SB Nation - Jermaine Wiggins

Jets vs Dolphins – Rivalry Redux

Xander Diaz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

2 months ago: Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown (23) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Jets during an NFL football game in Miami, Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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The newest chapter in the Jets – Dolphins rivalry began with another spectacular Monday Night Football game. The Miami Dolphins edged out the New York Jets 31-27, in a game that featured 2 ties and 6 lead changes. A disappointing end to an exciting game for Jets fans.

The loss got me to thinking about some of the great games I’ve seen these two teams play over the years and I decided to put together my list of the most memorable games played between these rival AFC teams.

January 23, 1983 – 1982 AFC Championship game – aka the ‘Mud Bowl’
During the strike- shortened 1982 season, the Dolphins swept the regular season series. The two teams would meet again in the 1982 AFC Championship game, a trip to Super Bowl XVII at stake. This game was marked by a rather strange incident. The tarp was left off the field of the Orange Bowl during a marathon rainstorm leading up to the game. This resulted in a mud covered field which helped keep both teams scoreless in the first half. This game would feature ten turnovers, eight of them on quarterback interceptions. Three of those interceptions came from the star of the game, Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe who would nab three of Jets quarterback Richard Todd’s five interceptions of the day. Duhe cemented the 14–0 win, sending the Dolphins to Super Bowl XVII, when he returned one 35 yards for a touchdown.

November 10, 1985 – The "Super" Duper Game
Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was down to the Jets 17-14 with less than a minute to play when he fired a 50 yard touchdown pass to Mark "Super" Duper, winning the game, 21–17. Duper had been sidelined for seven weeks with a broken leg leading up to this game, coming back to have the game of his life against the Jets. He set a Dolphins club single game record with 217 receiving yards in helping Miami secure the win.

September 21st, 1986 – The Shootout
On this day Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino would each give legendary performances. The two quarterbacks would combine to set 2 NFL single game records. O’Brien and Marino would combine for a whopping 884 net passing yards and ten passing touchdowns. Records that still stand to this day. Dan Marino completed 30 of 50 for 448 yards and six touchdown passes. Ken O’Brien would throw for 479 yards and four touchdowns. Memorable moments include a Ken O’Brien td pass to wide receiver Wesley Walker with no time left on the clock to force overtime and his game clincher in overtime for the win, 51-45. To this day, this is the highest scoring game between the teams (96 total points).

November 27, 1994 – The Fake Spike Game
With first place in the division on the line, the Jets would outplay the Dolphins for three quarters and hold a 24-6 lead. The score cut to 24-21, Marino and the Dolphins would drive to within the Jets’ five-yard line. With thirty seconds left on a live clock, Marino took the snap from center, motioned as if he was going to spike the ball and instead fired the ball past Aaron Glenn and into the corner of the end zone where Mark Ingram waited. The touchdown gave the Dolphins a 28-24 victory and the division. The Jets went into a spiral after that play, losing all of their remaining games. This game marked the beginning of a dark down-ward spiral for the Jets that would last until the end of the 1996 season. The Jets would compile an embarrassing record of 4-33 during this period.

December 13, 1998 – Remember Chad Cascadden?
Both teams were 9-4 and the division lead, and possibly the division title, was the line. Going into the final minutes of the game, the Jets led 14-10 when a Marino fumble was picked up by Jets linebacker Chad Cascadden, who returned it for a touchdown putting the Jets ahead 21-10 with less than two minutes on the clock. The Jets would win 21-16, going on to win their first post-merger division title the following week at Buffalo.

