The Dolphins were outstanding on defense last Thursday Night in the rain and just good enough on offense to win.  Chad Pennington was solid completing 9 of 16 passes for 128 yards with 1 TD pass.  Chad Henne finished up the game by completing 2 of 8 passes for 55 yards with 1 interception.   RB Lex Hilliard led the way for the Dolphins in this game with 32 yards rushing on 11 carries (2.9 ypc) but he lost a fumble.  Rookie WR Brian Hartline led the way in the passing game for the Fins with 3 catches for 79 yards (26.3 avg).  The Dolphins finished up with only 252 total yards in this game (79 rushing, 173 passing).

Safety Gibril Wilson led another stout effort by the Fins’ defense with 8 tackles.  The Bucs finished up with only 287 total yards in this game (127 rushing, 160 passing).  The defense is the reason the Dolphins are 3-0 during the preseason.

The Miami Dolphins kept it simple in this game as they physically beat up the Panthers last Saturday Night.  Chad Pennington was effective in completing 8 of 11 passes for 105 yards with 1 TD pass.  Chad Henne was also solid completing 10 of 16 passes for 75 yards with 1 TD pass.  Pat White added 2 completions in 3 pass attempts for 4 yards.  Lex Hilliard led the way on the ground for the Fins in this game with 52 yards rushing on 9 carries (5.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Ronnie Brown was also effective on both the ground (7 car, 31 yards) and in the air (3 rec, 43 yards, TD).  Patrick Cobbs also had a good all-around game with 24 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.8 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 56 yards (14.0 avg) in this game.  The Dolphins finished up this game with 321 total yards on offense (141 rushing, 180 passing) so this was a good effort.

Safety Chris Clemons led the defensive effort for the Dolphins in this game with 7 tackles and a fumble recovery.  The Fins’ defense was tight in this game allowing only 244 total yards to the Panthers (98 rushing, 146 passing).  This was another good showing by the defense which has looked great so far this preseason.

The Dolphins have released 30-year old WR Ernest Wilford.  Wilford played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg).  It’s a good sign for the Dolphins’ receiving corps that they felt confident enough to release Wilford.  He was quickly brought back by his old team the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Dolphins have traded 27-year old Ikechuka Ndukwe and 25-year old Andy Alleman to the Chiefs for a undisclosed draft pick.  Ndukwe played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Dolphins last season while Alleman played in 15 games (4 starts).  This trade hurts the depth along the O-Line of the Dolphins but the draft pick they got in return should be worth more than what they traded.

The Dolphins have released 27-year old CB Eric Green.  Green played in 13 games for the Cardinals last season and he made 32 tackles, defensed 5 passes and had 1 interception.  The reason for Green’s release was that some of the younger corners on the Dolphins are really stepping up.  Don’t feel too sorry for Green who was quickly snapped up by the 49ers.

The Miami Dolphins did not look good on offense but they still won this game because of the D.  Chad Pennington started this game and he completed 4 of 7 passes for 38 yards.  Chad Henne followed Pennington and he completed 7 of 11 passes for 94 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Rookie Pat White struggled as he finished up this game.  He completed only 2 of 7 passes for 14 yards with a pickoff.  He also rushed for 20 yards on six carries (3.3 ypc).  Lex Hilliard led the Fins’ in rushing in this game with 42 yards on 9 carries (4.7 ypc).  Ricky Williams pitched in with 10 carries for 31 yards (3.1 ypc) in this game.  Rookie WR Patrick Turner caught 3 passes for 33 yards (11.0 avg) and Ernest Wilford only caught 1 pass but it went for a 33-yard TD.  The Dolphins finished up with 118 yards rushing (3.2 ypc) and 139 passing yards in this game.  They will need a better effort than that to win when the games begin to count.

Linebacker William Kershaw led a great effort by the Fins’ defense with 5 tackles.  The Dolphins held the Jaguars to 282 yards of total offense (66 rushing, 216 passing) in this game. 

The Dolphins have signed 23-year old kicker Connor Barth.  Barth played in 10 games for the Chiefs last season and he connected on 10 of 12 field goals (83.3%) and all 24 of his extra point attempts.  Barth will battle incumbent kicker Dan Carpenter this pre-season for the starting kicker job in 2009 for the Dolphins.  Competition is always good for jobs so this was a smart move for the Fins.

UPDATE:  The Dolphins have released Connor Barth as he was beaten out for the kicking job by Dan Carpenter.