Dolphins shock Patriots

This is the sweetest victory I've savored in a long time. The Dolphins ended the Patriots' streak of 21 straight regular season wins by delivering a thumping, 38-13. Ironically, the Patriots' last loss was to the Dolphins in December, 2006. Things got so bad for the host Patriots that its own fans booed the team.

The Dolphins offense was efficient and effective. The star of the game was Ronnie Brown, who rushed 17 times for 113 yards and 4 touchdowns, a team record. For good measure, Brown also threw for another touchdown. Most of the scores resulted from a direct snap to Brown. Not to be ignored, Ricky Williams added another 98 yards on 16 carries. Chad Pennington also had his best day as a Dolphin, completing 17 of 20 passes for 226 yards.

The defense held the Patriots to 216 yards (compared to 461 for the Dolphins) and forced 2 turnovers. Overall, this was the most complete game the Dolphins have played in a long time. The question now is whether this performance was an aberration or indicative of things to come.

Cardinals rip Dolphins, 31-10

The Dolphins defense made Kurt Warner look like an MVP again. The Cardinals QB had a rating of 158.3, throwing for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns en route to a 31-10 demolishing of the Miami Dolphins. His counterpart, Chad Pennington, was a miserable 10 of 20 for 112 yards. The Dolphins running game was also held in check. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown each carried the ball 11 times but could only total 53 yards combined.

The lone bright spot came long after the game was decided. QB Chad Henne led the Dolphins to their only touchdown drive. Henne completed 7 of 12 passes during the game for 67 yards.

After a close call against the Jets last week, this was a big disappointing step backwards for the team.

Dolphins drop opener to Jets

Close, but not enough. The Dolphins had a chance to win in the final seconds, but an interception in the end zone with 5 seconds left sealed their 20-14 loss to the NY Jets. Pennington had a decent outing until his last pass, completing 26 of 43 attempts for 2 touchdowns. The Jets held the Miami running game in check. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Browned combined for only 47 yards on 16 carries.

Dolphins win final preseason game

The Dolphins defeated the New Orleans Saint 14-10 in their final preseason game. Chad Henne played most the game after starter Chad Pennington left after two series. Henne got off to a rough start but shined in the second half, completing 11 of his last 12 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Ronnie Brown also showed he was ready to come back after multiple injuries by carrying the ball 12 times for 47 yards and a touchdown. Assuming no more injuries, the Dolphins should have one of the best RB tandems in the league, with Brown and Ricky Williams.

In other news, Josh McCown was the odd man out in the quarterback derby. At one time he looked like the team's starter, but after Chad Pennington signed, either McCown or Beck was going to be off the roster by the start of the season. It was McCown, traded to Carolina for a seventh round pick in 2009.