SB Nation - Randy Starks

Defense leads the way as Dolphins defeat Jaguars

Matty I — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:40:15 -0000

Miami's defense did an excellent job of containing MJD.

This is the time of the year where you take wins any way you can get them. While it wasn't pretty at all and sure was stressful at times, the Dolphins went up to Jacksonville and knocked off a Jaguars team that had just one home loss all season heading into Sunday, improving to 6-0 in December under head coach Tony Sparano.

In doing so, the Dolphins did what they were looking to do - make next week's game in Tennessee against the Titans yet another important must-win game as they look to work their way into the playoffs. As for the playoff picture itself, there's some info about that below. But enjoy the fact that as Dolphin fans, we have yet another meaningful December football game to look forward to. After starting 0-3, that's all us fans can ask for.

Just keep winning. Pretty or ugly. Big win or nail-biter. Doesn't matter to me. Just keep winning.

It's all about the defense
Earlier this week, we talked about how important it would be to contain Maurice Jones-Drew. He's the most explosive player on that Jacksonville offense and the Dolphins were struggling against the run over the past few weeks. Heading into the game, the Dolphins were allowing an average of 127 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry over their last five. But on Sunday, we saw this Miami defense make a stand. Actually, we saw them make multiple stands, holding Jones-Drew to just 59 yards rushing (3.3 ypc) in the process.

Perhaps the most impressive stat on Sunday, though, was how the Dolphins held the Jaguars to just 4/17 on third or fourth down. That's ridiculous, really. And it's just proof of how dominant this defense was and of why this game really shouldn't have been as close as it was.

Quite frankly, we saw this Dolphin defense dominate on Sunday. It's that simple. The Jaguars had just 217 yards of offense. Of that total, 63 yards came on one play. On that play, Sean Smith did a poor job of biting on the double move. But it's important to note that Gibril Wilson was really the guy who blew the coverage. He was supposed to have inside contain in that bracket coverage. But he also "took the cheese" of the Torry Holt double move, allowing Holt to make the big play. Of course, the defense rebounded by holding Jacksonville to a field goal on that drive.

The Jags gained 68 yards on that drive. They also gained 62 yards on their third possession of the game - which ended on a MJD touchdown run. But on Jacksonville's 10 other possessions, the Jaguars gained just 87 yards of offense and averaged just 2.4 yards per play. Those 10 possessions include the Jaguars going "3 and out" on 6 of their first 8 possessions. That, my friends, is domination.

The defense also put together their second consecutive scoreless fourth quarter. In doing so, the Dolphins limited Jacksonville's offense to just 57 yards of offense on four fourth quarter possessions. That's how you win football games even when your offense sputters in the second half. Kudos to every single player on that defense (except for maybe Gibril Wilson) for an outstanding performance.

The "Henne to Camarillo" connection
All season long, I've been waiting (and hoping) to see the Greg Camarillo we saw last season before he went down with his knee injury. On Sunday, I saw that Camarillo. It was a terrific sight to see.

Camarillo picked on this Jaguar secondary all game long, catching all seven passes that were thrown his way for 110 yards. This was Camarillo's best game since the game against Denver last season. And now after just catching three passes from week 10 against Tampa through week 12's loss to Buffalo, it seems as though Chad Henne is finally getting more comfortable with Camarillo - who has 11 catches for 171 yards over his last two.

Speaking of Henne, he's progressing pretty nicely, huh? No Dolphins quarterback has ever completed more consecutive passes in a game than Henne did on Sunday when he connected on 17 straight pass attempts - tying a team record set by Chad Pennington last season. But CP did it over the span of two games. And five of those 17 completions went to none other than the aforementioned Camarillo.

Yes, I know Henne also threw what could have been a costly fourth quarter interception. But again - I'm not too worried about it. I've seen enough from Henne to know that he'll learn from that mistake and he'll get better. The kid's gotten better every week. His accuracy is getting more consistent as the weeks go by. He looks more and more in command of this offense every time he steps on the field. And really, that interception was just a poor read - something he'll fix when he sees the film. But all in all, I continue to be impressed week in and week out with Henne - who is now 7-3 as a starting quarterback.

AFC Playoff Picture
For the Dolphins, it's pretty simple. First of all, they have to win their last three games. If they slip up, then it'll be very hard to squeak into the playoffs.

But the Dolphins can't get into the playoffs by just winning their last three. They need some help. In a nut shell, the Dolphins need either a Patriots loss OR a Ravens loss. If the Dolphins win out and NE was to lose once, the Fins would be division champs. If the Dolphins win out AND the Pats win out, then the Dolphins would need the Ravens to lose one game. If that was to happen, the Dolphins make it in as a wildcard.

So that's the situation. Three Dolphins wins AND either a Patriots loss OR a Ravens loss and the Fins are in the post-season.

QUICK HITS
More random quick thoughts on Sunday's win:

Interesting stat courtesy of Ethan Skolnick. The Dolphins faced 15 offensive 3rd downs. But their average distance "to go" on 3rd down was just 4.4 yards. And on 10 of those 3rd downs, the Dolphins needed just 3 yards or less. That's how you keep the chains moving. You put yourself in manageable 3rd downs by gaining positive yardage on first and second downs.
Ricky Williams went over 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in five games. But that doesn't overshadow his three fumbles. Luckily only one resulted in a turnover. But that one turnover cost the Dolphins at least a field goal attempt. This is nothing new with Ricky, though. Williams has fumbled 45 times on 2,422 career touches - or one fumble every 53.8 touches.
Speaking of mistakes, this game should not have been this close. But the Dolphins left so many points on the field. I think back to the terrible play call to hand the ball to Davone Bess on an end-around on first down from Jacksonville's 33 yard line. Terrible call there when Chad Henne was slicing up that Jaguar secondary and Bess isn't the guy who can turn the corner. Bess ends up fumbling and that stalls a drive that could have resulted in at least three points. On their next possession, a sack and a missed 38 yard field goal from Dan Carpenter (it was bound to happen eventually) squandered away another potential scoring drive. And then Ricky's fumble inside Jacksonville's 30 squandered another scoring opportunity. And that's why the Dolphins can out gain a team by 137 yards and win by just four.
Randy Starks is having just one hell of a season. On Sunday, Starks continued his Pro-Bowl caliber season by making a number of key plays - non bigger than his tackle for a loss on David Garrard on 4th down with under 90 seconds to play. It wasn't a sack (technically) because it was a called QB draw. Regardless, Starks just shoved his blocker back and gave Garrard nowhere to run. He's the defensive MVP of this team right now. Who would have thought back in camp that we'd be saying that?
Cameron Wake has got to play more. All he does is get to the quarterback. And now he has a bullrush to go along with his speed rush. For the second consecutive week, Wake made the game-clinching play - this time sacking Garrard on the game's final play. It's getting to the point where he needs as many snaps as possible on gameday. It's that simple.
Vontae Davis played very well today - after sitting out the opening drive, that is. It was called a "coach's decision" to start Jason Allen over Davis. But Davis was back out there following Jacksonville's first "3 and out" of the game. Vontae said after the game, "It was just one series. I'm not in the doghouse. It's all part of learning." Most likely, Vontae was late for something and this was his punishment. No big deal. What was a big deal was Vontae's play - doing an excellent job all game on Mike Sims-Walker, though Sims-Walker was slowed with a calf injury. Still, Vontae has the skills and swagger to be an elite corner eventually.
I've come to realize that Yeremiah Bell is every bit as good as he was last season. He could be a very, very good strong safety if only he had a capable free safety playing next to him. Gibril Wilson is obviously not that. Bell just seems to make big pass deflections in big spots and remains stout against the run.
Great job by the offensive line on Sunday. They protected Henne well all game long and gave Ricky room to run. Lousaka Polite was also excellent once again. He converted on 3rd and fourth downs when asked and continued his excellent lead blocking.

