The numbers haven't been pretty. A year after posting a top five rushing attack, the Dolphins' dynamic duo is struggling to muster up any sort of momentum heading into the regular season. Ronnie Brown, who has shown no repercussions from the Lisfranc fracture he suffered last year otherwise, is averaging a measly 2.0 yards per carry.

Ricky Williams has been a little better, but 3.2 yards per carry is certainly nothing to be proud of. Is this a sign of things to come, or will the R&R Express be as good as ever once the games start meaning something? The struggling interior offensive line has to be the center of attention if we want to play the blame game. It looks like the Dolphins will enter the season with at least two new starters at the guard spots, with Richie Incognito currently holding it down on the left side and John Jerry likely a lock on the right.

Both struggled to produce any push against the Falcons defensive line last Friday night, and consequently Ronnie and Ricky really had nothing to work with. Heading into the season, most projected run blocking to be the strength of both Incognito and Jerry's game, so what exactly is the problem? There has been a lot of shuffling this preseason, though, so you have to think the line as a whole will steadily improve when the unit begins to gel.

But how long will that take? Opening day is only 11 days away after all, and the Dolphins can't afford to lose to a team like Buffalo when arguably one of the toughest stretches in the entire league awaits in Weeks 2-9. Could it be that lackluster pulling has caused the downgrade? Incognito has always been a below average puller, the front office new that when they acquired him, and Jerry doesn't exactly shine in the category.

That still doesn't explain the lack of push last Friday night, though, so while this O-line isn't going to pull as well as last year's unit with Justin Smiley, that's no excuse for the lack of execution from the ground game.

To be fair to the interior offensive line, in my opinion anyway, Ronnie and Ricky haven't hit the hole (when there is one that is) with as much burst as I have seen in the past. Is that only because motivation is considerably lower in a meaningless game, or have they both possibly hit the running back wall that can make even the most elite of backs average at best?

That theory is a little extreme for my liking. Ricky hitting the wall at 33 years old is believable, but considering he spent nearly three whole years out of football, that he's split the workload with Ronnie in last three season's that he's played, and that the yoga junkie takes very good care of his body, I'm still holding on to hope that he's got one or two productive years left in the tank.

I'm not buying Ronnie hitting the wall one bit. Yes, he's beginning to creep up near that 30 year plateau, but he's only got one full-16 game season under his belt, and Ricky's presence has limited his carries to still under 1,000 for his career.

Let me just say, I know I'm getting a little worked up over just preseason games, and I know Ronnie and Ricky have only carried the ball a combined 28 times, but it's just a tad bit alarming when the first thought of losing something you thought was a done deal enters your mind.

So will this running game bounce back and return to it's elite form in time for the regular season? I would be willing to bet that it will, and I think worse case scenario now is they struggle a bit out of the gates, but eventually right the ship by the third or fourth game.

And I think it's something Sparano wants to nip in the butt as soon as possible. I think we see a concentrated effort to get the running game going in Dallas tomorrow night. Dallas supposedly won't play their starters much, if at all, so hopefully we see a dominating ground attack get a little momentum rolling as the preseason comes to a conclusion.

The Dolphins were forced to make a difficult decision today, ending Nate Garner's season by placing him on injured reserve. Arguably the most versatile player on the entire team, Garner can play just about every position along the offensive line, but because he was out until sometime midseason with a broken foot, the Dolphins didn't think it was worth it to waste a roster space for nearly half of the season by keeping Garner on the 53.

A big blow, of course, but if Vernon Carey and Jake Long can stay healthy, the Dolphins could avoid the possible ramifications of Garner's loss. This comes a day after Miami waived Joey Haynos, who many expected to be the team's third tight end. The Dolphins will now have to choose between keeping John Nalbone or only two tight ends, which would likely free up a roster spot for a defensive player or even, dare I say it, four quarterbacks.

