The Dolphins have acquired 25-year old QB Tyler Thigpen from the Chiefs for a undisclosed draft pick.  He played in 14 games for the Chiefs last season and he completed 230 of 420 passes (54.8%) for 2,608 yards with 18 TD passes and 12 interceptions (76.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 62 times for 386 yards (6.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs last season.  Thigpen is no real threat to Chad Henne despite his experience.  But if Henne struggles the Dolphins now have an option to replace him with.  Thigpen has now played in 16 games in his NFL career and he has completed 232 of 426 passes (54.5%) for 2,649 yards with 18 TD passes and 13 INTs (74.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 63 times for 388 yards (6.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Thigpen also has caught 1 pass for 37 yards and it went for a TD.  This was a good move for the Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington suffered a shoulder injury Sunday in the Dolphins 23-13 loss to the San Deigo Chargers.  News surfaced today that Pennington’s shoulder suffered a torn capsule and it will keep him out for the rest of the season.  The Dolphins are 0-3 so far this season and this is a pretty big loss for them.  Pennington has already had two shoulder surgeries on his throwing arm, and it looks like a third one is on its way.  Chad Henne, who replaced the injured Pennington yesterday, will be the starter for the Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphins (0-3) fell to the San Diego Chargers (2-1) in San Diego Sunday.  After a pretty stagnant first half, the Dolphins were tied 3-3 with the Chargers.  Neither offense had really figured out the defenses in the first half and the Chargers were the first to find the end-zone, when quarterback Phillip Rivers ran it in from the 5-yard line for a touchdown with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Dolphins running game was very effective, as Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 130 yards and Williams had a touchdown.  The Wildcat worked again, as they ran it seven times for 42 yards (6.0 avg).  The Dolphins defense held the Chargers to only 69 rushing yards, but gave up 303 yards through the air.  The Dolphins passing game was pathetic, but starting quarterback Chad Pennington left the game early in the second half after taking a hard hit from Chargers’ linebacker Kevin Burnett.  It was seemingly a shoulder injury, an area Pennington has battled injuries with all of his career.

Pennington went 8/12 with no touchdowns or interceptions, for 54 yards before leaving and being replaced by Chad Henne.  Henne went 10/19 and 92 yards, but had a costly turnover when he was picked by Chargers Eric Weddle who returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.  The Dolphins defense did a good job at slowing down the Chargers dangerous offense, but they did not do enough in the fourth quarter as the Chargers scored 13 in the final quarter.  The Dolphins look like they may have a problem at quarterback with Pennington hurt, but there is no word on how serious the injury is yet.  They look to bounce back at home against the Buffalo Bills (1-2) next week.

The Miami Dolphins (0-2) are taking on the San Diego Chargers (1-1) in San Diego this week and are looking to continue a seven game win streak against the Chargers, dating back to 1993.  The Dolphins have put up some strong efforts so far this season but are still looking for their first win.

The Dolphins have been doing a phenomenal job at stopping the run, as they are only giving up 64.5 yards a game.  They need to make sure they bring that same run-stopping defense against the Chargers and their powerful running game.  LaDainian Tomlinson is out with an ankle injury still, but Derron Sproles has been playing great for the Chargers.

Rivers is a talented quarterback and can rack up a lot yards, but he has thrown three interceptions already.  The Dolphins should try and pressure Rivers into making some of those mistakes this Sunday and try and get some turnovers.  Dolphins’ quarterback Chad Pennington has not done a whole lot through the air, but the Dolphins offense relies heavily on their the running game and their dangerous wildcat formations.  I think the Dolphins will have another strong game but will come up short once again, as the Chargers have too many weapons for the Dolphins to handle.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Dolphins 24, Chargers 31

The Dolphins executed a almost perfect game plan before falling to the Colts last night.  Things were looking good for the Fins last night when Dan Carpenter nailed a 45-yard FG with 3:50 left in the game to give them a 23-20 lead.  But, Peyton Manning then hit Pierre Garcon with a 48-yard TD just 32 seconds later to give the Colts a 27-23 lead.  Chad Pennington then led the Fins on a long drive which ended with them losing the game.  Chad Pennington was solid completing 22 of 33 passes for 183 yards with 0 TDs and a interception.  Ronnie Brown was a beast in this game as he carried the ball 24 times for 136 yards (5.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Brown did a great job of running the Wildcat Formation for the Fins last night often just running the ball himself.  Ricky Williams also ran the ball hard carrying the ball 19 times for 69 yards (3.6 ypc).  Patrick Cobbs was also all over the field.  He carried the ball 2 times for 23 yards (11.5 ypc) and he caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  Cobbs also returned 4 kickoffs for 91 yards (22.8 avg) against the Colts.  WR Ted Ginn caught 11 passes for 108 yards (9.8 avg) but he dropped a lot of balls that hit him in the hands including 2 in the end zone.  The Dolphins controlled the clock for an amazing 45:07 of this game as they finished with 403 total yards (239 rushing, 164 passing).