Six questions to ponder with six games left

Matty I — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:46:41 -0000

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Don't look now, naysayers. After a rough 0-3 start, the Dolphins are not only back at .500 for the first time in 2009, but are also within just one game of the AFC wildcard leaders. Even better news for Dolphin fans? Miami still has to play three of the teams who are ahead of them in the wildcard race - as well as one remaining shot at the division leading Patriots.

It's still going to be a tough climb, however. There are some big challenges that lay ahead for these Dolphins. So to prepare for these six games, let's highlight six critical questions that the Dolphins face.

Can Ricky handle the increased workload over the next month and a half?
After the terrible news last week about Ronnie Brown's injury, many of us were wondering if Ricky Williams would be able to step into the lead role in Miami's backfield and be as effective as he's been the past two seasons as the number two guy. On Thursday, Ricky answered that question by showing proving that he's still as capable a starter as he's ever been, rushing for 119 yards and scoring three touchdowns. But can he sustain this kind of production?

Against the Panthers, Williams received 22 carries. And that came on the heels of a 20 carry performance just 4 days earlier against the Buccaneers. That is a lot of carries for a 32 year old back. No - he's not your typical 32 year old running back and doesn't have the mileage that most 32 year olds have on them. But keep in mind that Ricky's season high in carries last season was only 16 (back in week three against New England). And if you want to know when the last time Ricky had at least 20 carries prior to the game against Tampa Bay? You'd have to go all the way back to New Year's Day on 2006, when he closed out the '05 regular season with a 28 carry, 108 yard performance in New England.

It's a lot to ask Williams to carry the rock 20-25 times per game over these remaining six games. At the same time, the Dolphins don't really have much of a choice.

How much will the Dolphins miss Ferg?
While nothing has been confirmed, it's expected that nose tackle Jason Ferguson will miss the remainder of the season with an injured right knee he sustained against the Panthers last week. Needless to say, this is a huge loss (no pun intended). A 3-4 defense is only as good as it's nose tackle performs. And Ferguson leaves a large void for Miami to fill (again, no pun intended).

This season, Ferguson has only missed one game. That day in New England, the Patriots averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the ground against a defensive line anchored by Paul Soliai in the middle. Soliai, meanwhile, has missed the last two weeks with his own injury issues. Outside of those two, the Dolphins don't have a real nose tackle to step in. Tony Sparano said that he would expect to play Tony McDaniel (6'7, 305) and Randy Starks (6'3, 305) at the nose if needed. Last year against the Ravens in the regular season, Starks did have to man the nose tackle position once Ferguson left the game with an injury (Soliai was suspended by the team for the game). While he wasn't terrible, the Ravens did run for 139 yards.

It will be interesting to see how this coaching staff attempts to make up for the rumored loss of Ferguson as we head down the home stretch.

Can the Dolphins beat a team that's better than they are?
Don't get all angry with me here. But you might need to take off those aqua colored glasses for a moment here. The way I see the season playing out, it will take at least 10 wins in the AFC to make the playoffs. For the Dolphins to get to that mark, they'll obviously have to win five of their remaining six. That means beating either the Patriots or Steelers - two teams who are ("homer-ism" aside) better than the Dolphins are.

The good news here is that both of these games are at home in Miami. The Dolphins have also played the Patriots tough once already this year. But let's be real for a moment - the Dolphins have not beaten a single team in 2009 that is better than they are. They've come close - tough losses at home to both of the undefeated teams (Colts and Saints). But a loss is still a loss. You can even make the case that Miami didn't beat a more talented team in 2008, either, despite winning 11 games. After all, they lost to the Ravens twice and to the eventual NFC Champion Cardinals. They did split with the Patriots, though.

To make the playoffs, the Dolphins will have to not just play these more talented teams tough - they will have to win at least one of those games.

Will the rookie wall be a problem?
Some people think that the idea of the "rookie wall" is nothing more than a term created by the media. But if you NFL head coaches about it, I'd bet most would say that the wall is real - and it can be problematic.

The Dolphins rely on two rookies to start at cornerback - which is always risky. Making things worse is that the Dolphins face three of the top five passing offenses over their remaining five games. Yup - just in time for that "rookie wall" to rear its ugly head. In college, these kids will only play about 12 games in a season - maybe 13. And in the month of December, these kids will play - at most - two games. They'll have a lot of rest in between games in December, as well. In the NFL, there is no rest in December. That's the time to put up or shut up as teams make their playoff pushes.

For the Dolphins, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith cannot afford to go through any kind of rookie wall. Hopefully their offseason training has prepared them well to close out a season strong.

Can we see more Wake?
Ever since the John Beck debacle, I try my best not to "anoint" a player too early in their careers. But like Cameron Wake rushing off the edge, I'm coming around quickly. After picking up three more quarterback hurries on just 10 snaps against the Panthers, Wake leads the Dolphins in hurries with 15 - on just 100 total defensive snaps.

Now I know we can't just steal Joey Porter's reps after his outstanding game against Carolina last week. But maybe we should cut into Charlie Anderson's 20 to 25 snaps per game to give Wake some more opportunities. He always seems to be causing havoc on the field when he's out there. So why not unleash him a little bit more and see what happens?

Can Henne win a game on his own?
It's not secret that the Dolphins want to run the football. So teams will continue to stack the box against Miami's offense and force the young Chad Henne to beat them through the air with an average (at best) receiving group. That means there's likely going to come a point in time this season in which Henne will be asked to win the game himself through the air.

Some might argue that he did just that back in his second career start against the Jets. Sure, he was a critical part of that big Monday night win - throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns. But let's not forget that Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams also combined for 142 yards on the ground, Ronnie threw for 21 more, and on that final game-winning drive, Henne only completed 3 passes (though two of those were on 3rd down).

Now I'm not saying Henne can't win a game on his own at this stage of his development. But he hasn't had to yet. It's likely, though, that some point during these final six games, he will indeed be asked to do so.

Ricky Williams leads the way as Dolphins defeat Panthers

Matty I — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:06:00 -0000

It sure did get nerve-racking a few times on Thursday night. But when all was said and done, the Dolphins went up to Charlotte and officially dug themselves out of the 0-3 hole they put themselves in to start the season by knocking off the Panthers 24-17.

Ricky steps up in Ronnie's absence to lead the way
There was a lot of panic amongst Dolphin fans over the past few days as we all awaited word on how serious Ronnie Brown's injury was. We then learned yesterday that Brown would be done for the season with a Lisfranc fracture to his right foot (he'll have surgery Friday, by the way). That's when we all began to wonder whether Ricky Williams could step into the role of workhorse and lead this offense. We all learned on Thursday night that - at least for now - Ricky's still got it.

In an outstanding performance, Williams carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns - adding a receiving touchdown as well. This, by the way, was Ricky's third career three touchdown game and the first time in his career that he scored a touchdown both running and receiving. Not bad for a 32 year old back.

Don't let the numbers fool you, though. It was an up and down game for Williams. Nine of Ricky's 22 carries went for two yards or less - including four runs for negative yardage. Of course, it's not all Ricky's fault - sometimes he just got no blocking help from his line. But what impressed me most was how explosive Ricky was on some of those other carries. He looked very spry on that 3rd & 1 toss left to get down to the one yard line on Miami's second touchdown drive. And then, of course, there's the 46 yard scamper by Ricky in which he showed good burst and long speed on his way to the endzone - on carry number 22 on the night, by the way.

We said this week that without Ronnie and on a short week with little preparation time, the Dolphins would get back to the basics and play "conventional" football. They did just that - and it worked thanks to Ricky Williams. Now can Ricky keep it up for the rest of the season?

