The Phinsider

Jake Grove has high ankle sprain

2009-11-21T08:04:20Z

Jake Grove has high ankle sprain

This is according to the PBP's Carlos Frias. But we don't know how severe it is. It sure seemed like Grove wanted back into that game on Thursday.

If I recall, didn't Jake Long play through a high ankle sprain last season? Grove is a tough SOB. With the extended rest he'll be getting, I'm betting he'll try to play through it.

Week 11: Prediction Time

2009-11-21T06:00:13Z

As much as I love watching the Dolphins play prime time games, it's always a downer when there isn't any Dolphin football to watch on a Sunday afternoon. But there are plenty of other games to talk about. So I figured I'd post my usual "locks" - which have been anything but locks this season. Oh that tricky point spread.

But first, two quick Dolphin notes. One - we'll know by Tuesday whether or not NBC has decided to use "flex scheduling" to kick the Week 13 Dolphins/Patriots game out of the Sunday night slot. Just looking at the schedule that week, there aren't really too many games to choose from for NBC. Now CBS and FOX can protect games from being "flexed" into the Sunday night slot and they have done just that in week 13. The Cowboys/Giants and Titans/Colts games have been protected. So the only possible game that could be switched into prime time is probably the Vikings/Cardinals game with two high-scoring offenses and Hall of Fame quarterbacks going head to head.

But even so, the AFC East could be on the line in this week 13 game between Miami and New England and the Pats always draw good ratings. So I'd bet on this game remaining the Sunday night game. And I hope it is. I hate 4 pm starts and if it gets taken out of that night slot, it would almost definitely get placed as a 4:15 game.

The other Dolphins note is just a simple little fun fact. In 21 of the past 22 seasons, a team with a 5-5 record (or worse) after 10 games has made it to the playoffs. I'm just sayin'...

My Week 11 Locks
Colts -2 over Ravens - I'm surprised the line is so low here. This isn't the same Ravens' defense as years past and Indy's offense is as explosive as ever. I'll take my chances and lay the points on the road.
Chargers -2.5 over Broncos - It turns out that the Broncos are indeed who I thought they were. It just took some time for them to come back down to Earth. San Diego will retake the division lead as they continue to look better and better each week.
Saints -11.5 over Bucs - Tampa has impressed me with their fight despite their poor record. But New Orleans is just going to light up Tampa's defense.
Lions -3.5 over Browns - In the worst game of the day, I really like the Lions here. Cleveland is the worst offensive football team I've seen in a long while. The Lions will also win one for Chris Spielman's wife, who lost her long battle with cancer.

Last Week: 1-2
Season: 15-16

Ricky feels loss in the face of Dolphins win

2009-11-20T22:14:52Z

Ricky feels loss in the face of Dolphins win

a very intresting look into the human side of Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams leads the way as Dolphins defeat Panthers

2009-11-20T06:06:00Z

It sure did get nerve-racking a few times on Thursday night. But when all was said and done, the Dolphins went up to Charlotte and officially dug themselves out of the 0-3 hole they put themselves in to start the season by knocking off the Panthers 24-17.

Ricky steps up in Ronnie's absence to lead the way
There was a lot of panic amongst Dolphin fans over the past few days as we all awaited word on how serious Ronnie Brown's injury was. We then learned yesterday that Brown would be done for the season with a Lisfranc fracture to his right foot (he'll have surgery Friday, by the way). That's when we all began to wonder whether Ricky Williams could step into the role of workhorse and lead this offense. We all learned on Thursday night that - at least for now - Ricky's still got it.

In an outstanding performance, Williams carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns - adding a receiving touchdown as well. This, by the way, was Ricky's third career three touchdown game and the first time in his career that he scored a touchdown both running and receiving. Not bad for a 32 year old back.

Don't let the numbers fool you, though. It was an up and down game for Williams. Nine of Ricky's 22 carries went for two yards or less - including four runs for negative yardage. Of course, it's not all Ricky's fault - sometimes he just got no blocking help from his line. But what impressed me most was how explosive Ricky was on some of those other carries. He looked very spry on that 3rd & 1 toss left to get down to the one yard line on Miami's second touchdown drive. And then, of course, there's the 46 yard scamper by Ricky in which he showed good burst and long speed on his way to the endzone - on carry number 22 on the night, by the way.

We said this week that without Ronnie and on a short week with little preparation time, the Dolphins would get back to the basics and play "conventional" football. They did just that - and it worked thanks to Ricky Williams. Now can Ricky keep it up for the rest of the season?

Henne and the receivers make some critical plays
For all the talk about how the Dolphins badly need a receiver - and they do - it's worth noting how well Chad Henne and his current group of receivers played on Thursday night. The stats aren't special by any means. And Henne was still a bit too inconsistent with his accuracy for my taste. But when they absolutely had to make a play, this passing offense got it done - against a pass defense that was ranked fourth in the NFL heading into this game.

Here's a stat I like a lot. When asked to pass on third down, Chad Henne started the game 0 for 3. But he then converted 5 of their next 7 3rd down passing situations - which included some of the biggest plays of the game.

It all started on Henne's completion to Ricky Williams out of the backfield on a 3rd & 9 inside the red zone. Ricky was running a Texas route out of the backfield (a zig zag where he runs towards the sideline out of the backfield and then cuts it inside like a slant once he hits the line of scrimmage) and Henne did a nice job of being patient and finding the open man.

