Miami’s Week 3 scapegoat: Channing Crowder

By Hugo Guzman  |   Tuesday, September 25, 2007  |  Comments( 5 )

Miami Dolphins
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Let me start by saying that the title is intended to be ironic. I don't believe in scapegoating an individual player, unless his last name is Grossman (just kidding, Rex, sort of). Rarely is one player responsible for a team's failure to notch a "W." Instead, the day's result is typically determined by myriad factors.

But alas, it's much easier for the typical fan (or a lazy columnist) to pinpoint one or two individuals, like the coach or quarterback, and expound about the various reasons why that guy is the reason people are crying in their beers.

This week, the scapegoats du jour for the Miami Dolphins have been Cam Cameron, Joey Porter and even Jason Taylor. Ronnie Brown would have assuredly made this shortlist, too, had he not turned in a career day; regardless, there well plenty of folks out there still finding reasons to fault his performance from Sunday.

Should Cameron be singled out for choosing to squib kick to New York Jets kick returner Leon Washington, abandoning the run late in the third quarter, or other assorted missteps? Of course not. Rarely does a coach execute a perfect game plan or make all the right decisions. Miami's defense would be the first to say that it failed the team on Sunday, not Cameron. Besides, questioning the decision to avoid a returner who just broke off a 98-yard touchdown is both silly and shortsighted. Had the Dolphins chosen to kick to Washington again and been burned by another long return, critics would certainly be hooting and hollering.

Is Porter the reason why the Dolphins fell to 0-3? Nope. He's still recovering from minor knee surgery and adjusting to a new role, one which many feel is ill-suited for the stand-up pass rusher and coverage specialist.

And what about Taylor? Yeah, he's had three subpar ballgames in a row and has yet to make a single game-changing play, but he's coming of an MVP-caliber season and will likely return to form sooner than later. Besides, his years of stellar service merit a pass at this point.

However, I figure that if everyone else is having a field day picking individual goats for Sunday's debacle in the Meadowlands, there's no sense in missing out on all the fun.

Therefore, I nominate Channing Crowder.

After all, he was drafted to be the heir apparent to Zach Thomas. On Sunday, though, he failed to anchor the run defense effectively or make a game-changing play. If he would have made his presence felt a bit more, the Jets would not have gashed Miami for 141 rushing yards or converted over 60 percent of their third-down attempts. Clearly, he is not capable of stepping up and filling the void for Thomas and maybe never will be.

That was easy. I should try this scapegoating thing more often. It's polarizing and would probably help me resonate with the casual fan.

OK, back to reality.

The Dolphins failed to stop the run because the defensive line was pushed around all afternoon long. Chad Pennington converted most of his third-down passes because of a glaring lack of pass rush. Crowder may not be Thomas, but he's still young and has filled in admirably for Thomas over the past two seasons; he will continue developing. Besides, players like Thomas don't come around very often.

If you're one of those fans (or media members) who tends to get caught up in the scapegoat game, take a step back, avoid the easy road and stop the insanity.

You'll help make the football-watching world a better place.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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No.1
Raider Revenge		11:37 AM
09/25/2007
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No.2
Mojo		03:38 PM
09/25/2007
The "New" Raiders"???? HAHAHAHA!!!! Pleeeaaasseee...stop, you're making me laugh...hhahahahahaha. You finally win your first...
No.3
abacus		03:44 PM
09/25/2007
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