Dolphins find identity in 38-13 win

By Joe Mayes  |   Wednesday, September 24, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Miami Dolphins
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Every victory in the National Football League is precious. As those who follow the league know, anything can happen on a given Sunday. For the Miami Dolphins, wins have been an even more precious commodity, with just one since Week 14 of the 2006 season.

But after their 38-13 victory over the defending AFC champion New England Patriots last Sunday, the Dolphins discovered that some triumphs are sweeter than others.

When the Dolphins walked off the field at Gillette Stadium, they didn't just win their first game of the year; rather, they found something far more elusive and significant.

They found an identity.

The imaginative game plan put together by normally conservative 65-year-old offensive coordinator Dan Henning and quarterbacks coach David Lee was constructed to get the ball into the hands of the Dolphins’ playmakers. They committed to the run, something the team had been unwilling or unable to do in losses to the New York Jets (Week 1) and the Arizona Cardinals (Week 2).

As a result of the team's commitment to the ground game, running back Ronnie Brown rushed for 113 yards on 17 carries and accounted for all five of its touchdowns. With Ricky Williams adding another 98 yards via the rush, the Dolphins fell just 2 Williams yards short of having a tandem of runners surpass the century mark in a single game for the first time in nearly 33 years; in case you're wondering, Miami last accomplished the feat in October 1975, when Mercury Morris (125 yards) and Don Nottingham (102) combined for 227 yards.

“Teams look at us and they know we have to run the ball to win," Williams said prior to the Arizona game. "We still have to run the ball.”

Against the Patriots, the Dolphins didn’t just run the ball. They ran the ball with an attitude. A really, really nasty attitude.

But beyond the nearly flawless execution of the offensive game plan, a more significant result of the game was that the Dolphins found themselves. The offensive line dominated at times and the Dolphins brought 60 minutes' worth of intensity not seen in South Florida in a long time.

This message was perhaps most clearly demonstrated in Brown’s five touchdown-scoring plays.

Touchdown No. 1: From New England's 2-yard line, Brown took a direct snap from center Samson Satele, faked to Williams and carried the ball off right tackle for the touchdown. On the play, left tackle Jake Long lined up to the right of RT Vernon Carey, left guard Justin Smiley pulled ahead of Brown and the offensive linemen sealed a tunnel through which Brown easily strolled for the score.

Touchdown No. 2: Lined up in the more traditional one-back set with quarterback Chad Pennington under center, Brown took the handoff and scampered off-tackle 18 yards for the TD behind the blocks of Long, pulling right guard Ike Ndukwe and wide receiver Greg Camarillo. A big play, to be sure, but the message was delivered when Brown crossed the goal line. As he approached the end zone, Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs stepped toward Brown to attempt to stop the running back short of pay dirt. Hobbs seemed to think better of it just as Brown lowered his shoulder and cut toward the defender, not away from him. Brown sent Hobbs reeling and the message was clear: We’re here to dish out the punishment, not take it.

Touchdown No. 3: Nearly a carbon copy of the first touchdown. This time, it was from the Patriot 5 at the opposite end of the field. Brown took the direct snap, faked to Williams and ran off right tackle for the score. This TD let the Patriots know that the Dolphins were committed to running the ball right at the Pats, daring them to stop Miami.

Touchdown No. 4: From the New England 19, with the Pats already on their heels, Brown took the direct snap, rolled to his left and threw a touchdown strike to tight end Anthony Fasano. It was at this point that the air seemed to leave the Patriots’ sails. They knew they were beaten -- not by trickery, but by near-perfect execution of a near-perfect game plan. At this point, the Dolphins’ offense ceased being a novelty and became a force too powerful for the Patriots.

Touchdown No. 5: From their own 38, the Dolphins once again lined up in the single-wing “Wildcat” formation. With Brown in the shotgun, he took the snap and, though the Patriots had seen the same play five times previously, Brown headed through the right side and ran over defensive back Brandon Meriweather on his way to a 62-yard touchdown. The message this time, however, was sent by fellow running back Williams -- who followed Brown down the field at full speed and took out Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel at the New England 25. Though the outcome of the game had long since been decided, Williams made it clear that the Dolphins were there to play at full speed for 60 minutes. Anyone taking a play off against the Dolphins this year was going to pay a price.

Of course, one victory in Week 3 does not vault the Dolphins into playoffs contention. At 1-2, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the team. Last Sunday, though, the Dolphins imposed their collective will on the defending AFC champs and did exactly what they said they needed to do. They ran the ball and controlled the game. They found their stride and their identity.

Now the Dolphins' coaches have a bye week to find a plan to defeat the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 5. But head coach Tony Sparano, Henning and Lee are already hard at work on that plan.

And you can count on it being a plan that emphasizes the newly discovered smash-mouth identity of the 2008 Dolphins.
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About Joe Mayes

Joe Mayes is an award-winning writer with credits ranging from national sports columns to local newspapers and commercial and technical writing. Joe is the host of "The Morning Wrap," a morning drive-time sports talk radio show on WTKE-FM in Northwest ...
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