Dolphins Roar Past Patriots on back of Wildcat

Miami gets 1st win of season with 38-13 victory @ New England

Admit it. If you were told last week that the Dolphins-Patriots game this past Sunday in Foxboro would be a beat down of seismic proportions, naturally you would assume that Miami would have been on the receiving end, especially after being trounced by the Arizona Cardinals just last week. Instead, in one of the most shocking games in recent memory, the much maligned Dolphins absolutely dismantled the once mighty Patriots 38-13, ending New England’s 21 game regular season winning streak. Perhaps even more surprisingly, the Patriots were thoroughly out-coached, and could not figure out a new wrinkle in Miami’s offense, in which Ronnie Brown lined up at quarterback in the shotgun and Chad Pennington split out wide at receiver. The formation, dubbed the Wildcat by Dolphins coaches, was installed by quarterback’s coach David Lee, who utilized the same look last season as offensive coordinator of Arkansas, in which he employed McFadden in a similar role to Brown’s on Sunday. Brown set a franchise record with four rushing touchdowns, and also threw for a score, becoming only the second player in NFL history to accomplish such a feat.

Patriots quarterback Matt Cassell, making his second start in Tom Brady’s stead, struggled to move the offense and looked flustered under pressure from Miami’s pass rush. Outside linebacker Joey Porter, who declared earlier in the week that Miami would treat Cassell like a backup quarterback, backed up his strong words with his best performance in a Dolphins uniform with 3 sacks. Miami’s defense also prevented New England from completing any big plays in the passing game, a problem for the secondary in its previous two games against the Jets and Cardinals. The installation of Renaldo Hill as the starting free safety spot in place of Chris Crocker seems to have solidified the secondary for now. The Dolphins also held New England’s running game in check, as the Patriots managed only 79 yards rushing without starting running back Laurence Maroney, who missed the game due to a shoulder injury.

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Besides the trickery, the most encouraging sign on offense for Miami was the ability of the line to finally open up lanes for Brown and Ricky Williams to run through. The duo finished with 215 total yards on the ground and both backs averaged over 6 yards a carry. Much of Brown’s success came out of the wildcat, so it will be crucial for Miami to maintain an effective ground game in the coming weeks when opposing teams are more prepared to defend the formation.

Miami’s passing game flourished as well. Chad Pennington played remarkably efficient, completing 17 of 20 passes for 226 yards. Even Miami’s receivers got in the action. Ted Ginn caught 5 passes for 49 yards and Greg Camarillo added 4 catches for 60 yards. Tight end Anthony Fasano continued his strong play, which was highlighted by a 17 yard touchdown catch from Brown.

Miami is idle next week and faces San Diego October 5th at home.

By Glenn Katzman
ProFootball-fans.com Miami Dolphins Correspondent