Are you guys as terrified as I am about our offensive line? Mike Pouncey is one of the best linemen in the NFL and Richie Incognito is the man. I feel like Tyson Clabo will hold is own but the rest of the line frightens me. With the mediocre John Jerry injured the team seems to be in panic mode trying out a bunch of different linemen in different spots. Pouncey can play guard, he did in college, but why would you move one of the best centers in the world? Last years undrafted free agent Josh Samuda is getting a lot of reps all over the line and rookie G Dallas Thomas is seeing a lot of first team snaps. Lance Louis is gimpy and Nate Garner is a great versatile back up but I don’t want him starting any time soon. With all this interior line transition the tackles seem fixed and the most worrisome bit about all this is that Jonathan Martin is our starting left tackle. We are trusting the most important position on the line to a second year player who was absolutely horrible last year. He was playing out of position on the right side but when Jake Long got hurt he didn’t do much better on the left going up against better talent. I don’t need to quote statistics and Martin seems in better shape than last year, but every camp report talks about how dominant our defensive line is and how many sacks they are getting. You have to think that part of it is how terrible our offensive line is.

During the scrimmage the defense beat the hell out of the offense, but we have a great defensive line so maybe that’s expected and we hope they will look better against other teams. Unfortunately the Hall of Fame Game won’t show us much because Dallas has a one of the best defensive lines in the league. (Speaking of lines if you are curious about how sportsbooks are considering these early match-ups may want to refer to NFL lines on the matter.) The second preseason game is when I really hope the line comes together. The Dolphins need to find a line up and stick to it and let the guys on the line gel. Other than a QB and his receivers the offensive line is the position where chemistry is most important. These guys need to know what it’s like playing next to each other and if Mike Pouncey ends up playing guard somehow none of the guys will have been next to each other last year.

As I type this Dion Jordan blew right past Jonathan Martin in practice and Twitter exploded with beat writers talking about how bad Martin is. I just really hope he can get it together and we don’t regret not resigning Jake Long or trading for a veteran offensive tackle.

Are you guys as worried as I am about the offensive line or is it way too early to panic. Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget our Hall of Fame Game meet up on Sunday!

More often than not, preseason statistics are completely meaningless. Coaches rarely reveal their game-plans, test out new and sometimes faulty plays, and most importantly, give rookies and fringe players a chance to solidify their roles or make the final roster. It’s no surprise then, that through two games, the NFL passing, rushing and receiving yards leaders are Stephen McGee, Stevan Ridley and Chastin West, respectively, while Michael Vick has thrown three interceptions en route to posting a 50.7 QB rating.

With that in mind, the Miami Dolphins have yet to officially name a starting quarterback, have two new running backs to integrate into the offense, and no less than three players vying for the fifth and likely final wide receiver spot.  Let’s take a look at how the position battles have gone so far.

• After a poor preseason opener (4-of-8 passing for 77 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) against the Atlanta Falcons, Chad Henne looked better against the Carolina Panthers (who doesn’t?) in the second contest, completing 15-of-24 passes for 194 yards with no turnovers. His biggest problem so far has come with the deep ball, as he has continued to miss open receivers downfield.
• Even though Matt Moore outplayed Henne in the opener (11-of-18 passing for 123 yards and two TDs)  and has posted a higher QB rating two games, Coach Tony Sparano has so far made it clear there is no competition for the starting quarterback job. Moore hasn’t played with the first-team offense in the preseason at all, indicating he will enter the season as the primary backup, barring a couple of disastrous outings from Henne.
• The battle for the third quarterback spot is shaping up to be epic:  Pat Devlin is 0-of-2 with two sacks in clean-up duty, while Kevin O’Connell has more kneel-downs (two) than pass attempts (0).

• Playing one half, Reggie Bush had eight carries for 48 yards and caught two passes for 33 yards in his Dolphins debut on Friday. Early reports indicated the coaching staff planned to give Bush, who averaged only nine touches per game over the last two years with the New Orleans Saints, a heavy workload on offense without using him as a punt returner, and so far, the RB looked quicker and more exciting than any RB the Dolphins have had in years.
• Daniel Thomas has sported an unimpressive 3.6 yards per carry average, busting out just one run of 10 yards.  Expected to be a power-back capable of breaking tackles and moving the pile, he couldn’t get into the endzone on two carries inside the five-yard line early against the Panthers (Lex Hilliard scored on the next play).  Thomas did have a four-yard TD run in the second quarter, and while he’ll need time to get used to the NFL, his workload should increase as the season progresses.
• Hilliard all but solidified his hold on the number three RB job after scoring at the goal line, while Kory Sheets managed only 43 yards on a team-high 17 carries against second-stringers.
• The Dolphins released Sheets on Tuesday and unexpectedly signed veteran Larry Johnson, who hasn’t played a down in the NFL since Week 2 of last season with the Washington Redskins. Johnson had five carries for two yards in 2010 and a terrible 3.2 YPC in 2009; at age 31, he makes little sense for Miami.
• Undrafted rookie Nic Grigsby hasn’t done much (2.1 YPC) to suggest he’s in the team’s immediate future.

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