Thanks to the PhinPhanatic.com for participating this week, we have some thoughts on this weekend’s matchup from someone who follows the boys in Miami as closely as we do the Jets. If you haven’t checked it out, PhinPhan (isn’t that an FDA banned drug?) great look at all things from the Team That Shula Built, and they were kind enough to take the time to answer our questions.

See PhinPhanatic’s questions for me on their site. 

1) I know we can’t judge Cam Cameron solely based on this campaign, but what’s the sentiment in Phinland about the new coach? Does the team think it’s heading in the right direction with him

Phinphanatic: I think that if nothing else, the PhinPhans are split down the middle in terms of Cameron and the “support” side loses more than it gains with each passing week. Personally, I believe that it is just too early to tell and I think he needs more time. He inherited a mess with little talent. He inherited a team that was cap strapped and old. It is hard to place that blame on Cameron, although as the face of the franchise he bares the brunt of the responsibility. If there is one thing that has been lacking on this team, it is continuity. That has to change before this team has any chance at success.

2) To the outsider, the Dolphins defense seems to be aging. Do you see a tail off in the production of some of the team’s defensive mainstays this season? Are there players on the roster ready to fill into those gaps?

Phinphanatic: I believe the production failure of say Jason Taylor has more to do with how he is being used, a true TE as opposed to last year as a Jack LB, then it has to do with his age. Zach Thomas has been out most of the year and both are likely playing their last season in Miami. Keith Traylor as well. His play is because of age.

Miami has some very young raw players on the defense and that bodes well for the future if they can progress into playmakers. It really is too early to tell for sure. Unfortunately, there is not enough of them to really be able to fill the holes that have been made by injuries this year. Many of the Dolphins depth players have been mid-season free agent pickups to fill those holes.

3) How has the loss of Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael affected this team, if at all? Were they both casualties of a new system?

Phinphanatic: I think that Chris hurts more than Randy. Randy was a good TE but he lacked the concentration to be a consistently productive TE at the salary that he was making. Miami did not improve over Randy at that position this past off-season, but I also do not believe that created a larger problem for themselves. Randy, in my opinion, just wasn’t playing to his salary level, and we saved quite a bit with his replacement.

Chambers is another guy who really was too inconsistent to rely upon weekly. He has always shown glimpses of what he could do, even in his pro-bowl season just 3 years ago, Chambers still had a problem holding on to the ball. For a player making upwards of 5 mill per season, Miami needed more consistency. I think that a 2nd round pick for Chambers was a very good return.

4) Talk to me about the offensive rookies the team drafted in 2007. Ginn has had some moments, and John Beck has taken some snaps. Do you think this tandem has the talent to learn and compete for the full time starting jobs in this system by next year?

Phinphanatic: I would love to sit here and tell a Jets fan that Ginn and Beck are the real deal. But I can’t without it being completely prefaced by “I hope”. I will start with Ginn. He is showing a lot of promise in his ability to play WR, good hands as he has rarely dropped anything and he possesses the speed to get up field. What that will translate into down the road is more than just idle speculation. The same thing can be said about Beck.

Beck has the right tools to run a “Cam Cameron” offense. He is smart and goes through the progressions well, sees the field well, and knows how to step up into the pocket. There are some mechanical things he needs to work on but other than that, I think it is just time that he needs the most. 26 years old or 22 years old, this is the NFL and the NFL QB’s need reps to get better.

From the offensive players in the 2007 draft, the best by far is center Samson Satele. Satele has started from day 1 and is calling out the line assignments like a veteran leader should. This guy has impressed me a lot and I think he will be anchoring the line for a very long time.

5) Same question as your #5. Both teams will likely be picking high in the draft this year, what do you believe is the Dolphin’s biggest off-season priority in terms of player personnel?

Phinphanatic: Well, I asked you that question because I find it intriguing that we have to resort to talking about it in early December. I think the fall off from last year was harder on Jets fans than on Miami fans after so much promise was seen in last seasons playoff run.

I think the Dolphins could just about do anything and fill a need. The obvious choice would be RB Darren McFadden as he is probably the only true player worth a number 1 overall. However, with that being said, the Dolphins have holes to fill and RB is not one of them right now. Miami needs to obtain more draft picks, and if that means trading the rights to Darren McFadden, then so be it. I think the number 1 off-season priority this year is to shore up the holes on defense, but unfortunately I do not think that Glenn Dorsey is the answer with the first pick.

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