After an extremely difficult extended weekend that saw the Dolphins get pushed around by the Bears on Thursday night and the Jets and Patriots pull out tightly contested victories yesterday, the team was back to work earlier today.

Just as the short week last week served as a disadvantage to the banged up Dolphins, this week will be beneficial to their preparations, as they have a couple extra days of practice time to get ready for their cross-country trip to Oakland.

These practices have extra intrigue when you have a team as injury depleted as the Dolphins are. Surely enough, today’s practice reports shed a little light into the health of this football team.

To start off on a positive note, Chad Henne was back out there practicing today after being sidelined all last week with an unspecified knee injury. Tyler Thigpen shouldn’t be judged by one game behind nonexistent protection, but if this team has any shot at running the table, you have to believe Chad Henne needs to be under center.

Unfortunately, Henne’s go to threat, Brandon Marshall, wasn’t able to go as he recovers from that hamstring injury he suffered near the end of the first-half on Thursday night. With no Marshall and no running game, this offense isn’t capable of much, but thank goodness there is still a full week left of recovery time for Brandon to get healthy.

As for that revolving door of an offensive line, the Dolphins apparently aren’t ready to shut down Jake Long just yet. Long continues to work as the starting left tackle after reports circled around the web over the weekend that the Dolphins were entertaining the idea of putting Jake on IR. They even went as far as to work out Tony Ugoh and Levi Jones, but eventually decided to only bring in depth at center.

With Joe Berger missing last week and Cory Procter blowing out his knee against the Bears, the Dolphins decided to sign veteran center Eric Ghiaciuc, who started 42 games for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2005-2008.

On the defensive side of the ball, Phillip Merling saw his first practice action of the season. Merling was originally thought to be out for the year when he tore his Achilles’ tendon shortly before training camp, but has recovered quicker than expected, and can be activated any time before the end of the month. 

With Sunday’s win over the Titans still fresh in our minds, it doesn’t seem real that tomorrow is game day already. Considering all the players that got dinged up on Sunday, the short week couldn’t have come at a worse time for this football team. Thankfully, though, the Dolphins injury situation isn’t nearly as bleak as it once looked. Cameron Wake turned out to be just fine, Chad Henne hasn’t even been ruled out for tomorrow night’s game, and Jake Long will reportedly try to play through that shoulder injury.

Even at full strength, the Dolphins would still likely have their hands full against this tough 6-3 Chicago Bears team. Some may argue that the Bears aren’t quite as good as their record suggest, but their defense is good enough to play with anybody and could cause fits for an offense starting a third string quarterback. It won’t be easy, but back-to-back wins over playoff caliber teams would be just the spark the Dolphins need to make a serious playoff run down the stretch of the season. Let’s take a look at the matchups.

Dolphins running game (19th) vs. Bears run defense (2nd)
After watching the Dolphins’ inept running game against the Titans on Sunday, I think it’s finally official that this offense is now pass-first and are mediocre, if not bad at running the football. Kind of a shame when you think about how the Dolphins are essentially wasting what is likely Ronnie and Ricky’s last season together. Yes, the Dolphins did get Ricky going on a few outside runs out of the Wildcat, but their inability to run the football out of base formations will surely put a lot of pressure on Tyler Thigpen.

And I haven’t even mentioned that the Bears have the league’s second best run defense, yet. Having held opponents to a mere 3.5 yards per carry, only the Pittsburgh Steelers have been stouter against the run. That will undoubtedly lead to more wildcat this week, especially after finally seeing it succeed a couple times against the Titans. If I was Dan Henning, I would also try to switch up the running style a little bit. The Dolphins tried to go heavy with only one wide receiver on several plays against the Titans, in an attempt to run the football right down their throats. But their offensive line just isn’t creating enough push for a power running game to work. Why not try to run the ball out of three and four wide receiver sets to see if a little more space is all Ricky and Ronnie need to get going again?
Edge: Bears

Bears running game (23rd) vs. Dolphins run defense (16th)
Even after seeing Chris Johnson go over the century mark last week, I still think this Dolphins’ run defense is better than their ranking suggest. Chris Johnson is just a tough matchup for this defense. They don’t contain the edge particularly well and often get caught over pursuing, which isn’t a good formula for a speedster like Johnson.

