Conservative Dolphins done in by Colts

As we've often heard, statistics don't always tell the story, and Monday night was proof of that.

The Miami Dolphins dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than three full quarters.

They had 27 first downs to the Indianapolis Colts' 14, ran for 239 yards to Indy's 61.

Yet, by game's end, the scoreboard read, Indianapolis 27, Miami 23.

A must win for the Dolphins became a blown opportunity.

Yes, they had the ball for the majority of the game and kept the Peyton Manning-led offense off the field.

But the defense couldn't stop the Colts when it counted.

Manning read a blitz and hit second-year receiver Pierre Garcon, who wove his way to the 48-yard TD that won the game.

Then, the Dolphins went into the worst two-minute offense since Donovan McNabb gagged his way through the end of Super Bowl XXXIX against the Patriots.

With 3:18 to play, and needing 82 yards to score the game-winner, the Dolphins ran on first down, let the clock wind down to 2:26, then called time out.

They then inexplicably ran the ball again to get down to the two-minute warning.

Quarterback Chad Pennington resorted to play action fakes against a defense that was expecting nothing but pass, fooling no one and wasting precious seconds in the process.

Then came the coup de gras, as Ted Ginn, who had a good game with 11 catches for 108 yards, had the potential winning TD pass bounce off his hands in the end zone.

A pass to Ginn on fourth-and-10 gained 12 to the Colts' 30, but with no timeouts left, Pennington had to spike the ball with 12 seconds left.

A desperation heave followed, which was intercepted by Antoine Bethea, and the Dolphins' chances for victory vanished.

Just as damning was the previous possession, when the Dolphins and Colts were tied 20-20 and Miami was driving.

On third-and-6 from the Colts 30, the Dolphins called another run. Ronnie Brown got just two yards, and Dan Carpenter booted a 45-yard field goal to give them a three-point lead.

That is not exaclty going for the jugular against the Colts, and Manning made the Dolphins pay.

Brown ran for 136 yards on 24 carries, scored two TDs and ran the "Wildcat" flawlessly.

But in the end, the Dolphins' inability to get to Manning -- and to tackle in critical situations -- cost them as much as the conservative playcalling did.

On the first play of the game, as expected, Manning went to tight end Dallas Clark, who beat a befuddled Akin Ayodele, and safety Gibril Wilson could not wrap him up.

Clark's marathon 80-yard TD was a sign of things to come.

The Colts did not have the ball often, but Manning made the most of it every time they did.

Wilson and Yeremiah Bell continued to struggle, missing tackles and coverages, and Clark had a second straight huge day for a tight end against Miami: seven catches for a career-high 183 yards.

The defense got no pressure on Manning. Joey Porter had the team's only sack, and Jason Taylor was missing in action.

Now, at 0-2, the Fins go to San Diego to play the high-powered Chargers, and you can bet Antonio Gates has to be licking his lips right now after the way tight ends have feasted on the defense.

There are also rumblings that if things continue to head south, Pennington -- who had a solid game with with 22 completions in 33 attempts for 183 yards -- will be benched in favor of second-year pro Chad Henne.

If that happens, it might already be time to start thinking about 2010.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Manning vs. Miami Monday night

Needing a win in Week 2, one of the last players the Miami Dolphins want to see is Peyton Manning and his 1-0 Indianapolis Colts. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. Monday in Land Shark Stadium.

True, Manning has had his struggles against the Dolphins. In fact, aside from New England, Manning's 4-7 record as a starter against the Dolphins is his worst against any NFL team.

The Dolphins have also had more success historically against No. 18 than any team in the NFL. Manning's passer rating (76.3) and minus-2 TD/INT ratio are his worst numbers vs. one team.

But many of those successes came early in Manning's career, when future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was still throwing passes for the Fins.

In fact, since the teams were realigned into new divisions in 2002, Indy is 2-0 against Miami, including a 27-22 triumph in Indianapolis in 2006.

Overall, Manning has also shone on the Sunshine State stage, compiling a 9-4 record as a pro. The last time he played in Land Shark (then Dolphin Stadium), he was the Most Valuable Player in the Colts' 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Last week though, the Colts struggled in a 14-12 win over division rival Jacksonville.

Indianapolis gained 365 yards of total offense, but only punched the ball in twice.

Manning was still Manning, hitting 28-of-38 passes for 301 yards and a TD.

But the Colts couldn't run the ball, gaining just 71 yards against a rebuilt Jacksonville defense.

That was part of the reason for the Colts' demise last year, as starter Joseph Addai was hurt much of the season, and Indianapolis had injuries on the offensive line.

