Miami Dolphins Tickets

The Miami Dolphins stunned everyone by reaching the playoffs last year coming off of a 1-15 season, but this will be a team with a target on its back in 2009.

Quarterback Chad Pennington played well for much of the year but showed he still isn't capable of taking team to the next level after his dismal performance in the playoffs.

The Dolphins coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for their gimmicky offense that helped them steal some wins and get into the playoffs.

Miami will play the AFC South and NFC South, two divisions that have been among the NFL's best the past several seasons. It certainly won't be an easy task returning to the playoffs.

For the Dolphins, the first three games of the season are pretty brutal. The Dolphins open at Atlanta before returning home to face the Indianapolis Colts. Then it's back out on the road for a cross-country flight to San Diego. If Miami can go 1-2 over the stretch it would be a pretty big accomplishment.

Because the Dolphins won their division and reached the playoffs, their schedule is much more difficult this year than last year. In fact, the Dolphins get the Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers as the two random teams on their schedule. Ouch!

The Dolphins also finish the season with four very difficult games, first playing at Jacksonville and at Tennessee before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.

With Tom Brady now healthy in New England and a very difficult schedule, I don't think we will be seeing the same type of success this year for the Miami Dolphins as last year's surprising division title.