AFC East Archive: September 2008
DAVIE, Fla. -- Buried amid Joey Porter's belittling of Matt Cassel and the buzz around whether rookie QB Chad Henne could replace Chad Pennington sooner than expected was Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano calling out his receivers.
"I need somebody to step up and make a big play," Sparano said tersely at his Wednesday news conference. "That's what I'm hoping to see. I'm hoping to see some of our receivers step up, make a big play, break a tackle, run after the catch and do something like that. That's what I want to see."
Miami WRs have caught 16 passes. Greg Camarillo has seven receptions, and is the only one with more than three.
They have been poor when it comes to separation. As Laura Bernheim of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel noted, the Dolphins are one of only six teams without a pass play of 25 yards or longer and rank 30th with a 3.1 yards-after-catch average.
Ted Ginn, the ninth overall draft choice last year, has three catches for 26 yards. Ernest Wilford has zero catches despite being one of the team's more significant free-agent acquisitions. The Dolphins gave Wilford a four-year contract with $6 million in guarantees, but he was inactive in Week 1.
Around the AFC East: Jets playbook a hot topic
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
New York Jets
Rather than come up with an intro for each one, let's just roll out all the stories about the Jets' play-calling decisions:
And now for something completely different ...
- Jane McManus of the Journal News writes QB Brett Favre has a "deep understanding of what this franchise has been through in the years since Joe Namath introduced the AFL to the big time."
- Favre considers Monday night's game against the Chargers a must-win, writes Mark Hale of the New York Post.
- Newsday reporter Erik Boland takes a look at new P Reggie Hodges.
- Dave Hutchinson of the Newark Star-Ledger writes about LB Bryan Thomas' recommitment to practice.
Buffalo Bills
- You know how giddy Bills fans are feeling when they're buying $175 shots for players, writes Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post.
- Associated Press reporter John Wawrow writes WR Lee Evans is closing in on a new contract.
- Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com writes rookie CB Leodis McKelvin will get to show his stuff on kick returns.
- Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports DT Kyle Williams keeps motoring along.
Miami Dolphins
- Palm Beach Post reporter Edgar Thompson weighs the possibility rookie QB Chad Henne could take over sooner than expected.
- Miami Herald reporter David J. Neal writes QB Chad Pennington is trying to step up efforts to generate chemistry with his WRs.
- Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel revisits a painful play with S Renaldo Hill.
- Andy Kent of MiamiDolphins.com writes Pennington knows this Patriots defense.
New England Patriots
- Christopher Price of Metro Boston News writes about T Matt Light's glee over not having to face DE Jason Taylor anymore.
- K Stephen Gostkowski's booming leg has helped beyond field goals, writes Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald.
- Providence Journal columnist Bill Reynolds uncovers some riveting material on WR Randy Moss.
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde wonders how good Bill Belichick will prove to be without Tom Brady.
- Lawrence Eagle-Tribune writer Hector Longo declares DE Richard Seymour "is back."
QB chatter could intensify in winless Miami
DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano needs a quarterback controversy like he needs scurvy.
The Dolphins might be on the verge of one, and on Wednesday Sparano might have advanced the issue at his news conference, praising rookie Chad Henne for his performance against the same defense starter Chad Pennington looked mediocre against.
Pennington was unable to generate much of anything through three quarters of Sunday's 31-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He went 10 of 20 for 112 yards. He failed to get inside the Arizona 38-yard line on six of his seven possessions.
Henne played almost the entire fourth quarter in his NFL debut. The second-round pick from Michigan completed seven of his 12 passes for 67 yards and led the Dolphins on their lone touchdown drive, a remarkable 18-play possession that traveled 89 yards and lasted 7:04.
Asked if Henne's effectiveness was aided by the Cardinals playing with such a huge lead, Sparano bristled.
"I didn't see any JV guys out there," Sparano said. "I saw the varsity out there. I don't think they changed what they were doing. All of a sudden, they [weren't] running prevent defense, rushing three people. They still rushed people. They even pressured him a few times in there. They hit him once or twice.
"I think in the Arizona Cardinals' mind, they wanted the score to be 31-3, not 31-10. So I think that they were doing everything they could at that point.
"I thought [Henne] did a good job of executing under those circumstances. Now, with that being said, Chad knows and we know that there were a couple of things that he could have done differently, too."
