The miraculous turnaround the Miami Dolphins made this season won’t soon be forgotten. It is hard to see that now through the angst of a tough loss today to the Baltimore Ravens, but with time fans will look back and remember fondly the Miami Dolphins’ 2008 season. True, we all would have preferred to see the Dolphins advance beyond the Wild Card round but it just didn’t turn out that way.

The Miami Dolphins looked more like the team of 2007 today as they fell 27-9 to the Baltimore Ravens. The Dolphins’ problems were almost too many to list, but we’ll try and hit them all. Chad Pennington, usually so careful with the football, threw 4 interceptions, the defense put almost NO pressure on Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco, and the offense just couldn’t breakdown the Raven defense.

In the 1st half it appeared the game would be a defensive stalemate throughout. The teams traded FGs in the 1st quarter, and no TDs were scored until Ravens’ safety Ed Reed picked off Pennington and returned it 57 yds for a TD. A Baltimore FG with 16 seconds left would send Baltimore into halftime with a 13-3 lead.

In the 2nd half Miami’s turnover problems would get worse, and so would the score. Baltimore would get a TD in the 3rd quarter to stretch their lead to 20-3, and after Miami got back to 20-9 on a Pennington TD pass (Carpenter would miss the PAT), Flacco scrambled into the endzone with 3:53 to play giving Baltimore the 27-9 victory.

The biggest problem for the Dolphins was their uncharacteristic amount of turnovers. After turning the ball over only 13 times this season, tied with the New York Giants for the lowest in the NFL, the Dolphins turned the ball over 5 times today. Chad Pennington, who threw only 7 INTs all season, threw 4 today. Another major problem for the Dolphins was the defensive line. Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco had all day in the pocket to make decisions as the Dline was getting NO pressure. Despite that, Flacco was unable however to really burn the Dolphins on a consistent basis.

In the end, the Dolphins inability on offense cost them today against a superior Ravens’ defense. The Dolphins struggled to move the ball, almost completely lacking a run game, and turned the ball over too much to survive their encounter with the Ravens.

The Dolphins are now left to ponder a season that was, look back on the good and bad, and try to build off of their successes in the 2009 season. Make no mistake, the Dolphins meager effort today doesn’t take away from their amazing season. Tony Sparano, Bill Parcells, and the Dolphins’ players were able to prove their detractors wrong and win the AFC East when no one gave them a chance. Next season, it will be time to build off their successes this year and see if they can return to the playoffs and get a better result.

Our defensive line is not getting through the Ravens O line. Flacco has all day to throw or throw it away.

Our offensive choices are way too conservative given the situation. How many short dumps can they do underneath their linebackers? How many draw plays?

If they don’t open up now, its over. Pennington is looking very Jetsy in this 2nd half.

As we close in on the Miami Dolphins’ first playoff game since early in 2002, a familiar foe will enter Dolphins Stadium on Sunday and attempt to rain on the parade in South Florida. Tomorrow the Dolphins (AFC East Champions) face the Baltimore Ravens, an AFC Wild Card team.

The Dolphins have a good deal of recent history against the Ravens. The last time the Dolphins made the playoffs, they faced the Ravens and were booted from the playoffs in bad fashion after a 20-3 loss. Last season, as the Dolphins struggled, it was the Ravens they defeated 22-16 to get their lone win of the season. And earlier this season as the Dolphins struggled to a 2-4 start, it was the loss against the Ravens 27-14 that lit a fire under the Dolphins. After that loss the Dolphins went on to finish the season 9-1, win the AFC East, and find themselves hosting an opening round playoff game.

If the Dolphins hope to keep their magical season afloat, they should pay close attention to the lessons learned in their past two encounters with the Ravens. Within those games the Dolphins can find the gameplan to beat the Ravens again this Sunday. The Dolphins lived much of this season taking advantage of the “wildcat” formation, using its surprise and versatility to take advantage of their opponents confusion. The Ravens however are one of the BEST defenses in the NFL and in the Dolphins’ loss to the Ravens earlier this season, Baltimore was more than ready for the wildcat formations.

The Dolphins need only look to last seasons victory over Baltimore to find the way to beat them. The best way to beat Baltimore is a balanced attack and the ability to exploit a weakness if/when it is found. Baltimore will no doubt be ready for the wildcat, so the Dolphins need to employ a more conventional game plan and save the wildcat for surprise opportunities.