Indy finished next-to-last in the NFL in rushing, and the Dolphins held the mighty Atlanta Falcons to just 68 yards rushing in last week's 19-7 loss.

So, for Indy to win, the onus is again on Manning and his receivers.

Reggie Wayne dominated the Jags last week, catching a game high 10 passes for 162 yards and a TD.

The Dolphins corners were solid last week against the Falcons, as leading receiver Roddy White caught just five passes for 42 yards, and Miami rotated rookies Sean Smith and Vontae Davis at one cornerback position opposite Will Allen at the other.

With Wayne's running mate Anthony Gonzalez out 2-8 weeks with a knee injury, look for the Dolphins to double Wayne, providing more opportunies for young Colts receivers like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. Newly acquired Hank Baskett could also see some passes Monday.

But just as last week, it's the tight end position the Dolphins need to fear most.

Future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez routinely beat safeties Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell in Atlanta, to the tune of five catches for 73 yards and a TD.

The Colts' Dallas Clark provides a similar threat, only with more speed, and in recent years he has become Manning's security blanket and one of his favorite targets.

Clark only caught four passes for 39 yards last week, but the Colts will line him up in a variety of ways (the slot and wide, maybe even in the backfield) to keep the Dolphins guessing.

Miami only had two sacks last week, but the Dolphins should be able to apply more pressure against the Colts' leaky line.

And that is the key. Can they get to Manning and do a good job on Wayne and Clark?

Offensively, the Dolphins must do more than their putrid showing last week, when they gained 259 yards against an inexperienced Falcons defense.

Most distressing, Miami could not stretch the defense and test the Falcons' young secondary.

The Colts only gave up 228 total yards last week, but Jacksonville did not have the weapons to probe a Colts secondary that was without one of its best players in safety Bob Sanders.

Sanders is still nursing a knee injury that might keep him out of Monday's game, which is good for Miami's running game. But the Dolphins must still find a way to threaten the Colts backline through the air. Ted Ginn (2 catches, 26 yards) must be better utltized for Miami to have a chance.

The other big concern is the Colts pass rush, particularly defensive end Dwight Freeney, one of the fastest at his position in the league.

Freeney had the Colts' only sack last week, and he is a major test for Dolphins left tackle Jake Long, who had his worst game as a pro last week, when he gave up two sacks against Atlanta.

The overall protection for Chad Pennington was poor, and one of the reasons why he could not locate Ginn or go deep.

The stats say the Colts should win. They have the better quarterback, receivers and pass rush.

But the Dolphins are at home on Monday night, they are the more desperate team and they are surely angry over last week's miserable performance.

This will be an exciting game, and Miami will prevail, 21-20.

(Photo: Yahoo images)

Marino 8th in latest QB rankings

You could see this one coming. As Dan Marino's achievements fade in this new era of the West Coast offense and more permissible passing rules, he continues to slide down the list of all-time greats.

Marino placed eighth on a Beckett's Magazine list of the greatest quarterbacks, and for the first time I can recall, modern stars Tom Brady (6th) and Peyton Manning (7th) were ranked ahead of him.

It has for a long time been a fait accompli, what with Brady's Super Bowl winning heroics, and the incredible numbers he put up in 2007, when he passed for 50 TDs and just eight interceptions. Brady set a new all-time record for TD passes that Marino once held for 20 years.

Manning cemented his claim ahead of Marino when his defense and running game carried him to a Super Bowl win in Miami two years ago.

Now, Manning's regular season credentials speak for themselves, but his 49-TD season in 2004 (which broke Marino's record) coincided with the NFL passing a rule limiting defensive contact with receivers after Manning's group was manhandled by the New England Patriots in an AFC Championship loss the previous year.

And, when I lived in Lake City and was exposed to more Colts games because I was out of the Dolphins' coverage area, it appeared that Manning was left in a bit longer than he should have been to throw some meaningless TD passes.

Case in point: Manning plays the entire game and throws five TD passes in a 49-14 win over Houston in Week 10. A week later, four TDs in a 41-10 win over the Chicago Bears. On Thanksgiving Day the next week, he throws six TD passes against the eternally hapless Lions, giving him 15 in three weeks. Again, he plays into the fourth quarter in the 41-9 victory, throwing his last two TD passes in the third quarter.

When Brady set the new record two years ago, his team was accused of running up the score, particularly in a 52-7 whitewashing of the Redskins in Week 8.

This was something that wasn't often done in Marino's day.

