Final Tuneup Against Dallas Must Offer Clarity

Tonight marks the third, and most important, preseason game for the Miami Dolphins.

No, the final score still doesn't matter. No, this isn't the final GAME before the 2014 regular season commences.

But this is most likely the final time you'll see most of these guys until September 7th, when it all starts to count against the New England Patriots.

And how they look tonight, when they see more of the field than they have all summer long, will leave you feeling either one of two ways heading into the regular season opener:

Confident..

Or concerned.

Tonight's game against the Dallas Cowboys MUST offer clarity in certain areas that have been anything but clear through two games this preseason.

No, not the QB position like in years past.  Ryan Tannehill, in fact, may very well be the the player I'm least concerned about.

But the offensive line, the running game, the linebackers?

Yeah, those are all major question marks right now. And if this team is to be successful this season, we must wake up tomorrow morning with some answers.

- Who is your week one starting RG? Dallas Thomas or Shelly Smith? This should be answered tonight. This MUST be answered tonight.

- Can these linebackers get the job done? Can they stop the run, cover the pass, tackle? Koa Misi has proven he can. Dannell Ellerbe played better last week. But Philip Wheeler? I believe his spot is still up for grabs. We need to have a clearer picture this time tomorrow.

- Is Jimmy Wilson ready to be a full time starting safety in the NFL? He struggled last week. With Reshad Jones out for a month, we need an answer after tonight.

- Is Will Davis the real deal? Is he ready to be the starting nickel CB? He's surged up the depth chart lately, and one more good performance tonight will cement him in the starting lineup.

- How does prized offseason acquisition Knowshon Moreno look in his first game action? This running game has been abysmal so far this preseason, but Moreno hasn't been healthy. Well, he's back now, and if practice is any indication he should give this team a HUGE boost out of the backfield. We need to know if he can after tonight.

 - How does Charles Clay's knee hold up? He's practiced all week, and looked really good. But he hasn't played in a game yet this season. Is he ready to go?


I expect the first team offense to shine tonight, and, if they don't, I'll be seriously concerned. Dallas' defense is historically bad, and should be the perfect tuneup for a brand new offense.

Defensively I expect to learn a lot. With as bad as the Cowboys defense is, their offense is the exact opposite, and could very well lead the league in yards this season. Can this Dolphins defense, who has so far been subpar and underwhelming this preseason, step up tonight? IF they do it'll be huge going into the New England game.

Right now there are a ton of questions.

Tomorrow morning I need a ton of answers.

It may still be preseason, but make no mistake about it, it'll be a regular season atmosphere in South Beach tonight.


I'm going to do my best to run the blog during the game, but, as was the deal last week, I'll be covering the game front the stadium for Dolphins.com, so we'll see how we do.

15 days.

(That's TWO Sundays.)