A version of the obvious followup question was asked:
If Henne could play so well in the fourth quarter against an NFL starting defense that was playing hard, then couldn't he do it from the start of a game?
The normally elaborative Sparano detected the direction of the question. He slammed on the brakes and reiterated his Pennington preference.
"I don't know about that right now," Sparano replied. "No difference in the defense, but I don't know that right now. I don't know if he could or not.
"I have my quarterback. He's the guy that's playing."
Kelso: Losman lacks Edwards' leadership
Mark Kelso knows what a winning quarterback is supposed to look like.
When he played free safety for the Buffalo Bills, he went to four Super Bowls with Jim Kelly running the show. Since Kelly retired in 1996, the Bills have been searching for another leading man.
Kelso, now the color commentator for Bills radio broadcasts, is convinced second-year pro Trent Edwards is the one.
"They finally found a leader in the quarterback position," Kelso said Tuesday night. "They'd been looking for a lot of years."
Edwards emerged from last year's contentious QB controversy that began when starter J.P. Losman suffered a knee injury in Week 3 and exploded after Edwards returned from a wrist injury in December.
Top receiver Lee Evans openly criticized the Bills for sticking with Edwards when both QBs were healthy.
Kelso sees a big difference between Edwards and Losman.
"I'm not trying to discredit J.P. Losman," Kelso said. "He's a very talented player, but I know he doesn't have the leadership skills Trent does. I don't think [Losman's leadership skills] are to the capacity of Trent's.
"Trent's the type of quarterback that can make people better, and guys want to elevate their game when he's at the helm."
The Bills drafted Losman 22nd overall in 2004. The Bills hadn't selected a QB in the first round since Kelly in 1983.
But Losman never panned out. The Bills are on a franchise-long eight-season playoff drought. He has started 31 games and owns a 77.3 career passer rating.
Unless Edwards suffers an injury, Losman almost certainly has started his last game for the Bills. Losman's contract is up after this season.
"There's about seven qualities that a quarterback needs," Kelso said. "There are a number of them that are athletic, and there are a number of them that are intrinsic. Some qualities are elusive and hard to put your finger on: having a really good internal clock, having a feel in the pocket and leadership skills.
"J.P. struggles more with that aspect of the game. You win with those [intrinsic qualities]. You can have all the athletic ability in the world and the strongest arm in the world and great escapability, but if you don't understand the game and what the defense is giving you and know your guys, you won't be successful."
Maroney, Jordan, McGee don't practice
DAVIE, Fla. -- There's only one way the rest of the AFC East is envious of the Miami Dolphins.
Once again, their injury report is blank.
This week's opponents, meanwhile, list a couple of big names. New England Patriots RBs Laurence Maroney (shoulder) and LaMont Jordan (foot) didn't practice Wednesday.
Even if they can't play, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk proved dangerous enough in last Sunday's victory over the New York Jets. Also missing from Patriots practice were LB Eric Alexander (calf) and WR Kelly Washington (ankle).
The Jets already have ruled out WR David Clowney (shoulder) and K Mike Nugent (thigh) for Monday night's road game against the San Diego Chargers. Limited in practice were DB David Barrett (shoulder), WR Laveranues Coles (thigh) and CB Justin Miller (foot).
Bills CB/KR Terrence McGee (back) didn't practice, while WR/PR Roscoe Parrish (knee) was limited. Reserve TE Derek Fine (hand) is out.
Joey Porter: Cassel 'shouldn't be that hard'
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| Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE and Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images | |
| Joey Porter, right, appears to have given away the Dolphins game plan: "... Throw the kitchen sink at [Cassel]. That's what we're going to do." |
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
DAVIE, Fla. -- Grab a thumbtack, Patriots Nation.
Miami Dolphins OLB Joey Porter has some bulletin-board material for you.
Porter, who has a stellar track record for throwing verbal salvos at the opposition, fired some jabs Wednesday at New England Patriots QB Matt Cassel.
"I just know he's not a Tom Brady," Porter said. "So if it's not Tom Brady, it shouldn't be that hard."
The Patriots have won 21 straight regular-season games. The Dolphins have lost 20 of their past 21 games. The Patriots destroyed the Dolphins last year by a combined score of 77-35.
Yet Porter said "It'll be good to go out there and get our first victory."
Porter announced the Dolphins defense is going to come after Cassel.
