The real news came with the starters in the first half. Carolina pulled their starters about midway through the second quarter after Panthers QB Cam Newton led three scoring drives for 17 points, missing on only 3 pass attempts during his time on the field. The Panthers went from looking rusty and lethargic against the Texans to midseason form against the Dolphins – all in the space of a week. The Panthers look like they are shaping up well overall.

It’s another story for the Dolphins, and perhaps a rude awakening that they are going to go through some pains no matter who starts at QB for them.

Rookie QB Ryan Tannehill struggled with the first team but led them on their only TD drive of the night, a nice 15-play drive. Tannehill was 11/23 for 100 yards while Matt Moore was 5/15 for 57 yards. Pat Devlin, the practice squad QB for the past few years, finished 13/20 for 118 yards and a TD and an INT.

Carolina’s pass rush actually showed up last night, but I watched the entire game. I didn’t see so much “great play” by Carolina…I saw rookie RT Jonathan Stewart struggling with pretty much everything. In the second quarter, he gave up sacks on consecutive plays while a reserve LT whose name I didn’t catch gave up a sack on the other side 2 plays later.

The Dolphins also couldn’t get their running game going at all. Again, good news for Panthers fans, but I think it was more due to the ongoing offensive installation with Philbin’s new system than anything the Panthers did that was so great. It did appear that DT Ron Edwards is indeed a difference maker with several good, savvy plays last night.

With no running game and defenders in your face due to missed blocks or assignments, it would be difficult for any coach to evaluate the QB situation in Miami. Tannehill does have the better arm, more mobility, and overall is a much better athlete than Matt Moore. I’d rate their performances equally bad, with Tannehill’s being slightly less bad since Moore had a little more time in the pocket playing with his second team, facing Carolina’s second-team defense.

Coach Philbin has to be pulling out the several hairs on his head that he has left. Last night did nothing to help his decision as to his starter for opening day. I still think it’s Tannehill, but there are 2 games left.

The Panthers jumped out to a 17-0 lead when the first teams faced off and clearly demonstrated that the Panthers have an identity while the Dolphins are still searching for theirs, but that’s not unusual. Last season, the Panthers were in roughly the same spot as Miami is this year and it showed. Carolina knew what they were doing while Miami looked confused and just never got in synch.

As a sportswriter, I’m certainly wrong enough, but boy do I love it when I’m right. Here’s text I pulled from an article I posted here back on May 10th, titled “Kuechly, Tannehill: The Search For ‘George:’”

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April 28, 2012; Davie, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins first round draft pick quarterback Ryan Tannehill holds up a jersey next to his wife Lauren Ufer during a press conference at the Dolphins training facility. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Any excuse to put up a photo of Lauren Tannehill is a good one.

I thought it interesting so many draft “experts” claim that Tannehill was “at least a year away” from starting.

I happen to think he’ll be starting from Day One. Can some people not think beyond what’s in front of them? Sherman was ALWAYS Tannehill’s old college coach, no?

As I have said before, he comes into Miami in as unique a situation of any QB drafted in the NFL. By now, it’s common knowledge Miami OC Mike Sherman was his college coach.

What people didn’t seem to grasp until recently is what that means. It means Tannehill already has had 2 years of learning under Sherman and in fact it will be Tannehill helping teach the VETERANS some of the finer points of this offense. More than 2 years if you count the time he was a WR, in fact.

Tannehill’s work will come more in film study, learning the NFL’s complex defenses, and how to defeat them. And praying for WRs to fall to Miami from heaven or wherever because they need them badly. Late-round rookies aren’t gonna cut it.

editor’s note: 8/17 – The Dolphins had since signed Chad Johnson, then cut him this week due to all-too-well-known sad events recently

He has recently stated “80% to 85% of the offense is the same” as what he ran in college. He knows the verbiage going in, and knows what Mike Sherman expects from his players.

He also has both the other Miami QBs beaten badly in his physical tools that cannot be coached. This is what provides him with his real edge – specifically, his mobility and ability to throw on the run. With an OL that was upgraded in the offseason and draft, it should be the strength of the Miami offense – WR sure as heck isn’t.

Add to that recipe the fact that Reggie Bush is a great checkdown receiver and Lamar Miller is coming in from Miami (college) and he’s a capable receiver, and the Dolphins appear on the road to forming an identity. I just think Tannehill will be the one directing it from the start. No offense to Matt Moore, who played well last season, but when you draft a guy this high it’s hard to keep him benched IF he knows and can run the offense.

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It would appear the words I wrote over three months ago are revealing themselves to be more and more true. While Tannehill hasn’t officially locked up the starting gig in week one, at this point I’d actually be surprised if he doesn’t. As I had said, Tannehill’s physical talents cannot be matched by either of the other QBs on the roster and he has outplayed Moore both in practice and in his first preseason game.

Unless he struggles mightily against a Panther defense that struggled against the Texans’ first-team offense (other than the goal-line stand), the job should be his to lose after tonight. Then there’s theory and there’s fact.

We’ll know what the facts are after tonight’s contest. Tannehill should play the entire first half with Moore playing in the second half. With a good showing next week against the Atlanta Falcons, who have a more evolved, veteran defense, he should solidify his claim.

Then again, we’re not sure quite yet and will know more in about 9 days.

That’s why they play the game.

The troubled 34 year old will likely have great difficulty in finding a new team due to several factors, not the least of which is that his wife intends to press charges.

Johnson, who had 15 catches with the New England Patriots last season, was released by them and picked up by the receiver-poor Miami Dolphins in an attempt to shore up the position somewhat. Neither of last year’s starting WRs have been present. Brandon Marshall was traded to Chicago in order to head off exactly the sort of thing Chad Johnson wound up bringing – massive off-the-field distraction and negative publicity.

Brian Hartline has yet to play any due to a calf injury and will probably miss the next preseason game against the Panthers, so Chad’s absence from the team leaves them with Legedu Naanee at one outside position, experienced and crafty but physically limited veteran slot receiver Davone Bess, and little else.

With project TE Zac Efron’s blocking struggles, Miami Head Coach Joe Philbin might entertain moving him to wideout, where he’d have a size and weight advantage against corners while having 4.4 speed. Interesting idea, but we’ll have to wait and see if that’s in the cards.

In the end, Chad Johnson may very well have another chance to make a roster somewhere, but probably not until after the season starts and injuries begin to hit. In any case, the legal part is going to have to play out before anyone will probably take a chance on him.

Statistically, Johnson has had a nice career and was one of the league’s most dangerous threats starting in 2001 until just a few years ago. He’s had 6 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from ’02-07 and one more in ’09 – all with the Cincinnati Bengals.

He’s had 766 receptions for 11,059 yards for a very respectable 14.4 yds/rec average and 67 TDs over his career.