SB Nation - Anthony Fasano

Henne leads comeback as Dolphins defeat Patriots to remain in playoff hunt

Matty I — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:02:35 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne walks off the field after the Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots 22-21 on Sunday. And notice - the robot still refuses to show any emotion. Is he a machine?

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Just a little over fifteen minutes into Sunday's game and it seemed as though the Dolphins' slim playoff chances were fading away right before all of our eyes. But then something happened. On the brink of disaster, the Dolphins - led by their passing attack of all things - finally fired back, showing the kind of intensity that this team lacked last week in Buffalo. By halftime, it was just a four point game. The second half then saw the Dolphins go toe to toe with a perennial championship contender as the team rallied back from an 11 point third quarter deficit to knock off the Patriots in thrilling fashion - thrusting themselves right into the thick of things in the AFC playoff picture.

Henne has career day
Sure - it isn't saying much that a second year quarterback with just nine career starts had his best day as an NFL starter. After all - it has only been nine starts. So how's this for a better statement? Chad Henne has his first career-defining game in the NFL. I think that explains it better. After all, it's not every day that a quarterback goes punch for punch with Tom Brady in a quarterback duel - and actually wins. And it's even more rare that the quarterback out-gunning Brady is in his first year as a starter.

Coming into the game, I wrote that I really wanted to see the Dolphins attack New England's secondary. But I really didn't expect Tony Sparano and Dan Henning go with that kind of aggressive, attacking game plan on offense. So I was absolutely thrilled to see the Dolphins come out firing on Sunday. This was the first time that the coaching staff really took the training wheels off of Henne and he didn't disappoint.

Were there times when he made mistakes or missed on throws? Of course. That interception was both a bad decision and poorly placed throw. His accuracy is still inconsistent at times - which you can say about most rookie quarterbacks. That inaccuracy almost cost the Dolphins - when Henne missed an open Lousaka Polite on a 3rd & 6 play with 2:15 left. Henne explained after the game that Polite was the "hot" receiver. With the blitz coming, he anticipated Polite running to the flat. But Polite cut it up field - as he had open field in front of him. That explains why Henne double-clutched before throwing that pass over Polite's head.

With that said, it's no secret that Henne still has to work on avoiding tipped balls at the line of scrimmage and improving on those passes that require some "touch."

But still, Henne made up for these mistakes and missed opportunities, showing the kind of mental toughness a quarterback in this league needs. On the very next play - on a 4th & 6 with the season basically on the line - Henne rolled right and fired a bullet to Greg Camarillo for the first down, getting his team into field goal range. After the game, Tony Sparano praised Henne for his ability to overcome these kinds of things:

"He's a pretty resilient guy. He missed a couple of throws there. But Chad just keeps battling. He made some big throws, and the one to Camarillo down there at the end, that's a heck of a throw.''

A "heck of a throw" indeed.

All told, Henne threw for 335 yards while the running game ran for less than 100 - accomplishing one of the things I've been waiting to see from the young quarterback. He was finally asked to win a game with his arm from start to finish. He passed this test with flying colors, leading his third career fourth quarter comeback in just nine career starts.

After his busy day full of 52 pass attempts - the most pass attempts by a Dolphins' quarterback in a win since 1990 - Henne was asked how his arm felt. You got to love his response:

"If you want to, we can throw all day. I love it. Put it in my hands. Put the pressure situations upon me. I really thrive on that."

Defense steps up in fourth quarter
The day got off to a rough start for the Dolphins - allowing a 58 yard touchdown pass a little over three minutes into the game. On that play, we saw terrible coverage by rookie Vontae Davis and poor deep help from Gibril Wilson.

Then less than three minutes into the second half, on the Pats' first play of the half, we saw more ugly defense as fellow rookie corner Sean Smith had outstanding coverage on Sam Aiken but still couldn't even break up the pass along the right sideline. The 6'2 receiver made the catch over the 6'3 1/2" corner and then sprinted down the sideline - as Gibril Wilson basically stood and watched at mid field - for just his second career touchdown. I'm confident that Smith breaks up that pass 99 times out of 100. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, this was that one.

At 21-10 just minutes into the second half, it was beginning to look like more of the same from this defense in the second half. And the fourth quarter - also known as the quarter in which this defense likes to collapse - was still 12 minutes away.

However, rather than fold like a cheap suit, this defense stepped up. Coming into the game, the Dolphins were allowing 118.4 yards per game and 40.7 yards per drive in the fourth quarter alone. On Sunday, of the 448 yards of offense that the Patriots gained on Sunday, only 60 of them came in the fourth quarter (15 yards per drive).

It all started with NE's first possession of the final quarter. The Pats only needed four plays to get inside Miami's 5 yard line. But then Tom Brady made a terrible decision and a poor throw - allowing Vontae Davis to redeem himself for his bad play on NE's first drive by having perfect coverage on Randy Moss and making the key interception. In my opinion, this play was the turning point of the game.

As far as New England's fourth quarter offense goes, that one drive was about it. The Dolphins forced two consecutive "three and outs" on their next two possessions. And those "three and outs" were huge - getting the ball back to the offense as the Dolphins trailed by two points.

Following the Dan Carpenter field goal, the Pats had one more shot. But again, the defense made a stand. Following an 11 yard completion and an incompletion, Cameron Wake used a quick first step to get around Nick Kaczur and get Brady in his arms. Brady then threw up an ill-advised desperation pass hoping to at least stop the clock. But Channing Crowder (of all people) was "Johnny on the spot" - making the interception on a pass thrown right to his gut. Hell of a time for Channing's first career interception - who then showed excellent football intelligence by going to the ground rather than trying to return the interception.

Some will tell you that the Dolphins caught some lucky breaks. That's true. One of them was a huge break - as Sain Aiken had gotten by Sean Smith by about five yards but was overthrown down the left sideline on what would have been a touchdown to put the Pats ahead by nine points. Yes - the Dolphins caught a break there. But we've seen a ton of breaks go against the Dolphins this year. For once, they caught one of their own. It's about time.

Great job by the defense in the fourth quarter. The unit still isn't where it needs to be. But that late game performance is definitely something to build on.

QUICK HITS
More quick hit thoughts on Sunday's game. Let's start with the positives and end with some "not so positives":

Final thought for right now about Henne. He just seems to have that "it" factor that no Dolphin quarterback has had since you know who. That's what is most exciting about him, in my opinion. He has "it."
Bill Belichick will be questioned again for going for it on a fourth down. This time it was inside the 10 yard line late in the second half. Three points there would have been huge for the Patriots. But Belichick went for it on 4th & 1 and Paul Soliai, Joey Porter, and others came up huge in stopping Sammy Morris. The Dolphins would then march down the field and get a FG of their own - resulting in what was essentially a critical six point swing.
Dan Carpenter is money. There's nothing more to say. Is his leg the strongest? No. But a reliable kicker from inside 50 is even more important than a big leg. And DC$ is just that - reliable. Think Tony Sparano trusts Carpenter? On 3rd & 5 from the 23, the Dolphins ran the ball and gained nothing before DC$ drilled home the 41 yard FG to put the Dolphins ahead. If he has any doubts, the Fins pass the football there. That says a lot about the second year kicker.
The Dolphins may not have any number one receivers. But they have a plethora of reliable number two receivers. Davone Bess is essentially a poor man's Wes Welker, making clutch catch after clutch catch. Brian Hartline is on his way towards becoming a very good complimentary receiver. Greg Camarillo - or "Old Reliable" - always tends to make a clutch catch. None were bigger than his 4th & 6 completion along the right sideline to keep that game-winning drive alive. And even Ted Ginn got in on the act - making two critical receptions. His first catch was on that final drive of the first half, converting a 3rd & 2 into a 19 yard gain along the left sideline. His other reception was a 15 yard gain on a 3rd & 10 in the 4th quarter. At least that's progress, folks.
Anthony Fasano has looked like the TE we knew and loved last season. He has back to back 5 reception, 65+ yard performances.
The offensive line was excellent in pass protection. For the most part, Henne had all the time he needed in the pocket.
Ricky Williams. There - I just wanted to get his name involved here. He had a "workman-like" 75 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. When that's a "ho-hum" kind of game, you know you have a good back.
Want more reasons to like Hartline? The kid has become a special teams monster. You can't help but appreciate tough kids like that.
While I'm not saying Yeremiah Bell has been very good this year, Gibril Wilson has, by far, been the worst safety. He just can't cut it as a free safety. A true coverage free safety would make this defense instantly better.
Not enough pressure at all on Tom Brady. Can I see more Cameron Wake, please?
Better play-calling out of Dan Henning today. But one major gripe still remains: ENOUGH WITH PAT WHITE! Listen - I'm not a "Pat White hater." I actually wanted the Dolphins to draft him. But I just don't think he's ready...yet. Now he's just an instant drive killer. So let's give it a rest.
I really didn't like the decision to go for two with three minutes left in the third quarter. It's too early to start chasing points at that point. If the Patriots score a touchdown on their first possession of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins would have been down by two scores instead of just one. Luckily, though, this decision didn't come back to bite the Dolphins on the ass.

