Similar teams, similar expectations: Miami vs. Atlanta

August 27, 2010

The Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons are in very similar positions heading into the 2010 season. They both finished 2009 with poor seasons. They are both expected to improve this season, and they both were within 50 yards of each other in terms of total offense and total defense last year.

Even though their records weren’t the same (Miami 7-9; Atlanta 9-7) in 2009, the closeness of their starts on both sides of the ball is remarkable. The Dolphins ranked 22nd in total defense last year while the Falcons allowed just 39 less yards and finished 21st. On offense, the Falcons ranked 16th with 5447 total yards, and Miami was just 46 yards behind them as they finished 17th.

The differences in these squads are how they get it done. Miami has a more traditional approach as they pound the ball with a hard nosed running game while the Falcons like to air it out behind the young arm of Matt Ryan. The defensive game plan for these teams is much more consistent. They both rank in the middle-of-the-pack against the rush and pass.

To improve for the upcoming season, Atlanta and Miami have taken very different paths. The Falcons did use their first 2 picks to get LB Sean Witherspoon and DT Corey Peters, but they used their 3rd and 4th picks on offensive guards to try to give Matt Ryan more protection in order to open up the passing game. The Dolphins “wildcat” offense doesn’t require as much pass protection so they used 7 of their 8 picks to get help on defense. Defensive tackle Jared Odrick was taken with Miami’s first pick, and is expected to contribute immediately. They also added a defensive end, two linebackers, cornerback, strong safety and a defensive lineman to their roster via the 2010 NFL Draft.

The majority of football experts (including myself) believe that Atlanta will have the better season this year. I’m not sure what their reasoning is, but I feel that the Falcons have a much easier schedule to navigate in a much more balance division. This isn’t to say that the Dolphins can’t win 10 games and get in the playoffs, but they have a much steeper hill to climb.

These incredibly identical teams in terms of total yardage will face-off Friday in Miami. The Dolphins have had a solid showing thus far as they have won both of their games in the pre-season. They did play 2 struggling teams in the Jaguars and Bucs, but they won with defense one game and with offense the next. If they can figure out a way to get both sides of the ball on the same page, they have the possibility of putting together a surprising year in 2010.

Atlanta has been slated as a 1 point underdog in this contest, but my football pick for this game would be to take the Falcons as they seem to be further along offensively than the Dolphins at this point. This should be a close game that is decided by 4 points or less. Check out this battle of evenly matched teams as they prepare for the regular season.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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