Dolphins slaughtered; suffer potentially heartbreaking injury

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, October 22, 2007  |  Comments( 10 )

Miami Dolphins
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Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown was not felled by an opponent, but by his desire to contribute in any way he could. The league's leader in total yards from scrimmage went down untouched Sunday while trying to tackle New England Patriots defensive back Randall Gay on quarterback Cleo Lemon's lone interception of the day.

Reports are still sketchy, and Brown was able to leave the field on his own power, but the entire organization will hold its breath as it awaits the results of the third-year back's MRI on the right knee. Incidentally, Brown wasn't the only starter to go down on Sunday. Starting free safety Renaldo Hill suffered a torn ACL on his right knee.

If you thought the 0-7 Dolphins had a weak secondary before, wait until you see it in action sans Hill.

Despite the insult and injury Hill suffered on Randy Moss' second jump-ball touchdown of the day, the veteran free safety was the unit's lone source of stability. With starters Hill and Yeremiah Bell out and virtually all free-agent options exhausted, Miami will now be forced to trot out the worst secondary tandem in recent NFL history.

Mind you, the way Hill was victimized on the play in which he was injured makes you feel like maybe he's not the long-term answer. And with Bell currently nursing a severely debilitating Achilles' injury, Miami could be facing the prospect of finding two starting-caliber safeties in one offseason.

Add to that the fact that Miami currently has exactly zero playmaking cornerbacks on its roster, and the plight of the secondary becomes all the more apparent.

The play in which Hill was injured has already been mentioned twice in this column, and it's not by accident. It personified some of the most detrimental aspects of the Dolphins' defense -- lack of pass rush, a poor secondary and an inability to make stops on third-and-long.

For the record, the Patriots were facing third and 18 when they scored their demoralizing touchdown.

There were several other key plays who personified the Dolphins' ills, mind you, like the 76-yard return for a touchdown on a squib kick. That embarrassing gaffe by the Dolphins' coverage team killed any momentum that was garnered by an impressive touchdown drive that brought Miami to within 14-7 on the previous possession.

Shockingly enough, however, there were also several reasons for optimism to take away from Sunday's performance. Reserve running back Jesse Chatman was impressive in relief of Brown, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries while displaying an impressive mix of elusiveness and power. Most of his carries came in garbage time, but that takes little away from Chatman's eye-catching effort.

In addition, rookie wideout Ted Ginn Jr. turned some heads. Though he finished with only three receptions for 37 yards, Ginn seemed to get a lot of separation and may have scored two touchdowns had his quarterback displayed better accuracy. Lemon overthrew Ginn on a deep ball in the third quarter and on an out to the back corner of the end zone in the fourth. The speedy first-year receiver was noticeably open on both plays.

Fellow wideout Derek Hagan was also impressive, making one tough catch after another. His numbers -- four receptions for 56 yards -- are not representative of his effectiveness as a possession receiver.

Oh, and Jason Taylor also chipped in nicely, returning a Matt Cassel interception for a touchdown, the eighth time Taylor has scored a TD in his illustrious career. Meanwhile, pass-rushing counterpart Joey Porter came up with his first sack as a member of the Dolphins and helped key a surprisingly stout run defense that allowed just 84 yards on 22 carries.

On the quarterback front, Miami had to be disappointed to see Lemon struggle with accuracy and turnovers (one interception, one fumble lost), considering his offensive line paved the way for a solid running game and gave up just two sacks (one on the last play of the game) and few pressures. That young and revamped line, along with Cam Cameron's innovative play-calling, is perhaps the most impressive and surprising aspect of Miami's '07 campaign. The unit's consistency coupled with Lemon's uneven play should mean that fans will get a glimpse of rookie John Beck sooner than later.

Honestly, though, other than the Beck watch, little else matters now for the Dolphins. Miami's most noticeable bright spot, Brown -- who has emerged as the heart and soul of a young, revamped offense -- could be done for the season. If his injury is serious, it will only hasten this franchise's precipitous descent into the NFL's abyss.

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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 10  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Andrew		10:10 AM
10/22/2007
If I'm Wayne Huizenga (WH), I'm madder than a wet hen right now at the state of my football team (but especially at the level of...
No.2
fr8ttrain		11:26 AM
10/22/2007
I think it's a 'no duh' that Saban saw the writing on the wall.Who in their right mind would want to be a part of this mess when...
No.3
Dave		11:38 AM
10/22/2007
Thanks Andrew...I have been saying for weeks how Porter has been misused on this squad. And Hugo...Jeez, you should report on...
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