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Ginn strikes back, leads Fins over Jets

Dolphins wide receiver Ted Ginn responded to his benching with a historic performance, tying an NFL record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single quarter to lead Miami to a 30-25 win over the rival New York Jets.

Ginn said all the right things after his history-equaling performance, stressing that he "just wanted to make plays" for a team that has had few big ones this season.

Against the Jets, with the momentum seemingly on New York's side after a pair of scoring drives engineered by Mark Sanchez, Ginn made a spectacular rebuttal.

The first TD return was vintage Ginn, as he veered to the sideline and outran every Jet with a chance to bring him down.

But it was the second return that was special, as Ginn made two quick cuts in the hole when it seemed like he was in danger, found the outside again and was off to the races.

Two returns for a total of 201 yards, and those runbacks, coupled with Jason Taylor's 48-yard fumble return for a TD, helped the Dolphins stave of Sanchez and a furious Jets rally.

Miami won despite being outgained 378 yards to 104, their fewest yards ever in a win.

The Dolphins won despite Chad Henne completing 12-of-21 yards for a piddling 112 yards and one TD. The Wildcat was also held in check by the Jets, as the running game was held to a season-low 51 yards.

Henne was even sacked six times, as New York blitzes came at him from seemingly every angle.

But the young quarterback showed his cool, leading his team on the game-clinching TD march after a Sanchez 19-yard scoring toss to Braylon Edwards had cut the lead to 24-19.

Henne connected with tight end Joey Haynos on a key third-down conversion for 15 yards, then hit Haynos with the winning TD pass a few plays later.

It's the second time in three weeks the Dolphins have beaten the Jets, who have lost four of their last five after a 3-0 start.

Miami is now 3-4, with all three wins coming in the AFC East, which bodes well for the next game against the New England Patriots.

The victory overshadowed the continuing defensive breakdowns for the Dolphins, who again weren't able to consistenly pressure the passer in the second half.

Sanchez also riddled the suspect pass defense for 265 yards and two TDs, and Thomas Jones gained 102 yards on the ground.

Ginn was the story, but don't forget, he didn't make a single catch Sunday, as none of the Dolphins wide receivers were particularly effective.

Only two wideouts caught a pass from Henne, with Davone Bess leading the team with four catches -- for a paltry 18 yards.

The Dolphins know they were lucky to get out of the Meadowlands with a win, and there is still a lot to work on as Tom Brady & company loom.

Dolphins Watch has moved to a new home, which you can find by clicking on the following link: http://www.realclearsports.com/blognetwork/dolphins_watch/.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Dolphins-Jets: The sequel

In a strange scheduling quirk, the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets face off for the second time in three weeks, this time in the Meadowlands. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The last time the two teams played, of course, was on Monday night. And in one of the best games in the rivalry in recent years, Ronnie Brown's 2-yard TD run with six seconds left lifted Miami to a 31-27 win.

The next week, the Jets continued their skid with a 16-13 overitme loss at home to Buffalo, their third loss in a row. Quarterback Mark Sanchez single-handedly lost the game with his worst day as a pro, tossing five interceptions.

But last week, New York got back in the win column with a 38-0 demolishing of the hapless Raiders in Oakland.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, had unbeaten New Orleans on the ropes until a 22-point fourth quarter led to an improbable Saints 46-34 come-from-behind victory.

That loss dropped Miami to 2-4 and 2 1/2 games behind the Jets in the AFC East.

The Dolphins defense had no answer for New Orleans, as Drew Brees led the Saints to 43 points over the last two quarters.

Brees riddled the Dolphins secondary for 298 yards and one TD, and Miami also lost veteran cornerback Will Allen for the season with a torn ACL.

That elevates rookie Vontae Davis to the starting lineup, where he will play opposite another rookie, Sean Smith.

Jets receiver Braylon Edwards feasted on the Fins in the first meeting, catching five passes for 64 yards and a TD, but he has not been productive in the last two games.

Also, Jerricho Cotchery should return after missing the first meeting with a pulled hamstring, giving the Jets another receiving threat.

