All year I’ve told myself that Miami is a better team than their record shows. Now I’m not so sure. I think the Dolphins may be exactly what their record shows–a team on the brink. On the edge of being good, but just a slip away from tumbling into free fall. Sure, they’ve lost some nail biters, but many of Miami’s wins were ugly. And this was an ugly win that nearly got away. So, is this squad sea-worthy or sea sick? My friends, the Dolphins show many signs of sickness. I know this from the nausea, headache, and confusion I experienced while watching the game!

The final score was 25-23, but this was no slugfest. Oh, no. It was a slopfest. With the exception of the Dolphins’ first and final drives, there was no consistency. The wildcat came out early, on just the fourth snap, and gained 5 yards. They ran the wildcat a second time, and Ronnie Brown ripped off a 45 yard run! The first drive was impressive. But when the first TD’s extra-point was blocked, Miami began to go downhill. In the 2nd quarter, the Dolphins resorted to gimmickry with three straight snaps to Pat White, accomplishing nothing but creating a drive-stalling mess. The result: we have to settle for a field goal.

On the defensive side, Charlie Anderson and Jason Taylor made some key plays. Young Anderson was impressive with two forced fumbles and a sack. The Dolphins couldn’t catch a break though – both fumbles were recovered by Tampa Bay. Taylor, who has a knack for being in the right place, finally turned the tide with a controversial interception at the end of the 2nd quarter. TE Kory Sperry, activated from the practice squad the day before the game, snagged a TD pass. After Dan Carpenter kicked his second FG, Miami led 19-6 at the half. Looking good, right? I thought so, as I happily went to get a snack. But then the 2nd half started…

The Dolphins forgot how to move the ball. The Bucs adjusted to the wildcat, and the passing game was non-existent due to the lack of a deep ball threat (yes, Ted Ginn, I’m calling you out!). Then, late in the 3rd quarter, the pendulum swung again, and in one fell swoop, Ronnie Brown fumbled and limped off with an ankle injury. With a scrambling quarterback and a passing game buoyed by blown coverages and missed tackles, Tampa Bay was off to the races!

But eventually, helped by another clutch catch from Sperry, Miami eked out a field goal and found themselves trying to preserve a 22-16 lead with just under two minutes to go. So what does our offense do? We flounder – going forward, then backward with a false start, and then stumbling forward again into ANOTHER third down situation. A smart team would run the ball here, right? Take some time off the clock and punt if necessary, forcing the opponent to travel the length of the field. But what does Coach Tony Sparano decide to do? PASS. And Chad Henne, trying to force a play, throws an interception. Thirty-eight seconds later, the Bucs have a touchdown and a Dolphin victory seems to have slipped away. But luckily, thanks to two big penalties on TB, Miami is able to put together a game-winning drive. Ricky Williams, who came through when Ronnie went out, had his longest run of the day, 27 yards, and set up the game-winning field goal.

It was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Miami outscored TB 19-6. In the second half, TB dominated Miami 17-6. Plenty of blunders were made by both teams. Without those made by the Bucs, Miami would have lost another game. This is not a healthy team. “You can’t ignore the signs,” Coach Sparano said in his post-game press conference, tempering the win with the reality that his squad has much work to do. I hear ya, Coach. I saw your stupid call that lead to Henne’s bad decision. As comedian Bill Engvall likes to say, “Here’s your sign!”

"Hey, Coach, here's your sign!"