I am going for the Colts.
Who has the edge: Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts
WHEN THE DOLPHINS RUN THE BALL
The Dolphins try to strike a balance between Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams but failed last week in getting either player involved in the attack. The two combined for 17 carries, which is about what Brown averaged by himself last season. The Miami offensive line failed to push aside a run defense that was only 25th in the NFL last season. The Colts are traditionally solid against the run when strong safety Bob Sanders is in the lineup. He wasn't there last week, and Indy is No. 23 versus the run now. He isn't likely to be in the lineup against Miami.
WHEN THE DOLPHINS PASS THE BALL
The Dolphins successfully got Davone Bess involved in the passing game last week, which is good. But the team needs to incorporate Ted Ginn Jr. in the game plan, and that was a failure last week. Despite last week's fumbles, the Dolphins will continue to throw to tight ends. Colts cornerbacks Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Jackson are in their prime and getting good support by a pass rush led by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Passing against Indy is a tough and often painful proposition for a quarterback.
WHEN THE COLTS RUN THE BALL
Neither Joseph Addai nor rookie Donald Brown is an elite player. They combined for 75 yards on 28 carries against Jacksonville, as cracks created by the offensive line were rare. The Dolphins, on the other hand, did outstanding work against Atlanta's vaunted running game last week. The Falcons, the No. 2 rush offense in the NFL a year ago, managed only 2.5 yards per rush against Miami. Phillip Merling, Jason Taylor, Jason Ferguson and others led a charge that stopped the Falcons' run cold. It wasn't a fluke -- expect more of the same.
WHEN THE COLTS PASS THE BALL
Peyton Manning started his firstNFL game against the Dolphins in 1999. He has come a long way since then. Manning has lost his head coach, offensive coordinator, Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez and left tackle Tarik Glenn. But the Dolphins remain rightly respectful of the fact Manning still gets rid of the ball quickly, still shows excellent field generalship and does some fine commercials, too. After struggling with Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez last week, the Dolphins must contain outstanding Indy tight end Dallas Clark a little better this week. Might not be a surprise if Miami matches up on Clark with a cornerback rather than a safety.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One assumes kicker Adam Vinatieri remains a clutch performer while the rest of Indy's special teams remain solid. One must assume these things because last week's season opener offered little evidence to confirm or contradict that. The Colts and Jaguars didn't do much kicking off or punting or covering of kickoffs in a sleepy 14-12 Indy victory. Miami's special teams, an unpredictable roller-coaster ride throughout the preseason, settled down in the season opener and also offered neither highlights nor terrible moments. Obviously, Dan Carpenter has the experience of kicking off the dirt infield over Vinatieri, but this advantage is muted by Vinatieri's longevity.
COACHING
It isn't really fitting to describe Jim Caldwell as a rookie coach because he has been instrumental in Indy's offensive excellence dating to 2002. But the fact remains Caldwell is taking on the duties of departed Tony Dungy, and no matter how immersed he might be in all things Colts, he must prove himself. Tony Sparano is as proven as you can become in one season, but he needs to find ways to overcome his team's sluggish offensive performance of a week ago -- particularly as it related to the fact neither the base offense nor the Wildcat package netted positive results.
LAST MEETING
The Colts and Dolphins last met on December 31, 2006, in the RCA Dome with the Colts pulling out a 27-22 victory in Nick Saban's last game as Miami's coach.
Who has the edge: Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts
WHEN THE DOLPHINS RUN THE BALL
The Dolphins try to strike a balance between Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams but failed last week in getting either player involved in the attack. The two combined for 17 carries, which is about what Brown averaged by himself last season. The Miami offensive line failed to push aside a run defense that was only 25th in the NFL last season. The Colts are traditionally solid against the run when strong safety Bob Sanders is in the lineup. He wasn't there last week, and Indy is No. 23 versus the run now. He isn't likely to be in the lineup against Miami.
WHEN THE DOLPHINS PASS THE BALL
The Dolphins successfully got Davone Bess involved in the passing game last week, which is good. But the team needs to incorporate Ted Ginn Jr. in the game plan, and that was a failure last week. Despite last week's fumbles, the Dolphins will continue to throw to tight ends. Colts cornerbacks Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Jackson are in their prime and getting good support by a pass rush led by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Passing against Indy is a tough and often painful proposition for a quarterback.
WHEN THE COLTS RUN THE BALL
Neither Joseph Addai nor rookie Donald Brown is an elite player. They combined for 75 yards on 28 carries against Jacksonville, as cracks created by the offensive line were rare. The Dolphins, on the other hand, did outstanding work against Atlanta's vaunted running game last week. The Falcons, the No. 2 rush offense in the NFL a year ago, managed only 2.5 yards per rush against Miami. Phillip Merling, Jason Taylor, Jason Ferguson and others led a charge that stopped the Falcons' run cold. It wasn't a fluke -- expect more of the same.
WHEN THE COLTS PASS THE BALL
Peyton Manning started his firstNFL game against the Dolphins in 1999. He has come a long way since then. Manning has lost his head coach, offensive coordinator, Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez and left tackle Tarik Glenn. But the Dolphins remain rightly respectful of the fact Manning still gets rid of the ball quickly, still shows excellent field generalship and does some fine commercials, too. After struggling with Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez last week, the Dolphins must contain outstanding Indy tight end Dallas Clark a little better this week. Might not be a surprise if Miami matches up on Clark with a cornerback rather than a safety.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One assumes kicker Adam Vinatieri remains a clutch performer while the rest of Indy's special teams remain solid. One must assume these things because last week's season opener offered little evidence to confirm or contradict that. The Colts and Jaguars didn't do much kicking off or punting or covering of kickoffs in a sleepy 14-12 Indy victory. Miami's special teams, an unpredictable roller-coaster ride throughout the preseason, settled down in the season opener and also offered neither highlights nor terrible moments. Obviously, Dan Carpenter has the experience of kicking off the dirt infield over Vinatieri, but this advantage is muted by Vinatieri's longevity.
COACHING
It isn't really fitting to describe Jim Caldwell as a rookie coach because he has been instrumental in Indy's offensive excellence dating to 2002. But the fact remains Caldwell is taking on the duties of departed Tony Dungy, and no matter how immersed he might be in all things Colts, he must prove himself. Tony Sparano is as proven as you can become in one season, but he needs to find ways to overcome his team's sluggish offensive performance of a week ago -- particularly as it related to the fact neither the base offense nor the Wildcat package netted positive results.
LAST MEETING
The Colts and Dolphins last met on December 31, 2006, in the RCA Dome with the Colts pulling out a 27-22 victory in Nick Saban's last game as Miami's coach.