The Dolphins pass rush struggled against New York on that Monday night, tallying just one sack.

The defense started like a house of fire againast New Orleans, sacking Brees five times and intercepting him three times -- but all the damage was done in the first half.

Miami must get pressure on Sanchez to give the two young corners help, and the running game will be a priority for both teams.

The Jets ran the ball effectively against the Dolphins in the first meeting, tallying 138 yards.

New York lost a key player for the season last week as well, when do-everything running back Leon Washington broke his leg.

But the Jets found another option to team with Thomas Jones in rookie Shonn Greene, who lit up the Raiders for 144 yards and two rushing TDs.

Greene and Jones will look to pound it inside, while the Dolphins Wildcat offense will try to continue its dominance.

Miami ran for 151 yards against Rex Ryan's defense in the last meeting, which Ryan later lamented as an embarrassing effort.

Since then, the Jets have sunk to 22nd in the league against the run, and they lost a key run-stuffer in tackle Kris Jenkins, who also is out for the season.

Somehow, I get the feeling Ryan will have his defense better prepared this week than he did Monday night. The Jets have the home crowd on their side, and the revenge factor.

Plus, I don't think Chad Henne will have the same kind of day he had three weeks ago, when he riddled the Jets for 20-of-26 passing for 241 yards.

Ryan took the last Dolphins game personally, and I think he'll unleash the hounds on a team that might still be suffering a hangover from last week's meltdown.

Jets 27, Dolphins 24.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Is Ted Ginn a bust?

Over the past few days, there has been a firestorm of criticism in Miami surrounding wide receiver Ted Ginn after another lackluster performance agaisnt the New Orleans Saints.

The numbers tell a grim story: Four receptions for 77 yards the past four games, with 53 of them coming on a TD catch against the New York Jets.

He has also dropped several passes, and seemingly shied away from contact.

Against the Saints, Ginn dropped two passes, with one of them a bobble that ended up in the hands of safety Darren Sharper for a 42-yard TD that aided the New Orleans comeback.

It's been that type of effort -- or lack thereof -- that's marked Ginn's career.

And now, with the heat being turned up by the local media, Coach Tony Sparano finally admitted after Wednesday's practice that Ginn has competition for a starting job that once seemed to be his for the next few years.

For the first time all year, Ginn actually shared first-team reps with another receiver.

After two seasons, it's become evident that Ginn is simply a speed receiver, a straight-line runner who does not like to go across the middle or take punishment. Add to that his propensity for drops, and you have the makings of a bust.

Against the Colts in Week 2, Ginn had his finest day of the year, catching 11 passes for 108 yards. But he also showed why the Dolphins have not been able to rely on him in the clutch, as he let a Chad Pennington potential TD pass bounce off his hands in the end zone late in the game.

If Ginn catches that pass, the Dolphins go ahead 30-27, and force Peyton Manning to rally his Colts with less than a minute to play.

The scrutiny is nothing new to Ginn, who has been under a microscope since he was drafted in 2007.

The old regime of former coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller passed on Brady Quinn with the ninth pick (in retrospect probably a good decision) to take the speedy Ginn. In the second round, Cameron gambled on BYU's John Beck, who the Dolphins released this preseason and who is now the third-string quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, making Ginn and Beck possibly the worst first two picks in the last 20 years for Miami.

And that's saying something, considering the Dave Wannstedt-Rick Spielman draft-busting efforts that resulted in the franchise's freefall from perennnial playoff contender to 1-15 in 2007.

But back to Ginn.

His arrival on the Miami sports scene was hardly auspicious, as for the first time I can remember since following the team in 1986, he was actually booed during the introductory press conference in Miami.

That sort of thing just doesn't happen here, where the only person worthy of that kind of sentiment is current Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Usually, a player or coach is given the leeway to fail before the fans respond so lustily.

That moment said two things: One, that the fans were tired of the constant draft fiascos that resulted in the Dolphins missing out on players like Randy Moss and Drew Brees over the last 11 years, and instead getting players like Jamar Fletcher and John Avery.

