R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Respect is one thing the Miami Dolphins aren't getting much of these days. Despite brining in a new offensive coordinator, the human pinball Reggie Bush and having a pretty decent draft this offseason, NFL “experts,” one after another, have decided to load the hate down on the Dolphins.

This morning on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the morning, the two Mike’s projected a nasty 3-13 record for the Dolphins this year.

ESPN once again took a chance to rip on the Dolphins in the preseason power rankings, putting the Dolphins at the bottom of the barrel at 24th overall

NFL.com “experts” had the Dolphins ranked at #21, while their generated fan rankings had them #22.

The Bleacher Report is the most optimistic on the Dolphins, ranking them at #20 in their power rankings. CBS was close to being as generous, putting them at #21. On the other hand, Yahoo was the harshest slotting Miami at #26 on their list.

Clearly, as the late Rodney Dangerfield once said, “I get no respect." That is probably exactly how the Dolphins feel right now.

I have no doubt all the haters will be posted all throughout the locker room and that Tony will only use the hate as motivation to try and get this team to the playoffs.

Last year’s motivational saying for the team was Feed the Wolf. This year the Wolf will be starving to prove that the Miami Dolphins can compete.

For the second consecutive week I felt the need to go back and look at the film. As opposed to Week 1 in Atlanta, however, when I was curious to see what went wrong, I wanted to see which players had the biggest impact in what went right on Friday night against the Panthers.

In particular, I was most intrigued by the turnaround of the running game. When dealing with broadcast film, it’s difficult to analyze things like Chad Henne’s reads or the coverage in the secondary. But we can easily do an in-depth study of the battles in the trenches.

The Dolphins dominated Carolina in the trenches Friday, showcasing a rejuvenated running game led by Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas. Let’s jump into the film to see which players made the difference.

There is a lot of material here, so this time I summed up each play with those that did something positive and those that did something negative, then tallied up a total rating for each player at the end of the post.

- Reggie Bush off right tackle for about a yard: Lousaka Polite, lead blocking for Bush, takes care of the safety going low to make the tackle. Anthony Fasano and Marc Colombo both keep their assignments at bay and out of the play.

Vernon Carey and Mike Pouncey pull out in front of Bush. Pouncey gets up out of stance and outside the tackle quickly, but begins to stumble and doesn’t get a block on anybody.

Carey tries to go low, but whiffs on the outside linebacker who gets to Bush behind the line of scrimmage. Just getting back to the line and gaining a yard is a testament to Bush, who breaks a tackle that would have resulted in about a two-yard loss.

Negative: Vernon Carey, Mike Pouncey
Positive: Anthony Fasano, Marc Colombo, Lousaka Polite, Reggie Bush

- Counter to Daniel Thomas off right tackle for less than a yard: Marc Colombo and Mike Pouncey each provide solid push. Vernon Carey attempts to block second line of defense, but play ends before he gets there. Richie Incognito pulls out in front of Thomas, seemingly laboring to do so. Richie gets a block on the safety, but probably should have chosen to get a body on the corner who assists on the tackle. Davone Bess comes in for a crack-back block, but gets in the way more than anything. Lousaka Polite initially stands up the defensive end, but fails to maintain and lets him shed the block and get in on the tackle.

Negative: Richie Incognito, Davone Bess, Lousaka Polite
Positive: Marc Colombo, Mike Pouncey

- Reggie Bush between the tackles for 17 yards: By design, Reggie begins to run towards the right side of the line, but cuts it back to the left. Mike Pouncey seals off the defensive tackle beautifully, Richie Incognito gets into the second line and removes the outside linebacker from the play, Lydon Murtha manhandles the defensive tackle, and Anthony Fasano keeps the defensive end in check. Reggie explodes into the second level and even breaks a tackle before being brought down.

Negative: none
Positive: Mike Pouncey, Richie Incognito, Lydon Murtha, Anthony Fasano, Reggie Bush

We would like to announce our search for a third blogger here at Phins Phocus. Daniel and I have been hard at work all summer long attempting to cover every angle of Miami Dolphins football. We want to crank our coverage up to another level once the regular season arrives, though, and a third writer is probably in order to do so.

We’re open to any quality assistance we can get. We are looking for someone who can post at least once per week, but we’re very open to a more frequent contributor as well.

We’ll ask for a sample of your writing for those that are interested, but if you have some talent as a writer, are a knowledgeable football fan, and love the Miami Dolphins, we’ll be able to find a role for you here at Phins Phocus.

If interested please shoot us an email via the contact forum which is positioned on the upper toolbar. 

The Dolphins have reportedly signed offensive tackle Tyler Donahue, an undrafted rookie out of Bowling Green that was recently released from St. Louis Rams camp.

