FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are in the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. The Miami Dolphins missed them for the ninth time in 10.
Both, though, have a lot at stake on Saturday with the Patriots going for a first-round bye and many Dolphins playing for jobs next season.
And both have the same approach to moving toward those goals. Forget about them.
“Right now, all we’re worried about is Miami,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters. “All the rest of it is just something for you guys to write about.”
Todd Bowles, a head coach for just one NFL game compared with Belichick’s 291, isn’t focused on what a victory would mean for his future in that position.
“I don’t have any expectations, really,” he said. “I’m just trying to get the guys to play hard and play better and play fast and try to come out with wins. I don’t control those decisions.”
The Patriots (11-3) clinched their third straight AFC East title last Sunday with a 41-23 win at the Denver Broncos. There are several ways for them to secure a bye this week, the easiest being a victory combined with a loss or tie by the Houston Texans. They even can clinch the top seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs if they win and Houston, Pittsburgh and Baltimore all lose or tie.
“I don’t think we think about any of those things other than Miami,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “We prepare hard, focus on what we can focus on, control
what we can control, go out there and play with great effort, good execution and we’ll be in good position.”
The Dolphins (5-9) will focus on stopping Brady. They couldn’t do it in their season-opening 38-24 loss in Miami in which Brady threw for a franchise record 517 yards. Bowles, who led the Dolphins to a 30-23 win over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday after replacing the fired Tony Sparano, was the secondary coach then.
“It was the toughest game for me as a coach,” Bowles said. “You don’t see those kind of numbers every day. Nothing worked. .man (to man), zone, pressure, prevent. He completed everything. You write it off as a bad loss.”
But he remained confident and the secondary has improved considerably since then.
“I just think it was a bad game,” he said. “You just write it off and move on next week.”
The Patriots also have a dangerous offensive threat to handle. Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards against Buffalo last Sunday, the same day New England allowed 167 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.
In their last two games, the Patriots have been burned for a total of 422 yards on the ground.
“He’s a special guy,” New England linebacker Rob Ninkovich said of Bush. “A guy like Reggie can do a lot of different things. … So you’ve just got to make sure you don’t let him do those things.”
Bush already has shown he can thrive as an every-down back, something he didn’t do in his other five NFL seasons, all with the New Orleans Saints.
So what motivates him with his team out of the playoff race?
“It’s the New England Patriots,” he said. “Anytime you’re playing a divisional opponent it’s always big and we want to finish the season strong. At the same time, we know that we’re still being evaluated. No matter what the record says, we’re all still being evaluated on a daily basis, on a weekly basis.”
Bush’s job for next season is secure.
Matt Moore is still trying to enhance his resume as the starting quarterback after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth game.
The Dolphins rebounded after losing their first seven games with a 5-2 record, but Moore has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in each of the last four games.
Still, Bush said, “he’s been the backbone of this team. I honestly believe that. Without him, we wouldn’t (have) been able to put together the stream of wins that we have. …I think you see when we give him time to throw the ball he can be dangerous, he can be effective.”
He very well could be against the Patriots. Starting with the third week of the season, their defense has been ranked worst in the league in both total yards and yards passing allowed. And now they must go on without defensive end Andre Carter, the team leader with 10 sacks who suffered a season-ending injury to his left quadriceps against the Broncos.
“He works incredibly hard and he’s been having a great season,” cornerback Devin McCourty said. “To lose a guy like that, we just have to come together as a group.”
If they succeed, they could lock up a playoff bye with one regular-season game left. But if the Dolphins play spoilers?
“We’re not trying to spoil anything,” Bowles said. “We’re just trying to get better as a team and try to close out the season on a winning note. So we’re just going to worry about us now.”
If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.
The Dolphins’ quest for a franchise quarterback got more difficult Thursday.
Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley, who was believed to be about 50-50 on whether to return to school or declare for the NFL Draft, announced during a news conference that he will return for his senior season.
Barkley, 21, had been widely predicted to be the second quarterback picked in the draft after Stanford’s Andrew Luck, who is expected to go No. 1 overall. Luck also was expected to enter the draft last year but surprised many by staying for his senior season.
Barkley completed nearly 70 percent of his passes this season and threw for a Pac-12 record 39 touchdowns. His return figures to elevate the Lane Kiffin-led Trojans, who will be coming off NCAA sanctions next season, in the thick of the national championship picture.
If the season ended today, the Dolphins would pick eighth in the draft, and ESPN insider Todd McShay had them selecting Barkley, while Mel Kiper Jr., another ESPN draft expert, had Barkley rated as the sixth-best player on his Big Board.
Other quarterbacks projected to go in the first round include Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin of Baylor, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill. Griffin and Jones are also juniors who have not yet decided whether to leave school early.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross identified the Dolphins’ biggest need as a franchise quarterback at a news conference two weeks ago at which he fired head coach Tony Sparano.
Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has been involved with football as a coach since 1981.
After all those years, Nolan has never been more disappointed with a performance than what happened Sept. 12 against the New England Patriots.