Also, it didn't say much for what they thought of Ginn, another in a line of Ohio State wide receivers who were long on speed (Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn), but short on toughness.

And Ginn has never been a good fit for the current Sparano-Bill Parcells regime.

Parcells once famously said, "They let you cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries," in response to management selecting Glenn high in the draft over his objections.

Parcells does not believe in drafting skill players high. In fact, in another interview, he was quoted as saying you should never draft a running back with one of your top picks, because history has shown you can find just as good a back later in the draft.

Parcells and Sparano are meat-and-potatoes guys, while Ginn is clearly garnish: Pretty to look at and having lots of style, but ultimately, little substance.

So, with the emergence of fellow Buckeyes receiver and rookie Brian Hartline, who has caught six passes for 121 yards and a TD in the last three games (and was drafted in the fourth round, a spot Parcells would prefer to take a receiver), you could see the writing on the wall.

Now the question is, how does Ginn handle a possible demotion? Does he sulk, or does he work his hardest to regain his former position?

This may be a good thing to have happen to him, to re-ignite his competitive fires and make him into the player Dolphins fans and management hope he can be.

Or, this may prove to be the death-knell to his career here.

Either way, the answer won't be revealed for a few weeks, when we find out just what type of character and resolve Ginn has.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Dolphins melt down against Saints

For most of the first half against New Orleans, the Dolphins played their finest football of the young season.

Miami held the high-powered Saints to just one first down through the first 22 minutes of play, harrassed Drew Brees into three interceptions, and dominated the clock with the Wildcat en route to a 24-3 lead.

Jason Taylor looked like the J.T. of old for the first time in 2009, sacking Brees twice and forcing two fumbles.

As a team, the Dolphins recorded five sacks on Brees, the second-best performance of the season.

Backup safety Tyrone Culver also proved he deserves more playing time, as he made a big play with an interception in the first half.

But then the Dolphins committed a costly turnover, as Davone Bess lost a questionable fumble at midfield late in the first half.

Brees marched the Saints to the Miami 1-yardline with five seconds left. New Orleans could have kicked a field goal and gone into the locker room down 18.

But, Coach Sean Payton rolled the dice, and called Brees' number on a quarterback sneak.

He scored with no time left, and the Saints went into the locker room down by just 14 points despite being completely outplayed in the first half.

As expected, New Orleans turned it on in the second half, and the Dolphins could not stop the offensive barrage.

A Ted Ginn bobble turned into a Darren Sharper 42-yard interception return for TD, and Brees followed with a TD pass to Marques Colston to cut the deficit to 27-24.

Poor play in the Dolphins' secondary again ruled the day, as Jeremy Shockey caught four passes for 105 yards -- all in the second half -- and his 66-yard catch and run set the Saints up to take the lead for the first time Sunday.

Shockey got open because of a blown defensive assignment, and he broke a Vontae Davis tackle, then played paddy-cake with safety Gibril Wilson for another 40 yards before Wilson suddenly remembered the best way to tackle a behemoth like Shockey is to go low.

That set up one of the most spectacular TDs of the season, a 10-yard double reverse to Reggie Bush, who launched himself the last six yards for the score.

Brees played a bad game by his standards, hitting on 22-of-38 passes for 298 yards, but he made the big plays when his team needed him most.

In the second half, the Wildcats stalled, and the Dolphins were forced to rely to heavily on quarterback Chad Henne, who had 37 pass attempts.

Saints defensive back Tracy Porter clinched the game when a blitz forced Henne into a bad throw.

Porter made the pick, and went 54-yards to cap a 22-point fourth quarter, and sent the Dolphins to 2-4.

Miami wasted a superb day by Ricky Williams, who ran nine times for 80 yards and scored three TDs, with a 68-yard run being the longest TD of his career.

Miami now falls to 2 1/2 games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, and the Fins also lost veteran cornerback Will Allen for the season due to a torn ACL.

Sean Smith and Davis will now have to shoulder the load at cornerback. So far, the rookies have played well enough that there shouldn't be a severe drop-off at the position.

