Dolphins, Pennington start the 2009 season the way they ended 2008

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, September 14, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

Miami Dolphins
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For those of you scoring at home, the Miami Dolphins have turned the ball over nine times in their last two games that counted. Coming off a five-turnover performance in last year's playoff loss against the Baltimore Ravens, the Dolphins coughed it up four times on Sunday, facilitating a 19-7 stomping at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, which looked much worse than the final score suggests.

As bad as that sounds, what's even more concerning is the fact that the usually steady and efficient Chad Pennington is responsible for six of those nine turnovers over this two-game span, including two against the Falcons on Sunday. That's simply unacceptable for a quarterback with clear physical limitations that lessen his chances for connecting on long, game-changing plays. Granted, Pennington wasn't the only turnover goat on Sunday. Tight end Anthony Fasano also contributed a pair of turnovers, including a key fumble late in the second quarter, which likely proved to be the turning point of the game. Trailing 7-0 but deep inside the Falcons' red zone, Fasano's fumble and Atlanta's subsequent return put the Falcons in a position to extend their lead to 10-0 going into the half as opposed to perhaps having a 7-3 or 7-7 contest going into intermission.

Though some will also fault the defense for Sunday's loss, that unit did deliver some tangible silver linings. They pressured Matt Ryan fairly steadily, got some key stops to keep the game within reach all the way up until late in the third quarter and completely bottled up the league's top rusher from 2008, Michael Turner, holding him to just 65 yards on 22 carries. Sure, it would have been nice to come up with a turnover or two, and yes, Ryan could have easily had a few more touchdown passes had it not been for two misfires on down-field throws to Roddy White and Jerious Norwood, but considering the fact that they were on the road against one of the league's more potent offenses, it's hard to put too much blame on the defensive unit.

Miami's offense is not really a "home run" type of unit that's going to gobble up large chunks of yardage and put a ton of points on the board, which is why these turnovers are a major cause for concern. Last year, the offense gave the ball up just 13 times in 16 regular-season games, contributing greatly to their surprise 11-5 season. This year, they're on pace for 64 giveaways, and if they don't correct these ball-protection errors, they'll likely also be on pace for much fewer regular-season wins and an early exit out of postseason contention.
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About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
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