SLOPPY CONDITIONS AS DOLPHINS WIN

On April 14th, the Dolphins acquired one of the biggest names in the NFL, when they traded away two second round picks for Brandon Marshall. Fans had to wait all Summer for tonight when they would get their first glimpse at the superstar receiver that most expect to push the Dolphins passing game to the next level. What did those fans get after those long months of waiting? Two passes by starting quarterback Chad Henne to Marshall, and both were drops. Marshall finished the game not on the stat sheet.

To be fair to Henne and Marshall, the weather conditions were horrible at the start of the game as the two played mostly in a torrential downpour and all of their offensive snaps took place on the Marlins' infield dirt. As a Dolphins fan, it was disappointing not to see the new face of the franchise make a catch, but it is definitely nothing to be concerned about. Henne played into the second quarter and finished 5 of 11 for only 19 yards. Ronnie Brown didn't appear to have any rust from his season ending injury last November as he ran over defenders and finished the game with 20 yards on 5 attempts. 

While the first string offense struggled in the rain and mud, Mike Nolan's new defense played tough, and with the exception of a few long gains for the Buccaneers, showed great promise for the 2010 season. The Dolphins defense forced three turnovers in the first half and finished the game with a toal of four. Including the game ending fumble by the Buccaneers Chris Brooks that was recovered by rookie safety Reshad Jones.

There are always going to be rough patches in the first preseason game of the year, and the bad weather tonight, didn't help things at all. In the end, the Dolphins did win the game 10-7, showed some positives and showed some areas that need to be worked on. As a Dolphins fan, there is no reason to get upset or worried because the first team offense didn't shine. It is still very early and both teams were running a very basic playbook tonight. The best news of all for the Dolphins, is despite the rain, playing most of the game in the dirt, there were no injuries to report.

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