All signs are pointing to the Dolphins keeping four offensive tackles on the 53-man roster, but unless Nate Garner is in for a permanent move to center, where he’s been cross training, he’ll be tough to beat for the final roster spot at the position. Donahue is realistically nothing more than a practice squad hopeful. 

Outside of a few penalties, the first-team offensive line came alive against the Panthers on Friday night, creating some solid push up front for Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas to combine for 100 yards on the ground.

Henne was forced to escape the pass rush on a couple occasions, but for the most part, Marc Colombo and Lydon Murtha enabled him to distribute the football from a clean pocket.

The Dolphins’ starting offensive line did all of that without the best offensive lineman in football. Well, they won’t have to play without all-world left tackle Jake Long anymore, as Big Jake was activated off the PUP list today and returned to practice.

The Dolphins may have gotten away with playing without Long against a bottom-feeder team like the Panthers, but when some of the game’s elite defenses line up across from Brian Daboll’s offense, Chad Henne will need his blindside secured.

Jake Long has the ability to completely neutralize any of the league’s premier pass rushers, thus giving Chad Henne a better chance to succeed, thus making the Dolphins’ chances at contending for a playoff spot much more reasonable. 

In the preseason, morale is heavily impacted by what meets the eye when the starting units are in the game.

The Dolphins seemingly did a complete 180 from their struggles a week ago, and the first-team offense and first-team defense put on a show in the first half.

Albeit it was against the team who picked first in the draft and a team that was resting several key starters, but progress was clearly made.

The negatives may seem a little nitpicky considering it was such a sound performance, but nonetheless, here are my top four positives and negatives from last night’s win.

POSITIVES

Interior offensive line coming along: What a difference a week makes I guess. In Atlanta, Mike Pouncey flashed some glimpses but Richie Incognito and Vernon Carey created no push for Daniel Thomas to work with.

With Reggie Bush making his debut and getting the start over Thomas, the Dolphins’ interior offensive line, as well as the tackles Lydon Murtha and Marc Colombo, pushed the Panthers’ front seven around.

I’m not sure we’ve seen running lanes that big since 2009. Let’s remember that the interior O-line may have been the biggest weakness on the entire team a year ago, so it’s been awhile since we’ve seen much success on the ground for the Dolphins.

We saw a lot of good things in the first half, but I’m most encouraged by the progress made up front. Part of me feels that Chad Henne struggled so much a year ago because he didn’t have a respectable running game to lean on.

That’s a tough situation for a young quarterback. He’ll only improve if what we saw last night from the Dolphins’ offensive line is a sign of things to come.

Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas: The holes may have been there, but it was up to Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas to make the most of them. And that they did.

Bush sliced and diced his way to 48 yards on eight carries and had another 20 yards negated by a foolish Brandon Marshall block in the back. He was also obviously a playmaker in the passing game, taking two receptions for 33 yards, as he could develop into Mr. Checkdown’s best friend.

Daniel Thomas got off to a rough start, being stuffed twice on the goal line before getting replaced by Lex Hilliard who eventually ran it in on fourth down. He began to find his groove in the second quarter, though, and finished the night by leading the Dolphins in rushing with 52 yards on 12 carries. He also redeemed himself by finding the end zone for the first time as a pro.

Bush was clearly the more productive runner last night, however. All things the same, Bush may become the offense’s primary back after all. I worry how he’ll hold up with that type of workload combined with all the receptions he figures to have, but if he can stay healthy, big things could be in store for #22.

It was the kind of night Dolphin fans needed to see. A week after getting dominated by the Falcons in Atlanta, the Dolphins’ starting units got the best of the Panthers for the duration of the first half, taking a 17-0 lead into the locker room despite probably leaving some points on the field.

The return of Brandon Marshall and the debut of Reggie Bush did wonders for Chad Henne, who completed 15 of 24 passes for 194 yards and most importantly didn’t turn the football over.

Ten of Henne’s competitions were to Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess (five each), who ate the Panthers up in the short to intermediate passing game, and two went to Reggie Bush for 33 yards.

Bush not only looked explosive in the open field as a receiving threat, but he surprisingly stole the show on the ground as well. Bush made the most of his eight carries, running behind some great push up front for 48 yards.

The same interior O-line that looked inept a week ago had its way with the Panthers’ front seven, also giving second-round pick Daniel Thomas some holes to work with. Thomas carried the ball 12 times for 52 yards and scored his first touchdown as a pro.

On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins’ first-team defense erased concerns that were had after Atlanta found success on the ground a week ago. The defensive line was the stout unit we fondly remembered from a year ago and the inside linebacker duo of Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett was all over the field, combining for four tackles apiece.

While he didn’t make any costly mistakes, Cam Newton indeed looked like a rookie in his first start, and one of the game’s elite backs, DeAngelo Williams, only managed six yards on three carries.

By my account, neither Sean Smith nor Vontae Davis gave up a reception and while Newton was able to hook up with tight ends Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olson a handful of times, the Dolphins kept both in check for modest gains.

