Week six of the 2009 season has the Saints travelling to beautiful Miami to take on the Dolphins for the second time of the year. Oddly enough, the Saints will face the Phins relatively soon when the two teams meet in pre-season. But the game in late October is the only one that counts and worth any concern. Let's look at the 2009 Dolphins and see how the team plans to follow up on last years sucess since I wouldn't expect to learn anything from their first pre-season matchup against the Saints.
Dolphins Offense
The arrival of Chad Pennington last season was a huge reason for Miami's surprise turnaround in 2008 and he will surely be the starter when 2009 opens. Any slip by Pennington, however, and backup QB Chad Henne could quickly be sent in to replace him. While you'd think that the Dolphins would be set at the position, keep in mind these guys run the now famous Wildcat offense, so it's no surprise that they drafted the dangerous and versatile West Virginia quarterback Pat White in the second round of this years draft. Head coach Tony Sparano has already stated that White will only be used as a quarterback. This means you can expect to see a healthy dose of rotating between Pennington and White at the position.
Regardless of who is slinging the ball, the Dolphins don't have much in the way of receiving threats on the other end. The teams leading receiver last year, Ted Ginn, Jr., has been somewhat of a disappointment.and Greg Camarillo is coming off injury. Miami drafted wide receivers Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline in the mid rounds of the draft to help add some speed on the outside. Davone Bess could be the go-to guy for the Dolphins in 2009.
Both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should see significant time in the backfield this year but will run behind a less than solid interior offensive line. The tackle positions are in pretty good shape with Jake Long and Vernon Carey.
Overall, not much to worry about here. The Saints defense last year might have had a chance to handl this matchup so this year should be no problem.
Dolphins Defense
Possibly the biggest off-season story for the Phins defense this year was the return of Jason Taylor. Taylor, that dancin' fool, just couldn't stay away from Miami for too long. He comes back to the Dolphins after a short hiatus in Washington and joins last years team sack leader Joey Porter. But the aging linebacker just doesn't seem as effective as he once was but should still be a positive influence on the rest of this defense, at the very least.
After losing Renaldo Hill and Andre' Goodman, the Phins have made just as many significant adjustments to their secondary as the Saints this off-season. They drafted cornerbacks Vontae Davis - a possible Saints draft pick - in the first round and Sean Smith in the second while also signing cornerback Eric Green and safety Gibril Wilson in February. The team is sure to see some improvement on last years 25th ranked pass defense.
Regardless of any upgrades this off-season the Saints should have no problem doing some damage to the Dolphins defense.
Dolphins 2008 Season
11-5 Record
Last Meeting
October 30th, 2005
| Week 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F |
| Dolphins | 3 | 6 | 2 | 10 | -- | 21 |
| Saints | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -- | 6 |
Why the Saints Can Win
Their offense is just too good.
Why the Saints Can Lose
The Wildcat, or "WildPat", could be crazy, man!
Prediction
Saints 42 - Dolphins 24
Newly Acquired
G Joe Berger
C Jake Grove
DT Tony McDaniel
DE/OLB Jason Taylor
CB Eric Green
S Gibril Wilson
OL J.D. Quinn
DE Ryan Baker
TE Jared Bronson
NT Louis Ellis
RB Anthony Kimble
G Mark Lewis
WR Brennan Marion
DE Orion Martin
T SirVincent Rogers
WR Chris Williams
2009 Draft Class
CB Vontae Davis
QB/WR Pat White
CB/S Sean Smith
WR Patrick Turner
WR Brian Hartline
TE John Nalbone
FS Chris Clemons
OT Andrew Gardner
ILB J.D. Folson
Key Losses
QB John Beck
FB Boomer Grigsby
WR Tab Perry
C Samson Satele
C Al Johnson
DE Vonnie Holliday
ILB Derek Smith
CB Andre' Goodman
FS Renaldo Hill
WR Todd Lowber
Linkage
Dolphins @ Saints 2008 Pre-Season: The View from Section 108