On their next scoring drive, Henne converted a big 3rd & 6 by throwing a strike to Davone Bess, who made a remarkable lunging catch for the first down. Five plays later, Williams got into the endzone.

And then there was the biggest play of the game - which we'll get to in a moment.

All in all, you have to really like what you continue to see out of Henne. He didn't make any mistakes. He didn't take any sacks - a credit to both the offensive line and to Henne for getting rid of the ball when necessary. I'd like to see more consistency with his accuracy, of course. But it's not like he has an accuracy problem. Some of his throws are absolutely perfect in where they are placed (a couple throws to Bess, the throw to Brian Hartline, and the throw to Ted Ginn along the sideline). It's a consistency issue with him - especially when he needs to put some touch on the ball.

Henne's getting better, though. And I think his future is pretty bright.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Some might say the turning point of the game was the 46 yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams. But that play never happens if not for the play that Chad Henne and Davone Bess made one play earlier.

Momentum was beginning to shift in Carolina's favor. The Dolphins were leading by only three late in the fourth quarter, staring down a 3rd & 12 and very close to a potentially costly three and out. The crowd was loud and the Panther defense was fired up. So what does a young, first year starting quarterback do? He takes the snap, rolls right, waits, waits, and waits some more. Then he shuffles left a little bit and throws a strike to Davone Bess - who was running right to left away from Henne, but also away from the coverage. Chad Henne showed outstanding poise and vision while Bess showed terrific awareness.

If the Dolphins don't make that play, who knows how this game plays out.

QUICK HITS
Many more quick thoughts on the game:

Some many performances deserve to be mentioned. But I'll start with Joey Porter. A team-high 8 tackles and 2 sacks? That's the "Peezy" I know and love. Welcome back! Put back-to-back games like this and I'll officially apologize to him.
Lousaka Polite is a monster. He's officially one of my five favorite current Dolphins. All he does is pick up short yardage first downs and knock heads. Even Joey Porter, speaking on NFLN after the game, talked about Polite's play tonight - and he wasn't even asked. It's easy to see why his coaches and teammates love this guy.
Jake Long simply owned Julius Peppers on Thursday night. Great job, Jake!
Speaking of the offensive line, how about that depth? Players kept going down left and right and it just didn't matter. Henne was never sacked and they opened up enough holes for Ricky. Huge shout-out to Nate Garner, by the way. The man played left guard, right tackle, and center at different times in this game. That's manning up.
Lex Hilliard - welcome to the NFL, kid. After back-to-back penalties by Jake Grove, Hilliard powered his way on a 3rd & 16 draw play - picking up 18 and a first down. Tacklers were just bouncing off of Hilliard on the run. He's not a bad fourth running back, huh? Again, props to the front office for the solid depth at running back as well.
Davone Bess - wow. How about those hands, folks? He had a few hiccups along the way this season. But it looks like our favorite undrafted wide receiver is back to his consistent form. That highlight lunging catch he made on a critical third down was the kind of catch that superstars make.
We have to give a shout-out to Ted Ginn. He didn't have any drops, made a couple of tough catches, and averaged 42 yards per kickoff return. He came into the game third in the league in kick returning. He now has a very real shot of leading the league in yards per kick return this season. At least that's something - and maybe will help build his confidence again.
Nice job by the defense getting pressure - at critical times, too. All four of Miami's sacks came on third down. Two of them were red zone sacks, too, forcing Carolina to punt. I think we need to dial up those safety blitzes a little bit more often - especially on third downs - moving forward. They seem to work and free up others to make a play.
Randy Starks is having a hell of a season. Starks was one of the two guys who made the initial stop on that 3rd & 1 run by the Panthers midway through the third quarter to stuff Carolina and force them to punt. He then sacked Jake Delhomme early in the fourth quarter on a 3rd & goal play to force the Panthers to settle for a field goal.
Nathan Jones is one of this team's unheralded key role players. He's made a number of big plays this season - including an interception to end a Carolina drive and a big pass break-up with under two minutes to go. He's becoming a terrific nickel corner.
Why not kick a field goal with 44 seconds left? It would have only been a 45 or 46 yarder for Dan Carpenter and would have sealed the game. A very bad decision by Tony Sparano here. Luckily, it didn't come back to bite him in the ass. But let's not have that happen again, alright?
Joey Haynos with two bad drops. Do I hear more calls for Kory Sperry?
Let's hope Jason Ferguson isn't hurt badly. Without him, this defense looks drastically different.
Just how important was it to get out in front of the Panthers 14-3 and take Carolina out of their game plan? Very. DeAngelo Williams was averaging nearly 10 yards per carry against the Dolphins. But he only got 13 carries thanks to a combination of poor play calling by Carolina and having to play catch-up late in the game. This game could have been ugly if Miami didn't get in front before the half.

Post-Game Celebration Thread: Dolphins win in Carolina

2009-11-20T04:30:27Z

It got a little tight in that fourth quarter, but the Dolphins made a couple of big plays and they are now back at .500 following a 24-17 win.

I'm writing up my full recap (might not be as long as usual due to the time) as we speak. Use this thread to discuss your thoughts on the game in the meantime.