Henne and the receivers make some critical plays
For all the talk about how the Dolphins badly need a receiver - and they do - it's worth noting how well Chad Henne and his current group of receivers played on Thursday night. The stats aren't special by any means. And Henne was still a bit too inconsistent with his accuracy for my taste. But when they absolutely had to make a play, this passing offense got it done - against a pass defense that was ranked fourth in the NFL heading into this game.

Here's a stat I like a lot. When asked to pass on third down, Chad Henne started the game 0 for 3. But he then converted 5 of their next 7 3rd down passing situations - which included some of the biggest plays of the game.

It all started on Henne's completion to Ricky Williams out of the backfield on a 3rd & 9 inside the red zone. Ricky was running a Texas route out of the backfield (a zig zag where he runs towards the sideline out of the backfield and then cuts it inside like a slant once he hits the line of scrimmage) and Henne did a nice job of being patient and finding the open man.

On their next scoring drive, Henne converted a big 3rd & 6 by throwing a strike to Davone Bess, who made a remarkable lunging catch for the first down. Five plays later, Williams got into the endzone.

And then there was the biggest play of the game - which we'll get to in a moment.

All in all, you have to really like what you continue to see out of Henne. He didn't make any mistakes. He didn't take any sacks - a credit to both the offensive line and to Henne for getting rid of the ball when necessary. I'd like to see more consistency with his accuracy, of course. But it's not like he has an accuracy problem. Some of his throws are absolutely perfect in where they are placed (a couple throws to Bess, the throw to Brian Hartline, and the throw to Ted Ginn along the sideline). It's a consistency issue with him - especially when he needs to put some touch on the ball.

Henne's getting better, though. And I think his future is pretty bright.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Some might say the turning point of the game was the 46 yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams. But that play never happens if not for the play that Chad Henne and Davone Bess made one play earlier.

Momentum was beginning to shift in Carolina's favor. The Dolphins were leading by only three late in the fourth quarter, staring down a 3rd & 12 and very close to a potentially costly three and out. The crowd was loud and the Panther defense was fired up. So what does a young, first year starting quarterback do? He takes the snap, rolls right, waits, waits, and waits some more. Then he shuffles left a little bit and throws a strike to Davone Bess - who was running right to left away from Henne, but also away from the coverage. Chad Henne showed outstanding poise and vision while Bess showed terrific awareness.

If the Dolphins don't make that play, who knows how this game plays out.

QUICK HITS
Many more quick thoughts on the game:

Some many performances deserve to be mentioned. But I'll start with Joey Porter. A team-high 8 tackles and 2 sacks? That's the "Peezy" I know and love. Welcome back! Put back-to-back games like this and I'll officially apologize to him.
Lousaka Polite is a monster. He's officially one of my five favorite current Dolphins. All he does is pick up short yardage first downs and knock heads. Even Joey Porter, speaking on NFLN after the game, talked about Polite's play tonight - and he wasn't even asked. It's easy to see why his coaches and teammates love this guy.
Jake Long simply owned Julius Peppers on Thursday night. Great job, Jake!
Speaking of the offensive line, how about that depth? Players kept going down left and right and it just didn't matter. Henne was never sacked and they opened up enough holes for Ricky. Huge shout-out to Nate Garner, by the way. The man played left guard, right tackle, and center at different times in this game. That's manning up.
Lex Hilliard - welcome to the NFL, kid. After back-to-back penalties by Jake Grove, Hilliard powered his way on a 3rd & 16 draw play - picking up 18 and a first down. Tacklers were just bouncing off of Hilliard on the run. He's not a bad fourth running back, huh? Again, props to the front office for the solid depth at running back as well.
Davone Bess - wow. How about those hands, folks? He had a few hiccups along the way this season. But it looks like our favorite undrafted wide receiver is back to his consistent form. That highlight lunging catch he made on a critical third down was the kind of catch that superstars make.
We have to give a shout-out to Ted Ginn. He didn't have any drops, made a couple of tough catches, and averaged 42 yards per kickoff return. He came into the game third in the league in kick returning. He now has a very real shot of leading the league in yards per kick return this season. At least that's something - and maybe will help build his confidence again.
Nice job by the defense getting pressure - at critical times, too. All four of Miami's sacks came on third down. Two of them were red zone sacks, too, forcing Carolina to punt. I think we need to dial up those safety blitzes a little bit more often - especially on third downs - moving forward. They seem to work and free up others to make a play.
Randy Starks is having a hell of a season. Starks was one of the two guys who made the initial stop on that 3rd & 1 run by the Panthers midway through the third quarter to stuff Carolina and force them to punt. He then sacked Jake Delhomme early in the fourth quarter on a 3rd & goal play to force the Panthers to settle for a field goal.
Nathan Jones is one of this team's unheralded key role players. He's made a number of big plays this season - including an interception to end a Carolina drive and a big pass break-up with under two minutes to go. He's becoming a terrific nickel corner.
Why not kick a field goal with 44 seconds left? It would have only been a 45 or 46 yarder for Dan Carpenter and would have sealed the game. A very bad decision by Tony Sparano here. Luckily, it didn't come back to bite him in the ass. But let's not have that happen again, alright?
Joey Haynos with two bad drops. Do I hear more calls for Kory Sperry?
Let's hope Jason Ferguson isn't hurt badly. Without him, this defense looks drastically different.
Just how important was it to get out in front of the Panthers 14-3 and take Carolina out of their game plan? Very. DeAngelo Williams was averaging nearly 10 yards per carry against the Dolphins. But he only got 13 carries thanks to a combination of poor play calling by Carolina and having to play catch-up late in the game. This game could have been ugly if Miami didn't get in front before the half.

Dolphins Mid-Season Review: Shifting expectations

Matty I — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:15:18 -0000

by Lynne Sladky - AP

Can this head coach/quarterback (Sparano/Henne) duo eventually do what the greatest head coach/quarterback (Shula/Marino) duo in team history couldn't do?

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We've officially hit the halfway point of the 2009 Miami Dolphins season and are now a season and a half into the Bill Parcells-Jeff Ireland-Tony Sparano era in Miami. Considering where we were when the "trifecta" took over, nobody should be disappointed about where this team is in terms of the long haul. With that said, of course, it's difficult to not be disappointed with Miami's current 3-5 record.

In this league, you are what your record says you are. That's generally true. But in the grand scheme of things, the Dolphins are much more than just an average run-of-the-mill 3-5 football team.

A shift in expectations

Entering the season, I was among the many who declared we wouldn't just be satisfied with an 8-8 or 9-7 season because of the "tougher schedule" the Dolphins faced in '09 as compared to '08. I wanted to be a playoff team once again and I honestly thought this team could pull it off. But lo and behold, wouldn't you know that it was indeed these "tough games" that have dug the Dolphins into a deep hole in the AFC playoff picture.

Now I'm not saying that I'm giving up on the playoffs in 2009. In fact, if the Dolphins take care of their next three games (against Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Buffalo) and they get a little help from New England's tougher opponents (@ Indianapolis and @ New Orleans), the Patriots could potentially be heading down to Miami on December 6 with a 7-4 record to face the 6-5 Dolphins. While those are a ton of "ifs" that must break in favor of Miami, it's not totally out of question.

With that said, my own personal expectations have shifted. I'm no longer as concerned with making the playoffs in 2009. If the Dolphins somehow pull it off and reach the postseason, that's terrific. But if they don't, that's fine too. Why? Because injuries and a lack of talent at critical positions have made me more concerned with developing this team for the long haul - not just for the immediate future.

The injuries to Chad Pennington and Will Allen, in particular, have changed what this season means to the Dolphins. I'd say that most fans would agree. But it's been these losses to teams like the Colts, Saints, and Patriots that have made me realize that this Dolphins team just isn't ready to really compete with their talent level. However, the strides that this franchise has made since the 2007 disaster are remarkable.

