Another Dolphins Collapse

Hi, it’s Nisa, host of “On The Sportslines”. As many of you know, I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I didn’t think a loss could be any worse than that week 2 game against the Colts, where they blew a lead and an incredible 45-minute time of possession and still managed to lose. But alas, they have topped themselves with an even more ridiculous and unnecessary loss.

In yesterday’s game, to the shock of many, Miami was up 24-3 over the Saints, arguably one of the top 3 teams in the NFL. The Wildcat was clicking. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were running effectively. The defense was stopping the Saints explosive offense.

And then they let up. The Dolphins apparently forgot that a football game is 60 minutes long, and haven’t learned how to close out a game. You can’t let teams the caliber of New Orleans get back into the game, because they will take advantage of it. But even though they did let them back into it, Miami was still up by 3 points with 13 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. And what, pray tell, do they do? Wouldn’t it be logical to stick with the Wildcat and run the ball? And doesn’t it make sense to run down the clock as much as you can? Well I guess sense and logic went out the window in the 4th quarter, because the Dolphins decided to throw the ball on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd down. And of course, it was a 3-and-out and they had to punt.

I think Tony Sparano and co. were trying to emulate New Orleans’ offense instead of sticking with their own identity and what had been working the whole game. The Miami coaches got scared and confused and they panicked. They were playing like they were down by 10 points when they were up by 3! And once the Saints actually took the lead, it was just too late. Miami tried to force plays and the receivers dropped way too many balls. Yes, Ted Ginn, I’m talking to you! This epidemic of you not being able to make easy catches is unacceptable in the NFL.

Elite NFL teams know how to hold onto a lead and they don’t panic in the face of a little adversity. The Dolphins don’t seem to be there quite yet. They are certainly a good team with potential, but unless something changes, they aren’t going to be a great team anytime soon. Some people are impressed that Miami even put up this decent a fight. You know what, that’s not good enough. It doesn’t mean anything unless you can close out the game and get the W.