FINAL THOUGHT
What more can you ask for? The Dolphins are 6-6, one game out of the playoffs, and have a meaningful month of football ahead. And for us fans, we not only have meaningful December football to look forward to - we also get to enjoy the maturation process of a young quarterback week in and week out.

Enjoy the ride, everyone. And for those of you who were crying about how the season was over after last week's ugly loss in Buffalo - welcome back aboard the bandwagon.

Playoff hopes take big hit as Dolphins fall in Buffalo

Matty I — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:48:36 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens (81) reacts to his fourth-quarter touchdown in front of Miami Dolphins defender Vontae Davis (21).

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The Dolphins arrived in Buffalo this weekend with nine days of rest since scratching and clawing their way back to .500 and back into the AFC playoff picture. But they left Buffalo again under the .500 mark after losing 31-14 to the Bills on Sunday. Just like that, the playoffs suddenly seem out of sight.

Generally, losses don't bother me too much. They won't stay with me for too much longer after the game is over. And if this was a loss to a quality opponent, I'd probably be over it already. But it's hard to swallow the idea that the Dolphins, after fighting so hard to get back to .500, would lose to this Bills team. If it were the Patriots, for example, I'd chalk this loss up to losing to a better team and move on. But the Bills are not a better team. That's why this one is so painful.

Play-calling a big problem
I know already that I'm going to get crap for talking about this. But if you've been around here long enough, then you know that I try my best not to ever kill the play-calling of any team - especially the Dolphins. Why? Calling plays is a tricky thing. When a risky play works, it's a great call. When it doesn't, it's a terrible call. Fans are fickle when it comes to this - which is why I try my best to stay out of it.

With that said, it's impossible not to highlight just how absolutely disgusting some of Dan Henning's play calls were on Sunday.

It all begins, of course, with that atrocious decision to let Ricky Williams throw the ball on Miami's first possession on a 1st & goal from Buffalo's 3 yard line. The Bills had just gone three and out to start the game and the Dolphins had methodically driven down to Buffalo's three on just eight plays. Chad Henne had converted a 3rd & 7 pass to Davone Bess for 15 yards just three plays into the drive. From there, Ricky had run for gains of 11, 7, 6, and 5 to get down to the 3 yard line. So what does Henning decide to do? He decides to let Ricky throw the ball out of the 'Wildcat" on 1st & goal - resulting in that costly interception.

For a team that prides itself on power running football - which was clearly working - they sure do go away from it pretty quickly, don't they? The Bills looked like they wanted no part of stopping Williams on that first drive. So let's have Ricky pass it. Sure - great idea.

I'm not against the idea of passing it down around the goalline. But at least let Chad Henne attempt the pass. Don't have Ricky - who hasn't attempted a pass in the NFL since 2000 - throw it.

Some of you might be asking why I'm spending so much time on this one play call when the Dolphins lost by 17. Well that's simple. And I said this during the game in our game thread - and it turned out to be true. When you're playing a bad team in their own stadium in a game you have to have, it's important not to let that bad team hang around. It's that simple. A touchdown on that opening drive changes the entire complexion of this game. It doesn't give the Bills any life or any confidence. And who is to say that if the Dolphins get off to a 14-0 lead when Brian Hartline scores his touchdown that the Bills just don't begin to collapse?

But that wasn't the only bad play call. The other occurred on the Dolphins third offensive possession. The Bills had just gone three and out again and the Dolphins were leading 7-0 (should have been 14, but I guess I have to let it go). The Bills had not even come close to stopping Miami's offense on their first two drives - except for that poor decision to have Williams throw it. The Dolphins were at their own 46 yard line following an 11 yard pass completion and two Ricky runs of 6 yards and 5 yards. Up to this point, in fact, the Dolphins were averaging a robust 6.7 yards per play. So what does Henning dial up? An end-around to Ted Ginn. Are you kidding me?

The play loses four yards. The Dolphins gain 11 more over their next two plays, not enough for the first following the drive-killing end-around, and are forced to punt.

Time and time again, it seems like Dan Henning gets too "cute" with his play calls. On Sunday, the Bills defense looked like a mess in the first half. But Henning let them off the hook with some piss-poor decisions. And while I'm not one to over-react too often, I suddenly went from defending Henning from those who were calling for his head to not caring one way or the other if Henning was to get fired.

The Dolphins could have easily had put away the Bills early on Sunday. But they let a bad team hang around, gain confidence, and the end result was a potentially season-ending loss to a team that really isn't any good (on paper, that is).

Tale of two Henne's
Sunday was the first time since becoming the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins that Chad Henne laid an egg. But I guess the bigger story here is how surprised I was to see him lay that egg considering this was only his eighth career start.

What made his late-game struggles even more frustrating was how good Henne looked through the first three quarters. His throws were very strong and on target en route to completing 13 of 17 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. And that touchdown pass was a beautiful throw by Henne, buying time and letting Brian Hartline go up and make a play in the back corner of the endzone. Kudos to Hartline for making that outstanding play, too.

But the fourth quarter was a disaster for Henne. Following Buffalo's game-tying touchdown early in the fourth, Henne was just 4 of 14 for 50 yards and three interceptions. The interceptions, however, don't bother me too much. The first one was a result of Henne getting hit when he threw, causing an underthrow to an open Hartline. The third was a tipped ball by a lineman during garbage time that landed in the arms of a defender. The second one, though was a little bothersome because it wasn't the first time I noticed Henne staring down his receiver.

What worries me more than the staring down of a receiver on occasion was how inaccurate Henne looked during the fourth quarter. His throws were all over the place, it seemed, during that fourth quarter. I don't get it. He was impressively accurate through the first three quarters. And it's not like Henne to get rattled in a close game - as we saw against the Jets and the Bucs.

Hopefully we can just chalk it up to his maturation process as a starting quarterback in this league and move on.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
I was tempted to make the Ricky Williams interception the turning point of the game. But with 3:30 to go, the Dolphins had the football and were down by just three points. The turning point was just three plays later when Henne was hit as he threw, causing his pass to an open Brian Hartline to fall short and get intercepted. On the next play, Terrell Owens caught a long touchdown pass to seal the deal.