The Patriots gained 622 yards in a 38-24 victory in the season-opener. The rematch is Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
“It doesn’t get much worse than that, let me tell you that,” Nolan said. “You’ve got to coach a long time to get through a bad day like that. …They put up 600-something yards against us. You hear about that in college sometimes but you don’t hear about that in the NFL.”
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed 32 of 48 passes for 517 yards and four touchdowns. The performance offset the Dolphins’ offense, which was led by a 416-yard effort by quarterback Chad Henne.
Neither team has focused much on game film from the first meeting because it was so long ago. Brady said the Patriots only viewed the tape to refresh the matchups.
“Scheme-wise, we do different things, they do different things,” Brady said.
“It’s just pretty much ultimately going to come down to how we execute this game plan. That was a very different game plan than we’re going to have this time. … We know the personnel, we know some of the schemes, but ultimately it’s going to be how familiar we get with them and how well we prepare.”
The Dolphins (5-9) insist they are a different team on defense. It has shown during the stretch where they have won five of seven games since starting 0-7.
“As a team I think we’ve matured a lot,” interim coach Todd Bowles said.
“It was a rough night for everybody. We couldn’t do anything right. They did everything right. It’s their credit, they got a great win on us. We just have to make sure we do diligence. Do our homework this time.”
Marshall, Fasano out
Tight end Anthony Fasano and receiver Brandon Marshall were held out because of injuries during Wednesday’s practice.
Fasano was not on the field because of what Bowles termed as a head and neck injury. Marshall (knee) worked with trainers off to the side.
“He’s been nicked up for a couple weeks now, so it’s day-to-day,” Bowles said of Marshall.
Bowles said both players were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Bush grabs honor
Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush on Wednesday was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards and one touchdown in last week’s 30-23 victory against the Buffalo Bills. Bush’s 25 carries were also the most in his career.
“Obviously personal stats are great but for the most part I’m focused on winning,” Bush said.
“That’s the thing that’s most important to me is winning games. Any time you get an honor like that I think it means a lot. I think the offensive line would definitely appreciate it a lot especially with the job they were able to do.”
Bush scored on a 76-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Bills. It was third-longest run from scrimmage in team history.
He becomes the second Dolphins player to win player of the week honors this season, joining quarterback Matt Moore.
”We must be the best team to start 0-7 (in NFL history).”
The Dolphins have looked like a totally different team during that stretch, but Dolfans may be excused if they do not share Burnett’s enthusiasm. Miami’s improved play could have as much to do with it’s soft second-half schedule than its inherent talent.
Miami’s first seven opponents, all of whom beat the Dolphins, sport a combined .561 winning percentage. Their next seven opponents have not fared as well, with a .440 winning percentage (The 5-9 Bills were only counted once, though the Dolphins have beaten them twice).
Beating the teams you’re supposed to beat (and losing to the teams that are supposed to beat you) does not make you the “best team to start 0-7.” It just makes you a mediocre team that happened to start 0-7.
The Dolphins are riding high thanks to their current hot streak, but make no mistake, the team as it is currently constructed is not good enough to compete for a playoff spot next season.
There are some important pieces already in place, like WR Brandon Marshall, CB Vontae Davis, and LB Cameron Wake, to name a few. If general manager Jeff Ireland can draft a good quarterback and acquire some help in the offensive line and defensive secondary over the offseason, then the Dolphins might actually be able to take a step forward next season, as opposed to the steps back the team has taken in recent years.
Ironically, each win this season makes it more difficult for the Dolphins to draft the quarterback of their dreams come April. With top prospect Andrew Luck expected to be gone after the first pick is made, the Dolphins might not be able to get the highly-touted Matt Barkley, Robert Griffin III, or Landry Jones by the time they make their first pick in the draft.
If the season ended today, the Dolphins would have the tenth pick in the draft, with at least three teams ahead of them in need of a quarterback of the future.
These wins in November and December may feel good now, but if the Dolphins lose out on a top-flight quarterback in April because of their draft position, they will be the football equivalent of a box of donuts: tasty now, but full of empty calories that will haunt you later.
Matt Moore showed no signs of a head and neck injury that sidelined him a week ago by throwing two touchdown passes — a 22-yarder to Anthony Fasano and a 65-yard strike to Brandon Marshall — and finishing with 217 yards passing.
Cornerback Vontae Davis had two of Miami’s three interceptions and Dan Carpenter hit three field goals in helping the Dolphins win for the fifth time in seven games following a 0-7 start.
Though both AFC East teams are 5-9, the Dolphins have moved ahead of Buffalo in the division after sweeping the season series following a 35-8 win at Miami a month ago.
Looking nothing like the upstart team that got off to a 5-2 start, he Bills have lost seven straight and are in jeopardy of finishing last in the division for a fourth straight season.
C.J. Spiller scored on a 24-yard rush — the longest run this season against Miami — and added a 3-yard touchdown catch.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s struggles continued. He finished 31 of 47 for 316 yards with two touchdowns — including a 2-yarder to Derek Hagan — and three interceptions.
He has 12 interceptions and eight touchdown passes during the team’s seven-game skid.
