Hey guys, it is game day once again. But, unlike last week, tonight is not a regular preseason game. Tonight is the season preview. This means all of the starters will play at least a half, some may even play into the 3rd quarter. This game is all about the starters getting ready for the regular season and less about evaluating the fringe guys. With that said, let's get into things you should watch for in tonight's preseason matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
How does Ryan Tannehill respond to being named the starting QB?
Let's get the easy one out of the way. For those who still don't know, rookie QB Ryan Tannehill was named the starting QB earlier this week. This will be his first game as the unquestioned starter. It will be very interesting how he responds. He could go one of three directions. The first, and obviously the most desirable, direction is for him to come out and dominate, with a 200 yd, 3 TD performance in the first half against Atlanta's starters. The second, and most likely direction is for Tannehill to come out and play well, but to still make rookie mistakes, like last week. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, as it will just be a learning experience and it will show he can improve, we should want more from him. The third, and least attractive option is for him to go out there and either get injured, or to play poorly and raise questions about the decision to name him starter. If that is what happens, then we as Dolphins fans should not go calling him a bust or calling for Devlin to start or whatnot, but accept it as part of rookie growing pains, and let him improve. But, lets go and watch for ourselves, and hope for the 1st or 2st direction, but accept it if the 3rd direction happens.
Which WR separates himself from the pack?
As of now, only Davone Bess and Legedu Naanee are guaranteed a roster spot, but it seems like Brian Hartline, who has finally returned from injury, but is questionable to play tonight, and Julius Pruitt, who is already a special teams ace, and is separating himself as a WR, may also be given a starting spot. After them, there is quite a group of WRs fighting for the remaining roster spot. You should figure Roberto Wallace will get one of them, as he has all the measurables to be an elite NFL player, but struggles to gain seperation, but he will have to play at least decently tonight. That leaves maybe one spot up for grabs. Currently, return specialist Rishard Matthews, hard knocks sensation Chris "7-11" Hogan, speedster Clyde Gates, shifty Marlon Moore, Tannehill's buddy Jeff Fuller and all-time WR leader at Michigan State, BJ Cunningham are competing for that coveted spot, and whoever plays well tonight should earn it.
How does John Jerry perform in the starting spot?
John Jerry probably had one of the most up-and-down training camps on the team, being a fast faller and quick riser (stock-wise) all within one week. The Dolphins already have some struggles along the right side of the O-line, and that should only be worsened with the injury to journeyman starter Artis Hicks. If Jerry plays well tonight, he may cement himself in the starting position. Even though he reported to camp way overweight, he worked pretty hard to bring his weight down from an outrageous 360 lbs to a more reasonable 345 lbs, even though he still has about 15-20 lbs to go. As O-line coach Jim Turner said on Hard Knocks, John Jerry has all the upside in the world, and if he gets in shape and buys into the system, could become an all-pro guard.
How much does Vontae Davis play, and how well does he play?
After being one of the top 15 CBs in the league last year, Vontae seemed to have came into camp thinking he was guaranteed the number 1 spot. He struggled early, but seems to have come back on. If Vontae can come back to what he was, it would go a long way towards repairing this broken secondary. However, rumors were circulating earlier today and last night that Vontae may be involved in trade talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In my honest opinion, trading Vontae would be a terrible decision. He was a top 15 CB last year, is very cheap and is still young at 24 years old. But, if he barely plays tonight, then it would be a clear indication that trade talks are under way. If he plays well, any trade talks would either end, or the price tag will go way up. Personally, the only trade that I think would be acceptable would be a swap of Vontae Davis in exchange for Reggie Wayne and a 2nd round pick. The Colts will most likely not be very good, so the 2nd round pick will be very high, and Wayne gives us a number legit number one guy and tremendously improves our WR corps.
How does our Linebacker corps play after a poor game last week?
Last week, 2 of our starting LBs were out injured. This week, Kevin Burnett is back, while Karlos Dansby is questionable to play. However, even the return of just Burnett should make the LB corps much better. Last week, replacements Jason Trusnik and Austin Spitler struggled, especially Spitler, who was playing MLB. Spitler struggled to make the playcalls and made many bad reads. Trusnik wasn't as bad, but wasn't very good either until the 2nd unit offense entered the field. Today, assuming Dansby doesn't play, Misi and Trusnik will remain the starting OLBs, while Burnett slides over from his OLB spot to cover for the injured Dansby. Hopefully, Burnett's return, along with the return of DE Cameron Wake, should help improve our defense after a poor performance last week, in which Cam Newton looked like Ben Roethlisberger, Steve Smith looked like Steve Smith circa 2005 and Mike Tolbert looked like Maurice Jones-Drew.
Well, that's it for my five key questions as to tonights season preview. Let's see how it goes, and as usual, GO DOLPHINS!!!
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