Offense

Quarterback
Projected Possible Cuts: Pat White
Okay, so I don't actually see Pat White making the team. But despite all of the negative reports about his play, and despite the fact that he's done nothing to prove that he's capable of playing quarterback in the NFL, I just can't commit to guarantee his release. Should he be cut? Absolutely. But for some reason, I just have a strange feeling about the whole situation, like the Dolphins aren't willing to give up on a second-round pick after one season. Common logic tells me otherwise, though, so I'm sticking to my guns on this one.
Out: Pat White

Running Back
Projected Possible Cuts: Lex Hilliard
Before Garner went on the IR, you could have possibly made a case for the Dolphins to forgo keeping four running backs, and instead use the roster space for a tenth offensive lineman. There's really no chance of that happening anymore, though, so Hilliard is becoming a borderline lock.
In: Lex Hilliard

Fullback
Projected Possible Cuts: Rolly Lumbala
Lousaka Polite may be a little more vulnerable after turning in a poor performance as a lead blocker against the Falcons, but not enough to warrant him not making the team after a Pro Bowl caliber 2009 season.
Out: Rolly Lumbala

Tight End
Projected Possible Cuts: John Nalbone
Many fans and media members are starting to jump on the "keep two tight ends bandwagon" with Haynos gone, but I'm not quite ready to go that far. I have a feeling the Dolphins will stick to tradition and keep 25 offensive players. And now that it looks like ten offensive lineman is out of the question, it would likely take four quarterbacks or six receivers to get rid of Nalbone. With the Dolphins using so many two tight end sets, I just think it's a little too risky to only keep two on the roster.
In: John Nalbone

Wide Receiver
Projected Possible Cuts: Marlon Moore, Patrick Turner, Roberto Wallace, Julius Pruitt
Although Marlon Moore really didn't do anything to guarantee his roster spot against the Falcons, the fact that he was playing ahead of Patrick Turner as the Dolphins' fourth receiver tells me he's not going anywhere. Turner, meanwhile, has had a mildy impressive training camp and preseason, but because he's not a special-teams contributor, Roberto Wallace could come in and steal the final receiver opening with one more solid performance on Thursday night.
In: Marlon Moore, Patrick Turner
Out: Roberto Wallace, Julius Pruitt

Offensive Tackle
Projected Possible Cuts: Lydon Murtha, Andrew Gardner
This is where Garner will truly be missed. I personally wouldn't trust either Murtha or Gardner if Carey or Long were to go down. But the Dolphins have to keep at least one of them, and all indications still point to Murtha being the lucky man.
In: Lydon Murtha
Out: Andrew Gardner

Offensive Guard
Projected Possible Cuts: Cory Procter, Ray Feinga
We probably would have to go all the way back to beginning of training camp to find the last time we seriously thought Cory Procter was going to make the team. That's likely about to become a reality, though, with only three tackles expected to make the cut. That, of course, is assuming the Dolphins don't hand Garner's roster spot to a roster fringe defensive player.
In: Cory Procter
Out: Ray Feinga

Center
Projected Possible Cuts: Andrew Hartline
The only debate at center is who is going to start: Grove or Berger. Hartline has no chance of making the team.
Out: Andrew Hartline

It was quite the eventful Monday in Dolphin country. As widely speculated, the Dolphins waived tight end Joey Haynos because of the foot injury he sustained against the Falcons. With Haynos out of the picture, John Nalbone would win the third tight end job by default.

His only competition now is likely a tenth offensive lineman candidate, which could steal Nalbone's roster spot if the Dolphins decided to only carry two tight ends on the 53-man roster. Also making headlines, despite the suddenly blown up competition between Ikaika Alama-Francis and Koa Misi, was the Dolphins sending Channing Crowder, who has missed the past 13 days of practice, to get a second opinion on a leg injury Tony Sparano declined to specify.

I'm no medical expert, but usually when I hear that someone is seeking a second opinion, they didn't like what the first doctor had to say. Sparano did say in a round about way that he isn't "too concerned" about Crowder's status, and reportedly remained hopeful he will still be available for the Bills in Week 1. Still though, from the sound of things, this could be more serious then we initially thought.

That means Tim Dobbins needs to step his game up if he indeed does enter the season as the starter. He hasn't really stood out in the first three preseason games, but most of the concern about the Dolphins' front seven centers around the lack of a pass rush and the ability to contain the edge, two things you can't blame the inside linebackers for.

Depth-wise, the Dolphins have been cross-training Charlie Anderson a little bit, and you have to think Micah Johnon's roster chances have improved, with Miami likely having to consider defense over special teams due to concerns behind Dansby and Dobbins.