This marks the second time in a month the Dolphins have had a premiere team on the ropes, and just as they did against Indianapolis, the Dolphins couldn't finish off the effort.

Those two games could come back to haunt them as they try and make a playoff run.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

High-scoring Saints march into Miami

The Miami Dolphins come out of their bye week and into the fire, as they host the undefeated New Orleans Saints at Land Shark Stadium. Kickoff is at 4:15.

To say the Saints are a high-scoring outfit is an understatement. Through five games, New Orleans is averaging 38.4 points and 430 yards of total ofense per game.

Last week, Drew Brees and Company eviscerated the then-No. 1 defense in the NFL, the New York Giants, for 493 total yards and 48 points in the Saints' 48-27 drubbing.

Brees was at his best, completing 23-of-30 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns, and Marques Colston caught eight passes for 166 yards and a TD.

These two teams met in the preseason, but Brees and many of the offensive starters did not play in Miami's 10-7 victory.

For Miami to win, the Dolphins must employ the same strategy they almost executed against the Colts and Peyton Manning back in a Week 2 loss: Control the ball with the running game, and limit Brees' opportunities offensively.

The problem that week was that Manning made the most of every chance he got, and led the Colts to a 27-23 win despite having possession of the ball for only 14 minutes and 53 seconds.

The Saints present a variety of problems, as they have playmakers at every offensive position, and are even fifth in the NFL in rushing offense.

Colston will be a handful for the secondary, though Sean Smith and his 6-foot-3 frame should have some opportunities against him.

The bigger problems may be Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush out of the backfield.

The Dolphins have had problems all season with elite tight ends. In Weeks 1-3, Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates had their way with Dolphins linebackers and the secondary.

Not coincidentally, in this two-game winning streak they managed to shut down Derek Fine of the Bills and Dustin Keller of the Jets.

Shockey is banged up, but if he plays, he should see a lot of passes from Brees.

The Dolphins' pass rush, which has been largely nonexistent this season, may not have much of a chance Sunday, as Brees gets the ball off so quickly, teams can barely get to him.

The Saints have allowed just four sacks all year, fourth in the NFL, and the Giants' great pass rush did not drop him once in last week's victory.

Dolphins enter with balanced attack
The Dolphins are coming off their best offensive performance of the season.

In a 31-27 win over the Jets on Monday Night Football two weeks ago, Chad Henne had the finest day of his young career, completing 20-of-26 throws for 241 yards and two TDs.

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams spearheaded a 151-yard rushing effort out of the Wildcat, and Ted Ginn made his first big play of the season, when he beat a Jets triple-team for a 53-yard TD catch.

Now, the Dolphins must find a way to penetrate a Saints defense that has been surprisiingly good this year.

New Orleans ranks ninth in the NFL in total defense -- just one spot ahead of the Dolphins -- and last week the Saints held Eli Manning to his worst day of the season, with just 14 completions in 31 attempts for 178 yards and an interception.

Darren Sharper is the quarterback of the defensive backfield, and he is a master at reading a passer's eyes.

Sharper has five interceptions through five games, and he had a sixth last week that was called back due to a penalty.

He is exactly the type of crafty safety Henne should be wary of.

Other than Sharper, the New Orleans defense is largely the same outfit that has been a sieve the past few seasons.

What has changed is the addition of Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator.

His imaginative schemes and aggressive tactics have transformed the New Orleans defense, and the big men up front -- led by Charles Grant and Will Smith -- have formed a brick wall for opposing running backs, as the Saints rank fifth in the league against the run.

The Saints have too many weapons, and though I think the Dolphins will be able to move the ball on them -- particularly on the ground -- I see the Saints slipping by with a 31-24 score.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Grading the Dolphins

With the Dolphins on a bye this past weekend, this seems like a good time to grade the team on its performance so far this season:

Offensive line -- B: The space-eaters up front are reportedly making a combined $155 million in salaries this season, and they've earned every penny in the running game, paving the way for an attack that leads the league with an average of 177 yards per game. It's not just that the Dolphins are running it a lot; they are also running effectively, as their 4.8-average per carry attests. The only downside: The pass protection has been leaky at times, as the Dolphins have allowed 13 sacks through five regular season games, tied for 13th in the NFL.