Win, lose, or draw tomorrow the Miami Dolphins are by far THE story of the NFL this season. Their meteoric rise from 1-15, to 11-5, division winner, and playoff participant is almost unprecedented. The Dolphins are just the 2nd team in NFL history to make a 10 game improvement on their record and make the playoffs. A huge amount of kudos are due to Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano for tearing down a system that wasn’t working and build it from the ground up. No one in their wildest imagination could have forseen such a rapid turnaround, but while it lasts, enjoy the ride! GO FINS!

The Miami Dolphins have risen from the ashes of a 1-15 season, in a matter of 1 year, to finish the 2008 season 11-5 and win the AFC East. The Dolphins took care of business against the Jets yesterday winning 24-17, sending the Dolphins to the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons.

After a scoreless 1st quarter, the Jets struck first going up 6-0 on a Brett Favre TD pass, but failed a 2pt conversion. The Dolphins would answer back as Chad Pennington connected with Ted Ginn Jr on a 27yd TD pass to go ahead 7-6. 15 seconds later Philip Merling would intercept a Favre pass and take it to the house to extend the Dolphins’ lead to 14-6. A Jets FG at the end of the half made the Dolphins’ halftime lead 14-9.

The Jets would briefly take the lead in the 3rd quarter on a 10yd TD rush to go up 17-14. Pennington would put the Dolphins ahead for good when he hooked up with TE Anthony Fasano for a 20yd TD pass, giving the Dolphins a 21-17 lead. A Dan Carpenter FG in the 4th would give the Dolphins a 24-17 lead.

The Dolphins’ victory on Sunday was sweet in so many ways, it is nearly impossible to list them all. The Dolphins joined the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to see a 10 game improvement in their record and make the playoffs one season after a dismal record. Chad Pennington, who was dumped by the New York Jets in August when Favre arrived, led his new team into his old team’s stadium and took the AFC East crown (and a playoff spot) away from them.

A huge congratulations has to go out to coach Tony Sparano and his staff, Parcells, and the players for doing what no one thought they could possibly do this season. The Dolphins will host the 11-5 Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins kept themselves in the hunt for the playoffs Sunday with a 14-9 victory over the visiting San Francisco 49ers. The Dolphins used two first half TD passes from Chad Pennington to his TEs to build a lead and relied on their defense to seal the victory and boy did they ever.

For the 3rd straight game the Dolphins’ defense was relentless, displaying a bend but don’t break attitude to make their team’s 2 TDs hold up. The win was Miami’s 7th in their last 8 games and it kept them in a tie for 1st place in the AFC East with the New York Jets and New England Patriots.

Miami’s offense wasn’t particularly potent this week. The Dolphins were outgained 318 - 248yds while gaining only 11 first downs and converting only 1 third down all game, in comparison to 24 first downs and 8 third down conversions for San Fran. Chad Pennington connected on a 61yd TD pass to TE David Martin in the 1st qtr and on a 19yd TD pass to TE Joey Haynos in the 2nd qtr to provide all the offense Miami would need.

Miami’s defense on the other hand was red hot today and wasn’t going to allow San Francisco to steal this game from them. Slowly the 49ers chipped away at the Dolphins lead in the 2nd half and with 2:36 to go in the game San Fran had a 10 play drive going to try and steal the game. The defense would stand tall and stop the 49ers on 4th down deep in Miami territory to preserve the victory.

In allowing no TDs again this week, Miami has now gone 3 games without allowing an opponent to score a touchdown, the first such stretch the Dolphins have had since 1973. Miami’s offense sputtered today and was not particularly effective, but they did just enough and protected the ball, never turning it over. The Dolphins are on pace to set an NFL record for the fewest turnovers in a season.

With the win, Miami remains in a tie for 1st place in the AFC East with the New York Jets and New England Patriots. The Jets, playing at the same time, ran a fumble back for a TD late to survive their game with the Buffalo Bills, and at the moment New England is cruising against the Oakland Raiders, up 42-20 in the 3rd quarter. Miami’s destiny remains in its own hands, win out and you’re in the playoffs. Now it becomes important for Miami to focus on Kansas City next week and not look ahead to the Jets in the season finale.

The return of RB Stephen Jackson was not enough for the woeful St. Louis Rams to beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Dolphins rebounded for a tough rout last week at the hands of the Patriots with a stingy defensive effort and just enough on offense to pick up the win. The win was Miami’s 5th in 6 games and their 7th of the season.

Miami got a touchdown from Ronnie Brown in the 2nd quarter followed by 3 FGs from Dan Carpenter to get their 16pts. The Miami defense would be the story of the day though as they held the Rams to nothing but FGs on the day, never allowing them into the endzone. Stephen Jackson returned for the Rams and rushed for 94 yards, but the Dolphins would shut down the Rams’ passing game.