But the Bears’ offense on the other hand, is having their fair share of troubles getting their ground attack going. Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are a good one-two punch in theory, but the Bears’ blocking woes are the main reason why both average well short of the four yards per carry benchmark. With that said, I would be very disappointed if the Dolphins’ front seven doesn’t make significant strides against the run tomorrow night, and force the Bears to be one-dimensional offensively.
Edge: Dolphins

Dolphins passing game (13th) vs. Bears pass defense (15th)
For the second straight week, the Dolphins enter the game with a new starter at quarterback. Tyler Thigpen’s 64-yard, 1 touchdown performance against the Titans on Sunday has fans buzzing and the organization comparing him to Tony Romo. Personally, I think it’s a little premature to make those types of comparisons, even if Mr. Romo is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in football.

One thing I would bank on, though, is this guy making plays. He’s an athletic gun-slinger, who can make things happen with his arm or his legs. He isn’t necessarily going to put up great stats on the ground, but he’s going to keep plays alive and utilize his ability to throw the football on the run. What we didn’t see on Sunday, though, was the mistakes. And don’t kid yourself, if Thigpen sticks around as the starter long enough he’s going to make a few. He’s a gambler, and eventually that’s going to cost him and this offense. If he makes enough plays, though, and continues to give this offense the spark they desperately needed, we will just have to take the good with the bad.

Thankfully, all indications are pointing to Jake Long getting the start. The Bears have only registered 13 sacks on the season, but I think it’s safe to say Julius Peppers would abuse Lydon Murtha. Overall, if the Dolphins want to move the football consistently against this tough Bears defense, they’re going to need a great game from Thigpen. A tall order for a guy making his first start in two years, but a great opportunity for a player who’s eager to prove that he’s starting material.
Edge: Push

Bears passing game (21st) vs. Dolphins pass defense (6th)
What has been the Achilles’ heel of this football team in years past, has quietly become their strength this season. The Dolphins are pressuring the quarterback well, and are covering better and better each week. Vontae Davis has hit a couple bumps in the road the past couple games, but he’s clearly showed signs of an emerging young corner. Sean Smith has played very well since taking over Jason Allen’s staring spot in Cincinnati, and now has the veteran Al Harris to split snaps with.

Speaking of Al Harris, what a pleasant surprise he was last week. Nobody even really expected him to play, let alone get the opportunity to cover Randy Moss. It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins rotate their corners tomorrow night, but Al Harris definitely gives this secondary solid depth and a much needed veteran presence.

At free safety, Reshad Jones is scheduled to make his first career start. The kid did a great job last week getting his first sack and interception, but I have the feeling the Dolphins are going to miss Chris Clemons’ speed against the Bears’ fast receivers.

One thing they won’t miss is Cameron Wake’s ability to get after the quarterback. After giving us a little bit of an injury scare against the Titans, Wake is now all set to tee-off against the Jay Cutler. The Bears have conceded a league-high 34 sacks, and shouldn’t fare too well against Wake or Mike Nolan’s exotic blitz packages.
Edge: Dolphins

Special-teams
Even if the Dolphins outplay the Bears offensively and defensively, the outcome of tomorrow night’s game may be decided on how well the Dolphins can cover kicks and punts. The Dolphins have improved a bit covering kickoffs the past few weeks, but continue to do a sub-par job of covering punts.

Well, Devin Hester has already returned two punts for touchdowns this season, and is virtually a missed lane assignment or tackle away from taking one the distance. Throw in Daniel Manning’s 62-yard and Johnny Knox’s 42-yard kickoff returns, and the Bears clearly have the league’s most dangerous return game. The Dolphins need to avoid the big letdown in the kicking game more than ever tomorrow night. It may just make the difference between a win and a loss.
Edge: Bears 



Miami

Out: FS Chris Clemons (hamstring), C Joe Berger (knee)

Doubtful:QB Chad Henne (knee)

Questionable: T Jake Long (shoulder), WR Roberto Wallace (knee), S Tyrone Culver (ankle)

Probable: SS Yeremiah Bell (toe), ILB Channing Crowder (ribs), ILB Karlos Dansby (elbow), ILB Tim Dobbins (ankle), T Vernon Carey (knee)

Chicago

Out: LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)

Probable:CB Zackary Bowman (foot), WR Devin Hester (shoulder), WR Johnny Knox (ankle) 

I'm a little disappointed to see Chris Clemons out of the lineup as I think he gives this secondary much needed range against a speedy Bears' receiving core. Based on what we saw last week, though, Reshad Jones gives this defense the play-making ability Clemons just doesn't seem to have.

