Nobody said the victories had to be pretty, but for a franchise recovering from a 1-15 season, they will take the wins however they can get them. Yesterday the Miami Dolphins beat the Oakland Raiders in a 17-15 snooze-fest that is best described as forgettable.

Miami took the early lead on a 40 yard TD run from Ted Ginn Jr and led 7-3 at halftime. Chad Pennington would be sacked for a safety in the 3rd quarter to make it 7-5, but late in the quarter a Patrick Cobbs rushing TD would put the Dolphins safely ahead (seemingly) at 14-5. The 4th quarter would see the Raiders put a scare into the Dolphins. The Raiders would get a FG to make it 14-8 and then returned a punt 92 yards for a TD to take the lead 15-14. Miami would get one last shot at the ball and make the most of it. With 4:20 to go, Miami started at their own 20 and would drive 10 plays and 61 yards to set up Dan Carpenter for a possible game winning field goal. With 38 seconds left Carpenter would nail a 38 yard field goal to give Miami the 17-15 win.

There are no rules about how you are suppose to win in the NFL, and that is good for the Dolphins. In the two games this season that they were actually considered the favorite, Miami has not been impressive. The past two weeks Miami has been considered the favorite over Seattle and Oakland and have come away with 2pt, hard fought victories.

On the plus side, Miami is winning these close games against bad teams, and that is all that counts in the end. Chad Pennington is proving more and more potent and efficient each week, the running game behind Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams is stronger each week, and Ted Ginn Jr is beginning to show the promise that got him drafted in the 1st round. Best of all though, the Dolphins are on a 4 game win streak, have a 6-4 record, and the Fins are 1 game out of 1st in the AFC East.

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 Miami Dolphins and Chad Pennington had a lot to prove on Sunday when they welcomed the Buffalo Bills to town, and with the Dolphins’ season on the line and perhaps Pennington’s job as well, the Dolphins beat the AFC East division leading Buffalo Bills 25-16.

Pennington was effective, as usual, with his game management and took care of the ball as he led Miami to the win. Pennington was 22 of 30 for 314 yds and 1 TD pass, with no INTs. Ted Ginn Jr had arguably his best game as a pro catching 7 passes for 175 yards, though it is worth noting the majority of his yards came on two catches for 64 and 46 yards. Ginn Jr has a long way to go, but perhaps today was a glimpse of what he CAN do given the right opportunities. Pennington, in completing those deep shots to Ginn Jr also showed doubters he can still make deep passes, something he was (rightly) criticized for in the past week. Pennington’s performance combined with the victory over Buffalo may quiet, for now, the calls for Chad Henne to be given a chance. Ronnie Brown had a workman like 14 carries for 43 yds marking the 2nd game in a row in which he has cooled off from his early season success.

Most importantly though, the win breathes new life into the Dolphins season. Buffalo came into the game leading the AFC East with a record of 5-1. The loss drops Buffalo into a tie with New England for the lead at 5-2, the New York Jets won today keeping themselves in 3rd at 4-3, and though they sit in last place at 3-4, the Dolphins aren’t canned yet. Working in the Dolphins favor, they have faced everyone in the division once and have the best record againts divisional opponents at 2-1. Working against the Dolphins however, they play all 3 divisional opponents one more time, 2 of the 3 games are on the road in New York and Buffalo in December.

I’m not crazy enough to predict a playoff appearance this year for the Dolphins. However, this team is showing that it is more talented and has more grit and determination than last years. It would have been easy for this group to suffer a let down after the mediocre losses to Houston and Baltimore, but they tightened up and got the job done in an important game. For the Dolphins though, everything is one week at a time. The victory over Buffalo was good, but it has to be out of mind and they need to prepare for Denver next week, there is more work to be done.

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.

Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens was hopefully a wake up call to Tony Sparano and his offensive coaches, it is time for the Miami Dolphins to change their scheme and find an offensive style that fits this team and can be implemented game after game.

Since defeating the New England Patriots in week 3, the Dolphins have become very fond of using their single wing (wild cat) offense. Unconventional and possesing many wrinkles, it kept Miami’s opponents off balance and gave the Dolphins a chance to win each week. But what would happen when the Dolphins welcomed the leagues best defense to town on Sunday in the form of the Baltimore Ravens? The results were not good and the Dolphins slugged through for a 27-13 loss to the Ravens.

