Miami Dolphins-New York Jets: Chad Henne and Co. Great, Fins D Not So Much

A Dolfan Diaries Entry.

Let me take five seconds to be an objective NFL fan and not an extremely biased Dolphins fan.

This was a phenomenal game. The Dolphins and Jets both have great Defenses, but Sanchez and Henne torched them. I said this last year and will continue to say this again: if you care about the NFL, if you like great QB play and great rivalries, then you'll love watching Sanchez vs. Henne twice a year for the next 10 years (and maybe even 3 times, like this year is a possibility)

Plus, Brandon Marshall was BEASTING it up for my fantasy team, getting me the W so far (it all hinges on if the Packers D gets lit up by the Bears tomorrow, which I kinda predicted would happen.) 

Then there's the Jason Taylor subplot, overblown. He had one sack, then had a tasteless celebration. However I have to admit that his gatorade bath was pretty cool, had it been say on Brandon Marshall after the phins beat the Broncos, I would've smiled a bit and talked some smack.

To wrap up my unbiased analysis of the game, the AFC East is going to be a fun race this year, and maybe it looks like the true end of the mighty Pats dynasty. I see this being Bellichick's final season in New England.

And I'm done. (See Keith Olbermann, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Rachael Maddow, and the rest of you news talking heads, you CAN cover something you're emotional about without being biased towards one side or another.)

Now for the musings of a Dolphins fan on this game.

I'm not going to look at it as a play by play like I've done the others before. A lot happened and I didn't really take good notes. After a controversial penalty against Chris Clemons (I mean, Cotchery was running right into Clemons, where was Clemons supposed to go?) that lead to a Jets touchdown, I clocked out, punched a wall, and was upset. I even lashed out at the city of New York for what I said was a "typical We Need The New York team to win because if its not New York its no good" penalty call.

But on the next drive the Dolphins ended up getting bailed out by a Davone Bess catch that shouldn't have been a catch (I could understand Jets fans being upset about that, it clearly wasn't a catch and I will not argue that, but it WAS a make up call) followed by a Ricky Williams fumble that wasn't a fumble (the call after the replay was correct) followed by a Dolphins touchdown pass.

Last week however I did highlight and pose the question in a poll that went like this: Should the Dolphins open up their offense and take more chances? The readers spoke and 82.4% said yes, that even though they were winning, if they opened up the offense they would've dominated.

It sounded good in theory, but that was when Jason Allen got four picks. In practice, with Jason Allen blowing coverage and slipping on the ground, its a moot point. Point blank, the Dolphins should have either won this game by three or lost by 17. 

What kept us IN the game was opening up the offense. Henne put up his best numbers of not only the season, but his career (26/45 363 yards, 2 TD's, a pick that occured at the end of the game in a play that shouldn't have had to even happen to begin with, 91.4 QB rating, doesn't that look like Dan Marino circa 1988?)

But ironically, where the game was lost? It wasn't so much Jason Allen on that last drive, even though he was absolutely dreadful (if he cuts in front of Braylon Edwards as opposed to playing in back of him, not only does that 3rd down not get converted, but Allen also probably has a pick-6) or the dumb penalties but I look at two key plays called by Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning.

Play #1: Fourth and 2, Dolphins down four, two yards needed for a touchdown, midway through the third quarter. Now if you're playing Madden, don't you always, and I mean ALWAYS, treat first and goal inside the 10 as four down territory? If you don't score a touchdown in that situation, you don't deserve to win, point blank. I can't wait for Gregg Easterbrook's commentary on TMQ come Tuesday, I can already predict it.

Down four halfway through the third quarter facing 4th and 2 at the Jets 2 yard on, the Dolphins trotted their field goal unit onto the field. As the kick went booming through the uprights, TMQ wrote game over in the notebook. And yay it came to pass.

Now Easterbrook is an intelligent fellow and is usually right on with this stuff. As Carpenter marched onto the field in that situation, that's what I thought.

But it goes beyond the Dolphins showing the lack of testicular fortitude to go for it in that situation. (Best case scenario, a touchdown and being up by three. Worst case scenario, the Jets getting pinned on their own two yard line. With those odds you always take a chance.) It was also Henning's play-calling that I question.

On third and two, he should've just ran Ronnie Brown (having a quiet night but as shown in the fourth quarter poised to break out) right in there. At the very least the phins get a yard, and you can ask Pollite to get that next yard on fourth and one (unless Henning planned on kicking it there, which I wouldn't put past him.)

