 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
News
|
|
 |
Dolphins vs Bucs Summary |  | ||||||||
 |
| Home | News Wire | Roster | Depth Chart | Schedule | Links | |  |
||||||||
|
If you didn't see the game against the Bucs yesterday, the only thing you need to know is that the Dolphins committed 5 turnovers, while the Bucs only had one. Those 5 turnovers were turned into 13 points by the Bucs and that was enough to give them the victory in Miami on Sunday. The game was played in extremely wet conditions, as it rained before kickoff and during most of the game. There was some trouble with handling the football and slipping on the wet grass and that contributed to Miami's turnovers. The game progressed just about like you'd expect a contest between two of the best defenses in the league to progress. Miami and Tampa Bay slugged it out hard against each other, dominating on defense and conservative on offense. Each team tried to establish their running game without much success, although each offense had a moment of effectiveness. Miami's moment was in the third quarter when Lamar Smith ripped off a 19 yard run from the Buc's 20 yard line to the 1 and then, one play later, plunged over from the 1 to score the only offensive touchdown of the game. The Bucs had their moment late in the game when Warrick Dunn caught a short pass and ran 49 yards to the Miami 1, but the Dolphins held the Bucs to a field goal on that possession. Other than that, the game was characterized by each team pounding against the other, with both defenses getting the better of the contests. Overall, Miami's offense played pretty well. They only had 84 rushing yards at 3.1 yards per carry, but they stuck with the run throughout the game and that paid off in Miami's only touchdown. The offensive line did a good job against one of the best defensive lines in the league, limiting the Bucs to just one sack and opening some holes for the run. The receivers also played pretty well, although Tony Martin sometimes looked as if he was taking the play off. Oronde Gadsden continued to be Miami's best receiver and OJ McDuffie worked hard against the Bucs. On defense, the Dolphins totally shut down the Bucs. They held Warrick Dunn to 59 yards rushing on 28 carries (a 2.1 ypc average) and limited their offense to 147 passing yards while picking off 1 pass and sacking King 4 times. Most important, they didn't give up any touchdowns, even when the Bucs had a 1st and 10 at the Miami 1 yard line. The special teams had a mixed day, but didn't give up any big returns and did a pretty good job containing the Bucs. Unfortunately, all that good play was wasted as Jay Fiedler threw 4 interceptions and fumbled the snap once. Out of those 5 miscues, the Bucs got 1 touchdown and 2 field goals, which gave them the game. I know that some folks may blame the loss on the coaches, because of the play calling at the end of the game. When Miami was in field goal range with under a minute to play, they argue that the Dolphins should have gone conservative, running the ball until the clock ran down and then kicked a field goal to send the game into overtime. What the coaches tried to do instead was to call pass plays to score a touchdown so that they could win outright. Unfortunately, instead of a touchdown, Fiedler threw an interception and that ended the game. While I appreciate what those fans are saying, I can never fault a coach for trying to win, instead of trying to "not lose" the game. So while their calls may be questionable in hindsight, Dave Wannstedt and Chan Gailey were doing what they are paid to do - they were trying to win the game. But the simple truth is that the Dolphins never would have been in a position to have to resort to throwing at the end of the game if Fiedler hadn't turned the ball over 4 times by that point. Then Chan Gailey and Dave Wannstedt wouldn't have had to make the calls and try to decide whether to run or throw at the end. No, most of the responsibility for this loss falls on the shoulders of Jay Fiedler. His poor play cost the Dolphins even before his left (non-throwing) shoulder was injured. His first interception happened before the injury and that was the one that was returned for a touchdown. It was a dangerous throw deep in Miami's end of the field and Fiedler screwed it up. After he was injured, if he was having problems with his arm or his throwing, he should have taken himself out of the game. Instead, he turned the ball over 5 times and that put Miami in a hole that was too deep to get out of. Having said all of that, I don't think that it's time to replace Fiedler with Huard. All that yesterday's game really proves is that Fiedler is still pretty raw around the edges and that he needs to mature and recognize when to take the sacks instead of throwing the picks. It's ironic in a way - Damon Huard is too ready to take a sack instead of throwing the ball, while Fiedler is a little too ready to throw the ball into coverage. And Fiedler does get some dispensation for having to work with a very wet ball on a very wet field. But overall, the responsibility for this loss rests on his shoulders.
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
