On the surface, a 23-17 preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers seems meaningless. But with just three weeks until the opening of the 2012 regular season campaign, Friday night's loss highlighted a myriad of problems facing the Miami Dolphins.
The offense looked stagnant although rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill looked more than capable and ready to assume starting signal caller duties from under center. But the offensive line looked awful blocking as Tannehill was sacked four times in the first half.
The running game was nonproductive as five players combined to rush for 37 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries and the receiving corps was led by by Marcus Thigpen who tallied just 40 yards on three receptions.
Perhaps the Chad Johnson fiasco served as a distraction to the team last week, so it remains to be seen if Friday night's performance was just an anomaly or indicative of greater problems.
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