After starting with three straight losses, all was assumed to be lost for the Dolphins.
After losing starting quarterback Chad Pennington for the year, the balance of 2009 was regarded by many as an extended preseason for next season.
After recently losing versatile running back Ronnie Brown for the rest of the campaign, the sense returned that the Dolphins were indeed done.
Through it all, the team has not wavered. And now the Dolphins have dug completely out of that early hole, evening their record at five wins and five losses.
To get there, Miami had to hold off a late charge from the home team, which made a real run at erasing a 10-point deficit. Carolina's last chance came after the Dolphins opted not to try a field goal from the Panthers' 28, going for a first down instead and failing to make it. (It wasn't quite as surprising as another key fourth-down decision made this week by another AFC East coach, but if the Panthers had managed to force overtime there surely would have been criticism of Tony Sparano's decision not to try for three more points.)
Looking ahead, the Dolphins might have to overcome another key loss as they try to get back to the postseason. Nose tackle Jason Ferguson limped off the field in the second half before taking a cart ride to the locker room. He has a knee injury, the extent of which isn't currently known.
But these Dolphins are becoming experts at overcoming adversity. It's a trait that will serve them well if they find themselves again playing beyond Week Seventeen.
Fins finish fight to .500
Posted by Mike Florio on November 19, 2009 11:54 PM ET
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Joey Porter had a great game and a great post-game interview. Love love love you, Joey!!
Is this stupid week for the head coachs? You don't just give them the ball on their own 27. You punt the ball out of bounds towards the 5. Easily could have put Carolina deep in the hole or at worst for yourself a touchback and still they have to start from 7 yards farther back in that case. Plus a punt takes more time. It is called football for a reason - striking the ball with the foot!
Bad QB.
Bad bad coaching.
Bad bad bad ownership. The Richardsons are a real bunch of stuck up snobs.
We have a Barry Sanders type running back in D. Williams and they run him sparingly? We have, possibly, the greatest reciever after a catch in the game and cant get him the ball?
This is why CITIES need to own thier own football team like Green Bay does.
Some where down the line the Richardson's forgot one thing. This game is played to WIN and not look good and lose. AND YOU CAN'T WIN IF YOU CAN'T SCORE!
End of Line.
Seriously idk if you could tell from tv but there were more dolphin fans than panthers. Let's go dolphins broke out multiple times.
Only thing they will play after week 17 is dominoes. Just not in the locker room!
Um, what?
we need a mention of ricky williams in this. the guy has been back healthy and consistently now for long enough to get used to football again. it was easy to forget that in that small window of his prime that he was as good as any there's been.
falcons, colts, chargers, saints, patriots- cant be too upset with those teams in our loss column considering how well we played them.
my off the cuff predictions for the rest of the season...ill pass on predicting the playoffs...
henne will be the best qb this teams seen since marino
lex hilliard will up his value dramatically by the end of this season
ginn will have another kickoff return for a td this season
"After losing starting quarterback Chad Pennington for the year, the balance of 2009 was regarded by many as an extended preseason for next season."
Florio, when you want to refer to yourself, just do it. No need to hide behind this "many" crap.
Who cares.
Dolphins pulled it together and played a good game. The use of the traditional offense was encouraging, and I can't wait to see what happens against Buffalo. If the Patriots lose one of the next two games (Jets, NO), and the Fins beat the Bills, then the next meeting of the Pats and Fins is for the division lead.
Great game Ricky!
injury bug hittin' hard ....
so what? The Dolphins won't make the playoffs anyway.
it was at huge expense too - you see how many linemen went down?
yikes.
After the Jets won the Superbowl in week 2, isn't every team, in the NFL, playing an extended preseason for next season?
Both teams will be drafting early
Losing Ferguson sure won't help the D-Line but man, the O-Line was decimated last night.
It's gonna be tough sledding.
As mentioned earlier, hat's off to Rickey Williams. I was critical of him earlier in his career, for obvious reasons, but he's a changed man and really playing hard.
Best looks awesome along with the two rookie CB's and the kid subbing Rickey last night, can't think of his name.
The future looks good in Miami.
Lex Hilliard is the next coming of Earl Campbell!
I'm a eagles fans, could care less about the dolphins, but does any coach do more with less than Sparano?
I think he's a hell of a head coach, can head coaches be traded?
Finfan says:
"Lex Hilliard is the next coming of Earl Campbell!"
Let's not put him in the Hall of Fame just yet...
The Ferguson and Jake Grove losses are the two biggest to date...hopefully these guys can get back real soon.
If you ever wanna see what a guy like Ferguson is worth to a run defense...just check out the stats when he moves to a new (Parcells) team. The opponents YPC rushing average drops roughly a half a yard per carry when you enter Jason Ferguson into the lineup. A pure run stopping beast.
The fins didn't try for the field goal because they were down to the backup of the backup at center and Sparano felt there was a good chance of the play being botched.
Tony Sparano is an idiot coach. His sideline behavior just added to the creeping credibility questions.
"Lost says:
November 20, 2009 11:00 AM
Tony Sparano is an idiot coach. His sideline behavior just added to the creeping credibility questions."
two posts on sparano now from you. can you back this up with anything substantial? this "idiot" coach keeps us winning after we lost our starting QB and starting RB.
"Looking ahead, the Dolphins might have to overcome another key loss as they try to get back to the postseason."
Of course the many OLine injuries are a little scary too....
I'm from Boston and a diehard Patriots fan. I will usually root for the other team when somebody from the AFC East plays. But last night I found myself rooting for the Dolphins, and I have to admit that it was a strong showing by Miami. Well done against a very good Carolina team.
Ricky!!!
"southernboi727 says:
November 20, 2009 1:42 AM
so what? The Dolphins won't make the playoffs anyway.
"
Yeah, they said that last year as well. Keep Hating.
"meezle says:
November 20, 2009 8:59 AM
I'm a eagles fans, could care less about the dolphins, but does any coach do more with less than Sparano?
I think he's a hell of a head coach, can head coaches be traded?
"
I have to agree with you. I'm happy that we finally have a coach that seems to know what he is doing and has gotten to much out of this team. Is he perfect? Hell no, he's made and will make more mistakes, but he's got the fire and passion you want in a coach.
@ Lost
You are a tool. Go back to the shed.