Besides Jake Long apparently avoiding a catastrophic season ending injury, positives were once again hard to come by last night. Chad Henne and the first-team offense put together another lackluster performance, but this time around it wasn't even against a respectable starting defense. Nope, the Dolphins were spared DaMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Jay Ratliff and the rest of the Cowboy's defense. The result? Three points, a three and out, two sacks, and a Chad Henne fumble.

Defensively, a missed tackle by Jason Allen and Sean Smith getting burned on a long touchdown made sure spirits remained low for the entire game. The Cowboys may have dropped the Dolphins to 2-2 on the preseason, but when the clock struck zero, the win-loss column simultaneously reset. Nothing that happened over the past four weeks will carry over to the regular season, outside of injuries of course. History suggest the preseason is not the least bit indicative of what to expect in the regular season. And with this final preseason post, let's put a forgettable exhibition season behind us, and officially turn our attention to the Buffalo Bills and the kickoff of a regular season fans have been impatiently waiting for since last January.

Offense

Starters: We know the negatives. Chad Henne wasn't exactly efficient out there against a backup secondary, the pass protection was suspect at best, and three possessions produced only three points and a turnover. I don't think we need to hammer the starters any more than they have been already. Is that kind of effort going to cut it in the regular season? Absolutely not. But that wasn't the regular season, and until we see these struggles manifest themselves in an actual game, let's hold off on all the panic, quarterback competition talk, and everything else frustrated fans say out of impulse and emotion. On the bright side, we finally saw a little life out of the running game when Ricky broke off that 42 yard run, and we saw Davone Bess pick up where he left off last year as Chad Henne's crutch on third down.

GRADE: D

Backups: Chad Pennington led a nice little scoring drive to give the Dolphins the lead in the second quarter, looking like his normal, efficient self. Later, Tyler Thigpen really got the passing game going in the fourth-quarter, connecting on two touchdown passes, one to Marlon Moore and the other to Roberto Wallace. Moore likely locked up his spot on the team, while Wallace surely is making Patrick Turner sweat it out until the final cuts are made. The running game wasn't much of a factor, but Hilliard and Cobbs only carried the ball a combined six times.

GRADE: B

Defense

Starters: Outside of those two disastrous plays where Jason Allen missed a tackle that resulted in long third down conversion and where Sean Smith was beat for a long touchdown, the unit was pretty solid. That's still two bad plays, though. And both still came against a backup offense led by a third-string quarterback. And we all know it only takes one bad play to lose in this league. I hate to make excuses for anybody, but I can't help but think Sean Smith had a really bad break. The coverage wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to break up that pass if it was thrown a foot shorter, to the left, or to the right. I will say he needs to judge the ball in the air a little better, and go for the deflection and not the pick when the ball is out of both his hands' reach. But while I'm worried about Smith's play this preseason, I was much more concerned about the double move Roddy White put on him last week, than last night's touchdown. In another attempt to try and keep things as positive as possible, the run defense continues to look pretty solid. Tashard Choice is the Cowboy's third back, but he arguably has starting potential, and the Dolphins held him to one yard on four carries. Also, the pass rush looked a little better. Most notably Cameron Wake was man-handling Dallas' reserve line, getting in for his only sack of the preseason and causing a couple other hurried throws.

GRADE: C-

Backups: The Boys got their ground attack going in the second-half, as Donaldson and Miller combined for 75 rushing yards, and in the clutch, the Dolphins couldn't stop McGee and the passing game. With the Dolphins expected to keep 10 defensive backs, you would think we would have saw a little desperation from players like Nate Ness and Kevin Hobbs. Instead, the Cowboys really had their way with the Dolphins secondary on their way to a 16 point second-half that culminated with a game winning field goal as time expired.

GRADE: D+

Special-Teams: The coverage units continue to improve more and more every week. There was one 33 yard kick return that was a block or two away from going for big yardage, but other than that, the Dolphins held the Cowboys to less than 20 yards a kick return. There was also a punt return that looked promising for the Cowboys, but a close-line tackle put an end to the play in a hurry. Nolan Carroll has yet to break off a huge return, but his 20 yard average last night was good enough to probably allow him to keep the job over Patrick Cobbs. Carpenter connected on a 28 yard field goal, and Brandon Fields averaged 40 yards on four punts.

GRADE: B

The opportunities are over, those roster fringe players have made their case to be on this football team, and by tomorrow, we will know who exactly the 53 men are who will represent the 2010 Miami Dolphins. For the entirely of the preseason, this post has been about who is currently leading the various roster bubble competitions.

