Miami-Carolina: You May Say I’m a Dreamer, But Dolphins Eat Panthers

To paraphrase the legendary musical pioneer, John Lennon, you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only ‘Phins fan who is one.

Those dreams were sparked in me and many other Miami Dolphins fans the moment Reggie Wayne caught that one-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning this past Sunday night to cap an incredible roller-coaster-ride of a game, as the Indianapolis Colts stunned the New England Patriots and the world with their shocking come-from-behind 35-34 victory.

With just more than two minutes to go in the game and the Patriots clinging to a six-point lead and facing a 4th-and-2 at their own 28-yard line, New England’s bellicose head coach, Bill Belichick, committed what may have been calling the dumbest coaching mistake over the past century, thereby assuring Manning had a chance to beat them and giving the Dolphins and their fans the tiniest sliver of hope this season isn’t over.

Deciding to go for it, rather than punt the ball away and force Manning to drive the length of the field to beat him, Belichick watched as quarterback Tom Brady’s pass was initially juggled by running back Kevin Faulk on the 30-yard line as he was driven to the ground close to the 29-yard mark.

The Patriots and their fans, almost to a man, have whiningly complained that the video evidence clearly shows Faulk had possession of the ball at the 30, and should have been afforded the forward progress. Had it gone that way, the Pats would have had a first down and ensured themselves a victory over their nemesis, a one-game deficit in the standings to the Colts, and the tie-breaker for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if Indianapolis should falter a game during the season.

Whatever they were watching in those video replays, it certainly wasn’t Faulk gaining possession of the ball before he lost yardage. Regardless of that, though, the decision by the Patriots head coach was still one of the biggest blunders I’ve ever seen in my life, and I am extremely grateful he made it.

The Miami Dolphins started the season 0-3 this year, losing one of those games to those same Colts in similar fashion, as they watched Manning come-from-behind to beat them with just such a heart-breaking touchdown pass; despite the fact the Colts had only controlled the ball in that game less than 15 minutes.

The team they’ll be facing this Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers, also started out the season 0-3.

Like the Dolphins, the Panthers have won four of their last six games to improve their record to 4-5. Unlike Miami, who even with their latest 25-23 victory over the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers still trail the Patriots by two games, the Panthers 28-19 win over Atlanta this past Sunday put them just one game behind the Falcons in their own division.

Yet, even though the Dolphins are two games behind the Patriots, are Miami fans not allowed to dream? Aren’t we allowed to posit the notion that our beloved ‘Phins just might pull off another miracle this year and somehow become the first team since the 1998 Detroit Lions to make the playoffs after beginning the year winless in their first three starts?

Carl Sandburg once said, “Nothing happens unless first we dream.”

I’m taking Sandburg’s advice and dreaming.

I’m dreaming that, despite the loss of Ronnie Brown indefinitely, Ricky Williams still has enough in his tank to lead the Miami rushing attack and put up huge numbers against a very good Panthers defense.

I’m dreaming that Henne, being pushed by the fact Chad Pennington is beginning to feel frisky, will live up to the promise and hope he instilled in ‘Phins fans with that spectacular win over the Jets that Monday that seems so long ago now.

I’m dreaming that the return of Joey Porter will spark a defense to play as great as they’re capable, shutting down a Carolina offense that includes a resurgent Jake Delhomme and two of the most prolific receivers in the game, Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith.

I’m dreaming that Miami will be able to find a way to stuff the run against the third-leading rushing attack in the NFL (156.6 yards per game) and force DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to seek advice from the psychic network as to why they’re unable to run wild anymore.

Most of all, I’m dreaming that Miami can somehow, despite all of the obstacles in their way, come up with a victory this Thursday and get to .500.

My dreams also include thinking about the remote possibility that Miami might be able to catch the Patriots this year and still win the division, but those dreams will have to wait for a while. They’re dependent on so many things, including the Jets finding a way to hand those vaunted Patriots a loss this Sunday; I can’t even begin to contemplate them all.