The Dolphins’ defense held the Rams to 149 yards passing and had 3 interceptions on the day to keep the St. Louis offense in check and out of the endzone. It was a less than impressive game from the Dolphins, especially considering the quality of opponent the team faced. The Dolphins have struggled this year in games against mediocre teams while making an impressive display of themselves against tough opposition.

The victory was important for the Dolphins. Combined with the Patriots’ loss to Pittsburgh this weekend, the Dolphins’ win moves them into 2nd place in the AFC East, one game behind the Jets with a game remaining against the Jets. More importantly, the victory keeps the Dolphins in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the AFC as well. With 4 games remaining in the season, the Dolphins find themselves still in the playoff race and each game will be critical to their playoff hunt.

The Miami Dolphins are rolling as of late, and if they want to continue their winning streak they are going to need to find a way to defeat the resurgent New England Patriots on Sunday. A lot will be riding on Sunday’s game in Miami, and a lot will be different about this encounter.

Miami will enter Sunday tied with New England at 6-4 and 2nd in the AFC East division, one game behind the division leading New York Jets (7-3). If the Dolphins defeat the Patriots on Sunday, they will be keeping pace with the Jets and improving their division record to 3-1 (7-4 overall). A victory puts them that much closer to a possible playoff berth. A win keeps them close in the divisional race and keeps them in the mix for a Wild Card spot at worst. A loss however, and the Dolphins will drop to 3rd in the division and will drop them lower into the mix of possible Wild Card teams.

Circumstances will also be different this time around, much different than when the two teams met in Foxboro back in September. Back then, Miami was 0-2 and given NO chance of winning, while New England was still trying to find its new offensive identity in the post-Tom Brady era. The Dolphins rolled out the Wildcat formation and thoroughly confused and beat down the Patriots. This time though, New England is more comfortable with backup Matt Cassel, and in addition to taking the Dolphins more seriously, they will be looking for the Wildcat formation this time around. Miami also must be prepared for New England to come out firing on all cylinders in an attempt to avenge their embarassing defeat in September.

If ever there was a game Miami could not overlook, this is it. This may arguably be the most important game the Dolphins have played in 2-3 seasons, hopefully the players can use their head coach’s enthusiasm to pull off another crucial victory and keep their streak alive.

Nobody said that every football game has to be won in perfect fashion, victories don’t count for more if they are pretty, a ”W” is a “W.” A “W” is exactly what the Dolphins got Sunday afternoon when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-19 in Miami. Sunday’s victory was the Dolphins 3rd in a row and improved the Dolphins’ record to 5-4.

The Dolphins jumped out to an early 14-0 lead with a flea flicker pass to Ted Ginn Jr for a 39 yard TD. In the 2nd quarter Ricky Williams burst up the middle for a 51 yard TD run out of the wildcat formation. Seattle spent the next quarter and a half nibbling away at the Dolphins lead until they found themselves down 14-13 in the middle of the 4th quarter. Ronnie Brown’s 16 yard TD run late in the 4th would prove critical as the Seahawks would again challenge the Dolphins’ lead.

Late in the 4th quarter the Dolphins looked to their defense to preserve the win. Seattle scored a TD with 2:57 to go in the game and went for the 2pt conversion to tie the game and force overtime, but the defense batted down the 2pt pass attempt. The Dolphins would make one final stand and force an incompletion on 4th down in the final seconds to win the game 21-19.

Chad Pennington was 22/36 for 209yds and 1TD, 1INT. Ginn Jr caught 4 balls for 67yds and a TD. Williams had 12rushes for 105yds and a TD while Brown had 10rushes for 39yds and the game winning TD. The Dolphins’ defense meanwhile had 3 sacks and knocked down 6 passes.

The factors that led to today’s victory were the same that have propelled Miami to 3 straight victories. The Dolphins enjoyed greater possession of the ball, played solid defense (especially when it mattered most), and were efficient enough on offense to win.

Miami’s win gives them a winning record this season at 5-4. In addition to extending their win streak, today’s victory also puts the Dolphins one game out of first place in the AFC East. It certainly seemed silly before the season to mention playoffs in the same sentence as the Dolphins, it also seemed silly 3 weeks ago when the Dolphins were 2-4. Now however, it is worth wondering at the chances of seeing Miami in the playoffs this season.

Miami’s remaining games against non-divisional foes include Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Kansas City who are a combined 7-28 this season. Miami’s other 3 remaining games are againts New England, @ Buffalo, and they finish the season @ the New York Jets. One thing is certain, the Dolphins’ chances of making the playoffs are real, and entirely in their own hands.

