I'll remain cautiously optimistic after this one. We escaped with a very lucky win. No doubt we deserved it, but sometimes the ball bounced the right way for us. Holding penalty on a FG to end the half that would have changed the makeup of the second half...that ball tipping through Al Wilson's hands just right...its football, but still. The game was just what you would expect, close, and monstrously tough. We were 7-1 two years ago and all the players thought we were going all the way in Marino's swan song. The wheels fell off though. I remember in that year us thinking we had a good running game on the way being delivered by the trio of KAJ, Cecil the Diesel, and JJ Johnson. Didn't end up happening. You can label a myriad of things that we have now that we didn't have back then, but we were a different team then...not necessarily a better one. "Typical Miami" is like two different teams. They are one way from September to November, then in December they are a different team...a tired team. I'll wait until December to pronounce us different. At least tonight we know that our team has the guts, heart, and determination to win the close ones in hostile territory...that will help in the playoffs.
Five Things I Liked Most...
1. Norv's play-calling at the end of the game...can you say AGGRESSIVE and CONFIDENT?
2. Ricky in Red. When in the redzone, he and the OL all the sudden flipped on a switch that gives them instantaneous success. Too bad he couldn't do it between the 20's.
3. Jay's toughness. Broken thumb, ligament damage in forefinger, still throwing a pass that got Olindo close enough to win it for us.
4. Olindo's toughness. Having a rough year (4 misses...twice his total from last year), he kicks a win-or-lose 53 yarder to win. He's 6 of 7 in game-winning kicks. How, Vinietieri-esque.
5. D-Fence. Can't run on us. Jamar Fletcher looking good all the sudden. Madison and Surtain both coming up with picks in the same game for the second week in a row. Derrick Rodgers blitzing (needs to be done more). Jason Taylor...what do you say about him...for all the time he spent breathing down Griese's neck he should have had like 4 sacks.