Considering that the third preseason game typically gives starters/those competing for starting jobs the longest opportunity to make an impression, we went into Friday night expecting most, if not all, of the starting competitions to come to a close. As expected, Tony Sparano finally admitted he's decided on who his starting center will be. However, things could still be far from decided at strongside outside linebacker and left guard.

Center: Jake Grove
Although, Sparano wouldn't say who is starting center is, and advised the media not to assume whoever starts against the Cowboys on Thursday night is the guy, looking back at the tape it's clear Grove is superior to Joe Berger. In the second preseason game against the Jaguars, Grove decisively outplayed Berger. And even though both were underwhelming on Friday night against the Falcons, it was still evident that Grove is the right man for the job. Omar Kelly speculated that Berger could still start Week 1 because of concerns about Grove's durability. Maybe the Dolphins share the same philosophy, but if it was me, how can you not start the best player? Isn't that what a quality backup like Berger is for? If Grove gets hurt again, Berger will be ready to fill his void.

Strongside Outside Linebacker: Koa Misi
Most, including me, were under the impression that Koa Misi basically had clinched the job on the strongside heading into Friday night. However, after Misi struggled to set the edge against Micheal Turner and the Falcons running game, Ikaika Alama-Francis received starting reps in Sunday's practice. We will have to wait to see how that plays out the rest of the week and on Thursday night before we can give Ike the lead, or decipher if that's a permanent move, just a wake up call to Misi, or a situational role. The concern about starting Ike has to be the pass rush. He's a former defensive tackle in the 4-3 and defensive end in the 3-4, he isn't going to make many quarterbacks nervous. Based on what we've seen this preseason, though, he's probably an upgrade over Misi as far as setting the edge and shedding blocks goes. And, really, Misi hasn't provided much of a pass rush anyway. He's probably more capable of dropping back into coverage, but at the end of the day, you have to think that stopping the run is more important from the outside linebacker position.

Left Guard: Richie Incognito
Now this is purely speculation, but after watching Incognito get pushed around trying to open up holes for Ronnie and Ricky, and continue to be an incapable puller, you have to wonder if Donald Thomas is going to takeover if the struggles continue. Incognito wasn't unseated at practice yesterday, so Sparano has probably already settled on his starting interior and doesn't want to shake anything up as he gives them time to develop some cohesiveness. If the runnning game doesn't return to form in a hurry, though, he may not have a choice.

Kick Returner: Nolan Carroll
After nearly sealing the deal against the Jaguars, Carroll didn't hit the hole quite as hard on Friday night. Although, he nearly broke off a big return if it wasn't for the last man separating him from the edge tripping him up. Maybe Patrick Cobbs, who is likely number two on the depth chart, would provide a little more consistency, but Carroll is much faster and is a threat to break off some big returns this year. Let's remember that this is his first action returning kicks since high school, so it's expected that consistency won't be present right off the bat.

Punt Returner: Davone Bess
This is likely already a done deal, but we got our first glimpse of Marlon Moore returning punts against the Falcons. Did he do anything impressive? No. But I think it's fair to say his superior speed makes his upside higher than Bess'. He has a long way to go before he earns the Dolphins' trust returning punts, but if he stays away from the muffs and makes quality decisions in practice, he may be a solid return in Dallas away from seriously contending for the job.

Before we officially hit the panic button, let's just remember it's the preseason, every team is going to get a clean slate come September, and when the Dolphins head up to Buffalo for opening weekend, whatever happened in these practice games is going to be the last thing on everybody's mind. Having said that, all we currently have to go by with our evaluation of this team are these preseason games, and judging by last night, the Dolphins are a long way from becoming a legitimate contender this season.

Also, remember that the Falcons are a very good football team, and if it wasn't for a bad decision by Chad Henne at the end of the first-half, it would have probably been a respectable 10-10 ball game at halftime. But playing what ifs is a dangerous game, because then you could probably throw in the Matt Ryan overthrow which should have been a long touchdown pass to Roddy White. Anyway, the bottom line is any way you spin it, there is plenty of concern to go around on both sides of the ball right now. So let's get this evaluation over with, but if a little negativity is going to ruin your day, it would probably be wise to bypass this post.