Now, going by strictly what I have seen in four preseason games, I'm ready to make my 53-man roster prediction. Feel free to use the comments section to disagree with my pics and share which positions you think I got wrong.

Quarterback: Chad Henne, Chad Pennington, Tyler Thigpen
If Pat White wasn't a former second-round pick, I think this would be one of the more obvious positions on the entire team. Still though, there's no room for Pat White on the 53 even if he did give us a reason to think he can play quarterback in the NFL.
Cuts: Pat White

Running Back: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Patrick Cobbs, Lex Hilliard
With Ronnie being injury prone and Ricky being 33 years old, it would be surprising if the Dolphins let one of their backs go.
Cuts: none

Fullback: Lousaka Polite
He's a lock to make the team thanks to last year's dominate performance as a lead blocker and short yardage converter. Let's just hope he can return to form by next Sunday.
Cuts: Rolly Lumbala

Tight End: Anthony Fasano, David Martin
Nalbone helped his cause with a big 30-yard reception last night, and the Dolphins likely want to keep three tight ends with as many two tight end sets that they use. But Nalbone hasn't done enough to lock down that third tight end job, and the Dolphins could use the extra roster spot to make up for keeping a sixth cornerback.  
Cuts: John Nalbone

Wide Receiver: Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, Marlon Moore, Roberto Wallace
I flip flopped with this one all day. First things first, I now feel that Marlon Moore is lock to make the team, and probably wouldn't have been cut even if he didn't go off for 31 yards and a score in Dallas. Before last night's game, I would have said Turner edges out Wallace because so much has been invested in Turner and he hasn't been bad this preseason, just outplayed. But Wallace's 3 receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown just gave the Dolphins a whole lot to think about between now and tomorrow's cut-down deadline. If it was me, I would keep who I think has the potential to be the better player, regardless of who was taken where in the draft. Right now, I believe that is Roberto Wallace. He's got the size this regime covets (6'4, 225 pounds), and is much further along than Turner was this time last year as a rookie.
Cuts: Julius Pruitt, Patrick Turner

Offensive Tackles: Jake Long, Vernon Carey, Pat McQuistan
Seeing Long getting his knee looked at last night was enough of a scare to go out and trade for Pat McQuistan earlier this evening. While, McQuistan has limited potential, it's probably safe to say the front office believes he is more capable of filling in if Long or Carey were to get seriously hurt.
Cuts: Andrew Gardner, Lydon Murtha

Offensive Guards: John Jerry, Richie Incognito, Donald Thomas, Cory Procter
The guy who benefits the most from Nate Garner going to the IR is Cory Procter. He was realistically on the outside looking in before Garner was shelved for the season, but is now suddenly the favorite to land the ninth and final offensive line opening.
Cuts: Ray Feinga

Center: Jake Grove, Joe Berger
At this point, it's anyone's guess as to who is going to win the starting job. We do, however, know that both will probably make this team. That is assuming the Dolphins don't cut Grove because of his price tag and durability concerns.
Cuts: Andrew Hartline

Defensive End: Kendall Langford, Jared Odrick, Marques Douglas, Tony McDaniel, Charles Grant
This was likely already decided heading into last night's game. The Dolphins will only keep two nose tackles, so the defensive line could use five defensive ends. McDaniel has been pretty stout against the run this preseason, and Charles Grant has created some value for himself rushing the passer.
Cuts: Ryan Baker, Lionel Dotson

Nose Tackle: Randy Starks, Paul Soliai
Perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises of the preseason has been the play of Starks and Soliai. Soliai was average at best last year, and we didn’t really know what to expect from Randy Starks, who made the switch over from defensive end. Both were close to dominate in four games, and the only success teams had at running the football came at the expense of the outside linebackers not containing the edge.
Cuts: Montavious Stanley

Outside Linebacker: Cameron Wake, Koa Misi, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Charlie Anderson, Erik Walden
The first four are pretty much a lock to make the squad, but I see Walden squeezing on the 53-man roster because of his solid special teams play. If Quentin Moses wasn't currently dealing with a hamstring injury, this may have been a different story.
Cuts: Quentin Moses, Chris McCoy

