Dolphins have a lot of hope and not much else

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/1190/story/619404.html

Dolphins have a lot of hope and not much else

By ARMANDO SALGUERO
Miami Herald

The Dolphins accomplished one of their goals before the start of training camp when they traded star Jason Taylor, putting an end to that offseason saga. But before they start the regular season, they have to accomplish something more difficult.

Sure, they have eliminated the ''distraction,'' as coach Tony Sparano called it Saturday. Now they have to find the attraction.

In the next 21 training camp practices and four exhibition games, the Dolphins have to find folks who will make games competitive every Sunday. They have to find people who will make a difference.

They have to find some good players.

We don't know whether they have any. And what causes a lump in the throat is that they don't know for sure, either.

''My message to them last night was: We need to believe,'' Sparano said Saturday. 'I said, `You've got to believe in what it is that we're trying to get accomplished here. There are no shortcuts.' I told them that right now, it is very, very dark out. There's no light at the end of the tunnel. So don't look for it. We'll find it somewhere down the road.' ''

He should have added, ``We hope.''

That is all the Dolphins have today. Hope.

PLENTY OF QUESTIONS

They hope they find a quarterback among the unproven trio of Josh McCown, John Beck and Chad Henne.

They hope Jake Long can become a dominant offensive left tackle.

They hope Ronnie Brown, one nick from being labeled injury-prone, and Ricky Williams, one misguided thought from moving back to Grass Valley, Calif., can be their most consistent offensive players.

They hope Charlie Anderson, who has averaged less than one sack per season in his four-year career, can replace Taylor, who averaged 10.5 sacks per season in his 11-year career.

And if Anderson doesn't fill that void, what is Sparano's alternate plan for generating a pass rush? You got it:

Hope.

''I hope it's going to come from our [defensive] front,'' he said.

The Dolphins hope that somewhere on this roster is the groundwork for a good football team. And although that is a noble aspiration, the fact it is only an aspiration proves these Dolphins are not as good as most other NFL teams.

Unlike most other teams, the Dolphins don't have one player certain of making the Pro Bowl. They don't have one player other teams must fear and account for on every play. They don't have one player they know will be a star.

Joey Porter isn't that player. He had only 5.5 sacks last year and is now injured.

Ted Ginn Jr., for all his speed and untapped potential, can't be that player until he shows a consistent ability to get open deep. He didn't show that ability last year.

Channing Crowder? Anthony Fasano? Matt Roth?

They all are young and brimming with potential that, unfortunately, has not yet been tapped.

KEEP YOUR CHIN UP

None of this is a revelation to the Dolphins. Football czar Bill Parcells regularly tells Sparano not to get depressed about Miami's offense when he watches passes intercepted or dropped.

''Parcells tells me this probably once a week,'' Sparano admitted. 'He says, `That offense is never going to look as good to you now as when you were running the thing down there in Texas.' And he's probably right.''

He is right because the Dolphins have not identified their Terrell Owens or Tony Romo, or any of the other players on that offense in Texas.

The only things the Dolphins have identified are their needs. They have quite a few, and that is really all they know for sure that they have.

So the team is now marketing Sparano, general manager Jeff Ireland and, of course, Parcells as the faces of the franchise. Those are the faces you will see on the billboards lining South Florida's highways because the team could not identify even one player to pitch as an attraction.

And that is a scary thought. Even to Sparano.

''All I know is I was driving from Hilton Head [Island, S.C.,] back to Miami with my wife,'' Sparano said, ``and I [saw] this thing out there and I almost ran off the road.''

[dolphins4life]

I disagree about Ginn.  Read some of the gloggers from this past season.  He got open deep on several occasions this season, but the QBs missed him.