The Bills made it close by recovering an onside kick that led to Dave Rayner hitting a 34-yard field goal with 1:22 left. Rayner failed on his next onside attempt, which Chris Clemons recovered to allow Miami to run all but the final seconds off the clock.
Bush secured the win with his electrifying run up the middle to put the Dolphins up 30-13 with 5:41 left.
It came on the first play from scrimmage after Spiller’s 3-yard score. Breaking through a huge hole up the middle, he blew past safety Jairus Byrd, who was the only Buffalo player to get a hand on him.
Bush then capped the run by sliding through the end zone on a slick field.
His 203 yards rushing rank third on the Dolphins’ list. And Bush has three straight 100-yard games and four this season after he had just one in five seasons in New Orleans.
Moore broke the game open in the third quarter when he hit Marshall in stride up the right sideline for an over-the-shoulder 65-yard touchdown pass.
The Bills then bumbled the game away as their next two possessions ended with Fitzpatrick throwing interceptions.
Heavy snow fell at around noon, but stopped a half-hour before kickoff with no accumulation on the field. And there were intermittent flurries throughout the game.
It proved to be a sloppy first half that ended with the Dolphins leading 13-7 and only after Rayner missed a 26-yard field goal attempt as time ran out. Rayner had been bothered by a sore pelvis this week.
The Dolphins squandered three scoring opportunities. Carpenter hit 20- and 26-yard field goals on consecutive possessions after Miami failed to punch it in on seven plays inside the Bills 9-yard line.
Then there was Moore fumbling at the Bills 12, when linebacker Chris Kelsay punched the ball out of his hands in the final minute of the second quarter.
The Bills were even worse. After Spiller scored on a 24-yard run 10 minutes in, they mustered only four first downs on their final six possessions of the half — three of them coming on their final drive.
Bills second-year defensive coordinator George Edwards’ job might be in jeopardy after Buffalo’s WGRF-Radio — the team’s broadcaster — announced assistant head coach Dave Wannstedt was calling the defensive plays.
Despite his unit being hurt by injuries, Edwards has come under criticism for a defense that allowed 194 points in its previous six games, while managing just five sacks and getting five takeaways.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
Changing coaches didn’t slow down the Dolphins’ late-season momentum.
Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards and Brandon Marshall caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Matt Moore as Miami moved into a tie with Buffalo for third place in the AFC East with a 30-23 victory over the Bills on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Dolphins, who fired Tony Sparano as coach Monday, won in interim coach Todd Bowles’ debut. Bowles had previously served as Miami’s assistant head coach/secondary.
The Dolphins have won five of seven games since their 0-7 start. Miami is tied for third in the AFC East at 5-9 with Buffalo, which has lost seven straight.
Bush, who topped the 100-yard mark for the third straight game by midway through the fourth quarter, put the exclamation mark on his performance when he broke free up the middle for a 76-yard run, his longest of the season, with 5:41 to play. He now has 973 yards on the season with two games left.
That gave the Dolphins a 30-13 lead before Ryan Fitzpatrick caused some anxious moments for Miami fans by leading Buffalo to a late touchdown and field goal.
Early in the third quarter, Marshall – who dropped a pair of potential touchdown passes in the first half that forced the Dolphins to settle for Dan Carpenter field goals from 26 and 20 yards – beat cornerback Drayton Florence down the right sideline and made an over-the-shoulder catch of Moore’s bomb inside Buffalo’s 15-yard line, then stiff-armed Florence on his way to his fifth touchdown of the year.
The Dolphins’ defense allowed 404 yards, including 113 on the ground, marking the first time in six weeks an opponent had topped the 100-yard mark. But the Dolphins also intercepted Fitzpatrick three times, two by cornerback Vontae Davis.
Through 13 games, Reggie Bush has a career-high 770 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry. He needs to average 76.7 yards over his last three games to reach 1,000 for the season.
By Ben Volin
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DAVIE —
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross officially gave up on this season after firing
coach Tony Sparano on Monday after his team dropped to 4-9. The focus now
for Ross, General Manager Jeff Ireland and Dolphins fans for the final three
weeks of 2011 is on finding next year’s head coach.
But the Dolphins still have three games left to play, starting today at
Buffalo, and a few milestones to achieve. A look at five things the Dolphins
still have to play for:
1. Reggie Bush’s quest for 1,000 yards.
If the notion of Bush being an every-down running back seemed like a
ridiculous idea in pre-season – he missed 20 games because of injuries in
the previous four seasons, and averaged just eight carries per game – the
thought of him rushing for 1,000 yards was even more absurd. And six games
into this season, he had totaled just 232 rushing yards on 3.9 yards per
carry.
But Bush has proven everyone wrong during the past seven weeks. He enters
today’s game with a career-high 770 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry,
and needs 230 yards in his final three games (76.7 yards per game) to reach
1,000.
Bush, who has rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back weeks, said he isn’t
focused on individual milestones. But his offensive linemen want to make it
happen.
The Dolphins have had just two 1,000-yard rushers since 2004 – Ronnie Brown
(1,008 in 2006) and Ricky Williams (1,121 in 2009).