Chad Henne being listed as doubtful is an encouraging sign considering most thought he would miss the rest of the season a couple days ago. It would be nice if Tyler Thigpen can live up to the Tony Romo comparisons that are being thrown out there, but just in case he struggles, it looks like Henne could return in a couple weeks.

I know Jake Long is listed as questionable, but I have a hard time believing he won't be out there tomorrow night. It's going to be painful to play through, but Jake Long is the type of hard-nosed guy that can pull it off. Let's just hope he doesn't do any permanent damage to that shoulder by putting off surgery.

I usually get this post up on Thursday or Friday, but because of the short week, we had to get everything done ahead of schedule this time around. With that said, please welcome in Brett from Midway Illustrated, Bloguin's Chicago Bears blog. They didn't have any questions for me to answer, but be sure to head over there for everything Bears related here in these next few days leading up to the game.

Phins Phocus: I've heard people say that the Bears aren't as good as their 6-3 record suggest. Do you feel like they are a contender or a pretender?

MI: The Bears on defense are a contender, they have a championship caliber defense of the highest order. In the years after the 2006 Super Bowl appearance the Bears' defense had gotten worse and worse....but now it's back up to a level that could lead the Bears to a playoff run.

Problem is the Bears' offense isn't quite up to the same level and all of that has to do with the lack of success by the offensive line. The offensive line is the weak link to this team right now and unless that continues to change like it has over the last two weeks the Bears could struggle to win games the rest of the season.

Phins Phocus: How improved has Jay Cutler been in his second season with the Bears? Does he now have sufficient weapons to work with in order to emerge as an elite quarterback?

MI: Cutler is and always be a risk taker of the highest order and will make crazy throws because he trusts his arm to get the job done. He's made better decisions overall but still hasn't reached his full potential because of the lack of balance on offense. It all goes back to the O-Line.

Phins Phocus: The Bears have always been perceived as a tough-nosed running team, but currently rank 22nd in rushing offense. What has contributed most to their struggles on the ground?

MI: The theme of the season is the offensive line, there have been five different starting combinations since the season started, the one that's currently in place over the last two games has performed the best of any starting unit on the season. Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are a dangerous duo and if they get good blocking they could really start to put up some major rushing yards.

Phins Phocus: If you were the Dolphins' offensive coordinator how exactly would you go about moving the football on this stout Bears' defense?

MI: With the Bears' one gap attack I'm going to do everything in my power to utilize the Wild cat offense and get the Bears out of their gaps. Everything I can do to use the Bears' speed against them is how I would attack them. That means establishing the run via the Wildcat then trying to find a way to pass out of it.

Phins Phocus: Who do you see winning Thursday night and why? Final Score?

MI: With the way the Bears' defense is playing right now I see a defensive struggle between both teams. The defense should be up to the task in slowing down the Dolphins because they have been playing at an extremely high level pretty consistently this season. If the Dolphins can get a lot of pressure on Cutler and stuff up the run then the Bears will struggle to score points.

The next question is can the Dolphins slow down the Bears' dangerous return game. If not the Bears could definitely put themselves in position to score points that way.

The Miami Herald is reporting the news we all feared this morning. Jake Long’s injured shoulder will require surgery that would sideline him 3-6 weeks of healing time and another 3-6 weeks to get back to full strength. Do the math, and best case scenario would have the Dolphins getting the game’s best left tackle back in time for their Week 17 showdown in Foxboro.

But hold on, don’t panic just yet. Jake is going to try to tough it out, play the rest of the year, and hold off surgery until the offseason. A banged up Jake is better than no Jake at all, but having said that, I have my doubts on whether he can make it through the final seven games. But rest assured, if anybody can pull this off, it’s Jake Long.