Read his blog, as he is spot on ...
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/spo...g/2009/10/great_half_but_what_was_sparan.html
In addition to the game-turning plays he points out ..
1) Bess' fumble
2) Sparano's timeout
3) Ginn's gaffe (which I do think should have resulted as a touch back but ce'st la vie)
I'd like to point out the following ...
1) Shockey's 30 YAC because Gibril Wilson can't tackle.
The Dolphins had just stopped the bleeding a tad when this ridiculous momentum changer was allowed to occur.
2) The emergence of Mike Bell.
Honestly, all the above aside, I think the Saints ability to generate a ground game once Bell entered was the real key to the game.
Up to that point, the Dolphins pass rush looked unstoppable. Brees had zero time to set up and throw, had 3 INT's and 2 fumbles. The last of which came the possession prior to Bell's 35 yard run. Once Bell got off, the Dolphins pass rush became non-existent and Brees took over.
Don't get me wrong, many plays contributed to the Dolphins melt down, but I think they still would have held on for the win despite them all IF the pass rush wasn't completely stopped by the success of the run.
In regards to Ted Ginn Jr., while I am certainly not a hater and have been a fan, it's completely obvious to me now that he has a HUGE problem judging and adjusting to a ball that isn't perfectly thrown. I don't think his hands are as much the problem.. he just doesn't see or track the ball very well thus doesn't position his hands correctly.
It happened twice in the Colts game and at least twice today. If he actually gets his hands on the ball, he usually catches it. The pass thrown to him in the endzone with just seconds left (and the game already decided) hit him in the elbow because he misjudged it (yet again) and didn't get his hands up, extended, or close together. I've just seen that happen so many times now that I'm convinced that he has a vision problem. I know he wears contacts so perhaps he needs to be re-diagnosed. I saw practically every game he played at OSU and I don't recall him having this big a problem judging and adjusting to passes back then.
And please save the teenage response of "maybe he just sucks". Maybe he does ... but that's not my point. I'm just giving analysis of what I've seen. If he does have a vision problem that hasn't been diagnosed properly, perhaps it's possible for him to suck less. That's all I'm saying.
Lastly, aside from the 62-7 embarrassment to J-Ville that ended Marino's career, this game ranks right up there as one of the biggest choke jobs and disappointments I've ever witnesses during my 30+ years as a fan.
When you have the ball in the opponents territory and are up 24-3 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the half .... you HAVE to win that game. You just HAVE to. There are no excuses. Every player that played in that game contributed to that choke job today, including the coach himself.
That's the truth.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/spo...g/2009/10/great_half_but_what_was_sparan.html
In addition to the game-turning plays he points out ..
1) Bess' fumble
2) Sparano's timeout
3) Ginn's gaffe (which I do think should have resulted as a touch back but ce'st la vie)
I'd like to point out the following ...
1) Shockey's 30 YAC because Gibril Wilson can't tackle.
The Dolphins had just stopped the bleeding a tad when this ridiculous momentum changer was allowed to occur.
2) The emergence of Mike Bell.
Honestly, all the above aside, I think the Saints ability to generate a ground game once Bell entered was the real key to the game.
Up to that point, the Dolphins pass rush looked unstoppable. Brees had zero time to set up and throw, had 3 INT's and 2 fumbles. The last of which came the possession prior to Bell's 35 yard run. Once Bell got off, the Dolphins pass rush became non-existent and Brees took over.
Don't get me wrong, many plays contributed to the Dolphins melt down, but I think they still would have held on for the win despite them all IF the pass rush wasn't completely stopped by the success of the run.
In regards to Ted Ginn Jr., while I am certainly not a hater and have been a fan, it's completely obvious to me now that he has a HUGE problem judging and adjusting to a ball that isn't perfectly thrown. I don't think his hands are as much the problem.. he just doesn't see or track the ball very well thus doesn't position his hands correctly.
It happened twice in the Colts game and at least twice today. If he actually gets his hands on the ball, he usually catches it. The pass thrown to him in the endzone with just seconds left (and the game already decided) hit him in the elbow because he misjudged it (yet again) and didn't get his hands up, extended, or close together. I've just seen that happen so many times now that I'm convinced that he has a vision problem. I know he wears contacts so perhaps he needs to be re-diagnosed. I saw practically every game he played at OSU and I don't recall him having this big a problem judging and adjusting to passes back then.
And please save the teenage response of "maybe he just sucks". Maybe he does ... but that's not my point. I'm just giving analysis of what I've seen. If he does have a vision problem that hasn't been diagnosed properly, perhaps it's possible for him to suck less. That's all I'm saying.
Lastly, aside from the 62-7 embarrassment to J-Ville that ended Marino's career, this game ranks right up there as one of the biggest choke jobs and disappointments I've ever witnesses during my 30+ years as a fan.
When you have the ball in the opponents territory and are up 24-3 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the half .... you HAVE to win that game. You just HAVE to. There are no excuses. Every player that played in that game contributed to that choke job today, including the coach himself.
That's the truth.