Integration of young players

Want to know why I'm not as distraught as some other Dolphin fans seem to be about this 3-5 season? It's because of how the Dolphins are setting themselves up for the future. The coaches are doing something that you don't see too often - they are trusting a number of rookies and young players. And the result is that we're seeing tangible reasons of why we should be excited for the future of this franchise.

First and foremost, there's Chad Henne. As you all know, I was squarely on the "start Chad Pennington" bandwagon all offseason long. While I hate to see what happened to CP - he deserves better but his body continually lets him down - letting Henne play and gain experience has been huge, and will continue to be huge, for this franchise. Ffor the first time in a long time, fans, coaches, and the front office can all be excited about the quarterback position. Folks, I really think we've found "our guy."

Has he been great? No. Has he been terrible? No. Has he shown flashes of greatness? Yes. Think back to just his second career start when Henne put together one of the best fourth quarters a young quarterback has put together in recent memory.

Does he have a lot to work on? Of course. His accuracy is shaky at times. He holds the ball too long sometimes. At times, he runs backwards when pressure is closing in - especially when he's pressured on those designed roll-outs.

At the same time, I've seen just as many positives. I've seen that strong rocket arm. I've seen some perfectly thrown balls. I've seen a toughness to hang in the pocket and deliver a pass with pressure bearing down on him. I've seen him get back up after taking a nasty shot in the pocker - like Sunday's "roughing the passer" hit by Patrick Chung. Most of all, I've seen the poise and mental toughness necessary to lead a team in hostile situations. Sure, against both the Saints and Patriots, Henne was unable to lead a game-winning or game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. But both times, it wasn't because Henne failed. His teammates failed him.

There's a lot to like about Henne, that's for sure. But there are also other young players with a lot to like.

You got two rookie corners who are being trusted to start. And neither of them have played poorly. Both Sean Smith and Vontae Davis have had their ups and downs. But there have been more positives than negatives and they will only continue to get better. Over the long haul, the Dolphins are set with their starting cornerbacks.

The offensive line is also set for the foreseeable future. Only one starter, Jake Grove, is over 28 years old. And two, Jake Long and Donald Thomas, are only 24 and in just their second season. The way an offensive line gets better is by playing together for a long time, and that's what we're going to see in Miami over the next few seasons.

The defensive line also suddenly has a nice young core to build around. Kendall Langford, Phillip Merling, and Randy Starks all look like long-term contributors at defensive end for the Dolphins. And none of them are older than 25 years old (Starks). Tony McDaniel also looks like he could become a solid backup and he's only 24 himself.

The Dolphins also have other young contributors who could become major long-term factors. Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver are two young safeties who will probably see more and more opportunities as the season goes on. Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are two young receivers who, ideally, would be very good complimentary receivers. Greg Camarillo is also relatively young and is looking more and more recovered from his knee surgery every week. I will continue to stand by my belief that Camarillo, once he's healthy, can be a starting #2 receiver in this league.

And let's not forget our favorite former CFL stand-out, pass rusher Cameron Wake. He's only 27 and has the potential to be a pass-rushing force for years to come. But he is still raw, which is probably why he hasn't seen the amount of snaps many would like him to see.

Clearly defined needs

One of the positives - if you can call it that - to come from Miami's 3-5 start has been how well defined this football team's needs have become. We all know what this team needs - some needs more pressing than others, of course.

Perhaps the most pressing need is at the wide receiver position. This offense will never be what it needs to be to get to that next level until they get a true "go-to" number one receiver. Opposing defenses have no reason to respect Miami's passing attack, allowing them to go all-out to stop the only real threat this offense has - their ground attack. But Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will become less and less effective on the ground as teams continue to put eight, and sometimes even nine, in the box to shut them down. In all honesty, can you blame them? I'd do the same thing. None of these receivers would even scare me a little bit.

This need has been magnified even more the past few weeks, too. In their last two losses, the Dolphins have been within a touchdown and had possession of the ball with over three minutes left. But each time, the Dolphins failed to move the ball, thanks in large part to receivers who just can't make the plays necessary to win football games.

But there are other needs as well. The Dolphins need upgrades at both inside and outside linebacker. A play-making free safety is another obvious issue. And we saw on Sunday that Paul Soliai might not be anything better than a back-up nose tackle. He underwhelmed as a starter, replacing the injured and aging Jason Ferguson. So nose tackle is also a need.

See this team for what it is

As a fan, we all want to see our team win championships. Year in and year out, we all look through "aqua and orange colored glasses" and view our team as either championship caliber or playoff caliber. But let's be real - this team just isn't as talented as the league's elite teams. That's why it's so impressive that the Dolphins were able to play teams like the Colts, Saints, and Patriots and nearly knock them off. Is it frustrating to lose those games? Of course. But we need to see what these losses show.

The Dolphins played teams with superior talent and gave them all they can handle - with a number of rookies and second-year players being key contributors. That says a lot about where this team is.

It says a lot about this coaching staff. Say what you want about some of their questionable play-calling and their gameday decisions. But this staff knows how to prepare to play more talented football teams.

It also says a lot about the mental toughness of these players. Some young players will go into a shell and back down to the elite NFL teams. But not this group of guys. They battle. And they're only going to get better.

The future is bright, people. We just need to give this front office time to address those remaining needs and the young players on this team more time to mature. But we're clearly on the right path.

Big plays doom Dolphins as they fall to Patriots

Matty I — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:39:16 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Note to Paul Pasqualoni: You might want to double-team Randy Moss. He's only one of the greatest receivers of all-time.

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A lot of people will likely want to focus on the negatives in the Dolphins 27-17 loss to the Patriots on Sunday. And I'll obviously highlight some of the more glaring ones myself. But let's not sell this team short. The Dolphins went up to New England and stood toe-to-toe with a team with superior talent. And despite everything that went down, the Dolphins had the football with three and a half minutes left in the game, needing only a touchdown to tie. That's not too shabby.

Of course, there are no m oral victories in the National Football League. And I think head coach Tony Sparano said it best:

"Close in this game just doesn't get it. That's why these guys have a lot of banners out there right now. They figure out a way to win those close games. From our end, we understand where we are right now."

"We're a good football team. We're really close to being a really good football team. But we've got to get it to turn.''

Let's talk about some of the story lines from Sunday's game.

Can we get a little pressure, people?
You will look at the box score from this game and see that the Dolphins registered two sacks. But even that figure is misleading. Personally, here's the important question to ask: did the Dolphins make Tom Brady uncomfortable at all in the pocket? The answer, obviously, is a resounding "no."

How many times did we have to sit and watch Brady sit in the pocket for three or four seconds? How many times did we see Brady have the time to stand tall in the pocket and pat the football two or three times before firing a completion to one of his receivers? Far too many times, folks. Far too many.

After the game, Sparano himself acknowledged that a lack of pressure on Brady was a huge problem. But he also explained why the Dolphins couldn't just continually blitz left and right like some were probably hoping to see.

"We need to have more pressure on the quarterback," Sparano said. "Against a guy like Tom Brady, you can't come out there and just blitz the guy. This ain't his first rodeo. You've got to be able to win some of these [one-on-one] deals. You've got to win some of these five-man rush situations. We've got to do a better job of getting pressure on the passer, period."

Randy Starks was among those who echoed Sparano's sentiments.

"He had far too much time sitting back there," said Starks. "When you have the one-on-one, you've got to win."

Reggie Torbor was another Dolphin who believes that a lack of pressure on Brady was a big problem. In fact, even Brady himself said after the game that he really didn't feel any pressure, telling the media:

"There weren't too many pressures or hits, or anything like that. I had a lot of time to sit back there and make the throws."

But for some reason, Joey Porter - whose mouth I might be beginning to grow tired of - doesn't think that anything was wrong with Miami's pass rush:

"As a team we got pressure on them. But not enough. We could have made more plays out there. But it wasn't the lack of pass rush why we lost the game."