What: Dolphins vs. Panthers preseason exhibition
When: Tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Sun Life Stadium/Miami Gardens, Florida
TV: WFOR 4 (CBS) Miami, WCCB FOX 18 Charleston, NFL Preseason Live, replay on NFL Network tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Cam Newton making his first NFL start will grab the national spotlight, but in Miami, eyes will be on Reggie Bush making his debut in aqua and orange, while Chad Henne, the offensive line, and the first-team defense attempt to bounce back from a rough outing in Atlanta last week.

Last week’s struggles may have been overblown, but if the Dolphins’ starters look as inept as they did a week ago, the morale surrounding the organization will only continue to plummet. Those starters are expected to play into the second quarter, maybe even the whole first half in the case of some.

Again, the slate will be whipped clean come the Monday Night opener against the Patriots and how the team looked in the preseason won’t mean anything when it comes. But the Panthers were the worst team in football a year ago. Seeing positive signs is in order.

Sleep would come much easier for Dolphin fans if some of the major concerns surrounding this team are eased. Here are the top five things that need to happen to chalk up Week 2 of the preseason as a success for the Dolphins.

5 keys to success for Dolphins

1. Clean injury report: I may sound like a broken record, but that’s alright. Staying healthy is hands down the most important key for every team in the exhibition season. What meets the eye tonight won’t carry over to Week 1.

From a confidence standpoint it may for certain players, but once things get real, how the Dolphins played against the Panthers in the second week of the preseason will be forgotten.

However, significant injuries do carry over to the regular season. Meaningful games down the road could be impacted tonight if a starter gets seriously hurt. The probability of a key contributor getting banged up will increase with the first-team’s boost in playing time. Keep those fingers crossed.

2. Chad Henne lead one or two scoring drives, protect football: Depending on how he’s performing, I expect Henne to play into the second quarter if not the whole first half. Protecting the football will be priority number one, as he attempts to rebound from the two picks he threw in the first quarter against the Falcons.

But he shouldn’t accomplish that by playing conservative. Mr. Checkdown might benefit from Reggie Bush’s explosiveness as a receiver out of the backfield, but it would be nice to see Henne lay the groundwork for a prolific connection with Brandon Marshall this season down the field.

Leading a couple scoring drives will go a long way in restoring confidence in Henne for the fans and coaches, whether they admit it or not, alike.

We kicked off this series a week ago with blinders on. Players already had the opportunity to impress in training camp, but hadn’t showcased their ability in a game setting yet.

Well, we got our most revealing glimpse of the 2011 Miami Dolphins last Friday night in Atlanta.

More importantly, for the sake of our 53-man roster projection, we saw a few roster bubble players surface as possible upsets to make the team.

Meanwhile, others underwhelmed and now must right the ship in a hurry if they stand a chance of surviving final cuts.

As a reminder, this isn’t a 53-man roster prediction. We’ll save that for after the exhibition season has concluded.

This is simply a freeze frame of what the team might look like if the Dolphins were forced to make final cuts today. A total of six positions have been tweaked since last week.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Chad Henne, Matt Moore, Kevin O’Connell
Cuts: Pat Devlin

Devlin may have played in Atlanta while O’Connell didn’t leave the sideline, but the depth chart doesn’t change from my point of view. The Dolphins have plenty of film on O’Connell and hold a better grasp for what he brings to the table.

Devlin, meanwhile, is only a rookie and the Dolphins wanted to, probably still want to, get a better feel for what he can do at this level. Devlin went 0-2 in The Georgia Dome. He’ll need to make better of his opportunities against Carolina if he hopes to surpass O’Connell and the experience he provides at the third spot.

Running back: Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas, Lex Hilliard, Nic Grigsby
Cuts: Kory Sheets

It wasn’t the prettiest performance from Kory Sheets, who averaged a measly 2.0 yards-per-carry on nine attempts. Nic Grigsby wasn’t exactly productive either, but he led the Dolphins in rushing against the Falcons with 22 yards on seven carries.

Grigsby reportedly moved up to the third-team ahead of Sheets this week in practice. Sheets could easily bounce back and reclaim his roster spot against the Panthers, but if Week 1 was a sign of things to come, it’s clear that many were too high on him this offseason.

Fullback/H-back: Charles Clay
Cuts: Lousaka Polite

Charles Clay is already getting the nod over Polite on the first-team at fullback, as he’s crossed trained at tight end as well. Sparano also mentioned Lex Hilliard as a possible fullback option. He did give Polite a vote of confidence to the media, but it appeared as though he was paying some respect to a veteran who is likely on the outs to me.

If the Dolphins were to keep Polite it would be for short-yardage situations only. He just doesn’t get the job done anymore as a lead blocker. It’s hard to justify, as important as those short-yardage conversions are, keeping a guy around for a 10-15 plays a season.

