Superbowl 46 Betting Online – 2011 Dolphins Season Preview
The Miami Dolphins’ breakout season in 2008 with an 11-5 record and AFC East division title is becoming a distant memory after back-to-back 7-9 seasons brought them back to reality.
NFL 2011 Team Preview and Odds – Miami Dolphins
Odds to win the AFC East +600
Odds to win the AFC +2000
Odds to win the Super Bowl +4000
2011 Win Totals – 8
The Dolphins come into this season at a definite crossroads which could result in everything coming back together for another playoff run or taking a turn for the worse that could further erode their overall win total.
The biggest challenge facing third-year coach Tony Sparano is at the quarterback position.
Chad Henne has been the primary starter the for the past two seasons and his consistency at this position is very indicative of the Dolphins results during this time. He threw for 3,301 yards in 2010 and completed 61.4 percent of his passes, but had 19 interceptions verse 15 touchdown passes and an overall rating of 75.4.
To make matters worse, Miami tried to pull-off a trade with Denver for QB Kyle Orton, which never materialized, but has caused a fracture between the two camps for and against Henne as the starter.
A rough start to this regular season could trigger a downward spiral that Miami may not be able to easily spin out of. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Defense could end up being the saving grace for this team, with the roster basically intact from a squad that finished the 2010 season ranked sixth overall; eighth against the pass and seventh against the run.
Miami used the draft to address its most pressing needs on the offensive side of the ball, such as the line with the selection of Mike Pouncey in the first round and the running game by taking Daniel Thomas in the second round, so it concentrated on adding a few veteran players to improve the defense.
DE Jason Taylor was brought back after spending last season with the Jets and former Seattle DT Ray Willis was added as well.
After releasing LB Channing Crowder, the Dolphins are counting on the acquisition of Kevin Burnett, who was with San Diego the past two seasons, to upgrade the middle of the defense.
Miami did little, if anything to try and close the gap with the two leaders in the division; New England and New York. It will find out quickly if sticking with Henne as the starter was the right move, as the only other QB on the roster with any legitimate experience in the NFL is Matt Moore.
The running game and defense will carry this team to a few wins, but it looks like another step backwards for the Dolphins in 2011.
2011 Prediction: 6-10 and third in the AFC East
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