Miami Dolphins And New England Patriots: The Battle for the AFC East

The Miami Dolphins are currently 2-3, but they could very well be 4-1.  Miami should have won the games against the Colts and Chargers if it were not for missed opportunities.

However, we cannot change history and we must move forward.  We must learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them.

Now that the bye week is out of the way, the Dolphins have an uninterrupted 11 game schedule.

Like I said in an article at the start of the season, I think that the Dolphins can win the AFC East and secure a playoff spot. 

Looking at the worst case scenario, out of the Dolphins remaining 11 games, there are eight winnable games. 

The three games in question would be against the Saints, Steelers, and one of the two games against the Patriots.  That would leave the Dolphins with a 10-6 record.

The only obstacle that is standing in the way is the New England Patriots.  I hear all of this talk that the Patriots are looking like the Patriots of 2007.

That could not be further from the truth as most of these people are basing this on the week six game where the Patriots dominated the helpless Titans.  I would be more impressed if they blew out the Steelers or Ravens.

Based on their first six games, the Patriots could very easily be 2-4 vice 4-2.  They could have easily lost the game against the Bills and should have lost to the Ravens.  In my opinion, the Patriots are at best are a .500 team at this point in the season.

With that said, if the Dolphins can take one of the games against the Patriots, then that would cause the Patriots to end with a record of 10-6 and a tie for the AFC East with the Dolphins.

I am basing the Patriots record off of potential losses to the Dolphins, Colts, Saints, and Texans.  Yes, I think the Texans can beat the Patriots.

That would cause the tiebreaker to be decided by the divisional record.  Again, based off of my estimates, the Dolphins would end up with a 5-1 division record as opposed to the Patriots with a 4-2 record.

However, if the Dolphins can pull the upset against the Saints, the Dolphins could very well win the division out right.

If the Dolphins are to take one game from the Patriots, they are going to need to run the ball early and often and will need to find a way to neutralize Tom Brady.

The Patriots have a platoon of running backs, but none of them are that effective.  Therefore, the Dolphins should not have any problems with stopping the run. 

This will allow the Dolphins to focus their effort on stopping Brady.  They will need to apply constant pressure and the secondary must play the Patriots receivers close and hard. 

While the Patriots stop the pass fairly efficiently, they have issues with stopping the run.  Fortunately, the Dolphins like to run which will allow them to dictate the pace of the game.

As far as the Dolphins passing game goes, Chad Henne needs to play smart and manage the game.  If he can avoid costly mistakes and focus on managing the offense, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams can do the rest. 

The Dolphins have a good enough team to win the division and while some people in the media think that the Patriots are going to run the table and win another Super Bowl, they may want to think again.

The Dolphins are better than what everyone is giving them credit for and they have what it takes to sneak in and steal the AFC East.

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Miami Dolphins OL: The Key to the Dolphins Running Game

We all know that in order to have an effective running game, you must have a solid running back. However, you can have the best running back in the league, but if you do not have a solid offensive line to open up the necessary holes, the running back could be limited.

Miami has been focusing on the running game over the past few seasons and have incorporated the Wildcat as another offensive tool. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are solid running backs, but they are not able to run effectively if they cannot get past the line of scrimmage.

So far this season, Miami is averaging 4.8 yards per carry for an average of 177 yards per game. Ronnie Brown is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, while Ricky Williams is averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

Miami is leading the NFL in rushing attempts (188), yards per game (177), total rushing yards (885), 1st downs rushing (57), and are tied for the league lead with 8 touchdowns.

Again, Brown and Williams are solid running backs, but they could not have put up these solid stats without a solid offensive line.

I think that the players on the offensive line are often shoved aside, while the limelight shines on the “key” offensive stars. These players should get as much limelight as the “key” offensive players do when a running back has a solid game.

Without further ado, let’s meet the Dolphins unsung heroes, who allow Brown and Williams to break free of the line of scrimmage.

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Dolphins-Jets; A Review of Their 39-Year Rivalry

The Dolphins face the Jets in prime time on Monday Night Football.  Miami will don their orange jerseys for only the fourth time in team history and the first time since 2004. 

The Jets hold the series lead at 46-40-1 and the Dolphins will look to narrow that lead on Monday night.

In their first meeting in 1966, the Jets defeated the Dolphins 19-14.  However, their rivalry officially began after the merger of the AFL and NFL in 1970. 

The Dolphins and the Jets were placed in the AFC East, guaranteeing that they would meet twice a year annually.