In regard to that, though, I will close with this: George Bernard Shaw once said (and it was falsely attributed to Robert F. Kennedy because he used the passage in a speech he gave), “Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why?’ I dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’”

Will the Dolphins win this Thursday and find a way to overtake the New England Patriots for the division title? Why not?

My Prediction? The Miami Dolphins turn the tables on the food chain and snack on some Carolina Panthers. Miami 24 Carolina 13.

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What’s Up With That? Volume Six

I’ve never gotten into the Twitter craze.

For those unfamiliar with Twitter , it’s a free social networking and micro—blogging service that enables its users to send and read instant messages known as tweets .

I actually have a Twitter account, I think (a friend signed me up—I still haven’t done anything with it), and occasionally get e-mails stating this person or that is now following me on Twitter . What they’re following, I haven’t a clue.

Yet, despite my apathy toward the service, it’s wildly popular.

In fact, it’s so popular, it was one of the main ways people were able to get news out of Iran during the popular uprising over the elections this year, despite the government’s attempts at a news blackout.

Celebrities and major sports figures aren’t immune to the pull of the service either, and have been known to tweet about all kinds of stuff.

This led to a recent ban by the NBA of any use of the service by players, coaches, etc. during and immediately following games, as it was seen to be interfering with aspects of the sport and how those running it wanted it covered by the media.

The latest incident involving this national, nay, international phenomenon is the case of Larry Johnson.

Johnson, the 2003 first-round NFL Draft pick, by the Kansas City Chiefs, has been a member of the team ever since—at least until this morning.

The Chiefs’ management confirmed this morning that the team released the troubled running back the day he was to return from his suspension. It was the second suspension Johnson had received in the past year, and is indicative of his turbulent career at Kansas City.

There’s no questioning Johnson’s on-field talent, at least up until recently.

Johnson has set numerous NFL records, including 416 carries in 2006 when he rushed for 1,789 yards, as well as being the first player in NFL history to begin his career with three straight 150-plus yard performances.

Johnson only got a shot at those performances because of injuries to Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock. Then-Chiefs’ coach Dick Vermeil had never wanted to draft Johnson, and voiced his objection over the pick when it occurred, wanting to select a defensive player instead.

That estrangement between Johnson and Vermeil would lead to a similar estrangement between Johnson and both the management and fans of the Chiefs, long after Vermeil had left the organization.

In 2005, Johnson got the same chance he’d been given in 2004, despite his coach’s reluctance to use him.

With Blaylock no longer with Kansas City, and Holmes going down with a season-ending neck injury, Johnson was given a chance to shine, and he grabbed that opportunity by the throat, wringing everything he could out of it.

By the time the season ended, Johnson had rushed for 100-plus yards in nine consecutive games (every game he started), rushed for 20 touchdowns, totaled a franchise-record 1,750 yards on the ground (despite not starting seven games), and held a Chiefs’ record for one game with 211 yards rushing and two touchdowns, a feat he accomplished against the Houston Texans on November 20, 2005.

He also proved to be a strong target at receiver, notching 33 catches for 343 yards on his way to earning a selection in the Pro Bowl that year. His amazing play also garnered him the honor of being named the Kansas City Chiefs MVP for the 2005 season. Unfortunately, his exploits weren’t enough to get the 10-6 Chiefs into the playoffs.

Since then he’s had some mixed success.

As mentioned above, Johnson’s 2006 season was stellar, when he rushed for 17 touchdowns. But in 2007, he was injured in Week Nine during a game against the Green Bay Packers. The foot injury was initially thought to be minor, but proved to be season-ending, and left Johnson with just 559 yards on the year, along with three rushing touchdowns.

His 2008 season was even less memorable.

In his first game back from injury, he had a respectable 74 yards on 22 carries and would go on to combine for 319 yards on 52 carries over his next two games (a 6.1 yards per carry average). However, he was then suspended for the Chiefs’ game against the Tennessee Titans for violating team rules and benched during the game against the New York Jets.

