Dolphins find themselves back in the news for all the wrong reasons. Once again Dolphins fans have to just sit back and shake their heads. 

Dolphins once again find themselves the laughing stock having created an impossible halftime show contest. 

Here are a couple of articles on what the Dolphins did now, including one by yours truley on ThisGivenSunday.com

http://www.bloguin.com/thisgivensunday/2012-articles/september/terrible-dolphins-halftime-idea-trending-on-twitter.html

http://www.phinnation.com/?p=2564

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/14/dolphins-plan-impossible-halftime-contest/

Enjoy, and try to hold back those tears Dolphins fans !  

***UPDATE : Do to probably being completely and utterly embarrassed by having this contest trend on twitter per Pro Football Talk the Dolphins have decided to move this competition up 20 yards making it only a 40 yard kick now.

RT @SedanoShow So, now the#Dolphins have moved their silly halftime FG contest to 40 yards. LOL. It never ends. 

Taking a look at the roster and who stood out in last week's game versus the Texans, Richie Incognito provided quite a few soundbites and commentary in the post game, but mostly from the other team.

Whether Incognito was cleaning up the mess that was Tannehill's 3 interceptions by tackling Antonio Smith of the Texans or blocking on the left side of the line to keep his quarterback upright, Incognito continues the blue collar work ethic and lunch pail approach that makes him a three year starter on the Miami Dolphins offensive line.

Incognito brings it at the snap of the ball and can block with good speed on the run or hold his own on the pass.  Incognito forces his opponent to play his game on every snap which seems like wrestling an aligator.  He usually wins these battles and his oponent is seeing writhing in pain on the turf.

In the past, Incognito has been known for somewhat dirty antics that include anything and everything that can be seen on film such as an extra shove or extra curricular activity under the facemask at the bottom of the pile.

However, Incognito as the three year starter in Miami is known for protecting his teammates, protecting his quarterback, and being a leader in the locker room.

Another attribute that makes Incognito a key cog on the line is his vesatility.  Richie can play every guard position and the center position on the line.  

In his first season he started all 16 games with the Rams.  After a short stint three years ago in Buffalo, Parcells and Ireland brought him aboard to help shore the left side of the line.  Occasionally, he filled in a center when necessary.

It's rare that fans pay attention to detail of what occurs at the line on every play, however on Sundays, take a moment to appreciate the sheer force of Richie Incognito and to be glad he is in Miami.  

As for Antonio Smith calling Ricie a dirty player, Richie prides himself on his tough and hard play.

It may not be pretty, but he gets the job done! 

Check out this video from HBO Hard Knocks of Incognito giving Atlanta the business!




Phins Up!  Please continue to come back to @Phins_Phocus for more insight and news about the Miami Dolphins!

Such a pleasure not having to wait until Sunday every week now that we are fortunate enough to get NFL football every Thursday, that being said the Dolphins only play Sunday so we will have to anxiously wait to see if the Dolphins will be able to get their act together in Week 2.

This week I am proud to announce we have added a 4^th writer to Phins Phocus, Josh Feder (@jfedz12) will be contributing with a featured blog called The Stop and Go which will detail things the Dolphins did well and things well they didn’t do so well on a weekly basis. Be sure to follow him on twitter and look out for his blogs on the site.

Earlier in the week both @DolfanDan and I broke down some of the key factors and matchup in this week’s game against the Raiders. Both articles can be seen below. That being time it’s time to man up and make a prediction on this week’s game.

PBP predicted a 15-9 win for the Dolphins and I have even had a friend of mine at ESPN ask me if they should take the Dolphins in survivor, I told him he was crazy but with that being said I’m going with a 24 17 Dolphins win.

With week 1 of the NFL season now in the books, many Dolphins fans have chose to analyze Miami's struggles in a 30-10 loss to Houston last week instead of looking ahead to this Sunday's matchup, the home opener against the Oakland Raiders. While the Texans showed that they are a Super Bowl calibre team, the Dolphins were able to find several positives from the game including the play of Reggie Bush and Randy Starks, the run defense and the special teams unit. 

Like Miami, the Raiders begin the year with an 0-1 record after a 22-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football. The eight point defeat allowed the game to appear much closer than it actually was seeing as Oakland's touchdown came with seconds remaing in the 4th quarter and they were unable to muster any sort of offense for most of the night. 

This week 2 matchup will provide a fair idea of where the Dolphins stand this season and luckily for Miami all the advantages are in their favour. Here's a look at why Miami should come out with a victory and even their record to 1-1 on the season.

