Alvin Jarvis intercepts a pass and returns it to the Buffalo 33. Miami couldn't get anything going and had to settle for a Hammond 47 yard FG. Buffalo tied the score just before halftime with a 25 yard FG.

The Miami defense got their 3rd interception of the day on the first series of the second half when Pirrup picked off a Sam McNight pass at the Miami 20. Later in the 3rd quarter, Kolodziejski found Dunkelberger again for the 13 yard TD and Miami led 17-10. The Miami defense continued to play solid until a sack and fumble on Kolodziejski with 9 minutes to play gave Buffalo the ball at the Miami 28. The Dolphins' defense couldn't stop them this time and a broken tackle gave FB Sam Meadows the room to turn a short pass into a 28 yard touchdown.

Miami took the ball right down the field, but stalled at the Buffalo 31 with 3:31 to play. Hammond lined up for the 48 yarder and hit the FG and Miami led 20-17. But the lead was short lived when a big kickoff return gave Buffalo the ball at their 49. The Miami defense made the stop but not before Buffalo hit the 35 yard FG and we were tied at 20 with just over one minute to play. That's when Kolodziejski went to work. He took them right down the field and Hammond hit the 51 yarder to give the Dolphins the win.

The Dolphins move to 8-6 with the win and are still alive for the wildcard and division title but they need a lot of help. Buffalo falls to 3-11 with the loss.


AFC EAST ROUNDUP:

The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets by a score of 24-13 to move within one game of the AFC East lead with 2 games to go.

OTHER LEAGUE NEWS FOR WEEK FIFTEEN:

The Offensive Player of the Week is Denver QB Marcus King. He was 22/26 for 404 yards with 3 TD in a 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Defensive Player of the Week is Carolina DE Danny Daliere. He had 5 tackles and 2.5 sacks in a 33-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

In the AFC, no division is clinched and 10 teams are still mathematically alive for a playoff spot.

In the NFC, 3 of the 4 divisions are wrapped up with only the NFC West still to be decided. All 4 teams have a chance to win the division.

Injury news:

The Seattle Seahawks not only lost the division lead in the NFC West, they also lost starting TE Roosevelt Bowser for 3 weeks with a hyperextended elbow.

The New Orleans Saints have lost another starter. This time it's starting QB LaDon Moore. He will be out about 4 weeks with a strained calf muscle. With New Orleans clinching the division, if they get the bye week, he could be ready for their 1st playoff game.

The Detroit Lions have clinched the division, but will have to go to the playoffs without starting FS Tyrone Curtis. He is out for the year with a broken foot.




Front Office Football 2007
1978 Regular Season Standings

AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Baltimore 9 5 0 .643 330 221 7-4 3-2
Pittsburgh 9 5 0 .643 244 218 7-4 3-2
Cincinnati 8 6 0 .571 290 242 7-4 3-2
Cleveland 5 9 0 .357 270 310 4-7 1-4

AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Houston 9 5 0 .643 278 248 7-4 2-3
Tennessee 8 6 0 .571 265 254 6-5 2-3
Indianapolis 6 8 0 .429 260 328 4-7 3-2
Jacksonville 3 11 0 .214 200 289 3-8 3-2

AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 10 4 0 .714 311 262 7-4 3-2
New England 9 5 0 .643 324 241 7-4 3-2
Miami 8 6 0 .571 289 218 5-6 3-2
Buffalo 3 11 0 .214 182 272 1-10 1-4

AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oakland 10 4 0 .714 271 229 8-3 4-1
Denver 10 4 0 .714 379 278 8-3 4-1
Kansas City 5 9 0 .357 233 295 4-7 1-4
San Diego 4 10 0 .286 189 351 3-8 1-4

NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
X- Detroit 9 5 0 .643 308 222 8-3 3-2
Green Bay 6 8 0 .429 288 262 5-6 4-1
Chicago 4 10 0 .286 188 324 4-7 2-3
Minnesota 3 11 0 .214 224 320 3-8 1-4

NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
X- New Orleans 11 3 0 .786 350 278 9-2 5-0
Tampa Bay 8 6 0 .571 346 278 7-4 3-2
Atlanta 6 8 0 .429 305 322 4-7 1-4
Carolina 6 8 0 .429 242 284 5-6 1-4

NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
X- Philadelphia 12 2 0 .857 401 269 9-2 4-1
Y- Dallas 9 5 0 .643 292 222 7-4 3-2
Washington 6 8 0 .429 242 248 5-6 2-3
New York G 5 9 0 .357 185 270 5-6 1-4

NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Arizona 6 8 0 .429 263 336 5-6 3-2
San Francisco 6 8 0 .429 316 316 5-6 3-2
Seattle 6 8 0 .429 254 267 4-7 1-4
St. Louis 5 9 0 .357 255 300 3-8 3-2 


X- Clinched division title.
Y- Clinched wildcard
Z- Clinched #1 seed.


In the AFC, Nobody has clinced a division or wildcard spot yet. There are
10 teams alive for 6 playoff spots.

In the NFC, three divisions are locked up, although Philly and New Orleans
are still alive for the #1 seed. Detroit is barely alive to possibly get a
#2 seed.



Front Office Football 2007
1978 Summary for Miami Dolphins

Year 1978
Record 8-6
Winning Pct. .571
All-Time 57-85
Winning Pct. .401
Playoffs 1-2
Playoff Visits 2
Bowl Wins 0
Head Coach Ellis Fairfield
Record 50-93
Winning Pct. .349
Off. Coord. C. Blake
Def. Coord. R. Reid

Miami Dolphins Team Rank
Rushes per Game 32.0 6
Rushing Yards 143.6 3
Yards Per Carry 4.49 5
Pass Attempts 28.9 29
Completions 18.8 24
Completion Pct. 64.9 7
Passing Yards 191.2 23
Yards Per Attempt 6.61 15
Yards Per Catch 10.18 21
Total Yardage Gained 321.3 14
3rd Down Conversions 38.8 10
Points Per Game 20.6 13
Pass Rush Pct. 8.3 6 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 68.4 12
Turnovers 16 7 (T)
Turnover Margin +15 1 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes per Game 24.9 5
Rushing Yards 106.1 8
Yards Per Carry 4.26 23
Pass Attempts 34.6 27
Completions 20.5 23
Completion Pct. 59.2 9
Passing Yards 209.4 15
Yards Per Attempt 6.05 4
Yards Per Catch 10.22 7
Total Yardage Gained 297.6 11 (T)
3rd Down Conversions 34.6 13
Points Per Game 15.6 1 (T)
Pass Rush Pct. 6.2 9 (T)
Pass Defense Pct. 63.7 9
Turnovers 31 1

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 at NYJ 23
2 27 CHI 3
3 35 CLE 42
4 37 at BUF 9
5 6 SDO 23
6 17 DEN 24
8 10 at KCY 3
9 3 at OAK 6
10 17 NED 24
11 24 NYJ 0
12 17 at MIN 16
13 37 at JAX 17
14 26 DET 8
15 23 BUF 20
16 at GBY
17 at NED

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int Rate
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 355 240 2470 6.96 15 9 90.9
7 D. Sanders QB 50 23 207 4.14 0 1 49.3
**Team --- 405 263 2677 6.61 15 10 85.8
$$Opp --- 485 287 2932 6.05 13 18 70.0

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Fum
32 N. Newton RB 328 1670 5.09 10 2
46 K. Crichlow RB 56 200 3.57 0 0
18 B. Kolodziejski QB 41 101 2.46 0 7
**Team --- 448 2011 4.49 13 16
$$Opp --- 349 1486 4.26 7 23

