With Chad Henne and the Wildcat Boys going at full strength, the Fins are suddenly looking like a factor in the AFC East. At 2-3, they are just one game behind division leaders New England and New York. Final score tonight: 31-27 Miami.
::cue T-Pain::
There was some great rushing in this game, most notably by Ronnie Brown (19 carries, 70 yd, TD) and Ricky Williams (11 carries, 68 yd). On the other side, Leon Washington did just enough to beat me in fantasy, posting 57 yards from scrimmage on eleven carries and a reception.
But Thomas Jones, the former Bear and, as you all know, my biggest regret of the Angelo tenure, continues to give it to the doubters who have been on the Leon Washington bandwagon all year. TJ toted it thirteen times for 42 yards and two TD's tonight, grinding to get tough yardage between the tackles.
Fun Fact (thanks to the MNF crew): Over the last four years, the NFL's rushing leader has been LaDanian Tomlinson with around 5,500 yards. Second behind LT?
Yep, you guessed it.
Thomas Jones has racked up over 5,200 yards since 2005. He scored fifteen TD's last year. He got two more tonight. The Bears dumped him after the Super Bowl in exchange for, basically, nothing. I just can't get over it.Chicago will have two running backs active next week. Matt Forte, who has looked like a shadow of his rookie self (sound familiar? Rashaan Salaam? Curtis Enis? Anthony Thomas?), and Mighty Mite Garrett Wolfe. Can anyone really tell me that Jones wouldn't help this team?
Anyway, back to the game.
According to Tirico and Co., Braylon Edwards (5rec, 64 yards, TD, one huge PI call) is just the third skill position player since 1970 to change teams in midseason and then start the very next week. Edwards, all of a sudden, has lost his case of the dropsies!
He's going to be big for the Jets the rest of the season, and is a significant upgrade over Chansi Stuckey. I guess leaving Cleveland for the big city would rejuvenate just about anyone.
I think the key factor in this game, great rushing attacks notwithstanding, was quarterback play. Heralded rookie Mark Sanchez went 12-24 for 172 with a TD and an INT. His QB rating? A decent 87.5.
That's only 42.9 points lower than Chad Henne, the supersub who went a superefficient 20-26 for 241 yard and two TD's. Nine different Dolphins caught passes. Fantasy owners in need of a quarterback, start your engines.
Anyway, it was just an awesome game all around. Back and forth the whole way, with big plays and no sloppiness. We even had a Steve Weatherford (from?) sighting, as the Jets punter took a fake kick 26 yards to keep a crucial drive alive.
Props to Miami for pulling it off and keeping themselves very much alive in the competitive AFC East.
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Ricky also had something like 70 receiving yards in the game too. Great game! And I only watched the 4th. I tell you, i love watching this Dolphins team, two great running backs, a huge O-Line, Joey Porter and Jason Taylor as LBs. What's not to love? I think this might be my non Bears team of 2009 that I cheer for.
ReplyDeleteAs Fodor and I have discussed, getting rid of Thomas Jones was not Angelo's biggest mistake. TJ had a terrible year the year after we traded and has gotten lots of Garbage 1 yard plunge TDs like last nights two. Also from week 8 on in the Super Bowl season Ced Benson outplayed TJ, so why would they keep him around. Ced found himself hurt and in leagal trouble, so the team let him go and we got Forte who, even with sub par rushing stats, is still a better catcher and blocker then TJ could ever have been.
You couln't pay Briggs and Jones in the same years, so who would you rather have, and yes i know you have a 55 Jersey in your closet.
I agree with Steve. Thomas Jones never impressed me. What's unfortunate is that Cedric Benson is the league's leading rusher right now. Not that we should have kept him, he kind of got his own ass kicked out of Chicago.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, guys? You can't rush for over 5,000 yards in four seasons just getting garbage yardage and 1-yard TD's! Come on now.
ReplyDeleteAt least we can feel good about getting rid of Cedric Benson because he's a grade-A A**hole. TJ was a good locker room guy.
And yeah, I'd rather have Briggs, but we could have easily paid them both. This is Chicago, dammit! We have money.