It seems as though the upside and downside of this football team drastically switched from last week to this week. A week ago, the offensive woes had everyone concerned, but now the defense, and in particular the secondary, is the cause for some of the negativity.

But seeing Chad Henne have an outstanding first-half, and witnessing our first glimpse of Brandon Marshall contributing, has brought back the excitement. After the second preseason contest, let's see how both sides of the ball and each team graded out.

Because the end of the second quarter featured a hybrid first and second string offense and defense, I have modified the grading format accordingly. Instead of dividing the grades up by first-team, second-team, and third-team, I'm just grading each half.

Offense

First-Half
The major theme of the night for the starting offense had to be "that's more like it." After failing to score or move the ball into opponents territory in four possessions against Tampa Bay, the first-team offense bounced back in a big way Saturday night.

Chad Henne made sound decisions, checking down when need be and got the ball down field when things opened up. Going 11 for 14 is impressive enough, but when you factor in two of those incompletions were drops, maybe Henne had his best half of action to date. We are grading the offense as a whole, however, so those two drops are only detrimental to the grade, not more evidence for our argument.

One of those drops was another by Brandon Marshall, which continues to be a little concerning. Outside of that play, though, Marshall was very solid, reeling in four balls for 65 yards, and threw two fantastic blocks which led to touchdowns by Anthony Fasano and Ronnie Brown. Speaking of Fasano, is this a sign of things to come with defenses focusing so much attention on Marshall? Bringing Fasano's production back after it's one year hiatus, would be an asset of an X-factor for this offense. There's still a long way to go for that to become a reality, but it's something to look forward to nonetheless.

While the passing game shined in the second quarter, the running game wasn't much of a factor. There's obviously no reason to worry about that, though, as I think it's safe to say Ronnie and Ricky will average more than eight carries in a half.

I'm also counting Chad Pennington's one and only drive with the starting offense, because Brandon Marshall, Ronnie Brown, and the starting tackles were still in the game. And what a drive it was. The highlight was the spectacular 37-yard grab by Marshall on a Chad Pennington down-field lob to set things up. Pennington also showed some awareness, scrambling for 13-yard run to move the chains, and made a nice check-down toss to Brown, who ran off Marshall's block for the score.

Pennington surely proved he's still capable of leading an offense, despite yet another shoulder surgery in the offseason. That could entice a team with struggling quarterback play or a key injury to pursue a possible trade, but for now, the Dolphins have great security behind Henne.

GRADE: A-

Second-Half
Going into halftime with 24 points, Tyler Thigpen and the second/third-team offense wanted to keep the big plays and scoring coming. Unfortunately, Miami only put up another three points in the second-half, and weren't nearly as explosive as the starting unit.

They weren't necessarily stagnent, as they did move the ball deep into Jaguars' territory on two drives, but they turned the ball over on downs on one and had to settle for a field-goal on the other.

They also struggled to get the running game going, with Patrick Cobbs and Lex Hilliard only accounting for a combined 34 yards on 13 carries. Thigpen was a decent 8 of 12 for 76 yards, but at the end of the day, leading the offense to only three points in an entire half isn't going to cut it.

GRADE: D+

The Dolphins got down to business about a week early today, waiving tight end Kory Sperry, nose tackle Travis Ivey, and running back Tristan Davis, despite not being required to trim the roster down to 75 players until August 31st.

Tristan Davis probably saw his minimal chance at making the team go in and out of hands. Davis muffed the opening kickoff against Tampa Bay in the preseason opener and didn't get any more opportunities after that.

Travis Ivey meanwhile, was always a long-shot, and his only highlight of training camp was being all over ESPN for carrying several teammates' shoulder pads as part of some harmless rookie hazing.

Kory Sperry on the other hand, is a mild surprise after a report last week that suggested he likely had the slight edge over John Nalbone for fourth on the depth chart. Sperry even contributed 31 yards receiving and a touchdown a year ago in relief duty. Now, though, Nalbone and Joey Haynos will keep battling for the final tight end roster spot.

Small Talk

-Both Vontae Davis, who had to come out in the second quarter Saturday night with a reported chest injury, and Brandon Marshall, who evaded the media in order to see the team doctor after the game, participated fully in the Dolphins' practice today.

-Tony Sparano said he doesn't expect Pat White to play Friday night against the Falcons in his press briefing this afternoon. Is anyone else a little puzzled by this whole thing? Especially, considering Miami just waived three players.

It doesn't appear White is apart of this team's plans, so why continue to drag this out? Either the front office is still keeping their options open for a possible trade of any of their three backups, or they value the Wild Pat package enough to consider keeping four quarterbacks.

In the end, it was all worth the wait. After nearly two hours of delayed action due to frequent lightning strikes in the Jacksonville area, the Dolphins pulled off a narrow one point victory over the Jags, but more importantly the first-team offense was brilliant in the second quarter, shredding the Jags' defense for 21 points.