Ugh! Of course the lack of a consistent pass rush wasn't the one reason why the Dolphins lost. But it's among the biggest reasons. If Joey honestly thinks that the Dolphins got enough pressure on Brady, then I think he needs to take some time off or something because he's delusional. His head coach, teammates, and even the opposing quarterback all agree that the Dolphins really didn't do a good job at all pressuring the passer. And in my humble opinion, the lack of consistent pressure was the single biggest defensive problem on Sunday.

The 'Wildcat' and 'WildPat'
You know, maybe this Pat White experiment has some hope after all? That's what many Dolphin fans - those who have doubted White - were left saying following Sunday's game in which we saw some extensive Pat White snaps.

While White is still yet to complete a pass, we saw the kind of play-making ability White has and the new wrinkle - the spread option - that White introduces into this offense. White had a dazzling 33 yard run on Miami's first touchdown drive. And that drive was capped by a Ricky Williams 15 yard touchdown run in which White took the snap and ran the option to the right side, executing a perfectly timed pitch to Ricky, who then did the rest by powering his way into the endzone to tie the game at 10.

If nothing else, this is just another wrinkle now that opposing defensive coordinators must prepare for when facing the Dolphins. But at its best, this new wrinkle has the potential to gain some of that elusive "chunk yardage" that this offense seems to have so much trouble gaining.

White actually looked comfortable running the ball, too. He showed good vision, terrific acceleration, and even some toughness when running between the tackles. It's enough to get me excited about what this new wrinkle could become as White progresses.

All told, White took eight snaps at quarterback. On those plays, the Dolphins gained 60 yards of offense - including 52 of the 80 yards gained on that first Miami touchdown drive. Not too shabby.

On the flip side, the 'Wildcat' wasn't very effective at all. The Dolphins gained just 11 yards on 10 'Wildcat' plays. But they did lose 11 on the attempted reverse pass in which Henne was sacked. So if you take that away - which is a high risk, high reward, kind of play - the 'Cat gained 18 yards on 9 snaps. It did score a touchdown, though, when Ronnie Brown threw a 1 yard pass to Joey Haynos. And I really like the potential of more 'Wildcat' snaps inside the red zone because of Ronnie's ability to accurately throw. But the 'Wildcat' was bottled up effectively for the third week in a row.

To be fair, though, the entire running game was bottled up due to the lack of any real passing attack. Ronnie and Ricky combined for just 81 yards and averaged only 3.68 yards per carry. So it's not so much that the 'Wildcat' is dead as it is Miami's inability to run the football right now due to defenses making it a priority to shut down the ground attack.

Passing continues to be an issue with mediocre receivers
Chad Henne's stat line wasn't terrible. Of course, 42 of those yards were garbage time passing yards. But even still, I like what I have seen out of Henne thus far.

Henne continues to impress with his arm strength. There's no question that he has a cannon. His accuracy is still off at times - but I see the number of inaccurate throws going down each week it seems, which is a positive sign. But most of all, I have been impressed with his poise and toughness in tight situations.

Take that final drive with the score 24-17, for example. In a hostile environment with the game on the line, all Henne did was put the ball right on the money on to two of his receivers. But, yet again, Miami's receivers failed to make the plays that must be made to knock off good football teams. Brian Hartline dropped what was a catchable ball and would have resulted in a first down. Then two plays later, it was Ted Ginn dropped a catchable ball that would have also resulted in a first down and extended that potential game-tying drive.

Was either catch an easy catch to make? No. But Henne put the football right where it had to be each time to give only his receiver a chance to make the catch. Both passes hit the receivers in their hands. Both catches have to be made.

But more than anything else, those two plays just emphasize what the Dolphins must address in the offseason. They need that true "go-to" receiver that good NFL teams have. They need to give their young (potential franchise) quarterback some help out there. All he can do is stand tough in the pocket and put the football right where it needs to be. He did that twice on a potential game-tying drive and his receivers failed him. It's that simple.

With all that said, Henne still has issues to iron out himself. For example, he can't run backwards when under immense pressure. He needs to learn to either throw the ball away or at least reduce the negative yardage by going down rather than backwards. Obviously, his use of that "fourth timeout" was costly in a crucial moment of the game - resulting in a five yard penalty. But even still, he showed the mental toughness to put that mistake behind him and make a throw to Ginn that a good receiver has to make.

The fact of the matter remains that the Dolphins simply don't have the receivers to get the job done. And until they do, this offense will struggle. Teams will key on the run - as we've seen these past three or four weeks - and will force Chad Henne to beat them. I think he has the talent to do so. But he needs his supporting cast to make some plays.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The Dolphins had just put together a 16 play, 66 yard, 10 minute touchdown drive to take a 17-16 lead. Leave it to this defense to give the lead right back.

On the ensuing New England possession, on the third play of the drive, Tom Brady connected with Randy Moss on a crossing route - in which Brady had a ton of time throw - and Moss stiffed-armed Vontae Davis and was off to the races for a 71 yard touchdown. The Dolphins never recovered. Without question, that play was Sunday's turning point of the game.

QUICK HITS
Some more quick hit thoughts on Sunday's game:

I know the secondary didn't perform well today. But I'm very excited about the futures of Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. Vontae's interception was a spectacular play. And he even impressed Randy Moss, who said after the game about Vontae, "Look, I'm heading out of this league. You're coming in. You're going to be a good player. Keep working."
So why was Moss single-covered so much? Tony Sparano said after the game that "you can't double them all." And that's exactly it. When the Patriots have 5 guys going out in routes, the Dolphins don't have too many options. Should they have had a deep safety more often? Probably. But a deep safety doesn't help on Randy's 70 yard touchdown off of a crossing route. And Vontae was step for step with Randy on his first big reception. He just didn't get his head around quick enough and Randy made a terrific one-handed catch. What can you do?
The Dolphins converted 52% of their 3rd downs (9/17). That's pretty damn good.
Dan Carpenter continues to earn his "DC$" nickname. Anyone want to argue about it at this point?
Joey Haynos? Ain't nothing wrong with that. I want to see some more of him in the coming weeks.
I'm still not a fan of Ricky Williams taking the 'Wildcat' snap. I think I've seen enough of it. Ronnie just has a knack for it - let's stick to him as the 'Wildcat' orchestrator.
Did the Dolphins miss Jason Ferguson and Channing Crowder or were the Dolphins just too concerned about the pass? Either way, the Pats averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the ground. Not acceptable.
Still some questionable play-calling. But the thing is - if those play-calls work, nobody would be calling for Dan Henning's head like some were during the game. He's a genius if a play works; an idiot if it doesn't. Is that fair?
With that said, I HATED the quick screen to Davone Bess on a 3rd & 19. At least take a shot deep. In fact, why didn't we see at least one deep pass attempted during the game?
Last word about the "clock" controversy before halftime: it's not a controversy. When the football hit the ground on the incomplete pass, there was still one second left on the clock. Period. Sure, if it's in Miami, the operator would run that second off. But props to Gillette Stadium's clock operator for being alert and stopping the clock as soon as the ball hit the ground. That's a benefit of home field advantage. If the roles were reversed and we were at home, I'd hope our clock operator would be as alert.

Dolphins vs Patriots: Miami's Keys to Victory

Matty I — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:15:20 -0000

I'll take some more of this, please.

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Huge. There's no way around it. That's what Sunday's game between the Dolphins and the Patriots up in Foxborough is. It's huge - for the Dolphins, at least.

A win up in New England would pull the Dolphins within one game of the division lead and give the Dolphins a 4-0 record within the division - which would mean a win over Buffalo later on in the year would give the Dolphins the tie-breaker over the Patriots regardless of how their second meeting plays out in Miami. So let's be real about this game - it's a season-defining game, though at this point I think every game for the Dolphins is critical. But that's what putting yourself in a 2-4 hole does - it magnifies every game from here on out.

