Brutal Preseason Showing Uncovers What Looks Like A 5-11 Miami Squad

The ‘Fins entered Week 2 of the preseason with the most excitement surrounding the squad since Gloria Estefan became part owner, bolstered by the announcement that rookie Ryan Tannehill would be getting the start nod at quarterback. Unfortunately, much like Gloria Estafan, Miami was felled by a runaway bus driven by Cam Newton.

Here’s the ugly truth of what happened in Charlotte against the Panthers:

THE POSITIVES

• No turnovers (yay?).
• Sean Smith looks more confident at cornerback. Can he parlay it into actual games and drop fewer than double-digit picks this year?
• Tailback/return man Marcus Thigpen looks like a gamer, with a few nice grabs and some nifty returns. Prediction: He beats out Steve Slaton for the fourth running back job.
• Reserve corner Nolan Carroll looks markedly stronger (and less lost) this year.
• Reality-show creation Chris Hogan lived up to the “Hard Knocks” billing a bit with a couple of nice grabs. More importantly, he made a big tackle inside the 10-yard line on a kickoff return—key because he’ll have to make an impact on special teams in order to make the squad.
• Undrafted free agent Derrick Shelby flashed against the second- and third-stringers, providing a good push and good energy at defensive end. Of course, the downside of that is he is significantly outplaying third-round draft pick Olivier Vernon.

THE NEGATIVES

• The Dolphins.
• Seriously, though, rookie Jonathan Martin was repeatedly turnstiled at right tackle. Yes, it’s early, but he appears to lack strength and you can’t convince me that he’s not Marc Columbo’s illegitimate brother at this point.
•  The entire offensive line looked brutal.
• The wide receiving corps, to be kind, is not NFL quality. When you’re counting down the moments until Brian Hartline returns to practice, that’s really all you need to say about the state of this position.
• The replacement refs. Listen, I know they’re in a tough spot, but it appeared that some of these guys were members of Steve Smith’s family. The Carolina receiver attacked Vontae Davis (who’s having a bad-enough camp as it is) on several plays in a row, then ripped his helmet off at one point ... and Davis got the personal foul! Moments later, Sean Smith perfectly played a deep ball, reeled in the pick—and got whistled for a phantom pass interference call. Roger Goodell should be upping the offer to the real officials today ... you know, between quiet phone calls with Deepthroat.
• Rookie tailback Lamar Miller appears to play much slower than his reported speed. Perhaps a hysterical Miami assistant will tag him “Ankle Weights” Miller in this week’s very special installment of “Hard Knocks.”
• Third-round newcomer Michael Egnew is so bad at tight end that they may cut him before the regular season—you know, about a year earlier than they usually cut their third-round draft picks. I mean, when you’re getting outshone by guys who most recently played basketball and lacrosse, it’s just not going well for you.
• I’m not saying Yeremiah Bell (now with the Jets) was the long-term answer or anything, but safety is going to be a real problem for the Dolphins again this year. Neither Chris Clemons nor Reshad Jones are starting-caliber safeties in this league, bottom line.
• Early in his NFL career, Mike Pouncey has been solid at best, a first-round center who struggles in short yardage. He also seems to be more interested in image and promotion than the game at times, and playing grabass with Carolina quarterback Cam Newton not only after the game but at halftime does nothing to alter the perception that he’s not focused on his craft. Now, I’m not one of these guys who thinks players shouldn’t socialize or anything like that, but can you at least hold the lingering full-body embraces until after the freaking game?
• As noted earlier, the offensive line bears most of the blame for pressure in Tannehill’s face, but the rookie signal-caller also had four passes tipped at the line of scrimmage. Miami is going to need more designed rollouts for the youngster to take advantage of his athleticism and minimize a leaky offensive front.
• As Dolphins beat writer Armando Salguero pointed out weeks ago, a frenetic pace  and a hurry-up style is all well and good on offense—if you are actually moving the ball and scoring points. If not, well, all you’re doing is exhausting an already-overrated defense and giving the opposition more possessions. Therein lies the real danger of coach Joe Philbin’s approach for an undermanned, inexperienced attack.

BONUS THOUGHT

• How much freaking money do the Panthers have tied up in running backs?! I mean, they just signed Jonathan Stewart to a $36.5 million extension, a year after re-upping DeAngelo Williams to the tune of $43 million. For good measure, they inked Mike Tolbert to a $10 million deal in the offseason. Is it me, or does $90 million sound like a lot to invest in that position when your quarterback is actually your best running back?