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ATLANTA 16, DOLPHINS 6:
FINAL: Miami's starters played into the second half vs. a quality opponent and got handled pretty good. Coach Tony Sparano mentioned "sloppy inconsistency" and that might have included QB Chad Henne, who was 10-for-22 and threw an end-zone interception. Not the kind of "dress rehearsal" performance Miami wanted. Click on Henne, Youth, Patience for my column off the game.
4TH QUARTER: Pat White lives!
3RD QUARTER: FALCONS 16-6 late in 3rd after Chris Redman 5-yard TD pass and missed kick ..... DOLPHINS 10-6 on Carpenter FG ..... Chad Henne out with 10 minutes and change left in 3rd after completing only 10 of 22 for 123 yards. Chad II, Pennington, now in.
2ND QUARTER: Chad Henne intercepted in end zone off deflection just before half kills promising drive that including completions of 26 and 20 yards to Brandon Marshall. Yeremiah Bell interception began the drive ..... FALCONS 10-3 on chipshot FG 1:43 before halftime ..... Karlos Dansby recovers fumble caused by Vontae Davis, but nothing comes of it ..... Oh my. CB Sean Smith needs to head straight to church and thank somebody after being beaten badly by Roddy White for shoulda-been easyTD on ball that was (whew!) slightly overthrown.
1ST QUARTER: Chad Henne held ball a bit too long on punt-inducing sack ..... FALCONS 7-3 with 6:58 left in 1Q on 18-yard Matt Ryan pass into end zone to Roddy White. Beaten: Jason Allen ..... DOLPHINS 3-0 on Dan Carpenter 53-yard FG with 11:30 left in 1Q. Prior, Brandon Marshall fumbled after a catch but Ronnie Brown recovered. No! Upon review play ruled incomplete, bringing on Carpenter ..... Is it just me? Or is it annoying when the stadium announcer, sounding as if he's grinning, constantly says, "That's another Miami Dolphin ... first down!"
PREGAME:
Oronde Gadsden is one of the alumni coin-flippers tonight. Did I mention I'll be doing the 790 The Ticket Dolphin pregame show with Oronde and Eric Reed this season? Man, my capacity for self-promotion surprises even me sometimes.
A few hours ago Ricky Williams Tweeted this: "1 of the reasons I have an issue w/some of the members of the media is b/c they pollute our lockerroom w/negativity, mediocrity & triviality." Wow OY! The good news? I haven't dealt with Ricky lately, ever since he declined my request to write about his yoga class. So maybe, maybe, he'd been annoyed more recently than to have me in mind.
ORIGINAL POST:
OK, "biggest exhibition" is an NFL oxymoron. Let's just agree the third preseason game invariably offers the closest you get in August to a legitimate gauge because starters play much more than in the first, second or fourth faux games. Between that and the fact Atlanta is clearly superior to the first two preseason foes, I expect tonight to offer a pretty decent barometer of where the Dolphins are as the Sept. 12 opener draws ever nearer.
You might have heard by now I'll be on 790 The Ticket's Dolphin pregame show each week along with the station's Eric Reed and former Dolphin Oronde Gadsden starting Sept. 12.
Tonight I'll be particularly interested in how the offensive line is coming together, with rock-solid bookends in Jake Long and Vernon Carey but new pieces in between. Defense also faces its best test yet with Atlanta bringing a ton of weapons.
Share your thoughts before and during the game, then afterward let us know who most impressed you or didn't, and where you stand on the confident-to-worried scale as the season approaches.
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