Within the span of the next week, the Miami Dolphins will have played their final game of 2011 and will already have begun making preparations for 2012 and beyond.  The Dolphins have a lot of big decisions on the horizon that will play a huge part in the direction the team heads.  But before those decisions are made, there is some work left to do on the football field on Sunday.

Actually, before Sunday’s game, there will be an organized fan protest against Jeff Ireland.  And by protest we mean there will be a huge airplane carrying a sign that reads: “Mr Ross, Save our Dolphins, Fire Jeff Ireland”.  The plane will fly for 2 hours before the game kicks off. So if you’re there, look up!

Then the game will kick off and it will be the Dolphins, playing for pride, against the Jets, playing for playoff hope.  The Dolphins will have extra motivation for this game, as it will be the last for an all time great Dolphin, Jason Taylor.  Taylor is loved and respected in the locker room and his Dolphins teammates will want nothing more than to send JT out on a high note, by crushing the Jets playoff dreams.  As you know, the Jets not only need to beat the Dolphins, but they need help from 3 other NFL cities (Bengals loss, Titans loss, and a loss by the Broncos or Raiders).

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Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall is looking forward to his upcoming rematch with Darelle Revis.  Against Revis, in the Dolphins first matchup with the Jets, Marshall caught 6 balls for 109 yards.  However, there is on play, in particular, that stood out in that game.  The play is right around the 1:00 mark in the below video:

 

At the time of the play the Dolphins were leading 3-0 and that pick 6 by Revis turned the tide in the game that the Dolphins eventually lost 20-9.  The question is, was it a penalty?  Brandon Marshall and many others think it was.  Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski both think thought it was a penalty during the game broadcast.  The week after the game, Revis was interviewed by Mike Francesa in New York and was VERY adamant about it not being a penalty.  Here’s the interview for your enjoyment…It got so heated that Revis was asked ON THE AIR by a Jets PR staffer, to hang up the phone and end the interview.

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The NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters on Tuesday and 2 Miami Dolphins made the cut.  The Dolphins #1 receiver, Brandon Marshall, was selected as one of the AFC’s wide receivers.  He will be a reserve in the Pro Bowl Game.  Jake Long, meanwhile, was selected as a starting offensive tackles (along with Joe Thomas).  This marks the 4th straight year long has been selected to a Pro Bowl, meaning he’s been selected every year he’s been in the league.  However, it’s unlikely that the Dolphins franchise LT will play in the Pro Bowl game, after tearing his bicep on Sunday.

While Jake Long made the Pro Bowl, he has struggled at points this season.  If you’ve been watching Dolphins games this season, you know that Long made this Pro Bowl on his reputation and out of respect his opponents have for him.  Remember, fan voting counted for only 1/3 of the final vote.  Whether it was from an assortment of injuries or from the rest of the line crumbling around him, Long has not played up to the level we’ve become accustomed to.  Jake struggled early with knee issues and then was hampered with a troublesome back.  Finally, it was a torn biceps injury suffered in the Dolphins 27-24 loss to the Patriots, that ended his season.  Hopefully, a full offseason of rehab and rest will allow Jake to come back and give the Dolphins the All Pro Left Tackle they’ve had for the last 3 years.

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The Miami Dolphins were unable to play spoiler on the Patriots attempt to gain a bye in the playoffs.  The Dolphins looked great in the first half, jumping out to a 17-0 lead.  But in the second half, things fell apart and the Dolphins couldn’t stop Tom Brady or the no huddle offense.  Now, in the grand finale of the season, the Dolphins will get another chance to ruin their opponent’s season.  The Dolphins have a chance to end the Jets playoff hopes.

The Jets controlled their own destiny entering week 16.  However, their loss to the Giants took their destiny out of their hands.  In fact, they need A LOT of help to get into the 2011 postseason.  The Jets need 4 things to happen in order to get into the playoffs…They get in if they beat the Dolphins AND the Bengals lose AND the Titans lose AND either the Broncos or Raiders lose.  The Bengals play the Ravens, the Titans play the Texans, the Broncos play the Chiefs, and the Raiders play the Chargers.  That’s probably asking a lot, but nothing is impossible. The one way the Dolphins can ensure that the Jets DON’T make the playoffs is if they beat them on Sunday.

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It’s not secret that the Miami Dolphins will be looking for a young QB in the April NFL Draft.  Well, the way things sound right now, there could be a few less options for the Dolphins in the first round.  The buzz on twitter is that Robert Griffin III, Matt Barkley, and Landry Jones could ALL be returning to school for their senior season.  This means that there will probably be only one QB taken in the top 10 of the draft, Andrew Luck.

The following 2 tweets are courtesy of @TonyPauline:

“This comes as a shock to me but sources from So Cal tell me the word is Matt Barkley reversed course and is likely to stay at USC.”

“Also- as of today the word is Robert Griffin III/Baylor & Landry Jones/Oklahoma will also return to school. Could change, still interesting.”

The Dolphins currently reside in the draft order, around pick #9 or #10.  The exact order will depend on a lot of factors, but primarily if the Dolphins finish the season with a 5-11, 6-10, or 7-9 record.  It will also depend on what teams ahead of the Dolphins are also looking for a young quarterback.

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