QUICK HITS
Some more quick thoughts on the game:

Ricky Williams had another great day - turning in his third consecutive 100 yard game. But you have to wonder if the Dolphins should have used a little more Lex Hilliard - especially in the first half - to keep Ricky fresh. Williams had just 12 carries for 36 yards in the second half.
The end of the first half was painful - as the Dolphins left more points on the field. It started out with two drops - one by Ted Ginn and one by Davone Bess (though Davone's was a very tough catch - he's just been so good recently I expect him to catch everything). And then on a 4th & 1 from Buffalo's 40 and the Dolphins going for it, Nate Garner gets caught holding - negating Lousaka Polite's 3 yard run and forcing Miami to punt.
Speaking of Ginn, he looked lost returning kicks today.
And speaking of looking lost, Vontae Davis had a rough day. He mistimed a pass to Terrell Owens in the fourth quarter that could have been an interception deep in Buffalo territory. Instead, it was a 17 yard gain for Owens. Miami's pass rush bailed him out, though, stalling the drive a few plays later. And then later, Davis was badly beaten by Owens for the game-sealing 51 yard touchdown pass. He claims Owens pushed off. I don't know if that's true. Either way, it was a tough game for the rookie. But both he and Sean Smith have bright futures in this league - my opinion hasn't changed one bit.
I love the pass rush today as the Dolphins tallied six sacks. But keep in mind that it was against one of the worst offensive lines in football and one that was without a number of starters.
Miami's offensive line, on the other hand, disappointed me. Chad Henne was getting drilled a lot in this game - though the stat sheet only shows one sack allowed. I counted at least 5 or 6 times in which Henne was hit as he threw or right after he threw - including on the first interception thrown by Henne.
Anthony Fasano looked very good today - showing those flashes he showed last season.
Brian Hartline also looked good. What a tremendous catch in the endzone. But what an even more impressive play by Hartline on their first possession of the second half - when he caught a pass at Buffalo's 8 or 9 yard line but had the presence of mind to get up and gain about 7 more yards after falling to the ground making the catch. He realized he wasn't touched while he was down, got up, and almost got into the endzone for the second time in the game.
After surrendering 24 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Dolphins are allowing an average of 12.2 points per game in the fourth on the season - the most in the league.
Lots of poor tackling in that fourth quarter, by the way. Not good.

FINAL THOUGHT
Want to see something upsetting? Look at the AFC playoff picture. A win over the Bills today would have tied the Dolphins with three other teams for that second wildcard spot. And the Dolphins still have games against two of those teams they would have been tied with.

Even so, the Dolphins still have a slim chance to get back into the thick of things. At least, that's what the "homer" in me will believe for the time being.

But somebody said in one of the posts that not making the playoffs doesn't make this season a failure. That's 100% true. But if the Dolphins miss the playoffs by one game, this is the game that I will think back to most. Not the game against the Colts. Not the game against the Saints. This one.

Why? Because the Dolphins are a better football team than the Bills. I can tolerate losses where this team is competitive against superior teams. However, I simply can't stomach losing to teams that the Dolphins should beat.

All I was hoping for this season in terms of wins and losses was for Miami to be in the playoff hunt in December so we could watch meaningful December football. We still have that. But this upcoming month of December would have been a million times more exciting if the Dolphins had won this game in Buffalo.

Bills Fantasy Friday: Week 12 Start 'Em/Sit 'Em

Kurupt — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Stephen Morton - AP

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Amazingly, it's already Week 12. The fantasy football regular season is coming to a close in the next few weeks, and it's time to make one final push to the playoffs. The Buffalo Bills might be out of it, but most fantasy teams are still fighting for that championship. Congratulations to all those teams that have been good enough to clinch a playoff berth already. For the rest of you (us!), buckle up, the crazy roller coaster ride of fighting for playoff berths continues! Head on in after the jump for the individual players of note for this Sunday's Miami Dolphins visit to the Buffalo.

Quarterbacks
Chad Henne - Henne made his first NFL start the last time these teams met. He threw for just 115 yards and was sacked 6 times that day, but the Dolphins hardly needed him to do much. That trend has continued for much of the season, as Miami continues to rely heavily on the ground game. However, Henne has thrown 26 or more passes in five of his last six games. Many of those passes are of the short, underneath variety as Henne has averaged 6.4 yards per attempt or less in all but one of his starts. Expect that trend to continue, as well. He has done a nice job protecting the football, throwing just four interceptions and not losing a fumble over 218 pass attempts. On the other hand, he has just 6 touchdowns. Expect the Bills to force Henne into making plays, just don't expect him to make many big plays. He might not make many mistakes, though, either. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Fitzpatrick looked much better against the Jaguars, although he was still amazingly erratic and inaccurate. The final numbers looked good (297 yards, 1 touchdown, 9.6 ypa) even if most of his passes didn't. Fitzpatrick continues to look downfield more than Trent Edwards ever dreamed of, and was finally able to get Terrell Owens involved. Lee Evans also caught a long touchdown that was negated by penalty. Expect those attempts to continue. I wouldn't expect 297 yards any time soon, or even 200 yards, but if he continues to throw it around, the big play potential is there. Fitzpatrick and the Bills get to face the 22nd ranked Dolphins' pass defense this week. With all that said, he still stinks as a starting quarterback and shouldn't even be a consideration for fantasy owners, especially those of you with playoff aspirations. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Running Backs
Ricky Williams - Is the holistic one the fantasy story of the year? Probably not, but he is one of the nice surprises for fantasy owners. With Ronnie Brown out for the season, Williams is going to be a huge part of the rest of the fantasy season. If you are lucky enough to have him for your playoff run, enjoy! Wiliams already has 10 touchdowns this year, has averaged 5.3 yards per carry and has even added 212 receiving yards. He also needs to average about 54 yards per game to have his first 1000 yard season since 2003. He's going to get that, barring injury, and is going to help a lot of fantasy teams win down the stretch. With the juicy Bills matchup, expect a big week out of him again this week. Even after holding Maurice Jones-Drew to just 66 yards on 25 carries this past week, don't expect that type of success for the Bills defense to continue. Williams had 85 yards and a touchdown in shared duty the first time around. Expect those numbers to go up this week. Verdict: Start 'Em

Marshawn Lynch - As of the time I'm writing this, it's unclear as to whether Lynch will play this Sunday. I'm going to say he is simply because we haven't heard of any major damage. Assuming he does give it a go, I wouldn't expect him to have big numbers again. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Fred Jackson sees more carries anyhow. The Dolphins are 12th in the NFL in run defense giving up about 106 yards per game. Lynch has been a major fantasy disappointment this year. I'd expect it to get worse before it gets better. Keep him benched until we see some signs of life out of him. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Fred Jackson - Jackson continues to see roughly 10-12 touches a game on offense. I would guess that number goes up this week with a banged up Lynch being questionable. If Lynch were to miss the game, Jackson is probably a solid RB2 this week. Remember late last season when Lynch was out and Jackson ran wild? Well forget about that. Other than Lee Evans, every single other starting player on offense is different. Don't expect a similar close to the season for him this year. BUT you can expect solid numbers, especially if he gets the full workload. If Lynch plays this week, I'd still consider Jackson a flex option as he seems to be getting involved in the passing game more, while continuing his kick return duties. Verdict: Start 'Em as a flex, and a RB2 if Lynch sits