Running backs -- A: Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have been the reasons for the Dolphins resurgence, and the Wildcat has been close to unstoppable in the last two games. Brown ranks eighth in the NFL with 443 yards, and he has already scored six TDs. Williams ranks 20th with 316 yards, and he has a gaudy 5.2-yard average per carry.

Wide receivers -- D: A group that has been wildly inconsistent from game to game, and is now a secondary factor in the offense. Davone Bess leads the unit with a paltry 23 receptions. Ted Ginn, the Dolphins' nominal No. 1 receiver, ranks 53rd in the NFL with 16 catches, and he has enjoyed just one 100-yard game. Too often the receivers have not been able to get separation from opposing corners, and the tight ends have been even worse, with just 10 receptions coming from that position.

Quarterbacks -- C: Chad Pennington didn't do much before his season-ending injury, averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt and throwing only one TD pass. Henne has been better through 2 1/2 games, but he's already been sacked more times (7) than Pennington had been in the same amount of action.

Defensive line -- B: The line has been the starting point for the Dolphins' excellence at stopping the run. Miami is third in the NFL in that category, allowing 76.4 yards per game and holding opposing backs to an average of 3.4 yards each time they run the football. Randy Starks and Kendall Langford have three sacks combined, but far too often the unit doesn't get enough push up the middle against opposing quarterbacks.

Linebackers -- C: Against, the run, this unit is stout, as Jason Taylor and Channing Crowder always seem to fly to the football. But against the pass, opposing tight ends have feasted. Three straight weeks, the Dolphins were burned by Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates, meaning this unit has been a big contributor to the team's 18th-ranked pass defense. The pass rush has also been poor, with half of the team's 12 sacks coming in the Buffalo game. Jason Taylor and Joey Porter are not providing the push they have in recent years, and Cameron Wake needs more playing time after his three-sack effort against Buffalo.

Secondary -- C: The rookies, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, have played well. The old man, Will Allen, has also been solid, save for the New York Jets game when Braylon Edwards had his way with him. But the Dolphins have just three interceptions as a team -- all against lowly Buffalo -- and then there are the safeties. Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell were part of the problem against tight ends, and they have missed far too many tackles to help compound the errors.

Special teams -- C: The Dolphins rank in the bottom half of the league in returns, and the problem is a lack of speed. Neither Davone Bess nor Patrick Cobbs have enough of it to break a big return, and now that Cobbs is injured, maybe Ginn can breathe some life into the return game. The kickoff coverage has been excellent, as Miami is allowing oponents an average of just 20 yards per return, though the punt return unit has been a little softer, allowing opponents a 10.3 average per return.

Punter Brandon Fields has been mediocre with 44.5 yards per kick, and he ranks even lower in punts downed inside the 20 with six. Dan Carpenter has been almost perfect this season, going 7-for-8 on field goal tries and 13-for-13 on extra points, though he has just two touchbacks, down from seven a year ago.

Coaching -- B: The Dolphins staff has again made the most out of what seems to be a little, as Dan Henning's game plans have kept opposing defenses off balance. After a bad start, Miami has averaged 31 points in its last three games. However, Henning did make a big gaffe that cost the Fins against Indianapolis, when he decided to run the ball on third down late in the game rather than go for the jugular and a TD that would have made Peyton Manning's job more difficult. Paul Pasqualoni has the defense doing its usual stout job against the run, but he hasn't found the magic formula for pressuring the passer -- though the pass defense has improved over the last two games. Tony Sparano has pushed the right buttons after an 0-3 start that could have ended in freefall, and he has the team believing in Henne.

Overall -- C-: The Dolphins dug themselves a big hole to start the season, but it's to their credit that they did not quit and have put themselves in position to at least make a run down the stretch. That said, there are too many holes on this team right now -- particularly defensively -- to think they have a shot of repeating last year's dream run to the playoffs.

(Yahoo Images)