“It’s out there, it’s a goal, and it’s something to keep us motivated for
the last three weeks,” left guard Richie Incognito said.
2. Milestones for Brandon Marshall and Jason Taylor.
Most of the attention on Marshall this season has been on his dropped
touchdowns (at least five) and his battle with Borderline Personality
Disorder. But he enters today’s game just 63 yards short of his fifth
consecutive 1,000-yard season, giving him the chance to be the first
Dolphins receiver with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Irving Fryar
did it in 1993-94.
Marshall also is averaging 14.0 yards per catch, his highest average since
becoming a full-time starter with the Broncos in 2007.
Taylor, who has six sacks this season, is steadily climbing up the all-time
sack list. With three games remaining (perhaps in his career), Taylor has
138.5 sacks, three behind Michael Strahan for fifth in NFL history. Taylor
had two sacks last week against the Eagles, passing Richard Dent for sixth
on the all-time list.
3. Setting team record for “big plays.”
Ross’ demand this year was for a more exciting offense, and believe it or not,
the Dolphins have delivered.
The Dolphins have connected on 30 passing plays of 25-plus yards this season,
good for sixth-best in the NFL. It’s also just 10 short of the team record
of 40, set in 1993.
The Dolphins average 2.3 such passes per game, so the team record is within
sight.
4. Avoiding team record for sacks allowed.
Not all of the milestones the Dolphins could reach this year are positive ones.
The Dolphins have allowed a whopping 44 sacks this season, second-most in the
NFL and nine short of the team-record (53, set in 1969). They will tie the
record by allowing three sacks in each of their final three games, and have
already allowed three sacks in a game eight times this season.
In fact, they could tie the record today. The Dolphins allowed nine sacks to
the Eagles last week, and may be playing without left tackle Jake Long (back
injury).
5. Messing up the AFC East race.
The Dolphins play three familiar opponents to close out the season – the
Bills, Patriots and Jets, all AFC East rivals.
The Dolphins may not be in the playoff hunt, but they’ll have their say in the
matter.
“It presents an opportunity to mess things up in this division, and help
ourselves one week at a time,” former coach Tony Sparano said on Monday
before being fired.
The Patriots have a two-game lead for the division crown, while the Jets hold
the sixth AFC playoff spot. But neither will clinch their goals until they
have to go through Miami.
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
Jake Long went down with an injury in the first quarter and did not return against the Eagles at Sun Life Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2011.
By Ben Volin
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DAVIE — Jake Long has fought through injuries to one shoulder and both knees to start 61 consecutive games since being drafted by the Dolphins in 2008.
But he might not make it to 62 when the Dolphins visit Buffalo on Sunday.
Long, who left Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia after seven snaps because of a lower back injury, did not participate with his teammates in Friday’s practice. He wore a helmet and jogged with the team, but when the starting offensive line performed drills, Long stood off to the side.
Second-year veteran John Jerry practiced at left tackle throughout the week, and fourth-year vet Nate Garner is another option at that spot, though he allowed three sacks after replacing Long on Sunday.
While Long, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is talented enough to play on Sundays without getting much work during the week, the fact that he didn’t participate with the starters Friday is a sign that he likely won’t be in the lineup this weekend. He is listed as questionable on the injury report.
Interim coach Todd Bowles offered few specifics but said the team’s 4-9 record won’t affect the decision to play Long.
“We’ll see how he feels on the plane ride,” Bowles said. “Jake’s a warrior. He wants to play, and if he can play and if he’s healthy, he will.”
Jerry, who has started just one game this year (at right guard), has never played left tackle in a game. He said he picked up a few tips this week from Long, “but I can’t tell you what they are,” Jerry joked.
“The last few weeks, we’ve kind of moved our guys around in case of emergency, so he’s had a lot of reps there,” Bowles said.
Long is one of four Dolphins listed as questionable, although the others are likely to play.
Quarterback Matt Moore (concussion and neck spasms) passed his cognitive tests this week and was fine in practice Thursday and Friday. Right guard Vernon Carey (ankle) and tight end Anthony Fasano (ribs) also appear to be OK.
The only starter who definitely will miss the game is outside linebacker Koa Misi, who has a left shoulder injury that might end his season.
“He must’ve gotten hurt on the last play of the (Eagles) game because no one saw him get hurt,” said outside linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis, who will be activated for just the third time this season.
For Buffalo, the only player out is tight end Scott Chandler (ankle).
GIFT FROM EX-COACH’S WIFE
The Dolphins players had a nice treat waiting for them after practice – three giant boxes of cupcakes, a gift sent from Jeanette Sparano, wife of former coach Tony Sparano, who was fired Monday.
The cupcakes were addressed to “my boys in aqua & orange.”
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
The Buffalo Bills are going to have to prepare for two quarterbacks this week — and the possible return of Dolphins left tackle Jake Long, too.
Matt Moore, who sustained a mild concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, according to Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles, returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday and sounded optimistic about playing Sunday.
