In the spirit of thinking outside of the box, I thought I would put together a little piece highlighting a few factors that the Dolphins ultimately have no control over, but could make or break their season.

A team's sole focus is always to take care of their own business and not worry about what other teams are doing. As fans though, there's no harm in snooping around the league, and recognizing some interesting happenings that are unfolding, that could impact the Dolphins.

So what are some of these story lines to keep an eye on? And how exactly could they impact the Dolphins?

1. Ben Roethlisberger's suspension- By now, I'm sure all of you are well aware that Big Ben has been suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Coincidentally, the Dolphins are scheduled to face off with the Steelers in both team's six game.

But before you rejoice about Miami playing against a Byron Leftwich or Charlie Batch led offense, it's likely Roethlisberger will get that suspension reduced to only four games.

If he can stay out of trouble, that is. Of course, that doesn't mean the Dolphins can't beat the Steelers at home, as they nearly accomplished that feat a year ago, despite Henne missing the entire second half. But there's no doubt, the Dolphins chances would improve significantly if he was still suspended.

2. Wes Welker's knee- When Welker tore up his knee in Week 17 last season, many thought he would be sidelined for a good portion of 2010. To Welker's credit though, he's had limited participation in offseason workouts, which likely puts him ahead of schedule in the rehabilitation process.

Welker returning by the beginning of the season, would be quite a feat, but due to the nature of the injury and Wes' style of play, he may never be able to tear defenses apart like he has in the past. There's little arguing the fact that New England has one of the most dominate passing attacks in football with Welker racking up catch after catch from the slot, and Randy Moss providing the big-play fireworks on the outside.

You simply can't double-team both. If Welker's knee can no longer enable him to cut on a dime though, which has played a large role in making him virtually un-coverable, the whole Patriots offense could take a significant hit. And that could mean finally overtaking the Pats as the class of the division, would be a less daunting task for the Dolphins and Jets.

Alright, alright, enough of all the LeBron talk. This is a Miami Dolphins football blog, after all. And to continue our training camp preparation, a day after putting the cornerback's under the microscope, I want to post a few clips of Sean Smith being the ball-hawk he wasn't in 09'.

I have said before that I'm not making anything out of his zero picks last season, because I think it was a fluke, and that I feel he has the potential of becoming a shutdown corner for the Dolphins. We will have to wait and see if that's possible, but I'm confident we won't have to wait long for Smith to snag his first interception.

He was a former college receiver after all, and totalled nine picks in two seasons after switching to corner at Utah.

Being only a Dolphins fan, I didn't really know how to feel about LeBron James coming to Miami. On one hand, as a general sports fan, I can't wait to see the three-headed monster take the floor together. I'm also excited for many Dolphin fans who happen to be Heat fans. But part of me is a little worried that the Heat have overtaken the hearts of the city of Miami, and everyone is going to forget about the Dolphins.

Well, that's a little extreme, but the Dolphins have always been No. 1 in Miami, and now they will possibly be playing in the shadow of King James. Maybe that will relieve some of the pressure that has come with signing Karlos Dansby, trading for Brandon Marshall, and Stephen Ross predicting a Super Bowl to go along with Chad Henne becoming the next Dan Marino.

Still though, you don't want the fans to except failure, just because they have a basketball team to take solace in. You want expectations to be where they are at. So, I'm curious, for those South Florida area sports fans, who do you feel like is number one to the city? Not who is your favorite. Not who you think has the better chance at winning a title. Just who you feel the city of Miami cherishes the most.

Miami Dolphins-The Dolphins were the first relevant thing to happen to South Florida sports. They won the hearts of the city, when they went to three straight Super Bowls, undefeated in 1972, and defended their crown in 73'. That tradition continued, as Don Shula became the all-time winning-est coach, the Dolphins captured the league's highest all-time winning percentage, and a quarterback from Pittsburgh lit up the city with accolades and record breaking performances for 17 years. They haven't captured a title in nearly forty years, but the Dolphins made Miami what it has been- a football town. After what was the worst stretch of seasons in franchise history, a new regime has given fans a reason to believe the glory days are on the verge of a comeback.