He was also suspended by league commissioner Roger Goodell for the game against the San Diego Chargers, and finished the season with a paltry 874 yards and five touchdowns.

That brings us to this season.

Johnson hasn’t really done much this year. As of today he’s rushed for 358 yards on 132 carries for a 2.7 yards per carry average. He’s also had 12 receptions for 76 yards, but hasn’t had a single rushing or receiving touchdown.

Simply put, Johnson appears to be a shell of the player he was just three years ago. More important than that, he’s now an unemployed shell.

Despite being the highest paid running back in the NFL, signing a six-year contract with the Chiefs in 2007 that paid him $45 million including $19 million in guaranteed money, Johnson finds himself no longer with a team and unlikely to sign with another anytime soon.

And this is not because of his use of Twitter . Make no mistake; his tweet only gave him a unique way of expressing his views. However, it was the views he expressed that eventually got him canned.

On October 27, 2009, the Chiefs suspended Johnson for comments he made on his Twitter account that disparaged fans, as well as Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, and that reportedly included the use of gay slurs in addressing the media and fans.

Despite his apology for the remarks, Johnson is through playing football in Kansas City. Whether this is a good thing for him and the Chiefs is yet to be determined.

However, regardless of what happens with Johnson and his career, and no matter how well the Chiefs do in his absence, I’d still like to ask Larry one question:

Considering you’re using Twitter , and have a semblance of knowledge about how easily all of this stuff is to get out to lots of people, how could you possibly think your remarks weren’t going to become fodder for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to attack you?

So, Larry:

What’s Up With That?

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Miami-New England: Dolphins Fall Short Against Patriots in 27-17 Loss

The Miami Dolphins won the time of possession over New England, controlling the ball nearly 31 minutes of the game. They also used the “Wildcat” formation effectively against the Patriots, with Ronnie Brown, Pat White, and Ricky Williams combining for 126 yards on 28 carries.

Ronnie Brown even threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Joey Haynos out of the formation to cap off a 16-play 66-yard drive in the third quarter that lasted over ten minutes and gave the Dolphins a 17-16 lead.

Miami also held Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady to one touchdown pass and intercepted him once, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the fact Brady also connected on 25 of his 37 pass attempts for 332 yards as New England racked up 432 yards of total offense in a 27-17 victory at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough over the ‘Phins.

Coming into the game, the ‘Phins were without nose tackle Jason Ferguson and linebacker Channing Crowder. More important than those injuries might have been the loss of cornerback Will Allen for the season two weeks ago in the game against the Saints, as Randy Moss connected on two incredible plays, the second winning the game for the Patriots.

The first play will be shown on ESPN over the next few days; an amazing one-handed grab of a 36-yard Brady pass that set up the Patriots at the Dolphins one-yard line and led to New England’s first touchdown of the game, giving them a 7-3 lead over Miami.

The ‘Phins had opened the scoring on a Dan Carpenter 52-yard field goal (the longest of his career) to take a 3-0 lead early in the opening quarter, but everyone knew this wouldn’t be a defensive struggle. Moss’ incredible catch minutes later reiterated that fact, as he snatched the ball out of the air beyond the reach of cornerback Vontae Davis.

A few Stephen Gostkowski field goals, interspersed by a Ricky Williams 15-yard touchdown run, gave New England a 16-10 halftime lead, yet there weren’t many Patriots fans who felt secure with that 6-point cushion.

Their anxiety had to have risen considerably when Miami opened the third quarter with that incredible ten-minute drive and took the lead. The hush that fell over the stadium when Haynos caught that pass from Brown was impressive.

Yet, there was still plenty of time left, and they were only down by a point. They really wouldn’t need much time, though, as on the next New England drive, with the Patriots facing a 3rd-and-1 on their own 29-yard-line, Brady connected with Moss on the second of their spectacular connections, a 71-yard touchdown that effectively sealed the win for the Patriots.

