Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Rich Arleo
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

While the New York Jets (11-5) may have made the most noise, AFC East fans watched the New England Patriots (14-2) once again clinch the AFC East  title in dominating fashion, while the Miami Dolphins (7-9) and Buffalo Bills (4-12) struggled to compete. After a huge playoff win over their division rivals, the Jets have their sights set on the conference title in 2011, but quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots should have something to say about that. The Dolphins will look to put a wrench in both their plans while the Bills will look to address some glaring needs.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

The Dolphins finished 2010 with their second straight 7-9 record and third place finish since winning the AFC East title in 2008. They couldn’t get anything going on offense and were ranked No. 21 in the league in yards per game and No. 30 in points per game with 17.1.  Their defense was actually very good as they were in the top 10 in both pass and run defense. The Dolphins aren’t awful, but they have some glaring weaknesses that need to be addressed before they can compete with the two beasts of the AFC East.

 
TEAM STRENGTHS

1. Talent At Wide Receiver — As bad as their offense was in 2010, you can’t really blame the receivers. Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess are a great 1-2 punch and Anthony Fasano is a solid red zone target, despite the lack of chances. Marshall finished with 86 catches and 1,014 yards with only three scores, Bess finished with 79 catches and 820 yards and Fasano finished with 528 yards and four touchdowns. If the ‘Fins can just find somebody to throw the ball (something we’ll get to later) they should have no problems moving the ball through the air.

2. Cameron Wake — Last season we saw the emergence of Wake as one of the more dominant pass-rushing linebackers around. He managed 14 sacks in his first year as a starter and third in the league. Wake had an unconventional road to the NFL after being signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 2005. He was released that same year and joined the CFL in 2007, earning the league’s top rookie honors with a league-best 16 sacks that year. He signed with the Dolphins in 2009 but didn’t start until 2010 where he was named a starter at outside linebacker in the past Pro Bowl. Wake is still just 29 and there isn’t much reason to expect a decline in production.

3. Jake Long — There isn’t a whole lot to point out as a strength for the Dolphins, but they do boast one of the top left tackles in the NFL in Long. Their offensive line still has holes, but Long has made the Dolphins very happy about choosing him first overall in the 2008 draft. He was a Pro Bowl starter in 2010 and should be a perennial All-Pro in the foreseeable future.

TEAM NEEDS

1. More Consistency At Quarterback —  In 2010, Chad Henne made it painfully obvious that he’s not the answer for the Dolphins under center. Henne threw 19 picks and had a 75.4 passer rating in 15 games in his fourth season and was just overall ineffective. The Dolphins will now turn their attention to the draft and are expected to take a serious look at either Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett or Washington’s Jake Locker. They could, however, wait until late in the draft and instead focus in on another big issue…

2. Get Tough At Running Back — The duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams was less than spectacular to say the least in 2010. Brown was finally able to stay healthy, but that didn’t matter as he was overly ineffective. He ran for just 734 yards on 200 carries and scored just five times. Williams was relatively the same, and while he was actually slightly more effective averaging 4.3 yards per carry, the 33 year old can’t carry the full load. They are both free agents this year and it wouldn’t be a shock if the ‘Fins let both of them go.

3. Shore up the Right Side of Offensive Line — The Dolphins may have Jake Long, but with a weak right side, the ‘Fins are going to need some help in protecting their quarterback and creating holes for whoever may be running the ball next season. Lydon Murtha and John Jerry have just 14 combined starts between them, so the Fins may want to take a look at free agents Alan Faneca, Robert Gallery or Matt Light while giving those two time to develop.

**Note: All Offseason Needs Articles Were Written Before the 2011 NFL Draft**

AFC EAST NEEDS BY TEAM:  BUF  |  MIA  |  NE  |  NYJ  (click to view)

AFC SOUTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  HOU  |  IND  |  JAC  |  TEN  (click to view)

AFC NORTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  BAL  |  CIN  |  CLE  |  PIT  (click to view)

AFC WEST NEEDS BY TEAM:  DEN  |  KC  |  OAK  |  SD  (click to view)

NFC EAST NEEDS BY TEAM:  DAL  |  NYG  |  PHI  |  WAS    (click to view)

NFC SOUTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  ATL  |  CAR  |  NO  |  TB    (click to view)

NFC NORTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  CHI  |  DET  |  GB  |  MIN    (click to view)

NFC WEST NEEDS BY TEAM:  ARI  |  STL  |  SF  |  SEA    (click to view)

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