Ron Borges

The Dolphins haven't made the playoffs in five years and haven't won a division title in six. This might not be the season they do either again, but there is reason for optimism in the second year of Nick Saban's rehabilitation of the Dolphins because quarterback Daunte Culpepper has been a pleasant surprise.

Going into training camp Culpepper's health was the team's biggest question mark, but he's done enough under fire to prove his surgically repaired knee is whole again and so is his psyche. A year ago, journeyman Gus Frerotte led Miami to a 9-7 record. He's gone to St. Louis and Saban considered replacing him with free agent Drew Brees. But he was concerned about the torn labrum Brees suffered in his final game as a Charger and opted for Culpepper's knee, which suffered three torn ligaments last season and had to be reconstructed. That move was a gamble that looks like it might pay off, because if he's close to the guy who used to make big things happen with both his arm and his legs, the Dolphins will be greatly improved on offense from a year ago.

Running back Ronnie Brown also has to show he can carry the full load of the Dolphins running game. By the end of last season, mercurial Ricky Williams seemed to be the superior back, but he was suspended again for a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse program. Now Williams has to prove he's not as fragile. If he can't handle 300 or so touches and his body breaks down, it will put too much pressure on the passing game because there's little depth behind Brown. His 207 rushes a year ago were the most he had since high school. No one knows yet if he can handle a full workload.

Defensively, Saban's on-going rebuilding process will be aided by the presence of new defensive coordinator Dom Capers, but neither of them can play in the secondary or along a defensive line that has five players over 30, including 37-year-old nose tackle Keith Traylor and 33-year-old Dan Wilkinson. The addition of Big Daddy bolsters the run defense in a big way. He can fill two gaps and then some. He gives Miami a stronger interior line rotation of run stuffers, which will make them tougher and help their linebackers stay in one piece by swallowing up blockers.

The secondary has also been overhauled but with less of a sure thing.

Miami's once shutdown combination of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain at cornerback is gone, Madison being the latest to leave. Free agent Will Allen figures to step in for him, but he's slower and no Madison. Saban lost four players from the secondary by his choice — Madison, Tebucky Jones, Reggie Howard and Lance Schulters — but it's unclear if they improved themselves with Allen, Andre Goodman, Renaldo Hill and Deke Cooper, plus No. 1 pick Jason Allen. Change is in the air in the secondary, but is improvement? Nothing seen guarantees the latter.

Allen has yet to crack the starting lineup, which was predictable.

More important, Travis Daniels and Allen haven't reminded anyone of Surtain and Madison at their best. This situation bears continued watching early in the season because Saban's defense puts an emphasis on multiple coverages, which can cause problems if everyone is not on the same page.

Overall, though, this is a much better looking team in September than it was in July because of Culpepper.

Hot seat

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Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper is coming off both a severe knee injury (three torn ligaments) and an abysmal season of both on-the-field failures and off-the-field hysteria. When the Dolphins decided to sign him, they believed he could return to his Pro Bowl play of two years ago, when he threw for over 5,000 yards. Because of the presence of a strong cast around him, both on offense and defense, much is expected of him. Culpepper will be running the same offense he did in Minnesota, so there's no excuses about learning the system. This is his team to lead, and he seemed well capable of doing it physically and mentally this summer. Now the real games begin and we'll see.

Overheard
For all Saban's know-how on defense, the hiring of Dom Capers as defensive coordinator is considered by many to be the biggest offseason move in Miami. Capers washed out as a head coach in Carolina and Houston, but he is one of the most innovative minds when it comes to using the 3-4 defense to its best advantages. He'll be trying to improve a defense ranked 18th in the league last year while also ridding it of age in the secondary. The addition of Wilkinson is a mighty big help literally as well as figuratively.

Outlook
Bright as the south Florida sun. The Dolphins closed with a rush, winning their final six games. Their team began to grasp both Saban's demands and his system by season's end. Now they have a much better quarterback to lead a potent offense, a solid left tackle in L.J. Shelton and a leaner and meaner one at right tackle in slimmed-down Vernon Carey. The offense is ready to rock and the defense is ready to roll, so the Patriots better watch out.

Prediction
Second.

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