"You treat him like you treat a backup," Porter said. "How do you prepare for a backup? He don't get that many snaps, right? So you throw the kitchen sink at him. That's what we're going to do."
Cassel became the Patriots' starting quarterback in Week 1, when Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury. Cassel came off the sideline and beat the Kansas City Chiefs. He started last Sunday's victory over the New York Jets. The last time Cassel had started at QB was as a high school senior in 1999.
"He's a guy we'll prepare for, but that was his first start since high school," Porter said. "So you can take all the reps you want to. This is a totally different game, a totally different league. He's only had one start in the NFL. Take that for what it's worth. He won it, but if you compare him to Brady, there's no comparison.
"You can say whatever you want to put with it. Those are just the facts. That's what it is. It means what it means."
As for defending against the same targets Brady enjoyed (Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney and maybe Ben Watson), Porter said: "The receivers are still going to be the same receivers. But they can't get the ball like they were used to getting it when Brady was there."
While there's an NFL tradition to publicly bemoan the loss of an opposing starter and talk about wanting to go up against the best players each week, Porter said he won't turn down victories against second-stringers.
"I want to win the game," Porter said. "It doesn't matter who they have back there, throwing the ball, running the ball. ... We'll take a victory around here any way you can get it.
"I'm not going to be mad because [Brady] ain't out there and we get the backup. If we get a victory for the rest of the season against all backups, I'll take 14 wins against 14 backups and feel good about it."
It's hard to argue with rankings put together from appropriate statistical data.
That's why Page 2's power rankings since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger look dead on to me. Print it out. Fold it into eighths and stick it your back pocket for ammunition when you walk into your local chat-and-guzzle establishment.
Here's where the AFC East ranked:
4. Miami Dolphins
10. New England Patriots
18. Buffalo Bills
28. New York Jets
How sad. The team that forced the merger with Joe Namath's dramatics ranks so low (one spot ahead of the Cleveland Browns, no less; although all-time NFL analysis would propel the Browns way up the ladder because of the Jim Brown-Otto Graham days).
The Jets have a .435 winning percentage and lead the NFL with 12 seasons of four wins or fewer since the merger. They've also had 14 coaching changes, tying them with the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.
The reason the Dolphins place so high is the long and successful tenure of Don Shula. His gaudy 257-133-2 record and 26-year tenure impact two of the categories used: winning percentage and number of coaching changes. The Dolphins have gone through six in the 13 years since Shula retired, but that averages out to a respectable one new head coach every 5.6 years since Shula took over in 1970.
That the Patriots rank 10th despite all of their mediocrity before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady came along illustrates just how dominant they've been.
The Bills ranked tied for 10th on the Super Bowl chart, helping them overcome a .474 winning percentage. Teams that went to fewer Super Bowls were listed higher, and teams that won a title were listed lower because of the formula that awarded 50 points for a victory and only 25 points for getting there.
Around the AFC East: Moss next up for Fins DBs
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
Miami Dolphins
- Miami Herald reporter David J. Neal writes the Dolphins' secondary is having trouble, and now they get Randy Moss and the Patriots.
- With a dearth of homegrown talent on the roster, Palm Beach Post reporter Brian Biggane reviews what could have been in recent drafts.
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporter Harvey Fialkov takes a look at special-teams coach John Bonamego.
Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo News reporter Bucky Gleason catches up with CB Ashton Youboty, who was on the verge of being traded or cut in training camp.
- Bruce Arthur of the National Post writes maybe Canada wouldn't mind having these Bills after all.
- Boston Globe reporter Mike Reiss examines the Patriots' short-passing philosophy for QB Matt Cassel.
- Boston Herald reporter John Tomase writes DE Richard Seymour has come a long way in the past year.
- Christopher Price of Metro Boston News ponders the value of QB Tom Brady as a crutch for Cassel.
New York Jets
- New York Daily News reporter Rich Cimini wonders why rookie TE Dustin Keller has only one catch.
- Erik Boland of Newsday pleads with Jets coach Eric Mangini to let QB Brett Favre air it out.
- New York Post writer Mark Cannizzaro gives five good reasons the Jets will be OK.
- The Jets released P Ben Graham, reports Jane McManus of the Journal News.
Ricky and Ronnie off their ambitious pace
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At a gathering of former Heisman Trophy winners in June, Ricky Williams declared he and Ronnie Brown intended to rush for 1,000 yards apiece, a feat backfield mates have accomplished only three times in NFL history.
