December 1, 2008
Escaping the Awful: Dolphins Squeak by woeful Rams
Once again, Miami won the toss, deferred to the second half, and the other team scored. I still say we should maybe try this crazy idea of actually TAKING the ball first, but that's just me. The Rams mainly ran a complicated offensive set called "Stephen Jackson is back, let's try that." It got them down the field all the way to 1st and goal at the Miami 7. But the defense held fast there, and the Rams hit a 23 yard field goal to take the early lead.
The only thing that happened on the Dolphins first drive was an injury to Justin Smiley. The Rams took the punt at their own 23 and had another long drive, though not as successful. They needed a 51 yard field goal to add points to the score, 6-0.
Down 6-0 after 1 quarter to a team that was 2-9 coming into this game finally woke the offense up. They used a variation of the Rams offense, a scheme called "Chad Pennington is a good QB, let's go with that." The drive started with 5 straight first downs. Miami scored on the 12th play of a 91 yard drive, a 3 yard TD plunge by Ronnie Brown. 7-6 Dolphins.
The Rams scored next, proving from my point from last year that bad teams answer touchdowns with field goals. The Rams held the ball for 6:22 and 14 plays, but could only move 51 yards and could not break into the endzone. A 33 yard field goal gave the Rams a 9-7 lead.
Miami would answer, but not as strongly as they wanted. It only took them 5 plays to get down to the Rams 14 yard line, and they thought they had a touchdown when Ricky Williams ran it in. But the Dolphins were called for holding and it came back. A few plays later, they had to settle for a 37 yard field goal as the first half ended. 10-9 Miami.
Miami would increase their lead after the teams traded some scoreless drives to start the second half. Starting at their 12, the Dolphins quickly advanced into Rams territory but didn't do much more. Miami added another field goal to lead 13-9.
The Single Fin actually hurt Miami on one play. Ronnie Brown took the direct snap and passed to David Martin to gain 23 yards. But Martin fumbled the ball, and the Rams recovered. 10 plays later, they tacked on their 4th field goal, but were still close at 13-12.
The Dolphins went 3 and out, but on the first play of the Rams next drive, QB Mark Bulger was picked off by Renaldo Hill. The Dolphins took over at the Rams 40 but...you guessed it...didn't do a lot with the ball. Miami kicked their 3rd field goal of the game to go up 16-12.
The Rams managed the clock well and got a few more shots, but the defense held and that was the final score.
It's like taking a look from heads to feet, three times! It's THREE UP, THREE DOWN!
Heads and Shoulders...
1) Defense - Won the game, especially the secondary. After the Patriots ripped them apart, they killed the Rams. Mark Bulger was picked off 3 times by 3 different Dolphins, and was just 16/35 for 149 yards.
2) Running game - Neither backs numbers look definitively impressive. Williams had 12 carries for 54 yards, Brown 15 carries for 48 yards. But since they split carries, you have to look at them as almost one back. 27 carries for 102 yards? Not a bad day. Polite and Cobbs contributed some strong runs, and even Pennington averaged 5 yards a carry on 3 scrambles.
3) Dan Carpenter - Ronnie Brown was responsible for 6 of Miami's points. Carpenter was responsible for the other 10 (3 field goals, 1 point after). Kudos to Carpenter for hitting kicks in a game where every point counted.
Honorable Mention to Davone Bess. Stepped in admirably for Greg Camarillo, with 6 catches for 84 yards.
Knees and toes...
1) Offense - 28 points vs the Patriots. 16 points vs. the Rams? The Patriots defense is 12th overall. The Rams is 30th! We mainly saw what happens to this offense when Pennington has a bad day. 13/23 for 166 yards. One of his worst games as a Dolphin.
2) Kickoff defense - The punt defense actually looked better, as the Rams only averaged 4.5 yards a return. But the Rams averaged a crazy 23.5 yards per return on Dolphin kickoffs. When you have a kicker that just doesn't kick touchbacks, that can't happen. If the ball comes down at the goal line, that's still starting the other team at about the 24.
3) Mousetraps - Yes, we're beating the bad teams on our schedule. But Miami has played 3 teams with 2 wins at the time (only one of those teams, Oakland, has since won a game), and only beat those teams by a COMBINED 8 points. The same team that has beaten the Patriots by 25, the Chargers by 7, and the Bills and Broncos by 9 each. These are teams that the Dolphins should be beating by 2-4 touchdowns, not 2-4 points. Coach Sparano still needs to work harder on motivating the troops for weak teams. Tell them you overheard an assistant on his cell phone, telling a friend he was glad they were playing a terrible team like Miami so they could "get right". Do whatever. And the players need to realize they still aren't all that far from 1-15. They haven't come close to earning the right to be complacent against teams that they used to BE.
