'Phins need coverage to disrupt Pats' rhythm

The Miami Dolphins got three sacks on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady when he visited Sun Life Stadium last season. Dolphins coach Tony Sparano would probably be just fine with his defense repeating that number Monday night.

Thursday, Sparano talked about how difficult it is for defenses to get to Brady, and of course, he gave some credit to the Patriots’ offensive line. But Sparano explained that New England’s offensive system as a whole — from its formations to Brady’s tendencies — is what keeps him upright.

“They’re open in formation, meaning they’ll be in empty, but he gets the ball and gets it out so fast. He’s got a quick release, and their whole thing is built on rhythm and timing and him getting it out fast,” Sparano said. “So those guys (the offensive line) don’t have to hold up very long at times, but they do a nice job in there.”

Despite the sacks, Brady’s completion percentage of 79.2 at Sun Life Stadium last year was higher than his percentage at any other stadium in 2010.

Miami has a solid cornerback duo in Vonte Davis and Sean Smith, though New England has three wideouts in Chad Ochocinco, Wes Welker and Deion Branch who are all capable of doing damage. New England also has two big tight ends with good hands in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Getting all of those players covered, which could require a lot of man-to-man with bigger secondary packages, will be crucial in the Dolphins’ defensive front getting pressure on Brady. Over the last few years, defenses seem to be more effective in disrupting the Patriots' rhythm with solid pass coverage rather than sending big blitzes, which was very evident in the New York Jets' divisional round playoff victory over the Patriots last winter.

“That part of it is what’s rough, Sparano said. “You’ve got to get him to hold the football long enough to make him feel uncomfortable.”

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Ranking AFC East RB tandems entering '11

1 - New York Jets: LaDainian Tomlinson silenced all the critics last year after a disappointing 2009 season with the Chargers, where many thought his best years were behind him. Tomlinson rushed for 914 yards and put up his best yards-per-carry numbers (4.2) since ‘07. The 32-year-old officially handed over the reins to third-year back Shonn Greene this season, though Tomlinson will be very involved in third-down situations and passing downs.

Greene rushed for 766 yards on only 185 attempts in 2010, but hasn’t really stepped into a true No. 1 role since his time at Iowa. However, Greene has proven himself in the big moments, averaging 6.5 yards a carry in the playoffs. He has three postseason touchdowns, two of which were fourth-quarter game sealers. With a solid run-blocking offensive line and Greene’s hard-nosed, between-the-tackles style, the Jets should be the consistent ground-and-pound team Ryan is looking for all year.

2 - Buffalo Bills: Buffalo comes into this season with a lot of question marks, and one of those is C.J. Spiller. Despite the players’ and coaches’ confidence in the second-year back, Spiller has a lot to prove this year after a not-so-impressive rookie year that saw him snag only 283 yards on 74 attempts. Yes, some of that has to do with a mediocre O-line, but Spiller was prone to rookie mistakes last year as well, looking for the home run instead of taking the two or three yards given. Spiller’s role has already been up’ed this preseason, and expect to see him used much more this year.

That aside, the coaching staff has it made quite clear after some preseason debate that Fred Jackson will be the No. 1 out of the backfield. Jackson did see his numbers drop slightly last year, along with his attempts. But Jackson has averaged more than four yards per carry every year since his debut, and he is primed -- now that the depth-chart debate is over -- to have a productive year. Great things could come from this tandem this year, perhaps more impressive than the Jets duo. It all lies on the shoulders of the offensive line and their ability to keep defenders out of the backfield.

3 - New England Patriots: Yes, BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the only AFC East back to break 1,000 yards last year. Yes, Danny Woodhead averaged more than five yards a touch. Yes, the always-solid offensive line returns mostly the same from 2010. But the Pats drafted two running backs this year in Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley, and there’s that other little factor named Tom Brady.

With such a well-rounded, spread-out offense that saw two tight ends combine for nearly 90 receptions and 16 touchdowns and added Chad Ochocinco to the wideout corps this offseason, it’s hard to say how much of a factor the running game will be. The 1,008 yards Green-Ellis put up last year was the most New England has seen from a back since Corey Dillon in 2004. Expect the run game to be what it usually is for the Pats: good enough to allow Tom Brady to do what he does.

