Game 3: NYJ 31, MIA 28

You know it's a tough loss when you can't find the right words to convey the sinking feeling in your gut, the ache that comes when a terrible team makes another bad team look great. It pains me even more that The D-Bag is so right about this team once again. From his latest:

"See if this sounds familiar? When the Miami defense is good, the offense isn't. When the offense is good, the defense isn't. When both are OK, the special teams collapse. This is how it works with losers. They aren't good enough to be consistent at anything, so you can't name a single thing the Dolphins do consistently well. Not one."

On paper, this was a win. Ronnie Brown destroyed Jet defenders in the best performance of his life; the offensive line?!; Trent Green looked straight up impressive; Booker, Chambers and Brown all opened up the passing game and registered absolutely zero drops; just one turnover; over 400 yards total offense. Surely our defense would hold up. Jets 31 Phins 28. Fuck.

Minus Leon Washington's kick return, which clearly was the "Nice try, boys. Enjoy the flight back to Miami" play of the game, the Phins played a great first-half, winning the time-of-possession battle and subsequently killing the Jets in total yards. Our play calls toward the end of the half, though, were mind-boggling. Inside the Jet 20 in the two-minute drill with Ronnie running like a god damn horse, we pass the ball three straight times and kick the field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, special teams coach Keith Armstrong and Jay Feely had the following conversation:

Jay: "I'm putting this one in the end-zone."
Keith: "That's too easy..." (He pulls a club sandwich from his back pocket and takes a bite).
Jay: "So...?"
Keith: "Our defense looks bored. Let's give it to 'em mid field."
Jay: "NICE!!!"
Keith: "Yeah, BABY!!"

They score right before half. Game over.

There are plenty of areas to be slightly excited about, the obvious being the offensive turnaround that has me believing Cam does know what he's doing. But the defense...I mean, shit, if it's not one thing, it's the other. From my point of view, the secondary impressed, given their rag-tag status. If I remember correctly, Coles and Cotchery made some fairly impressive catches in coverage.

Other thoughts:

- As much as I dog on Chris Chambers for not being the playmaker he ought to be, he pulled down a number of tough catches in traffic. Likewise, Marty Booker was fearless over the middle.
- A number of reader comments on the Sentinel and Herald articles have suggested among other ridiculous notions ("trade Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas for draft picks") that John Beck should take over for Green since the season is all but lost. It's an entertaining thought, but the timing in making such a change would be questionable. After all, Green just tossed for 318 on 23/36. He's still the best option at this point.

Incidentally, I took in the Jets game at a bar with my two brothers, both of which are Bills fans. I had my eyes on both games, and after watching JP Losman and Trent Edwards dick around the field for 60 minutes, I came to the conclusion that Green is a formidable option at this point. Our QB position could be a whole lot worse.

- How about Ted Ginn Jr. and that Buckeye speed...that first-round zing? Second-round punt returners might net 3 or 4 return yards, but a first-rounder will get you about 6 net return yards, so it's worth it. In all fairness, a penalty negated his best punt return of the year, and he showcased some of that zip on kick returns.

Another frustrating loss. Another lost season. Plenty of questions to address. More seasons of rebuilding. Same old story. Same old Dolphins.

Next up is OAK.