Dolphins and Jets, Rivalry 3.0

Finally, now we can begin to hate each other anew.

For the better part of a decade, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have been playing each other twice a year with little more than bragging rights on the line. Save for last season, it has been a seesaw of underperforming once-historic football teams, with each trading off for the title of second worst in the AFC East (the Buffalo Bills can usually claim the honor of official worst).

Ours is not an easy division, the Patriots are regularly named the favorite, and rightfully so. Each franchise has gone through some serious identity crisis, with enormously large shoes to fill at quarterback and at head coach. Legacies from an era that is not forgotten but whose essence is lost on the new generation of football fans. Each has had the quarterback carousel go round and round looking for another "great one" to fall into their laps and lead their team to division glory.

Henne might be "The One" to lead the Dolphins back to NFL glory.

Photo courtesy of NFL Photos, all rights reserved.

Last night may have been the beginning of a new era in the Phins/Jets rivalry. Rookie Mark Shanchez of the Jets and second-year, first-time starter Chad Henne of the Dolphins faced each other for the first time. Both teams boast great run-stuffing defenses, and both seem to falter when it comes to defending the pass. So, when it came down to crunch time (long third downs and much of the fourth quarter, where there were five lead changes alone) it was no surprise that both coaches looked to their youth under center for big plays. Both missed some open passes, but surprisingly both handled the pressure well and executed at least one big play to their primary targets (Ted Ginn Jr. for Henne, and the newly acquired yet quickly incorporated Braylon Edwards for Sanchez).

Each could have done a lot worse for their cause, but it came down to clock management and less about making the big play. Miami drove down the field with a little more than five minutes left on the clock, primarily in their "gimmick" offense. You know, the one that got over six yards per carry, and is averaging over eight yards per carry ON THE SEASON? Yeah, that one.

To those of you who said the run-heavy formation couldn't win football games, one needs look no further than last night, when coach Tony Sporano leaned on the Wildcat for 16 plays totaling over 100 yards, including the game winning touchdown drive.

But the Dolphins don't consider it a gimmick, and they are not afraid to stay in the formation until an opposing team has shown they can stop it. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown are an effective one-two punch, and they look at ease with the formation. They are a big part of why it has worked so well and thus allowed the Dolphins to dominate the time of possession in every game this season, even the loses.

Last night was one of the better Monday night games since the broadcasting rights have gone to ESPN. While last week we saw the Brett Favre show, this week we saw an amazing football game. With all the backdrop to this game: the division rivalry, the comments from coach Rex Ryan and linebacker Channing Crowder, the two young highly-drafted quarterbacks, and all of the players who used to wear the opposing teams colors and have something to prove (Jason Ferguson) this rivalry is back and (almost) better than ever. This is the beginning of something great, and what a treat it will be to see our green-and-white-blooded friends again in just a mere three weeks.

Jets/Dolphins is back, and this time it actually means something.

Midseason Review: The Real Wildcat of The Phins

Phins Phans have been treated to a delight this NFL season; we've already won 400% more this season than last. But the best part about this season has not been just about winning (although, admittedly huge) it has been about the freshness of our team and the personalities that are showing through. Who would have thought that the driver of the Green Machine that has been our bitter rivals (J-E-T-S) would be leading us in what is turning out to be one of the more memorable seasons in recent Dolphins history. He is leading the team to victories with his poise and consistently excellent passing percentage rates. Also, he is in the top 10 in the NFL in quarterback ratings and passing percentage, the top 5 in the same categories in the AFC, and number two in QB rating only behind Peyton Manning in the AFC. There is no doubt that this guy is a professional and a team leader. It almost feels like we stole something from the Jets, because next year we all know the drama that will follow The Old Man and the questions about retiring (again). But not us. Nope. We're good. Pennington can play for another four or five years if our offensive line continues to protect him the way they do.

There is the perfect segway to my next praising point: the o-line has played out of this world. Well, they have played average in comparison to the rest of the NFL, allowing around 1.8 sacks per game through 8 games. But compared with last year, when our makeshift o-line allowed more than 2.5 sacks per game, things are definitely improving. The highest paid rookie offensive tackle in NFL history has not disappointed. He is holding his own and rarely makes mistakes. You know that you're something when people starting mentioning Canton in your rookie season. Good choice Tuna.