Chad Henne was as good as we've ever seen him, going 11 of 14 for 151 yards and throwing two touchdowns to Anthony Fasano. And that's not even taking into account the two drops by Marshall and Hartline that, if caught, would have made Henne's first-half performance one completion away from perfection.

Speaking of Marshall, despite yet another mind-blowing drop, he reminded us of why exactly we were so excited about his acquisition in the first place. Four receptions for 65 yards, to go along with two key touchdown producing blocks, and Marshall had himself a pretty solid half of action.

Defensively, things weren't so upbeat. The secondary was abused for much of the game, led by Vontae Davis' and Sean Smith's nightmare drive, in which Vontae was burned for a 35-yard completion and Sean Smith gave up a 22-yarder.

Is it possible that these young corners aren't quite is good as we thought they were, or is that a little too drastic of a reaction to only a preseason game? Time will tell, I suppose. On the bright side, I expect the pass defense as a whole to significantly improve once Nolan begins to implement his exotic blitz packages in the regular season.

On another positive note, the run defense was superb tonight. The Dolphins held Jacksonville to a mere 2.8 yards a carry and stuffed Jones-Drew for -2 yards on 4 attempts. All in all, it was a long night with the weather, but the offensive fireworks in the second-quarter will make it a whole lot easier for Dolphin fans to get some sleep tonight compared to last week's ugly performance.

As for continued evaluation of this game, I'm going to wait until after seeing the taped version on NFL Network 11 p.m. Monday night. Expect the report card to come on Tuesday and in-depth roster analysis on Wednesday and Thursday.

Game Ball: Chad Henne, QB

Statline

Passing
C. Henne: 11/14, 151 yards, 2 touchdowns
C. Pennington: 3/4, 54 yards, 1 touchdown
T. Thigpen: 8/12, 76 yards

Rushing
R. Brown: 4 attempts, 5 yards
R. Williams: 3 attempts, 13 yards
P. Cobbs: 9 attempts, 16 yards
L. Hilliard: 4 attempts, 18 yards,

Top 5 Receiving
A. Fasano: 2 receptions, 66 yards, 2 touchdowns
B. Marshall: 4 receptions, 65 yards
D. Bess: 3 receptions, 31 yards
M. Moore: 2 receptions, 32 yards
R. Brown: 2 receptions, 19 yards, 1 touchdown

Top 5 Tacklers
Y. Bell: 4
V. Davis: 3
M. Johnson: 3
S. Smith: 3
J. Folsom: 3
R. Jones: 3

Forced Turnovers
J. Amaya: Interception
T. Culver: Fumble recovery

Special Teams
D. Carpenter: 2/2 field goals, long-31 yards
B. Fields: 3 punts, 27.3 average
N. Carroll: 4 kickoff returns, 25 yard average, long-36

When: Tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: EverBank Field- Jacksonville, Florida
TV: Local only, replay on NFL Network Monday night at 11 p.m.
Weather: Around 80 degrees with a 50% chance of scattered thunderstorms

I've been out of the office for last couple days with some technical difficulties. As a result, I wasn't able to cover the final day of Dolphins' training camp or post my weekly take on the 53-man roster. But hey, it's the preseason for me too I guess. Tonight's exhibition contest in Jacksonville seems far from meaningless for the Dolphins, who need a huge bounce back performance for morale and momentum.

And when I say the Dolphins need to bounce back I'm really just talking about the offense, and more specifically the first-team. Four possessions, no points, not moving past their own 39-yard line, and three drops isn't going to cut it for this offense. Especially when all the pieces appear to be in place for this unit to finally break out. So what three questions need to be answered, and which three players will I be watching ever so closely?

Three questions

Will starting offense bounce back?
Because of those well-documented struggles last week versus Tampa, Tony Sparano has hinted at letting Chad Henne along with presumably the entire first-team offense play as much as the entire first-half. Now, in the event Henne and the crew produce a couple scoring drives early and move the ball fairly consistently, we may see a satisfied Sparano pull them out sometime in the second quarter, but regardless we are going to get our best look yet at this supposedly revamped offense. 

The fans are going to want to see the running game continue to look as good as ever, Chad Henne effectively move the chains by utilizing his top tier arm strength all the while making sound decisions, Brandon Marshall actually hang on for his first catch, and then get a few more, and the interior offensive line finally settle down. A full half of action against a likely average defense at best, should produce a couple scoring drives for the night to be a success. And when I say scoring drives, I'm not talking about field goals.

Will Run D' get first true test?
Considering Maurice Jones-Drew only ran the ball twice last week, and the Jaguars as a whole only ran nine times in the entire game, we may have to wait for Micheal Turner to come to town next weekend. If the Jags decide to let Jones-Drew out of the cage, though, we will get a great look at the run defense with Randy Starks at nose tackle. Outside of a few missed tackles and a couple over-pursued angles, the Dolphins' front seven was pretty solid in the first-half last week. Would that continue if one of the league's best backs is featured in the game plan tonight?

