From high to low...Beat the damn Jets

Monday, December 22, 2003
Robert Henderson
MDBW Staff Writer

What a strange season. The Dolphins are unbeatable at home in September and October? Meet the Texans and the Patriots. The Dolphins are worse on the road than at home? 6-2 and 3-4 (with one left), respectively. What happened? The majority of people who were placing their bets on the Dolphins to win the big one in the offseason just lost all their money last night. The Colts' loss to the Broncos clinched a playoff birth for Denver, and Miami clinched its second straight season with a playoff bye-bye. Happy Holidays!

Starting off the season against 5 abysmal teams, Miami, a Super-Bowl favorite should have won them all. In reality, Miami should have started this season 7-0, and then who knows what would have happened against the Colts and Titans if they were rolling like that. Instead, because of a week 1 screw up, and a Mare shank-shank (yes, you see two shanks there), the Phins suddenly found themselves at 5-2, 5-3, uh, 5-4. Crap.

Oh, but let's all jump back on the bandwagon. They win three straight, two against good teams, they're 8-4 and Jay Fiedler is playing the best football of his life. They have 10 days rest to prepare for a New England team that had won 8 straight at the time. 12-0. Gosh darn it.

The Eagles are in the NFC, the Dolphins rock on primetime at home. Miami should win this game and look like they might make the playoffs.

Buckley drops an interception that would have gone for 6, Seau keeps an Eagles' drive alive with a roughing the passer call, Knight, uh, Knight?....well, why talk about him now, we haven't mentioned his name all season. That awesome offseason in which we vamped the defense and didn't bother to try and get Jake Plummer or Kyle Turley to improve the offense looked like a waste. Three game winning streak meet two game losing streak.

And this past Sunday, what a day for the whole NFL. The Texans came back to win, I mean, uh, huh? Anyway, I meant to say they lost to the Titans with a gimpy Steve McNair. Jamal Lewis rushed for 205 yards and 2 TDs against the Browns because "we knew they would ware down by the fourth quarter, they always do," says Lewis. The Saints, down 20-13, score after lateraling the ball 3 times…only the band was missing. However, Carney misses the extra point, Saints season is over 20-19. Dolphins keep their playoff hopes alive by pounding the Bills and making Bledsoe look worse than Randy Moss's hair on Saturday only to watch the Colts fold in a game they needed the Colts to win….again (Colts lost to the Pats in a game that would have had Miami playing for the division in the game they, um, lost 12-0). Dolphins out.

Let us look at the positives of this season now. The Best 10 plays of 2003:

1. Chris Chambers snatching the ball out of the air in the back of the endzone in week 1 against the Texans for a TD.

2. Ricky Williams' reverse field 14 yard touchdown run against the Jaguars in week 6.

3. Chris Chamber's 1 handed leaping grab in the back of the endzone against the Cowboys.

4. Jay Fiedler knocking Jon McGraw out of the game in week 2 against the Jets on a 9 yard TD run.

5. Jay Fiedler's 39 yard pass to a diving Chris Chambers in the endzone on Thanksgiving day.

6. Matt Turk's 23 yard first down run on a heat of the moment fake punt against the Eagles on Monday night.

7. James McKnight's 68 yard touchdown run on a reverse against the Giants in week 5.

8. Jason Taylor's 34 yard fumble return for a TD on Thanksgiving as the Phins smoke the Cowboys and their number 1 defense.

9. James McKnight's 80 yard TD reception against the Redskins on the 3rd play of the game.

10. Terrell Buckley's 74 yard interception return for a TD against the Bills in Week 16.

Come on Miami. Let's win our last game of the season for once. Unfortunately it isn't the Super Bowl, but for sanity's sake…PUMMELL the Jets!

Robert Henderson can be reached by e-mailing webmaster@miamidolphinsbahamas.com. Or you can talk about this story and more on the MDBW Forums message board!