Regardless of their standings, this is always a competitive game.  The largest winning margin was by the Dolphins in 1975 with a final score of 43-0.  The smallest victory margin was in 1981 with the Jets defeating the Dolphins 16-15. 

During the 70’s, the Jets did not have a season above .500, but they were able to win 14 of their 20 meetings against the Dolphins. 

However, the Dolphins surged to NFL supremacy as they had the first and only NFL undefeated season in 1972 and won the Super Bowl in 1972 and 1973.

The Dolphins continued their solid play in the 80’s with Dan Marino at the helm, but their problems continued with the Jets as they lost the decade series 11-9-1.  In addition, they scored their only tie in the history of this rivalry. 

The key game in the 80’s came in the 1982 AFC Championship game on Jan. 23, 1983, more appropriately known as “The Mud Bowl.”

After the Dolphins swept the Jets during the strike-shortened regular season by scores of 45-28 and 20-19, the two teams met again, this time with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Due to the sloppy field conditions, it kept both teams scoreless in the first half. The game was a classic defensive battle that featured 10 turnovers, eight of them on quarterback interceptions.

The star of the game was Dolphins linebacker A. J. Duhe, who picked off Jets quarterback Richard Todd three times and returned one 35 yards for a touchdown to help seal the 14–0 win and send the Dolphins to Super Bowl XVII.

To this day, former Jets coach Walt Michaels believes that Miami coach Don Shula ordered to keep the tarp off the field to neutralize New York’s superior team speed.

The Jets supremacy began to decline in the 90’s as they split their series 10-10.  The Jets looked to turn things around by bringing in Bill Parcells as their head coach in 1996, but the Dolphins still managed to split the remaining games 4-4.

Some people say that the Monday Night Football game on Oct. 23, 2000 was the best game in series history. 

The Dolphins led the game 23-7 at halftime that grew to 30-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.  Both quarterback Vinny Testaverde and running back Curtis Martin were shut down in the first half as they managed only two first downs.

Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler and defensive end Jason Taylor knew that the Jets would not come back form this large deficit, but they spoke too soon. 

Testaverde threw back-to-back touchdowns to cut the lead to 30-20.  After a field goal by John Hall which cut the lead to 30-23, Testaverde fired a touchdown pass to wide receiver Wayne Chrebet to tie the game 30-30 with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter.

On the next series, Fiedler marched the Dolphins down the field and the Dolphins took the lead once again as Fielder found Leslie Shepherd in the end zone for a touchdown. 

Testaverde took the Jets down field on the following series and with 42 seconds remaining, he found offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott for a three-yard touchdown.  Testaverde single-handedly sent this game into overtime as he completed 18-of-26 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. 

In overtime, Fiedler was intercepted for the third time which resulted in a field goal by Hall and the Jets won the game 40-37. 

Despite the hard fought win by the Jets, they missed the playoffs, while the Dolphins clinched the division.

The Dolphins have dominated the Jets during this decade as they lead the series 13-5.  The Dolphins look to continue their domination on Monday night, but they are playing a renewed Jets team. 

If the Dolphins expect to win this game, they are going to have to beat the Jets on the ground. 

With the running back duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams firing on all cylinders, the Dolphins have a chance to give the Jets their second loss on the season.

 

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NFL Player Spotlight: Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins

Each week, I will spotlight a specific player either on offense or defense.  While it is great to follow or be a fan of a specific team, it is also important to know a little history about those players that are part of OUR team. 

I felt that it would be appropriate to spotlight Chad Henne as he seems to be the starter for the immediate future.  Without further ado, let’s learn a little bit about the Dolphins’ new starting quarterback, Chad Henne.

Chad Steven Henne was born in West Lawn, Pennsylvania on Jul. 2nd, 1985.  Henne attended Wilson High School where he set school records for passing yards and touchdowns. 

As a junior, he threw for over 2,200 yards, 23 touchdowns, and rushed for over 600 yards and five touchdowns. As a senior, Henne completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,700 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only five interceptions.  Henne was rated as the No. 4 quarterback in the nation and committed to the University of Michigan.  

Henne began his Michigan football career starting at quarterback as a true freshman in 2004, the first Wolverine to do so since Rick Leach in 1975.  Henne definitely got off on the right foot as his core of receivers consisted of Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant, and Steve Breaston. 

After the conclusion of the 2004 season, which would be his best while at Michigan, he passed for 2,743 yards, 25 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a completion percentage of 60.2 percent.  He also tied the Michigan season record for touchdown passes with 25, first set by Elvis Grbac in 1991.

