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Win Can't Hide Reasons For Concern
It wasn't very pretty. In fact, at times in was painful to watch. But the Miami Dolphins won a game they desperately needed on Sunday, and in the process there is still some hope that this season can be salvaged.
And now, they can get ready for Carolina on Thursday with the sole purpose of reaching 5-5 with six games left, a goal that for a time late Sunday afternoon seemed unattainable.
But even after the mistakes, even after Chad Henne threw a horrible interception that ultimately helped Tampa Bay take the lead, even after Ted Ginn Jr. misplayed the ensuing kickoff, even after the Dolphins let a 19-6 lead slip shockingly away, enough players stepped up to finally make a difference.
Dolphins 25, Bucs 23. Go ahead and exhale. It was that kind of day. The Dolphins played well, then played poorly, then stopped making plays, then finally remembered how to win a game in those frantic few seconds.
Who knows how this game will help the maturation of quarterback Chad Henne. He'll have some soul-searching to do over that late interception. Who was he throwing to? What kind of pass was that? How could he fail so miserably at such a crucial point in the game?
But that soul-searching can now also be replaced by a sense of satisfaction. It was Henne, after all, who led the Dolphins on that game-winning drive, who threw a couple of important passes to Davone Bess, who seemed cool after you had to wonder whether he could regain his composure.
Make no mistake, Chad Henne still has a long way to go to become a top-flight quarterback. His presence in the pocket. His decision-making. His touch. But you see the ability, you see the arm strength, and in that final drive against the Bucs, you saw the poise.
But Henne wasn't alone in this comeback. Bess had those two catches, Ricky Williams had a 27-yard run that meant everything and Dan Carpenter - how cool is this kid? - drilled the game-winner with 10 ticks left.
It was one of those bittersweet victories. Bitter because the Dolphins should have beaten this team by a couple of touchdowns. Sweet because they nonetheless prevailed.
But you could hear the concern in Coach Tony Sparano's words at his postgame press conference.
"We won a game," he said, "but you can't ignore the signs."
And the signs are this: The Dolphins play well for a while, but they don't sustain. The pass rush gets to the quarterback, then it disappears. The rushing defense smothers the running back, then it gives way. The Wildcat roars, then it retreats. The base offense does some things well, then seems to regress.
But the most depressing sign comes in the fourth quarter. It has been this way most of the season. The Dolphins, more than anything else, need to learn how to finish.
Look back at those five losses. You'll see different storylines, but a very common theme. You'll see the Dolphins failing to make plays in the fourth quarter. You'll see them getting outscored 96-64 in the fourth quarter. You'll see all sorts of mistakes, all different kinds of breakdowns.
Imagine where the Dolphins might be today if their finishing kick was as proficient as their opening burst. They certainly wouldn't be on the outside of the playoff race looking in. They wouldn't be in desperate need of a victory Thursday at Carolina and 10 days later at Buffalo to make the next home game against New England a meaningful experience.
"We have a chance to dig ourselves out of this hole we put ourselves in," said Sparano.
But it won't be easy. They can't expect to win playing like they did against the Bucs. They can't make all those mistakes late in the game.
I've maintained all season that the Dolphins are good enough to have a chance in every game they play and the events of the first nine games clearly bears this out. There were some excellent teams they could have, should have beaten. But they didn't and they showed Sunday against the Bucs how easy it is to go the other way, how unless they play well they also have a chance to lose to every team on their schedule.
"Up and down, up and down," Sparano said.
That was the game against the one-win Bucs. And that has been this season.
Who knows where it goes from here? But we won't have long to find out. A Thursday night game against Carolina now looms large. The Dolphins desperately need another win if this season is to stay in one piece.
We almost saw it unravel against the Bucs. But thanks to that late drive, to that crucial run by Williams and to the right leg of Carpenter, the light still flickers on the Dolphins season.
And after some of the losses this team has already endured, that says plenty.
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