|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Simple recipe for success Pleasantly surprising Dolphins get it done with defense
CNNSI.com's B. Duane Cross talked with former NFL head coach and current CNN NFL Preview analyst Ron Meyer about several issues and storylines as teams prepare for Week 15: Cross: Miami plays host to Tampa Bay on Sunday, a must-win game for the Buccaneers, while Miami can tighten its stranglehold on the AFC East. Who is the key to victory -- or defeat -- in this game? Meyer: For the Dolphins, [quarterback] Jay Fiedler doesn't get them into trouble. He's been consistent this season and has done exactly what the offensive calls for. On the other hand, Tampa Bay is the opposite. When the Buccaneers have gotten into trouble, it's because their quarterback [ Shaun King ] has turned the ball over, or fumbles. When Tampa Bay gets behind, it stays behind. A lot of that falls on the shoulders of King, his immaturity and inexperience. That said, with Warrick Dunn running the ball, he has emerged as a tough nut; he's explosive and adds that speed dimension. [Miami head coach] Dave Wannstedt has reestablished himself as a talented coach. The Dolphins are the most pleasant surprise of the season, and they play to their strength, which is letting the defense -- quarterback sacks, turnovers -- win the game. Cross: New Orleans travels to San Francisco this week for a game no one thought four months ago would mean anything in the big picture. And still, here are the Saints vying for a playoff spot and the Niners on a three-game winning streak. Meyer: At home, San Francisco is my pick. When you analyze what the 49ers did last week -- against a good San Diego defense and on the road -- it's amazing. The difference will be running back Charlie Garner. He has taken it to the next level as a running back, and with [quarterback] Jeff Garcia, the 49ers can hit you with a double-edge sword. I think New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks will try to exploit San Francisco's secondary, which is weak. But the Saints are beginning to feel the loss of their top running back, Ricky Williams. New Orleans has played with a lot of smoke and mirrors and it's catching up. The Saints' plays haven't come as much by great design, but rather good individual one-on-one plays. Cross: This weekend is the anniversary of Chicago's 73-0 championship victory against Washington. Against St. Louis' defense, Minnesota could challenge that point-scoring mark. For all the talk about the Rams' offense, their defense has taken quite a few hits this season. Meyer: Certainly St. Louis' defense is its Achilles' heel. But when you run a high-risk, high-reward offense, that's going to happen. The Rams throw the ball around a lot, and turnovers put the defense in precarious situations and really wears it down. As for Minnesota, I don't think [head coach] Denny Green will go into the game trying to make a statement like "The Rams won the Super Bowl last year, and now we're going to show you what we have." Winning -- and winning on the road -- is statement enough. Knowing Green, he just wants to win the game and leave all the rest up to the writers. Cross: There are two huge games in the AFC West this week: Seattle at Denver and Oakland playing host to the Jets. With the Broncos holding the division tiebreaker, the Raiders have to be approaching this game with a sense of extreme urgency. Meyer: First, I talked with Seattle defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell, and he says the Broncos have an offensive line that reminds him of the old San Francisco 49ers teams, coached by the late Bob McKittrick. They are like a bunch of rolling butcher knives, which limits the opposing defense's pass rush, because their hands are on the ground trying to avoid the blocks, which in turn hampers any upfield surge. Denver should win that game easily. Oakland will rebound after last week's debacle at Pittsburgh. Playing at home, even with the Jets laying it on the line, I think the Raiders will win. And remember, outside of the fans at Mile High Stadium, I believe Oakland has the second-most raucous crowd. And the Raiders' defense will come to play, trying to erase last week's showing. I think the difference in the game will be the quarterbacks. Rich Gannon will make more plays for the Raiders than Vinny Testaverde will for the Jets. The deciding factor is Gannon's scrambling ability. Cross: What was long expected came to pass Monday. Washington owner Daniel Snyder fired head coach Norv Turner, replacing him on an interim basis with assistant Terry Robiskie. And Pepper Rodgers has made it to the NFL -- as a powerful, personnel-decision-making assistant to Snyder. Meyer: It's all in whom you know. Rodgers was an assistant to Fred Smith at FedEx, and helped broker the multimillion-dollar stadium naming rights deal between the company and the Redskins, which put Rodgers in close contact with Snyder. Rodgers can sell himself; he's a showman, a salesman. In this instance, time will tell whether it's the right decision. As for Robiskie, his being elevated should spur the team. The Redskins can win their final three games, starting Sunday against Dallas. If Washington gets on a roll, makes the playoffs, then everything will be OK. But if Robiskie and the Redskins stumble -- which they shouldn't -- then lookout. Rodgers may name himself as the top coaching candidate. He may say something like, "Well, Dick Vermeil was out of football all those years, and he returned to take the Rams to the Super Bowl. I can do that for you, too." Again, time will tell. Ron Meyer, a former NFL head coach, is a pro football analyst with CNN/Sports Illustrated and appears weekly on CNN's NFL Preview.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