The Dolphins used the single wing 5 times and gained 4 yards. Ronnie Brown, who promised to show the Ravens and former coach Cam Cameron what he could do, ran for 27 yards on 13 carries and had NO TDs. Chad Pennington was effective as usual going 24-35 for 295 yards, tossing 1 TD and 1 INT. That 1 INT however would prove costly in the end. The game was tied at 3 and as the pocket collapsed around Pennington instead of going down and taking the sack, Pennington desperately tried to unload the ball to a short man, the result however was an INT that was returned 44 yards for a TD by Terrell Suggs. The score put the Ravens ahead for good.

The Dolphins’ defense was also thrown for a loop on Sunday as the Ravens often employed the no huddle offense which allowed rookie QB Joe Flacco to go pressure free for the majority of the game and move his team downfield for two FGs and two TDs, including a TD drive with 30 seconds left before halftime.

The Dolphins have been more impressive than most would have anticipated this season, but lately have been living on borrowed time, so to speak. The offense has been relying a little too heavily on the gimmicks, the wildcat offense in particular, to spark scoring drives and win or stay in games. If the Dolphins want to win more games this season they are still going to have to address their deficiencies. The passing game is impotent, Ginn Jr, Camarillo, and Hagan are terrible and without a passing game Brown and Ricky Williams are going to be useless. The more the offense struggles, the less time they spend on the field and the more time the defense spends on the field. The coaching staff needs to come up with a new scheme because teams have clearly caught onto the wildcat, meaning its effective days are numbered.

Baltimore Raven’s head coach John Harbaugh is new to the NFL head coaching gig, so maybe a pass is warranted on this occassion. In an attempt to defend his offensive coordinator, former Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron, Harbaugh told a local radio reporter that Cameron “was an effective coach down in Miami last year, even though the results weren’t what people were hoping for. He did a great job there with what he had to work with.” Is he serious? Do you really consider 1-15 a good job?!

Miami Dolphins’ players have been told by team management to refrain from making any negative comments regarding this statement and/or former coach Cam Cameron. That doesn’t extend to anyone else though and retaliation is warranted in this case. Every player left on that team (who was with the team last year) should be personally offended and I hope they read this quote, or better yet listen to it, multiple times before Sunday’s game. Cam Cameron may not have had an established QB like Chad Pennington last year, but he had an offense that included Ronnie Brown (albeit for half the season) and Chris Chambers. Cameron had plenty of tools to win more than 1 game. This year’s Dolphins have no better offensive attack than last years, but Sparano is able to get the most out of the players he has.

I for one believe the blame should lay with Cam Cameron, he was not only less than effective as a head coach during games but was also terrible at controlling his team off the field. The Dolphins’ locker room last season was a mess and Cameron was never able to establish himself as the leader of MEN. Perhaps like USC coach Pete Carroll, Cameron is not capable of leading men. Maybe the next time Cameron wants to be a head coach in charge of an organization on the field, he should go with work kids in the NCAA ranks.

Make no mistake, Cam Cameron did NOT do a good job last year. He was unable to control his players and establish himself as the head of the team as coach. True, Cameron didn’t have a whole ton of help. No real QB existed last season, Ronnie Brown went down injured, Chris Chambers was traded, and the OL was a mess, but he only won 1 game. Cameron was incapable of adjusting his schemes to the players he had. The Dolphins welcome Baltimore to Miami this weekend and new coach Tony Sparano and his players should show the Ravens just what they are capable of doing to opponents.

The Miami Dolphins’ losses this year can be attributed to two major deficiencies on defense, defending the big plays and taking on big, physical receivers. In each of Miami’s 3 losses this season we can see evidence of these things working against them.

In Miami’s losses to the Jets, Cardinals, and Texans it was big plays and physical receivers that doomed the defense in those games. Against the Jets it was two big pass plays that doomed the Dolphins, the bomb to Cotchery in the 1st quarter and the 4th down hail mary to Chansi Stuckey in the endzone near the end of the half. If you take away those two touchdowns on big plays, the Dolphins otherwise locked down the Jets offense.

The Cardinals game was a case of too much of both their problems. Arizona’s big WRs Anquan Bolding and Larry Fitzgerald had monster days, but also had monster plays. One play in particular provides a perfect case in point. A long pass to Larry Fitzgerald resulted in Fitzgerald out jumping both Miami defenders, breaking their tackles, and romping another 20yds before being brought down.

Then last week against Houston. Big plays obviously played a role in this game, especially the two 4th down conversions on the final drive that allowed Houston to stay alive and eventually win. The Dolphins DBs struggled to deal with Andre Johnson as well.

