Live blog of Dolphins vs. Vikes right here

MINNEAPOLIS -- A victory today?

More than making the Dolphins 2-0 and keeping them in first place in the AFC East no matter what happens elsewhere in the NFL, it would catapult this team we know so much and yet so little about into a state of legitimacy.

Miami beats the team that went to the NFC title game a year ago and you have to believe that is a pretty good team.

Some keys to the game:

Inactives: Chad Pennington is the No. 3 QB. Why is that interesting? He was the No. 2 QB last week. All this means is the Dolphins are allowing themselves the option of using Tyler Thigpen as a spread option QB today. The other Miami inactives are Roberto Wallace, Nolan Carroll, Channing Crowder, Jared Odrick, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Lydon Murtha and Jermey Parnell.

Jake Long versus Jared Allen: I do not expect a shutout by Long. It's hard to expect that when the guy opposing him is a classic 4-3 DE of the highest order. Allen is stud. He's strong, he's quick, he's experienced and he's always seemingly motivated, meaning he doesn't take plays off. Long is similarly a stud. Today will measure exactly how healthy Long is following that knee injury in the preseason finale.

Brandon Marshall's day: I am sitting here two hours before the game and not many playes are on the field yet. Marshall is on the field. He's warming up his hips. He's practicing catching all sorts of passes -- over his head, too low, one-handed, Scene interesting perhaps only to me: Marshall is not catching those passes from Chad Henne. He's catching them from a trainer type. Henne is on the field about 20 yards away and he's throwing passes and working with Davone Bess. Fact is Henne has spoken more with former Dolphins WR Greg Camarillo on the field the past 30 minutes than he has with Marshall. Interesting.

[Update: Marshall eventually finished his regimen and came over to where Henne and Bess were working out routes and started working with them, too.]

Henne versus Brett Favre: It cannot be a blowout here, folks. We cannot have Favre throwing three TDs and 1 INT and have Henne deliver a stat line like he did last week -- zero TDs, zero INTs -- and expect the Dolphins to win. If you have not read it yet, I wrote my Sunday column on Henne and the message the Dolphins give him over, and over and over. It can be something of a confusing message, if you ask me because the Dolphins want Henne to do two things that aren't necessarily opposites -- throw TDs and not throw INTS. To throw TDs, you see, you almost always have to live with some interceptions. The Dolphins have drilled Hennes so much on not throwing INTs, it makes me wonder if he can be a big TD passer anytime in the future.

Alrightie, that's quite a bit to digest before the live blog begins at kickoff. Come back here for all the pregame updates. And let's meet in the comments section for the live blog. 

Comments

[charlieb]

dont see the new post either

[dolfanSF]

thats one!!! two to go!!!

[jtlawson5]

yeeeeesssssss

[Home]

NostraHomeUs says:

Very Soon
Dolphins to get INT

Posted by: Home | September 19, 2010 at 01:39 PM

YEAH BABY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jamesc]

theres one of my def predictions vontae pick

[Home]

NostraHomeUs says:

Very Soon
Dolphins to get INT

Posted by: Home | September 19, 2010 at 01:39 PM

Home Got Your Back, Dolfans!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PriceMaster]

Hey Mando Favre threw an interception in this game. That means he's never going to be big time right?

[jbarrett]

Pick!!!!

[mobiljorge]

chip chip hurra!

[dave]

get some breathing room

[d rock]

How could they not charge minnesota and give them the ball at the one. If minnesota challengend for the interception and not the placement?

[drbruce2]

Pinch me!!!

[jbarrett]

Go Ronnie!!!!!

[dave]

now thats how you run from the one

[jamesc]

man that wall looks weak

[d-dense]

commentators trash us so ronnie runs one down there throuts

[drbruce2]

good thing Tony told Ronne which way to go.

[dave]

damn when you start running henne freakin look up!!!

[steelgrizzly]

RT let us down that time

[jrljr2]

great run by Ronnie. we need to pass protect or it will be a long day. come on OLine.

[bbacni101]

Sean Smith is terrible

[drbruce2]

Send Favre a subscription To AARP.

[mobiljorge]

We are winning again

[ms cuba]

do not underestimate the old man!

[mobiljorge]

He looks old

[bond 9]

#27 has missed 2 tackles on Harvin

[dolfanSF]

too damn conservative IMO. Toss it long, if its picked not much time for favre to do anything with it.

[jrljr2]

henne and offense not very good after touchdown. 7 isnt gonna win today.

[steelgrizzly]

need ti throw more the minn secondary is weak right now

[jrljr2]

way too conservative

[steelgrizzly]

our kickoff blocking sucks needs work

[jrljr2]

The coaching staff needs to take the chains off the offense and open it up. The offense still has to make too many plays during the course of a drive to be consistant. still dont have big play potential. go get Vincent Jackson.

[steelgrizzly]

OL is kicking butt right today

[ludachris]

wtf!!!

[ludachris]

once again WC kills it

[kula]

Wildcat= Drive Killer

[steelgrizzly]

joey who????

[drbruce2]

OMG

[DC Dolfan]

Mando, Bill Connors, ANYONE who doubted, for one second, that this was the product BILL PARCELLS has created this year, STUFF IT!

[DC Dolfan]

MIAMI EFFING DOLPHINS!

[MattD]

Boys - our defense is for real! I like our chances with this team all the sudden. PLEASE continue to give Ronnie Brown the ball though and cut this darn alternating carries thing! Ronnie gets better with more running

[mobiljorge]

We are lookimg like sharks !

[mobiljorge]

jaws! jaws! jaws!

[DC Dolfan]

We're looking like DIVISION CHAMPS! We'll see what the CHUMPS do at 4pm.

[kenn miller]

dem sum hungry lookin fish

[hennegivenmonday]

wow. impressive game. win or lose this is a solid football team

[DC Dolfan]

My wife has proactively covered all the furniture and removed ALL pictures on the wall. It's getting crazy in here.

[steelgrizzly]

That one counts!!!

[steelgrizzly]

damn ricky

[kula]

You could see that coming a mile away. Ronnie should have been in the game.

[chunks000]

getting pretty dick of the conservative play on the offense... i mean c'mon!!!

[chunks000]

*sick

[dizzy63]

grrrrr

[hennegivenmonday]

we got screwed

[bbacni101]

Cameron Wake is EVERYWHERE

[steelgrizzly]

D steps up again

[steelgrizzly]

we need a steady drive or a quik TD would be nice to

[miamiphinphan]

we need to get aggressive on offense.... or we're goone lose this

[bill_cnnrs@yahoo.com]

this is a joke, havent even tried to score after first poss

[bill_cnnrs@yahoo.com]

unreal what r u doing henne, 1 to left