

	Volume 2, Number 2

So Much To Savor In Impressive Win

Now, that's more like it.

It took the fourth Sunday of the season to do it, but the Dolphins we expected to see all along finally showed up against the Buffalo Bills.

This was as impressive as it was surprising. Not that the Dolphins beat the Bills, but how they beat them. This was a dominating performance, punctuated by a rushing attack that produced 250 yards and a defense that generated six sacks and three turnovers. The Dolphins were up 17-3 at halftime, 31-3 after three quarters and never let up. I'm not sure any of us saw this coming. You want a blueprint to follow? Keep this one close by. There wasn't an area of this game these Dolphins didn't own.

Start a list: A strong defensive effort led by a pair of breakout performances from rookie corner Vontae Davis and outside linebacker Cameron Wake. More sacks from - you remember him? - Jason Taylor. In-your-face running from Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. A nice, efficient first start by quarterback Chad Henne. The sum of all those parts equaled a 38-10 victory and suddenly there is at least hope that a successful season is still a real possibility.

Granted, the Bills aren't the caliber of the first three opponents and, even in victory, there was still a void of big, game-changing plays by either wide receivers or tight ends. But what we saw on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon was, in truth, what these Dolphins are all about. They don't wow you with one-play drives, but they can pound you on both offense and defense. Just ask the Bills. They left Land Shark Stadium one battered bunch.

For now, though, it's just good to get one in the left-hand column after some up-and-down performances against the Falcons, Colts and Chargers.

"Our young players played old and our old players played young," said Coach Tony Sparano. "It was great to see - 1-3 sounds a lot better than 0-4."

All of this sets the stage for a huge Monday night game against the Jets. If the Dolphins are really going to be taken seriously this season, they must follow up the victory over the Bills with an equally proficient effort against a vastly improved Jets team. You lose your first three and you find yourself in a huge hole. But you follow it up with back-to-back divisional victories heading into a bye and that hole isn't so deep anymore. In fact, it becomes pretty manageable.

Meanwhile, there was a lot to like in this victory over the Bills.

Let's start with Henne. While his performance wasn't worthy of any definite conclusions, he played smart and poised. He didn't force throws when they weren't there. He took off and ran instead of meandering in the pocket. He threw a couple of nice, crisp third-down passes. And then, early in the fourth quarter, he connected with fellow rookie Brian Hartline for a sweet, little 5-yard scoring throw.

"I liked his look," Sparano said.

Henne will need to play better if the Dolphins are going to make December and January meaningful. But as opening acts go, this one will gladly suffice. You can't beat being 1-0 as a starter.

Next there's cornerback Vontae Davis. The first-round pick hasn't gotten the attention this year that second-round pick Sean Smith has gotten. It isn't that Davis has had problems; it's just that Smith has looked so good. But against the Bills, with the Dolphins holding a shaky 3-0 lead, Davis stepped in front of a Trent Edwards pass and raced 23 yards for a touchdown.

It was a perfect break, a perfect catch and an oh-so-easy stroll into the end zone. I've already seen enough of Davis and Smith to say without hesitation that these two players will be stars for years to come. It was Davis' turn against the Bills; sometime soon it will be Smith's turn. You just sense it.

Similar to Vontae Davis, I've been waiting to see something from Cameron Wake. A star in Canada the last two years, Wake was inactive the first two games and there was no evidence of the sack specialist we had heard so much about.

Until now.

Getting playing time because of the injury to Joey Porter, Wake had three sacks and a forced fumble against the Bills. This should do wonders for his confidence and will add another important piece to the defensive puzzle. Just a guess, but I think we've seen the last of Wake on the inactive list.

Then there's Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Is there a better one-two punch in the league right now? Now in his fifth season, Brown has taken his game to another level. He clearly resides among the top five or six backs in the league and has a chance to move up that list. Brown averaged 5.8 yards per carry against the Bills; Williams averaged 5.3. Together, they combined for 200 yards. At 31 years old, Williams must be drinking from some Fountain of Youth. He just isn't slowing down.

A few days before the Buffalo game, Sparano spoke of this team needing something to feel good about, a charge of excitement to justify all the hard work the players had been putting in. That charge came against the Bills.

We knew the Dolphins had enough quality players to put together a performance like this. But until it happened, until the Dolphins showed that they could dominate an opponent the way they dominated the Bills, well, you just didn't know for sure.

Now we know. Now they have something to build upon.

Finally, a victory. And a very impressive one at that.