Two weeks ago the fate of the Miami Dolphins was in doubt with their record at 2-4, stuck on a 2 game losing streak, and a tough stretch ahead of them. So much for the concern regarding the fate of their season, the Dolphins defeated the Denver Broncos on the road today 26-17.

For the 2nd week in a row, the Dolphins have taken on a team no one would have thought them capable of beating, and defeated them. One week after beating the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills in Miami, the Dolphins went on the road to face the high powered Denver Bronco offense. The Dolphins shut down Denver from the get go and produced just enough offense of their own to beat the Broncos in Denver.

Chad Pennington was his usual effective self, nothing flashy, going 23/40 for 281yds 0TDs and 1INT. Greg Camarillo had a break out game catching 11 passes for 111yds and Ronnie Brown ran for 59yds and a TD, Miami’s lone offensive TD. The Dolphins kept Denver in check partially thanks to ball control, which was proven earlier this season to be Miami’s best friend. The Dolphins held the ball for 36:31 in comparison to 23:29 for the Broncos.

Defense led the way today though as the Dolphins kept Denver’s big threats grounded. Bronco WR Eddie Royal had 69 yds receiving while WR Brandon Marshall was held to 2 catches for 27 yards. The highlight of the afternoon was CB Will Allen’s 32 yd INT return for a TD in the 1st quarter that put Miami up 13-0. Slowly the Broncos chipped away at the Dolphins lead, getting as close as 19-17 in the 4th quarter until Brown punched the ball in from 2yds out to put Miami ahead for good at 26-17.

Today’s victory was important physically and emotionally for the Dolphins. After a disappointing 2 game stretch against mediocre competition in Houston and Baltimore, the Dolphins rebounded to defeat two winning teams in impressive fashion and pull themselves back to .500 at 4-4. Much like their success against New England and San Diego, ball control and solid defense were the key factors in the Dolphins’ victory. Every game the Dolphins have enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in this season, they have won.

When the Dolphins play football like they did today, they are playing smart football. Wins like this show they recognize their strengths and weaknesses and are playing to their strengths while minimizing the effect their weaknesses can have. The Dolphins can have an impressive finish to their season if they can keep working on this formula and keep applying it week in and week out.

The Dolphins, now 2-4, face a critical two game stretch of their season in which a lot of decisions must be made. Perhaps none more important than what will happen at quarterback after these two games. The Dolphins had shocked the world 2 weeks in a row dominating New England on the road and then beating San Diego at home. However, the last two weeks have seen the Dolphins come crashing back to Earth after losses to the borderline pathetic Houston Texans and the mediocre Baltimore Ravens.

Gone are the whispers and murmurs about the playoffs and a winning season that were prevelant after the team’s victory over San Diego gave it a 2-2 record. Replacing those whispers and murmurs are questions about what can be done to right the ship and avoid finishing the season with a similar record to last season. The task won’t be easy as the Dolphins next two opponents are the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, teams the Dolphins will surely be underdogs against.

If the Dolphins lose these two games and are sitting at 2-6 the coaching staff needs to strongly consider replacing Chad Pennington with Chad Henne. Everyone, including the Chads, is aware that Pennington’s position is to guard the throne until the future starter (Henne) is ready to ascend to the starting position. It was obvious this past week just what Pennington’s limitations are and what they mean to the success of the team.

Pennington was a good pick up because he was more than capable of coming in and providing leadership on an offense that had none. He is an efficient passer, good leader, and he manages the game well, minimizing mistakes and giving the team chances to win. Pennington does not however bring the big play ability that every team needs to get  them over the hump. Pennington missed opportunities on Sunday to hit deep passes to Ginn Jr and Camarillo on several plays when they were open deep. Pennington’s inability to throw the deep ball is going to hurt this team’s ability to stretch opposing defenses and open up the run game, which is crucial to their success. While Pennington does have an impressive 8.12 yards per pass completion, the number is deceiving when you consider a majority of that is due to an 80 yard screen pass and the 53 yard pass to Patrick Cobbs against Houston, which was an under thrown ball.

Pennington was, and still is, the right man for the job now. But if the Dolphins fall in their next 2 games and find themselves at 2-6 their season is over. Henne is going to be the starting QB for this team whether it is this week, mid season, or next season. If the Dolphins find themselves out of the playoff picture it becomes necessary to give Henne reps and time in games to get himself accustomed to the game speed of the NFL. Even if Henne gets knocked around, he is gaining valuable experience so he is ready at the start of next season. There is no sense in keeping him shelved and having him go through his growing pains next season, effectively wasting two seasons.