October 23, 2000 – The Monday Night Miracle
Both teams started the 2000 season 5-1 when they met on Monday Night Football to determine control of the AFC East. What should have been an exciting match, turned into a three quarter drubbing by the Dolphins. The Dolphins held a leadthat grew to 30-7 at the end of the third quarter. Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw three picks and running back Curtis Martin was held to 30 yards rushing. In fact, the Jets would manage only two first downs in the entire first half. The game was so one-sided that Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler was heard on the sidelines telling defensive end Jason Taylor, "They ain’t coming back on us!" to which Taylor replied, "Hell no! You kidding? C’mon now." Those words would come back to haunt the Dolphins in short order. Testaverde would hit wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Jermaine Wiggins for td’s, cutting the lead to 30-20. A John Hall field goal later, Testaverde hits Wayne Chrebet in the end zone to tie the game 30-30 with 3:55 left. Almost crushing the revitalized hopes of the Jets, Fiedler would respond by tossing a long touchdown pass to Leslie Shepherd retaking the lead 37-30. The Jets would re-tie the game with 42 seconds left, when Testaverde hit offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott with a three yard touchdown strike, sending the contest into overtime. Elliott famously bobbled the ball as he fell in the endzone. The Jets would eventually win on a John Hall 40-yard field goal in overtime. The key to this game was the Jets fourth quarter performance. After managing only 5 first downs in the first three quarters, Testaverde completed 18 of 26 for 235 yards and four touchdowns, converting twenty first downs. This game came to be known as ‘The Monday Night Miracle’ and was selected by fans as the greatest game in the history of the Monday Night Football television series, when Monday Night Football celebrated its 500th telecast. The game also set the mark as the largest comeback from a fourth quarter deficit in NFL history.

Xander Diaz is Editor-In-Chief at AFCBeast.com

Mining your way to fantasy gold - Vikings Edition

Andrew Davidson — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:10 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

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Well its fitting to wrap up the NFC North with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings own fantasy football's most popular first overall pick. Minnesota also boasts one of the better Team DEFs, a decent fanatsy TE and a sneaky rookie by the name of Harvin. The men in purple don't offer a solid fantasy QB, so if you somehow get stuck with Sage Rosenfels/Tarvaris Jackson/Jeff George, my apologies.

Vikings plucked in the mocks:

Adrian Peterson RB - Avg. Selection* 1.2; 100% drafted
Minnesota Team DEF - Avg. Selection 86; 97% drafted
Ryan Longwell K - Avg. Selection 106; 100% drafted
Bernard Berrian WR - Avg. Selection 68; 100% drafted
Percy Harvin WR - Avg. Selection 122; 77% drafted
Visanthe Shiancoe TE - Avg. Selection 128; 100% drafted

*-100th selection = 10th pick round 10 (10 man); 6th pick round 9 (12 man); 3rd pick round 8 (14 man)

After the jump I recommend what to do if Adrian Peterson falls to you at number 2...

Take them to Plunder

Adrian Peterson

Luckily with Peterson, I don't have to say a lot. He's a great rushing back, and a very solid fantasy RB1. Do I recommend drafting Adrian Peterson in the top 5? Yes. Top 3? Yes. Top 2? Yes. However, Peterson does have some alarming stats to talk a look at. First, I'll mention the obvious, he fumbled 9 times in 2008; while only 4 were lost, that's still a large amount. Any time your fantasy back puts the rock on the turf it's a potential -2 on the stat sheet. Another downer about A.P.: his lack of receptions and all-purpose yardage. In a system with Tarvaris Jackson, you'd think Peterson would be a check down more often than he is. Ok, that's enough negative. Peterson is a modest prime time performer; in 2008 he had 345 total yards and 1 TD (weeks 14-16; 13 fantasy ppg). Considering Peteson had 10 games with 100+ yards, it's hard to value him lower than top 2. Fantasy Forecast: 1850 total yards, 12 TDs