Inside Linebacker: Karlos Dansby, Channing Crowder, Tim Dobbins, Micah Johnson
With Crowder's status still up in the air, it is necessary for the Dolphins to keep four inside linebackers. Even if he was fine, though, Micah Johnson's emergence would have probably sealed the deal anyway. Quite a feat considering he went undrafted, was thought to be too slow for the NFL, and was cut in June by the Giants.
Cuts: J.D. Folsom, Austin Spitler

Cornerback: Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Will Allen, Nolan Carroll, Jason Allen, Benny Sapp
Uncertainty behind Will Allen's knee will likely force the Dolphins to uncharacteristically keep six corners. Despite Nate Ness' one good quarter, I think it's fairly obvious who those six corners will be. Nolan Carroll has shown enough potential on defense and special-teams, and Jason Allen and Benny Sapp are already proven special-teams contributors.
Cuts: Nate Ness, Kevin Hobbs, Ross Weaver

Safety: Yeremiah Bell, Chris Clemons, Tyrone Culver, Reshad Jones
If there was going to be a roster spot battle here, it was going to come down to Jones vs. Amaya. Amaya had a solid spring and even picked off a pass in the preseason, but Jones' stellar special-teams play and his upside at safety will likely win out in the end.
Cuts: Jonathan Amaya

Special-Teams: Dan Carpenter (K), Brandon Fields (P), John Denney (LS) 
Nothing to see here. Carpener, Fields, and Denney all signed extensions this offseason, and could remain in Miami for years to come.
Cuts: none

The Parcells regime has done it again, acquiring yet another Dallas Cowboy by trading for offensive tackle Pat McQuistan. Terms of the deal have not been announced, but the Dolphins probably had to give up a late round draft pick-likely a seventh, possibly a sixth.

McQuistan was drafted by the Parcells regime in the seventh round of the 2006 draft. Although he never started a game in Dallas, the 6'6, 319 pound Weber State product has flashed a little versatility over the years, having lined up at both tackle spots and left guard.

Before you link the reasoning behind this to Jake Long apparently hurting his leg/knee last night, it's pretty obvious McQuistan is being brought in to replace Nate Garner, who went on the IR earlier in the week. More than anything, Long going down likely served a wake up call. The Dolphins simply don't trust Lydon Murtha or Andrew Gardner, who's roster spots are now in serious jeopardy, if Long or Carey were to go down for an extended period of time.

UPDATE: The Dolphins and Cowboys will swap sixth round picks if the Dolphins end up picking higher in the draft. If Miami has a better season than the Dallas, they essentially just got McQuistan for free.

Frustration was mounting once again. The first-team offense continued to look as lackluster as it's been all preseason, and those struggles were even more magnified tonight considering they came against mostly a second-team defense. Once again, the defense wasn't giving us much of a reason to feel better about things. 

We all got a little bit of an unexpected reality check, though. Seeing Jake Long go down and lay on the trainers table having his knee evaluated, was about as scary of a scene as you can have in the preseason and kind of put the whole night into perspective. It also reminded us of how much worse things can get, then just mediocre play in a meaningless game.

News on Long's injury since has been overwhelmingly positive. All reports and indications are pointing to the big fella being just fine. Judging by how shaky the pass protection looked with Long in the game, there's no denying the whole offense could have fell apart with him knocked out with a serious injury. The exhibition season is now over. The slate is once again clean. Yes, both sides of the ball looked shaky again tonight, but just be thankful things didn't completely escalate out of control.

It's time to take a deep breath and turn our attention to the Buffalo Bills. Full evaluation of tonight's game to come tommorow. Expect the final addition of the preseason report card, as well as my prediction on the 53-man roster, if I can sneak it in before the cuts begin that is.

Statline

Passing
C. Henne: 6-11, 53 yards, lost fumble
C. Pennington: 7-10, 40 yards, 1 touchdown
T. Thigpen: 10-18, 160 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception

Top 3 Rushing
R. Williams: 2 carries, 45 yards
T. Thigpen: 3 carries, 20 yards
P. Cobbs: 3 carries, 12 yards

Top 5 Receiving
R. Wallace: 3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 touchdown
D. Bess: 5 receptions, 42 yards
M. Moore: 4 receptions, 31 yards, 1 touchdown
J. Nalbone: 1 reception, 30 yards
P. Turner: 1 reception, 29 yards

Top 5 Tackles
R. Jones: 7
N. Ness: 4
C. Anderson: 3
J. Odrick: 2
N. Carroll: 2
T. Dobbins: 2

Special-Teams
B. Fields: 4 punts, 40 yard average
D. Carpenter: 1/1 field goals, long: 28, 2/2 extra points
N. Carroll: 2 kick returns, 20 yard average
D. Bess: 1 punt return, 0 yards
M. Moore: 1 punt return, 6 yards

When: Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST
Where: Cowboys Stadium- Arlington, Texas
TV: Local only, NFL Network replay Friday night at 7
Weather: 89 degrees and clear

From the team's prospective, this is it. One last chance to to build a little momentum for the starters heading into the regular season. One last chance to get what has been a dismal running game going. One last chance for Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall to establish a little chemistry before it becomes crucial.