Bowles said Thursday he’ll probably wait until Sunday to decide whether or not to dress Moore in uniform against the Bills. But if Moore has any say, he — and not backup J.P. Losman — will be running the Dolphins offense at chilly Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“It felt good, nice to get back in and get reps, get ready for Buffalo,” said Moore, who left Sunday’s loss to the Eagles late in the third quarter, after being sacked five times — once more than Losman.
“I took most of [the reps Thursday]. Both of us got reps, but I took a lot of reps.”
Moore, who sustained the second concussion of his career (the first came last season against Buffalo when he was a member of the Panthers), said he went through the NFL’s concussion protocol before being cleared.
Bowles said Moore “looked pretty good” Thursday but plans to watch him closely over the next couple days to see how he feels.
He’ll do the same with Long, who also practiced on a limited basis after sustaining a back injury seven plays into Sunday’s loss. Long, who was unavailable to reporters, has started 61 consecutive games in his career.
The Eagles took full advantage with Long out last Sunday, as the Dolphins allowed a franchise record-tying nine sacks — eight with the former No. 1 overall draft pick out.
If Long doesn’t play, the Dolphins will likely turn to second-year guard John Jerry. The good news for the Dolphins, who are 11 allowed sacks away from setting a franchise record for a season: The Bills’ pass rush ranks last in the league with 19 sacks.
Bowles said “chances are very slim’’ strong-side linebacker Koa Misi will play this week. Misi sustained what is believed to be a separated shoulder in Sunday’s loss.
• Safety Yeremiah Bell (foot), guard Vernon Carey (ankle) and tight end Anthony Fasano (ribs) remained limited in Thursday’s practice.
Bills still upset
Buffalo players are still apparently upset that Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell said the Bills “laid down” in a 35-8 Dolphins win on Nov. 20.
The Bills accused the Dolphins of trash talking and taking cheap shots in the game. Running back Fred Jackson and wide receiver Donald Jones were lost for the season with injuries in that game.
“You know, it started a little fire in me,” wide receiver Stevie Johnson told the team’s website. “Hopefully it did with the people around me. So I’m looking forward to playing this game and coming out with an attitude.”
Bell said Thursday he isn’t backing down from his comments. “I think when they watched the film, they knew it, too,” Bell said. “Now it’s time for Round 2.
“I like to talk noise; if that gets them riled up, then I’m all for it. Bryan Cox is loving it.”
• Dolphins offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said Thursday he would like to see Reggie Bush reach 1,000 yards this season if he can get to it. Daboll said he has expanded the playbook for Bush as the season has gone on.
Bush has run for a career-high 770 yards (4.6 per carry) in 13 starts this season and will face the 25th-ranked rushing defense in the league Sunday. The Patriots (13th-ranked rushing defense) and Jets (14th-ranked) are the Dolphins final two opponents.
“The first thing they say when you put a non-230-pound back in there like Reggie is he’s going to get hurt, he can’t run between the tackles,” Bell said. “If he did come out and get 1,000 yards, I think that would be big for him and open a lot of people’s eyes.”
• Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who served as the head coach of the 49ers from 2005 to 2008, said while he would entertain the thought of becoming a head coach he also thinks “the best job in football is coordinating.’’
Asked if thinks he’s worthy of staying in Miami based on what he did this season, Nolan said: “That’s always for somebody else to decide what your worthiness is.
“I think I’m pretty damn good at what I do. I’ve been a lot of places. We do it real well. But again, giving out jobs, you get to decide that, not me.”
• Bowles, who used to give hand signals and keep Tony Sparano abreast of all timeout and two-minute situations when was the defensive backs coach, will continue to assist the Dolphins defense with personnel movement.
The three final mile in the marathon the Miami Dolphins have been running just got harder.
Todd Bowles’ candid approach will test the Dolphins.
The players lost their leader Tony Sparano, who also doubled as their motivation.
Now the season shifts from “Save Sparano” to “Save Yourself” heading into the final three games, which begins with Sunday’s road contest against the Buffalo Bills.
I don’t envy interim coach Todd Bowles, who has never stood in front of the whole team before TODAY.
In my column, which ran in Wednesday’s newspaper, I explain the mindset of the players – from the young (Jared Odrick), to the powerful (Karlos Dansby), to the aged veteran (Will Allen) who has been there and done that.
Make no mistake about it, Bowles will have to fight against an every man for himself mentality, which doesn’t exactly work well in a team sport.
However, from what I know about Bowles and his approach, he’ll be just fine.
Allen said he’s doubtful Bowles will change that approach, which is candid and honest.
“Todd is no nonsense. It may appear that he’s an easy going coach sometimes, but that’s only if you’re doing things right,” Allen said. “He’s not afraid to call you out. If you’re doing something wrong you’ll hear about it first hand. He’s not going to pull you to the side. Everyone in the room is going to hear him do it.”
Bowles does a post game breakdown for every player in the secondary, outlining their positives and negatives for the past game performance.
He gives ALL the breakdowns to every player. He goes over the performance of every play in front of every player and it forces them to be accountable for their actions, decisions and performance.