The defense was awful last night for the Dolphins as the Colts finished up with 356 total yards on offense (61 rushing, 295 passing) despite only having the ball for 14:53.  The Dolphins are now 0-2 on the season.

The Colts will have a much tougher time dealing with the Dolphins in Miami than they did last week with the Jags at home.  That means they must protect the football.  The Colts need more out of the running game from Joseph Addai and Donald Brown against a Dolphins’ D that held Michael Turner and the Falcons to 68 yards rushing and 2.5 yards per carry.  If the Colts can’t run the ball the Dolphins will be sending a lot of blitzers at Peyton Manning.  The Fins will no doubt be doubling Reggie Wayne the whole game but that doesn’t mean the Colts won’t be throwing to him.  In any event, Tony Gonzalez had a huge game against the Dolphins last week so look for Dallas Clark to be more heavily involved in the offense this week.

The Dolphins like to run the ball and throw short passes.  They need Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to have big games against the Colts’ D which allowed 114 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry.  If the Dolphins have success running the ball then look for Chad Pennington to attack them deep with some play action passing.  Pennington will stay with the short passing game if the Dolphins are not running the ball well. 

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 21, COLTS 20

The Dolphins played right into the Falcons hands last week and it cost them in the end.  With the Colts on deck the Dolphins will need to run the ball getting it into the hands of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.  Brown only carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards (4.3 ypc) and he caught the ball 3 times for 10 yards (3.3 avg).  He needs to touch the ball at least 20 times a game if the Dolphins are going to win this season like last year.  Ricky Williams carried the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg) with a TD.  Brown and Williams are the best two players on the offense and it’s dumb not to put the ball in their hands, period!

The Dolphins really looked flat on offense in this game and it cost them any chance to really compete with the Falcons.  Chad Pennington did not take many chances down the field in this game as he completed 21 of 29 passes for 176 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  The TD pass was during garbage time late in the 4th quarter.  The Fins couldn’t get the running game going either as they were playing from behind this whole game.  Ronnie Brown carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 10 yards.  Rickey Williams was a tad better than Brown carrying the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards with 1 TD.  WR Devone Bess led the way in the passing game for the Dolphins in this game finishing with 7 catches for 57 yards (8.1 avg) which shows just how short the Dolphins were keeping the pass routes.  TE Anthony Fasano played a game that would get many players cut as he caught 2 passes for 10 yards and lost two fumbles.  The Dolphins could only muster 259 total yards in this game (96 rushing, 163 passing) and that’s just not good enough to win football games!

The defense actually played well (at least against the run) which allowed the Fins to stay somewhat close in this game.  Safties Gibril Wilson (9 tackles) and Yeremiah Bell (8 tackles) led the way for the Dolphins D in this game.  The Falcons only finished with 281 total yards on offense in this game (68 rushing, 213 passing) but it was enough to win.  The Dolphins are now 0-1 on the season.

This should be a excellent football game tomorrow afternoon.  The Dolphins will likely try to pound the football on the ground with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams as they will try to control the clock.  That’s not a bad idea as the Falcons’ allowed 4.9 yards per carry last season.  Rookie DT Peria Jerry and 2nd year inside linebacker Curtis Lofton will be two of the players the Dolphins try to attack.  If the Dolphins get the running game going then Chad Pennington will work his play action magic attempting to get the ball downfield to Ted Ginn and rookie WR Brian Hartline.  The Dolphins must protect the football in this game because they can’t afford to get behind, period!

The Falcons will likely be more balanced than the Dolphins on offense.  That means that OLBs Jason Taylor and Joey Porter must get some heat on QB Matt Ryan.  The Fins still have to be careful with that as Tony Gonzalez could burn them on some short stuff in this game.  Safeties Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson of the Fins’ are hard hitters but they could have issues in dealing with Gonzalez.  RB Michael Turner will still be the focal point of the Falcons’ offense in this game so the Dolphins better tighten up the chinstraps.  Matt Ryan will also take a few shots deep to Roddy White so the Dolphins CBs could have long days.

PREDICTION:  ATLANTA FALCONS 27, MIAMI DOLPHINS 20

The Dolphins used a balanced offense and stout defense to beat the Saints last night.  Chad Pennington started the game and he completed 8 of 11 passes for 57 yards.  Chad Henne was also effective completing 11 of 16 passes for 89 yards.  Pat White finished up this game completing 2 of 6 passes for 13 yards.  Patrick Cobbs led the way on the ground for the Dolphins in this game as he carried the ball 9 times for 54 yards (6.0 avg) with a TD.  WR Devone Bess caught 5 passes for 39 yards (7.8 avg) in this game to lead the Fins.  The Dolphins finished up with 285 total yards in this game (139 rushing, 146 passing).

Linebackers William Kershaw (7 tackles, sack) and Charlie Anderson (4 tackles, 2 sacks) led the way for the Fins’ on D last night.  The Saints finished up with 234 total yards in this game (89 rushing, 145 passing).  The Dolphins were a perfect 4-0 in the pre-season.