In 1984, when he set the then-record with 48 TD passes, the Dolphins won only one game by 20 points, meaning he had to throw those TD passes to deliver victories, not to pad stats as Brady and Manning seemed to do in their record runs.

Also, it's no coincidence that Brady and Manning both eclipsed his record after restrictions were placed on defensive backs in terms of contact with receivers.

That makes Marino's 48 TDs all the more impressive, and it makes John Unitas' streak of 47 straight games with at least one TD pass and his 290 overall TDs look downright remarkable.

Still, I have no real problem with Manning and Brady being ranked ahead of Marino, though I put them after him as their careers are still in progress (see below). They have the numbers and championships, while Marino unfortunately did not have the supporting cast to help him win a title.

Of the players on the list ahead of him, there are two I strongly disagree with, and a third I have an issue with (see below).

Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls with the Steelers, but his overall numbers were not very impressive. He had a poor TD/INT ratio, with 212 TD passes to 210 interceptions. He had four bad years before he became a good quarterback in 1974, and he benefited from perhaps the greatest supporting cast a quarterback ever had.

To place him at No. 4, like Beckett's did, is absurd. Bradshaw does belong in the top 10, but he belongs after Marino. Bart Starr, a great quarterback for the Packers teams of the 1960s, was also ranked ahead of Marino at No. 5. He didn't have great natural ability, but he was a winner.

Starr was only a four-time Pro Bowler, and had just 14 more TDs than INTs (152/134). He never threw 20 TD passes in a season. His ranking might have to do with the fact the Packers were the dominant team in the 1960s, winning five NFL titles.

Here's the Beckett list:

1. Joe Montana
2. John Unitas
3. John Elway
4. Terry Bradshaw
5. Bart Starr
6. Tom Brady
7. Peyton Manning
8. Dan Marino
9. Otto Graham
10. Brett Favre
11. Troy Aikman
12. Steve Young
13. Roger Staubach
14. Fran Tarkenton
15. Joe Namath
16. Sammy Baugh
17. Bobby Layne
18. Dan Fouts
19. Bob Griese
20. Jim Kelly

I have some other problems with the list, and one of them is John Elway. It's amazing what a great running game and good defense can do for a player. Elway was a bust in his first three Super Bowl appearances, including a dreadful 55-10 loss to the 49ers and Montana in 1990.

Suddenly though, Mike Shanahan comes aboard, as do Terrell Davis and a competent defense, Elway wins two Super Bowls, and he becomes a top-five all-time QB.

Had he never won a Super Bowl, Elway never would have been ranked ahead of Marino. And that's the problem I have with QB lists like these, which place far too great an emphasis on championships.

Peter King wrote a book years ago ranking his top QBs, and he made Otto Graham his No. 1 all-time because his teams won division or league titles in all 10 years he played.

So, because Graham had great players around him (nine Hall of Famers, if you count Coach Paul Brown), he's supposed to be better than Unitas or Montana?

I highly doubt that.

Elway had several mediocre years statistics-wise, and while I enjoyed watching him play, there is no doubt that in their primes Marino was better. Marino also played at a high level for as long as Elway did.

Elway had six seasons of 20 TD passes or more; Marino had 12. Marino had more yards passing, a higher completion percentage and a far better QB rating.

But, because Elway ended his career in storybook fashion, the myth has become legend. He became better than Marino in many people's minds, and sadly, that will remain the case in history.

Legends fade as new generations arrive, ready to anoint one of their own as the best ever. We've seen it in the NBA with Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal, eclipsing the greatness of Jerry West, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain in most people's minds.

And in baseball, where Barry Bonds was suddenly greater than Babe Ruth (before steroids), and Roger Clemens was the greatest right-hand pitcher of all-time (again, pre-steroids).

Well, football is a team sport, moreso than basketball and baseball -- where one or two great pitchers can carry a team to a title -- and the fact is Marino played with only three top-10 defenses in his career. Twice, he made the conference championship (1984, 1992). He had one 1,000-yard running back (the forgettable Karim Abdul-Jabbar in 1996).

Statistics are not the entire story, but neither are championships. You must place each in context of the circumstances surrounding the player.

And for me, the only QB who topped Marino during his generation was Montana, who had gaudy stats, the clutch play and the Super Bowl victories to back him up.

Finally, here's my all-time top 10 for you to dissect:

1. Unitas (set the standard for QBs in a different era)
2. Montana
3. Marino
4. Elway
5. Baugh (the first great QB)
6. Brady (will probably move up when his career ends)
7. Manning (ditto)
8. Staubach
9. Young (another underrated QB)
10. Bradshaw

(Photo: Yahoo images)