Life earlier this season was rough for members of the Dolphins secondary, which were allowing opposing quarterbacks to produce a cumulative 103.1 QB rating during the team’s 0-7 start. However, the secondary has tightened up since November, dropping that QB rating to 85.4 during the past six games.
I’m told Bowles has a no nonsense, take no prisoners approach that can be humbling.
“As a player it makes you know where you stand at all time,” Allen said. “For the rest of the team its going to be difficult and awkward, but for us (members of the secondary) its going to be business as usual.”
Coincidentally, Bowles becomes the 10th African-American coach in the NFL this season. That’s 10 out of 32, which you have to believe is an all-time high. And 11 coaches (if you include Carolina’s Ron Rivera, who is Hispanic) are minorities.
Talk about progress being made!
Unfortunately, three of those coaches – Romeo Crennel in Kansas City, Mel Tucker in Jacksonville and Bowles in Miami – are interim coaches.
But everyone has to start somewhere, and its refreshing to see progress being made from a diversity standpoint.
Coincidentally Bowles, who has interviewed for head coaching jobs in Detroit and St. Louis, was a candidate to become defensive coordinator in Dallas and Arizona this past offseason.
The Dolphins blocked those lateral moves because they didn’t want to lose Bowles. This is his opportunity to show the rest of the NFL what he’s all about and a strong performance could make him the next Perry Fewell or Leslie Frazier.
DAVIE, Fla. – A number of key Dolphins have expressed their surprise that coach Tony Sparano was fired with only three games remaining in the season.
Chad Henne, Will Allen, Davone Bess, Dan Carpenter, Brian Hartline and Brandon Fields have spoken with the media while taking part Tuesday in the annual Fins for Kids Holiday Toy Event at Dolphins training camp. More than 160 children attended the party.
Sparano was fired Monday, a day after the team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. In his almost four years as Dolphins coach, Sparano compiled a 29-32 record, 4-9 this season.
Some players say they haven’t had that much contact with Todd Bowles, the defensive backs coach promoted to interim head coach. However, most thought he would be up to the task.
With the Eagles up 24-10 and teeing off at the line of scrimmage, backup quarterback J.P. Losman didn’t get a whole lot of time to throw Sunday when he came in for injured starter Matt Moore.
But the 30-year-old former Bills quarterback did move the Dolphins down the field and appeared to have a decent grip on the offense, a promising sign for next week’s game in Buffalo if Moore, who sustained a head injury late in the third quarter, has to sit out.
Losman, seeing his second action with the Dolphins since being signed Oct. 25, finished 6 of 10 for 60 yards and was sacked four times, including for a safety.
“I have to look at the film, but J.P. was fine,” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. “Obviously, he was under heavy pressure. I think when you get into those situations where you’ve got to throw it as much as you’ve got to throw it, the [ Trent] Coles and [ Jason] Babins, they don’t get 18, 19 sacks by accident.”
Losman led the Dolphins to Philadelphia’s 11-yard line on their next-to-last series. But his two passes into the end zone — one to Brandon Marshall and one to tight end Anthony Fasano — fell incomplete.
• Sparano said he didn’t have an update for the injuries sustained by Moore and left tackle Jake Long, who went down on the second series of the game with a back injury and didn’t return. Moore left with a head injury with 1:47 left in the third quarter. He also took several big hits to his ribs and back.
• Right guard Vernon Carey, who returned from an ankle injury Sunday, left the game in the second quarter and returned, but left again in the third quarter for good.
• Cornerback Vontae Davis sustained a stinger in the first quarter but returned for good after that.
• Rookie running back Daniel Thomas took a vicious hit near the goal line and needed to be helped off the field near the end of the third quarter. But he returned in the fourth quarter and had one carry for minus-2 yards.
• The Dolphins struggled protecting the quarterback, matching a franchise record with nine sacks allowed. But they were still somehow able to run the ball against the Eagles. Reggie Bush’s 103 yards Sunday — 86 came after the first half — marked the first back-to-back 100-yard performances of his career.
Bush had five carries for more than 10 yards and now has 27 of those on the season. It was the second-most yards a Dolphins running back has been able to gain on the Eagles. Ricky Williams’ 107 yards against the Eagles in 2003 are the most.
• Backup left tackle Nate Garner, who replaced Long, was beaten multiple times for sacks and was red-faced after Sunday’s loss.
Bush said facing the Eagles’ Trent Cole was a tough assignment for Garner.
• Sean Smith’s third-quarter interception of Michael Vick was his second of the season and marked the fifth consecutive game the Dolphins have gotten a pick. It is the 11th time in team history the Dolphins have had a string of five consecutive games with an interception. The team record is 13 games, set from Oct. 28, 1984, to Oct. 6, 1985.
Had the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to sunny South Florida to meet the Miami Dolphins in the first half of the season, the Eagles would have been massive favorites to return with a win.
The Dolphins opened the season looking like they were playing for the No. 1 draft pick rather than a Super Bowl, losing seven games in succession. After a brutal overtime loss to Denver in October that kicked off the Tim Tebow carnival, Miami stood 1-10 in its last 11 home games and seemed ready for an utter collapse.
