Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Miami Dolphins

After going from worst to first in 2008 the Miami Dolphins took a step back last season finishing the year with a 7-9 record and a third place finish in the AFC East. The season was not a complete loss though. They were able to start developing their quarterback of the future in Chad Henne and veteran running back Ricky Williams appeared to have found the fountain of the youth as he filled in nicely after Ronnie Brown suffered a season ending foot injury. If the Dolphins can plug a few holes in free agency and the NFL Draft they have a chance to contend in the AFC East and make a push for a playoff birth.

Team Strengths:

- Running Back (If the can both stay healthy Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams make one of the best one-two punches at running back in all of football. The running game is the key to the Dolphins success)
- Offensive Line (They are not very deep at the position, which is a concern, but left tackle Jake Long anchors a very solid starting five on the o-line. They will need to continue to play well in order to help the running game and protect Chad Henne)
- Chad Henne (His numbers weren’t exactly mind blowing. He passed for 2,878 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games played last year; however, he showed good poise and leadership. Henne should solidify the quarterback position in Miami for the next several years)

Team Needs:

1. Rush Linebacker - They released Joey Porter and with questions surrounding the return of Jason Taylor, who will be 36-years old this season, the Dolphins will be on the prowl for an OLB/DE who can get to the quarterback. It seems unlikely they will find one in free agency, so they will likely be forced to look for one in the draft. There doesn’t appear to be a standout player they will take with the No.12 overall pick, so look for the Dolphins to target this position in the second or third round.

2. Wide Receiver - Miami surprised many of us in the 2007 draft when they took Ted Ginn Jr. with the ninth overall pick in the first round. It appeared as if they were going to take quarterback Brady Quinn, but instead they took the speedy wide out from Ohio State. It hasn’t exactly paid off. He has been solid in the return game, but has not put up the numbers at wide receiver you would expect from such a high draft pick. The Dolphins really need a No. 1 wide receiver to pair up with quarterback Chad Henne. There will be some good value at the position in the second round of the draft, but if they don’t land one in the draft they really need Ginn, Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo or Brian Hartline to have a breakout year and solidify the No. 1 wide receiver spot.

3. Nose Tackle - With 34-year old Jason Ferguson playing with an expiring contract and hinting at possible retirement Miami will be looking for a nose tackle. Paul Soliai has been a serviceable backup, but he doesn’t appear to have the talent to be a legitimate starting NFL nose tackle. They could look for a veteran free agent or try and find one in the draft somewhere between rounds two and four.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills finished last season with a 6-10 record, which isn’t bad when you consider their lack of talent on both sides of the ball. They banked on Trent Edwards at quarterback and that failed miserably. They took a chance on flamboyant wide receiver Terrell Owens and that didn’t pay dividends. This is a team that heading into this off-season has very few strengths and too many needs to fit into this single article. New head coach Chan Gailey will have his hands full trying to resurrect this once proud organization.

Team Strengths:

- Fred Jackson (In his fourth season the former un-drafted free agent was one of the lone bright spots and biggest surprises for the Bills last season. He had 237 carries for 1,062 yards with two touchdowns, while adding 46 receptions for 371 yards with two more touchdowns and appears to be the future at running back in Buffalo)
- Paul Posluszny (He recorded 110+ total tackles for the second straight season. Heading into his fourth NFL season he is the leader of this defense and a player Chan Gailey will likely look to build his defense around)
- Shawn Nelson (Yes, this it is a bit of a stretch to call a second year tight end who had 17 catches for 156 yards with one touchdown a strength; however, Nelson did show some potential and like I said there wasn’t a lot for Buffalo to be excited about in 2009)

Team Needs:

1. Quarterback - The Bills are in dire need of a franchise quarterback. There was a lot of hype surrounding Trent Edwards heading into last season, and that’s all it turned out to be. With the addition of Terrell Owens at wide receiver he was supposed to have his breakout year. That never happened. He couldn’t stay healthy and when he was healthy he didn’t do much to help the team win. He was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick, who didn’t fare much better. Buffalo would love to land either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen with the No.9 overall pick, but that it is unlikely either of them will fall that far. Short of trading up in the first round they will likely be forced to take a different route. Either a second round pick on a Colt McCoy type of player or a veteran free agent as a one year stop gap seems likely.

2. Left Tackle - Demetrius Bell didn’t exactly take advantage of his opportunity to start at left tackle in 2009 before a right knee injury sidelined him after eight games. No matter who is under center for Buffalo in 2010 they need to find someone to protect his blind side. The draft is pretty deep at left tackle and with it being unlikely they can secure one of the top quarterbacks in the first round look for the Bills to draft one of the top remaining tackles with the ninth pick in the draft.

3. Nose Tackle - It appears the team will be transitioning to a 3-4 defense under new head coach Chan Gailey. If they are going to be successful they are going to have to fill several holes, most notably a dominant nose tackle that can help stop the run. With dominant nose tackles being few and far between in free agency look for Buffalo to address this need in the draft, possibly as early as the second round.

NFC Needs By Division:  NFC West  |  NFC North |  NFC South  |  NFC East

AFC Needs By Division:  AFC West  |  AFC North  |  AFC South  |  AFC East

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