Week 11: Dolphins at Panthers Game Thread

2009-11-20T00:45:08Z

MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-5)	WEEK 11	CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-5)
	AT

Date:	November 19, 2009	Location:	Charlotte, NC
Time:	8:20 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Bank of Amer. Stad.
TV:	NFL Network	Spread:	Panthers by 3.5
Radio:	WQAM (560 AM)	Over/Under:	42
Weather:	Partly Cloudy, 56°F	SBN Affiliate	Cat Scratch Reader
Final Score:	Dolphins 24 - Panthers 17

Today's Inactives:

Dolphins - QB Tyler Thigpen, OL Lydon Murtha, NT Paul Soliai, LB Erik Walden, TE Anthony Fasano, OT Andrew Gardner, DE Lionel Dotson and S Nate Ness
Panthers - RB Mike Goodson, WR Kenneth Moore, S Charles Godfrey, FB Brad Hoover, OG Duke Robinson, DE Charles Johnson, DE Hilee Taylor, and QB A.J. Feeley

We got a big game here, folks. Two teams who started 0-3 will look to get back to .500 for the first time this year. The loser, however, will fall to 4-6 and get even closer to being buried.

How much does Ricky Williams have left as a lead back? Tonight we begin to answer that question.

It's worth noting that Kory Sheets is active for the first time this season. Also, Nate Garner will start at left guard even though Justin Smiley is active. I guess his shoulder is still giving him trouble.

For those not in the Miami area and who don't have NFL Network, you can head over to NFL.com and watch their "online extra." Not sure how much of the game they will air, but I'd imagine you'll get to see the critical moments of the game.

As usual, please don't post any pictures in this thread - they only slow it down. And remember - do not request or post links to illegal internet streams of the game (instant temporary ban if you do).

Overflows will be posted as needed.

Overflow Thread: Click Here
Overflow Thread #2: Click Here

GO DOLPHINS!!!

Dolphins vs Panthers: Game Capsule

2009-11-19T18:01:53Z

MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-5) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-5)

SERIES

	DOLPHINS	PANTHERS
SERIES LEADER	3-0
STREAKS	Past 3
COACHES VS. OPP.	Sparano: 0-0	Fox: 0-1
LAST WEEK	W 25-23 vs. Buccaneers	W 28-19 vs. Falcons
LAST GAME	9/25/05: Panthers 24 at Dolphins 27. Miami S Lance Schulters intercepts pass with 1:51 remaining to set up Dolphins K Olindo Mare's game-winning FG with 4 seconds left.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/15/98: Dolphins 13, Panthers 9. Miami limits Carolina to 210 total yards as Dolphins S Brian Walker intercepts Panthers QB Steve Beuerlein twice.
BROADCAST	NFLN (8:20 PM ET): Bob Papa, Matt Millen. Westwood One Radio: Ian Eagle, Boomer Esiason, Laura Okmin (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 126 (Mia.), 125 (Car.). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Mia.), 102 (Car.).

STATS

PASSING	Henne: 110-189-1,165-5-4-76.3	Delhomme: 145-245-1,658-7-13-67.0
RUSHING	R. Williams: 105-558-5.3-6	D. Williams: 168-860 (3C)-5.1-7 (3C)
RECEIVING	Bess: 40-334-8.4-0	S. Smith: 38-512-13.5-3
OFFENSE	316.2	331.2
TAKE/GIVE	-1	-7
DEFENSE	337.0	314.6
SACKS	Taylor: 5.5	Peppers: 7
INTs	V. Davis (R): 2	Marshall, S. Martin (R): 3
PUNTING	Fields: 45.8	Baker: 45.8
KICKING	Carpenter: 68 (3C) (23/24 PAT; 15/16 FG)	Kasay: 44 (20/20 PAT; 8/12 FG)

NOTES

DOLPHINS: Have won 4 of past 6 vs. NFC...QB CHAD HENNE is 4-2 as starter & has completed 100 of 170 passes (58.8 pct.) for 1,073 yards with 5 TDs vs. 3 INTs...RB RICKY WILLIAMS gained season-high 102 rush yards last week. Williams has 21 100-yard rush games w/Miami, most by any Dolphin. Has 3 100-yard rush games vs. Panthers in 6 career meetings...Since '08, WR DAVONE BESS leads team w/94 receptions...Rookie TE KORY SPERRY posted 1st career TD rec. in 1st NFL game last week...LB JASON TAYLOR has 2 sacks in 3 games vs. Car. Taylor (126) needs 1 sack to surpass DERRICK THOMAS (126.5) for 11th-most sacks all-time...DE RANDY STARKS (4.5) needs 0.5 sack to surpass career-high of 4.5 as rookie in '04...KR-WR TED GINN JR. ranks 1st in AFC & 3rd in NFL w/29.4 KR avg. & is tied for league-high w/2 KR-TDs...

PANTHERS: QB JAKE DELHOMME passed for 285 yards & 3 TDs in only start vs. Mia. Has won 4 of past 5 vs. AFC. Had 115.8 rating last week. In career as starter (incl. playoffs), when Delhomme has 110+ rating, team is 18-1 (.947)...RB DE ANGELO WILLIAMS aims for 5th in row vs. AFC with rush TD. Has rushed for 440 yards (110 per game) & 5 TDs in past 4 vs. AFC. Has rushed for 832 yards (118.9 per game) & 10 TDs in past 7 in Nov. Has rushed for 640 yards (128 per game) & 5 TDs in past 5. RB JONATHAN STEWART has 12 rush TDs in 13 career home games (incl. playoffs) & had 2 TDs last week...WR STEVE SMITH had 11 catches for 170 yards (15.5 avg.) & 3 TDs in last meeting. Had 2 TDs last week. WR MUHSIN MUHAMMAD had 30-yard TD in last game vs. Mia. (11/5/06 with Chi.)...DE JULIUS PEPPERS has 21.5 sacks in past 23. Rookie S SHERROD MARTIN had INT last week & has 3 INTs in past 3. CB RICHARD MARSHALL has INT in 2 of past 3.

