Dolphins Travel To Tampa As 2 1/2 Point Underdogs

NFL News - August 27th, 2009 - Written by Scott Mills

This year's preseason has gone fairly well for the Miami Dolphins who will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs tonight at Raymond James Stadium for their first road game. The Dolphins (2-0) and starting quarterback Chad Pennington, with two games remaining on their preseason schedule, will look to keep improving on their 11-5 record in 2008. Last year, the Dolphins greatly improved on their 1-15 record in 2007 by making it to the wild card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, sadly resulting in a loss for the Dolphins. Back up quarterback Chad Henne will continue to get his snaps as he tries to solidify his claim as the future for the Dolphins. The Dolphin defense continues to bring steady play though their first two preseason games as well only giving up 13 points a game.

The Tampa Bay Bucs enter tonights game with a preseason record of 1-1. With the starting quarterback position still up in the air, Luke McCown will try to ink his name in this role while battling with veteran Byron Leftwich and rookie Josh Freeman. Sources say that Leftwich and Freeman still have a chance to end up on another team's roster should the Bucs choose to trade them. This makes their individual performances quite crucial for their future with the team. Raheem Morris said that both Leftwich and McCown will play roughly a quarter and a half, giving the two an equal amount of playing time. Leftwich will get the start. Running back Cadillac will get the starting job tonight just sseven months after major knee surgery. Last year, the Bucs ended the year at 9-7 and failed to defend the NFC South Championship and missed the Playoffs. Some key departures during the offseason included head coach Jon Gruden and All Pro linebacker Derrick Brooks. Even though it is preseason, the defense has given up over 20 points in their first two games.

Tonight's game should be an interesting matchup between these two state rival teams. The game can be seen live on Fox at 8 pm Est. Look for the Dolphins' defense to make the unsettled quarterback spot for Tampa Bay even more difficult to find a starter. There no injuries to report from either team also. Miami has never been the underdog in a preseason game this year. Tonight, however, the Dolphins will play this role as the Bucs are favored by 2 1/2. The over/under for tonight's matchup is set at 37 according to Bodog.com.

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