Miami Dolphins give total team effort in loss to Patriots
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins put a total team effort on the field today failing in all three areas in their loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
When the Miami Dolphins took the field it appeared that maybe they would be taking it to the Patriots. The first play from scrimmage was for 22 yards and a first down but it was all downhill for the offense from there as the Dolphins drop their first of the season 38-7.
Miami simply had no answers for the seven defensive backs on every play. No answers for Bill Belichick who made Adam Gase and Matt Burke look like high-school coaches. They had no answers for Tom Brady or James White or Sony Michel, or Rob Gronkowski. The Dolphins also had no answers for the referees.
As to the referees, early phantom calls put the Dolphins in a hole early. On two consecutive Patriot drives, holding and illegal contact calls which never actually happened gave extra life on those two failed third down attempts. Then a Patriot “pick” play went for a touchdown and essentially put Miami on their heals.
The Dolphins entered this game as one of the unbeaten but this game was horrible in every aspect for the team. The Dolphins played lifeless most of the game and then watched as injuries mounted losing Bobby McCain, Daniel Kilgore, and took a bunch of other dings throughout the game.
The Dolphins extend their losing streak in New England last winning in 2008 and the Patriots were well aware of the Wild-Cat history. At one point Tom Brady lined up in the WC almost as a stab at the Dolphins. The Patriots were well ahead.
Overall the Dolphins need to regroup. They simply can not continue to start this slow each week and today they couldn’t mount any momentum. All the speed that Miami has on offense was taken away by the Patriots and the speed on defense was countered with delayed screen passes that Miami simply couldn’t answer.
Overall, from the players on the field to the coaches in the booth, it was an all around team loss.