Division note: The AFC East was VERY good to us today. The Jets celebrated their defeat of the vaunted Titans by promptly losing to Denver. The Patriots got destroyed by the Steelers. And the Bills even lost to the 49ers. Miami has once again tied the Pats for second place at 7-5, one game back of the 8-4 first place Jets.
And the Dolphins can help themselves in the division once again. Dust off those passports, Dolphins, it's time to leave the country again. After facing the Giants in London last year, the Dolphins are headed north to Canada. The Bills are awaiting in Toronto. Unlike London, across the Atlantic and basically a neutral site (actually, more Dolphins fans since they are one of the biggest teams over there), Toronto is not even 2 hours drive from Buffalo. The Dolphins should expect a cold and hostile environment. The current forecast is 30 degrees and SNOW. Yay.
Rams fans must be frustrated, to play a pretty darn good game from their end but once again come up short. See how they feel over at RAMblings. Then get a preview over our Canadian Contest by heading over to Circling the Wagons.
November 24, 2008
Crushing Blow: Camarillo Done for the Season
WR Greg Camarillo has been one of the Dolphins' most surprising players, and a clutch target for QB Chad Pennington. That was why the Dolphins rewarded Camarillo with a contract extension that ups his pay into actual wide receiver territory.One week later, it all comes crumbling down. Camarillo was hurt on Chad Pennington's interception against the Patriots, and today it was revealed that he has suffered a left-knee injury that will cost him the remainder of the season.Davone Bess is the leader to replace him starting opposite Ted Ginn, but it is Ginn who must now step up and prove he is a big-time receiver. The Dolphins can no longer afford the inconsistent play that Ginn has provided, because Camarillo made up for that. Ginn must be the man.Our wishes to Greg for a speedy recovery, so he can be a key part of the 2009 season.... Read more
November 23, 2008
Not There Yet: Patriots Top Dolphins in Offensive Shootout
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(320,222,290331,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() The Patriots came into today's game in Miami looking for revenge for being manhandled by the Dolphins in Week 4. They also were trying to prove they were still the AFC East's best team. The Dolphins were looking for their 5th straight win, and to prove they were a playoff caliber team. It looked to be a passionate and exciting AFC East matchup, and it didn't disappoint.The Patriots took the ball first as the Dolphins once again deferred. They've won a lot of tosses lately but have used the heck out of the new defer rule. Maybe they should look into just receiving like they used to. The Patriots got good field position at their own 40 and went 48 yards in 8 plays. The Dolphins anchored down at their own 12, and the Patriots took the lead on a 30 yard field goal. 3-0 Pats.The Dolphins... Read more
November 23, 2008
Week 12: Patriots @ Dolphins Preview
It's been said so much, it's starting to become cliche. But when you stop to think about it, it really is amazing. A year ago, the Miami Dolphins were 1-15, and the only thing they were contending for was to join Tampa Bay as the only NFL team to have a winless season.Now, the Dolphins have won 2 more games than they have lost. After 10 games, they are 6-4. And if they beat the New England Patriots today, they will be tied for first place in the AFC East.DOLPHINS ON OFFENSE:These are two very evenly matched teams. Miami's offense holds a slight edge over the Pats defense in both rushing and passing. The edge is slightly greater in the passing game. However, the Dolphins shredded the Patriots in the running game last time. The Pats defense hasn't changed all that much, so Miami should probably focus on the run,... Read more
November 17, 2008
The Cardiac Phins Have Returned: Miami boots Raiders in Final Minute
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(320,232,267026,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() The Dolphins sat above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2005 season. Weak opponents ahead on the schedule. Talk brewing about the playoffs. But they also were coming off a narrow win against a bad Seattle team. With an equally bad Oakland team in town, could the Dolphins buckle down and show they were superior? Or would they once again play down to the competition and make it a tough game?Miami deferred to the 2nd half, and the Raiders showed why they only have 2 wins, going 3 yards backwards in a 3 and out. The Dolphins took over at their own 7 but didn't let it stop them. A balanced attack from Chad Pennington and the Dolphins running backs culminated with Ted Ginn taking a reverse and running hard 40 yards for a touchdown. 7-0 Miami.Then, a fat lot of... Read more
November 16, 2008
Week 11: Dolphins vs Raiders preview