But since then, Miami is 4-1 — and the loss came on the final play at Dallas — and confidence is soaring among the Dolphins.
“I think this team, we definitely haven’t played up to our capability,” Miami running back Reggie Bush said.
The same could be said about the 4-8 Eagles, of course, but this may be a case where Miami’s on-an-upswing 4-8 record looks a lot better than Philadelphia’s slumping 4-8 as the teams meet today (1 p.m.) in a must-win for the Birds to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
Quarterback Michael Vick will return for the Eagles after missing three games in which Philadelphia went 1-2, but Vick is 3-9 in last 12 games as a starter.
The quarterback situation may be more significant for Miami. Since quarterback Matt Moore has found his touch after taking over for the injured Chad Henne, the Dolphins seem to have found the unity of purpose that has eluded the Eagles for much of 2011.
“I think we’re a lot stronger, a lot better team than what we’ve been able to show and what we showed early on,” Bush said. “And I think when you see when we’re are all on the same page and clicking you can see how dangerous we can be from the receivers, to the tight ends, running backs, quarterback, everybody across the board and then you throw the defense in there and they’ve been doing a great job of really limiting the other team from scoring touchdowns this past month or so. So I think all across the board when we focus down and we focus on the task ahead which is just being aggressive, attacking the whole game. I think that’s what we do best when we’re all on the same page. And when we do that we’re a force to reckon with.”
Bush’s play has been a spark for Miami, with 332 yards rushing and five TDs in the last five games.
“You talk about a spark plug for a team and he’s the guy,” said Moore, who has thrown eight touchdown passes and just one interception in the Dolphins’ five-game turnaround. “He’s just been doing a heck of a job. You got to give a lot of credit to Reggie but you got to give a lot of credit to the offensive line as well. They’re doing a good job for him and opening up holes. I think naturally Reggie is just seeing it. He’s got a great instinct for the game and he’s doing what he does best. He’s taking it outside when he needs to but he’s just been doing all the right things. It’s nice to see a good guy play well and do those things for a team. He does a ton in the locker room as well. He’s a leader and a veteran guy. He’s doing it right.”
Eagles’ defensive end Trent Cole said the same about Moore.
“The quarterback’s stepped it up,” Cole said. “I think that’s a big part of the reason that whole team is doing what they’re doing now. They’ve been playing well and the quarterback has contributed a lot to their team.”
The Dolphins have scored 139 points in the last five games after managing just 107 in the first seven games, and while Moore’s improvement and Bush’s nose for the end zone have helped, Miami is getting it done up front.
Miami won the John Madden Protectors Award for boasting the best offensive line in Week 13 in last week’s 34-14 rout of Oakland, where the Dolphins ran for a 2011-best 209 yards and allowed just one sack. During that 0-7 disaster of a start, Miami allowed 27 sacks and scored just two rushing TDs. Since then, the Dolphins have surrendered just eight sacks and run for eight TDs.
“I think our communication has really improved,” Miami left guard Richie Incognito told the Miami Herald. “I think as the season has gone on we’ve really grown together. We’ve taken our growing pains together. Now, we’ve played against a lot of defenses, seen a lot of looks and it’s nice to have all five of us on the same page.”
Miami coach Tony Sparano, on the hottest of hot seats in October, said the miserable start made him change his ways to keep his locker room together.
“I wouldn’t say it challenged how I lead as a coach, but I would just tell you that it force me to re-evaluate some things that I’ve done,” Sparano said. “Obviously, I have my own way of doing things and the way I kind of have been brought up in this business. It forced me to look at some things a little bit differently, that’s all. And made some changes and made some changes that I think that were relatively dramatically changes compared to what I was comfortable with. Also, I listened to some of my players. I’m fortunate to have good veteran players here on this team and they had some input in some of this and it worked out well for us.”
Miami’s turnaround is precisely what Eagles fans had hoped for when the Birds beat Dallas … and it didn’t come. And then beat the New York Giants … and it didn’t come. Sparano says it still might.
“I see dynamic players all over the place (on the Eagles),” he said. “They have obviously a ton of talent, but I was 0-7 here people watching my film and I felt strong about the talent I had too. So it’s just where we are right now so both teams are at 4-8 going into this game. We can’t change where we are, at least I can’t.”
But Sparano and the Dolphins changed enough to to turn their season around — something the Eagles seemingly cannot do.
“It makes it tough anytime you lose because you put so much into it,” said the Eagles’ ex-Miami running back Ronnie Brown. “And of course we didn’t have an offseason like we usually do for everybody to get close and get a camaraderie or whatever. So I think as a team the way that we worked during camp we put a lot into it, and to come and not be successful that’s always tough because you know how much you put into it as far as two-a-days. And to know that we could have had a couple of games here and there, and of course it didn’t work out. And I don’t think a lot of games we played the way we’re capable of playing as a football team.”
BIRD SEED: Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (hamstring), the Eagles’ leading receiver with 46 catches, was downgraded from probable to questionable for Miami. He has traveled for the game.
Brad Wilson can be reached at 800-360-3601 or bwilson@express-times.com.