The statement sounded bold at the time. Now it seems ludicrous.
The 2008 Miami Dolphins geared their roster toward a smashmouth philosophy but haven't evoked memories of Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris.
They've failed to establish any semblance of a running game through their first two games. Williams has rushed 21 times for 52 yards. He has three fumbles. Brown has 17 carries for 48 yards. They each have five receptions.Williams and Brown can't shoulder all of the blame. Miami's 41 rush attempts are fifth-fewest in the league. But they haven't exactly demanded more action, averaging only 2.6 yards per carry.
Nineteen players have more rushing yards than Williams and Brown put together. Four of those players are rookies. Two Oakland Raiders have more rushing yards than the Dolphins.
The Colts actually have the NFL's worst rushing offense with 78 yards and a 2.3-yard average per carry.
But Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes didn't make any audacious preseason proclamations.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been breaking down Miami Dolphins film for two weeks.
He dissected the Dolphins' season opener while preparing for last Sunday's game against the New York Jets. He has been examining the Dolphins even more for their meeting this Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.
One of the recurring highlights for Belichick has been Dolphins rookie LT Jake Long, the No. 1 draft pick out of Michigan. Belichick compared Long to Jets LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the fourth-overall selection in 2006.
"Long is relative to Ferguson, [but] is a lot bigger and physical player," Belichick said on his Tuesday conference call. "He may not be as quick or athletically gifted, but he is a much bigger and much more physical guy."
Belichick can tell why Dolphins football operations boss Bill Parcells, his old mentor from the New York Giants days, chose Long over anyone else. Belichick noted Long plays the same style as fellow Michigan alum Jumbo Elliott, the Giants' left tackle for the second of Parcells' two Super Bowl titles.
That Long is 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds didn't hurt.
"I think he already is a good, solid tackle," Belichick said. "I am sure he will end up being one of the top tackles in football as he develops and gets into his prime.
"He is being well-coached down there, and he is very fundamentally sound as well as big, tough and athletic. He is a good finisher. He pretty much does everything well. He run blocks, pass blocks, plays in space, is consistent [and] is a good technique player."
If Long hasn't had his welcome-to-the-NFL moment yet, it will come Sunday. The Patriots own the best defensive line in football and a front seven the likes of which Long hasn't seen yet. | |
| Doug Benc/Getty Images | |
| The Buffalo Bills earned a hard-fought victory in Jacksonville on Sunday. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills, drenched in sweat and drained from a brutally oppressive afternoon, slogged off the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium field Sunday afternoon.
They were exhausted. Safety Donte Whitner was wiped out, and that's no figure of speech. He required five bags of intravenous fluids to recover. Left tackle Jason Peters, who missed every offseason workout because of a contract dispute, was paying the price.
Fans back in Western New York had a tough time catching their breath, too. They'd just watched their team stage its biggest character performance in recent memory.
The Bills pulled out a victory that might be remembered as their coming-of-age moment. They scored 10 fourth-quarter points in a strangling Florida heat to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-16.
Sometimes significance takes a few days, maybe even weeks or months, to be understood. The Bills knew the meaning of this victory immediately -- and it went beyond being 2-0.
"When we came off the field," said Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay, "I saw [Bills chief operating officer] Russ Brandon, and I told him 'Last year we don't win that game.'
"Really the last couple years we don't win those close games that come down the last five minutes."
If you're a Bills fan, the beauty of Sunday's victory is that it further established them as genuinely formidable and was untethered to anything else going on around the AFC East.
Around the AFC East: Jets offense under fire
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
New York Jets
- New York Daily News columnist Gary Myers wants the shackles taken off QB Brett Favre.
- Rich Cimini of the Daily News writes the Jets "have developed an identity crisis on offense."
- New York Times reporter Greg Bishop points to the Jets' first drive of the second half as their most significant missed opportunity.
- New York Post reporter Mark Cannizzaro offers postmortem analysis on Sunday's loss to the Patriots.
- Jane McManus of the Journal News writes about the Jets' inability to let Favre be Favre.
- The New York Post goes with a headline that hits a little too close to home.
Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan detects QB Trent Edwards is a natural leader.
- Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports the Bills are trying to keep calm about their 2-0 start.
- Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reporter Sal Maiorana looks at RB Fred Jackson's value to the offense.
