OK, maybe the offense fielded the same personnel that had Miami averaging 16 points per game coming into this one. But the philosophy was new, the coaching style was new and the results were certainly different.
It started with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan announcing to his players that this week was about, "FTS.''
FTS is the acronym for Feed The Studs.
''That was the thing this week, making sure the studs got the ball,'' receiver Chris Chambers said.
FIND THE PLAYMAKERS
Rather than fiddling with plays that don't ensure catches for Chambers and tight end Randy McMichael, or don't get a significant amount of carries for running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, Linehan limited how many different plays he called.
And instead called plays to feature his "studs.''
''That's all you really want, the chance to contribute and make the plays,'' McMichael said. "When [Linehan] said he was going to do that last week I got all excited about it and a couple of guys were smiling.
"Plays where Chris and me are bound to make the play -- he actually called them. And he kept calling them and calling them. He didn't hold them back for later in the game or next week. He let us go to work over and over.''
The result was McMichael caught four passes for 59 yards and scored his first touchdown since Oct. 9 -- that on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Gus Frerotte in the third quarter.
The result was Chambers having his first 100-yard game of the season, as he caught six passes for 101 yards.
Linehan guaranteed Chambers a predictable amount of success by lining him up in the slot position for the first time this year. The strategic move matched, or rather mismatched, Chambers against linebackers.
''Yeah, we changed it up a little bit,'' Chambers said. ``We wanted to make sure I got the ball. It's all part of FTS, which was the thing this week.''
But most importantly, the result was that when the Miami defense yielded comfortable leads -- allowing the Raiders to close a 16-7 deficit and then a 23-14 deficit -- the offense got touchdowns to answer Oakland's scores.
To make certain Linehan didn't somehow lose sight of his announced FTS philosophy, he moved from the press box to the sideline for the first time this season.
''We moved Scott down on the field so he could have a better feel for affecting the players,'' coach Nick Saban said. "I think that worked well for us. He's the guy who's installing stuff all the time, and he wanted to do it, so I thought it was great for him to do it.
"He affected the players a little bit and kept them in balance for what they needed to do to compete.''
Linehan might have affected the players, but they might have equally affected him.
The Dolphins have been primarily a passing team throughout the season even while Saban has claimed a desire to be balanced.
On Sunday, with the offensive coordinator only feet from the head coach, the Dolphins ran 32 times and passed 31 times.
''I think we made the change to see how it went, and obviously it went better,'' Saban said of the Linehan move. "And it's better for me, too, because I get a better feeling for talking to him -- even if it's between series about what they're doing and how they're doing it.''
