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http://www.miamiherald.com/614/story/240272.html
Dolphins overmatched in every phase in loss to Cowboys
BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com
JOE RIMKUS JR. / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
The loss had yet to settle, and the sweat had barely dried.
Dolphins quarterback Trent Green was sitting at his locker Sunday, sliding on his sandals inside a near-silent room as he prepared to leave the stadium following this numbingly cold 37-20 loss to the Cowboys.
Coach Cam Cameron was leaving, too. But first, he walked toward Green, put his hand on the quarterback's shoulder and quietly spoke a few words of encouragement.
''See you in the morning,'' whispered Cameron as he headed toward the exit, dejected but unrelenting in his tone.
Back to work.
Back to figuring out how Miami's bad start to the season just got worse. Back to wondering how one of the most efficient quarterbacks in NFL history morphed into every other quarterback that has worn a Dolphins uniform since Dan Marino.
Back to figuring out how the Dolphins' dominant defense of 2006 just gave up more points in a game than it has since the forgettable season of 2004.
And unfortunately, back to the long-standing reality that the Dolphins are indeed still a daunting distance from turning the corner of their recently miserable past.
''It's all of us,'' Cameron said. ``We've got to continue to be honest with what we see and get it correct.''
This dose of honesty could be brutal -- especially after such a dismal loss as this one.
Even Green, who was one of the few to have a decent performance in last week's regular-season opening, instead sunk to the same level of deficiency Sunday. He threw four interceptions and fumbled a snap for another turnover.
During his 14-year career, Green has never thrown more picks in a game than he did against Dallas. He has matched the mark only once -- a 24-17 loss to the Chargers while playing for the Chiefs in 2004.
''I'll take the blame on all of them,'' Green said. ``The quarterback ultimately has that role. I've got thick enough skin and big enough shoulders. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the day didn't go my way.''
DEFENSE POOR AGAIN
But Green certainly isn't the only one to blame for this loss. Although the offense gave up multiple opportunities to score, while also leaving the team in poor field position, the defense didn't help matters either.
For the second week, the opponent succeeded with a brutal ground attack as Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and running backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones combined for 157 rushing yards.
The defense was on the field long and often, as the Cowboys' time of possession was more than 10 minutes longer than the Dolphins'. Still, Miami's corps of veterans -- which made up one of the league's top groups last year -- didn't use such excuses.
''I don't give a damn how long you're on the field,'' linebacker Channing Crowder said. ``I don't care if the offense fumbles the ball on first down every time. You can't give up 37 points in the NFL. It's ridiculous.''
But if the Dolphins' defense is going to succeed this season, it still will eventually need at least a little more help from the special teams and the offense. Because of turnovers, costly penalties and bad coverage from the punting unit, the Cowboys started six of their final seven drives in Miami's territory.
''It's not always an ideal situation, but you've got to find a way to get off the field, force the team to punt the ball back to you or turn the ball over,'' defensive end Jason Taylor said. ``That was the biggest thing -- they got turnovers and we didn't.''
After a botched snap between Green and center Samson Satele led to another turnover near the end of the third quarter, the offensive unit appeared confused and frustrated on the sideline.
Eventually, the chatter led to a group huddle, which led to the realization that the only chance to overcome the constant mistakes would be to stick together.
POSITIVE THINKING
Now, the Dolphins will huddle again this week as a team, optimistic that turning around the season after only two weeks isn't a lost cause.
''It's time to have a [gut] check,'' Crowder said. ``If you throw in the towel at this point, you might as well not play football.''
Aside from a solid performance from wide receiver Chris Chambers, who had nine catches for 109 yards, it wasn't easy to find many performances that suggested this team is close to concocting that miraculous turnaround just yet.
The Dolphins' ground game is still ineffective (running back Ronnie Brown had just 33 yards on 11 carries). The passing game is still inconsistent (Green's 287 yards were negated by his four picks). And the defense hasn't show any signs of being near the same caliber as a season ago.
But just as Cameron told his quarterback before leaving the stadium, there's only one thing this team can do as it attempts to seek the first win of the season.
''We're going to tighten up as many things as we can, clean the mistakes and move forward,'' Cameron said. ``We've got to get it corrected, all of our coaches and our players, and we'll do that.''
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Enjoy..