Happy Birthday to The Phinsider!!

2009-11-19T07:02:26Z

Happy Birthday to The Phinsider!!

That's right. The Phinsider turned 3 years old yesterday. Wait - so why didn't I post this yesterday? Because I thought it was actually launched on the 19th of November back in 2006. But when I went back into the archives, I saw that my original "welcome" post (which you can see by clicking the above link) was actually on November 18. Of course, the site looked far different back then. If you don't remember - or never saw - the original site layout, then check it out right here.

Ironically enough, our birthday here was also a day that brought bad news. But because of that bad news, the site's three year old birthday was actually the 5th most viewed day in the site's history. In fact, outside of draft weekend back in April (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of draft weekend are spots 1-3 all-time in this site's history), yesterday's birthday was the second busiest day in site history - only topped by the Tuesday following the Dolphins' exciting Monday night win over the Jets.

So thanks to all of you who have helped this little Dolphins community grow into the best one anywhere. And hopefully the next three years will be even more successful than these last three. Hmmm...a Super Bowl win would really help us achieve that, don't ya think?

Dolphins vs Panthers: Keys to Victory

2009-11-19T05:15:08Z

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

Top priority: contain this man.

Browse more photos »

It's hard to believe that the Dolphins will already take the field just days after a late rally prevented them from falling to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In less than 24 hours, the Dolphins will battle the Panthers up in North Carolina - with the winner completing their giant dig out of the 0-3 hole both started the season in and reaching .500 for the first time this season.

For the Dolphins, this will mark the third time in less than a month that they will have a chance to get back the the .500 mark. Below are just some of the most important factors for Thursday night's game.

Win the battle in the trenches
Here's the situation. The Dolphins played a game on Sunday. On Monday, they had their players in for film work. On Tuesday, the Dolphins hit the practice field for what essentially was a "Friday practice" - meaning it was shorter and less physical than a typical midweek practice. On Wednesday, the team went through a walkthrough before boarding a plane and heading up to North Carolina. Preparation time? Not much this week.

I take this to mean two things. One - I wouldn't be shocked if the Dolphins unravel some new wrinkle - likely involving Pat White - on Thursday night given that the Panthers also had minimal time to prepare for this game. But more importantly, I get the feeling that this game is going to come down to which team can execute better in the trenches. Who will physically dominate who? The answer to that question will go a long way towards determining who wins this game.

The Panthers and Dolphins come into this game ranked third and fourth respectively on the ground - each averaging just over 156 yards per game. Miami, of course, comes into it without their top running back while the Panther will likely have both of their guys who make up their own dynamic duo. The Dolphins, though, are expected to have Justin Smiley back at left guard after he missed last week with a shoulder injury - certainly good news for us.

With both teams being physical running teams - and even without Ronnie Brown, I do think the Dolphins will remain committed to the run - the difference could come down to which team's defense can do a better job at stopping the run and forcing the other team to throw. Miami is currently 7th in the NFL in rush defense and their 3.7 yards allowed per rush is 5th in the league. Meanwhile, Carolina is surrendering 4.6 yards per carry (25th) and 128 yards per game (25th).

Stopping the run also highlights another important aspect of this game: third down. The Dolphins are the second best team in the league in converting third downs - 49%, in fact - while the Panthers are in the bottom half of the NFL, converting just 40% of their third downs. The Panthers are also among one of the worst passing offenses in the league and quarterback Jake Delhomme is as turnover prone as they come. Holding Carolina to third and long could mean big things for this Dolphin defense.

Bracket Steve Smith all game
When the Panthers do drop back to pass, they really only have one target to stress over. But he's a hell of a target to have available to you. Steve Smith is obviously one of the game's most talented receivers. And his combination of strength and speed (despite his size) makes him a tough little guy to prepare for.

So what will the Dolphins do? I'm not sure - but I know what I'd do. I'd stick the more physical corner we have - Vontae Davis - on Smith all game long. He's got the strength to jam Smith at the line and the speed to hang with him as good as anyone really can. I'd then put safety help over the top as much as possible and tell that safety, which ever one it is, to not let Smith out of his sights. On the other side, you stick Sean Smith on Carolina's other receiving options - guys like Muhsin Muhammad and Dwayne Jarrett. Both are bigger, slower receivers and Sean shouldn't have a problem going one-on-one with those guys for most of the game.

That's my idea for defending Steve Smith. And it's important to note that you aren't ever really going to completely shut down a receiver like him. But Vontae is the kind of corner who can contain him - with deep safety help always available in case Smith just badly beats Vontae - which could definitely happen, especially if Davis misses the jam at the line. But I think if you play him physically and keep decent coverage on him, you can create some turnovers off of forced or inaccurate passes by Delhomme into Steve Smith.

Don't be gun-shy
You might look at the stats and see that the Panthers are ranked fourth in the entire league in passing defense and think that the Dolphins should really do everything they can to not put too much pressure on the young Chad Henne. Yes, Carolina is allowing just 186 yards per game through the air. But they are also seeing the fifth fewest pass attempts against per game - only 30. Why? Probably because of how ineffective they are at stopping the run. We saw this in 2007 in Miami, in fact. The Dolphins were ranked in the top 10 in passing defense for most of the year. Was this because our secondary was so good at defending the pass? Hell no. It was because they were dreadful at stopping the run. After all, why pass it when you can pick up 5 yard chunks at a time on the ground?