By comparison, Miami’s defense was able to lock down the more finesse and speedy receivers of New England and San Diego in their two victories this season.

It is clear, the Miami Dolphins are making great strides in their quest to turn the franchise around. At the same time, the time to rest has not come yet. The Dolphins need to keep improving and need to find a way to deal with big, physical WRs and prevent the opposition from getting big plays (particularly late in games) that hurt the Dolphins’ chances.

This time last year, the Dolphins were sellers when the NFL Trade Deadline came around. WR Chris Chambers was sent packing in what proved to be just the start of a purge that would see several veteran faces in Miami depart. This year however, the Dolphins could be buyers at the trade deadline, but who could they be trading for?

The Kansas City Chiefs are openly shopping Tony Gonzalez and the Detroit Lions are shopping several players. The Dolphins should quickly get involved in talks with both teams to try and get a new face in Miami. Tony Gonzalez has asked to be traded to a contender, and though the Dolphins had the longest odds at the start of the season to make the playoffs (not to mention the Super Bowl), the Dolphins aren’t out of anything yet. Lets not get carried away, I’m not guaranteeing any playoff run. That being said, the AFC East is wide open and it is not impossible the Dolphins could make the playoffs. Tony Gonzalez would be a priceless addition and would provide another option in that crazy single wing attack the Dolphins are becoming fond of.

Then there are the Detroit Lions, who are shopping several players. The Lions are done already this season sitting at 0-5. Roy Williams has commented to Detroit media he might like to leave and though the Lions have said he isn’t on the trading block, they would probably part with him given the right offer. Williams too would be a fantastic addition. Whether or not Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells admit to it, the WR corps for the Dolphins stinks, STINKS. Roy Williams is a big body, fast receiver that would immediately legitimize the Dolphins pass offense. Williams would not only be another option for the crazy single wing, but would allow the Dolphins to be much more effective with a standard offensive set as well.

At 2-3 I’m not going to call the Dolphins a playoff lock, but they do stand a chance to make the playoffs. What is the harm in making a trade for one of these guys to see if you can make waves the rest of the season. At worst, you have these quality players coming back next year to form an offense with. This should be a no brainer, DO IT!

It must have been an unfamiliar feeling for these Miami Dolphins, being a favorite in a game. But undoubtedly they were the favorites to win on Sunday against the 0-4 Houston Texans. The Texans have exhibited little offense this season and have had off field issues. Hurricane Gustav uprooted them from their homes for a week, their stadium sustained significant damage, and last week they blew a large 4th quarter lead to the Indianapolis Colts, at home.

The Dolphins on the other hand had all the momentum in their favor. 3 weeks ago they picked up win #1 on the season at New England, had their bye 2 weeks ago, and last week their defense stymied arguably the leagues best offense against San Diego. Surely they could handle the hapless Texans right?

Despite seemingly controlling the flow of the game early on, the Dolphins were unable to hold it together down the stretch. The Dolphins lead through the whole 1st half, employing the single wing formation again this week and displaying some new wrinkles in the formation with a reverse to Pennington who shot an 80yard TD pass to RB Patrick Cobbs. The 2nd half was more evenly played, but as the game wound to a close the Dolphins were clinging to a 28-23 lead. The Texans were driving and the Dolphins seemingly had them stopped twice in the 4th quarter but allowed two 4th down conversions.

Texans WR Andre Johnson made an acrobatic catch on a 23 yard reception on a 4th and 10 to keep the drive alive. The Texans eventually got down to the Dolphins goalline. After two passes were batted down in the endzone by Dolphins defenders, the Texans were left with a 4th and goal and 3 seconds left. The Dolphins defense made a critical error leaving no linebackers in the middle of the field, and Texans QB Matt Schaub successfully ran into the endzone from 3 yards out with 3 seconds to go in the game, snatching victory from the Dolphins, 29-28.

All in all, the Dolphins should stay focused on that which went well. The offense was efficient again, though have yet to find a consistent spark matching their production against New England 3 weeks ago. The defense was again strong, but a crucial error and some luck did them in as the Texans put together a successful final drive to finish off the game and steal victory from the Dolphins.

The Dolphins need to look past this week’s game, mistakes happen and the Dolphins are improving. It would be a waste to allow this game to linger in their minds. Put it behind you and move on, next week the Dolphins are home to face the sinking Baltimore Ravens, losers of 3 in a row.