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop TD
85 P. Antonides WR 95 58 958 16.52 10.08 2 5
32 N. Newton RB 77 55 348 6.33 4.52 2 3
86 O. Dunkelberger TE 48 40 367 9.18 7.65 1 4
87 C. Swift WR 57 34 443 13.03 7.77 4 1
23 L. Hedgepeth FB 35 27 133 4.93 3.80 0 1
88 F. Cole WR 48 25 327 13.08 6.81 1 0

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn PDPct
95 L. Alarcon ILB 98 31 1.5 1 1 7 77.3
56 T. Dellinger OLB 59 13 1.0 1 3 4 77.9
34 R. Ballard S 54 20 0.0 0 2 6 79.7
77 H. Hughes DE 48 11 11.5 21 0 2 81.9
21 H. King CB 44 12 0.0 0 1 5 75.4
41 B. Pirrup CB 39 12 0.5 1 3 6 78.5
93 E. McWilliams DE 39 11 10.0 17 0 0 81.7
57 M. Kimbrell OLB 32 18 2.5 1 2 2 78.9
22 J. Sirialton S 29 12 0.0 0 2 8 82.5
91 C. Cochrane ILB 27 10 1.0 0 0 2 73.5
48 A. Jarvis CB 24 5 0.0 0 2 1 78.2
99 R. Petkovich DT 22 15 2.0 5 0 0 81.8
75 N. Dobbins DT 22 10 3.5 10 0 0 81.7
96 W. Cordon OLB 22 3 1.0 0 0 0 68.5
26 A. Douglas CB 15 5 0.0 0 2 1 82.0
43 A. Terry S 15 2 1.0 0 0 3 81.0
97 B. Gilmore DT 14 4 0.5 2 0 0 81.9 


MIAMI DOLPHINS WEEKLY FOR WEEK FIFTEEN:

Well, it wasn't pretty but the Miami Dolphins got the job done. On a day where Newton was held in check and Kolodziejski had trouble holding onto the ball, it was the defense and kicker Juan Hammond who bailed out the Dolphins. The Dolphins are still alive for a wildcard spot but barely. As while Miami has been on a 5 game winning streaks, the rest of the wildcard contenders keep winning. However, with New England beating the Jets this week that sets up an interesting final two weeks. If the Dolphins could win the last two weeks and the Jets lose the last two, the Dolphins should hold the tiebreakers for the division title with either a two way or three way tie based on division record. But that's a big if. Let's take a look at the stats:

The Dolphins had 15 penalties for 99 yards.
They turned it over 3 times but got 3 turnovers on defense.

RB- Newton had 98 yards on 17 carries.
QB- Kolodziejski was 27/40 for 260 yards with 2 TD and 1 int and 2 lost fumbles.
WR- Antonides had 7 catches for 104 yards.
TE- Dunkelberger only had 3 catches for 43 yards but 2 TD.
CB- Pirrup had 2 interceptions and CB- Jarvis had 1.
K- Hammond was 3/3 on FG with 2 over 40 yards and the gamewinner from 51.
Newly acquired DT- David Crane played solid recording 5 tackles and 1 sack.

The OL allowed 3 sacks.

OG- Lee was 5/7 on KRB.
WR- Swift was 3/3 on 3rd down catches for 1st downs.

Injury news:

CB- Barkley is on IR.
DT- Dobbins is on IR.

SS- Wampus is 100%.
C- Hickman is probable for about 2 more weeks with his torn thumb ligament.

CB- Douglas sprained a knee and is questionable for about 3 weeks.
TE- Dunkelberger has a sprained ankle and is questionable for about 3 weeks.

QB- Sanders is now demanding a trade. Oh well, he's in his 12th year so no one will take him anyway.

Miami heads to Green Bay and we face QB- Bryan Sansbury, a guy we looked at drafting but he went before our pick. He has led his Packers to a 6-8 record with 12 TD and 10 Int.

The weather is calling for sunny skies and 68 degrees with no wind. Miami is favored by 4.

[larrymcg421]

What a nice comeback you got going this season!