Wide Receiver
Davone Bess - Bess leads the Dolphins with 46 receptions for 397 yards. When your leading receiver averages 8.6 yards per catch, it's safe to say none of these guys are startable. I actually really like Bess as a slot receiver in real life, but he's not a fantasy option and neither are his fellow Dolphin receivers. Bess does have 16 catches for 191 yards in his last three games, so he does have some PPR value. If you are stuck and need a guy to get you 6-8 points in your PPR league, Bess could be your guy. Other than that, don't start him or Ted Ginn, Brian Hartline and Greg Camarillo. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Lee Evans - Poor Evans. He lost out an amazing 53 yard touchdown catch last week because Jonathan Scott couldn't avoid the Three Stooges penalty. He finished with just one catch for 15 yards. Many people wanted to start Evans after his nice game the previous week against Tennessee and his solid production with Fitzpatrick under center before. Pity you folks. If there's one fantasy football mantra to follow, it's never start Lee Evans, ever! He will burn you. He has routinely hurt the Dolphins in the past, but again, don't. start. Lee. Evans. If he puts up big numbers on your bench, so be it. That means the Bills offense did something good and you didn't have to worry about whether he'd actually do anything in your starting lineup. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Terrell Owens - Welcome to the 2009 NFL season T.O.! You were missed. I really don't know what to make of his performance against Jacksonville. Is it a sign of things to come down the stretch, or is it just a blip on an otherwise quiet radar? Did the promotion of Perry Fewell to head coach mean anything for Owens? There are too many questions and too many useless performances from Owens this year to consider moving him back into your starting lineup. He is, however, back in the discussion. If Fewell's gameplans are to get Owens involved early and often, he could be one of the playoff heroes in fantasy football this year. It wouldn't surprise me if Owens were to have a nice finish to the season, I just want to see how he's used this week before recommending him again. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Tight Ends
Joey Haynos and Anthony Fasano - Both barely have 100 yards receiving on the season. They are barely a part of the Dolphins' passing game, they shouldn't be a part of yours. I'd rather start a Bills Tight End. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Shawn Nelson - Nelson made a beautiful catch over the top of the defender against Jacksonville, but again wasn't much of a factor overall. That should continue, although it'd be nice to try utilizing him more in the passing game. He's not even worth considering here. I'd rather start a Dolphins Tight End. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Kickers
Dan Carpenter - Carpenter has been rather good for Miami this year, connecting on 16 of his 17 field goal attempts. Against the Bills, he might be worth a spot start. As always, I'd be looking at a guy on a team with a better offense. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Rian Lindell - Lindell has also been quite good for Buffalo, hitting 17 of his 19 field goal attempts. Just like Carpenter, I'd be looking at a guy with a better offense. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Defense/Special Teams
Miami D/ST - This unit had four sacks and an interception last week against Carolina. Going against the sieve that is the Bills' OL and Ryan Fitzpatrick, those numbers look likely again. I wouldn't start them, though. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Buffalo D/ST - They sacked Henne six times in the first matchup, but don't go expecting that again. Expect a sack or two and maybe an interception. Injuries have ravaged this unit that was only mediocre to begin with. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Sleepers
None. Really, I don't see a surprise performance out of anyone in this game. It'll probably be a boring field goal contest with Ricky Williams running wild.

********

The Thanksgiving games have come and gone, so your Week 12 matchup is likely well under way. This Sunday will make or break a lot of fantasy seasons. Good luck and enjoy the games!

Henne makes big mistake followed by big plays to help Dolphins pull out ugly win

Matty I — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:36:42 -0000

More photos » by Hans Deryk - AP

Miami Dolphins' Joey Haynos (81) and Dan Carpenter (5) celebrate after Carpenter kicked the go-ahead field goal with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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For some reason, things just can't be easy for the 2009 Miami Dolphins. In a game against the one-win Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dolphins blew a 13 point halftime lead and needed late heroics to just eek out a 25-23 win on Sunday.

Before we discuss the game, though, here's what we know about the injury sustained by Ronnie Brown. He left in the third quarter with an injured right ankle. He had x-rays taken after the game and, according to Armando Salguero, Ronnie told him the x-rays were negative - meaning nothing is broken. But he was on crutches. Ronnie will undergo an MRI on Monday. However, I'm really not expecting to hear that Brown will be available for Thursday's game in Carolina against the Panthers.

Now let's talk more about the game.

Henne's big mistake, and even bigger response
With just 1:52 seconds to go, the Dolphins faced a 3rd down and needed to pick up seven yards to convert and to essentially seal the game. Instead, Chad Henne made a huge rookie mistake - rolling out right and trying to force a throw into traffic. Tampa Bay intercepted the pass and then scored the go-ahead touchdown just four plays later with only 1:15 to go.

The young quarterback could easily have just lost confidence and folded under pressure. Instead, he responded in a big, big way. Following a return gaffe by Ted Ginn, the Dolphins started the final drive of the game at their own 16 yard line with just 1:10 left and one timeout remaining, needing a field goal to win. And all Chad Henne did was make two outstanding throws to Davone Bess for gains of 25 yards and 16 yards. Coupled with a 9 yard pass interference call, the Dolphins were suddenly down at Tampa's 34 yard line with 23 seconds to go. A Ricky Williams 27 yard run on the ensuing play set up the Dolphins to kick the game-winning field goal.

To me, of all the things we saw on Sunday - both good and bad - it was Henne's mental toughness and unwavering confidence that was the biggest story. His physical talent, of course, was just as impressive - making some very nice throws. His two passes to Ted Ginn - which were both incomplete - and his two late-game bullets to Davone Bess were among his best throws of the game. But it was his ability to overcome his own costly mistake - a mistake that almost cost his team the game - that has made me inch ever so closer to thinking Henne very well could be the "franchise quarterback" this team has needed for so very long.

After the game, Henne himself was the first to admit he made a huge mistake, saying:

"In that situation I had a running lane where I could have just slid and we could have gotten the punt off and lived another day."

"I will learn from that definitely."

Henne made the kind of mistake that all young quarterbacks make at least once. But it's rare that he gets to redeem himself in that very same game by then leading his team on the game-winning scoring drive.

Jason Taylor was also impressed:

"I told him after the game, 'You grew up today.'"

"It's a maturation process. He's going to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. I still do after 13 years. The key is to bounce back when you do, and that's what he did today."

The critics will question a number of decisions
Whether it's clock management or play calling, there are bound to be a number of fans who will question Tony Sparano and his coaching staff for a number of decisions they made during Sunday's game. I wanted to quickly address a few.

The first questionable decision was the decision to kick the field goal with 10 seconds left in the first half rather than take a shot into the end zone from Tampa Bay's 12 yard line. But I agree with Tony's decision here. I think you take the guaranteed points in that situation to give yourself a 13 point lead against a team that has only scored 6 points in the first half and is led by a rookie quarterback. Too many things could go wrong if you decide to go for the end zone. There could be a turnover. There could be a sack, which would end the half since Miami had no timeouts left. Or Henne could make the mistake of passing it to a player who isn't in the end zone and that player gets stopped short of the goal line. So I don't see this as a bad decision by the Dolphins.

Sparano did obviously make a clock management mistake when he called a timeout following Ricky's big run with 14 seconds left in the game instead of letting the clock run down, preventing Tampa from ever getting their hands on the ball again. Luckily, this didn't prove to be costly.

Play calling was again an issue. On Miami's first possession of the second half, the Dolphins ran an end-around on a 3rd & 4 with Ted Ginn that resulted in no gain. Bad call. Then later on in the fourth quarter with 6:49 to go and a three point lead, the Dolphins decided to get conservative on a 3rd & 4 and run the ball with Williams - gaining just a yard and settling for a field goal. Again, bad call.

One play call I have no problem with is the play that resulted on Chad Henne's big mistake. The Dolphins were looking at a 3rd & 7 and knew that a first down seals the game. So why not trust your quarterback and go for the win right there on that play? Would I have called a different play? Maybe. But I love the idea of putting the ball in the air. And I guarantee that if the Dolphins had run the football on that play and failed to get the first down, many fans would be crying about how Dan Henning's play calling is too conservative and would kill Sparano for playing "not to lose" instead of playing to win.

