DOLPHINS 38, PATRIOTS 13
Miami Dolphins upset Patriots on the road
Miami running back Ronnie Brown scored four touchdowns on the ground and passed for another as the Dolphins snapped New England's 21-game winning streak in dominant fashion.
Posted on Mon, Sep. 22, 2008reprint print email
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By JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com FOXBORO, Mass. -- The dark, quiet plane ride home last week got Dolphins coach Tony Sparano thinking. The sleepless night that followed got him planning. And the ruthless practices throughout this week got him hoping.
When it all came together, when an unorthodox game plan was paired with unblemished execution by running back Ronnie Brown in Sunday's stunning 38-13 victory, Sparano did something no NFL coach had done to the New England Patriots in 21 consecutive wins before.
He stumped the genius on the other sideline, coaching the Dolphins to one of the greatest upsets in Miami's storied history.
''I brought [quarterbacks coach David Lee] up to the front of that plane,'' Sparano said, referring to the flight home after the 34-10 loss to Arizona. ``We just chatted a little bit.''
What they chatted about would lead to the use of innovative plays featuring Brown and Ricky Williams; plays that were dynamic enough to make New England coach Bill Belichick look like the puzzled victim rather than the relentless mastermind.
Brown rushed for a team-record four touchdowns and threw for another score, taking advantage of six plays that called for direct snaps to the running back.
When taking the snaps in a shotgun formation, Brown ran twice for short touchdowns, handed off twice to Williams, passed once to tight end Anthony Fasano for a 19-yard touchdown, and carried the final direct snap for a 62-yard touchdown.
''They had difficulty trying to figure out what we were doing,'' said Williams, who took one of Brown's handoffs for a 28-yard gain around the right end. ``Ronnie is such a great athlete -- you put him in that position, and you can utilize all of his ability.''
'WILDCAT' PACKAGE
The package is called ''Wildcat,'' inspired by Lee's time last year as offensive coordinator for the University of Arkansas. The Dolphins utilized Brown on Sunday the same way Lee utilized former Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden in 2007.
Miami coaches installed the plays Wednesday during a practice that Williams called one of the most intense of his NFL career.
''I don't usually get tired at practice, but I almost had to tap out on Wednesday,'' Williams said.
Offensive and defensive players became excited about the potential of the package of plays. Brown said he knew this would be a big opportunity for him, and nose tackle Jason Ferguson said glimpses of the play in practice caused the defense to raise their eyebrows with intrigue.
By the game's end, Miami had handed Belichick his worst loss at Foxboro and snapped New England's 21-game winning streak that dates to 2006.
A methodical passing game and a smothering defense might have been partly overshadowed by Brown's unprecedented success, but the performances by quarterback Chad Pennington and linebacker Joey Porter (three sacks, forced fumble) were essential to the success as well.
''They executed the game plan on both sides of the ball to perfection,'' Sparano said.
When Brown wasn't rumbling, Pennington was picking apart the Patriots' secondary to create an offensive balance that has been absent the first two games. Pennington completed 17 of 20 passes for 226 yards.
MAKING A CONNECTION
The quarterback also did something else Miami hasn't been able to pull off with any consistency: He found his receivers. Pennington completed passes to eight targets -- and five of those targets each caught passes for 15 yards or more.
''Offense is about being on the same page,'' Pennington said. ``It's about communication. You can have the greatest players in the world, the greatest schemes in the world, but [if] you don't communicate, things just don't happen right. This was a step in the right direction.''
When Sparano came into the postgame news conference, his voice began to crack as soon as he started to speak and his eyes began to fill with tears. The emotion illustrated the magnitude of this win and the energy devoted to preparing for this game.
In only his third game as coach, his emotions made it immediately clear Sparano still has a firm understanding of the rough road this organization has been taking the past several years.
On Sunday, he showed the first major sign that he also has an understanding of what it takes to turn it around.
''For a change, we made some plays,'' Sparano said. ``When you see the big plays, the finished runs, now that's my kind of ball.''
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