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The quarterbacking duel between new Jet Brett Favre and Jets castoff Chad Pennington takes center stage in this AFC East battle. Pennington landed in Miami shortly after Favre’s arrival in the Big Apple, and he inherits an offense bereft of individual talent. Dolphins executive VP of football operations Bill Parcells is in Stage One of a multiyear reclamation project, and the hope is that he can do for the Fins what he did for Gang Green a decade ago.
Jets offense vs. Dolphins defense: Favre’s still-developing comfort with Brian Schottenheimer’s offense will likely keep things simple in Week One. The myriad formations that the Jets have in store won’t be fully unleashed, but that’s not to say that the downfield element that Favre’s superior arm strength brings to the table won’t be showcased; the Dolphins are suspect throughout their reconstructed defense, and cornerback is no exception. The 3-4 defense Parcells and Co. have brought to South Florida will struggle to put pressure on Favre without heavy blitzing, and sending OLBs Joey Porter and Charlie Anderson in off the corner will open things up for rookie TE Dustin Keller and WRs Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery in the intermediate areas.
Dolphins offense vs. Jets defense: Pennington’s incredibly accurate, but his lack of arm strength and the Fins’ lack of playmaking receivers will keep the offense shackled against an improved defense. The one thing the Dolphins did consistently well a season ago was involving the running backs in the passing game, and they’ll look to utilize that strategy against an athletic Jets LB corps, but one that could get caught out of position as they adjust to their new roles. The power running game Miami wants to establish will hinge largely on how much help C Samson Satele needs to contend with massive NT Kris Jenkins.
Special teams: With Leon Washington and Justin Miller, the Jets boast two of the top returners in the game. They have a chance to destroy the Dolphins’ coverage units, which were abused a season ago, if the Fins' player and coaching personnel adjustments in the offseason don’t produce immediately. Dolphins KR-PR Ted Ginn Jr. needs better help from his convoy of blockers if he’s to make good on his enormous potential.
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