My major gripe, though, is that if the coaching staff trusts Chad Henne enough to put the ball in the air in that situation, deep in their own territory, then why not trust him enough to put the ball in the air on a 3rd down earlier in the quarter rather than running it and settling for the field goal? At least be consistent - that's all.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
This one was difficult. If Tampa never makes the comeback, then I think Jason Taylor's interception is the turning point. But Tampa did come back. So I think this week's turning point was Chad Henne's first down strike to Davone Bess over the middle with 1:10 left in the game. The Dolphins were backed up to their own 16 to start the drive but instantly, after one play, were up at the 41 yard line and snapping the next play with about 50 seconds left. It was a huge throw and catch and if Bess doesn't make that grab, I don't know if we're sitting here right now with a 4-5 team.

QUICK HITS
Here are some more quick thoughts on Sunday's game:

Luck was finally on the Dolphins' side on Sunday. Jason Taylor's interception was a "lucky break" for the Dolphins. The refs tried to explain the reasoning behind the call (explained here) but I still don't get it because the receiver possessed the ball, went to the ground, and was touched down. I understand the rule about having to possess the ball as you hit the ground. But it seemed like the ball came out a second or so after the receiver had hit the ground and been touched down. Either way, I'll take it. The Dolphins also benefited from a fumbled snap from center that Miami recovered and a drive-stalling dropped shotgun snap by Josh Freeman. So let's be fair - lady luck was, for once, pulling for the Dolphins.
Dan Carpenter is officially "DC$" and anyone who disagrees is banished from this community! Well - fine - maybe that's overreacting. But what more can this second year kicker do? Carpenter connected on four field goals - including one from 49 and one from 45. And then he connected on the chip shot game-winner.
I don't want to hear about Ted Ginn's dropped pass on the Dolphins' first play from scrimmage. I'm serious. I'm not surprised he dropped it, to be frank, so I don't even think it's worth talking about. What is worth talking about is how Chad Henne was dead-on accurate on that throw. That's a great sign.
Who needs Joey Porter? The Dolphins sacked Josh Freeman three times, just missed about three or four additional sacks thanks to Freeman's size, strength, and athleticism, and probably got more consistent pressure today than they have all season - with the exception of the game against New Orleans. Charlie Anderson played very well. Cameron Wake picked up a sack and was around Freeman on a number of more plays. In all honesty, you have to wonder if Porter even deserves to start from this point on.
Jason Taylor is still the man. No sacks for JT - but he had a tackle for a loss, two pass deflections, and an interception.
Ricky Williams looked good - and will likely be asked to see even more carries on Thursday. I hope he's up for the increase in his workload.
I've talked a lot about Henne - but I'm going to take a little more about him. Is it me or does it seem like Henne has a knack for converting on 3rd downs? Just on their first possession of the game, Henne connected with Greg Camarillo twice to convert two 3rd downs. Henne also fired in a strike to Brian Hartline on a 3rd & 15 to convert again.
Off topic - anyone see Mark Sanchez go into the post-game press conference with a prepared speech? What a joke! I'm so glad he's on the Jets - he's ready to crash and burn.
Sean Smith got beat for a touchdown - and yet I'm still not worried at all about our two rookie corners. I'm either an overly confident idiot or I see a lot to look forward to from both of those kids.
Please - let's wait a bit before we holler for Kory Sperry to be Miami's starting tight end. Why are we so quick to anoint players? Relax. It was one game and he had just three catches. Who is to say Anthony Fasano doesn't make those exact same catches? Or Joey Haynos?
I've gone on too long already. Here's the bottom line - the Dolphins are in second place in the AFC East - just 2 games out of first place - and will have a chance to get back to .500 in just four days!

Dolphins/Bucs Final Injury Report

Matty I — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:59:38 -0000

Here is the final injury report for Sunday's game between the Bucs and Dolphins. Both teams have some injury questions.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Probable
Joey Porter, LB (knee)

Questionable
Anthony Fasano, TE (hip)

Doubtful
Justin Smiley, OG (shoulder)
Paul Soliai, NT (ankle)
Erik Walden, LB (hamstring)

Notes
-Porter missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but returned on Friday and practiced fully.
-Fasano has been limited all week with that hip injury.
-At least Jason Ferguson is a go after practicing fully most of the week. But who will spell him at nose tackle - Tony McDaniel?

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Probable
Michael Clayton, WR (knee)
Davin Joseph, OG (ankle)
Clifton Smith, RB (knee)
Aqib Talib, CB (hamstring)

Questionable
Derrick Ward, RB (knee)
Byron Leftwich, QB (elbow)

Doubtful
Antonio Bryant, WR (knee)
Stylez White, DE (shoulder)

Notes
-Ward practiced on Wednesday and Thursday but was added to Friday's injury report when he "tweaked" his knee.
-Leftwich is nothing more than Tampa's third quarterback anyway, so his injury is not a big deal.
-White was one of Tampa' young talented defensive linemen and his absence would be big.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Miami Dolphins Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:57:50 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

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The Dolphins throw the ball to keep defenses honest. Their long touchdown pass to Ted Ginn in the first meeting aside, they do not make many big plays in the passing game. After Ginn's struggles last week with some critical drops, he can expect to see his playing time decrease against the Jets. That takes away the one big play threat in the receiving corps. Anybody who has read this blog knows I don't think much of Ginn as a receiver. There is no doubting, though, that his straight line speed adds an extra dimension to an offense if nothing else. The Dolphins will probably play receivers who work primarily underneath in Davone Bess, Greg Camirillo, and Brian Hartline. Tight end Anthony Fasano has been close to a nonfactor in the passing game.

The Jets lost the last game because Miami pounded the ball on them. What they need to do is sell out to stop the run. The Dolphins aren't the kind of team that's going to put it up 50 times. They don't have the playmakers to do it effectively. The Jets can stick Revis, Sheppard, Strickland, and Lowery on an island with these guys. I trust any of the four corners on an island against anybody from Miami's receiving corps.

I don't see the Jets selling out to blitz at Henne. Again, the focus will be on stopping the run game. We'll likely see a lot of four man fronts. That makes it important for Shaun Ellis to win his matchups and get into Henne's face. In the first meeting, Henne showed he makes sound decisions when he's comfortable in the pocket. At this point of his career, he's a game manager. The Jets want to get in his face and force early throws and checkdowns, but they aren't going all out like they did last time.

Tony Gonzalez is Scary

saints-nation — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:20 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

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Facing the Falcons on Monday night will present another challenge for the overwhelmingly successful story that is the New Orleans Saints defense this season. Believe it or not, though, I'm not that worried about Michael Turner, Roddy White or Matt Ryan. Why? Dolphins game aside, the Saints are actually very good against the run. Sure, Ellis being out concerns me but Kendrick Clancy isn't a slouch at stopping the run and he'll make his return to the lineup this week. I'm sure Turner will have his share of successes but I don't see him being the difference in this game.

I believe the Saints will get pressure on Ryan, either with their four man front or more likely when Gregg Williams dials up his complex blitz packages to confuse the young quarterback. The Cowboys were very successful at doing that a week ago. I believe the Greer, Porter and/or Sharper combination will cover Roddy White and limit his effectiveness. They've been so fantastic all season-long, there is no reason to believe that White will turn in anything better than an adequate performance. So that leaves Tony Gonzalez, and I'm actually not sure what the Saints have planned for him.

Falcons vs Saints coverage

The way I see it, the possible players that will draw Gonzalez as a coverage assignment depending on the down and distance are: Scott Shanle, Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper and Randall Gay. The first three players listed will be covering Gonzalez more so than Gay. I can see Gay picking up Gonzalez on 3rd and long plays but for the most part that will be an anomoly. That matchup, by the way, is a mediocre one given Gonzalez' size and athleticism compared to Gay's size. I do like Gay's physicality for his size, his coverage skills and his speed so hopefully he can hold his own when he has to cover the big tight end. But let's look at the more frequent matchups on passing plays:

Gonzalez vs. Shanle:

Shanle has very sound technique and is very good in coverage for the most part. He's physical, strong and intelligent but he's a little stiff and his range is somewhat limited. Gonzalez runs well for his size and he's so athletic he'll beat Shanle to almost any well thrown ball. Shanle is probably most exposed on routes over the middle and routes down the field with no safety help.

