Defense lets down Dolphins in loss to Jets

The Miami Dolphins offense had their most impressive showing of the young season, but the defense proved to be porous, especially in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 31-23 loss to the Jets. The outcome was in doubt until the last minute, when Chad Henne threw an interception in the end zone. However, Henne performed better the rest of the game. He threw 44 times in the game, completing 26 of the passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Henne hooked up with Brandon Marshall for 10 catches, 166 yards, and a TD.

Unfortunately, the defense gave up 31 points, more than the first two games combined. DB Jason Allen was victimized on two big plays. One was on a 67 yard touchdown to Braylon Edwards. He was also called for pass interference that led to the Jets' clinching score.

Dolphins stun Vikings, 14-10

It wasn't pretty, but the Miami Dolphins managed to stay undefeated (2-0) by forcing Brett Favre into having his worst day as a Viking and beating Minnesota, 14-10. The Vikings outgained the Dolphins, 364 yards to 226, and had the ball 12 minutes longer, but Miami intercepted Favre three times and forced a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown. The Dolphins' other score came on a Chad Henne pass to Brian Hartline.

Despite the ugliness and poor play, I was happier with this win than last week's. The Dolphins showed that they could win close games against good teams when they aren't playing well, an attribute that helped them win the AFC East two years ago. Although I'd prefer the team play better, I felt this was a good sign.

Dolphins start 2010 season on winning note

Karlos Danby, Miami's top defensive free agent acquisition of the offseason, led the defense in stuffing the Buffalo Bills, 15-10. Miami's defense kept the Bills to just 166 yards of offense. The Dolphins' offense was led by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who combined for 31 carries and 127 yards. Brown scored the Dolphins' lone touchdown. Chad Henne threw for a pedestrian 182 yards on 21 of 34 passing. Eight of the completions went to new WR Brandon Marshall.

Jeff Ireland takes over from Bill Parcells

In a curt news announcement, the Miami Dolphins told the media that Bill Parcells will hand the reigns of all football operations to Jeff Ireland. Parcells will remain with the organization on a consulting basis. The team didn't comment further on the move, so I don't know the reasoning behind the move or its timing, coming right before the start of the regular season.

Preseason ends with sloppy loss

Some experts have picked the Miami Dolphins to win the AFC East and even contend for a Super Bowl. Based on their preseason performance, the team needs to improve quickly to fulfill those predictions. The offense sputtered again in a 27-25 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Sparano kept the first team in for a good part of the first half, which is more than the first team normally plays in the last exhibition game, because he wanted to see some consistency from the unit. Alas, they didn't score a touchdown until Chad Pennington took over for Henne. At least Ricky Williams finally had a good game, gaining 45 yards.

After the game, the Dolphins cut their roster to reach the 53 player NFL limit. Among notable cuts were Pat White (the second-rounder QB who never showed that he belonged in the pros), WR Patrick Turner (a surprise to me), and OT Andrew Gardner. All three were drafted last year.