KC Vs Miami Facts

Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs (-3 1/2, 33 1/2)



Offensive uncertainty

There may not be any teams that have more questions to answer on offense than the Dolphins and Chiefs. Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards is still undecided as to who will be his starting quarterback come Week 1 of the regular season and his No. 1 running back still hasn’t reported to camp.

Larry Johnson, who rushed for 1,789 yards last season, has repeatedly said he won’t return to the team until he gets a new deal.

“I’m cautiously optimistic a deal will get concluded, but exactly when I can’t tell you,” Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson told the Kansas City Star. “I would say we’re still communicating. Are we real close? Not from where I sit now.”

Bettors should expect to see heavy doses of RBs Michael Bennett and rookie Kolby Smith in tonight’s matchup. Veteran Priest Holmes' comeback attempt may be done. He will not play tonight and, once Johnson returns, Holmes will probably be cut.

A diamond in the rough?

The Fish are settled at the tailback position will Ronnie Brown as the No.1 and third-round pick Lorenzo Booker waiting in the wings, but the story of training camp has been the play of Jesse Chatman.

The 27-year-old was picked up in the off-season in the hopes he might be able to make the team. After working his butt off for three weeks he’ll be the first to relieve Brown on tonight.

Miami head coach Cam Cameron saw firsthand in his days with the San Diego Chargers what Chatman was capable of doing. In 2004, Chatman averaged six yards per carry, totaling 390 yards and scoring three touchdowns as LaDainian Tomlinson’s top backup.

Chatman didn’t have one rushing attempt in either of the last two seasons because of a weight problem. He’s trimmed things down but still carries a heavy load. He led the Dolphins in rushing with 88 yards on only six carries last weekend.

Look for the 5-foot-8, 221-pound back to be tattooing Kansas City defenders in the second quarter.

Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down

Cameron is unhappy with the progression of his offensive line after a poor performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The coach says his line has to get better conditioned to avoid a repeat performance.

“We don’t have a first offensive line,” he told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel after practice Tuesday. “I’m not going to talk about who we’re playing (against the Chiefs) yet.”

Drew Mormino, Chris Liwienski and Anthony Alabi took snaps at left tackle on Tuesday while Cameron sorts out who will play in case injured LT Veron Carey is a no-go.

“I heard some cracking, and my knee is weak,” Carey said. “It is a young line, and we have to mold together, so I have to push through it. I get a lot of heat from the coaches to get the young unit moving.”

Carey practiced Tuesday and he’s expected to start tonight, but it looks like Cameron will have a few options if Carey pulls up lame.

Winning attitude

There are few NFL coaches who will tell you that winning in the preseason is important to them. Herman Edwards is not one of those coaches.

“When they turn the clock on and keep score, I want to win,” Edwards told reporters before the Chiefs' preseason opener. “Are you kidding me? This is why, and I tell it to the young player. I tell him: ‘You’ve got to show me and all your teammates that you can win a football game.’ That’s why we’re here. We’re not here to have tea parties and watch movies. We’re here to win.

“I always tell players, it’s better for everybody when you win. You get the night off. You can poke your chest out a little. And you don’t have to sit there and say, ‘Well, our starters played well.’ I don’t like saying that stuff. Win the game! If you win the game, nobody can say anything.”

The Chiefs didn’t win and failed to cover in their first preseason game, but Edwards has a track record for success in the exhibition season. He has a career 17-8 record straight up and 16-9 against the spread.

No sour grapes here

Miami players are unbothered by the prospect of veteran defensive players Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor and Keith Traylor sitting out their second consecutive preseason game tonight.

“If they want to play, they’ll play,” linebacker Channing Crowder told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel. “There’s no reason to go out there. Those guys are kind of geriatrics so you don’t want to go out there and get hurt. They’re great players. It’s not worth it, especially (if) Zach’s ankle is tweaked … Jason’s thumb and (Traylor), his whole body’s messed up. No matter what happens it’s going to be 0-0 after the game."

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