Dolphins recap:
Holy **** that defense is LIGHTS OUT!!! Couple stats for ya:
- First time Dolphins won their first 2 games since 2002.
- Second time IN THEIR HISTORY of opening 2-0 after playing both games on the road!!! (1977 was the only other time)
- 1st time Favre has lost as the starting QB for Minnesota at home!
- Last time Favre had 3 INTs in a game it was 2008's last game...against the Dolphins!
Going against the league's best run defense for the past 4 seasons, the Dolphins pounded the rock for 120 yards on 29 runs (4.1 avg)...and Jake Long made the "feared" Jared Allen his bitch. Henne seems to have taken a lot from the tutelage of Pennington...he was smart, accurate, and didn’t' try to "Favre it"....going 9/15, 114 yards and a TD, NO INTs. They didn't have gaudy offensive numbers...great defense, physical rushing attack, Marshal still making difficult grabs, fighting for every yard, and throwing blocks like he's still trying to make the team. Couldn't be happier with that bastard. First play of the game was a 46 yard completion to him, and he would have taken it to the house but he slipped. But it shows that Henne and him really worked on that after last week. Unfortunately Henne missed him on an easy TD later...but Offense is always a work-in-progress.
Now THE DEFENSE:
On paper Adrian Peterson had a hell of a game (good for fantasy...not for real life) going for 145 yards and a TD. But if you watched the game the biggest thing that would have stood out was the fact that the Vikings (AP in particular) got stuffed on the goal line in the 4th quarter. Last year there wasn't a linebacker on that roster that could have made the plays Dansby did yesterday (2 that come to mind are stuffing AP at the goal line and batting down a pass in the endzone). So happy he wasn't all hype and talk. Missed having a hardcore ILB/MLB since Zach Thomas.
The only TD the Viking scored came off a Rickey Williams fumble at the 1!!!! Still can't believe that Rickey AND Ronnie each had a potentially devastating fumble putting the Vikings in the redzone at the end of the game. Rickey's was immediately punched in for a TD, Ronnie's was the one that AP ended up getting stuffed on. That defense refused to yield. And by the way, Channing Crowder and Jared Odrick are both out.
Jason Allen is one of my least favorite defenders on that roster and I threw a bit of a tantrum when they decided to start him to open the season opposite Vontae Davis. Last week he was good (dropped a potential pick-6 2 yards away from the Bills' endzone)...but it was the Bills. He shut everyone up yesterday...this guy included. He had 2 great INTs, and would have had a 3rd that was negated by a penalty, 3 pass batted down, and 11 tackles!!! Paraphrased quote from Brett Favre: "Twenty-one, I felt like is one of the best corners in this league, especially that nobody knows about," Favre said, explaining why he took shots at Jason Allen instead. "Twenty-one, I was less apt to challenge." 21?!?!? DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK THAT PREPARRED A FULL WEEK TO PLAY ANOTHER PRO TEAM?!?!? Christ....
Speaking of Vontae Davis - he is quickly becoming a top-tier shut down corner in the NFL and offenses around the league are taking notice! That INT he had at the goal line was absolutely insane! Seriously, watch the replay. Great concentration and gritty determination. He was also pivotal in the goal line stands. He had 2 passes defended and 6 tackles - biggest being at the end of the game of course.
And finally "Hammerin'" Cameron Wake. The diamond in the rough-AFL. Another great find for this regime and quickly has a cult-like following in Miami...much like Lousaka Polite (still 100% from 3rd or 4th and 1). When Wake sacked Favre to knock the ball loose into the endzone and Koa Misi (ANOTHER ROOKIE! WAHOO!) recovered it for 6, I yelled so loud that I scared the **** out of my kids. Haven’t seen a huge defensive play like THAT since the JT hey-days when he would force a fumble, recover it, and run it into the endzone. And last but not least - Yeremiah bell was as solid as ever getting 12 tackles and just dominating the backfield...of course it helps when the pass rush had Favre running scared all day.
Next up: The Dolphins first home game on Sunday Night Football against the Jets. ****ing bring it! Should be as physical of a game as you'll see this year. And of course Crowder is back starting today...I wonder why....