At the end of the day, though, the outcome of this game isn't going to be held against them. It's just another meaningless preseason game that is really only relevant, in the starter's case anyway, in the present. Next week, when the Dolphins are preparing for for their yearly trip up to Buffalo, is anybody really going to be thinking about what happened in Dallas last week? Unless there is a serious injury that actually impacts Week 1, I say they shouldn't.

However, for those roster fringe players, this game means everything. And even though those players that we expect to be in the thick of things are probably good enough to warrant another chance down the road somewhere, nothing is a given in this league, and the fact of the matter is their best opportunity awaits them tonight. Who will rise to the occasion and achieve their childhood dream of becoming an NFL player?

3 Questions

Will the first-team offense satisfy Sparano?
Sparano mentioned earlier in the week that he's going to play his starting offense until he's satisfied at what he sees. Considering, the Cowboys probably won't play many starters tonight, that better come sooner rather than later. I think the Dolphins make it a point to try and get the ground game going a little bit after last week's miserable performance. If they succeed in doing so, that should take loads of pressure off Henne and the passing attack. Still though, even if they don't get much help, Henne and company should be able feast on a second and third string defense. Even though I love watching the starters play, we have plenty of time for that in real games. Let's hope they march right down the field on their first drive and get out of there to avoid any injuries.

How long will first-team defense play?
Sparano was obviously not too happy with how the defense played last week, either. But will they also see extended time tonight? I expect maybe a couple series tonight out of that first-team defense. Stephen McGee is scheduled to start at quarterback for the Cowboys, so the pressure will be on for the Dolphins' starters to come away with a couple three and outs. If the Cowboys backups come out and throw all over a struggling secondary, fans will have plenty to worry about heading into the regular season, regardless of Nolan's aggressive scheme coming into play. We need to see Sean Smith come out with something to prove, Chris Clemons be in good position in coverage and come up and make tackles if he has to, a pass rush show some life against a struggling Cowboy's offensive line- yes, even with only a three and four man rush, and the outside linebackers (mainly Koa Misi) set the edge against the run.

Will coverage units finally get it together?
We saw a little bit of improvement last week, but if it wasn't for Dan Carpenter shaking the "kicker's aren't football players" label by coming up and making a touchdown saving tackle, it may have been time to start considering squib kicks. Some of the guys on the coverage units won't be on the team this time next week, but seeing players in the right position would give fans a little peace of mind heading into the regular season. Considering, this is those roster fringe players' last chance to make the team and that special-teams typically serves as the best avenue to find a home, you would think we would see some deseperate guys flying down field looking to light someone up.

3 Players to Watch

Roberto Wallace: If the season began today, it's hard to argue that Marlon Moore and Patrick Turner wouldn't be the last two receivers on the roster. Each week that passes, though, I'm more impressed with Roberto Wallace. He's been more productive than Turner through three games, and because Turner is a non-factor on special-teams, he's vulnerable if Wallace were to put together a huge game tonight. What could end up hurting Wallace's bid to make the 53, though, is that he's practice squad eligible and Turner is not. Nevertheless, multiple catches for big yardage and a touchdown, would make Wallace hard to cut.

Micah Johnson: So far, the undrafted free agent is second on the team for the preseason with 10 tackles, and has out-shined Austin Spitler and J.D. Folsom pretty handily. His below average speed projects him as mediocre special-teams player, but because Channing Crowder may miss the first few games of the season, I think the Dolphins face no choice but to keep the most productive linebacker, not the best special-teams contributor. Another four or five tackle game from Johnson tonight, and I would be shocked if Miami let him go.

Cory Procter: Nate Garner going on the IR did wonders for Procter's roster chances. Now that it looks like the Dolphins will probably only keep three tackles, keeping four guards is more realistic. Will Procter help his cause tonight by providing good push for Patrick Cobbs and Lex Hilliard to work with, and help finally get some sort of running game going?