Miami Dolphins Prove The Importance Of Depth In The NFL

October 28, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon (50) celebrates his touchdown after a blocked punt during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at New MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Faytok/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Dolphins let their play do the talking Sunday with the beat down they gave the to New York Jets (I think I can still hear the Jet’s fans boo’s). As many Dolphins fans expected, Miami came away with a victory, but it was the way they won which proved surprising. The ‘Phins dominated on all sides of the ball, proving that they are a legitimate wild card threat.

Reserve players stepped up and made huge plays and those that came in relief for injured starters did so without missing a beat.

Many fans almost had a heart attack, early in the game when Ryan Tannehill went down due to an injured left quad and knee from a Calvin Pace sack. Luckily, behind Tannehill, last year’s starting quarterback, Matt Moore, was ready to take the reigns. Moore came in and managed the game perfectly, sealing the win for the team and officially squashing any trade rumors about him. Quarterback is one of the most important positions in football, and having two capable QB’s will only help this team go further this season.

Another reserve that stepped up this week is Nolan Carroll, who was once again in the starting lineup due to Richard Marshall’s nagging back injury. The Jets wide receivers are terrible, but it’s not hard to take advantage of a newly inserted corner back. Carroll played well enough not to get noticed, which is huge for a position that gets exploited if the player doesn’t have substantial playing experience.

The special teams unit of the Dolphins win was ruled by second string safety/corner back Jimmy Wilson and my official Dolphins man crush, defensive end Olivier Vernon.

Wilson has been playing great on special teams all season, but the first quarter punt block on Sunday was the first time it showed on the scoreboard. Wilson made a great read fooling ( I refuse to type his name, he’s a backup quarterrunningback-thing! Enough of the constant coverage! ) the Jets up back and flew in untouched to block the punt into the end zone where it was scooped up off a perfect bounce by my guy, Vernon for six points and one great rendition of Gangnam Style for a celebration.

Vernon’s wraith was also felt later in the game, right before the first half ended. He bull rushed his way in between the Jets blockers and slapped Nick Folk’s field goal attempt to send it off its course. I love everything this kid brings to the team, he’s a backup defensive end that has made plays week in and week out.

The Dolphins reserve players came up big in their Week 8 win vs the Jets. If this team is going to contend for a playoff berth, the second and third string are going to have to continue to make an impact in games and during practice every week. With players like Matt Moore and Olivier Vernon I’m extremely confident they will.