Gonzalez vs. Vilma:

The part that really bothers me about this matchup is that it will take away from Vilma's effectiveness against the run. As we saw last week against the Dolphins, Miami was completely shut down in the second half thanks to Vilma's tackling and pursuit. Like Shanle, Vilma is good in coverage and has size and aggression but he's also got a little more speed and athleticism. That said, the athleticism still doesn't compare to Gonzalez and with a running back like Michael Turner, it's extremely dangerous to potentially distract your best weapon against the run by sticking him on a dangerous tight end.

Gonzalez vs. Harper:

Harper is probably the weakest pass defender of all the defensive backs on the team but he's without question the best tackler and the most physical. His awareness with the ball in the air can be poor so Gonzalez could take advantage of that having some of the best awareness of anyone in the NFL at his position. Harper, for his size, can still stay physical with Gonzalez but the Saints could be in big trouble on plays where Gonzalez makes a play on the ball and breaks Harper's tackle.

In all three scenarios the Saints are potentially exposed to getting beat, whether it's Gonzalez doing the dirty work himself or opening things up for the other playmakers on his team.

Consider the tight ends the Saints have faced so far this season:

Week 1: Casey FitzSimmons

Week 2: Brent Celek, who by the way had a monster game.

Week 3: Derek Fine

Week 4: Ben Hartsock

Week 6: Anthony Fasano

None of these guys are Tony Gonzalez caliber players and frankly none of them are even remotely close. The only tight end of this group that's of any dangerous ability in the passing game is Celek and he posted over 100 yards receiving against the Saints. You get the idea. Gonzalez is scary and he's going to be the biggest problem for the Saints come Monday night when their defense hits the field. The Saints have yet to face someone of Gonzalez' ability and there's no clear cut way they're going to stop him without leaving themselves vulnerable in other areas.

Do you think the combination of Shanle, Vilma, Harper and Gay can slow Gonzalez down at all? Give us your prediction on Tony Gonzalez' final statline for the game.

Tale of two halves as Dolphins collapse in loss to Saints

Matty I — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:27:55 -0000

More photos » by Jeffrey M. Boan - AP

I think this photo says it all. Darren Sharper would catch this ball off of Ted Ginn's hands and return it for a touchdown.

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With less than two minutes to go in the first half, it seemed like the Miami Dolphins were on their way to one of their best wins in years, holding a 24-3 lead over the undefeated New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, football games require a full 60 minutes. The Dolphins put together an outstanding 28 minutes - followed by about 32 minutes of complete disaster - which is what makes this game so hard to swallow.

Defensive breakdowns in second half
Even after that disappointing end to the first half - which we'll get to in a little - the Dolphins still held a 14 point lead at halftime. But Miami's defense collapsed in the second half, allowing the Saints to just march up and down the field on seemingly every possession.

There are a number of places you can lay some blame for this loss. But the defense certainly has to get a lot of blame. They played so well in the first half only to allow 23 points and 317 yards on just 38 plays. Worse yet, the Dolphins surrendered 285 yards of offense and 9.83 yards per play over the final 20 minutes of the game. So while a lot of you will point the finger at others - who do deserve some blame as well - don't let an outstanding defensive first half taint your view of how this defense performed. The final quarter and a half was just disgusting.

What exactly was the problem? Some of it was probably execution and players not being where they were supposed to. That could explain why Saint receivers were running wide open down the field for much of the second half. Missed tackles were also a problem - such as Gibril Wilson's whiff on Reggie Bush on a key 3rd down. There was a lack of pressure on Drew Brees in the fourth quarter as well, which is not good. We saw in the first half how much consistent pressure on Brees makes him uncomfortable.

But the biggest issue might be what we don't know and likely will never know: did the Dolphins coaching staff go into halftime anticipating the adjustment New Orleans would make in the second half? During our live game thread, somebody said at halftime how it would be important to see how the Dolphins react to the halftime adjustments the Saints make on offense. That's hitting the nail right on the head. We won't ever know for sure - especially without being able to see the film. But there were clearly issues in the second half. We didn't see nearly the amount of receivers running wide open - especially over the middle - in the first half as we saw in the second.

Questionable play-calling a factor
I generally try not to harp too much on in-game play-calling because we simply don't know as much as the guys on the sidelines making the decisions. But it's impossible to not question a number of decisions regarding play-calling on Sunday.

Some will point to the play-calling on Miami's final possession of the first half as bad. Some will say Miami's decision to try passing on a 1st & 10 at NO's 40 yard line with 1:51 left was a bad decision - made worse by the screen pass to Davone Bess on the next play that resulted in a fumble. But let's be fair. If the Dolphins run the ball three times and then try a long field goal, many fans would be complaining about how conservative the Dolphins were playing it. Instead, the Dolphins were clearly going for seven before the half - the right move when you're facing a potent offense like the one the Dolphins faced on Sunday. Hindsight is always 20/20, though, and that's why some will probably complain about Miami's decision not to just run the ball and get into position for a long field goal.

However, a couple of possessions certainly deserve some criticism. The Dolphins' second possession of the 3rd quarter - the one following the Darren Sharper pick six - was terrible. If you have the top rushing offense in the league, it might be a good idea to run the football after your young quarterback, making only his 3rd career start, threw a pick six to cut your lead from 14 to 7. He might be a bit gun-shy. It might be a good idea to use your best offensive players - Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. But no - the Dolphins come out and go with three passes, resulting in a sack, a short completion, and an incompletion - a lovely little three and out.

The other possession that really bothers me was the one following Reggie Bush's touchdown to cut Miami's lead to 34-31. Again, the Dolphins should have attempted to get back to what they do best and run the football. Instead, the Dolphins go with three passes - all incompletions - and punt the football away. And they would never again have a possession where they weren't trailing.

Too many miscues
From missed tackles to blown coverages to penalties to dropped passes, the Dolphins made mistake after mistake to help aid the epic collapse on Sunday. You can't commit eight penalties - especially dumb penalties like personal fouls. Channing Crowder and Joey Porter each had one of those on Sunday. Porter, meanwhile, who is supposed to be a leader, left the locker room on Sunday without speaking with the media. Good leadership.

As far as drops go, there were a ton of them. Some of the bigger ones include Ted Ginn's drop on a beautifully placed ball on the first possession of the second half as well as Anthony Fasano's drop on a pass by Ronnie Brown. Ginn's drop resulted in an interception as Darren Sharper plucked the bobbled ball from the air and took it into the endzone. Fasano's drop would have been a 20+ yard gain and would have helped swing the momentum back a little.

But even after all those mistakes, the Dolphins still found themselves with the ball, needing a touchdown to win, and having 3:23 to accomplish that. But that drive had even more mistakes. On 2nd & 3, Ginn again dropped a pass - this time with nobody even bothering him. It would have been a first down plus a little extra. Luckily, Chad Henne connected with Greg Camarillo on the next play for a first down. But on the next play, Camarillo made the mistake of attempting to fumble the football out of bounds after a 7 yard reception. He was trying to get to the sideline to stop the clock, couldn't make it, and then then basically flung the ball towards the sideline as he fell - which is illegal and resulted in a penalty. After the game, Camarillo admitted that he was trying to do that and wouldn't do it differently now if he could. On the ensuing play, Ricky Williams dropped a pass in the flat that would have sent for a likely first down. And then on the very next play, Jake Grove was called for a false start - making a 3rd & 8 now a 3rd & 13.