The Panthers, though, opposing quarterbacks to complete 63% of their passes (8th highest figure in the league) and have surrendered just as many touchdowns through the air as the Dolphins have (11).

Now I'm not here to tell you that Carolina's secondary stinks. That's not true. But they aren't nearly as good as the stats would lead you to believe. And I hope that while it's obviously important for this Miami offense to remain committed to the run, the Dolphins still trust Henne enough to make a few plays when necessary. The Panthers are going to stack the box. Let's take the leash off of Henne a bit and see what he's got.

Fears confirmed: Ronnie Brown's season is over

2009-11-18T23:33:00Z

So I'm in my car driving home when my cell phone starts blowing up with text messages. And it was not good news.

Various sources - including ESPN, the Palm Beach Post, and the Miami Herald - are confirming that the Dolphins have indeed placed Ronnie Brown on Injured Reserve, ending his 2009 season with a foot injury.

We should learn more about the severity of Ronnie's foot injury in terms of long-term issues in the coming days. But speculation is that Ronnie suffered the dreaded Lisfranc fracture - which is treatable but requires rest for weeks.

This means that Ricky Williams will suddenly be thrust back into the workhorse role - a role he isn't exactly a big fan of. Expect to see some opportunities for Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets as well.

You also can't help but wonder about Ronnie's future in Miami. If a new CBA is not reached between the players and the owners, then Brown is under contract in Miami for one more season - with a salary of $5 million. But if a new CBA is reached prior to the start of the 2010 "league year" - meaning that the uncapped season does not happen - then Brown is a free agent.

It's a tough break for Ronnie, no doubt about it. And it's sickening to me as well - as one of the NFL's "good guys" suffers his second season-ending injury in three years. Talk about bad luck.

Dolphins/Panthers Final Injury Report

2009-11-18T20:40:07Z

With the game tomorrow night, today's injury report is the equivalent of a typical Friday injury report. And both sides have key injuries.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Probable
Gibril Wilson, S (hamstring)

Questionable
Justin Smiley, OG (shoulder)
Tyrone Culver, S (ankle)

Out
Ronnie Brown, RB (foot)
Anthony Fasano, TE (hip)
Paul Soliai, NT (ankle)
Erik Walden, LB (hamstring)

Notes
-A source told the Miami Herald that Smiley is will indeed play. He practiced fully on Wednesday.
-Culver hurt his ankle in practice and was limited. He'll likely be a game time decision.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Questionable
DeAngelo Williams, RB (knee)
Jonathan Stewart, RB (Achilles)
Damione Lewis (shoulder)

Doubtful
Brad Hoover, FB (ankle)
Charles Johnson, DE (pectoral)
Charles Godfrey, S (ankle)

Out
Jordan Gross, OT (ankle)

Notes
-Stewart practiced on Wednesday while Williams did not. But both are expected to play. After all, Williams was listed as questionable last week as well - and he played pretty darn well.

Dolphins in the red zone: Week 10

2009-11-18T19:27:10Z

This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone. With the Dolphins playing a Thursday night game this week, Sunday would be an excellent time to see what NFL RedZone is all about.

For the third consecutive week, the Dolphins executed very well from inside the red zone - converting four trips into two touchdowns and two field goals. But that's only 50% - how is that good?

The two trips in which the Dolphins settled for field goals occurred at the end of each half - the first was Dan Carpenter's 30 yard field goal kicked with 10 seconds remaining. The other was Dan Carpenter's 25 yard field goal kicked with 14 seconds remaining. In both cases, the Dolphins didn't run any offensive play inside Tampa's 20 - they only kicked the field goal.

On their other two trips, the Dolphins were as efficient as they've been for most of the season. On their first possession of the game, the Dolphins drove right down the field on the Bucs. From inside the 20, it took only four plays to punch it in. But the Dolphins did need a third down conversion. On a 3rd & 4 from TB's 10, Henne took the snap from the shotgun, rolled right, and threw a bullet to Greg Camarillo to get down to the one yard line. Ronnie Brown pounded it in on the next play. For Henne, that third down pass was a beauty. He really looks sharp when throwing on the run to his right, doesn't he?

The Dolphins second red zone trip of the day came on the heels of Jason Taylor's "interception" late in the first half. Miami began that drive at Tampa's 8 yard line. Two plays later, Henne had time in the pocket and threw a well placed pass to rookie tight end Kory Sperry for the touchdown. Sperry was the story on that play - as he blocked first and then released into a route, getting open and making a nice snag.

For the season, the Dolphins are converting 63% of their red zone trips into touchdowns. Of course, if you were to discount the two possessions on Sunday where the Dolphins never ran an offensive play inside the red zone - instead settling for field goals as the clock was running down - the Dolphins would actually have a 68% red zone efficiency this season. Not bad for a team with a young quarterback and little weapons outside of the running backs.

Rumors about Ronnie's injury swirl

2009-11-18T19:10:49Z

Rumors about Ronnie's injury swirl

We know that PFT had a source that claimed Ronnie may have the dreaded Lisfranc fracture in his foot - meaning his season would likely be over.

Now the Palm Beach Post has a source that tells them that Brown is indeed done for the season. Another source tells the PBP, however, that nobody is really sure.

Expect the Dolphins to not announce anything until they know for sure.

