Pass D Key Against the Dirty Birds
Oh, Atlanta! You just had to go and get Tony Gonzalez.
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Will Allen has his work cut out for him in the shape of Roddy White.
Never mind the offense; they'll either be fine or left by the side of the road to the airport when it's over.
The real test in Sunday's season opener in Atlanta is the immediate and telling one facing Miami's defense (unfortunately, it's not the Wonderlic).
Helming the side of evil is Matt Ryan, one of the league's best and most symmetrically handsome young quarterbacks; his offense boasts running backs Michael Turner and Jerius Norwood, wide receiver Roddy White, and future Hall of Fame tight end and recent Kansas refugee Tony Gonzalez. That's a lot of oomph.
For all his marvelous rookie accomplishments, Matty Ice is young and not that successful against a good front seven. When sacked at least twice, he was 2-3; when he wasn't sacked at all, Atlanta went 5-2. Fortunately, that's exactly why the Dolphins have J.T. and Peezy. Mix in the blitzy model of Channing Crowder, Cameron Wake coming off the edge, and a pair of young guys on the left side of Atlanta's line, and that's an advantage if Miami gets exotic.
The next step is containing Roddy White, a guy who's quietly established himself in the top tier of wide receivers. White caught 88 passes for 1,382 yards last year (4th in the leage), averaged 15.7 yards per catch (7th among WRs with at least 50 catches), and was 6th in the league with 61 first downs. Dangerous? Absolutely. Miami will more than likely leave Will Allen and Sean Smith on opposite sides at corner and roll coverage to wherever White is. If we're Atlanta, that'd be right at Smith, whose giggedy-inducing pre-season doesn't mean he won't make rookie mistakes when he's picked on.
And then there's Gonzalez, who's killed more Dolphins than fishing nets and six-pack rings combined. He's racked up 27 catches, 355 yards, and 5 touchdowns in the last 4 games against Miami, and is coming off a 10-TD season in the horrorshow that is Kansas City's offense. Now that he's in a decent system, it's even more worrisome to see Gonzalez up close and personal in the red zone with safeties Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson, who may also have their gloves full with Turner and Norwood.
Bell, to his credit, isn't scared. "I get jacked up regardless, but when you play somebody who's going to the Hall of Fame, it's a challenge," he told the Sun-Sentinel. "That's the thing you want in this league is a challenge. You've got to look forward to those. Just to see how you fare. I do get amped up. I'm excited and I can't wait to see what happens."
Neither can we -- we just hope we don't have to watch it through our fingers.
Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations
Posted Friday, Sep 11, 2009 - 2:13 PM EST
