Getty ImagesMiami looked like the better team for much of Sunday’s game. And then the last five minutes happened.
Here’s what we took from Cleveland escaping with a 17-16 win.
1. It wasn’t quite “The Drive” but it wasn’t bad. Colt McCoy led the Browns 80 yards on 13 plays to take the lead with only 43 seconds left. The drive included a fourth down throw to Montario Hardesty.
McCoy didn’t look great most of the day, but he saved his best for last.
2. Chad Henne, on the other hand, failed to close. The Dolphins started with the call on the Browns 47-yard line with 36 seconds left. Convert one first down and they get a field goal attempt to win the game. Henne threw three straight incomplete passes, then was picked off.
3. This game was Henne in a nutshell. He looked very good for most of the time, but not good enough. Henne underthrew a deep pass to Brian Hartline late in the third quarter. Hartline caught the pass, but it’s a touchdown if Henne hits him in stride.
Three plays later, Henne was slow in his decision making and took a sack. The Dolphins settled for a field goal like they did all day.
4. We have no idea why Reggie Bush was on the field while Miami tried to kill the clock. Daniel Thomas was hammering the Browns. Bush had 36 yards and 2 fumbles on 12 touches. Thomas looks like a keeper.
5. The Browns had five sacks. They have 11 sacks after three weeks.
6. At 0-3, the heat on Tony Sparano will turn up. Miami already looks buried in a strong AFC East.
7. Cleveland can hang around .500 if they can keep beating bad teams. The schedule is favorable.
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Over seeing Sparano clapping over field goals…this team is in a world of hurt and they better do somehting quick! I am a fish fan and can’t stand to watch this “joke” of a team right now.
Sparano was hired as a parcells puppet. Not a horrible coach, but clearly a lame duck
A loss isn’t “devastating” if it happens week after week for the better part of a decade.
Miami needs a real QB and a real head coach if they ever want to be a competitive football team again.
Oh, and Reggie Bush sucks.
If by hang around .500 you mean go 15-1 and win the Super Bowl, then you would be correct.
bye bye coach.
Here we go Brownies, here we go!
ya…im a dolphins fan. and i was one of those people hating on PFT’s early power rankings saying the dolphins were better than 30th in the league…
I was wrong. we are terrible. Sparano is not a game day coach. anyone who applaudes field goals as a win has the wrong mindset.
Henne played well all day, then just stopped producing when we needed him…so typical.
but Daniel Thomas does look like our RB for the future. thats a good guy to have to go along with Andrew Luck haha
Bam! This is the style of recap you won’t find anywhere else. Keep this up.
Sporano sucks. That about sums it up.
as a browns fan i can’t believe the dolphins didnt pound it on that last drive to get the FG for the win.
i’m glad they did but holy crap that was horrible.
Henne will be just fine as a backup QB on any team. He is just not a #1 QB in this league. Henne will make alot of money and remain healthy as a #2 for many years.
As for Tony , its just a matter of what day Ross lets him go. He will land another gig as an offensive line coach. He is just not a HC in the NFL.
‘Parcells’ guys’ at work, folks.
top to bottom, this organazation has no clue. been a life long dolphins fan but enough is enough. had my fill of this keystone cop like show and will no longer support this bunch of amature idiots that get worse from year to year. never seen a more disorganized team than what has been fielded for the last ten years. been a loyal supporter of this team up here in bills country and have had enough of the b.s. that goes on with this team. cest la vie dolphins.
Henne played well enough to win. It was the lack of a pass rush on the last drive that cost us this game.
Fire Jeff Ireland! Fire Tony Sparano! Enough is more than enough with this regime!
Wow, here we go to 0-5 and here goes Sparano to the unemployment line.
This is painfully hard to watch.
Sparano will make a great member of the political conservative tea party. He says all the right things as do most politicians. However he just does not get anything done in his current capacity. Time for a career change Tony.
“Miami looked like the better team for much of Sunday’s game. And then the last five minutes happened.”
Welcome to 2010-2011
Don’t be surprised if Sporano is fired after a San Diego loss next week heading into the bye week.
I don’t get how a team with money can go into the offseason needing a QB and offensive line improvement …. and then management spends money on new RB’s …. wtf is that?
how can anyone be surprised at this outcome?
the ‘smart’ owner move is a freak out, house cleaning…. NOW
Clean house! Fire Sparano and Ireland and bring in THE CHIN!
Colt McCoy is good and getting better
I’ve been a Fins Fan since 1970 and this is the worst i’ve seen it. The owner is clueless all he wants is low rent celebrities hanging around. He has a low rent coach…a Parcel’s yes man as a GM and a stiff for a QB. Now the new RB may have some talent but let’s not get our hopes to high.
Bush stinks…Marshall is a head case.
Thank God for South Beach and the Cheerleaders
Reggie Bush is ya’ll savior…..
I think Henne will do just fine, next year, as the back up to Andrew Luck, With new head coach Bill Cowher.
I’m a Browns fan and sat horrified through most of the game. The Dolphins D-line simply manhandled the Browns O-line. The Thomas-Taylor match up was fun to watch.
I have no idea what happened to either team durning the last 2 minutes of the game. The fish had run all over the Browns throughout the game. Why didn’t they just bulldoze their way to the FG attempt? It looked like a complete 180 from the previous 58 minutes.
Why did the fish ever sign Bush? It was good to see Montario finally do something but the Browns offensive play calling has got to get more creative.
you can credit the poor play calling to daboll he is the worst OC in the NFL.
Parcells never met a franchise he couldn’t wreck.
McCoy needs to start seeing his running backs coming out of the back field, there was countless times his didn’t even see Hardesty.
We need more plays involving Cribbs, maybe do a package with Seneca like last year.
And why can’t we play like we did at the end of the game all the time?
And where is Carlton Mitchell? And why wasn’t Moore really getting action today?
The Browns proved something to me today. Yes, Colt McCoy played like he had a hangover for most of the game, Peyton Hillis was out, Eric Steinbach was out (and that really hurts), and the run D started getting really sloppy in the 2nd half- but the Browns did something they almost never do- rallied to win with a fury. Shades of the Kardiac Kids!
You can blame it on Miami’s D collapsing all you want. Sorry, it was sheer gut and determination by McCoy and company to not end up on the pathetic end of the stick for once, and they took care of business. Job well done.
@hiwaymessiah. Cribbs has a groin pull and the wildcat left w/Daboll. The Browns are one of the youngest teams in the league, learning a new offense and defense. Mitchell isn’t up to speed yet, didn’t you see Norwood and Little? Moore came off the field after his catch, dazed, probably not over his concussion. For McCoy? His play will improve as long as the o-line does too.
I love how you blame Henne. Underthrown to Hartline? Would have been a TD? Did you even watch the game? Henne put the ball in the only spot that Hartline could have caught it…He was draped by the DB and if Henne led him the ball would have been either intercepted or knocked down.
And nothing about the drop by Marshall in the endzone? That’s at least 2 balls he’s dropped in the last two weeks that would have been sure TD’s.
True, but I think it would be a good idea I remember when he pounded the steelers in the wildcat.
Oh yea I forgot Moore had a concussion.