Brady and Moss also connected on the two-point conversion after the touchdown in order to put New England up 24-17. All told, Randy Moss ended the day with six receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Chad Henne and the Dolphins would have a couple of shots at tying the game, as the Miami defense stiffened up considerably, yet in both series they failed to get the job done, the second one leading to the Patriots taking over on downs deep in Miami territory and setting up their final field goal that capped all scoring and gave New England a 27-17 win.

Although the ‘Phins are now 3-5, and effectively out of the playoff chase, I’m hoping they don’t lay down and die for the rest of the season.

One troubling aspect of this game, and the last few, is knowing that Henne’s performance against the Jets in that Monday Night thriller was probably more indicative of the exception, rather than the rule, of his game.

Henne just hasn’t seemed anything like that quarterback we saw in that fourth-quarter comeback, and the Dolphins have lost two of their last three games because of the lack of production from that position in clutch moments.

It’s not like he’s been terrible, he just hasn’t been anything even comparable to Dan Marino, who he was being compared to even by this writer (although there were considerable caveats in those associations).

Ted Ginn Jr. also wasn’t able to capture the magic he had in the Dolphins last game against the Jets, and as I’d pointed out in my preview, Miami would need some of that magic to overcome all the considerable hurdles they faced coming into the game against New England.

Simply put, Miami didn’t have enough in the tank to take down the Patriots in their home stadium. If this game had been played in Land Shark Stadium, it might have been a different story; who knows?

Yet, it wasn’t. It was played in the hostile confines of New England, and the better team won.

There’s no shame in admitting the Patriots are a better team than the Dolphins. New England is now 6-2 on the year and leads the AFC East. They’re an offensive juggernaut who put up 59 points on a very talented Tennessee Titans team, and the fact Miami held them to 27 points with a decimated defensive core is impressive.

Miami and their fans can take consolation from the fact there are other sports their teams are doing well in.

Well, one sport, at least: basketball.

The Miami Heat are 5-1 on the season, and it’s looking like D-Wade and company might be for real this year. Regardless of whether you have another team to fall back on and invest all your emotional support in, still root on the ‘Phins this year.

Miami will need that support now more than ever, so to all the ‘Phins fans out there, GOO ‘Phins!.

To the Patriots fans? We’ll be seeing you down in Miami soon.

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Miami-New England: Despite Everything, Will Dolphins Beat Patriots?

Two weeks ago, the Miami Dolphins were flying high. Sure, they’d started out the season 0-3, and were about to take on the NFL’s highest-powered offense.

Yet, there was optimism in the air. It was an optimism that carried over to this fan, who predicted the ‘Phins would take down the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints.

Hell, I even had a cup of coffee riding on the results (there was also a matter of wearing the opposing team’s jersey for a day as part of that wager…more on that later).

Through the first two quarters of that game against the Saints, I was thoroughly convinced my belief in the ‘Phins was totally justified. They could do no wrong, and it seemed as if New Orleans had morphed into the bumbling “Aints” of the 1980 season.

Then came Dolphins’ coach Tony Sparano’s timeout.

Miami had been rolling, up 24-3, until a bad call by the refs resulted in a fumble for the Fish recovered by the Saints.

Although Drew Brees hadn’t done anything up to that moment, having a total of 27 yards, he easily marched down the field for a possible score in the final seconds of the half.

Another atrocious call gave the Saints a touchdown on a 20-yard (actually 19 and a half) pass to Marques Colston from Brees. Colston had clearly touched his knee down before the ball crossed the goal-line.

However, the referees, in another example of how bad officiating is throughout sports lately, called it a TD.

A mandatory review from the booth quickly overturned the call, and snatched the points from the scoreboard, silencing the cheers of the Saints players.

Rather than getting a touchdown and being down only 24-10, they would have to rush their kicking team out onto the field and settle for three (if they made it) for a 24-6 deficit going into the half.

New Orleans was in the midst of rushing their kicking team out there to do just that, with just five seconds left on the clock. That’s when Tony Sparano had a brainfart and called a timeout.

