Though it seemed that no amount of coaching errors nor smart decisions would have kept the New Orleans Saints from blowing past the Miami Dolphins after spotting the Fins a 21-point lead, coach Tony Sparano talked Monday about the team’s time out with five seconds remaining in the first half as the Saints were preparing to attempt a field goal.
The Saints used the extra time to reconsider, and they decided instead to go for a touchdown.
And they got it.
The move, with the extra point, cut the Miami lead to 14. It also set the stage for the 43-10 reversal of fortune.
On Monday, coach Tony Sparano addressed the decision to call the time out, and he took the blame for it.
“I want my players to do this; I need to do it myself,” Sparano said in comments distributed by the team. ”I have to take ownership of the situation that happened at the end of the half yesterday. I always have the power of trump and I did not do that. I should have lived with what was out of the field in that situation. That was a poor decision on my part.”
It’s a strong message to the rest of the team, but again it really doesn’t matter. Nothing was going to stop the Saints, once they woke up. And as we discussed earlier in the hour with Steve Duemig of WDAE in Tampa, it’s likely the first time a team went from trailing more more than 20 to win by more than 10.
The last team to accomplish the feat of trailing by 21 points and winning by double digits were the 1987 Saints against the Bengals at old Riverfront Stadium. The team trailed 24-3 in the second quarter and won 41-24.
“And as we discussed earlier in the hour with Steve Duemig of WDAE in Tampa, it’s likely the first time a team went from trailing more more than 20 to win by more than 10.”
Love you Mike and PFT, but not only are you wrong…but the Saints pulled it off. Dec 20, 1987, Saints trailed the Bengals 24-3 and rallied to win 41-24 to during their 1st playoff season.
“I always have the power of trump and I did not do that.”
Sounds like a complete cop-out to me…
Nothing was going to stop the Saints? C’mon Florio, that’s a fallacy and you know it. The Saints got much needed confidence that they could score more points from that TD. If they kick the FG, maybe they continue and win it, maybe they lose it, we’ll never know for sure. But that’s a load of crap if you say “nothing was going to stop the Saints.” Of course, it’s easy to say that the day after, but it’s also a cheap way out.
Mike Florio, you’re totally wrong about how it wouldn’t have made a difference as to the outcome of the game.
The stupidity of that timeout took the wind right out of the Dolphins sail right before halftime.
As fans watching the game, we knew it and felt it, so what makes YOU think the players didn’t feel the same way as the fans did?
I am not making any excuses for Miami choking the game, but they got screwed on a couple of bad calls by the refs. The worst of the bunch was at the end of the half. NO had no timeouts and threw the ball to the half yard line with 5 seconds left. They blew the call by calling it a touchdown. If they had made the correct call, time would have expired long before NO could have set and spiked the ball. Why was the clock not started immediately after determining the play was not a touchdown. The half should have been over. I also think Sharper fumbled before the touchdown which would have been called a touchback. It was tough to overturn, but if the call on the field would have been a touchback I don’t think it would have been overturned into a touchdown…
Regardless, Miami deserved theloss after folding the way they did.
ONE LESS TD PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HELPED!!! BUT AT THAT PIONT COULD HAVE SWUNG MOMENTUM THE OTHER WAY!!! THE DEFENSE WENT FLAT & GINN SUCKS!!! BUT THE TIME OUT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED!!!
the radio call (live) blamed the timeout on Channing Crowder ….
when I finally was able to watch the game with NFL Rewind, it had a perfect camera angle from behind Sparano gesturing to the defense to call the time out
… the next shot was a confused Crowder confirming the request with Sparano and then gesturing to the officials to confirm a time out had been requested …
Sparano must have been saying the call was coming from upstairs and he could have trumped it …
if Bess doesn’t lose the ball .. perhaps it would have been the Fins attempting that field goal …
oh well, it’s going to be a learning season with two rookie (but talented) corners and a first year QB …
Bess and Ginn cost them the game
its what you get for playing scrubs when you coulda signed Tory Holt
“Sparano must have been saying the call was coming from upstairs and he could have trumped it …”
That’s what it sounds like. Evidence that Parcells is the real head coach of the Dolphins, they gave the title to Sparano because they couldn’t get him from the Cowboys any other way.
