Naughty Nurse: Miami pays karmic price

2010 record: 7-9 (17.1 PPG – 20.8 PPG)

Record vs. Quality Opponents: 2-6 (13.6 – 25.1)

Last five seasons overall: 32-48 (.400)

Best Quality Stat in 2010: Defensive Hog Index (5th)

Worst Quality Stat in 2010: Scoreability (31st)

 

Call it the Sun Life Curse. In the first year of their new stadium naming contract, the Dolphins had the worst home record in the NFL at 1-7, even worse than the 2-14 Carolina Panthers. But on the road, the Dolphins went 6-2, making them the first team in NFL history to win five more road games than home games in a single season.

33-17 win at Oakland (Week 12). A week after being shut out by the Bears at home (see below), the Dolphins received two pieces of good news: they were going on the road and they were getting quarterback Chad Henne back. Henne had been benched, then injured, but he returned against the Raiders and threw for 307 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Dolphins enjoyed their most prolific day of offense all season, scoring a season-high 33 points and racking up 471 yards.

 

16-0 loss vs. Chicago (Week 11). The week before Oakland, the Dolphins turned to Tyler Thigpen to run the offense, with both Henne and Chad Pennington sidelined with injuries. The results against the stout Bears defense was sadly predictable, as the Dolphins managed just  187 yards of offense, including just 39 on the ground.

 

Defensive line. The Dolphins really didn't do anything well in 2010, ranking in the bottom half of the league in 12 of 13 quality stats. But the one area they shined was along the defensive line, posting the fifth-best ranking in Defensive Hog Index in the league. The Dolphins held opponents under 100 yards rushing in eight games, including five in a row from weeks 12-16. In their first 14 games, the Dolphins allowed more than 21 points just four times, and one of those was the Patriots special teams festival in Week 4. 

Quarterback. The Dolphins offense struggled all season, in large part because Chad Henne was not the sleeper quarterback than many thought he might be entering 2010. Instead, it was the offense that went to sleep, ranking in the bottom third of our Quality Stats in the passing game. Unlike 2009, the two-headed running attack of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams could not cover for Henne's shortcomings and the Wildcat was neutered.

Improve the offense. The needs are many on the offensive side of the ball, but it all starts at quarterback, and the Dolphins will be hoping one of the top draft candidates falls to them at No. 15, or perhaps they will try to move up and grab one. The Dolphins could also use some fresh blood at running back, where Brown and Williams' effectiveness appears on the wane, and the offensive line could use re-tooling as well.