Lock 'n' load

These Dolphins are winning on both sides of the ball

MIAMI -- Sometimes it's with their new-found power running game, a toy so novel, so borderline addictive that in childlike wonder they seem to want to play with it more and more as the day wears on.

Sometimes it's with their still green and growing passing game, a varied and reenergized facet of their attack that features a gifted rookie tight end, an emerging go-to threat at No. 1 receiver and more than enough valuable secondary parts to keep the chains moving.

And sometimes it's still that bludgeoning, smash-mouth defense that can take over a game and shut down an opponent, with each man consistently winning his 1-on-1 battle and carrying out his assignment like a finely tuned 11-piece symphony.

That's the thing about these Miami Dolphins. They can beat you so many ways. Dare we say in more ways than ever?

Think back. When was the last time a Miami team had so many pieces in place? I mean, other than the No. 1 ranked Hurricanes? Certainly not in Dan Marino's time. Too much offensive imbalance. It sounds like hyperbole -- or maybe sacrilege -- but these Dolphins might have more going for them than any Miami team since Don Shula's glory days in the early- to mid-1970s.

"That's what's so comforting, and that's what we're so excited about," said fifth-year Dolphins receiver Oronde Gadsden, moments after Miami's 26-13 throttling of the suddenly vulnerable defending Super Bowl champion Patriots on Sunday at Pro Player Stadium. "We've got a hell of a lot of ways to score. That's what we're happiest about. The biggest pressure probably falls on [first-year offensive coordinator] Norv [Turner], to get that done.

"We can run with Ricky [Williams]. We can throw to Randy [McMichael] or Chris [Chambers]. And then there's our defense. We've never had all three phases around here, at least not for very long. I think we've got it all together right now. We don't have to depend on the defense to win games like we have in the past."

New England's blueprint Sunday against Miami was straightforward. Scorched for 459 yards rushing the past two weeks, the Patriots started off keying on Williams, the Dolphins' bellwether running back. The goal was to stick eight men in the box, stuff Williams and the Dolphins' running game, and make quarterback Jay Fiedler and his band of young receivers beat them.

Sounds good, but Miami wrecked the plan. Williams had just 23 yards after one quarter and just 49 on 15 carries at the half. But the Dolphins didn't let that deter them, posting one of the most dominating halves of football in recent memory. Outgaining the Patriots 130-26, Miami used a short field, two huge New England turnovers and some clutch third-down execution to grab a 16-0 halftime lead in a game that vaulted the Dolphins (4-1) into sole possession of first place in the AFC East, a game ahead of New England (3-2).

And then, after a Williams third-quarter fumble breathed momentary life into the Patriots' chances, Miami put the hammer down, running Williams 21 clock-eating times in the second half. Williams wound up with 36 carries (the most ever by a Dolphins runner in the regular season) for 105 yards, improving Miami to 4-0 this season when he hits the triple-digit plateau.

Although Miami outgained New England by a modest 319-245 yards in total offense, the Dolphins wound up with an astounding 2-to-1 edge in possession time (39:59 to 20:01), their biggest advantage in that department since a Week 5 game at New England in 1999. Afterward, Dolphin after Dolphin echoed the same theme: You can take away Ricky for a quarter, even a half, but we're still going to keep running, wearing you down and sapping your resolve. Even while we're beating you with our other weapons.

"We saw those guys grabbing their knees, with their tongues out," said receiver Dedric Ward of the Patriots in the second half. "But the offensive line kept after them all game. It took a toll on them."

Mixing it up nicely on offense, the Dolphins proved they could win playing littleball. Williams' longest run was 12 yards, and Fiedler (17 of 27 for 190 yards and two touchdowns) had just one pass that went longer than 18 yards, that being a third-quarter 35-yard lob to receiver James McKnight, setting up Miami's final touchdown. The rest of the day, the Dolphins threw short to medium-range passes to Chambers (six catches for 62 yards and a touchdown), McMichael (three for 26 yards and a touchdown) and Gadsden (2 for 27 yards) or fed Williams.

And the Dolphins stepped up on offense when it counted most. All three of Miami's touchdowns came in third-and-goal situations, with Fiedler scrambling in from eight yards out in the first quarter, hitting Chambers on a pretty crossing pattern in the back of the end zone in the second quarter and hooking up with the athletic McMichael on a difficult 1-yard completion in the third quarter.

After a sloppy 1-for-8 day on third down in their loss at Kansas City last week, the Dolphins rebounded with a 9-of-17 showing Sunday. They had 10 first downs in the first half and 11 more after the break. Everywhere you look in Miami these days, there's balance as far as the eye can see.

"I think we held the ball [39] minutes or something like that, while we [the defense] sat on our butts all day and were fresh, which is nice," said Miami defensive end Jason Taylor, who had a team-high two sacks and forced a Patriots fumble, one of three New England turnovers. "Ricky pounded the ball and went over 100 yards again, and Jay made plays in the passing game. The offense did a great job and put up plenty of points. I just know it's a lot easier to play with a lead."

Miami's 26 points gives it 156 through the season's first five games. That trails only one other Dolphins team -- 1984's record-setting, Super Bowl-qualifying bunch (164) -- at the same juncture. And with his next 100-yard rushing game, Williams will tie Miami's one-season team record in that category (Delvin Williams, five, in 1978).

"This is probably how we want to go about every game," Chambers said. "We don't want to go out there and have to throw the ball 40 or 50 times just to win. If we can pound it a little bit and make big third-down catches like that, we're going to be tough to beat. Especially with our defense."

Despite all the reasons for optimism, the Dolphins sounded a bit wary of their own success on Sunday, when they beat a visiting Patriots team for the 13th consecutive time in September or October. After all, there have been many other fast starts for Miami in recent years. And every one of them has failed to lead to the promised land.

"We've been here before," Ward said. "Last year we were at this same point, and we hung one on the Patriots down here just like we did today [30-10 in Week 4]. Then we tailed off down the stretch a little bit and they got hot, so we obviously know what they're capable of doing.

"Don't get me wrong. This was a big game for us. But it wasn't a changing of the guard. If we think that, we'll let down our guard next week at Denver. We have to just keep stringing these wins together, using everything we've got."

Ward's right. Miami hasn't won anything yet. But as October unfolds, one thing is becoming readily apparent: These Dolphins have got a lot. With maybe more ways to beat you than ever.

Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.

 

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