On my Facebook Status I even stated that the field goal call was very "vagina monologue." I'm sure you can guess what word I originally wanted to use. I just found it very funny that an offensive coordinator known for being very run-oriented and conservative decided to go for a pass on 3rd and two that wasn't even a play action pass (which is what you should do if you're not going to run it in.)

The next play I'm putting under the microscope occurred with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter with the Dolphins facing first and ten at the Jets 36.

Play #2: They trot out the wildcat, which would've been great in 2008. In 2010 the wildcat should be used sparingly. I even suggested to friends that this season it would be wise for the Dolphins to keep it on the shelf, but still practice it (including some plays involving Henne lining up as a receiver and being used as an intended receiver and Brandon Marshall being used as well, which was done but not too well earlier in the game) to break it out come playoff time if they get that far. 

But they broke it out a bit too much today, and when they did, they nearly upset the rhythm that the offense was on. In fact the wildcat actually nearly killed quite a few drives today, but absolutely killed this one.

Ronnie got the direct snap then handed it off to Patrick Cobbs. However the play was easily snuffed out and Cobbs lost six yards on the play.

Two plays later, Henne completed a pass to Marshall for ten yards, which put us back into field goal range. Had it not been for that last play, it would've sustained the drive and possibly lead to a touchdown. 

For someone so conservative, Henning seems to find a way to be ballsy at the worst times and they end with the worst results. See settling for a field goal on fourth and goal from the two and using a wildcat play that the defense had snuffed out early and shouldn't have even been called because the offense was in a great rhythm doesn't make you ballsy, it makes you stupid.

Granted, theres a fine line between ballsy and stupid. But its never stupid to go for it on fourth and goal on the opposition's two yard line.

If those plays go differently, and if Henning would've gambled when everyone knows you should gamble and be smart when everyone knows to be safe, then there's no need to talk about the disastrous final drive, the Kendall Langford should have been pick but wasn't because of the fact that he was just doing what coaches always teach linemen to do. (When the QB releases the ball, get your hands in the air, funny that if he would've disobeyed that this one time, he gets a pick and the Dolphins have the ball at midfield with two and a half minutes left and just need a field goal to win it. I can't blame him for that.) 

Nor is there a need to talk about Jason Allen's disastrous final drive. (I'm not going to spend much time on that, I'll save that for Sedano in the morning, The Sports Brothers in the afternoon, and LeBatard during drive time.) 

And most certainly, the final drive probably doesn't have to occur (I have to admit, for the first time in ten years, I felt like we still had a chance. I do trust Chad Henne and I know that if the offensive coordinator trusts him more he makes the right plays.)

If those two plays don't happen, we see a shift in momentum towards the Dolphins. Do the Jets come back again? We can't say for sure, but here's what it does, it inspires more confidence in your offense. Add to that the fact that the offense was playing very well and you have something dangerous brewing in Miami. And I'm sure New England knows that too.

Henning does a good job of designing and teaching plays and its clear that the offense is at least disciplined, however I don't feel too good about him calling the plays and I think he's still too rigid with Henne (had he not been as rigid with Henne and instead took Schottenheimer's approach with Sanchez of "just because I call it doesn't mean that's how it goes" Henne would've probably thrown it to Marshall at least once when they were in the red zone.) He's the weak link of a scary good and talented offense. I'd even venture to say that he's held them back. 

Nolan's defense is a decent work in progress, and is actually better than a Pats D we'll see next week. In fact, next week against New England, a must win game for both teams to keep pace with a Jets team that has already defeated both teams, will probably be a shoot out much like this game. After I see what goes on with injuries and who Vegas has pegged as the favorites on Wednesday (I actually see for the first time since 2002 the Dolphins being favorites by anywhere between two to four and a half) I'll make my predictions (along with the rest of the NFL picks I have in store, even though I got mauled this week.)

While this week didn't go the way we wanted it too, there were a lot of positives that came out. Had the Dolphins won it would've been Chad Henne's official "I'm here to stay" game. It was also Brandon Marshall's break out fantasy game for the year and already it has me salivating over seeing him going against a weak Pats secondary next Monday Night. It should've been a night where the Dolphins shed the "conservative tag" and showed that they were the class of the AFC East.

Instead it will be known more for Jason Allen returning to earth after a great game the week before, and the Jets cementing the front-runner status in the AFC East. 

FINAL THOUGHTS.

This has been a long, semi-coherant somewhat rambling article but there's some quick hits I want to address that I haven't.

