Welcome, Nick Saban, to the land of heightened expectations.
,Better act
like a resident, and not a tourist.
You inherited one of the most
talent-thin rosters in the NFL during your rookie season with the Dolphins,
building the franchise immediately into a competitor in the AFC East. You looked
like a genius when Miami went from 4-12 to 9-7 seemingly overnight, winning your
final six games of the year in what Fins fans hope is a predictor of greatness
to come.
Youre a darling among NFL observers and media, though you know
in your heart that you mustnt take that "genius" tag for granted.
You
know that much of your 2006 season will ride on the right arm of either Daunte
Culpepper, who comes off major knee surgery, or Joey Harrington, an unqualified
bust in Detroit. Youre aware of the fact that Ricky Williams, a major component
of your success in 05, is gone, and that second-year man Ronnie Brown will have
to carry most of the load for the first time since high school. No one has to
remind you that the offensive coordinator, Mike Mularkey, is new, replacing
Scott Linehan, who jumped ship to take the Rams head job. Your defensive
coordinator from last year, Richard Smith, has departed as well, and you and
your defensive-minded buddy Dom Capers are going to require big things from a
unit that, somewhat worryingly, features a secondary boasting a bunch of new
starters.
Taking a step back is not an option. An AFC East title looks
to be a reasonable goal, a trip to the playoffs the bare minimum standard for
success- starved fans in south Florida.
Hope you can handle it. Because
surely you know that the coaching graveyard is littered with souls who, in a
twist of cruel irony, became victims of the very expectations that they created
through their own success.
Below we take a capsule look at the 2006
edition of the Miami Dolphins, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis
included therein:
2005 RECORD: 9-7 (2nd, AFC East)
LAST PLAYOFF
APPEARANCE: 2001, lost to Baltimore, 20-3, in AFC Wild Card Game
COACH
(RECORD): Nick Saban (9-7 in one season with Dolphins, 9-7 overall)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mike Mularkey
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR:
Saban
OFFENSIVE STAR: Chris Chambers, WR (82 receptions, 1118 yards, 11
TD)
DEFENSIVE STAR: Jason Taylor, DE (74 tackles, 12 sacks)
OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 12th rushing, 16th passing, 16th scoring
DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 17th rushing, 20th passing, 15th scoring
FIVE KEY GAMES: at Houston (10/1), at New England (10/8), New England
(12/10), N.Y. Jets (12/25), at Indianapolis (12/31)
KEY ADDITIONS: QB
Daunte Culpepper (from Vikings), QB Joey Harrington (from Lions), FB Fred
Beasley (from 49ers), WR/KR Kelly Campbell (from Vikings), WR Derek Hagan (3rd
Round, Arizona State), TE Justin Peelle (from Chargers), TE Keith Heinrich (from
Browns), G Bennie Anderson (from Bills), T L.J. Shelton (from Browns), T Mike
Pearson (from Jaguars), DT Dan Wilkinson (from Lions), LB Keith Newman (from
Vikings), LB Sedrick Hodge (from Saints), CB Will Allen (from Giants), CB
Renaldo Hill (from Raiders), CB Andre Goodman (from Lions), CB Michael Lehan
(from Browns), S Deke Cooper (from Jaguars), DB Jason Allen (1st Round,
Tennessee)