Miami Heat-The Heat were born in 1988, but were really an after-thought on the Miami sports scene until the arrival of Dwyane Wade. With Wade, the Heat started winning, and after a trade that brought in Shaquille O'Neal, they landed the NBA title in 2006. They have struggled some since, but D-Wade has always given fans a reason to show up, and tune in. And now, of course, the unprecedented alliance of two superstars, and a lesser star, and more importantly, the landing of one of sports' most iconic figures, has captivated the whole country. Will the presence of this super team give the city of Miami a new identity? Or will tradition hold it's own?

Miami Hurricanes-The Hurricanes followed the Dolphins' lead in the 1980's, establishing a dynasty of their own. Overall, they've brought the city five national championships, and have built what has been a national powerhouse with a little swagger and controversy sprinkled in. They have been known for being a pro football factory, as well. High-profile names like Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jim Kelly, and Micheal Irvin all strapped on the green and orange.

Florida Marlins-Former Dolphins' owner Wayne Huizenga founded the Marlins in 1991. Despite struggling to put fans in the seats, the Marlins have won two World Series titles (97', 03'). They will probably always play second fiddle to the teams above though, just because baseball will never be bigger than football, or even basketball in Miami. And I think most fans just want them to move to their new stadium already, so the Dolphins don't have to play on that in-field dirt every September.

Florida Panthers- Miami has a hockey team?

POLL NOW CLOSED- DOLPHINS WIN WITH 73% OF THE VOTES

SportsCenter managed to sneak in a couple minutes of NFL talk, despite the hoopla and hype that surrounds LeBron James' decision tonight. ESPN continued their Ultimate NFL Power Rankings, by slotting the 9-16 teams. And wouldn't you know it, ESPN is actually giving the Dolphins a little respect. Well, whoever did the rankings, at least.

The Dolphins were ranked 11th, two spots behind the Patriots, and an unknown amount of spots behind the Jets, due to the top eight teams not being revealed yet. I have to say, despite still being labeled the division's third best team, I was pleasantly surprised by how high they were ranked. ESPN has been ranting and raving about the Jets and Pats being the class of the division, but not mentioning the Dolphins in that mix. Ranking them 11th however, obviously puts them right in the thick of things.

Mike Golic was quick to say not so fast, though. He mentioned that the Dolphins were getting too much respect for his liking, because Chad Henne is an unproven quarterback. Which is a respectable argument, but not consistent with his feelings about the Jets. Golic has previously picked the Jets to win the AFC East, and has bought into them being a legitimate Super Bowl contender, despite having an even more unproven quarterback than Henne, in Mark Sanchez.

How big a step Vontae Davis and Sean Smith take in year two, will be instrumental in determining how improved the Dolphins' 24th overall pass defense can be. In what is becoming a pass first league, that ranking is significantly too low for a team with playoff aspirations

Now, a lot of that had to do with Will Allen going down, starting two rookies, and having virtually no help over the top, with Gibril Wilson seemingly looking lost back there. For defenses to succeed nowadays, especially aggressive ones, you need at least one lockdown corner, and at least another solid one on the other side.

The Dolphins project to have three solid corners, with Will Allen returning from an ACL tear. But can any of the three emerge as one of the league's elite lockdown cover guys? Well, that's what it might take for this defense to become a top ten unit when Tom Brady (twice), Brett Farve, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger (unless he is actually given a six game suspension), Carson Palmer, Joe Flacco, and Jay Cutler await.

Safe

Sean Smith: It may surprise many, but I actually think Sean has the most potential to be a lockdown corner. No, he didn't pick off a pass last season, and looked somewhat timid at times, but he was thrown at nine less times than Vontae, despite seeing 205 more snaps.

His long arms enable him to get his hands on receivers first in press coverage and a little work in the weight room could make him dominate in those situations. He has the size to go up with the big-athletic receivers, and the speed to run stride for stride with most. Let's not forget that he started over Vontae at the beginning of the season, when Will Allen was healthy, either.

