There is really no better way to open the season than on Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots. It will be a difficult challenge for the Dolphins to say the least, but with a great challenge comes a great opportunity.

Nobody is taking the Dolphins seriously this season. I’ve seen power rankings listing them at 29th, predictions suggesting they’ll only win three games, and overall just a very bleak picture being painted by the media.

That would change in a hurry if the Dolphins are able to knock off the Pats on primetime TV in front of the whole nation. What better way to start the year?

Here’s how I see the Dolphins matching up against Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the Patriots:

Dolphins’ pass defense vs. Patriots’ passing attack

Going up against the best quarterback in football, maybe the best quarterback of all time is certainly no easy task to kick off the year. Vontae Davis’ claims that he makes up the league’s top cornerback tandem with Sean Smith will certainly be put the test. But that should be the least of the Dolphins’ concerns.

Containing the likes of Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Danny Woodhead should be priority number one in my opinion. That responsibility will fall in the hands of Karlos Dansby, Kevin Burnett, and Benny Sapp.

The Dolphins are much more capable of handling that challenge with the Burnett upgrade over Channing Crowder, but few defenses in football actually slow Brady down.

One thing is for sure, though, they won’t stand a chance if they aren’t able to get pressure on him. That’s been their Achilles heel in the Brady-Belichick era. We saw the Jets get the best of them twice last year by doing so and most recently the Lions getting after Brady this preseason.

The Dolphins will stay in the game and maybe even pull off the upset if they can get consistent pressure on Brady throughout the game. Cameron Wake needs to be his unblockable self, while any assistance from Jason Taylor, Koa Misi, and Mike Nolan’s exotic blitz packages will go a long way.

Edge: Patriots

Before we start prepping for New England and Monday’s season-opening showdown, Daniel and I thought we would preview the Dolphins’ season as well as predict a final record.

Daniel’s overview and prediction is first and mine is after the jump. Feel free to chime in with your prediction for the season in the comments.

Daniel’s season preview:

The countdown is on! We’re a week away from the Dolphins’ regular season debut. There is no bigger way to launch the season than Monday Night football at home on primetime against the New England Patriots. So the question is, are you ready for some football??!!

It’s been a long off-season and there were many players that left and many new players brought in. Now it’s time to assess this team and figure out how we stack up against the rest of the league.

This team is faster, more exciting, and hopefully will put more points on the board in winning efforts. They have a new offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll who is ready to show us what he’s got and you’ve got Tony Sparano whose ass is dead center on the hot seat.

When trying to predict a record for this year’s team I went back and forth between bias fan and realist fan and ended up at 8-8. This team will be improved; Henne should be better and most importantly to the fan base this team should be more fun to watch.

That being said, they still have a decent way to go. Henne should be a better QB and that should automatically result in more stable play on offense. Special teams should go through drastic changes with the new additions, hopefully less roster-fringe shuffling and some help from the NFL with the new kick-off rule.

All Dolfans in Miami know this defense has top 5 potential. This defense can be special but to be special they will need to do something they didn’t do enough of last year- create TURNOVERS!

While all those things are true, Henne is not Peyton Manning. Henne is not Tom Brady. Henne is not Philip Rivers. Henne is not Matt Schaub. Henne is not a playoff QB and thats what separates this team from getting 10 or 11 wins, instead having to settle with 7, 8, or 9.

I am trying to be optimistic with Henne and I have seen the displays of leadership this off-season as well as growth in his game but I just don’t see him being able to get to the next level. Henne has shown flashes but has shown just as many question marks throughout his career.

So with all that being said, unfortunately, I think this spells the end for Chad and Coach Sparano in Miami as an 8-8 record will not satisfy the likes of billionaire owner Stephen Ross. Let me know if you agree with my thinking or not. If not, well, then I hope I’m wrong!

Prediction: 8-8

The holiday didn’t stop the Dolphins from churning the roster today. According to the team’s official twitter page, the Dolphins signed tight end Dante Rosario and interior offensive lineman Ryan Cook.

To make room for the new additions, the Dolphins also waived linebacker A.J. Edds and terminated the contract of center Joe Berger.

Dante Rosario is the obvious move we’ve been anticipating, as Miami was in dire need for some credibility at the number two tight end position.

Rosario accumulated over 200 yards receiving for three straight seasons in Carolina- just the type of production the Dolphins were missing behind Fasano.

As for Ryan Cook, the Dolphins pick up a versatile O-lineman that has plenty of starting experience under his belt. Cook started 30 games in 2007-2008 and had seven starts for the Vikings last year.

I don’t see Sparano shuffling the starting line for now, as the unit was held back by him doing so a year ago. But Cook projects to bolster the Dolphins’ offensive line depth.

The termination of Joe Berger’s contract comes as no surprise. His play fell off considerably in 2010 when he was given keys to the starting position and Richie Incognito and Nate Garner have the ability to step in if something were to happen to Mike Pouncey.

A.J. Edds getting waived was unexpected, though. The Dolphins had high hopes that their 2010 fourth-round draft pick would be a solid contributor in the nickel package as a coverage specialist.

Not to mention Edds led the entire team with 18 tackles in the preseason. But apparently the addition of Kevin Burnett has weathered the need for a third linebacker with quality coverage skills.

Enjoy the rest of you Labor Day. We’ll hit the ground running tomorrow morning as the season opener is only a week from tonight. 

The Dolphins have announced their practice squad: CB V. Agnew, TE B. Brackett, OG G. Chisolm, QB P Devlin, RB N. Grigsby, OT DJ Jones, WR J. Pruitt

Also note that Miami signed TE Will Yeatman from the Pats. Yeatman is the only UDFA to make the Dolphins 53 man roster.

Yeatman is a big boy at 6'6 and is a blocking tight end from the University of Notre Dame. Yeatman has potential and could develop into a nice player.

The Dolphins waived nose tackle Frank Kearse to make room for Yeatman.  

Today is a tough day for many NFL players. At 6 p.m. tonight all rosters can only have a max of 53 players. All around the league players are being cut. Some big names, some minor names and some players who will land up on the practice squad. Let’s not forget that many lives and families will be affected today.

So far the Dolphins have made 4 pretty significant cuts:

According to @ArmandoSalguero, RB Larry Johnson, CB Will Allen, CB Nate Ness, and FB Lousaka Polite have all been let go by the Dolphins today.

The Dolphins saved $1.35 million against the cap by cutting Lousaka Polite.

Will Allen had a very respectable time in Miami and had it not been for his nagging injuries he might have been able to make this team.  Benny Sapp had a strong preseason and that led to Allen getting cut. Larry Johnson was to me the most shocking of the players let go. After his 22 yard TD scamper I thought he had locked his position on this team but apparently not. The Dolphins would appear to be a bit thin at RB now.

Polite was a player not many knew exactly where he stood but its not shocking to see him released. This move leaves Miami with no true FB's on their offense.  

Dolphins waived or released QB Pat Devlin, CB Vincent Agnew, CB Nate Ness, G Garrett Chisolm, LB Jonathan Freeny, RB Nic Grigsby, OT D.J. Jones, OT Matt Kopa, WR Phillip Livas, WR John Matthews, WR Julius Pruitt, WR Patrick Carter, S Mark Restelli, LB David Nixon, LB Quinton Spears, LB Robert Rose, TE Brett Brackett and TE Mickey Shuler.

Some might have been hoping WR/KR Livas would make the team but realistically he is a liability on this roster at WR and only really holds returner potential.