Minnesota Team DEF

The Purple People Eaters of 2009 promise to be a solid fantasy unit. In 2008, the team finished 10th amongst Team DEFs in fantasy scoring. The team failed to make a big amount of INTs (12), despite pretty good sack numbers (45). Minnesota also had better than average 13 FRs with 3 TDs and 3 Blk Kicks. The Williams Wall are likely to avoid any suspensions, making Minny's front seven a force no matter the opponent. Cedric Griffin and Antoine Winfield are servicable CBs, but Minnesota's safeties need to step up and increase the team's INT total. The Vikings are @ CLE, @ DET and vs. SF to start 2009, and that should help boost your fantasy team's output. Overall I like Minnesota's schedule and recommend drafting them as late as you possibly can. It's basically all about your fantasy strategy if you want to invest a top 100 pick in a Team DEF. Fantasy Forecast: 47 sacks; 16 INTs, 12 FR; 3 TDs, 2 Blk Kicks

Ryan Longwell

Ok, my new rule when doing Kickers: brief. Longwell kicks in a dome, was the 3rd most scoring fantasy K and had just 2 games without a FG in 2008. Draft him, 12 of his 29 FGs were 40+ and -did I mention?- he plays in a dome 8 games a year (9 counting Detroit). I don't like taking kickers until the absolute late rounds, and Longwell is usually gone by then. Fantasy Forecast: 28 FGs, 44 XPM

Visanthe Shiancoe

Considering that Shiancoe is going around 128, it's a pretty good bargain to get a low tier TE1. Shocking, I know, because the name doesn't exactly jump out at you. However, his 2008 numbers will: 5th in scoring amongst TEs; 7 total TDs and 596 yards. I think the fans in Minnesota are still yearning for UFL stud Jermaine Wiggins, but Shiancoe will suffice in the meantime. Unlike Wiggins, I expect Shiancoe to put up another solid performance in 2009. Shiancoe came up big in weeks 14-16 last season, totalling 209 yards and 3 TDs (12 fantasy ppg); pretty fantastic stats for a TE. If forget to draft a TE by the time pick 120 rolls around, don't panic, Shiancoe will gladly assist you. Fantasy Forecast: 650 total yards 5 TDs

I would touch him with a stick

Bernard Berrian

I don't like the QB situation in Minnesota, and therefore I do not like Bernard Berrian as a fantasy threat. It's too risky to bank on Berrian producing each week. In 2008, he was held without reception twice, and had 2 or less receptions in 4 additional contests. Berrian had four 100-yard games, and 8 total TDs; numbers he'll struggle to reproduce in 2009. I simply cannot recommend taking Berrian in the Top 80 as I don't view him much more than a WR3 on most fantasy teams. Additionally I expect Percy Harvin to factor in on Berrian's decrease in production. Fantasy Forecast: 800 total yards, 5 Total TDs

Speaking of Harvin

Percy Harvin

I expect Harvin to produce very similar numbers to Berrian, even in his rookie season. Minnesota is gameplanning to get Harvin touches, and that means he's a potential fantasy gem. I view him as WR3 on most fantasy teams, but at nearly 60 selections after Berrian, it's much greater value. Harvin can run, catch and possibly pass in Minnesota's offense, and investing a pick in the 100s isn't a bad choice. Fantasy Forecast: 800 total yards, 5 Total TDs

Ask the Nation

Will the Vikings win the NFC North Division, even after losing to the 49ers in week 3 (despite it being a good fantasy match-up for Minny's D)?

(all fantasy stats are based on 2007-2008 Yahoo! Standard Public league scoring)

Former Cardinals Wendell Bryant, Oliver Celestin and Bo Schobel (Among Others) Find New Home in the UFL

Hawkwind — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:48:34 -0000

The upstart United Football League held it's innagural 'draft' last night and each of the four teams selected the rights to 24 players. Now this doesn't necessarily mean these guys have agreed or committed to playing in the league but it means that if they do decide to enter the UFL, the team that drafted them holds their rights. The league is contacting the players and hopes that they will be able to announce contract signings in the upcoming weeks.