-I'm not saying that the Jets will lose to Buffalo next week, but it should be documented that every year at least one AFC East team manges to lose to the Bills and bring them down. Mind you the Bills are 0-3 and could've stolen one in Foxborough today, and always seem to get it up for the Jets in Buffalo. Just saying Jets fans, don't get too excited just yet.

-On the flip side, Dolfans, don't get too panicky yet either. A lot of experts (not me but I'm no expert) thought they'd be 1-2 right now. If they beat New England (a strong possibility) then going into the bye they'll be 3-1. If the Dolphins are 6-3 going into their Thursday Night game against Chicago (very doable by the way, despite their tough schedule) then they will make the playoffs. The schedule actually gets easier in mid-November and December, and that's despite games at The Meadowlands and at Foxbourgh. Which leads me to...

-The Dolphins (as well as the Patriots and Jets) are better on the road. Here's my beef with Sun Life Stadium: because of the need to fit a baseball field, the seats are pushed a bit too far from the action. In fact of all the NFL stadiums, Sun Life Stadium has its seats the farthest from the field. The renovations expected to take place after the Marlins move out should fix that problem, at least I hope it does. But I should mention that a game like this at the Orange Bowl is one the Dolphins would've won. Meanwhile do the Jets lose that first game to the Ravens at the old Giants Stadium? (I'm not calling it the Meadowlands.) And as for Patriots fans, well I don't really know, as Dolphins and Jets fans will tell you they didn't exist prior to 2001 anyways. (I don't know if thats true, I'm just tired of hearing people call Miami a bandwagon town, and lets face it, even now you don't hear people talking about the "Great Patriots Fan Base." Even Tom Brady called them out a couple of weeks ago and said that he wished they were more like Jets fans. If your star player wants you to be more like Jets fans, that's a cry for help. I'll remember that when LeBron says he wishes Heat fans were more like Knicks fans after they blow game five of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals at home to the Bulls.) At least I keep telling myself that so that I feel better about the phins chances when they go up there December 12th.

-Braylon Edwards, who killed the phins, had no business playing in the game. If I get caught driving drunk and get a DUI, I'm getting fired, as would anyone else. But not in the world of pro sports. But remember, in sports, killing dogs is ok, driving drunk is ok, driving drunk and killing someone is ok, allegedly sexually assaulting a drunk and passed out 20 year old while your body guard locks you and her in the bathroom is ok (keyword is allegedly of course, no charges were filed) but never, ever, under ANY circumstances leave Cleveland when you're contractually free to do so. That's not ok. It goes to show you were our priorities are in sports and as a country doesn't it?

(We'll be back to Countdown with Keith Olbermann with special guest Thomas Galicia right after this.)

-Finally tonight, to go back to Braylon Edwards, here's my beef with this. Either suspend a guy or don't suspend him, none of that "you're suspended for the first quarter" crap. That's high school crap, and by high school crap I mean that's the type of punishment you get for failing a math test in high school. I understand that you are innocent until proven guilty and that no punishment will come until it goes through the legal proceedings. But if thats the route that the Jets (and the NFL) want to go, then just let him play period. If they wanted to send him and the rest of the team (and league) a message, then suspend him for the whole game (and next week at Buffalo too.) 

But don't go half with this compromise. I did think it was a sham, and obviously nothing more than an appeasement for all parties involved. (Rex and obviously Braylon wanted him to play, where as Jets owner Woody Johnson wanted him suspended.) It doesn't send a message to anyone, and if anything actually helped the Jets more than if he had just played the entire game. (It's an advantage for you if you bring someone on later in the game who hasn't played before, it allowed him to be fresher for the final three quarters, how is this a punishment again?) Now the last point about Braylon not having "any business" playing was just the set up to the joke as I'm sure you noticed. However I do believe that you either play him or you don't and you don't compromise like this.

(Would I feel the same way had it been Brandon Marshall? Yes, it just made a farce of what one of Goddell's goals were.)

And if you do suspend someone for the quarter, why the first? Wouldn't suspending someone for the fourth quarter send more of a message out?

Dolfans, see you next week. This week will be packed with articles. I have a LeBron one ready for Tuesday, a Dallas Cowboys slideshow ready for Wednesday (a funny one, don't expect in-depth analysis of them from me), and of course Thursday my week four picks. See you throughout the week, and Go Dolphins!

Thomas Galicia will be suspended for the first paragraph of his next article for typing under the influence. Follow him on twitter, @thomasgalicia. Leave a comment and tell him what you thought of the article.