- The D&C's Leo Roth and Maiorana discuss the allure of Edwards.
Miami Dolphins
- Palm Beach Post columnist Greg Stoda writes the Dolphins still have a dearth of talent.
- Miami Herald reporter David J. Neal writes about coach Tony Sparano's sleepless nights.
- The players still were smarting about Sunday's loss a day later, writes Andy Kent of MiamiDolphins.com.
New England Patriots
- Boston Globe reporter Christopher L. Gasper credits the Patriots' special teams for Sunday's victory over the Jets.
- Despite criticism over the years, Patriots WR Randy Moss might be the Pats' new leader, writes Boston Herald reporter Karen Guregian.
- Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald talks with OLB Adalius Thomas about his "merry-go-round" sack of Favre.
- Providence Journal reporter Robert Lee takes a look at the RBs after Sunday's effective by-committee performance.
Breakdown: Pats keep Cassel short and sweet
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The New England Patriots knew that they had to keep the offense simple and safe for quarterback Matt Cassel on Sunday. Cassel threw short, dinking and dunking his way to a 19-10 victory over the New York Jets in the Meadowlands.
Chad Pennington would have been proud.
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Cassel didn't complete any long balls. He tried once, when WR Randy Moss blew past CB Darrelle Revis early in the fourth quarter for what should have been an easy touchdown. Moss had to turn around and wait for Cassel's underthrown ball and dropped with Revis closing hard.
The Patriots won because Cassel got the ball to his targets with short tosses and let them run with it.
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Cassel threw beyond the first-down marker only three times (two completions) and into the end zone only three times (zero completions). Three of those six attempts were on third down. The other three came on first down, including the dropped bomb to Moss.
* Statistics compiled by ESPN Research.
No QB controversy, but Miami DBs on hot seat
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| Pennington |
DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano stiff-armed the notion of a quarterback controversy, again declaring Chad Pennington will remain the starter.
Miami's secondary didn't receive a similar stamp of approval at Sparano's morning-after news conference.
The defensive backs looked like burnt matches after Sunday's demoralizing 31-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in University of Phoenix Stadium.
On only 24 attempts, Kurt Warner threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, all of them to Anquan Boldin by the end of the third quarter. The Cardinals averaged a spectacular 13 yards per pass play. The NFL average through Sunday's games was 6 yards per attempt.
Sparano was asked if changes could be coming in the secondary for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, who feature all-world WR Randy Moss and last year's NFL receptions leader, Wes Welker.
Sparano said he was reserving his decision for a calmer time. He didn't go home or sleep Sunday night after the Dolphins' plane touched down at 2 a.m. He instead went straight to the Dolphins facility and watched the game film three times.
"When I got out of there, what I didn't want to do was overreact or panic or make one of those kinds of moves," Sparano said. "I'm going to sit. I'm going to evaluate it right now. We don't practice until Wednesday, and I'm going to see where we are."
As for Henne's appearance with 9:42 left in the game, Sparano said it was because the game was out of hand and he wanted the second-round pick to get some experience. Henne completed seven of his 12 attempts for 67 yards.
"We had to use that opportunity to get Chad [Henne] out there," Sparano said. "I see that happening. Hopefully it's with us winning by a bunch, and we can put Chad out there and let Chad play.
"But Chad Pennington will be the quarterback."
Quick take: Cardinals 31, Dolphins 10
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
All of that talk about a new beginning sounds rather silly two games into the season. The Dolphins looked wretched against the Cardinals in a game that felt like it was over sometime in the second quarter.
The Dolphins weren't in the Cardinals' league, and that's saying something. Although the improved Cardinals are 2-0 for the first time since 1991, they still are held up as the running punch line for joke franchises everywhere.
Maybe that should stop because the Dolphins have lost 20 of their past 21 games.
The Cardinals scored the first 24 points before the Dolphins got on the scoreboard with a field goal.
The Dolphins' offense struggled. QB Chad Pennington threw for 112 yards. RB Ricky Williams ran 11 times for 28 yards. RB Ronnie Brown ran 11 times for 25 yards. Their leading receiver was overachieving WR Greg Camarillo with four catches.
Arizona had only 81 rushing yards yet still held the ball for 32 minutes. Kurt Warner rolling up 361 passing yards and three touchdowns will do that.
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James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the NFL and NBA for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. He's a Temple graduate and Hyattsville, Md. native who lives in Miami.