That's not how you execute the two minute drill. And miscues like these cost the Dolphins a potential win over an unbeaten team on Sunday.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The turning point of the game is pretty easy. The Dolphins had a 24-3 lead with less than two minutes to play in the 2nd quarter. That's when Brees and the Saints' offense got going, driving down the field and getting down to the one yard line in about a minute and a half - converting two third downs along the way. Then, following an official review, the Saints had the ball inside the one but were seemingly going to settle for a field goal before the half. That is, until Tony Sparano called an ill-advised timeout. That gave the Saints the time they needed to change their mind and go for the touchdown. The end result was Brees taking a QB sneak over the top and into the endzone for a touchdown.

Whether you want to call the turning point of the game the Davone Bess fumble that led to this possession, either of the 3rd down conversions by the Saints, or the timeout by Sparano - most probably agree that this possession was the turning point - and the beginning of a disgusting collapse.

QUICK HITS
Some more quick thoughts on this game:

Will Allen was lost for the season with a torn ACL. This is a big loss, but gives Vontae Davis and Sean Smith a great opportunity to both start and learn as much as possible on the fly.
Say what you want about Ted Ginn, the bottom line is we can't just get rid of him this year. Yes - he's far too inconsistent. But he's also the only deep threat this team has. Without him, opposing defenses have no reason to be worry about the long ball. If nothing else, he's still a necessary decoy until the Dolphins can find another deep threat. Also - wasn't it just last week many raved about him after making a huge play against the Jets?
I was disappointed with the offensive line today. They didn't play as well as they have in the run game and had issues protecting Chad Henne in the second half. Let's hope this was just a one-game issue.
Related the the OL problems, the Wildcat only gained 30 yards on 14 carries on Sunday.
I don't have a problem with Chad Henne's performance on Sunday. He hung tough in the pocket and did make some nice throws. But he also had his receivers drop at least five passes. He'll also learn a lot from this game once he goes back and watches the film. Now I'm anxious to see how he does in his first career road start next week against the Jets.
Jason Taylor - you still got it. I apologize.
I do love the safety blitz. Both Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson seem to be very good blitzers. I hope to see more of that in the coming weeks.
Nathan Jones - who knew? He had his best game as a Dolphin. And now he will see even more snaps with the injury to Will Allen.

Chad Henne earning some respect after big game on Monday night

Matty I — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:15:11 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

Chad Henne is congratulated by head coach Tony Sparano the Dolphins scored the game-winning touchdown against the Jets on Monday night.

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While it was great to see the Dolphins get a win against a hated division rival and thrust themselves right back into the AFC East race after a tough 0-3 start, the story of the night from Monday might just have been about Chad Henne and his "arrival" onto the NFL scene. Little was known about Henne by many outside of South Florida and Ann Arbor. But on a national stage, Henne proved to the country that he is indeed up to the challenge of earning the title of "franchise quarterback."

Of course, this is just the first step to really earning that title. There's still a long way to go and a lot to prove. But that huge fourth quarter performance by Henne was the absolute perfect way to start begin making a name for himself in this league.

His performance over the entire game was obviously special. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns - good for a QB rating of 130.4. But it was Henne's fourth quarter performance that made the night such a special one. And without it, the Dolphins don't win that football game.

In that final quarter, Henne completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns against one of the top 5 defenses in the NFL. His fourth quarter QB rating of 152.1 is almost off the charts good. And we can't forget about some of those tremendous throws he made on the most critical of downs - 3rd down.

Henne faced four 3rd downs in the final quarter. He converted three of them. The first one was a bullet thrown to Anthony Fasano on a 3rd & 3 play where Henne showed the ability to look a defender off and then accurately deliver a laser to Fasano - who made a great catch, by the way. The next play? Henne's 53 yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn. That play never happens if not for Henne's third down conversion.

The other two 3rd downs Henne faced were on the final game-winning drive of the night. The first was Henne's best pass of the night - a perfect touch pass out left to Greg Camarillo that he dropped in right over the defender. The second was the critical roll-out to the right and rocket to Camarillo to put the Dolphins inside New York's five yard line.

Those were all big-time throws in big-time moments. And you can't help but be very impressed with Henne's outstanding performance in the biggest game of his life. He was poised all game long regardless of the game's situation. His throws were all accurate - outside of two misses. He showed he can make all kinds of throws - fling the ball with authority into tight spots, put touch on the football, and go deep. But I might have been most impressed with how Henne stood in the pocket against various complex blitzes and kept his eyes downfield while showing the pocket awareness to move around when necessary.

But I wasn't the only one who was impressed. His teammates were as well.

Greg Camarillo said about Henne:

"He doesn't have ups and downs. He's not yelling at you, or screaming at you. He'll give you a quick motivational word and then he's a matter of business. That's what you need. You need a stoic leader."

"We knew what he was capable of. It's just a matter of time before the world knew."

So what's a "quick motivational word" in the huddle? Ronnie Brown gives an example:

"He'd come in and say, 'Block 'em up. This is what we're going to do.'"

But Henne wasn't just like that during the game. Says Ronnie:

"He wasn't just calm and cool out there on the field. He was like that all week. He's just very comfortable."

Joey Porter raved after the game about the throw Henne made to Camarillo on that critical final 3rd down conversion to get the Dolphins inside the five yard line:

"I heard the ball pop off Camarillo's chest 45 yards on the other side of the field. Some quarterbacks might be nervous and not really throw it."

The bottom line here is that Henne not only gained some national exposure by playing brilliantly in only his second career start, but he also proved to his teammates the kind of quarterback he is - and might become one day. It's that kind of trust that is most important for a young quarterback to establish. And he's done just that.

Added Camarillo, summing up Henne's night:

"I'm super proud of the guy. He played great. He led the offense well and I hope he can keep it up. The coaches have faith in him, and now even the defense has faith in him. He's a heck of a quarterback, and a heck of an athlete. I'm excited to see what he does in the future."

But it's Henne himself who said it best. Other than the win, what's the best thing to come out of Monday night's performance?

"The whole offense can look me in the eye and know I can take them down the field in tight situations."

Henne, Brown, and Williams lead Dolphins to outstanding comeback win over Jets

Matty I — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:26:46 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Ronnie Brown celebrates after scoring the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Jets (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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After the last Jets touchdown, the one that put them ahead by three points with 5:19 left, those thoughts about how much I hate writing these posts after losses started creeping into the back of my head. Thirteen plays later, I was quickly reminded that I should really never doubt the Miami Dolphins - when they wear the orange jersey, of course. That's when Ronnie Brown took the 'Wildcat' snap with ten seconds remaining and powered his way into the endzone to give the Dolphins a 31-27 win over the Jets in what will become a Monday Night Football instant classic.

Now us Dolphin fans can go into the bye week with our sanity intact.

So it is with much joy that we know talk about what we saw a few hours ago at Land Shark Stadium.

Henne has huge game in just second career start
Remember I said before Chad Henne's first career start that I wasn't going to buy into any of the hype? I said I'd wait until I saw something out of Henne with my own eyes. Well, my wait is obviously over.

While Henne did a decent job against Buffalo in his first career start at managing the game, he displayed some "special" qualities in Monday night's win over the Jets. He showed the poise of a veteran. He showed the arm strength of a great gun-slinger. And all told, he showed that he just might be the long awaited solution to Miami's long-term quarterback problem.

There were numerous defining moments in this win that involved Chad Henne. Let's talk about just some of them.

How about the two types of Henne's arm strength, which he displayed on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter. The first is the ability to zip it into a tight spot, which he showed on that critical 3rd & 3 play with 11 minutes left in the game - throwing a bullet to Anthony Fasano, who had David Harris draped all over him. On the next play, Henne then showed that ability to fling it deep but with great touch and accuracy - dropping a 50 yard pass right into the arms of Ted Ginn. It was perfectly in stride and was just an outstanding throw.