Offense

Chad Henne led group
It's tough to even think about how inefficient the first-team offense was last night, let alone give them a grade. Nevertheless, let's try and sum up just how ugly that performance was. The run game was by far the biggest cause for concern, as Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams carried the ball a combined 12 times for an absolutely pathetic 14 yards. Why exactly was there a makeover on the interior offensive line again? I know there was concern about Justin Smiley's shoulder, but I can't help but wonder if the front office is questioning themselves right now.

The passing game on the other hand, wasn't much better either, but they did show some signs despite getting zero help from the ground attack. If Ronnie and Ricky were themselves, and actually produced a little bit, you would think things would have opened up down field for Henne and company. It's just a shame Henne tried to force that ball into Fasano, because there was finally some positive momentum building after two long connections to Brandon Marshall. After two quarters and one possession, though, three points is massive underachievement.

GRADE: D-

Pennington led group
I was a little disappointed to see Pennington come in the game so soon, simply because I wanted to see Henne lead at least one touchdown drive. He did provide a little spark for one series at least, connecting on a 17-yard pass to Ricky Williams that eventually set up another Dan Carpenter field goal. Still though, with no running game, it was obvious Pennington's lack of arm strength still limits how far this offense can go with him under center, having little chance at picking up third and longs.

One area where Henne needs to take notes, though, is blitz recognition. We saw Pennington pick up the blitz instantaneously and get rid of the ball in a hurry. On the contrary, even though Henne is making a conscious effort to avoid bad decisions and usually just takes a sack in those situations, recognizing the blitz off the bat and getting the ball to a receiver immediately, would do wonders for his game, especially against blitz happy defenses like the Jets

GRADE: B-

Pat White led group
Tony Sparano said during the week that he didn't expect his fourth quarterback to play last night. Either he had a change of heart, or Pat White is really ahead of Tyler Thigpen on the depth chart. I'm going to need to hear Sparano admit the ladder before I believe it, so as of now, I'm just assuming the coaches allowed White one opportunity in a game that was really out of reach when it was time for the third quarterback to sub in. Surprisingly, though, White went a solid 4 of 4 for 27 yards passing. Unfortunately, poor field position and a lack of pass protection prevented White from possibly leading a scoring drive.

GRADE: C

Defense

First-team/a few second team members (1st half)
After a poor showing against the Jaguars, Vontae Davis bounced back in a big way last night, breaking up three passes, getting in on seven tackles, and forcing a fumble in run support around the line of scrimmage. The rest of the secondary picked up where they left off a week ago. Jason Allen, who replaced Sean Smith in the starting lineup, had great coverage on a deep pass to Roddy White at the beginning of the Falcons' second drive, but a few plays later he basically gift wrapped the inside for Roddy White on a touchdown pass from Matt Ryan.

Sean Smith, who missed most of the first quarter after breaking a team rule, wasn't targeted much, but was burned badly on a Roddy White double-move that should have resulted in a long touchdown strike from Matt Ryan. Nolan Carroll, who stayed put as the starting nickel corner, was abused a few times in coverage, most notably conceding a third and long completion that kept the Falcons first touchdown drive going.

The run defense on the other hand, accompanied Davis as two things to feel good about. Outside of the first couple drives, where Misi and Wake did a poor job of containing the edge, the run defense stiffened for the most part, and held Micheal Turner to under three yards per carry.

GRADE: C

Second-half
The second and third string front seven was pushed around a bit in the second-half, as the Falcons ground game was able to break the four yards per carry mark. The roster fringe secondary players didn't show much sense of urgency, surrendering a touchdown drive to Chris Redman and the Falcons' backup offense. All in all, despite giving up only six points, the Falcons were able to chew too much clock, and kept the Dolphins' offense off the field in a two score game.

GRADE: C-

Special-teams
We saw a little bit of improvement at least, but anytime you have to rely on your kicker to save a touchdown, you still have some things to work on with you kickoff unit. Other than that nerve racking play, Nolan Carroll took a step in the wrong direction as kick returner by not hitting the whole as hard as he did in the first two games, we learned Dan Carpenter is still one of most reliable kickers in football, connecting on both of his attempts, including a 53-yarder, and newly acquired Benny Sapp did a fantastic job as the gunner, making the first hit on the punt returner on the Dolphins' well covered punt. Overall, however, the kickoff and punt teams need to do a better job of wrapping up, or it won't be long before someone takes one back to the house.

GRADE: C-