4 - The Miami Dolphins: It seems like everyone in the league is betting against Reggie Bush, except of course, the Dolphins. Miami’s decision to start Bush as their premier back is a risky one, especially since he’s only gone without injury for a full season only once in his career. Even more curious is the quick departure of Larry Johnson, who in most fans’ eyes seemed to be decent insurance policy for the injury-prone Bush.

The ’Phins will now look to rookie Daniel Thomas for assistance if that issue arises, with 27-year-old Lex Hilliard rounding out the crew. Coach Sparano voiced his opinion on Bush’s history of injuries to the Miami media early in the week, saying, “I’m really not concerned one way or the other about that at this particular time, I’m just concerned with finding ways to get the guy the ball. He’s going to be the first runner out of the gate and we’re going to figure out ways to get him the ball.”

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Dolphins preparing for Patriots' big guys

Wilfork (Photo: Keith Allison)

The Monday Night Football opener will highlight the AFC East. Two New England Patriots look to make some highlights of their own.

Patriot defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and newly-acquired Albert Haynesworth will square off against an unproven Miami Dolphins offensive line. The two big men, to put it lightly (660 pounds combined), will give Dolphins’ rookie offensive lineman Mike Pouncey a crash course in NFL trench warefare and should have quarterback Chad Henne looking for dump-off passes to Reggie Bush.

“Two great athletes,” Bush told the media Monday. “Two monstrous guys in the middle who do a good job of stopping the run and putting some pressure on the quarterback and pushing that pocket.”

The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Wilfork totaled 57 tackles and two sacks last season with both quarterback takedowns coming against the Dolphins.

Haynesworth, who stands 6-6, 335 pounds, recorded two and a half sacks in eight games with the Redskins last year. He had one sack the last time he faced Miami, when he was with the Tennessee Titans in 2006.

“We’re very well aware of what they bring to the table,"Bush said. "So we have to do our best here at practice day in and day out preparing ourselves, mentally and physically, to play a fundamentally sound game.”

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Look Back: Bills gave up fewest penalty yards on D in 2010, Jets saw fewest flags

The Buffalo Bills gave up too many yards on defense last year. But they did it in such disciplined style.

Buffalo gave up the fewest yards to the yellow flag in the 2010 NFL. The Bills’ 634 penalty yards against the defense ranked tops in the league. So there’s something.

In fact, the entire division fared very well in that regard. The New York Jets’ 74 penalties on defense were the fewest in the league. The New England Patriots were fourth best in penalty discipline with 84 flags. The Bills and Miami Dolphins were fifth with 85 flags.

The Patriots, however, had the most-penalized defense this preseason with 36 flags. The Jets were punished with the fewest penalty yards (117) by a landslide. Next were the Atlanta Falcons with 162.

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Henne needs to get better in 4th quarter

If Chad Henne wants to be in the Miami Dolphins’ future, he needs to perform better in the fourth quarter.

Eight of Henne’s 19 interceptions in 2010 came in the final stanza, and four were when the team was down by seven points in the fourth quarter. His decision-making plummets when the team needs him to rally.

With that said, Henne comes out of halftime very well. He threw for four touchdowns and no picks in the third quarter last year, his completion percentage was 63.2, and his quarterback rating 95.6 in the third quarter, compared to his 55.6 rating in the fourth.

Henne will have the luxury of more opportunities downfield this season, as he completed seven passes for 20 yards or more this preseason alone. Time will tell if a larger amount of deeper throws will help or hurt his touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’ll also have a great checkdown option in Reggie Bush.

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'Fins need Bush's rookie-season production

Reggie Bush’s most productive season was 2006 – his rookie year.

(Photo: Adifansnet)

The Miami Dolphins hope donning a new jersey, like it did in his first year with the New Orleans Saints, will be the boost Bush needs to get back to that kind of production. Let’s take a look at some of the things Bush did best during his first year in the NFL:

Red zone production

All of Bush’s seven rushing touchdowns in 2006 came in the red zone. He averaged 3.7 yards a carry and 5.6 yards per reception inside the 20 that year. Miami can use that ability to finish drives on the ground to take pressure off quarterback Chad Henne.

Third-quarter hands

Each of his three receiving touchdown that season came in the third quarter. Again, Bush’s role as an outlet receiver could do wonders for Henne.

Two-minute drill

Bush averaged 5.4 yards a carry in the last two minutes of the half. If he wants to be an every-down back, he’ll need to have that kind of production late in games to kill the clock given his team is in the lead.

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