And I have said before that I thought the zero interceptions was a fluke. He showed promising ball skills last preseason, when he picked off two passes, including the highlight one-hand snag. Albeit the preseason doesn't mean anything, but I would be shocked if we didn't see some of those plays when things get real this year.

Vontae Davis: I may feel that Smith has slightly more potential, but Vontae played harder and with more passion last season. He may have gotten burnt a few more times than he would have liked, but most of those plays happened because he was being a little too aggressive.

He got caught looking in the backfield on occasion, and often committed too much to the receiver's initial move. If he can refine some of those mistakes, he has all the tools to be a fine corner, maybe even this defense's lockdown guy. Physicality and solid ball skills highlighted his rookie season, and unlike Smith, he actually picked off four passes.

He does a fantastic job coming up in run support, and will probably always be a better open-field tackler than his counterpart.

Will Allen: Allen is a far better corner than most give him credit for. And he was having a pretty remarkable season before the knee injury. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen only allowed 37.9% of the passes thrown his way to be completed. Incredibly, that was second only to Darrelle Revis in the entire league.

With that being said, should we take his "I'm starting" prediction seriously? You would think if he returns to 100% you would have to be throw him into a competition with the young guys. But that's just it. Him returning to 100% by the beginning of camp could be a long shot.

He was reportedly limited for the duration of offseason workouts, and when you combine the fact that he's now 31 with him having such a serious knee injury, it's possible that he will never be the same again.

Possible Cuts

Jason Allen: Has the former first-round pick's time finally come? He's underachieved for four years now as a safety, and then as a corner, and it's becoming obvious now that he will never live up to where he was taken in the draft.

What he does bring to the table though, is solid special teams play. Last season he notched 15 special teams tackles, which was good enough for second on the team. In 2008 he tallied 16 special teams tackles, which was tied with Patrick Cobbs for first.

So while fans may not have a favorable opinion of Allen, he certainly still has value to this football team, and probably isn't going anywhere.

Nolan Carroll: This year's fifth round pick isn't going to be handed anything. He's going to have to earn that roster spot. Even though, he would probably have to struggle pretty heavily to get the boot, considering the Dolphins essentially traded Ted Ginn for his services.

Likely Cuts

Will Billingsley: Failed to make the team last camp, and was designated to the practice squad. He has some raw ability, but it would probably take the Dolphins keeping six corners for him to make the squad. Something that I can't envision happening.

Evan Oglesby: Was signed late last season and actually saw limited action in the Jacksonville game. He had some game experience with the Ravens and Cowboys in the first four years of his career, and accumulated 35 tackles and defensed two passes in that span. In the event that Carroll performs dreadfully, the door would open for Oglesby.

A.J. Wallace: The undrafted rookie out of Penn State has litte chance of joining his former teammate Jared Odrick on the Dolphins' roster.

Ross Weaver: The undrafted rookie out of Michigan State faces the same near impossible task that Wallace does, as both were likely just brought in to be camp bodies.

Camp Battles

Vontae Davis vs. Sean Smith vs. Will Allen: Even though he is still rehabbing that knee, I fully expect Allen to push the two young corners for all their worth. If he isn't ready to fully participate at the start of camp though, he severely hurts his chances, becuase every rep is vital if he is going to convince the coaching staff they can throw in a 31-year old that will halt the progress of one of the sophomores.

There may be a bit of a competition between Sean Smith and Vontae Davis too. Which one will man the responsibility of taking on the opposing team's number one receiver? My guess is, it will depend on which team they are facing.

For example, if Miami is facing the Texans and Andre Johnson, Smith projects to match up better, but if they are playing the Panthers and Steve Smith though, Davis would match up better against the smaller and faster threat.

Considering, the majority of elite receivers in this league are big and athletic, I expect Smith to get the nod, even though both will likely rotate throughout the game.

Predictions

Depth Chart
1. Sean Smith
2. Vontae Davis
3. Will Allen
4. Nolan Carroll
5. Jason Allen

Cuts
Will Billingsley
Evan Oglesby
A.J. Wallace
Ross Weaver

Countdown to Camp: 22 Days