Miami Dolphins, Jets similarly matched despite offseason boasts Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne calls an audible in the first quarter of a game against the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. JOE RIMKUS JR. / STAFF PHOTO Related Content In retirement, former Miami Dolphins receiver O.J. McDuffie's pain lingers Blog | Dolphins in Depth Chat with Dolphins fans BY ARMANDO SALGUERO ASALGUERO@MIAMIHERALD.COM They're beating the Super Bowl drums in New Jersey because the Jets have a wonderfully entertaining big mouth for a coach, an aggressive front office and a star-studded roster that suggests the team that fell in the conference title game last season can take the next step this season. In Miami, no one is boasting. There are no Super Bowl dreams at night, and the days are filled with the usual silence from Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano. At some point this offseason, Sparano might go out on a limb and predict the Dolphins will show up for their 2010 games. So the approaches the Jets and Dolphins are taking are vastly different. The expectation for each team is different. The vibe around the two teams is, you guessed it, different. And that should not be. I'm here to tell you that somebody -- either the Jets or Dolphins or the media covering them -- is making a terrible mistake in judgment because these two teams are practically mirror images of each other. The two teams look similar on the field, have similar philosophies on offense and defense and, most importantly, have similar strengths, weaknesses and talent. So, either the Jets are overestimating their worth. Or we're badly underestimating the Dolphins. CLEAR ADVANTAGE Study the starting lineups for the Jets and Dolphins. There are places the Jets enjoy a clear talent advantage: At cornerback, Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie get the nod over Vontae Davis and Sean Smith based on experience, performance and the fact that Revis is inarguably the NFL's best at his position. The nod at outside linebacker also has to go to the Jets because they signed Jason Taylor away from the Dolphins and he, Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas are more seasoned than Miami's likely combination of Cameron Wake, Koa Misi or perhaps Charlie Anderson. The Jets also hold an advantage at tight end, where Dustin Keller has been more productive than Miami starter Anthony Fasano over the past two years. But that's where the advantage for the supposedly Super Bowl-bound Jets ends. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have better running backs, with Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown and Patrick Cobbs having proved themselves over the years and showing no sign of aging. The Jets have Shonn Greene, who is an unknown quantity or quality, and former star LaDainian Tomlinson, whose recent statistics speak of a player in decline. The Dolphins are better established and deeper at defensive end with Kendall Langford, Tony McDaniel and Phillip Merling about to get a boost from first-round pick Jared Odrick. Sure, the Jets have a good player in Shaun Ellis, but the Jets will need two defensive ends in 2010, and New York's other starter is a question mark. The Jets are so desperate for defensive end help they moved outside linebacker Vernon Gholston there, hoping he can contribute. A 263-pound bust linebacker as a 3-4 defensive end? Good luck with that. Miami's Yeremiah Bell, a Pro Bowl player, is bigger, stronger, faster and simply better than Jim Leonhard at strong safety. Miami kicker Dan Carpenter is better than New York's Nick Folk because Carpenter went to the Pro Bowl last year, and Folk missed 10 field goals -- three more than Carpenter has missed in two years. The Dolphins own talent advantages over the Jets, just as New York holds some over Miami. The rest of the starting lineups, meanwhile, suggest no clear advantage to either team. New Yorkers think second-year starter Mark Sanchez is going to be a star quarterback. And he might develop into one, so no argument there. But Miamians think Chad Henne, in his second-year as the starter, is similarly going to be a star quarterback. New York's offensive line is very good except for that left guard spot, where Alan Faneca struggled last year and is gone with no certain replacement on the scene. Miami's offensive line is similarly good except for that left guard spot where Justin Smiley struggled last year and is likely gone with his replacement yet to be identified. VERY RELIABLE The Jets love Tony Richardson at fullback, and Miami's Lousaka Polite is every bit his equal. Yes, Bart Scott and David Harris are very good inside linebackers. So are Miami's Karlos Dansby and Channing Crowder. Both the Jets and Dolphins must find a reliable starting free safety because neither team can guarantee the players currently vying for the job are long-term answers. The nose tackle position is interesting on both rosters because New York's Kris Jenkins is coming off an injury and is just one good meal shy of 400 pounds. Miami is addressing the nose tackle spot by moving Randy Starks from defensive end and hoping he can adjust quickly and smoothly. So both teams are investing equal amounts of faith that their nose tackle solutions will hold. Last season, the Jets had a better wide receiver corps than the Dolphins. Come to think of it, the University of Miami had a better wide receiver corps than the Dolphins. But the addition of Pro Bowl player Brandon Marshall and expected maturation of Brian Hartline evens Miami's receivers with New York's -- even following New York's addition of Santonio Holmes when he's done with his, ahem, drug suspension. Obviously, the comparison of offensive lines or linebacker corps is an offseason fancy because come this fall, Miami's linebackers will not face New York's linebackers. But the comparison of talent should be an eye-opener. The teams are pretty much equals, and the only separation between them might come from injuries or weather or other twists of fate. As for today, if the Jets are a Super Bowl contender, so are the Dolphins. If the Dolphins are just pretenders, so are the Jets. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/...mi-dolphins-jets-similarly.html#ixzz0o7XrNFWh
Are we sure he doesn't post at Phag Heavan? We are better in the imporant positions, we have a better OL, a better secondary and a better group of WRs. The wild card in all this is we are also better in the PR and KR depts after they traded away the only difference between them beating us twice and them losing to us twice. Revis will shut down McDonald's wrapper and an improved Sanchez will neutralize any advantage they had at QB. After reading this the real question should be who is really trying to sell seats?
Cobbs rushed for 30 yards last year. Ronnie is hurt every year. Ricky will retire after this year. wtf?
oh yea thats right miami ALSO had the #1 defense and #1 rushing... They also made it to the championship game so i could see how they are mirror images lol
You know he's a terrible writer when he starts a Jets-Dolphins evenly matched by stating the Jets have an clear advantage at tight end, corners and line backers.Article over. He says the dolphins running game is better using an injured player as his reasoning, then he displace Jenkins dominance because he was injured last year........total moron
So lets recap Ronnie Brown is coming off a foot injury. The same one that has ruined Chien-Ming Wang's career to this point. Yet Brown is better then Shonn Greene despite that? He doesn't even bring up the injury yet mentions Kris Jenkins' injury. Miami's defense couldn't cover a turtle last season yet this year they're going to magically become the NFL's best defense because they added Karlos Dansby. Ooo I'm scared. 2 rookie CB's in their 2nd season...both will be the next Revis...right?
I'm going to bash my head against a wall for the next ten minutes or so. Brandon Marshall+Brian Hartline=Braylon Edwards+Santonio Holmes+Jerricho Cotchery? Jesus, Salguero, could you be any fucking stupider?
Marshall is the best WR in the division, no question there. I don't understand the boner Fin fans and media get for Hartline though. I remember talking to a Fin fan who believes that Hartline (500 yards in his career) is superior to Cotchery (4 straight 800+ yard seasons) already, which is fucking retarded.
They do have better DEs. And their running backs may end up superior for 2010. And the O-Lines are roughly similar (I think we get the nod overall). But you can't just say that Bell>Leonhard neutralizes Revis/Cromartie>Davis/Smith. It's not a 1 = 1 situation AT ALL. That's the huge flaw here. And our DE situation is must stronger, although I've heard that Starks supposedly fits their system well (I don't know about this tbh; someone feel free to fill me in). Crowder/Dansby is still weaker than Scott/Harris IMO.
QB equal RB equal, even though fins are more talented, injuries and age even it out WR Jets TE Jets OL Jets DL equal LB jets CB Jets S Dolphins Specials Dolphins