:starspin
http://www.miamiherald.com/614/story/240272.html
Dolphins overmatched in every phase in loss to Cowboys
BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com
JOE RIMKUS JR. / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
The loss had yet to settle, and the sweat had barely dried.
Dolphins quarterback Trent Green was sitting at his locker Sunday, sliding on his sandals inside a near-silent room as he prepared to leave the stadium following this numbingly cold 37-20 loss to the Cowboys.
Coach Cam Cameron was leaving, too. But first, he walked toward Green, put his hand on the quarterback's shoulder and quietly spoke a few words of encouragement.
''See you in the morning,'' whispered Cameron as he headed toward the exit, dejected but unrelenting in his tone.
Back to work.
Back to figuring out how Miami's bad start to the season just got worse. Back to wondering how one of the most efficient quarterbacks in NFL history morphed into every other quarterback that has worn a Dolphins uniform since Dan Marino.
Back to figuring out how the Dolphins' dominant defense of 2006 just gave up more points in a game than it has since the forgettable season of 2004.
And unfortunately, back to the long-standing reality that the Dolphins are indeed still a daunting distance from turning the corner of their recently miserable past.
''It's all of us,'' Cameron said. ``We've got to continue to be honest with what we see and get it correct.''
This dose of honesty could be brutal -- especially after such a dismal loss as this one.
Even Green, who was one of the few to have a decent performance in last week's regular-season opening, instead sunk to the same level of deficiency Sunday. He threw four interceptions and fumbled a snap for another turnover.
During his 14-year career, Green has never thrown more picks in a game than he did against Dallas. He has matched the mark only once -- a 24-17 loss to the Chargers while playing for the Chiefs in 2004.
''I'll take the blame on all of them,'' Green said. ``The quarterback ultimately has that role. I've got thick enough skin and big enough shoulders. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the day didn't go my way.''
DEFENSE POOR AGAIN
But Green certainly isn't the only one to blame for this loss. Although the offense gave up multiple opportunities to score, while also leaving the team in poor field position, the defense didn't help matters either.
For the second week, the opponent succeeded with a brutal ground attack as Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and running backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones combined for 157 rushing yards.
The defense was on the field long and often, as the Cowboys' time of possession was more than 10 minutes longer than the Dolphins'. Still, Miami's corps of veterans -- which made up one of the league's top groups last year -- didn't use such excuses.
''I don't give a damn how long you're on the field,'' linebacker Channing Crowder said. ``I don't care if the offense fumbles the ball on first down every time. You can't give up 37 points in the NFL. It's ridiculous.''
But if the Dolphins' defense is going to succeed this season, it still will eventually need at least a little more help from the special teams and the offense. Because of turnovers, costly penalties and bad coverage from the punting unit, the Cowboys started six of their final seven drives in Miami's territory.
''It's not always an ideal situation, but you've got to find a way to get off the field, force the team to punt the ball back to you or turn the ball over,'' defensive end Jason Taylor said. ``That was the biggest thing -- they got turnovers and we didn't.''
After a botched snap between Green and center Samson Satele led to another turnover near the end of the third quarter, the offensive unit appeared confused and frustrated on the sideline.
Eventually, the chatter led to a group huddle, which led to the realization that the only chance to overcome the constant mistakes would be to stick together.
POSITIVE THINKING
Now, the Dolphins will huddle again this week as a team, optimistic that turning around the season after only two weeks isn't a lost cause.
''It's time to have a [gut] check,'' Crowder said. ``If you throw in the towel at this point, you might as well not play football.''
Aside from a solid performance from wide receiver Chris Chambers, who had nine catches for 109 yards, it wasn't easy to find many performances that suggested this team is close to concocting that miraculous turnaround just yet.
The Dolphins' ground game is still ineffective (running back Ronnie Brown had just 33 yards on 11 carries). The passing game is still inconsistent (Green's 287 yards were negated by his four picks). And the defense hasn't show any signs of being near the same caliber as a season ago.
But just as Cameron told his quarterback before leaving the stadium, there's only one thing this team can do as it attempts to seek the first win of the season.
''We're going to tighten up as many things as we can, clean the mistakes and move forward,'' Cameron said. ``We've got to get it corrected, all of our coaches and our players, and we'll do that.''
----------------------------------------------------
Enjoy..
:starspin