Why he would ever do such a thing is beyond me, and the moment I heard the television announcers make the statement that the Dolphins had called a timeout I knew Miami would lose the game. I kid you not, that was my immediate thought.

I’ve played football, and I know exactly how fragile the momentum can be for a team who is performing well, but might not quite believe they’re as good as they’re playing.

One little thing can upset the balance, and begin to make them think about what they’re doing. While football, as with any sport, requires some thinking by some players, it’s mainly a game played without thinking.

That’s why you practice; in order to hone your body to respond to situations without thinking. You drill and drill and drill until you react without a single thought; nearly pure instinct. Tony Sparano’s unfortunate timeout blew all that for the ‘Phins.

The Saints, having time to think about it, as well as time for Drew Brees to petition his coach, decided not to go for the field goal once the timeout was over, but instead opted to go for the end zone.

With the ball just a half-yard from paydirt, it wasn’t hard to see Brees wouldn’t have much of a problem in scoring on a quarterback keeper; and that’s just what he did.

That sent the Saints into the halftime locker room totally pumped. They had just put themselves down by only two scores, 24-10, and you can bet every player on that team felt they could come back at that moment, and were listening to every inspirational word their coach was mouthing during the break.

In the opposite locker room, you can be assured that nothing Sparano was saying was even registering with the ‘Phins players. Nose tackle Jason Ferguson summed up the feeling at halftime in his postgame statement:

“It’s demoralizing. You’re trying to push forward and make a play. You’re trying to get your momentum back. It was there for us to take, and we gave them a chance to get back in the game.”

Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald wrote in his recap of the game that it would be hard to isolate one thing that was the ultimate cause for the result of the game. I disagree completely.

That timeout was that one thing. It allowed the Saints to go into the half feeling like winners, and it took all the air out of the sail that was the Miami ship for two quarters.

Coming out in the second half it was as if the players on the field had switched uniforms. Everything Miami did was wrong, and the Saints couldn’t be stopped with a 50-caliber machine gun and a bazooka.

Brees marched them up and down the field like the Dolphins weren’t even there, with Jeremy Shockey looking like a modern-day Larry Czonka.

The end was simply inevitable. As I stated, the moment Sparano called the timeout I knew the game was over and the ‘Phins would lose. Watching that second half was simply painful reiteration of my feelings of doom.

Miami succumbed on the last play of the game, as Chad Henne threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown to give New Orleans a 46-34 victory.

Miami would redeem themselves a week later. Despite the loss of cornerback Will Allen for the season to injury, Miami’s defense would rise to the occasion, with Jason Taylor returning a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown, and the entire defense shutting down a last-minute, fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Mark Sanchez and the Jets to preserve the 30-25 Dolphins win.

In that exciting game, in which the Miami offense had its fewest yards from scrimmage in 10 years, the resurrection of Ted Ginn Jr. began.

Just two weeks ago, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald had posited the idea that Ginn might actually be on the trading block (despite the fact the ‘Phins have a huge need to get more good receivers).

I’m guessing he almost wishes he hadn’t written that piece considering his latest article goes on to entreat everyone not to deify Ginn. Or perhaps he’s glad he did. For maybe Ginn actually read it, and was inspired or motivated by it.

Whatever got into Ginn, he came to play against the Jets, returning two kickoff returns for touchdowns, sparking the ‘Phins to victory.

Having been benched as a receiver in favor of Brian Hartline, Ginn made the most of his move to special teams, showing exactly why the ‘Phins had drafted him so highly with the first two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same quarter since Travis Williams did it for Green Bay back in 1967.

The first of those kickoff returns for a touchdown came early in the third quarter, as Ginn caught the Jay Feely kick at the goal-line and trotted 100 yards to paydirt.

He then ran over to a camera and put his finger to his lips, apparently suggesting his critics, like the aforementioned Salguero, should be quiet.

Less than seven minutes later, Ginn followed it up with an even better kickoff return, taking the ball from one yard deep in the end zone, he weaved his way through traffic for a 101-yard score, leaving the Jets coaching staff speechless, and the Miami fans in the stands roaring with excitement.