How about the ability to make perfect throws in the most pressure-packed moments late in a football game? Yup, he showed that the moment isn't bigger than he is. I think back to two critical plays on that eventual game-winning drive. The first was a 3rd & 5 play from NY's 30 with 2 minutes left. Henne took the snap and quickly floated a beautiful pass out left that was perfectly placed into the arms of Greg Camarillo. Three plays later, Henne rolled out right on a 3rd & 10 play, and threw a perfectly accurate pass on the run to Camarillo for another first down.

All game long, Henne also showed great awareness in the pocket, went through his progressions well, made good decisions, and showed that he has the toughness in the pocket to deliver an accurate ball with a defender bearing down and knowing a hit was coming.

Let's talk some numbers now. The Jets came into the game with the 6th ranked passing defense in the NFL, allowing just 177 yards passing per game. Henne threw for 241. The Jets were second in the league in QB rating against, with opponents having a combined QB rating of 56.4 when facing the Jets. Chad Henne's quarterback rating on Monday night was 130. That's better than Drew Brees (78.9) and Tom Brady (53.1) - despite those two teams having far better receivers.

Of course, don't underestimate the effect Miami's terrific ground attack has. Chad Henne was 7 for 7 when using play-action for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns.

I did just need to point out one thing from after the game. Rex Ryan, when speaking to the media, said, "We made that quarterback look like Dan Marino." Three problems with that. First of all, no. Marino would have put up even more yards and points. Second of all, "that quarterback" has a damn name - I suggest learning it. And third of all, could it be that Chad Henne made your defense look foolish rather than your defense making Henne look great? Just a thought.

Defense disappoints, but isn't as terrible as it looks
Obviously, the Dolphins didn't play very well defensively. They let one of the NFL's worst offenses (though they did have a new play-making receiver making his Jet debut) put up 27 points and gain over 300 yards of total offense. But before I talk about the negatives, let me just defend them a little.

Ten of New York's points came on drives in which the Jets picked up first downs out of their punt formation. In theory, those drives "should have" been over. Another three points came before the half when the Dolphins were clearly playing too conservative, giving the Jets the football at their own 44. And another touchdown came courtesy of a phantom pass interference call on Will Allen, who was defending Braylon Edwards but did nothing to even remotely deserve that flag. Even ESPN and NFL Network analysts agreed. That gave the Jets the ball at Miami's three. Who knows how that drive ends if that call isn't made.

I also wouldn't blame the defense for that ridiculous catch made by Edwards along the left sideline early in the fourth quarter. Perhaps Vontae Davis could have played the ball better in the air. Perhaps Gibril Wilson should have gotten over there quicker. Regardless, it was an amazing catch that only a handful of receivers probably make. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and that is an example of when to do so.

With all that said, there are still issues. Sean Smith, who put together a solid game all told, did miss a tackle early in the game turning a short pass into 19 yard gain. But that'll get corrected.

Will Allen did struggle. Even with that phantom pass interference call, Braylon still beat him and a more accurate pass results in a catch. He was also beat inside by Edwards for NY's first touchdown. He needs to step up. He played much better last year.

Vontae Davis also had some very bad plays. The most glaring was when he was caught peeking into the backfield on the play-action completion to David Clowney that resulted in 53 yards. Davis should have never gotten beat that badly. But he's an aggressive corner who will have to learn not to peek and bite on the play-action. Rookie mistake right there.

The rushing defense also struggled against what is a very talented NY offensive line. I really didn't envision the Jets gaining 138 yards on the ground (though to be fair, 26 of them came on a run by the punter). It seemed like every time Leon Washington touched the ball, he made had a hole to squeeze through, made a defender miss, and was one or two missed tackles away from a huge gain.

The biggest issue I had on the defensive side of the ball, however, was Miami's inability to get to Mark Sanchez. The Dolphins had one sack and forced one intentional grounding penalty. But on Mark's 20 or so other drop-backs, he had all the time in the world. Where were Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, and Cameron Wake? Did Porter even play tonight?

Ronnie & Ricky: What more can you say?
What is there to say about these two that hasn't already been said? They are simply outstanding. I'm now ready to call the Dolphins the best rushing team in the NFL. They ran for 150 yards on a talented Jets defense. That's just impressive - with a nod to the offensive line, of course, which just dominated the trenches.

Nobody runs the 'Wildcat' like Ronnie Brown. It's a beautiful thing to watch, to be honest. He has the vision, patience, burst, and power needed to effectively orchestrate the formation. I just hope the Dolphins' front office and coaching staff realize how special Ronnie is.

And did anyone see Ronnie up on the bench when the defense was on the field, trying to fire up the fans? I love it!

Ricky Williams, meanwhile, continues to thrive in his role as the complimentary back. He still has that terrific acceleration and power. But we saw on that screen pass that his long speed isn't what is used to be. In his prime, Ricky takes that to the house. But the man is 32 years old - which makes what he can do even more impressive.

One thing he shouldn't do anymore, though, is take the snap out of the 'Wildcat.' He just doesn't have what it takes to be consistently effective as the "quarterback" of that formation. Leave that role to Ronnie.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
If the Dolphins didn't pull out the win, I knew exactly what the "turning point" was going to be - the first fake punt that resulted in a 26 yard gain. But the Dolphins did win - and the turning point of the game, in my opinion, was that beautiful pass to Greg Camarillo on 3rd & 5 from NY's 30 with two minutes left. If Henne doesn't make that absolutely perfect throw to Camarillo against NY's jailbreak blitz, the Dolphins are facing a 4th down with 1:55 left and a 48 yard field goal needed to tie the game. But the Jets would have gotten the ball back with over a minute and a half left and some timeouts in hand, only needing a FG to win.

So Henne to Camarillo on 3rd & 5 with two minutes to go was Monday night's "turning point."

QUICK HITS
Some more quick thoughts on the win:

The Dolphins desperately need a kick returner. Patrick Cobbs will never get the job done. He averaged just 18 yards per return on Monday. And on his three returns, the Dolphins began their drives at their own 21, 16, and 16 yard lines. At least Ted Ginn got it across the 30 on his lone return. He should probably handle the duties until the team finds a better option.
Some cool stats. The Jets came into the game ranked 4th in total defense, surrendering 277 yards per game. They were also 5th in 3rd down conversions allowed, only letting opponents convert 31% of their 3rd downs. The Dolphins gained 413 yards and converted 64% of their 3rd downs. That's impressive.
I alluded to it earlier but will say it again. I hate the conservative play-calling on Miami's final 1st half drive. Take some shots at at least converting a first down. Don't let the Jets get the ball back near midfield. That was playing "not to lose." And it almost cost them.
Too many penalties almost cost the Dolphins.
Ted Ginn made one play. Yes, it was a big one. But let's not go overboard. Let's just hope this starts to build his confidence back up and is a sign of things to come from the speedster.
Nice to see Anthony Fasano making some plays again. But still, tight end will be a position of need next offseason.
Was that really Channing Crowder making a play in the backfield? Yes it was, folks. But it was also Crowder getting lit up by little Leon Washington.
Why did it seem like the ESPN announcers were making verbal love to the Jets all game long? Oh - because they were, that's why. I felt like I was listening to New York's local radio announcers all game long.
Speaking of the telecast, I'm all for recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month. Hell - my girlfriend is half Cuban. But holy crap - do we need to see Spanish graphics and hear penalty calls in Spanish during the game? Really? During "Asian Heritage Month," do I get to look forward to hearing the ref speak Mandarin, too?
Injury updates after the game, via Ethan Skolnick. Patrick Cobbs left on crutches. Teammates don't think he'll play again this year. Tough loss for sure. Meanwhile, Ricky Williams - who was seen limping off the field, but did return later in the final drive - "looked fine" leaving the locker room. That's good news. But now Lex Hilliard will have two weeks to get ready to roll as the third back in the 'Wildcat.'