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.
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.
