Ross D. Franklin / Reuters file

With Executive Vice President of Football Operations Parcells looking over everyone's shoulders, the degree of accountability will be raised in Miami this season, writes Dan Pompei.

Dan Pompei

The new Dolphins have the fingerprints of Bill Parcells all over them, from the new head coach, to the offensive and defensive systems, to the style of players acquired.

The Dolphins couldn't address every big problem in one offseason. They still have a major question mark at the quarterback position, where second year man John Beck will compete with free agent pick up Josh McCown and second round pick Chad Henne.

The larger question: Will it matter who plays quarterback? New general manager Jeff Ireland has said one of the reasons the team chose offensive tackle Jake Long with the first pick in the draft and not quarterback Matt Ryan was because the Dolphins believed they had to be able to block before they could throw.

Indeed, Ireland has paid a lot of attention to both Dolphins' lines, bringing in two veteran defensive linemen (Jason Ferguson and Randy Starks) and two veteran offensive linemen (Justin Smiley and Steve McKinney) and then drafting three defensive linemen (Phillip Merling, Kendall Langford and Lionel Dotson) and three offensive linemen (Long, Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas).

The Dolphins might not be ready to overtake the Patriots in the AFC East, but everyone knows they are not the same team that won only one game last season. The Dolphins are a bigger, more physical team with players who fit the schemes better.

And with Parcells looking over everyone's shoulders, the degree of accountability will be raised.

Without a doubt, we can say it's going to be an interesting season in Miami.

Hot seat
Beck is in a tough position. He proved nothing his rookie year. Now he's playing for a head coach and general manager who did not draft him and have no vested interest in seeing him succeed.

The Dolphins signed a veteran in McCown who undoubtedly is more savvy and capable of immediate results. McCown is widely regarded as the favorite to start heading into camp. And the team also drafted a player who could be the quarterback of the future in Henne.

Unless Beck lights it up early and consistently, he's likely to find himself lost in the commotion.

It will not be easy for any quarterback to play consistently in this setting: the receivers are substandard, the blocking will be questionable and everyone is trying to learn Dan Henning's new offense.

Overheard at camp
The Dolphins have a potentially effective running back combination of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. But they have to question if they can count on either player.

Between them, they played eight games last year.

Brown has been a pretty good back when he's played, but he hasn't made it through a full season in three years in the league and is trying to come back from a surgically reconstructed knee. He missed one game in 2005 and three games in 2006, and has rushed for more than 1,000 yards only once.

Williams is a 31-year old back who is one bad drug test away from a very long suspension. He has 758 NFL rushing yards over the last three years.

Many wonder how the quirky Williams will get along with Parcells once the bullets start flying.

Comings and goings
Zach Thomas has been a cornerstone of the Dolphins for more than a decade, and the Dolphins will have a hard time replacing his presence, leadership and production.

Thomas wasn't the only mainstay shown the door. Also swept out in the housecleaning were wide receiver Marty Booker, defensive tackle Keith Traylor, offensive linemen L.J. Shelton and Rex Hadnot and quarterback Cleo Lemon.

The Dolphins granted defensive end/linebacker Jason Taylor's wishes to be moved, trading him to the Washington Redskins.

Prediction
If any team ever were in a rebuilding mode, it is the 2008 Dolphins. They are not being built to win now, rather, they are being built to win in two or three years. Give Parcells and company time, and they will turn this team around. But they do need time.

Look for the Dolphins to make solid gains this year, and for them to figure out where they need more help. Even if they only win five games, it will be called progress.

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