Miami-New Orleans: Dolphins and Saints "Showdown in South Beach"

The New England Patriots literally rolled over the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday, winning by a 59-0 score that shocked many in the sports world, including myself, who figured Jeff Fisher’s Titans were due to play well. We had hopes it would be against the Patriots, a team many of us love to hate because of their bellicose head coach, Bill Belichick.

However, as much as many were shocked by this outcome, because the Titans were 13-3 and their division’s champions last year, it really wasn't all that surprising considering how the Titans have played this year. While Tennessee was predicted by most to do well this year and possibly contend for a title, they've played as poorly as a team can in going winless in their first five contests prior to facing the Patriots. The shock was more due to the outrageously lop-sided score than anything else.

What did surprise many, and not just because of the equally lop-sided score, was the thorough destruction of the previously undefeated New York Giants by the New Orleans Saints this past weekend, 48-27 (and that final score wasn’t truly indicative of how badly the Saints demoralized the Giants, who scored 10 fourth-quarter points to make it appear a little more respectable).

Experts throughout the nation had gone into this game thinking the two teams, both unbeaten, would battle it out like two behemoths. They were expecting, to use a boxing analogy, a “Thrilla in Manila,” a grueling and savage 14-round fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier (scheduled for 15 rounds) that took place in 100-degree temperatures in the Philippines and which Ali won when Frazier wasn’t able to answer the bell for the 15^th and final round.

Instead the NFL faithful got the “Phantom Punch” of Ali/Liston II, with the Giants playing the role of Sonny Liston lying on the canvas after a phantom punch as Ali stands over him yelling, “Get up and fight, sucker!” that was captured by the incredible photograph seen here.

Experts are quickly jumping on the bandwagon of the Saints (if they hadn’t already), and are predicting they’ll mop the floor with their next opponent, the Miami Dolphins, as easily as Ali dispatched of Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams in three rounds early in his professional boxing career.

After all, the Saints are the No. 1-rated offense in the NFL in points scored (38.4) and yards gained (430.0) per game, and their defense is nothing to sneeze at either, being ranked 10^th in the NFL overall and 5^th against the rush. They are, quite simply, nothing like the ‘Aints team of 1980, or to use another cliché, these aren’t your Daddy’s Saints.

And more than just the rankings prove that. Of the six games in the NFL this year where a team has scored more than 45 points, three of them were accomplished by the New Orleans squad (in five games). Think about that. Of the five games the Saints have played, their offense has rung up more than 45 points three times. That isn’t just offensive production, it’s mega-production. These guys are murdering people.

So, should the Dolphins just lie down and die before they get murdered? I don’t think so.

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

I’m of the opinion the Miami Dolphins and their fans should be highly optimistic about their chances against the New Orleans Saints.

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle, Justin Smiley, when asked whether facing the juggernaut that is the New Orleans Saints was a big test for the Fish, had this to say, “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Just an all-around team, from offense to defense to special teams. Those guys are really good. We’ve played some teams with one or two stars; this whole front seven is a bunch of studs. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’ll be ready.”

I’m confident he’s not just selling us a line, either. Tony Sparano will have his squad ready for anything. Thankfully for the ‘Phins their bye week came the weekend before they had to face New Orleans, and I’m sure Sparano has spent the entire extra week going over with the team exactly how they can beat the Saints.

And let’s not forget that this Miami team is nothing to sneeze at either. They may have started out 0-3, but as the past two games have proven, they might have been one of the best 0-3 teams the NFL has ever seen. Two weeks ago they literally destroyed a Buffalo Bills squad, 38-10, in a game that left many Miami fans wondering just where that offensive production had been prior to that game.

That win came after the ‘Phins had suffered the disappointing news they’d lost their starting quarterback, Chad Pennington, for the year due to injury. This made that 0-3 start they’d suffered even more devastating, as ‘Phins fans everywhere looked at the schedule ahead and figured this year would more resemble 2007 (when Miami struggled to win one game and set a franchise record for futility going 1-15 for the year) than it would 2008 (when Sparano and Bill Parcells orchestrated a division-winning 11-5 miracle season to shock the world).

Chad Henne, who replaced Pennington, made his first start in that game, and while the ‘Phins destroyed the Bills, he didn’t give rise to any accolades with his pedestrian play, shepherding the Dolphins offense in journeyman-like fashion to the victory, going 14-of-22 for 115 yards and a touchdown in the win.

While he’d performed well, no one was making any comparisons between him and former Miami great Dan Marino. Heck, they weren’t even making any comparisons between him and Pennington, who was brilliant last year for the ‘Phins even if he’s never orchestrated an offense the way ol’ “Dan the Man” could.

Still, Henne hadn’t messed anything up in that win, either, and ‘Phins fans were grateful for that. They watched as he did his job, as Miami continued to run through NFL defenses. For while the ‘Phins hadn’t won a game before beating the Bills, they had opened some eyes with their ground-game. There were numerous positives that could be taken from those first three losses Miami had suffered, chief among them the play of Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and the Wildcat formation Sparano and Parcells had “re-introduced” to the NFL last year.

That formation, along with Henne’s play, in the Jets game two Monday’s ago, sparked lots of talk about these suddenly resurgent Dolphins, as Miami stunned many of the same “experts” who believe New Orleans will roll over them this coming week by beating the New York Jets and their talented young quarterback, Mark Sanchez.

Henne came alive in that game, and unlike his previous performance against the Bills, did draw comparisons to the aforementioned Marino. Even Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan seemed to think Henne looked a lot like “Dandy Dan” with his play, as he orchestrated three fourth-quarter touchdowns to give Miami the upset victory. However, Henne was also helped by the magnificent use of the “Wildcat” in the late stages of the game.

