"And now you're probably down to a snap...with six seconds left in the game."
Mike Tirico said those exact words as the Dolphins lined up on 2nd down from the Colts' 30 yard line.
You already know my thoughts on this sort of thing.
And, of course, the next play was the final play; Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano must have been listening to the Monday Night Football broadcast. The final play, for those who didn't watch ESPN1 last night around 11:30, was an interception in the endzone...game over, Colts win. I knew this was going to happen because Chad Pennington doesn't have the arm strength to fit a ball into a tight window from 30-plus yards out (especially when eight defenders are crammed into the endzone).
But 15 or 18 yards out, now that's slightly more manageable, even for a guy with a cap gun for an arm.
But, why Brad? Why do you mention 15 or 18 yards? I'll tell you why, my friend. Because, with six seconds remaining, you can easily attempt a pass play that will net you 15 yards in about three or four seconds-----and if it doesn't work, you can try your quasi-Hail Mary with two seconds left.
Making things a billion times worse for any Dolphins fan reading this...
Indy's defense on the final play was begging Miami to grab the same fifteen yards I just wrote about. The Colts rushed only three and planted seven defenders at the goal line. Only one Colt -- besides the three down linemen -- was visible on my Samsung television screen, and he was eleven yards off the line of scrimmage, facing three Dolpins receivers on the right hash.
Which means...
The two Dolphins receivers on the left side, Davone Bess and Ted Ginn, were uncovered for at least -- AT LEAST -- fifteen yards (and probably more like twenty-five). The Colts were conceding those yards, because, apparently, their coaching staff also thought six seconds wasn't enough time to run two plays.
Part of the blame should fall on Dolphins QB Chad Pennington, as well. I'm positive he recognized the Colts' alignment, so why didn't he get the Dolphins in some sort of quick screen-type play to Ted Ginn and allow him to run as far as he could along the sideline before stepping out of bounds with a second or two left?
I typically hate when armchair quarterbacks try to simplify the NFL, but this one really is as simple as I'm making it out to be. A quick pass to Ted Ginn -- one of the world's fastest humans -- would've netted 15 yards-----and greatly improved their chances of winning.
Stupid idiots.
-Brad Spieser (Brad@TwinKilling.com)
9/22/09
2 comments:
Know what else would have greatly improved the chances of winning????
1 - Don't miss that 49 yard field goal at 8:43 in the 3rd quarter. If we had that, a field goal would have won it.
2 - Ginn needs to make that catch in the endzone. We didn't draft him ninth overall (a mistake) to have him miss the big play like that. He had 108 yards....but missed the one that counted. (Sorry to diss someone from OSU)
The Wildcat did look good last night though and we were 0-2 at this time last year. We will see what happens now.
-Doug
Forgot to mention this, but I might as well now: Why in the hell isn't Ginn returning kicks in Miami? That's the one thing that makes him a true difference maker! It was no secret he was a raw WR but an excellent return man in college... so how has he become a possession receiver with so-so hands in the NFL. It's preposterous.
Tim Brown should be the template here-----lights out returner and unpolished receiver at Notre Dame. He became one of the NFL's most prolific WRs of all time, but it didn't happen right away. (Note: Through five seasons he had a total of 147 receptions - i.e., less than 30 catches per season)
......
And yes, the Wildcat was dominant on Monday. By the way, I love the banter between Jaworski and Gruden regarding the Wildcat. It needs to be toned down (I'll blame broadcasting newcomer Gruden), but at least both guys are sticking to their beliefs. Friction is great when it's not contrived
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