“# hundlemd says: October 26, 2009 6:29 PM
I am not making any excuses for Miami choking the game, but they got screwed on a couple of bad calls by the refs. The worst of the bunch was at the end of the half. NO had no timeouts and threw the ball to the half yard line with 5 seconds left. They blew the call by calling it a touchdown. If they had made the correct call, time would have expired long before NO could have set and spiked the ball. Why was the clock not started immediately after determining the play was not a touchdown. The half should have been over. I also think Sharper fumbled before the touchdown which would have been called a touchback. It was tough to overturn, but if the call on the field would have been a touchback I don’t think it would have been overturned into a touchdown…
Regardless, Miami deserved theloss after folding the way they did.”
I love all of the “what if’s” in this comment thread. Don’t you know by now that what if’s are what make this game? You wanna go what if? What if the replay machine would’ve been working on the first drive which showed the nation Bess’ dropped ball. That drive ended up being the first TD drive. What if that happened? They kick the ball and maybe the momentum goes the Saints way. Changes the complexion of the game. Just because you think Sharper fumbled out of the endzone doesn’t make it so. “WHAT IF” the call would’ve been a touchback, well guess what, it wasn’t.
“what if” Drew Brees’ pass wasn’t tipped and intercepted thus giving the fins a short field.
“what if” Drew Brees’ first pass wasn’t intercepted giving you a 5 yard drive to TD.
Why didn’t the clock run after the booth reviewed the Colston catch? BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE RULES ARE.
I’ll trade your “If Bess doesn’t lose the ball” for “If colston doesn’t lose the ball at the goal line resulting in an INT”
“what if” & “if it wasn’t for” & “if they only would’ve” are what decides a game a lot of times. Not just athletic ability, perfect playcalling and perfect execution. In the beginning of the game the ball & officiating went your way, in the second half it went the other way.
“…the power of trump”. Hmmm. Never heard of the power of trump. I’ve heard of being able to trump. I’ve heard of trump in bridge. I’ve heard of Donald Trump and I heard the daughter got married. But Sparano is mistaken in his usage or in the preference.
What in world has happened to the English language?
So Miami was outscored 43 – 10 in about 30 minutes after being up 24-3.
But these same people chortling over Miami choking would crucify the Patriots for not pulling all their starters if THEY were up 24-3.
@Dolpin Fans
What Sparano should have been talking about was the victory lap the Saints took in their LandTrout stadium high fiving all the Saints fans….what a scene!!
**Did you see Mike Bell blow up Channing “Tweet” Crowder…or when he blew up Gibril Wilson at the 2 yd line….the Dolphins didn’t want any by the end of the third and could sense the beat down was coming….and you harp on a time out!!! 43-10 in the second half……I shouldn’t continue but must…..
**The best was Shockey bitch slappin’ Gibril Wilson for 20 yds….or when Joey Porter drew the 15yd penalty in the 4th qtr…..the list goes on and on and on!!! Who Dat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“I want my players to do this; I need to do it myself,” Sparano said in comments distributed by the team. “I have to take ownership of the situation that happened at the end of the half yesterday. I always have the power of trump and I did not do that. I should have lived with what was out of the field in that situation. That was a poor decision on my part.”
Class act.
DC Paul Pasqualoni likely wasn’t happy with his defensive lineup on the field and called for it.
“JoeSixPack says:
October 26, 2009 7:39 PM
So Miami was outscored 43 – 10 in about 30 minutes after being up 24-3.
But these same people chortling over Miami choking would crucify the Patriots for not pulling all their starters if THEY were up 24-3.
”
You are right and I for one will not be ripping the Pats for scoring all they can from now on.
What Sparano should really regret is the second half play calling… While LEADING by 10 in the 4th quarter the Dolphins completely abandoned the running game. Resulting in 2 straight 3 & outs, while taking almost no time off the clock. A couple of first downs while running the ball and eating the clock, could have gone a long way in changing the outcome of that game.
Ilovefoolsball says:
October 26, 2009 7:24 PM
“What if the replay machine would’ve been working on the first drive which showed the nation Bess’ dropped ball. That drive ended up being the first TD drive. What if that happened? They kick the ball and maybe the momentum goes the Saints way. ”
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uh, actually you’re wrong. the drive where bess was given that catch (and you’re right about that not being a catch) was a punt a few plays later. there were NO points earned on that drive, so the replay machine not working made no difference on the game at that point.
people can talk about the bad calls, but the bottom line is the dolphins shot themselves in the foot. Bess’ fumble was huge, the entire shift of strategy between the first-half’s “attack” and the second-half’s “prevent” really gave the saints the opportunity.
the saints made some good adjustments at halftime, brees was getting all day to pass behind his line in the second half. the fins screwed the pooch.