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So Many Heroes In Big Victory
The Miami Dolphins are growing up before our eyes.
Each victory has its own signature, its own special meaning, its own remarkable storyline. Sunday in Denver was one to remember. It was a day when the Dolphins stood so tall in so many areas, making one positive statement and one huge play after another.
For a team that could win only one game the season before, for the Dolphins to be standing here at midseason with a 4-4 record and with three home games staring them in the face, this has to go down as one of the more remarkable subplots of the NFL season.
Dolphins 26, Broncos 17. Where do you start? Do you start with a defense that held this once mighty Broncos rushing attack to just 14 measly yards? With a secondary that played lights out for the second week in row? With an offense that waited until the most crucial moment of the game to put together perhaps its most important drive of the season?
Or maybe you start with the fire of Tony Sparano who keeps his players believing and thinking there is little they can't accomplish.
That's the amazing thing about these Dolphins. There are so many places to start, so many individuals to single out.
A week after Ted Ginn Jr. makes headlines, there is Greg Camarillo with 11 catches for 111 yards. Did anybody say Wes Welker?
In a season where he has been criticized for dropping sure interceptions, Will Allen picks off a first quarter Jay Cutler pass and goes the distance. Then there was Jason Allen with another pick and, finally, a guy named Tyrone Culver with a huge fourth quarter interception. Why, Culver wasn't even on the team the whole season, and now he's saving a game.
But don't stop there. Joey Porter raises his sack total to a career-best 11.5 at midseason and you wonder if anyone can slow him down. Chad Pennington continues to play like the best quarterback this franchise has seen since Dan Marino and the young offensive line keeps gaining confidence with each week.
No, we won't get ahead of ourselves. We won't start talking playoffs or magical storylines. Let's, for a moment, simply appreciate where this team is right now and where it has been. That is so much to savor just by itself.
But of all the things that transpired in the mile high air of Denver, the most impressive, the most unforgettable, from my standpoint was the drive this offense put together to seal the deal in the fourth quarter.
We may look back at that drive as the key to this season, as a springboard of sorts for this team.
The Broncos had just cut the deficit to two points (19-17) and the crowd was going wild. There was 11:17 left in the game. In a different season with a different quarterback, the Dolphins might have gone three-and-out at that point and the Broncos might have won.
But not this year. Not this team. Pennington calmly guided this offense on an 80-yard touchdown drive that consumed more than eight minutes. This was just like they draw it up on the chalkboard. So many big moments. A fourth down run by a relatively unknown fullback named Lousaka Polite. Some key catches by Camarillo. And then, on third-and-13, Pennington finds Ricky Williams racing down the sideline for a first down inside the 5-yard line. One play later, Ronnie Brown scores and the crowd files out.
Bad teams don't put together drives like that one. Bad teams find a way to lose. This team keeps finding ways to win. As heartbreaking as the loss to Houston was earlier this season, this victory was just as invigorating. Perhaps the Dolphins learned something from that loss. Perhaps they simply were more determined to make a difference in the fourth quarter. It'll be a long time before I forget that final scoring drive.
Another word about the defense. A few weeks ago, I would have told you that the secondary had little chance to improve significantly over the course of the season. I just didn't see enough talent there to get it done. Well, over the last two games this secondary has played better than I ever could have imagined. Cornerbacks Will Allen and Andre Goodman have stepped up with some excellent man-to-man coverage and former No. 1 pick Jason Allen has shown he belongs. If this secondary can build off these last two performances, the entire team will benefit in a significant way.
Then there's the rushing defense. To hold the Broncos to just 14 yards almost seems like an impossible misprint. Nobody stops the Broncos on the ground at home. I never saw this coming from the front seven. They played with a passion. They swarmed. They dominated. After a while, the Broncos seemed to give up trying to run.
Nope, there was nothing fluky about this win. There was no Wildcat offense to point toward or some wild flea-flicker to savor. This was one football team beating another in its own backyard by simply making more plays, especially with the game on the line. This was the Dolphins answering every question in an emphatic manner.
You know something, this team is starting to take on the personality of its coach. Intense. Emotional. Determined. Meticulous. Watch Sparano on the sideline. How can you not be impressed?
Yep, these Dolphins are growing up in a hurry. And you get the feeling the fun is just beginning.
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