Dolphins-Jets: Charting a memorable rivalry

With all due respect to the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and even the Miami Dolphins' former AFC East playmates, the Indianapolis Colts, no team gets a Dolphins' fan's blood boiling more than the New York Jets.

It's a rivaly that goes back to the salad days of the AFL, when Joe Namath led the Jets on an upward climb that led to their only Super Bowl win in 1969, and the Dolphins were a struggling expansion franchise.

Monday night marks the 88th meeting between the teams, with the Jets holding a 46-40-1 overall edge, including a 13-5 mark against Miami this decade.

There have been many memorable games between the two teams, starting in the 1970s, when Namath went against the Dolphins and their vaunted "53 defense."

Miami won most of those battles, on the way to a 14-6 record against New York in the 1970s, and the Dolphins won their only two Super Bowls following the 1972 and 1973 seasons.

The battle reached its apex in 1982, when the teams met three times in the strike-shortened season, with the final meeting deciding the AFC Championship.

The Dolphins won the first two games, 45-28 and 20-19, and then, in a game that was later dubbed "The Mud Bowl," Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe intercepted three Richard Todd passes, returning one 35 yards to seal a 14-0 victory.

In 1985, future Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino hit Mark Duper with a 50-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to play to give the Dolphins a come-from-behind 21-17 win. Duper, who had missed seven weeks with a broken leg, set a team record in that game with 217 yards receiving.

Then came 1986. In the first game of the Jets-Dolphins rivalry I ever saw, Marino threw a career-high six TD passes and staked the Dolphins to a 45-38 lead late at the Meadowlands.

But with Miami trying to run out the clock -- and needing one first down to do it -- running back Woody Bennett fumbled, and the Jets recovered.

Cue Ken O'Brien to Wesley Walker, as the pair connected for the tying TD with no time left to force overtime.

Then, after winning the all-important coin toss, O'Brien found Walker again -- for Walker's fourth TD and a 51-45 win that remains the highest-scoring game in the series.

O'Brien threw for 479 yards in the victory; Marino passed for 448.

That game propelled the Jets to a nine-game winning streak, and at 10-1 they ventured to the Orange Bowl for a Monday night date with the Dolphins.

What resulted was an improbable blowout, as Marino completed 29-of-36 passes for 288 yards and four TDs, and Lorenzo Hampton gained 150 yards on 19 carries and scored two TDs in a 45-3 victory.

The Jets lost their last five games, but backed into the playoffs at 10-6 that season.

On Dec. 7, 1987, the already intense rivalry became even nastier when Jets defensive tackle Marty Lyons' illegal chop block on future Hall-of-Fame Dolphins center Dwight Stephenson ended Stephenson's career in a 37-28 Jets' victory.

Dolphins coach Don Shula was so upset about the hit that he reportedly chased Lyons out of the locker room with a profanity-laced tirade when the defensive tackle tried to apologize to Stephenson.

The next year, Marino threw for a career best 521 yards, but he also tossed five interceptions -- three to rookie Jets corner Erik McMillan, who returned one 55 yards for a TD in another Jets win.

In 1991, the teams met in the regular season finale at Joe Robbie Stadium with a playoff berth on the line.

Marino passed to Ferrell Edmunds for a 1-yard TD and a 20-17 lead with just 44 seconds left.

But the Dolphins went into a prevent defense, which allowed O'Brien to move the Jets into field goal range, and Raul Allegre booted a 44-yard field goal to tie the game.

Once again, the Jets won the toss and received the ball in overtime, and Allegre put them in the playoffs with a 30-yard kick.

Marino didn't get his revenge until three years later, with the "Clock Play," when he led the Dolphins back from a 24-6 halftime deficit to beat the Jets in 1994.

After throwing two TD passes to Mark Ingram to cut New York's lead to 24-21, Marino drove the Fins to the Jets' 5-yard line with 30 seconds left.

Once there, it looked like Marino was going to spike the ball to set up the next play.