Ricky Williams back in the spotlight, not that he wants to be

2009-11-18T05:09:23Z

More photos » by J. Pat Carter - AP

Does anyone really care if Ricky doesn't talk to the media? I know I don't - as long as he finds ways to scamper into the endzone like he's doing here.

Browse more photos »

With Ronnie Brown out for at least Thursday night's game in Carolina - and likely longer - the focal point of the Dolphins' offense will once again be Ricky Williams. And this week, of all weeks, the power running game is especially important for Miami. Why? With short rest and little preparation time, the game plan on Thursday is pretty simple - run, run, and then run some more.

The Panthers are 25th in the league in stopping the run and allow 4.6 yards per carry. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have had to adapt to a very different kind of week. The players were in on Monday to do film work. They then hit the practice field on Tuesday - except it was like a typical Friday practice (shorter and less physical than usual). The team will go through a walkthrough on Wednesday before boarding a plane to Carolina later in the day. With less than ideal preparation time, I expect the Dolphins to get back to the basics - pounding the rock.

The major difference this week is that the spotlight will not be on Ronnie and Ricky. It'll just be on Ricky. Does Williams have the skill and talent to be successful as the workhorse running back at the age of 32 like he did five or six years ago? Probably - but he doesn't seem to be relishing the role.

Or, at least, he isn't relishing the spotlight that he's suddenly been thrust into.

It's been well known that Ricky isn't exactly a fan of the media - or of any kind of attention, for that matter. But on Tuesday, Ricky made it clear how much he doesn't like speaking with the media.

If you haven't read it, Ricky spoke with the media today for the first time in a long time. You can read it here, but it's really not much of a read. In fact, Ricky never even gave an answer longer than a sentence. And the one minute and thirty-six second interview ended very abruptly:

Reporter: "We've heard you say before you prefer not to throw out of the Wildcat...

Ricky: "All right, I'm done!"

I actually received the full audio of this brief interview from a source of mine and let me just say that when you listen to the interview itself, it is far more awkward than the transcript of it even conveys.

So what gives? My initial reaction to reading the transcript of the interview was that Williams wasn't exactly excited about once again being the workhorse of Miami's backfield. After all, it's been widely reported that one of the things that drove Williams to retirement was that he just didn't enjoy the pounding he took week in and week out for years as a lead back. Now with Ronnie out for at least Thursday's game, Ricky will once again be asked to take that pounding.

But then that same source that sent me a copy of the audio from today's interview also gave me some insight into why Williams decided to talk after weeks of abstaining.

There's a rule in the NFL that states a player must make himself available to the media at least twice per week - once after a game and at least once during the week. Williams, however, has not lived up to that expectation this year. I'm told that outside of having a good relationship with one of the Sun-Sentinel's writers - and it's not Omar Kelly - Ricky hasn't spoken with the group of reporters all season.

So why now?

As I'm told, the reporters decided to make sure that Ricky would do what the NFL mandates and speak to the media - even if he doesn't want to. So they decided to tell Dolphins VP of Public Relations Harvey Greene that if Williams continued to avoid speaking with the media, they would notify the NFL Players Association. That would lead to a warning letter from the NFLPA and an eventual fine if Ricky failed to comply.

Clearly, the Dolphins then informed Ricky of the situation - and the fine he would risk receiving if he failed to meet with the media. The Miami Herald confirms that Ricky was informed of the situation. This is likely what led to that uncomfortable minute and a half interview. Ricky's short responses simply seemed like a giant middle finger at all of them for forcing him to speak.

And I say, "Good job, Ricky!"

I understand that the media is just trying to do their jobs. But why can't they just leave the poor guy alone. He's not comfortable speaking with the media - and he never has been. Just let him be. Don't go to his employer as a group and basically tattle tale on the man - making threats and forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do.

If nothing else, at least approach Ricky man to man - not as a group - and just explain to Williams the situation. They all should know about Ricky's issues with dealing with the media, anyways. This shouldn't come as a shock. And I'm sure the way Williams was portrayed by the South Florida media during his "past issues" probably doesn't help endear them to Williams, either - which is perfectly understandable.

Now the media will tell you they were just trying to do their jobs and help us fans get some information about the team we all love. But I think most fans would agree that we don't need Ricky to do any talking during the week. We hardly ever get any good info from player interviews, anyways.

In my opinion, all the talking Ricky needs to do is on the football field. That's all I care about.

Jake Long leading vote at tackle for Pro Bowl

2009-11-17T20:24:31Z

Jake Long leading vote at tackle for Pro Bowl

I just got my hands on the list of Pro Bowl fan voting leaders and the Dolphins actually have an AFC leader at one of the positions. Jake Long's 107,299 votes leads the way among all AFC tackles.

Congrats to Jake - for now. And be sure to head over to NFL.com to cast your votes. There are only five weeks remaining to vote.

Sparano: Brown is out, Porter is in

2009-11-17T20:11:05Z

Tony Sparano just finished meeting with the media in South Florida and here is what we know. He has confirmed that Ronnie Brown will not play on Thursday night. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Brown will go see a foot specialist before they know anything more about how long he might be out for. Let's hope for the best for Brown.

Meanwhile, Sparano basically called by Chris Mortensen a liar. He didn't use those words, but he did say that Joey Porter will play on Thursday. Asked if Porter will be the starter on Thursday, Sparano said he "thinks he will."

So much for Mortensen's report that claimed Porter wouldn't play on Thursday. The Dolphins are expected to use a rotation at outside linebacker, however - which is probably a good idea considering how effective both Charlie Anderson and Cameron Wake were last week against Tampa Bay.