How will the secondary fare?
The secondary wasn't awful like the first-team offense last Saturday, but I think we can all agree that things could have been a little better. Vontae Davis, despite solid coverage, got beat for a deep pass along the sideline, Sean Smith gave up a touchdown because he was too deep covering the flats, Chris Clemons failed to lock up the starting free safety job, and all three strings struggled to get off the field on third down.

After going 5 for 10 for only 35 yards last week, David Garrard, who could also be feeling some pressure from Luke McCown's 244 passing yards and three touchdowns in the same game, will be looking for a bounce back performance of his own. Davis and Smith need to start showing signs of a near future dominate corner tandem, Chirs Clemons needs to wrap-up ball carriers, and those on the roster fringe can't afford to have a poor showing.

Three players to watch

Randy Thomas: After signing this week, former Pro Bowler Randy Thomas needs to showcase signs of his old self if he's going to make this team, yet along compete for a starting job. He's obviously not in good enough shape yet to see extensive time tonight, but I expect him to get possibly a whole series with the starters at left guard.

Nate Ness: Ness stole the show in the second-half against the Buc's, but consistency will now be a must if he's going to convince the Dolphins to keep six corners. Bill Parcells even reportedly called him a one-quarter wonder, which is likely a motivational tactic by the Big Tuna to get the same type of production out of Ness tonight and the rest of the preseason. He's obviously not going to force two fumbles and break-up two passes every game, but lock-down coverage against Jacksonville's second and third team receivers will keep his momentum going.

Patrick Turner/Marlon Moore/Roberto Wallace: Okay, I cheated a little bit by listing three players. But those three players are competing for just one spot. Patrick Turner is the unanimous favorite at the moment, but Moore and Wallace flashed enough potential last week and reportedly in training camp to possibly unseat Turner by taking over a game. All three need to continue to make plays in the passing game, but how they contribute on special teams will be equally important.

Wallace hurt his cause a week ago by allowing his man to block a punt. Those types of mistakes simply can't happen tonight. Moore will reportedly get some looks returning kicks. Consistently hitting the whole hard by going north and south and possibly breaking off a big return would likely make Moore the front-runner to surpass Turner.  

Dolphins sign Randy Thomas, waive Ryan Grice-Mullen
In light of the Nate Garner being sidelined for likely eight weeks, to go along with an interior offensive line still attempting to come together, a move needed to be made. That move was the signing of 11-year veteran Randy Thomas, who has started 143 games in his NFL career and has made the Pro Bowl as an alternate on two occasions.

In the past three years, though, Thomas' career took a turn for the worse, tearing his triceps in 2007 and last year, which sidelined him for a total of 27 games. He's also obviously not in the best shape, considering he was still without a teamthis late into training camp. Still though, he was thrown right into the fire on his first day on the job. The Dolphins tried him out at first-team left guard in the second team period. Contrary, to what his track record may suggest, Thomas is no lock to start, and will have to earn his way on this roster.

At 34 years old, starting Thomas would be nothing more than a stop-gap solution for the struggling interior. Meaning, Miami would probably find themselves in searchfor a new starter as early as this offseason. At the very least, though, Thomas isgoing to provide some much needed depth, and his addition may come at the expense of Cory Procter. First things first, though, Thomas is going to have to get in football shape in a hurry, catch up on everything that's been installed thus far, and prove he still has something left in the tank.

Ryan Grice-Mullen on the other hand, was a milddisappointment after receiving some press in the offseason for being similar in many ways to Davone Bess. His chances at making the team really went out the window, however, when he injured his hamstring, which caused him to miss a good chunk of vital reps. Besides that, the emergence of Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore was really the knockout blow.

Soliai works with starters, but gets handled by Joe Berger
After his near dominate performance in the second quarter of the preseason opener, Paul Soliai received some well deserved first-team repetitions this afternoon. Things didn't go over as well as they did onSaturday night, however. Joe Berger, who is presumably ahead of Jake Grove in the competition for starting center, reportedly easily single-blocked Soliai, a big no-no for any nose tackle.

Thigpen shines
Tyler Thigpen reportedly had arguably the best day of practice since joining the Dolphins, connecting on two long touchdowns to Roberto Wallace and Davone Bess. I think it's obvious by now that Tyler Thigpen is this team's third quarterback. I don't think it was ever that big of a competition. There's no easy way around this, but Pat White's days in Miami are over, outside of this regime having a complete disconnection from reasonable philosophy.

Greg Camarillo still rehabbing groin, Reshad Jones rides the bike
Onceseemingly aguaranteed member of the 2010 team, some are beginning to question whether or not Greg Camarillo is now a possible cut. Given how he maximizes the limited talent he possess and how he catches everything (0 drops last year), I still think he makes the team.

We will get more into that topic in the upcoming "Who's In, Who's Out?" post, but if Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace continue to impress we may have an unexpected competition on our hands.

Fifth-round pick Reshad Jones spend the day on the exercise bike, conceding his second-team free safety reps to Jonathan Amaya. If there is still a battle between Jones and Clemons for the starting job, like Sparano has recently said,Jones really can't afford to miss another rep if he wants to keep pace.

Sources: Sun-Sentinel