Watching preseason football is hardly satisfying, but it's been almost eight months since the Dolphins last took the field, so tonight's tussle with the Atlanta Falcons will have to suffice until real football starts in September.

With under a month of training camp under their belts, the Dolphins will try their best to resemble a competent football team tonight in Atlanta, but don't expect too many fireworks.

"I don't want to use the term vanilla," head coach Tony Sparano said Thursday, "but that’s kind of where you’re going to be" after this summer's lockout deprived the team of any OTA's or film study.

Even so, there are a few things to look out for tonight, starting with the new faces on offense.

1. Will Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas get a chance to show what they are capable of? Probably not, since the starters are not expected to play much. Plus, the Dolphins may be reluctant to get too creative with their use of Bush, lest they tip their hand before the regular season even starts. So don't expect to see Bush lining up in the slot or running any reverses.

2. Can Mike Pouncey snap the ball without embarrassing himself? If his up-and-down senior season at UF was any indication, Dolfans will be excused for covering their eyes whenever the offense lines up in the shotgun.

3. Once the starters are removed, will any of the Dolphins' backup QBs look at least halfway decent? Matt Moore was so bad in 2010 he got benched by the worst team in the NFL, while Kevin O'Connell has only attemted 6 NFL passes. Rookie Pat Devlin could also see some playing time, but this trio might manage the impossible: make Dolfans wish Chad Henne was in the game.

4. Who will jump onto the pile after a play is over on defense now that Channing Crowder is gone? Our guess: AJ Edds. Call it a hunch.

5. How many post-field goal fist pumps will Tony Sparano throw down? We're setting the over-under at 1.5. Kicker Dan Carpenter will makes most of the field goals he attempts, but with so few practices under their belts, it's unlikely the offense will be able to get into field goal position very often tonight.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.. It may be the preseason, but Dolphins football is back.