But as we all know, he faked the spike, and hit Ingram for the winning TD pass over rookie Aaron Glenn. The Dolphins won 28-24, and went on to capture the AFC East that season.

The next memorable meeting came in 2000, when the Dolphins took a seemingly insurmountable 30-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Jets fans still remember the NFL Films microphone picking up this exchange between Dolphins quarterback Jay Fielder and defensive end Jason Taylor:

Fiedler: "They ain't coming back on us!"

Taylor: "Hell no! You kidding? C'mon now."

Of course, the Jets rallied for 23 fourth quarter points to tie the game.

And, when it seemed like Miami had regained control after Fiedler hit Leslie Sheppard for a TD and a 37-30 lead, the Jets battled back again.

Vinny Testaverde threw to a 3-yard TD pass to Jumbo Elliot on a tackle-eligible play that tied the game with 42 seconds left. It was Testaverde's fourth TD pass of the quarter.

In overtime, Fiedler threw his third interception, leading to John Hall's 40-yard field goal that won the game, 40-37.

When Monday Night Football celebrated its 500th telecast in 2002, fans picked this as the greatest game in the history of the series.

It has forever come to be known as "The Monday Night Miracle."

The years following that game were down ones for both franchises, as the Dolphins only made the playoffs once and the Jets three times, winning just one postseason game between them.

Then came last year, and the Brett Favre experiment, which actually began in Miami.

On opening day, Favre threw two TD passes, including a Hail Mary at the end of the first half that Chansi Stuckey somehow caught, to beat the Dolphins 20-14 in Dolphin Stadium.

That started the Jets on an 8-3 surge that made them seem playoff-bound.

We all know what happened next.

Favre hurt his elbow, and the Jets struggled, losing three of their next four to fall to second in the AFC East.

The Dolphin entered the Meadowlands on the final weekend of the regular season needing a win to clinch the division and a playoff berth.

Favre threw three interceptions, while jettisoned Jet Chad Pennington completed 22-of-30 passes for 200 yards and two TDs in a 24-17 win.

The Dolphins went to the playoffs, while the Jets stayed home.

Just another chapter in what has historically been one of the best rivalries in the NFL, a rivalry that will feature new heroes Monday night, as young QBs Mark Sanchez and Chad Henne face off for the first of what could be many times.

Let's hope it lives up to the long, memorable history established between these two franchises.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Dolphins finally get in win column

It was the template you thought the Miami Dolphins would follow for success against the Buffalo Bills: Establish the run, and put Chad Henne in good situations when throwing the football.

Well, the Dolphins held the ball for more than 37 minutes, and piled up 250 rushing yards for their first victory of the 2009 season, 38-10 over the fading Buffalo Bills.

Henne was efficient, completing 14-of-22 passes for 115 yards and his first NFL touchdown pass, a 5-yard toss to rookie Brian Hartline.

But the story of this game was the Miami offensive line, which cleared the way for Ronnie Brown's 20-carry, 115-yard, 2 TD effort.

Ricky Williams also got in on the act with 16 carries for 85 yards and another score.

The defense played its best game of the young season, limiting Trent Edwards to 192 passing yards, and recording the first three interceptions of the season.

Will Allen had two, and Vontae Davis got the first big play when he stepped in front of an Edwards pass and returned it 23 yards to give the Fins a 10-0 lead.

The pass rush was also impressive.

Cameron Wake made his first big impact as a Dolphin, recording three sacks, and Jason Taylor finally made his presence felt with two more.

All told, the Dolphins had a season-high six sacks, all the more impressive since sack leader Joey Porter missed the game with a shoulder injury.

The run defense, ranked third in the league entering the game, continued to shine, holding Buffalo to 46 yards on the day.

With a big division game against the New York Jets coming up next Monday night, Sunday should be a harbinger of what the Dolphins want to do the rest of the season.

A dominant running attack and solid defense can lead to victories, and can limit the pressure put on Henne to win games by himself.

If the Dolphins can do the same things they did against Buffalo, they may find themselves back in the division race come next Tuesday.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

New-look Dolphins take on Bills

It's not the ideal time to break in a new starting quarterback, but the Miami Dolphins will try and make the most of it as they take on the Buffalo Bills at home Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m.

