2010 Miami Dolphins: NFL Predictions and 2011 Super Bowl Odds

The 2010 Miami Dolphins had a nice playoff season in the 2008 debut of coach Tony Sparano but were derailed by injuries in 2009 to finish 7-9 straight up and 8-8 against the spread. Just 6 of their games went UNDER the betting total in NFL predictions. Online sportsbooks have opened with Miami as a 30-1 shot to win in 2011 Super Bowl odds with an over/under regular season win total of 8.5 (-115). Those opening NFL odds may prove to be a bargain as the Dolphins may sneak under the radar to a big year, much like their AFC East Division rival New York Jets did last year. The key will be quarterback Chad Henne. Henne got plenty of playing time last year after starting QB Chad Pennington went down to injury early in the year.

Henne has plenty of physical ability and a rocket like arm but must improve on his 12/14 TD/INT ratio. A key addition to help Henne will be receiver Brandon Marshall, who was acquired from Denver. The Dolphins had the 4th ranked rushing attack in NFL betting last year as veteran Ricky Williams was outstanding with1121 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 4.8 yards per carry average. The Dolphins have run the Wildcat offense a great deal but the addition of Marshall and Henne’s likely maturation mean that a more conventional attack should be expected.

The defense ranked 25th in points allowed, which must be improved upon in 2010 if the Dolphins are to come back to playoff status. The highly respected Mike Nolan takes over as defensive coordinator for the fired Paul Pasqualoni, however, which means improvement is expected. With the gambling public’s attention focused on the Jets and Patriots in NFL predictions, the Dolphins could offer excellent betting value, especially early in the season. With Marshall and Nolan added to the team, Miami may be back in the post season for 2010 and as a profitable commodity on the board.