The Dolphins have been playing like a playoff-caliber team for the past month while the Eagles have struggled over the same time span
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Dec 9, 2011 – Awestruck.
That is how I felt watching the Miami Dolphins dismantle the Oakland Raiders in Week 13. The final score may have been 34-14, but the game wasn’t nearly as close as the scoreboard indicated. If the Dolphins didn’t take their foot off the pedal on defense, they could have shut them out. It didn’t happen, but it was arguably their best game of the season.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles continued their losing ways last week, this time falling to the Seattle Seahawks 31-14. It marked the Eagles’ fourth loss in their last five games. They won the offseason, and have one of the most talented teams in the NFL on paper, but haven’t been able to translate it onto on-field success. If they want to reverse their fortunes, they’ll have to do it against one of the hottest teams in the league. Can they do it? Read on.
Dolphins Pass Offense vs. Eagles Pass Defense
QB Matt Moore continued his solid play as of late against the Raiders. Although Moore didn’t end up with huge numbers (162 yards passing and one touchdown), he continued to show confidence in the pocket and showed off his mobility by rushing for a touchdown. WR Brandon Marshall put up average numbers last week as well (four receptions for 60 yards), but he made a couple of great catches. He also has three 100-yard receiving games since Moore took over as the starting quarterback and has shown some signs of getting over the drop issues that plagued him in the beginning of the season. The Eagles pass defense ranks a solid, if unspectacular, 13th in the league, giving up 229.2 passing yards per game. The Eagles have also sacked opposing quarterbacks 33 times, tied for 5th-best in the league. Moore has been good, and may not make a killer mistake this game, but the Eagles should be able to limit his effectiveness.
Advantage: Eagles
Dolphins Run Offense vs. Eagles Run Defense
RB Reggie Bush played like an every down back last week, rushing for 100 yards on 22 carries. RB Daniel Thomas seems to have kicked the injury bug and rushed for 73 yards on 13 carries last week. This can be a killer 1-2 punch if used properly, and Philadelphia is exactly the kind of team that can be taken advantage of on the ground. Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch tore through the Eagles run defense last week, rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns on only 22 carries. With all due respect to Lynch, he isn’t an elite running back. Expect big things Sunday out of Bush and Thomas.
Advantage: Dolphins
Eagles Pass Offense vs. Dolphins Pass Defense
QB Michael Vick is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday, although that doesn’t sound as frightening now as it did this time last year. The Eagles’ pass offense does rank 10th in the league this year, gaining 255.5 yards per game through the air. However, WR DeSean Jackson has been inconsistent and his 16.2 yards per catch is down from last year’s 22.5. WR Jeremy Maclin has missed the past three weeks with shoulder and hamstring injuries, but is expected to return. Meanwhile, the Dolphins pass defense has played like a unit possessed. CB Vontae Davis is finally backing up his talk of the Dolphins cornerback tandem being the best in the NFL, intercepting two passes the past four games and playing physical football. The pass defense as a whole has not allowed an opposing quarterback to get a QB Rating above 78.8 since Eli Manning in Week 8. Vick will not reverse that trend.
Advantage: Dolphins
Eagles Run Offense vs. Dolphins Run Defense
This will be the deciding matchup of the game. The Dolphins defense will have two main objectives: First, to keep Vick in the pocket, and second, contain RB LeSean McCoy. McCoy has been one of the best running backs in the league this year, already rushing for 1,134 yards and averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He is a threat to run both between the tackles and cut to the outside. All eyes should be on LB Karlos Dansby and LB Koa Misi to stop McCoy while the Dolphins rotate their talented defensive line to keep them fresh throughout the game. If the defensive line prevents Philadelphia’s offensive line from opening up too many holes, the Dolphins should be able to stop McCoy the way they have stopped Raiders RB Michael Bush and Bills RB Fred Jackson recently. McCoy will be the Dolphins’ biggest challenge yet on defense, but this unit is up to it.
Advantage: Dolphins
Intangibles
The Dolphins are 3-3 at home and have won four of their last five games overall. Moore and head coach Tony Sparano have been playing and coaching like they really want to be in Miami next year and see through this rebuilding project. More was expected out of the Eagles this season coming off last year’s success and adding CB Nnamdi Asomugha, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and DE Jason Babin this offseason. It hasn’t worked and head coach Andy Reid may find himself out of a job at season’s end.
Advantage: Dolphins
Summary
The Dolphins play has been incredibly impressive over the past five weeks. They are finally playing up to their talent level, and if they had played like that in the beginning of the season, they could be in the playoff hunt. Alas, they’ll have to wait until next year to see the postseason, but that won’t stop them from continuing the Eagles’ nightmare of a season that was supposed to end in Indianapolis.
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Eagles 20
Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Matt Moore (QB – MIA), Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills
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Ryan Michaels
Dolphins Editor
Ryan Michaels hails from Coral Springs, Florida, where he grew up a diehard Florida (erm, Miami) Marlins, Miami Dolphins, and Florida Gators fan. At the age of nine, Ryan wrote then-Marlins GM Dave… Read full bio