At 0-3, it's panic time for Miami, which suffered a huge blow in losing starter Chad Pennington for the season last week.

That means Chad Henne, who has thrown all of 31 professional passes in his NFL career, is now the starter.

Henne struggled last week off the bench against San Diego, completing 10-of-19 passes for 92 yards. But Eric Weddle intercepted Henne, and returned the ball 31 yards to clinch Miami's third straight loss of the season.

Now, Henne will be called upon to revitalize an offense that ranks 26th in points scored (14.3), 19th in total offense (317 yards per game) and 30th in passing (155.7 ypg).

Henne will certainly have some opportunities, as Buffalo will be missing 3/4 of its secondary: Cornerback Leodis McKelvin is out for the season with a fractured fibula, safety Bryan Scott will not play due to an ankle injury, and fellow safety Dontae Whitner is out with a thumb injury.

Former San Diego starter Drayton Florence will replace McKelvin, while former starter George Wilson will team with rookie Jairus Byrd at safety.

Add to it the season-ending injury to starting linebacker Paul Posluszny, and the Dolphins would seem to have the advantage on offense.

Not coincidentally, the Bills have struggled on defense this season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in every important statistic.

The most important matchup will be the Dolphins running game, which ranks third, against the Buffalo rush defense, which ranks 18th.

The Dolphins have rushed for 410 yards in the last two games, and the Wildcat has been as effective as it was last season.

It stands to reason that for a team that can make few mistakes, the ground game will be the bedrock of Miami's success Sunday, particularly with a young quarterback under center.

Defensively, the Dolphins have stuffed the run, ranking third in the NFL in that category with an average of just 66 yards gained against them so far.

Buffalo has not one, but two threats at the position to challenge the Dolphins' run defense.

Starter Marshawn Lynch returns from a three-game suspension, and the 1,000-yard back will test Miami with his physical running style.

The Bills have another good option in Fred Jackson, who excelled while Lynch was out, rushing for 291 yards in Buffalo's first three games.

Those will have to be the key weapons, because Buffalo's passing attack has sputtered so far this season.

Despite having Lee Evans and Terrell Owens as his starting receivers, quarterback Trent Edwards has only thrown four TD passes, and the Bills rank only 24th in the league in passing.

In fact, Owens was shut out last week against the New Orleans Saints, snapping a streak of 185 straight games with at least one catch.

There have been hints of Buffalo splitting Jackson out wide as a receiver to take advantage of his variety of skills, and with him and Lynch in the game at the same time, the Bills have a number of ways to attack Miami.

If there has been a weakness in the Dolphins' defense this season, it has been against the pass, where Miami ranks just 26th.

Tight ends in particular have been a problem, but the Bills' top target there, Derek Fine, has just two catches this season.

The Dolphins' pass rush has not helped much, with just five sacks through the first three games.

Linebacker Joey Porter, the team's sack leader with two, vows to play Sunday with a shoulder injury that has him listed as questionable.

The Bills are banged up, and the Dolphins have good matchups position-by-position.

Henne will do just enough, but it is the running game -- and the Bills' lack of a passing attack -- that will produce Miami's first win of 2009. Dolphins 17, Bills 13.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

It's Henne time in Miami

A bad start for the Miami Dolphins got even worse with the news that starting quarterback Chad Pennington has a torn capsule in his right shoulder and will be lost for the season.

With Pennington gone, Miami loses the ultimate game manager, and one of the players most responsible for last season's 11-5 record and AFC East division title.

Pennington passed for 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and quickly became the leader of a young Dolphins offense. It's no coincidence that the Dolphins turned the ball over a league-record low 13 times in a 16-game season, a testament to Pennington's ability to make good decisions under pressure.

So far this season though, Pennington's struggles had mirrored the Dolphins'.

Through 2 1/2 games prior to the injury, Pennington had thrown just one TD pass, and an uncharacteristic three INTs. He also was the 27th highest-rated quarterback in the NFL.