Rex Ryan cries during Monday team meeting

2009-11-17T17:06:36Z

Rex Ryan cries during Monday team meeting

Yet another sign that the Rex Ryan era in New York is well on its way towards disaster.

The Joey Porter saga continues in Miami, but is he even needed?

2009-11-17T05:15:08Z

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

The bench. Perhaps Joey Porter should get used to it.

Browse more photos »

In case you haven't heard, Chris Mortensen reported during Monday Night Countdown that Dolphins LB Joey Porter is not expected to play on Thursday night when his team travels up to Carolina to take on the Panthers. In fact, Mortensen added that Porter might not be playing again "anytime soon." And all this comes after Porter was deactivated for this past week's game against Tampa Bay - described by the Dolphins as a "coach's decision."

There have also been multiple reports that the original reason for Porter's deactivation against the Buccaneers was related to Joey, who was nursing an injury and not feeling well, being allowed to leave the facility early to go home. However, Joey allegedly didn't go home - he went "elsewhere." The team learned of this and made the decision to sit him against the Bucs.

But you have to wonder if Mortensen's report on Monday night is actually accurate. Joey spoke to the media earlier on Monday and did said, among other things, "It was coach's decision. There's nothing else to talk about. It's already behind me."

Head coach Tony Sparano made it seem like this whole situation was behind him as well. In fact, he actually defended Porter's lack of production this season when asked about it by the media:

"I see different things that Joey does, different things that Joey has gotten better at, things that you guys won't see unless you watch the film with us. That is a credit to Joey. When you can teach an old dog a new trick — that is a positive."

This is why I'm having a hard time believing Mortensen's report that Porter won't play on Thursday night. Maybe he won't start - and maybe he doesn't even deserve to (we'll get into that in a minute). But you can't sit here and tell me that Joey Porter isn't as good as a guy like Quentin Moses - who would be the player who would get Porter's spot on the 45-player gameday roster if Joey is indeed deactivated again.

I also find it hard to believe that Tony Sparano would tell the media one thing - and defend Joey to the reporters - while bashing him behind closed doors. I just don't see Sparano as that kind of coach - one who would be that disingenuous.

With that said, Sparano did make it clear to the media that he plans to use a rotation among all of his outside linebackers from here on out:

"I will be honest with you and I might have mentioned this after the game, but our plan going in was to have a rotation and we will continue to have a rotation and get as many of these guys in the game that we can get into the game. I think Cameron and Charlie were both productive yesterday so there is no reason for them not to get into the game and play."

This means that, with or without Porter, the Dolphins will continue to rotate in all of their top outside linebackers - Jason Taylor, Charlie Anderson, Cameron Wake, and Matt Roth. But wouldn't the Dolphins benefit from including Porter in this rotation?

You would think so. But it's important to also keep in mind that we don't really know what has been going on behind closed doors. Perhaps Joey was told by Sparano that he would be rotating the outside linebackers in and out of the game more often moving forward and Joey - being the competitor he is - was not happy. Again, that's just speculation - but it would make sense.

Regardless of the reason, however, would the Dolphins really miss Joey Porter on the field if he is indeed deactivated again? The statistics lead you to believe they would not.

On the season, Joey Porter has played 378 defensive snaps. Of those, Porter has 2.5 sacks and 8 quarterback pressures. Meanwhile, everybody's favorite CFL transplant - Cameron Wake - has taken just 90 snaps. In those 90 snaps, Wake has 4.5 sacks and 12 quarterback pressures (which are the most pressures of any Dolphin, one more than Jason Taylor). It's also worth pointing out that Charlie Anderson has taken 92 snaps on defense and has one sack and two quarterback pressures.

If you wanted to average these figures out, Wake is getting a sack or pressuring the quarterback on one out of every six snaps and Anderson one out of every 31 snaps. Porter, meanwhile, is averaging just one sack or pressure out of every 36 snaps.

Of course, Wake is rushing the passer on pretty much every snap he sees. That's what he does. Anderson and Porter are asked to do more - like drop into coverage. You also need to adjust those numbers for opponent's play selection. And if we did that, odds are that Wake sees a much greater ratio of passing plays to running plays than either of the other two.

But still, these stats aren't really telling us something that we haven't seen with our own eyes when watching these games. And the fact has been that, for most of the season, Joey Porter has not been effective at getting to the quarterback. And when you are the weakside outside linebacker in a 3-4, that is your primary job.

If I was Joey, I'd be on my very best behavior - because I think we might be getting to the point where these Miami Dolphins no longer need Joey. Or perhaps Joey has already realized this, possibly resulting in the spat between Porter and the team behind closed doors.

Chris Mortensen reports Joey Porter won't play on Thursday

2009-11-17T02:55:27Z

This is a bit surprising, but it comes from ESPN's Chris Mortensen - who has a great reputation and has a pipeline to the Dolphins through his relationship with Bill Parcells. Mortensen reported on Monday Night Countdown that Dolphins LB Joey Porter will not play on Thursday against the Panthers. Mort added that Porter might not play "anytime soon."

If this is indeed the case, you have to wonder what exactly is going on - or what occurred - between Porter and the coaching staff. Yes, Charlie Anderson and Cameron Wake played very well on Sunday against the Buccaneers when replacing Porter. But shouldn't Joey at least be part of the rotation?

Or perhaps the Dolphins approached Joey and told him he would be part of a rotation and Porter refused to accept that role. At this point, it's anyone's guess.