So what do the Dolphins have to do to leave Foxborough with a win for the second consecutive time? A lot, of course. But these three factors are among the most important.

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure
This is probably the most obvious key for the Dolphins - and yet it's also the most important. We know how dominant New England's passing attack can be. In my opinion, there is no better duo at the wide receiver position than Randy Moss and Wes Welker. They each have their own strengths and roles and they compliment each other absolutely perfectly.

It's no coincidence that the Patriots have the second best passing offense in the NFL and have been sacked the third fewest times all season. It's also no coincidence that in two of their last three losses with Tom Brady under center, it's been outstanding, relentless pass rushes that have slowed New England's dynamic offense - scoring just 23 combined points in those two games. The two games I'm referring to, of course, are the Super Bowl against the Giants back in February of 2008 and the Pats' week two loss to the Jets back in September. In each of those games, Tom Brady was under constant duress. The Giants got to Brady for five sacks. The Jets didn't actually record any sacks. But if you watched that game, you'd know that the various blitz packages the Jets were sending did enough to force Brady to have to throw the football well before he wanted to.

In those two games, Brady connected on just 55% of his throws and averaged just 5.07 yards per attempt. That's the blueprint the Dolphins will look to follow on Sunday.

To accomplish this, the Dolphins will obviously need big performances out of Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. But it goes beyond just those two. Randy Starks has been outstandthing this year and another big performance out of him would be terrific. Cameron Wake has been quiet since his big week against Buffalo, but I think we might see a little bit more of him on Sunday. I also expect t o see more of those safety blitzes we saw last week with Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell.

The Pats will likely be without starting left tackle Matt Light, which means the Dolphins should have even more opportunities to get to Brady. They can't let those opportunities go to waste.

Pound the rock, but keep Pats honest
We all know the blueprint for what the Dolphins must do on offense against the Patriots. They have got to establish the ground game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams against a rush defense that is average at best. The Patriots are allowing 4.5 yards per carry on the ground this season, with is in the bottom third of the league. But teams have been forced to abandon the run against New England because they fall behind early. The Dolphins have got to prevent that from happening by getting the ground attack going early.

Of course, the Patriots know this. Bill Belichick can probably tell us all the exact number of times the Dolphins have ran the football out of every formation - 'Wildcat' included. And with him having had two weeks to prepare for this game thanks to New England's bye week, I'm sure we'll see some looks out of this Patriot defense that nobody has seen all year. But keep in mind that they traded away Richard Seymour prior to the season and Jarvis Green is out with a knee injury, meaning Mike Wright - a player with minimal starting experience - will be starting at the defensive end spot opposite Ty Warren, who is nursing an ankle injury himself.

With that said, though, it's important that the Dolphins do their best to prevent the Patriots from loading up on the run like the Saints and Jets have done the past two weeks. There were times on Sunday when the Jets actually had nine men in the box. That's because teams don't respect Miami's group of receivers nor do they think Dan Henning will call plays for Chad Henne to throw some deep balls.

This week I hope to see Henning give Henne a chance to make some plays down the field, which would help keep New England's defense honest and prevent their two athletic safeties from inching closer and closer to the line of scrimmage. The Patriots aren't exactly loaded in the secondary, either. So there will be plays to be made if Henning just gives Henne a shot. I know we all want to remain committed to the run. But I just don't think Belichick is going to let the Dolphins have a chance to get Ronnie and Ricky rolling. He's going to go all out to stop those two - as he should. It'll be up to Miami's offense to give Belichick a reason to stop loading up against the run.

Make a game-changing non-offensive play
Last week, the Dolphins beat the Jets thanks to three game-changing plays that were made in the other two phases of the game - not on offense. Ted Ginn's two kickoff returns for touchdowns and Jason Taylor's fumble return for a touchdown spotted the Dolphins 21 non-offensive points. This week, the Dolphins need another big play in New England.

There's no way around the fact that Miami's offense isn't nearly as potent as the Patriots are on offense. That's why the Dolphins really do need some kind of huge game-changing play in one of the two other phases of the game. The Patriots are 19th in the league in kickoff coverage, allowing 23.5 yards per return. Prior to last week, the Jets were allowing only 20.5 yards per kickoff return - one of the lowest totals in the entire league - before Ted Ginn and the Dolphins' return unit sliced the Jets up for 299 kickoff return yards on just 6 returns, including Teddy's two touchdowns. So there's no reason why the Dolphins can't get a big play or two to, if nothing else, swing the field position battle and build some momentum.

Defensively, the Dolphins will see a ton of passes fly through the air as Tom Brady is expected to throw the ball early and often against Miami's secondary. To date, Brady has thrown just 4 interceptions so making that big game-changing defensive play obviously will not be easy. But he also isn't afraid to put the ball up for grabs - especially in the direction of Randy Moss. And for the first time in a while, the Dolphins have at least two capable corners who can make a big play. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis both have excellent ball skills. Now I'm not saying I expect some kind of big play - but I wouldn't be surprised, either.

Dolphins in the red zone: Week 8

Matty I — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:15:22 -0000

This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone.

On Sunday, both red zone offense and red zone defense were critical for the Dolphins. Offensively, the Dolphins were only in the red zone one time - a sad commentary on who ineffective they were on offense, of course. But nonetheless, the Dolphins converted on the one time they made it down there, and that was simply huge.

The Jets had just scored to cut Miami's lead to 24-19 late in the third quarter. But the Dolphins answered with a critical 13 play drive that ate up nearly eight minutes. On that drive, they converted three crucial third downs. Then once they got inside the 20, the Dolphins relied on a tough 7 yard run by Ricky Williams and a defensive holding penalty to get down to the 5 yard line. That's when Chad Henne faked the hand off to Ronnie Brown, rolled out right, and threw an accurate pass on the run with a defender closing in to Joey Haynos for the touchdown. And give credit to Haynos, who did an excellent job of selling his "block" just enough to keep the defender honest and a step behind when he broke right for his pattern. Maybe it's just me, but I want to see more of Haynos in the coming weeks.

With their one red zone conversions, the Dolphins are now scoring touchdowns on 63% of their red zone trips - a solid ratio for sure.

Defensively, the Dolphins stood their ground when they absolutely had to. There were two trips into the red zone in which Miami's defense held the Jets. The first time, which I don't think has gotten enough attention, was early in the second quarter with the score tied at zero. The Jets had made their way down to Miami's 9 yard line and had it first and and goal. On first down, using that "heavy formation" with 7 or 8 offensive linemen, Thomas Jones carried it for four yards, with Gibril Wilson - who actually looked decent on Sunday - making the stop. But the key play was made two plays later, on third down from the five, when Sean Smith did an excellent job of reading the route by Jerricho Cotechery and cutting in front of the receiver. He couldn't haul in the pass when he undercut the receiver, but he did still break up the pass and prevent the Jets from taking a 7-0 lead. The Jets settled for the field goal on the next play.

Then, of course, we had the "red zone stand of the season" - at least up to this point - late in the fourth quarter. We don't need to rehash everything because we all know what happened. But I just can't say enough about both the coverage in the secondary and the play of Randy Starks. The much maligned secondary stood up and made two key plays. On second down, they did a great job of blanketing the receivers, forcing Mark Sanchez to scramble for just a yard. Who made the stop? Randy Starks of course. The next play was Randy's big sack of Sanchez, forcing NY back to the 15 yard line on fourth down. Again, the secondary stepped up and gave Mark nowhere to go with the ball.

Sure, the defense struggled all second half. But they made the plays that they absolutely had to have - which is a great sign.

Ginn paves way as Dolphins sweep season series against Jets

Matty I — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:26:23 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Ginn...gone. What a day for the young man!

