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Too Many Mistakes At The Worst Times
This one was difficult to accept and just as hard to explain. The Dolphins owned just about every statistic that winners need. They ran for over 200 yards, dominated time of possession in mind-boggling fashion and had the Wildcat running with plenty of teeth.
But what could have been a magical evening turned into a forgettable nightmare for a team obviously still searching to find itself.
When the Dolphins needed defense, they didn't get it. When they needed offense, they didn't get it. When they needed someone, anyone, to make a difference, they didn't get it.
Now they are staring at 0-2 with a trip to San Diego in front of them and so many questions that need answering. Where are the big plays on offense? Why so many mistakes in the secondary? Why so many missed tackles? Where was the clock management in the final minutes? How could they lose a game that was filled with so much promise?
How? Why?
Colts 27, Dolphins 23.
This one hurts more than most. It hurts because the Dolphins needed it so badly and it hurts because, for much of the night, they had things going their way. Has Ronnie Brown ever run better? Has Ted Ginn Jr. ever caught so many passes? The Dolphins put together long drives, the Colts short drives. The Dolphins took the lead time after time, the Colts came back to retake the lead in every instance.
But this was more than just Peyton Manning making plays and Chad Pennington failing to make enough of them. This was a Dolphins team that simply didn't step up under the brightest of lights.
Gibril Wilson misses an open-field tackle on Colts tight end Dallas Clark in the opening seconds, the result an 80-yard touchdown. The Dolphins defense can't stop rookie running back Donald Brown on a 15-yard up-the-gut touchdown run in the fourth quarter. They can't stop a young Colts receiver named Pierre Garcon from making the game-winning catch and run.
The Dolphins settled for field goals, the Colts got touchdowns.
The crowd booed in the final few minutes when the Dolphins hurry-up offense just didn't hurry up, when Pennington called a timeout after about 30 seconds had run off the clock, when running plays were called instead of passing plays.
This is one of those games where you can second-guess so many things, one of those games that will keep Coach Tony Sparano tossing and turning for days to come. The Dolphins looked so good, then looked so bad. Did so many things right, then did so many things wrong. Made enough plays to win, missed on enough to lose.
You can credit the Colts all you want. But the Dolphins only have themselves to blame for this one. You're at home, you are leading in the fourth quarter and you should win the game.
The season is not lost. The Dolphins started 0-2 a year ago and won 11 of the next 14. But this year's schedule is much more unforgiving. This year there is one imposing challenge after another.
Looking for a sliver of hope? A year ago the Dolphins took that 0-2 record to New England, a game nobody gave them much of a chance to win. Well, they pulled off a convincing upset.
This year they head to San Diego, another game few will give the Dolphins a chance to win. Now, they must step up and pull off another surprise.
Can you reach a crossroads in a season on the third Sunday? Who really knows? But there is no underplaying the importance of this game against the Chargers. The Dolphins have got to fix a lot of the things that went wrong against the Colts. They have to run the ball as well, but pass the ball better. They have to stop giving up big plays on defense and start making open-field tackles.
Really believed the Dolphins would beat the Colts. Thought it was going to be their night in so many ways. But now it is time to regroup, now it is time to figure out a way to get better in a hurry.
As difficult as it seems, the Dolphins must now put this loss behind them. We'll find out in a hurry whether they can.
****
Can't write a column on the home opener without talking about the star-studded, pregame festivities that were unlike anything we've ever seen at this venue. It was an incredible sight, watching all the stars - Serena Williams, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, J-Lo and Marc Anthony and others - mingle as if this was a made-for-Hollywood opening night. In many ways, it was.
When Stephen Ross said he wanted to give the fans an experience to remember, he meant it. Got to admit, I'm a football purist at heart and, on the surface, I wondered whether all this sizzle would get in the way of what this night was really all about, a huge football game for the Dolphins. But it was a nice touch, and it certainly added some pizzazz to the evening.
The orange carpet leading into the stadium for the celebrities was also unique and entertaining. The fans lined the carpet. The announcer blurted out names as the celebrities strolled down the aisle. Photographers were firing away. Interviewers were getting quotes. Limos were dropping people off. Amazing, all of it.
Also got a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the Ocean Drive Club, an invitation-only room in the bowels of the stadium that is as impressive as it is posh. This is for the stars and the VIPs to unwind before and after the game. You've got to see this room to believe it. Little cabanas off to the side with flat-screen televisions and white curtains. Not your typical stadium food and drink, either. Everything about it is first class. Hard to believe when the Marlins play this area is the batting cage.
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