Miami's Majestical Dolphins Dispel NY's Jets

Adam Gase' Miami Dolphins are 13 - 4 over the teams last 17 regular season games. Those 13 wins started with a double-digit dousing of the 2016 Steelers. The Dolphins have won 13 consecutive games that Jay Ajayi had 18 or more attempts in while also continuing their franchise record streak of 12 consecutive victories by one score or less.

2017's Dolphins have been cloaked with curses cast upon them over the seasons entirety. (Tannehill, Irma, PPD, Timmons, 16,000 miles traveled by game three, at NY & London debacles, OL Coach Forester), and all of that took place on a weekly basis before game five.

The sky has been falling on Miami since the pre-season.
Not once have they ever cried wolf,
they just Huff & Puff & Blow Down one distraction after another.

Gase flicks the inconveniences from his shoulder as he states. ""We'll move forward, and do our thing"".

What is Miami's thing?
Start slow, and finish fast against all odds?

Week one Dolphin home opener cancelled.

Game one at LA's home opener took 9 unanswered late game Dolphin points for the 19 - 17 W.

A 16 - 10 Victory Versus the Titans came via the games only fourth quarter score, a Dolphin Touchdown.

Miami tapped their counter-spell-less magic wand 20 times over the final 21 minutes to beat the (home team and coming off a bye) Atlanta Falcons 20 - 17.

And today in hosting the New York Jets. While trailing 14 - 28 with 11:21 remaining on the game clock. The Miami Dolphins scored 17 unanswered points for the 31 - 28 VICTORY OF GLORY!

Today's "inconveniences" included a disasterously sloppy field, a few highly productive offensive plays negated by the starting centers handkerchiefs drawn, and a couple brainfarts on what should/would have been early game defining defensive third down stops.

Oh Yea.
While trailing 21 - 14, and with the Dolphins driving on the opening third quarter series. Quarterback Jay Cutler (sternum/ribs), & Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil (knee) were forced from the game on back to back plays.

Adam Gase
Flick the inconvenient crap from your shoulder, move forward, and win against all self destructing odds.

New York opened the game with a 75 yard drive resulting in a (29 yard TD pass) that Miami matched on their opening series. The Cutler to Landry four yard connection was the Dolphins first offensive touchdown in the first half of a game this season, (let-alone in the first quarter of a game). The Jets had another 75 yard drive in the second quarter (result an 18 yard TD pass) that the home team answered after covering 70 yards of their own. Tight-End Anthony Fasano's four yard reception from Cutler tied the game at 14 - 14.

On Miami's next possession from their own three yard line Cutler had a ball batted up and intercepted at the LOS. NY's offense walked it in for the 21 - 14 halftime lead.

To open the third quarter, Cutler drove Miami to it's 45 when on first and 10 he went down upon a vicious hit and incompletion. A defensive holding penalty gave the Dolphins an automatic first down. Adam (Prince Charming) Gase had a backup date for the ball, and the slipper fit Matt Moore. Though he went three & out to finish that particular possession.

On the fifth play of Miam's next offensive series Moore threw an interception at the Dolphins 45 yard line. Seven plays later the jets scored on a 9 yard touchdown pass for a 28 - 14 lead with less than 2 third quarter minutes remaining.

Miami followed with a four & out 6 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Adam Gase had an idea for a motivating Dolphin Tee-Shirt design  last year that Cam Wake saw and approved of. Gase broke the T's out this past week of practice, and it says.
""We Are Not Normal""!!

At this point of the game with (14:45) remaining. The Dolphins Defense did the norm, and allowed the Jets just 13 more offensive plays on 5 possessions.

Wake conjured up 2.5 sacks while Suh had the .5 to total 3 sacks, Terrance Fede recovered a fumble, and Bobby McCain pulled a rabbit out of the hat of NYQB McCown.

Meanwhile.
Matt Moore shook off the tightness of hibernation, and drove the Dolphins to 17 unanswered slight of hand points in the final eleven minutes.

After the Dolphin D forced a three & out for minus 6 yards, Miami took control at NY's 42. Four plays later Moore hit Kenny Stills for a 28 yard TOUCHDOWN to pull within 21 - 28.

Another Defensive three & out for minus 10 yards gave Miami the ball at their own 45. Six plays later Matt Moore hit Kenny Stills again. This time they did it twice from three yards out (though the first was nullified via a bogus OPI handkerchief). The second was good for the game tying score of 28 - 28.

Four more Jets along with seven more Dolphins offensive plays resulted in two punts, and gave NY the ball at their own 15 yard line with 47 game seconds left to tick away till overtime.

On first and 10 a mystical unicorn breached from beneath the quagmire of turf and propelled Bobby McCain from nowhere and into his own zone for the game clinching interception. It was just Miami's second pick for the year, but it was also the second consecutive game clinching ""Pick Of Destiny"" as Kicker Cody Parkey nailed the slippery 39 yard, 31 - 28 game winning fairy-tale.