Tight end: Anthony Fasano, Jeron Mastrud
Cuts: Mickey Shuler, Brett Brackett, Dedrick Epps

With Charles Clay figuring to see plenty of snaps at tight end as well, I still think the Dolphins can afford to only keep three. That could easily change as teams make cuts themselves and the Dolphins can search the waiver wire for some depth at the position. Because right now, they have none.

Excluding Fasano, I have a hard time seeing two of these guys, who would likely be nothing more than practice squad material on many NFL teams, taking up roster spots.

Wide Receiver: Bandon Marshall, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, Roberto Wallace, Clyde Gates, Phillip Livas
Cuts: Marlon Moore, Julius Pruitt, John Matthews, Patrick Carter

By no means is Phillip Livas even close to being a lock to make this team. Like I said, this is a freeze frame not a prediction. This 53-man roster projection is under the assumption that the final three preseason contest will mirror what happened in the first one.

I’ll go out a limb and say that won’t happen. Phillip Livas probably won’t return another punt the distance. But if he can simply continue to show some explosiveness with the ball in his hands, while consistently producing respectable returns, he’ll likely find a spot.

With Roberto Wallace in the midst of a strong camp and preseason, and with Clyde Gates looking promising, the Dolphins will have to keep six receivers to make room for Livas.

Offensive tackle: Jake Long, Marc Colombo, Lydon Murtha, Nate Garner
Cuts: Ray Willis, Matt Kopa, Allen Barbre, D.J. Jones

Ray Willis, likely the only projected cut capable of seriously challenging for a roster spot, has been absent at practice all week for presumably a personal issue.

And while the Dolphins not cutting him, at least not to our knowledge, somewhat shows their favorable opinion of him, the guys ahead have obviously further distanced themselves.

Offensive guard: Richie Incognito, Vernon Carey, Ray Feinga
Cuts: John Jerry

This may be the weakest position on the team right now. John Jerry has given us no reason to believe he deserves a roster spot, only confirming how huge of a bust he’s been since the Dolphins selected him in round three of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Center: Mike Pouncey, Joe Berger
Cuts: none

It looks like the Dolphins want to cut Berger, as they’ve been giving Nate Garner reps at center all week. From what I’ve heard, though, Garner has had some snapping issues. If the Dolphins don’t feel safe with Garner backing up Pouncey, then Berger likely squeezes on the roster.

But let’s not forget Richie Incognito is still capable of playing the position, although the Dolphins may not feel comfortable moving him from guard where there isn’t exactly a capable fill-in on the second team.

The final horn sounds on a sweltering August day in Davie. Practice may be over for the Miami Dolphins, but it’s just begun for Reggie Bush.

Fans that aren’t quite ready to head home either can see him out there long after his teammates have bolted for refreshing air-conditioned climates.

He’ll hit the sleds, catch passes off the jugs machine, even run wind sprints. He’ll likely top the day off with an autograph session that’s been known to last up to 45 minutes, rewarding those fans that endured the heat and humidity with him.

The “scandalous” college football legend, who felt compelled to forfeit his 2005 Heisman trophy following heavy sanctions on USC and allegations that he received improper benefits, is seemingly doing all the right things in Miami.

Reggie Bush is motivated. That’s clear. Maybe all of this is derived from his name being drug threw the mud in the USC saga. I have a hard time criminalizing a kid, fresh out of high school for accepting free things being shoved in his face, but it’s easy to see why Reggie could be playing with a chip on his shoulder these days.

Or maybe it’s the way things ended in New Orleans that has Bush pushing himself so hard. He was a key piece on a Super Bowl winning team in 2009, after all.

It’s hard to blame the Saints for wanting to spare themselves the $11.8 million Bush was owed this year, but many avid Saints’ fans will tell you that the offense lacked something when Bush was hurt for a good portion of 2010.

Sure, he’s been a disappointment when considering the expectations he came into the league with and remembering how the NFL world was shocked when the Texans chose Mario Williams over the thought-to-be future Hall of Famer with the first overall pick.

Bush hasn’t played a full 16-game season since his rookie year, hasn’t topped 600 yards on the ground in his career, and has seemingly never developed into a back you would trust with a starter’s workload.

It would be a story without a parallel if Bush somehow miraculously rose from underachiever to finally living up to his expectations he came into the league with in his sixth season. Nobody is expecting that, nor should they. Draft “experts” got a little carried away with Bush’s explosiveness. It’s hard to blame them when you look at a highlight reel of Bush’s days a USC.

But hard work pays off. Bush has reportedly been the first person on the field and the last to leave for a couple weeks now in Davie. If that’s indicative of how hard he’s been working all offseason and how hard he plans on pushing himself for the duration of his stint in Miami, you have to believe good things are in store for Reggie.