Quotes about Samson and Miami's OL

About Samson starting as a rookie center, 10-year NFL vet LG Chris Liwinski said:
''He's got a lot of stuff on his shoulders, a lot of calls to make, a lot of things to understand. I think he's done a great job of adjusting to the NFL game.'' (Miami Herald)

MH Note: "Still, it's accurate to mention Satele first among the rookies and trumpeting the fact he starts. The center position requires more than just safely transferring the ball to the quarterback's hands and hitting the guy in front of you. It's not ideal to have a rookie in the job on a line with five guys either new to the roster or playing spots they didn't play last season."


About how Rex Hadnot (last year's starting C, now their starting RG) and the rest of their OL have helped him, Samson said:
''I had a lot of help from Rex, because he played center last year, Chris, all the guys up front. I can make a wrong call and Rex will tell me the right call. When [we go] into [the] meeting, he doesn't take the credit, but he knows that he did the right call.'' (MH)

MH Note: "Nobody is confusing Satele with Dwight Stephenson. But teams don't get their top two rushers above 5.0 yards a carry -- Brown at 5.1 and Jesse Chatman at 5.4 -- without strong clearance by the middle of the line."


About how their OL wants to prove their detractors wrong, Liwienski said:
"We all have a chip on our shoulder, knowing the offensive line has been the brunt of the joke around here for a couple of years." (Palm Beach Post)

PBP Note: "Everything is relative with an 0-8 team and a franchise with a recent history of abominable line play. Yet statistically, this O-line is one of the better ones in the NFL. The Dolphins are second in the NFL with an average of 4.9 yards per rush attempt and nine rushing TDs, a season after Miami scored only seven in 16 games. Miami's 278 pass attempts rank fourth in the NFL, yet the Dolphins have allowed just 14 sacks. Last season, they gave up 41."