Now, with the season on the brink of going off the rails as Miami faces a possible 0-4 start, it's Chad Henne's time.

Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano are going to see exactly what Henne has in the first extended action of his NFL career.

The second-year pro will make his first NFL start Sunday, after completing 10-of-19 passes for 92 yards and a key interception in last week's 23-13 loss to San Diego.

Last year, Henne played sparingly, hitting 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards in parts of three games.

He had a so-so preseason, though he was anointed as the starter in 2010.

Dolphins fans and the coaching staff will now get to see how Henne performs in the pressure of an NFL game, where the outcome hinges on his performance.

He has a stronger arm than Pennington, so maybe the Dolphins will be able to take the deep shots Pennington seemed to largely avoid so far this season.

And maybe Henne will be just the tonic Ted Ginn needs to break out in this, his third season.

Henne missed on a couple of passes to Ginn last week, as the Dolphins' top receiver did not make a single catch a week after torching the Colts for 11 receptions for 108 yards.

The most important thing Henne must do is avoid the traps a young quarterback faces: Not looking off defenders and failing to read coverages.

He didn't to do that last week, when he telegraphed a pass that safety Eric Weddle ran back for the clinching TD in San Diego.

Henne must show he's more like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Peyton Manning -- three quarterbacks who excelled in their first seasons.

Whatever happens, this is likely Henne's audition for 2010.

Will he make the grade?

That depends on the last 13 games of this season, a season that is quickly slipping away for Miami.

For added insurance, the Dolphins traded with the Kansas City Chiefs for third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen, giving up an undisclosed draft pick next year.

Last season, Thigpen, 25, started 11 games for Kansas City and completed 232-of-420 passes for 2,608 yards. He threw for 18 TDs and 12 INTs.

Thigpen will be the most experienced quarterback for Miami, with Pat White a rookie who has played sparingly in the team's first two games.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Dolphins fall to 0-3

The nightmare of a 2009 season continued for the Miami Dolphins, as they fell 23-13 to the San Diego Chargers.

Philip Rivers completed 18-of-33 passes for 303 yards in the victory.

Trailing 3-0, the Dolphins were driving for the go-ahead score when Chad Pennington fumbled the handoff with Ronnie Brown.

The ball bounded out of the end zone, and the Chargers ended up with a momentum-swinging touchback.

From then on, the Chargers dominated.

Vincent Jackson caught five passes for 120 yards, and Antonio Gates added five catches for 64 yards to lead San Diego.

Chad Pennington was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury after completing 8-of-12 passes for 54 yards.

Fans who wanted to see Chad Henne become the future had to be disappointed, as last year's second round pick struggled with 10 completions in 19 attempts for 92 yards and an interception that Eric Weddle returned 31 yards for the clinching TD and a 23-6 lead.

Ronnie Brown had a decent game with 18 carries for 75 yards, but he was less effective in the second half, when he ran for just 24 yards as the Dolphins tried to mount a comeback.

But, what's happened to Pat White?

The team's second round choice from West Virginia has played less and less as the season has worn on, after an ineffective game in Week 1 vs. Atlanta.

In San Diego, White never took the field, and in the last two Wildcat-heavy games, he has not been involved.

Could this mean White isn't worth the pick the Dolphins spent on him? Are Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells admitting they made a mistake by drafting him, when they could have had an impact defensive player like USC's Rey Maluaga?

He certainly could have helped Sunday. Kendall Langford and Joey Porter each had a sack, but the Dolphins couldn't put consistent pressure on Rivers.

At 0-3, the Miami faces another must win at home against Buffalo next week.

(Photo: Yahoo images)

Dolphins look to avoid 0-3 vs. Chargers

After all but beating the Indianapolis Colts last Monday night, the Miami Dolphins travel to the West Coast to face the high powered San Diego Chargers at 4:15 p.m.

The challenge is a daunting one: Try to avoid going 0-3 against one of the most talented teams in the NFL.