1. The Dolphins Have the Raiders Number

Despite the fact that the Dolphins have been in a rebuild for the past several years and have failed to make the playoffs the last three seasons, the Raiders have a habit of making Miami look like one of the elite teams in the NFL. In the past two matches between these teams, the Dolphins won both in convincing fashion including a 33-17 win in 2010 and a 34-14 victory a year ago. For the last Raiders win against Miami you would have to go all they way back to the 2007 season. Since then the 'Phins have come out on top in three straight occasions when taking on the silver and black. 

2. Miami's Stout Run Defense

One aspect of the Dolphins game that stood out to many in the loss to Houston was their impressive run defense and ability to contain the league's best running back. Arian Foster was held to a pedestrian 79 yards on 26 carries while averaging only 3 yards per attempt. The Raiders have their own threat out of the backfield in Darren McFadden however he is certainly not on the same level with the likes of Arian Foster. Against the Chargers, McFadden was a better reciever than running back as he caught 13 passes for 86 yards and only managed 32 yards on the ground on 15 carries. If a young Chargers defense was able to shut down McFadden, a talented Dolphins front seven should have no problems doing the same. The challenge is defending him as a reciever where Miami continually struggles to stop the short pass.


3. The Dolphins Pass Rush Will Put Pressure On Carson Palmer

While 297 yards passing and 1 touchdown is certainly not a bad day's work, Carson Palmer was never able to find his groove against the Chargers as he was sacked three times and knocked down twice. Ensuring Palmer remains on his feet will be a tall task for Oakland's offensive line just like it was last season when the Dolphins pass rushers were in the Raiders backfiled on seemingly every play. Similar to nearly every other NFL quarterback, Palmer crumbles when facing a heavy pass rush and his entire game completely falls apart. With Cameron Wake, Karlos Dansby and Randy Starks among others, Miami is in prime position to expose the Raiders' largest weakness; the offensive line.

4. Raiders Wearing Black Uniforms Under the Miami Sun

Throughout all of the major North American sports, there are few uniforms that are more iconic than the silver and black of the Oakland Raiders. While the colors are a significant part of the Raiders identity, they are incredibly uncomfortable to be worn in the scorching Miami heat at 1 pm in the middle of September. The reason for this being that darker colors, especially black, trap heat and ultimately effect the performance of the players. Also don't think for a second that the Dolphins didn't have this in mind when choosing to wear their aqua jerseys for this home game. 

Altough many aspects of the game are in Miami's favour, the Raiders are current favourites by a 2.5 point spread. These advantages all add up to a Dolphins victory and a great way to cap off the day the 1972 perfect season is honored at Sun Life Stadium.  

For coverage and analysis throughout the Raiders vs Dolphins game be sure to follow @Phins_Phocus on twitter.  

Week 1 has now come and gone and the Dolphins fan base has been left pretty discouraged about the outcome of this season. While the concern is obviously more than warranted, it’s time to sit back and realize there is still a lot of football to be played this season.

The Dolphins played a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the Houston Texans and get a much more realistic test in week 2 in the Oakland Raiders.  Week 1 the Dolphins had to face a fierce defense which is one of the best units in the NFL combined with a offense loaded with firepower at almost all the skill positions and if that wasn’t bad enough the Dolphins have been terribly historically against the Texans.

With that being said the Dolphins are in for a much different situation when facing the Raiders, the Phins are currently riding a 3 game winning streak against the Raiders dating back to 2008, and have won the past 6 of 7 battles against Raider nation.

The Raiders are coming off a shorter week playing the late MNF game to open the season and looking pretty unimpressive in their opener.

Raiders have a strong defensive line and could have a nice afternoon getting to the QB but their secondary is one to be left desired and could present opportunities for rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill should find a couple of holes in the defense and if he could get ANY help from WR’s could have a nice game to help build his confidence.

The Raiders offense also does not compare to the Texans, as the Raiders don’t have the same strength on the outside and it was clear in week 1 Carson Palmer does not really trust his receivers. The Raiders also aren’t strong at tight end a position the Dolphins always struggle with.

 

Week 2 should be a real test for this Dolphins team as a good matchup and home opener could be an opportunity for this team’s first win. If the Dolphins can manage to get to 1-1 perspective changes a lit and we take one step at a time, however if the Dolphins lose the game it might be hand over face time in Miami.