Then you've got the Wildcat offense. The gimmicky trick play set that has our star running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams line up in the back field with quarterback Chad Pennington lining up at wide receiver. It certainly made the unsuspecting fans nervous to see Ronnie Brown taking the snap, but what ensued made up for all of the distress it put on me and my family's heart. It worked. There were more options from that set than most teams whole playbook. Half back passes and options and flea-flicker-type reverses. It was something Dave Wandsted or Nick Saban would never have tried. Poor Cameroon never had the chance to because he didn't have half the weapons Sparano has (Ronnie was hurt, Ricky was banned-then hurt, and Chad played for the Jets). Ronnie Brown has been nothing shy of amazing this offseason, and now that I think about it, he's beent hat way his whole professional career. All he needed was what any running back needs to succeed, a good blocking from a solid offensive line.

I admit that I had my doubts about this season. I wasn't sold on Chad and I was really nervous about losing our defensive identity when Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas left over the off season. And our no-name secondary was not fooling anyone. What I forgot was that Joey Porter is freak of nature and thrives in the 3-4 defensive scheme. Porter is making the biggest impact on the team though, by far. He has shouldered the defensive responsibilities of being captain, makes the big plays, voices his opinions, and leads by example. He is the mental edge leading our defense and has brought that swagger back that seemed gone after Zack and Jason left. His NFL-leading 11.5 sacks this season is already a career best for the 31 year-old. He is not necessarily on pace to challenge Strahan's record just yet, but if he has a couple more 4-sack games like he did against the Brady-less Patriots (who, I might add, still have one of the best offensive lines in football) anything is possible. It is that feeling that has us DolPhans so excited, the feeling that, hey, anything could happen. Some of us dare to even dream of the 2008-2009 playoffs. Lets not get ahead of ourselves, because after a season like last season anything seems better than the way they were. I just don't want to sell ourselves short, because we can beat anyone, just so long as we don't beat ourselves first. 

SuperLiga Is Here! For Now...

So after the Houstan Dynamo handled Pachuca and sent the reigning SuperLiga champs back to Mexico sans hardware, it's up the New England Revolution to beat Atlante tonight to make it the first All-MLS SuperLiga in history! Well, it's only the second year the tournament is being played, but still. This is a huge milestone for MLS if it comes to the Dynamo vs. the Revs; the Mexican Priemera Division is largely veiwed as superior to the MLS and has a long and storied history of producing quality teams and players.

So in light of that... COME ON REVS!

Ok, so I generally dislike Boston sports teams (Cards, Phins, and Magic), but I would love to see the Buffalo-Bills-like Revs finally get one. I love to watch them play football. When TT is his stride the Revs are so dangerous it's silly. And I love Nicols as a player's manager. He makes such solid picks, he really gets the MLS system. Even though having an All-MLS final would be anti-climatic it would speak volumes about the MLS.

And I can't help but feel like even though this tournament has produced some amazing games (remember Chris Klein's bicycle last year in the dying minutes to tie the game? Just beautiful) it will not go more than a few years before being scrapped. If the only incentive is some chump-change and bragging rights it's not worth the players risking injury. MLS teams are just not that deep to compete in so many competitions, and the Mexican league is not going to like being taken advantage of by having such a difficult tourney during pre-season.

This tournament is only going to prosper if they start inviting some other teams from South or Central America, because in all reality this is just like a glorified CONCACAF Champions Cup. The same four teams keep playing each other. I enjoy watching it, but casual fans will be turned off by it. But you add RiverPlate and Sao Paulo in there and you can truly call it "super." Until then, it seems like every international tourney with Mexican and MLS teams is going to end with DC/Galaxy/Revs/Houstan playing Pachuca/Guadalajara/Chivas in some combination for every single game. That could turn out some great rivalries, playing to the ever-present US vs. Mexico rivalry, but mixing it up with more of the Americas outside of our hemisphere will only make our league more credible by playing some quality teams and generating additional marketing opportunities.