Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for more than 300 yards for the 27th time in his career during Sunday's 27-17 victory.
Said Patriots S Brandon Meriweather of stopping the Wildcat, "Last year, we panicked and were all over the place. This time, we came to the sidelines, stayed calm and we made
adjustments."
The Patriots only scored one touchdown in their four visits to the red zone.
Patriots LB Jarod Mayo had 12 tackles but stopped short of saying he was 100 percent recovered from his knee injury following the game.
Patriots LB Adalius Thomas said he was "heartbroken" that his fumble return touchdown was overruled after a replay, but he recovered to add two tackles for losses to the defensive effort.
The lack of a consistent pass rush left the Dolphins secondary unable to cover Patriots WR Randy Moss.
Dolphins CB Vontae Davis left the game briefly with an injury and then picked up a pass interference penalty upon his return.
On a 16-play touchdown drive opening the second half, four different Dolphins took snaps from center.
Said Dolphins QB Chad Henne, "We made some plays out there. We didn't make enough
plays at the end. We knew their offense was going to score some points.
Offensively, we just needed to score more points and execute at the end."
Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel couldn't find any Dolphins playmakers during Sunday's game.
For more on the Patriots and Dolphins, Mike Florio has the full Morning Aftermath right here.
Patriots-Dolphins one-liners
Posted by Josh Alper on November 9, 2009 1:36 PM ET
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13 Comments
Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots
Excellent game played by the Pats. Congrats.
The Fins come out of the gate looking great every week. And every week they fall flat on their faces in the second half. It's like they start to say to themselves (just like I am at home) "Wow, with how we're playing, maybe we can win this game!"
From that point on, they suck. Whenever an athlete isn't mentally prepared to win, that epiphany is an intensity drain. As much as I hate to blame the coaching staff, that is where this mental state comes from. As a fan, I have the luxury of doubt, followed by the feeling of growing belief that my team might do it. As a professional team of football players, they do not have that available to them. The couching staff, if it is a good one, should be fielding a team that truly feels there is no way they should lose. The same goes for any coaching staff, even one that is winless. Coach Sparano needs to get in these players heads more and show them that the game is winnable before they even set foot on the field. That way, you avoid all the "Oh my gosh, maybe coach was right" moments on gameday. No, we really aren't a deep playoff contender just yet, but these losses are getting ridiculous. The Fins could just as easily be 6-2 right now if they kept their intensity through the whole game.
Ted Ginn is worthless as a WR.
Congrats wemissudan. This is the first comment from a Dolphins fan that is realistic.
I am laughing at all these we came close, Pats haven't beaten anybody comments. Dolfan 565 posts seem like he is on halluceniginics.Asswipe doesn't seem to get his facts straight but then again what can you expect.
At least all Dolphin fans are clueless about the game.
It was a good game and as all games in the NFL, it comes down to making more plays than the other team. Something the Pats have done well for many years and hopefully will continue for many more.
Ted Ginn has to catch that pass. That was a bad play.
Porter's Stats: 0 Tackles. 0 Recoveries. 0 Hurries. 0 Everything.
My question is wtf is Tedd Ginn doing out there on a huge 4th and 14? The guy can't catch anything to save his life.
Bess seems to be dropping 2-3 balls a game as well. I guess he's used to Pennington's softballs.
Pats played well, congrats to them.
We better draft a WR or LB in the upcoming draft because our LBs and WRs are killing us.
Am I the only one who thought that Pat White looked like a boy among men? What's he weigh, like 180 soaking wet?
Ampats,
You're nothing but a Pats homer… who sees life thru your Patriots glasses.
I know the Dolphins have flaws and aren't on the same level as the Pats… YET. We are a season and a half removed from Dolphins being 1-15 and the Patriots being 16-0.