But what I do know is that I'm beginning to think that benching Porter isn't necessarily a downgrade in terms of production. Then again, it was just one game against the Bucs. After all, maybe Joey also would have had a good game if he had played.

It should be interesting to see how this unfolds between now and Thursday.

2009 Game Balls - Week 10

2009-11-17T02:13:42Z

Talk about a heart attack. I literally could not watch DC$'s final field goal. Wow! What a finish. Thank you Henne for the fantastic finish. I don't know if I should be upset about your horrible interception, or love you because of the drive you orchestrated to get the win.

This week is another hard week to give game balls. Not because of, like last week, there's not a lot of players that deserve the accolades, but because everyone seemed to play well, so no one really jumped out as the dominant player.

The sack is even harder this week. I guess that's a good thing.

via a.espncdn.com

1-yard Game Ball. Jake Long and Lousaka Polite. The Offensive Line looked really good this week. I think, of all the linemen though, Long stood out. His lead block to get Ronnie Brown into the endzone was outstanding. That's the #1 overall pick we wanted. As for the Lousaka Monster, the guys does everything you ask of him. He's in there blowing up linebackers as a lead blocker. He took his two carries for 14-yards, including the beauty of a 12-yarder straight up the gut. These two guys, along with the rest of the offensive line, really make this power running offense the Dolphins want to be, possible. They probably deserve more yardage this week, but I cannot figure out who to cut from the next four Game Balls.

via a.espncdn.com

2-yard Game Ball. Kory Sperry. Sperry was signed off of the practice squad on Saturday. What did he do on Sunday? Make three catches for 31 yards. Oh yeah, and a touchdown. What a debut for a practice squad tight end. Sperry commented after the game, "I don't think much when I'm playing, but I said, 'Wow, OK, don't drop this.'" He'll probably end up back on the practice squad when Anthony Fasano comes back from injury, but what a great moment for this young man. Hopefully this means the Dolphins have a good tight end for the future in him.

3-yard Game Ball. Jason Taylor. Okay, the interception was a little odd. I think the commentators are all confused though, still trying to make it a fumble recovery. The referee clearly explains that the receiver was going to the ground, but the ball popped up when he hit the ground, therefore, it's an interception. Either way, the Dolphins finally got a good call from the zebras. Okay, besides this play, JT seemed to be everywhere today. He was pressuring Josh Freeman, he was defensing passes (two). He didn't get a sack, but he was there plenty of times. Good day for JT. Just wish he could have had touchdown number 10!

via d.yimg.com

4-yard Game Ball.Charlie Anderson and Channing Crowder. Apparently Charlie Anderson came to play this week. He got the start for the coach's decision inactive Joey Porter, and he did not disappoint. He had six tackles, and a sack. He also forced two fumbles. For the record, Porter has 12 tackles on the year, 2.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Anderson almost equaled that this week. Great game, Mr. Anderson. Channing Crowder finally decided to play like his mouth - loud and all over the place. Crowder had nine tackles, with one sack, and one pass defensed. Crowder finally looked like the player we all want him to be. Overall, a great day for the linebackers of the Miami Dolphins (well, unless you are Joey Porter...).

via d.yimg.com

5-yard Game Ball. Ricky Williams. I wasn't going to do it. I really wasn't. But, I don't think it's my love of Ricky that got him this Game Ball this week. Erric ran for 102-yards, extending his franchise record 100-yard game total to 21 (33rd of his career), six ahead of second place Ronnie Brown. The 27-yard rush down to the 7-yard line to set up DC$'s game winner was a thing of beauty. Do you guys remember when we drafted Ronnie Brown, and he was the power runner to Ricky's cut back, finesse runner? My, how things have change. When Ricky finally realized he is a big dude, and he can just run over people, he got even better. I don't care who you are, if Ricky lowers his shoulder, you are going to lose. I just wish Geno Hayes hadn't been able to make that tackle.

Honorable Mention this week: I'm going to go ahead and hand out a few extra one yard Game Balls this week, because like I said earlier, a lot of players deserved recognition after this game. So, Dan Carpenter (Fgs from 25, 30, 45, 49 and 1/2 on XPs, plus he was kicking against his training camp rival Connor Barth), Cameron Wake (three tackles, including one for a loss, plus a sack), Brandon Fields (6 punts, 45.5 yard average, 3 inside the 20, and one was a 62 yard blast), Chad Henne (smart play today, he really did, as JT said, mature this week), Yeremiah Bell (for the hit to end the game), and Davone Bess (I really was going to give him the sack this week for his muffed punt, then his backwards punt return, but his catches at the end of the game saved him from that) each get one yard.

via cache.daylife.com

Sack: Okay, like I said, I wanted to give this to Bess, but he finished the game hot, so he got away with screwing up some punt returns early. Instead, I will go ahead and give it to the player missing from the linebackers today - just like all season. Joey Porter gets this week's sack, for being "healthy" enough to play, but being inactivated by a coach's decision. As Matty and RZ stated in the "No news, but some speculation about Ronnie Brown's injury " post, it looks like Porter was too injured and/or sick to practice this week, bu was caught doing something during the week that he too wasn't sick or hut to do. What that was hasn't been released, but I like the fact that the coaches immediately benched the Pro-Bowler/Team Captain. And, congratulations Joey. Without even getting on the field, you received a 5-yard sack this week, increasing your total negative yardage to -13.

If you missed it on Friday, click here to see the mid-season Yardage Totals for this year.