Considering the caliber of the team the Dolphins play this week, they’ll need Ginn at his best again on special teams and kick returns, as well as returning to the receiving corps.

Miami is going to be without nose tackle Jason Ferguson, as well as linebacker Channing Crowder, both of whom are listed as “doubtful” on the injury report, and aren’t expected to play.

This means Miami’s offense needs to step it up quite a bit if they’re to compete with the New England Patriots.

These are the same Patriots who destroyed the Tennessee Titans 59-0 just a few weeks ago, and with Tom Brady back, are capable of lighting up defenses like no other team in the league other than possibly the Saints and Colts.

Despite their injuries, Miami will have to find a way to contain Brady and New England. Part of that will fall on the shoulders of Jason Taylor, a good friend of Tom’s. Taylor knows it won’t be easy to stop the prolific passer from the north, though.

“I’ve played him a bunch of times, but I don’t know how familiar I am with his tendencies. There’s certain things he does and sometimes those don’t change. But every year’s a challenge. You can’t really draw back on what you did in years past against Tommy. He changes so much.”

Both Taylor and Brady missed both of the matchups between the Dolphins and the Patriots from last year.

Brady missed the season because of a torn ACL, and Taylor was with the Washington Redskins after being traded to them before the season began last year by Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells.

Those matchups were something not to be missed, too. In the first contest in Foxborough, the ‘Phins introduced their version of the “Wildcat” to the NFL, destroying the Patriots 38-13 in the process as Ronnie Brown ran all over them from the formation and the Dolphins racked up 461 total yards.

The loss also snapped New England’s league-record 21-game winning streak in the regular season.

The Patriots would avenge that loss, as they got a bit of a handle on the “Wildcat” in the second game played in Miami. In that game, New England would dominate the ‘Phins throughout, and win 48-28.

That first win by Miami in Gillette Stadium would prove very costly, however. While both Miami and New England ended the season at 11-5, the Dolphins won the division based on a better conference record.

New England missed the playoffs.

I’m guessing they’re itching for some payback for that, hoping to dominate the Dolphins a second time in a row, and exact some revenge for that loss in front of their hometown fans last year.

Miami, on the other hand, would love nothing better than to find a way to deliver another blow to their old rival.

Most experts are picking the Patriots in this game, and there’s no denying they’re wise to make such predictions. New England is 5-2 on the season, playing at home, and is playing a divisional rival who’s never fared well playing in the north.

Miami, on the other hand started out the season with three losses, is 3-4, playing on the road, and barely squeaked out a win against the Jets.

Add to that the fact the Patriots look like an offensive juggernaut, and Miami’s defense is injury-riddled, and the common wisdom would be New England in a rout.

I don’t think it’s gonna happen though. Perhaps I’m just being foolish, and I don’t have a wager on this game like the one against New Orleans, so even if the Patriots prove me wrong I won’t be running around Burlington with a New England jersey on constantly telling people the Patriots are a better team than my ‘Phins, but I still think Miami finds a way to win this.

To the Dolphins, this will be the game of the year. It’s the one game they must win. Without this win, the Dolphins season is absolutely over (might as well just pack their bags and call it a season; forfeit the rest of their games and go home).

Well, perhaps that’s being a bit dramatic, but I think you get the point. This game is far more important to Miami than it is to New England.

That doesn’t mean the Patriots won’t want this win just as bad as the Dolphins, but the consequences of a loss won’t be as devastating to their postseason hopes as it would to Miami.

So, despite all the conventional wisdom saying Miami loses this game, I’m going out on a limb and saying they pull it out. I think Miami throws some wrinkles into their “Wildcat” formation that get the better of New England, and the ‘Phins rack up tons of yardage on the ground; keeping Brady off the field just enough to pull out the upset.

My prediction: Miami Dolphins 35, New England Patriots 31

Bring on the naysayers; I know they’re legion.

Quotes taken from Miami Herald and AP recaps of games.

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