Some still label the formation Miami made famous last year a “gimmick.” Jets linebacker Calvin Pace didn’t mince words about it after the Dolphins win, even though it had just been used to decimate his team’s defense, saying:

“I can’t respect that stuff, all that Wildcat. We’re in the NFL, man. If you’re out there running that nonsense, it’s crap.”

Many “experts” throughout the football world seem to agree with Pace, including Ron Jaworski, who belittled the formation in his analysis right after the game.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder had a response for both Pace and the “Polish Rifle” or “Jaws” as Ron was known to many of his fans in his playing days, saying:

“We nonsensed their ass all the way up and down the field. Nonsense, I love nonsense. They say gimmick; gimmick this, gimmick that. We’ve won games with the Wildcat. They ran two fake punts. So, if you’re going to say gimmicks, those are real gimmicks. The Wildcat is an offensive formation. They have thousands of plays on film about it; go stop it.”

Dolphins’ running back Ronnie Brown, who is one of the key players the ball is snapped to in the formation, was a bit more diplomatic in his response, saying only, “I think we’re all afraid of what we do not understand. We have a motto. The motto is, ‘It works for us!’”

It certainly does, Ronnie.

While many other teams throughout the NFL have tried to copy the use of the formation, which is nothing new (the power “I” and “T” formations have been around since the days of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 20s and 30s), they’ve had limited success, while Miami has used it effectively in many cases to win games.

Quite frankly, the ‘Phins may have their greatest offense ever because of the use of the formation now that Henne has found his groove; and yes, I was alive during the glory days of both Czonka and Griese and Marino and Duper. As one writer pointed out, those glory days featured offenses that, while great, were one-dimensional. The current Miami Dolphins offense, with the addition of a suddenly vibrant Chad Henne, who has a rocket for an arm, is playing in 3-D.

While the Saints may have the No. 1-rated offense in the NFL, it’s the Dolphins’ rushing attack that ranks highest in the land this moment, averaging a whopping 177 yards on the ground thanks to the contributions of their tandem of backs, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, not to mention the Wildcat formation.

Miami plays football the way it was meant to be played when it was first formed as a game. They play smashmouth football. And while it doesn’t quite look that way to some, it is just that.

As Miami nose tackle Jason Ferguson described it, “When you see it, you’re going to try and disrespect it. That’s when you get hit in the mouth. Because they’re coming downhill, they’re double-teaming you, they’re hitting you in the mouth, and they’re moving you off the ball. When you see it, you think it’s a finesse deal, and it’s not. It’s hard-nosed running plays.”

And those running plays are working, unlike when Jimmy Johnson laid waste to the Dolphins offense trying to pretend the Dan Marino-led squad he coached was the 1990 Dallas Cowboys. Sparano, unlike his predecessor, makes full use of the talent he has, and doesn’t ask them to accomplish things they’re incapable of.

He does have talented ballcarriers, though, and he utilizes them. He now also has a talented quarterback in Chad Henne, who proved his worth a little over a week ago in front of millions of Monday Night Football fans, and I expect Sparano will make full use of him as well.

Whether the ‘Phins make a deal for a big-name receiver before the trade-deadline tonight such as Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs, they’ve still got Ted Ginn Jr., who they’re apparently now comfortable throwing deep to with Henne in the pocket. Ginn has the tools to be a star wide receiver, and the ‘Phins have the tools to be a very productive offense.

More than all that potential, the Saints and their supporters should remember one thing, too. These are still the Saints, who have only had three quarterbacks beat the Miami Dolphins in their entire history, Ken Stabler in 1983, Bobby Hebert in 1992, and Jim Everett in 1995. Drew Brees, while a great quarterback who I myself wanted the ‘Phins to draft, and who is playing phenomenally, hasn’t fared as well against Miami.

In three previous appearances against the Dolphins, Brees has thrown for less than 200 yards in two of them, and only managed two touchdowns against Miami—both coming in a 23-21 loss to the ‘Phins in 2005—while he’s been intercepted by the boys from South Beach five times. He’s also been sacked by Miami 12 times in those contests.

So, while Brees may come into this game with all the “experts” thinking he and the Saints are going to destroy the “hapless” Miami Dolphins just as many thought George Foreman would beat the living snot out of Muhammad Ali in their “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974, they might end up just as stunned as George, his supporters, and the boxing world in general were at the results of that fight.

Just as Ali used the now infamous “Rope-a-dope” to wear out his younger opponent, the Miami Dolphins might use their “Wildcat” formation and pounding running attack to wear down the Saints defense, and then strike late in the game with Henne’s new-found confidence to produce a “Showdown in South Beach” that surprises even Saints fans.

A friend of mine, Adam, has made a wager of a cup of coffee with me on the game. Another part of the wager entails the loser wearing a jersey of the opposing team all day. If the Saints win, I’ll have to wear a New Orleans jersey all day, and if asked about it by anyone, will have to reply “The Saints are just a better team than my beloved Dolphins.” If the ‘Phins win, he’ll have to do the same; wearing a Miami jersey, of course and extolling the Dolphins.

I’m optimistic he’ll be the one wearing the Miami jersey.

My prediction? Miami 31 New Orleans 21

Quotes taken from the following:

Bye Week Over, Dolphins Set to Say Hello to Saints by Tim Reynolds, AP Sports Writer

Miami Dolphins to Wildcat Critics: ‘It works for us!’ by Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald

Miami Dolphins’ Final Drive Could Be Start of Something Big by Edgar Thompson of the Palm Beach Post