NY passed for 180 yards on 27 attempts, and ran for 92 on 22 totes for 16 total first downs. Their D forced two turnovers, and had three sacks.

Miami quarterbacks completed 25 of 37 for 304 yards. Jay Ajayi (23/51) got his (18-plus game winning carries) while the team produced just 53 rushing yards on 25 attempts as the Dolphins totaled 25 first downs.

Cutler went 12 of 16, 138 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int for a 114.1 QBR

Moore was 13 - 21, 188, 2 TD, 1 Int for a 102.9 QBR

Landry had 7 receptions for 93 with a TD.
Stills converted 6 for 85 with two TD's.
Fasano caught 3 for 25 with a TD.

Miami had 76 penalty yards which was 48 fewer than NY's, and the Dolphins won the Time Of Possession battle by nearly four minutes.


At 3 - 2 Miami's average output was 12.?? points per game. With today's 31 the average has been up'd to 15.?? per.
2017's Dolphins have won three in a row and are 4 - 2 after six games played.

""We Are Not Normal""


Four Days Till Miami Visits Baltimore on Thursday Night Football..

GOFINS!!!

Miami Dolphins Survive Close Victory in LA

The Miami Dolphins breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Chargers last second field goal attempt sailed wide right. The events leading up to Miami’s first game, which should have been the second, were made even more bizarre with the disappearance of linebacker Lawrence Timmons. The curse befalling the Miami Dolphins over the last 40 years was clawing and screaming to get out of the bag, but this team marched on, refusing to succumb.

The demons floating over to the Charger’s sideline following the harrowing 19-17 victory should evince Miami Dolphin fans that something special is happening. Victories in these coin-flip games seem to follow a mystical winning force more elusive than a hurricane’s landfall. These Dolphins had seen it all before even strapping it up against the Chargers. From losing their starting QB, to opening week being cancelled, landing in LA a week early to evade Irma…

Timmons going AWOL was met with a shrug. Sorry Lawrence, your drama was but a single drop in a very large bucket. A bucket that has seen enough adversity to fill it way past half full. A great disturbance in the Force has awakened the Miami Dolphins, somehow they believe they will arrive on the winning side of these close games. In the last twenty years 46.12% of all the NFL regular season games were decided by 7 or less points.

When nearly 50% of all games are won by a touchdown or less, there had better be some karma working in the right direction. The difference between a 10-6 playoff team and a team home watching at 9-7, is a victory in one of these games. One win in a soccer stadium in LA against a team that missed two field goals. A puff of wind from the Great Gods of Football pushing the ball just wide right enough for Miami to fly home celebrating. All bad thoughts thwarted by a puff of the hurricane wind Miami conveniently brought with them to LA.

This football article has essentially nothing to do with football, because the Dolphins played like they hadn’t seen a field in two weeks. Jay Cutler’s QB rating was over 100 because he didn’t make any mistakes. 19 points were enough to save a defense that didn’t look to be firing on all cylinders. There were moments when Miami looked good, but mostly they looked like a team playing their first game with a new QB.

The silver lining may be playing the Jets and Saints prior to beginning a grueling schedule without a bye week. Miami needs to win the 7 point games, these are the games that build on themselves. These are games that embed the confidence required to win them. Like a biblical verse, close wins, beget close wins, beget close wins until poise becomes contagious and wining is expected, not hoped for. Slowly, the bad karma fades, replaced by a winning force that is no longer mystical.

On the football side, a disappointing performance by Lawrence Timmons in the pre-season or a domestic issue may have led to his departure. His disappearance leaves a huge void at the position Miami can least afford to lose. The Dolphins started Chase Allen over Mike Hull, a decision that indicates the undrafted rookie has climbed the depth chart at lightning speed. These Miami coaches have remained steadfast at placing the best performing players on the field. Is it possible Allen has displaced Timmons?

The only thing pretty about this victory is the check mark in the win column. The secondary looked vulnerable. While the defensive line did a great job holding the Chargers to 44 yards rushing, they recorded only 1 sack. Phillip Rivers threw for 323 yards with no INTs and 1 TD. Jay Ajayi reeled off 122 tough yards on 28 carries as Miami used the running game to slow down the Charger pass rush. This was a very clean game, with no turnovers by either team.

It came down to new Miami place kicker Cody Parkey making all 4 of his field goal attempts while the Charger’s Younghoe Koo made only 1 of 3 attempts. One would think growing up with a name like Younghoe would make one impervious to pressure, but that was not case. Parkey’s 54 yarder proved to be the game winner when Koo missed from 44 yards to end the game.

Looking back at the end of the season, the only thing that will matter is the win. Timmons will be a footnote in Miami history, as will Irma and these Dolphins will grow from yet another close victory. Jay Cutler has a game under his belt and all those detractors wishing for the barrage of INTs will have to wait another week. Jay now understands that his team is resilient enough to win games that may have eluded him in the past.

May the Force be with you Jay!

Bring on the Jets!