As a sophomore, Henne improved his touchdown/interception ratio, but was criticized for their 3-3 start after being ranked in the top five of the preseason polls. 

Just when he thought things could not get any worse, he had a poor performance in a close loss to Notre Dame, in which he completed fewer than half of his pass attempts and lost a fumble on the goal line.

After their 3-3 start, Michigan won four consecutive games, but the year ended with losses to archrival Ohio State and to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl.

Henna’s fortunes turned during his junior season as he passed for 2,508 yards, 22 touchdowns, and eight interceptions as he led the Wolverines to an 11-0 start and a No. 2 ranking.  As Michigan tends to do, they concluded their season by losing to Ohio State and then losing to USC 32 to 18 in the Rose Bowl.

During his final season at Michigan and his most important for a potential quarterback in the NFL, Henne had his worst season of his college career.  He passed for 1,938 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. 

To make matters worse, he suffered a knee injury in the second game of the season against Oregon.  He would miss the following two games, but would return to play against Northwestern. 

Henne and the Wolverines redeemed themselves as they beat Florida 41 to 35 in the Capital One Bowl.  Henne ended his collegiate career as the only Michigan quarterback to ever go 0-4 versus Ohio State.

After his up and down senior season, Henne’s draft stock dropped and he was drafted in the second round and 57th overall.  Over two seasons while filling in for Chad Pennington, he has completed 17/31 passes for 159 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. 

We have been told all along that Henne will be groomed for the starting quarterback position for the 2010 season.  Now that Chad Pennington is out with season ending surgery, Henne will get his chance earlier than expected. 

Based on what I have seen over the years while at Michigan and in Miami, Henne has the potential to be a solid quarterback in the NFL.  While everyone is basing their opinion on two sub-par games that Henne played in relief, there are a few things that you have to think about. 

Last season, Henne played in his first NFL game in relief against a Cardinals defense who were in the top 10 against the pass at the time of this game.  In addition, when Henne came into the game in the fourth quarter, the game was out of reach as the Cardinals led 31 to 3. 

Last week, he filled in for an injured Pennington against a Chargers pass defense that gives up 179 yards per game. 

While he will not have the success of Drew Brees or play as badly as JaMarcus Russell, he is better than what people are giving him credit for.  He just has not had the opportunity. 

Whether he likes it or not, he now has the opportunity that he has been waiting for.  Can he handle the job or will he be replaced by newly acquired Tyler Thigpen?  Only time will tell, but I think that he will finish the season as the starter and will get better with each game. 

The mistake that the Dolphins need to avoid is benching him in favor of another quarterback.  They need to let him run the offense for the rest of the season and see what the young man can do; they might be surprised. 

Stay tuned, as I will spotlight a player next week on the defensive side of the ball.

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Miami Dolphins WR Brian Hartline—Not Your Average Rookie

How many of you have ever heard of Brian Hartline? 

Unless you are an Ohio State Buckeye or Miami Dolphin fan, the chances are slim to none. If you are part of the fantasy football nation, you may want to get to know this young man as he is going to turn some heads this season.

Brian Hartline chose to forgo his senior season at Ohio State and enter the NFL draft.  While many NFL Scouts and General Managers felt that Hartline would have been better off to sticking around for his final season, he took a risk and entered the draft anyway.  Hartline was drafted in the fourth round (108 overall) by the Dolphins. 

Hartline arrived at minicamp buried on the depth chart behind Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess, and fellow rookie Patrick Turner. 

At this point, Hartline was going to be hard pressed to make the regular season roster.  With nothing to lose, Hartline learned as much as he could, played hard, and took risks that players would not normally take. 

As a result of his hard work, Hartline now finds himself battling Greg Camarillo for the No. 2 spot opposite of Ted Ginn Jr.

Now that three of the four preseason games are behind Hartline, he is leading the team in all receiving categories. 

Of the 107 yards that he has gained so far this preseason, 54 yards was gained during one pass play. The Dolphins were lacking a receiver with big play ability and Head Coach Tony Sparano thinks that they have found that player in Hartline.  

Let’s take a look at the fantasy impact that Hartline will have during the 2009 season.  If Hartline wins the spot opposite of Ted Ginn Jr., I fully expect him have similar stats as Greg Camarillo last season (650/7). 

While he should not be a weekly starter for your fantasy team this season, he will be a decent bye week filler and based on the matchup, he could be a plug and play option for your fantasy team.

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