OFFENSEFor the last few weeks, against some of the league's worst secondaries, the Dolphins have gone with a pass heavy attack. chad pennington hasn't thrown less than 30 passes in a single game since week 6 in Houston. Expect that streak to come to an end this week. If you looked at how they've been outscored 70-16 in their last three games you wouldn't know it but the Raiders' new and improved secondary is tops in the league, especially when you consider they average 33 minutes of field time a game. Led by new acquisition, Gibril Wilson, the Raiders have only allowed one quarterback to go over 200 yards since week 6. However, as much as the acquisition of Wilson has helped them, the loss of Warren Sapp has hurt them. Over that same span, the Oakland front seven has given up 848 yards rushing. If you have either Dolphins... Read more
November 9, 2008
Make Me Lose My Breath: Dolphins Move Over .500 After Nailbiter vs. Seahawks
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,317,250089,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() The Dolphins started the second half of the season standing on the brink. At 4-4, the next game would determine whether they were winners (5-4) or losers (4-5). Coming to Miami were the 2-6 Seattle Seahawks. The perfect team to boost confidence against. Should be a cakewalk right? That's what Alex and I both predicted, and pundits across the business predicted a Miami victory.The Dolphins started out just that way. Getting the ball on their own 10, they easily marched down the field. On first and 10 from the Seattle 39, Chad Pennington hit Ted Ginn streaking down the middle for a long TD pass. The 11 play drive covered 90 yards and used up 6:10. 7-0 Miami.The Seahawks went on a drive that didn't go all that far but used a lot of time. They punted the ball back to Miami. The Dolphins basically... Read more
November 9, 2008
Week 10: Dolphins vs Seahawks preview
Joey Porter has five sacks in his last four games (Mr. Usaji/Flickr)Coming off of two huge wins against two first place teams, the Dolphins come home to face one of the league's worst teams, the Seattle Seahawks.OFFENSESo far against the AFC West this year, Chad Pennington has thrown for 509 yards. If he doesn't throw for at least half that total this week against his second NFC West (aka the worst division in the league) test, I'll be slightly disappointed. Without a name to speak of (paging DeAngello Hall) Seattle's 31st ranked secondary has given up 963 yards in their last three games. To make matters worse (or better for us) they will be without their top pass rusher Patrick Kerney. The game plan here should be much more textbook than it has been so far this year. Short out routes to the slot receivers with the occasional deeper look... Read more
November 9, 2008
Week 10: Seahawks @ Dolphins Preview
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,356,248390,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() Ahh, to be good and popular again.Miami has held in a pattern of 2 games down, 2 games up for the first half of the season. And while holding that pattern the rest of the year and finishing 8-8 would be a drastic improvement over last year, players and fans are already setting their sights higher. Why? A second-half schedule well befitting of a 1 win team the year previous.However, this schedule was split in two halves. The teams from the AFC divisions Miami isn't playing all of, Baltimore and Houston, are improved teams that beat Miami. Miami got Arizona from the NFC West (another loss) and Denver and San Diego from the AFC West. Add that to the AFC East slate, and that's a slightly better than average slate with a combined record of 36-29 (.550).Now, Miami heads into a bottom half where besides... Read more
November 3, 2008
Mile High Confidence: Dolphins Thinking Playoffs After Winning at Denver
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(320,487,236567,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() Coming into today's game at Denver, 16 teams in the NFL were 3-4 or 4-3. That's half the league. The Miami Dolphins were one of those teams at 3-4, and were facing another one of those teams. The Denver Broncos sat on the other side of the coin at 4-3. The Dolphins were coming off a win that perhaps saved their season from freefalling, while the Broncos were staring into the abyss of that same freefall.Miami won the toss and chose to defer, but 2 plays later decided they wanted the ball anyway. Jason Allen picked off Jay Cutler, giving Miami the ball in prime Denver territory. However, 3 plays only yielded 7 yards, and Dan Carpenter kicked a 45 yard field goal to give Miami an early 3-0 lead.Miami got the ball back quickly again, this time on a 3 and out. The Dolphins... Read more
November 2, 2008
Week 9: Dolphins @ Broncos preview
(The Brit 2/Flickr)Riding a huge win against division rival Buffalo, the Dolphins head across the country to Colorado this week to take on Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos.OFFENSEThe math is pretty simple. Chad Pennington has thrown for nearly 300 yards in each of his past three games. Ted Ginn accounted for nearly 200 of them in the Dolphins' last game against the Bills. The 175 yard day was a career one for the Ohio State alum. The Broncos are already 28th in the league in passing defense and this week they'll be without (#) time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey. He will be replaced by Jack Williams, a rookie who has only played in seven games. Translation: There's a very good chance both Pennington and Ginn are going to go bonkers. Again. The Broncos are also ranked 30th against the run so offense shouldn't be too much of a... Read more
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