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Defensive Dolphins

Miami wins field-goal battle with the Cardinals

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Posted: Sunday September 19, 1999 09:44 PM

Cornerback Ray Hill and the Miami defense did a nice job of shutting down Rob Moore and the Arizona offense. AP

MIAMI (AP) -- Jake Plummer threw into coverage. He threw behind receivers. He threw wobbly passes up for grabs.

And the Miami Dolphins made certain that Plummer paid for his mistakes. They intercepted him four times and stymied his latest comeback bid to edge the Arizona Cardinals 19-16 Sunday.

"I made a few boneheaded throws," said Plummer, who declined to blame a thumb injury that forced him to miss most of the preseason. "This game hurts. I'm going to soak it in for a couple of days, because I don't want this to happen again."

Plummer, who orchestrated the 10th comeback of his three-year career last week at Philadelphia, failed to muster any fourth-quarter heroics against Miami. The Cardinals took over at their own 33 with 1:14 left, but two penalties and a sack pushed them back to the 25, and Plummer was intercepted by Brock Marion with 15 seconds to go.

The Dolphins, building on their season-opening win at Denver a week ago, improved to 2-0 with the sloppy but exciting victory. Miami overcame four turnovers and nine penalties by keeping the Cardinals' offense out of the end zone.

"We didn't play very well, but we played well enough to win," coach Jimmy Johnson said. "The defense was outstanding."

Arizona fell to 1-1, but coach Vince Tobin found consolation in the defeat.

"We played a good team that just beat the Super Bowl champs, and we played them to a standstill," he said.

Miami's Olindo Mare won a field-goal duel with Chris Jacke, hitting from 39, 51, 48 and 44 yards. Jacke kicked field goals of 36, 44 and 38 yards before missing on a 33-yard attempt with 11:48 left.

"It was just a bad kick," Jacke said. "Nine out of 10 times I make that kick."

Jacke said he deserved blame for the defeat, but Plummer pointed to himself as the culprit.

Plummer finished 11-for-27 for 112 yards and now has seven interceptions in two games. While he declined to use the thumb injury as an excuse, teammates said Plummer wasn't 100 percent.

Miami's Cecil Collins gained 45 yards in his NFL debut. AP

"I don't think he had the zip he had in training camp before he hurt the thumb," receiver Frank Sanders said.

"If Jake is healthy, it's a different outcome,"center Aaron Graham said. "We not only win this game, we come away 14- to 21-point victors. He's still nursing that thing. It's still bothering him."

Plummer was picked off once in the end zone by Zach Thomas and twice by Sam Madison.

"I gave Sam a good shot at being All-Pro," Plummer said wryly. "He came up and thanked me after the game."

Dan Marino was only somewhat better than his counterpart, going 21-for-35 for 221 yards and a touchdown. But Marino also threw a pair of ugly, costly interceptions.

"I didn't play any good," he said. "I don't think anybody did. But we won the game. We gave them 10 points, but we came back to win."

Arizona linebacker Rob Fredrickson intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown, and defensive end Andre Wadsworth picked off Marino to set up a field goal that gave Arizona a 16-13 lead.

Miami's only touchdown followed a 71-yard drive in the final 2:13 of the first half. After a replay review changed the spot of the ball, costing the Dolphins half a yard and an apparent first down, rookie fullback Rob Konrad gained 2 yards on fourth-and-inches.

Marino hit Troy Drayton two plays later for a 10-yard touchdown, making the score 13-all at halftime.

Madison's first interception led to Mare's final field goal late in the third period, giving Miami a 19-16 lead. Madison made another interception with 91/2 minutes left after Arizona reached the Miami 41-yard line. Both passes by Plummer were behind intended receiver Rob Moore.

So there was no comeback, and now Plummer must come back from one of his worst performances. He plans to do just that.

"I'd have to throw 25 interceptions to have my head down," Plummer said.

Notes : Miami punter Brent Bartholomew sprained his right knee covering a kick in the third period, and Johnson said he may be in the market for a replacement this week. The Dolphins listed three other injuries: guard Mark Dixon (right groin strain), linebacker Derrick Rodgers (left ankle sprain) and tight end Hunter Goodwin (right hamstring strain). ... Arizona fell to 0-8 against the Dolphins. Miami remains one of four teams the Cardinals have never beaten. The others are Denver, Carolina and Jacksonville. ... Running back John Avery's stock with the Dolphins is in decline. Last year's first-round draft pick was inactive for the game after losing his job as the third-down back. ... Miami has won six consecutive home openers. ... Mare's 51-yard field goal was the longest of his three-year career. ... Arizona took advantage of two Miami turnovers in the second period to score three times in 94 seconds.

 

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