The list of players that were drafted is littered with a handful of noticeable names like Adam Archuleta, Brooks Bollinger, Chris Perry, Jermaine Wiggins, LaBrandon Toefield, Cecil Sapp and Marcus Fitzgerald (Larry's younger brother). There were also several players with Cardinal ties including former first round bust Wendell Bryant, safety Oliver Celestin, defensive end Bo Schobel, linebacker Brandon Moore, quarterback Shane Boyd and I'm sure there are one or two others that I missed. Celestin and Schobel were with the Cardinals as recent as last year during training camp and Celestin actually played in two games with the team before being cut to make room for Stephen Spach. Overall the league didn't make any significant waves like drafting Michael Vick or some other troubled NFL star as many predicted. Former Cardinals receiver David Boston also didn't hear his name called even though he was on the initial list of 'draft hopefuls.' Each team already had 20 players "protected" (which is what likely became of Boston) before the draft so effectively each of the four teams (New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, and San Francisco) have 44 players assigned to them with an expectation that rosters will be set at 50 for the regular season (six games played over 8 weeks with the Championship Game played the Friday after Thanksgiving).

The league says that the rosters will be tweaked during July and August as players are cut from NFL training camps and they hope to kick off their regular season in October. Their games will be televised on the Versus network but at least former Cardinals coach Dennis Green won't be too far away in San Francisco.

Obama's Economic Stimulus Plan Works! Former Redskins Adam Archuleta Finds a Job (with UFL)

KevinE — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:15:15 -0000

Does Jennifer Walcott's Dad Own A UFL Team? I'm not sure either, but the UFL draft was held last night and many former "big" name NFL players were drafted, most notably, our beloved Adam Archuleta. Bruce from Baltimore Beatdown must be so proud!!! I don't know the details of the contract, but the former bust Redskin was drafted by the Las Vegas TBDs, coached by Jim Fassell (Gene Hackman) and QB'd by...wait for it...J.P. Losman! The first thing that comes to mind for me with the UFL is Shane Falco.

Other notables drafted, so you can get a jump up on your UFL fantasy team, are: Jermaine Wiggins, Labrandon Toefield, Brooks Bollinger, Chris Perry, and BJ Sams. I'm not gonna lie, I'm really disappointed Jeff George is not on the list.

Images via media3.washingtonpost.com, a.espncdn.com

The Universal Football League is Here. . .Feel the Excitement!

Gonzo — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:09:07 -0000

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, professional football's latest attempt to compete with the National Football League will be kicking off their season in October 2009, and they held their premiere draft for the league last night. Each of the four franchises (Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, San Francisco) selected 24 players to build their franchise around, and there are a few names on the list that should be fairly familiar to Vikings fans.

If you want to base your NFL cheering preferences on which team has the most former Vikings on the roster (at this point, anyway). . .it looks like the Orlando franchise is the one for you. Among their new additions are QB Brooks Bollinger, S Mike Doss, and TE Jermaine Wiggins. They aren't the only Viking alumni in the new league, however. Former Vikings' coach Denny Green will be the head coach of the San Francisco franchise, and former Vikings' defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell will be the head coach in Las Vegas (Jim Haslett and Jim Fassel will coach Orlando and Las Vegas, respectively).

The other former Vikings player in the UFL at this time is DB Oliver Celestin, who I know spent a season or two on the practice squad with the Vikings, but I'm not sure he ever made the big club. Marcus Fitzgerald, the younger brother of Larry that the Vikings took a look at after the draft, is a member of the San Francisco roster. With only about half of each team's 50-man roster filled out to this point, I'm sure we'll be seeing more Minnesota alumni popping up in the league as they progress towards their kickoff in October.

I'm not sure how wise an idea it is to try to go head-to-head with the NFL during their season, but the UFL might be worth a look. With only four teams for now, there won't be a lot of match-up variety or anything, but if they're successful in their first season, I'm sure there will be more to come. No other league has been successful in America, however (see also: the USFL, the XFL, the WLAF), and the odds are certainly against the UFL at the start.