Dolphins suffer through historically excruciating loss

By Hugo Guzman  |   Tuesday, November 27, 2007  |  Comments( 3 )

Miami Dolphins
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Final score: 3-0.

Scoreless through 59 minutes, 43 seconds.

Game ends on consecutive laterals by Dolphins offensive linemen.

Oh, and alleged savior Ricky Williams injures his shoulder after being stomped on by Steelers linebacker James Harrison while attempting to recover his own fumble, finishing with just 15 yards on six carries.

If nothing else, you have to give Miami, which lost to Pittsburgh on Monday night, points for creativity.

Just when you thought the team could not find any new ways to end up on the losing end of a three-point contest, the Dolphins participate in one of the NFL's most historically impotent games. Ultimately, the Dolphins were felled by a late Pittsburgh drive that set up a 24-yard kick by Jeff Reed on a gridiron that allowed for little latitude in terms of field goal attempts.

The field was so bad, in fact, that it compelled Dolphins coach Cam Cameron to attempt fourth-down conversions of 15 and 11 yards, respectively. And nobody could really blame him for those decisions after watching the two prior field goal attempts from similar down and distances.

Yet, despite a frustrating lack of offensive output, Miami does come away from this game with yet another batch of "moral victories."

First and foremost, the Dolphins' rookie signal-caller, John Beck, displayed skills that are quickly making believers out of the South Florida faithful. Beck showed toughness throughout the night, including on several pass attempts in which he stepped into his throws despite heavy front-side pressure. The BYU product, a second-round pick, also flashed the arm strength and accuracy that he was known for at the college level, making more than a handful of tough completions in extremely uncooperative conditions.

Most importantly, Beck showed impressive decision-making ability, following through his progressions and throwing the ball away or scrambling when needed, thereby avoiding the costly interception. Beck did lose a fumble on one of those aforementioned fourth-down attempts, but that was thanks to left tackle Justin Peelle's inability to protect the QB's blind side. Beck was sacked a total of four times; two were because of horrid blocking in the backfield (both Jesse Chatman and Cedric Cobbs were culprits) and the last one came on an attempted scramble.

Miami's burgeoning quarterback completed 14 of 23 passes for 132 yards, converting on two impressive third-and-long completions. Not exactly an outstanding performance, but when you consider the conditions, the lack of running game and Pittsburgh's unrelenting pass rush, the youngster did quite well in his first prime-time outing.

Defensively, a trio of players stood out. Second-year safety Jason Allen continued to display a nose for the football, making several impressive solo tackles. Veteran linebacker Joey Porter bagged an interception against his former team, made several key tackles, and was generally around the ball all night. Meanwhile, fellow veteran Will Allen induced a Ben Roethlisberger fumble on a cornerback blitz.

Lastly, despite his fumble, Williams actually looked fairly solid, and it seemed as if he might have made a difference in the game had he stayed in.

Still, as all Miami fans know by now, moral victories mean very little to an 0-11 squad aching for its first victory. The good news is that Miami's two-game tour of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) is over.

The team now heads home to face the 2-9 New York Jets, with the Dolphins hoping to deliver a stinging insult to their most bitter AFC East rival.

After all, how sweet would it be for Miami to enter the win column by way of beating the hated Jets?
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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