Visions of Super Bowls VII and XVII will be in the air on Saturday evening, as the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins face off at Pro Player Stadium in an NFL preseason matchup. The Dolphins and Redskins met in two memorable Super Bowls, with Don Shula and Miami winning their first title, 14-7, following the 1972 season, and running back John Riggins leading Washington to a 27-17 victory after the 1982 campaign. The Redskins' coach in the latter contest, Joe Gibbs, will take part in the third preseason contest of his second stint with the Redskins. Gibbs coached the franchise from 1981 to 1992, and returned to the nation's capital this season after an 11-year hiatus.
The host Dolphins will be looking to build upon an encouraging 16-5 victory over Jacksonville in their preseason debut last Saturday. Without running back Ricky Williams, who retired prior to training camp, Dave Wannstedt's team emphasized the passing game. Quarterbacks Jay Fiedler (7-11 passing, 89 yards) and A.J. Feeley (8-12, 105 yards, 1 INT), who are locked in a battle for the starting signal-caller's job, both played well as did third-stringer Sage Rosenfels (7-10, 70 yards, 1 INT). The running game was slower in Williams' absence, as Travis Minor (5 carries, 0 yards) and Sammy Morris (6 carries, 12 yards) each struggled to find room. The Dolphins did a fine job on the defensive end, holding the Jaguars out of the end zone for the game.
The Redskins have thus far split a pair of preseason contests, dropping a 23-20 overtime decision to defending NFC champion Carolina in their most recent action this past Saturday. Washington quarterbacks combined to complete just 16 of 41 passes with four interceptions, and neither Mark Brunell (6-15 passing, 119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) nor Patrick Ramsey (4-11, 62 yards, 1 INT) did anything to solidify top signal-caller status. Running back Clinton Portis, obtained from Denver in the offseason via trade, saw limited action, rushing five times for 15 yards. Defensively, the Redskins allowed 242 passing yards, in part leading to the team cutting safety Ifeanyi Ohalete earlier this week. Rookie safety Sean Taylor, who picked off a pair of passes in his preseason debut, will be among those attempting to pick up the slack. Linebacker Mike Barrow (knee) is among the notable defenders expected to miss Saturday's contest.
Miami holds a 9-4 edge in the all-time preseason series, including a 19-16 victory in the teams' most recent head-to-head matchup, in 1998. The Dolphins also lead the regular season series, 6-3, with last year's 24-23 victory serving as the most recent installment of the rivalry.
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