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This time last week, Ted Ginn Jr. was drawing the ire of Dolphin fans everywhere. So it figures that it was Ginn who would be the most important player in the Dolphins' 30-25 win over the Jets on Sunday - without even catching a single pass. And thanks in large part to Teddy, the Dolphins have done something they haven't done wince 2003: sweep the season series against the hated division rival Jets. More importantly, perhaps, the Dolphins are now back within a game of .500 and are 3-0 within the AFC East.

Ginn puts the "special" in "special teams"
This past week, much of the talk was centered on what the Dolphins should do with their former number one pick. The Dolphins decided to bench Ginn, who started every game this year at wide receiver, in favor of rookie Brian Hartline. Ginn admits, too, that this past week was the toughest of his professional career.

But Ginn reminded us all of just how damn good he can be as a return man, taking two consecutive kickoffs all the way to the house. And his 100 yard and 101 yard kickoff returns for touchdowns made NFL history. Teddy became the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns of at least 100 yards in the same game. He's also the first player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same quarter since Travis Williams did it for the Packers in 1967. Not a bad way to gain some confidence.

If you're human, you can't help but be happy for the embattled Ginn. And perhaps what is most telling is how his teammates spoke of Ginn after the game, including Jason Taylor - whose fumble return for a touchdown was overshadowed by Ginn's big day.

"That's all right. That's all right. After everything Teddy has been through, he deserves all the glory," said Taylor. Here are some more quotes about Ginn:

"People should respect him more, and, now, maybe they will," Brian Hartline said. "It was good to see him play so well."

"He loves the game. This is what he does," Justin Smiley said. "He's a professional. It's his life. I see him every day and how hard he works. He takes a lot of flak, but he had a great day."

But I think Ginn himself said it best. He said after the game that he convinced himself following his demotion that "big things might happen." Ginn added, "It's probably one of the toughest weeks I've ever experienced playing football. Last week was one of my toughest games I've ever had, the worst game in my career."

And now?

"I feel at peace more than anything. I made plays for my team. I stayed confident. My team believed in me," said Ginn. "To make them see that smile and have that happiness, to go from 2-4 to 3-4, that's great."

Now let's see if this confidence can translate into more production as a wide receiver.

Defense makes just enough plays to survive
Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Dolphins had only surrendered 6 points to the Jets. But then Davone Bess muffed a punt, the Jets recovered and the wheels came off for the defense. The Dolphins would surrender three touchdowns over the final 20 minutes of the game and nearly surrender a fourth that would have given the Jets the lead with under two minutes to play. It was the kind of performance to make even the most optimistic Dolphin fan think, "here we go again."

Second half defensive collapses have become all too familiar this season. And the Dolphins did just enough to avert another disaster. But man, it was not easy to watch.

Let's start with the good. The Dolphins did an outstanding job of stopping the Jets rushing attack. Yes, the Dolphins allowed a 100 yard rusher and a total of 127 yards on the ground. But that was with the Jets running the ball 40 times. Miami held New York to just 3.2 yards per attempt - which is damn good.

From individual standpoints, Jason Ferguson, Paul Soliai, and Randy Starks were outstanding. Give credit to Soliai for not only playing stout at the point of attack but also for ripping the ball away from Shonn Greene, leading to a fumble recovery that Jason Taylor returned all the way.

Gibril Wilson also looked like a different guy out there. Tony Sparano needs some credit here for deciding not to start Wilson. Chris Clemons was on the field for the first play of the game. Sparano said after the game that they "shook some things up this week, purposefully so. There's no reason for anybody to feel comfortable when you're 2-4.''

That strategy worked well, as Wilson was far more productive today than in any of his previous games as a Dolphin. Now he still wasn't perfect in coverage, but he was active against the run, effective as a blitzer, and didn't miss any tackles (that I can recall off the top of my head).

But it's Starks who was the man on defense, picking up 7 tackles, a sack (which we'll highlight in a minute), and two quarterback hits. He, too, had his best game as a Dolphin on Sunday. All told, it looks like the Dolphins have a damn good defensive line rotation - and will continue to do so for years to come.

Besides the rushing defense, though, I think the other key stat for the defense was how good they were on 3rd downs - holding the Jets to just 21% efficiency (3/14). And on the biggest third down of the game, it was Randy Starks coming through with a huge sack to push the Jets back to Miami's 15 yard line with under two minutes to go. That play is my "turning point of the game" - which we'll get to momentarily.

But, obviously, there were some defensive issues. The tight end position continues to kill this defense. Yeremiah Bell just doesn't look quick enough or fluid enough to stay with these athletic pass-catching tight ends when he's asked to. And the linebackers aren't nearly athletic enough to keep up with a tight end like Dustin Keller, who went for 76 yards receiving and a touchdown.

I also think that there was far too little pressure on Mark Sanchez, especially in the second half. There were countless plays that saw Sanchez have seemingly all day to throw. And for the most part, if the Dolphins didn't blitz, they didn't get pressure on Mark.

The rookie corners played as well as you could expect. They had their ups and downs. Each had at least one glaring mistake. For Vontae Davis, it was trying to undercut a ball thrown to Jerricho Cotchery on a drag route. Davis couldn't break up the pass and Cotchery took it 53 yards before being shoved out of bounds. For Sean Smith, it was a play in which he let Braylon Edwards get inside too easily, resulting in a 20 yard gain on an eventual scoring drive.

With that said, both made enough positive plays to keep me excited for their futures. I think they're going to be very good for a long time.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
If the Dolphins ended up losing, the turning point would have definitely been the muffed punt by Davone Bess. But Davone is off the hook. And part of the reason why is because Randy Starks came through in a big way. It was 3rd & 6 from Miami's 8 yard line when Starks beat one of the best guard's in football, Alan Faneca, one on one and laid a big hit on Mark Sanchez, resulting in a 7 yard loss and making it 4th & 13 from the 15 with 1 minute and a half to go. Those were a big seven yards, people. Just think of the difference between a 4th down from Miami's 8 to a 4th from the 15. There are a million more options for the Jets if Sanchez is able to even throw the ball away. But Starks came flying through the line seemingly out of nowhere to make a game-saving play for this defense.

TOOL OF THE GAME
Bart Scott - you're an idiot.

Even after losing to the Dolphins for the second time this season, Scott still ran his mouth after the game, sarcastically mocking the Dolphins:

"They're a great team. They'll probably contend for the Super Bowl. They have a tremendous offense -- great running backs, a great quarterback, a great tight end. They are stacked across the board. I'm serious. They are great.

"They have a tremendous offense and they showed it today. They are Super Bowl contenders and they will probably take it all the way."

Leave it to a New Yorker, of all people, to say it best. On his Sunday night sports show on NBC in New York, Mike Francesa blasted Scott, calling him a "total fool" and "total jerk" - among other things. And he said he's the kind of player you don't want on your team. Can't disagree with any of that.

QUICK HITS
Some more quick thoughts on the game:

I love love love the defensive back blitzes that Miami used on a lot of their 3rd downs today. I recall seeing, on any given 3rd down, Yeremiah Bell, Vontae Davis, Gibril Wilson, and Nathan Jones all have a chance to blitz. And it seemed to work. Don't know why they got away from it late in the game.
The Jets call the 'Wildcat' a gimmick? The Jets ran a flea-flicker and an end-around, both more "gimmicky" than the Wildcat.
Speaking of the Wildcat, the Jets did a good job of stuffing it all game.
Which brings me to the offensive line. They played poorly today, no doubt about it. They gave Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams no running room and really struggled to protect Chad Henne. I hope this is just a bump in the road.
As far as Henne goes, it was an "ok" performance. But I get the feeling he might be over-thinking some throws, especially when he's under pressure. He needs to get rid of the ball quicker. And he simply can't afford to go backwards when under pressure. That's always a "no-no." But at least there were no mistakes. All in all, not bad for his first career road start.
Boy does this team need a go-to receiver. There were too many times where no receiver at all could get open.
Is Reggie Torbor better than Channing Crowder? I would have laughed at that question a week ago. Now it's not a no-brainer anymore, folks. He isn't any worse, that's for sure. Just something to think about, I suppose.
Davone Bess hasn't looked like himself these past two weeks. But even with that said, I'm not worried about him at all. That's the kind of trust I have in him after his impressive rookie season last year.
Even with the poor defensive performance today (allowing 378 yards of offense), that unit did something it hadn't done all season - it finished. That's certainly a building block for the rest of the year.

