With the final score of 27 to 17 the Miami Dolphins took their second straight pre season win, improving on last game's performance and gaining more practice as the regular season nears. A pre season win should not be taken too seriously, but the elements that led to that win are what should be considered.
The Dolphins were able to put together some successful offensive runs and score 15 more points than they did against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The highlights of the game included the five Wild Cat plays executed, Lex Hilliard's impressive rushing performance and the solid play from the QB unit.
When Ronnie Brown lined up at QB with 4:42 left in the first quarter the crowd quickly realized that the Wild Cat formation was in effect and began to rock the stadium with excitement and anticipation. The first and second tries didn't go too well as Brown went for a 3-yard rush followed by no gain, but the final three tries had more success - an 11-yard run by Ricky Williams, a 4-yard gain by Ronnie Brown and a 35-yard flea-flicker pass to Patrick Cobbs by Chad Pennington.
It is still debatable whether the Fins should or should not have used the Wild Cat in the pre season as teams can now study their plays even before the season starts. On one side you have the element of in-game practice, which are essential for proper execution during a regular season game, and on the other is the element of eliminating surprise since teams now have seen it all. It's likely that the Fins will scale back their Wild Cat plays in the last two games and keep a few tricks up their jersey sleeves, reserved for the real season.
On another note, Lex Hilliard continued to impress on Saturday night with 9 rushes for 52 yards and 1 TD along with 2 catches for 11 yards. His future with the team is still hanging in the balance as roster cuts approach. NFL team scouts were undoubtedly eyeing him, including scouts from the Cowboys and Vikings, so should he be cut there are takers already in line. With Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Patrick Cobbs loading up the RB position there seems to be no room for Lex. His explosive power runs may not be enough to earn him a spot on the Dolphins with the RB situation virtually locked up.
Speaking of locked up, the Fins quarterbacking core had a great showing overall as they combined for 20 of 30 in completions and 184 passing yards. Depth is now a viable word to describe Miami at the QB position. Pat White played in the second quarter, while Chad Henne played the entire second half - a change from last week's game that gave White and Henne different looks at the game. With two games still left in the pre season, expect Sparano to switch around Henne and White some more and give them a variety of situations to handle in preparation for the season's start.
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