I know the Fins offense runs too many gadget plays, and doesn't put enough trust in their young QB. But I know it's because the WRs and TEs can't catch a ball. The defense (which was missing Ferg & Crowder in the middle) got gashed by Maroney yesterday… which opened up the passing game (which features 3 rookies) even more.
The Bills are the Bills and the Jets have mortgaged too much for quick fixes… admit you fear what the Fins are building in Miami. Just admit it.
This Fins team is still learning to finish games again superior competition (Colts, Saints, Patriots). And when they figure it out, watch out.
We'll see how the Pats do on this stretch of their schedule… at Indy, NYJ, at NO… versus how Miami does against TB, at Car, at Buff.
Has anyone found Joey Porter yet? He was a no show in New England. How many plays has this clown made all year? What a joke.
TB just beat Green Bay. Carolina came close to upsetting New Orleans. Buffalo... well, Buffalo is Buffalo. You've got no picnic ahead of you, potentially. Especially being a team that has, as you say, too many injuries, rookies and gadget plays.
I'm a Pats fan, but I really like watching the Fins play these last couple of years. Really blue-collar, hard nose team. And to the guy knocking your coaching staff, give them a break man, they have that team (which, let's be honest, is lacking play makers at receiver and currently has a young QB with a slow delivery but a pretty good arm) coached up to be in contention in every game they've played this year. I really enjoy watching that offense work, they're using every tool in their arsenal to be competitive. People might knock it as gimmicky but don't listen to that shit, I love the Wildcat, love the option stuff with White, the Pistol formation is fun... it makes the league more exciting seeing different offenses like that, adds some unpredictability to a league that has become very predictable... it takes balls to be an innovator in a copycat league and you should be proud of your coaches for that. I think on any given Sunday that staff has the Dolphins at a place where they can play keep away and grind out a victory against any team... that's what happened with Indy, they just didn't get the defensive stop they needed but the game plan was absolutely perfect.
Oh yeah and I think we can agree on one thing, "F-the Jets."
The Fins are playing better all the time. Henne is throwing the ball with zip and he hangs in the pocket to get the ball out. Receivers are a liability for most teams who are getting stronger. Ginn did the same stuff in college he does in the pros, drops balls but runs back kicks for TDs. Dolphin fans can look forward to the future with hope. At least you beat the RATS twice and still have a shot at the Pats.
Sparano at least put Cam Wake on the field at times. His team can't mount a pass rush and he's got Cameron Wake on the sidelines.
Good grief.
Maybe Jason can get Joey Porter a turn on 'Dancing with the Stars'
@ ampats:
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough in my point. These delusional fans you speak of are right. I don't know if you recall, but you lost to the Jets, the Bills nearly had you, and you looked like crap against a Broncos team that has looked like crap pretty much since you guys played them. We should have beat you guys. If you think the Fins are such a basement team, then what's that say about your team? This was no 59-7 blowout. This game could have gone either way. You definitely see things on a fan slant. You may squeeze out one more AFC East crown for old times sake, but the guard is definitely changing in this division. Our coaching staff is doing things with a mediocre roster that BB can only fantasize about while stroking it in the shower. One more draft, and some good free agent moves, and your run is over.
@ Nathan
I'm not knocking our coaching staff. You are right, as I said to ampats, this staff is doing an excellent job, not the next step is to convince these players that what this team is trying to do is extremely possible. That way, when it seems as if a victory is imminent, they don't get all high on themselves thinking it's a gimmie (see MIA V NO).
cam wake can't cover or play linebacker though - all he can do is pass-rush, he's a one-trick pony.
so you can't just have him in the game all the time and hope he gets a sack every snap - won't happen. for every play you have him on the field, you remove another coverage linebacker. with how bad our coverage is, we need the covering linebackers more than a sack specialist. wish wake could do both though....
"Dolphins CB Vontae Davis left the game briefly with an injury and then picked up a pass interference penalty upon his return."
actually tyrone culver was the one who committed PI, the annoucer on the telecast got the name wrong.