Last week, Miami dominated the Colts statistically, except for the big statistic on the scoreboard, which read Indianapolis 27, Miami 23.

Miami rolled up 239 rushing yards, with Ronnie Brown being the primary weapon with 136 of them, to go with touchdowns.

Look for more of the same conservative game plan the Dolphins ran against the Colts, as they face an even more potent offense in the Chargers.

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers leads the NFL with 688 passing yards, including a mind-boggling 436 against the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense in a 31-26 loss last week.

Rivers has a variety of weapons in Norv Turner's attack.

Vincent Jackson presents a large target at 6-foor-3, and he toyed with the Ravens secondary with six catches for a game-high 141 yards and a TD.

Cornerback Will Allen is a full five inches shorter than Jackson, which makes this a troublesome matchup.

Rookie corner Sean Smith is Jackson's height, though he is not the equal in experience, which could be a drawback for Miami.

Malcolm Floyd -- all 6-foot-5 inches of him -- is another formidable red zone target.

The Chargers also have former Dolphin Chris Chambers as a solid third option, and we haven't even gotten to the man who will be Miami's biggest nemesis Sunday: Former all-pro tight end Antonio Gates.

Gates has been good in each of San Diego's first two games, catching five passes in each for a total of 161 yards. And he has to be excited about this matchup, considering the Dolphins have struggled to cover big-time tight ends in each of their first two games.

Future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez repeatedly beat Dolphins linebackers and safeties for big plays in Week 1, and he finished with five catches for 73 yards and a score.

But that's nothing compared to what Colts tight end Dallas Clark did last week.

Clark scored on the opening play of the game, an 80-yard TD -- beating a befuddled Akin Ayodele and Gibril Wilson -- on his way to a career high 183 yards on seven catches.

Gates is a physical and fast tight end, a combination of Clark and Gonzalez, and the Chargers have to know that is a weak spot they can probe all day.

The other most dangerous weapon for San Diego is in the backfield, but it's not LaDainian Tomlinson.

The once-great running back has only played in the Chargers season opener, and he gained just 55 yards on 13 carries before injuring an ankle. He missed last week's game, and won't suit up Sunday.

That's unfortunate for Miami, because LT's backup is now a better player.

Five-foot-six Darren Sproles scored the winning TD in San Diego's 24-20 win over Oakland, and last week he provided offense as a receiver, catching seven passes for 124 yards, including an 81-yard score.

If Dolphins linebackers have had problems covering tight ends like Gonzalez and Clark, what will happen when Rivers finds Sproles one-on-one with them?

Also, the Dolphins have to find what has been a nonexistent pass rush.

It was supposed to be bolstered by the return of Jason Taylor and the addition of Cameron Wake, but the Dolphins only recorded one sack last week, by Joey Porter, and the team has only three for the season.

The Chargers line isn't especially great, allowing five sacks in two games and missing center Nick Hardwick for the rest of the season.

Miami can also attack a San Diego defense that ranks 20th in the league and has surrendered an average of 25.5 points in its first two games.

The Chargers only have two sacks and rank 13th in pass defense, but remember, they played the Raiders' awful JaMarcus Russell in Week 1, so those numbers are skewed.

Also, they rank 24th against the run, so teams have been choosing that area to exploit all year.

Baltimore's Joe Flacco had an efficient day against San Diego last week, completing 17-of-26 passes for 190 yards and two TDs.

The Chargers defense also gave up 130 yards rushing againt Baltimore and 148 against the Raiders, meaning the Dolphins running game should continue its resurgence.

This should be a game reminiscent of last week's: Miami trying to bleed the clock, with San Diego having to make the most of its opportunities when it gets the ball in Rivers' hands.

Last year, Miami climbed out of an 0-2 hole, partly with a home win against the Chargers.

It's time for a new wrinkle from Sparano and company, who famously came up with the "Wildcat" last season after losing the first two games. And with their backs against the proverbial wall, the Dolphins will do just enough to pull out a 24-20 victory.

(Photo: Yahoo images)

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)