Dolphins 30 Jets 25: Sick to My Stomach

John B — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:36:03 -0000

I don't think the Jets could have gone into the bye on a worse note. Today's 30-25 loss to Miami at the Meadowlands stings. It drops the Jets to 4-4, one and a half games in back of the Patriots in the division, two in the loss column. The Dolphins are just half a game back, even in the loss column, and holding the head to head tiebreaker in addition to a 3-0 division record. The Jets are 1-3 in division.

Beyond the frustration of losing is the way the Jets lost. It's very difficult to win in the NFL when you're spotting the opponent 21 nonoffensive points. All of these points had more to do with what the Jets didn't do than what the Dolphins did right.

More after the jump.

The Bad:

Kickoff Coverage: I guess it goes without saying that kickoff coverage belongs here when the opponent runs a pair of kicks back for touchdowns. The Jets looked like they were Purdue against Ted Ginn. There were so many errors on the kicks, it wasn't even funny. There was Jay Feely drilling it too low on the first one. Danny Woodhead didn't contain to the outside. Wallace Wright took a bad angle to Ginn. Larry Izzo whiffed on a tackle on the second one. Guys didn't stay in their lanes. Against a speedster like Ginn, that's asking for trouble. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one guy on kickoff coverage released between now and the next game.

Larry Izzo: Wasn't he supposed to be on the roster for his special teams play? There was his missed tackle on Ginn, but there was also the inexplicable running into the punter penalty. He had no shot at blocking a punt and still dove into the punter. Izzo is a candidate to be that guy released.

Shonn Greene: Even when Mark Sanchez has been bad, I've gone easy on him. It's rough adjusting to the NFL for a quarterback. So much is different from college. A rookie running back doesn't get the same kind of slack. Sure, there are some things that are different. One is the extra blocking duties. The defenders are also bigger and stronger. Still, you have to hold onto the football. His unforced fumble was a total gift to Jason Taylor.

Justin Miller: Is he in game shape? He looked pretty ordinary on returns (5 for 115). It seemed like he had trouble getting quickly to his lanes and breaking tackles.

Alan Faneca: Lost a ton of one on one battles, including a decisive Randy Starks sack.

The Good:

The Defense: The defense deserved better. It only allowed 9 points, and 3 were the result of a short field. The blitzes got to Chad Henne this time, even though the 'Fins did many of the same things they did in the first game like max protecting and rolling him out. 6 sacks on Chad Henne and only 112 passing yards. Henne got rattled and made some terribly inaccurate throws when he heard footsteps. Ronnie Brown had under 3 yards per carry. Ricky Williams was just over 3. Just a dominant performance by the defense. It avenged its only poor performance of the year. This unit has played much better than its 4-4.

Mark Sanchez: No question the rookie was the best quarterback on the field. The disastrous third quarter put the Jets behind two scores. Although the coaching staff was very conservative early, they had no choice but to let Sanchez cut it loose. Mark put 22 up in the second half (with an assist from Davone Bess) and had the Jets on the verge of a winning touchdown. The Dolphins covered New York's receivers on the goal line, and the offensive line had a breakdown. Not Mark's fault. He did make an incredible throw to Dustin Keller on fourth and long to prolong the drive. Great touch on the ball.

Dustin Keller: Where has this guy been all year? 8 catches for 76 yards and a great grab on the receiving end of that fourth down play. I'll give the coaching staff some credit too. Miami's struggled covering the tight end, and it seems like the calls made Keller Sanchez's primary read. Is this the start of big things? Will he become Mark's safety blanket? Stay tuned.

Braylon Edwards: 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Certified Dolphin killer. And if you ever question his heart, watch the way he fought his way into the end zone on the touchdown grab.

Thomas Jones: Another 100 yard day. The average wasn't too great, but put it in context. The Dolphins were loading up the box all day. There were a lot of times nothing was there. He made a lot of guys miss.

Sione Pouha: Miami's vaunted rushing attack gained 2.3 per carry. Pouha was a force inside clogging lanes. He had 5 tackles and opened things up for others.

Shaun Ellis: Nice of him to finally show up this year. He had 1.5 sacks and generally won his matchups on the line. The way Miami was leaving extra blockers in, guys were going to have to win their matchups to get to him.

David Harris: 5 tackles and a sack. He was all over the place.

Bart Scott: 8 tackles and the sack that got the Jets the ball back for their last drive with a chance to win. So was he.

Defensive Approach: Give the staff credit. They adjusted well from the first game. The Wildcat was held in check. The Jets did a much better job of staying in their lanes. They also sent extra men from the secondary. It worked. It may have left them vulnerable to the pass, but they closed on Brown well and forced him to eat it for a big loss and got a ball deflected both times he was looking to throw it. The fact is the formation is usually a running formation. Passes are going to be few and far between. When they do try to throw it, Brown isn't putting it up unless he has a guy wide open and isn't under pressure. He's not trained to throw. It's always best to attack him with extra men even if it leaves a guy open. Force the running back to make a throw.

I also liked the Pace-Gholston-Ellis-Westerman line on passing downs.

We saw plenty of the Ellis-Green-Pouha-Douglas line and Pace-Harris-Scott linebacking look I predicted to stop the run. It worked.

Again, Henne was on the run all day and got hit so much he felt heat and rushed his throws even when there was none.

I don't expect this to be a fun bye. This team should not have lost this game. The Jets lost the first game to Miami because the Dolphins outexecuted them. They lost this game because they self-destructed. Give the Dolphins credit for not self-destructing I guess, but there's no way this team should be 4-4 at the halfway point. That's where we're at, though. At this point, we have a mediocre football team on our hands.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Run Defense

John B — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:42:35 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

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Once upon a time, the league's best rushing attack was struggling. Then came a Week 5 game at Miami. A talented offensive line kicked it into gear. The Jets ran the ball for 138 yards and 4.6 per carry. Two 300 yard rushing performances followed. In this time, the Jets have vastly scaled back their offense for their rookie quarterback. Teams have known what is coming and have stacked the box. It hasn't mattered. The offensive line has its sea legs after a slow start run blocking.

This is going to be a lot tougher than the games against Buffalo and Oakland. Despite the way the Jets ran the ball at Miami three weeks ago, the Dolphins still have a top five rush defense. Whenever the opponent plays a 3-4, a key matchup occurs between the nose tackle and center. The job of the nose tackle is to hold the point of attack and occupy two linebackers. Miami has a good nose tackle in Jason Ferguson and a developing young backup, Paul Solai. Nick Mangold's ability to contain the pair will go a long way to deciding how well the Jets run the ball.

Miami is probably going to be without inside linebacker Channing Crowder, their second leading tackler a year ago. The only thing Crowder does more than tackle is talk. Reggie Torbor will take a lot of the snaps in his place. He'll pair with Akin Ayodele, who has 25 tackles.

The Dolphins have been vulnerable on the left side of their defensive line, where Kendall Langford lines up. That's the side of the field the Jets love to pound the ball. Randy Starks is the other end in the 3-4.

We know the Jets are going to run, run, and run some more. Miami's leading tackler Yeremiah Bell will probably line up in the box. As we discussed earlier this week, Braylon Edwards and David Clowney can play a big role in the passing game. If they can stretch this defense and keep the safeties back, it will be that much easier to run. With that said, the Jets seem to match up well with Miami.