The New England Patriots destroyed the Dolphins much worse than the final score indicates.  After all, the score was 42-7 at halftime.  Cleo Lemon didn’t play that well against the Dolphins as he completed 24 of 37 passes for 236 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) with a TD run but he also lost a fumble.  Ronnie Brown had a good game before he left with a knee injury.  Brown carried the ball 17 times for 76 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 33 yards (6.6 avg).  Jesse Chatman replaced Brown and he was outstanding as he carried the ball 7 times for 73 yards (10.4 ypc) with a TD run.  Patrick Cobbs also got in on the action with 3 carries for 14 yards (4.7 ypc) with a TD run.  WR Derek Hagan (4 rec, 56 yards) and TE Justin Peelle (4 rec, 42 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Dolphins.  The Dolphins finished up with 179 yards rushing on 30 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 37 passes for 203 yards.

The defense gave another awful effort as a team on Sunday.  But, Zach Thomas came to play as he had 8 tackles and Jason Taylor returned a interception 36 yards for a TD.  The Patriots finished up with 84 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 28 passes for 359 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=271021015

These are two teams going in different directions as the Patriots have started the season 6-0 and they’ve pounded everyone they have played this season by at least 17 points!  The Dolphins have started the season 0-6 and they appear to be a team that will be in contention for the first pick in the NFL Draft next April.

The New England Patriots will be without starting tight end Ben Watson and leading rusher Sammy Morris who are both injured….but fear not as they have plenty of weapons available for Tom Brady.  The Patriots will likely be able to do whatever they want against a Dolphins defense that is starting to look their age at key positions.  Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk will likely tear up the Fins defense which is allowing 168.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Dolphins hope that Jason Taylor (4 sacks) can get to Tom Brady and force him into making some mistakes….but don’t hold your breath.  After all, Brady has a QB Rating of 128.9 which leads the NFL.  Look for Brady to spread the ball around to Randy Moss (40 rec, 610 yards, 8 TDs), Wes Welker (38 rec, 386 yards, 3 TDs) and Donte’ Stallworth (19 rec, 316 yards, 2 TDs) who should find a lot of running room against the Dolphins.

The Dolphins will try to get the ball to Ronnie Brown as much as possible.  Brown has rushed for 526 yards this season and he’s also caught 34 passes for 356 yards so he will be a challenge to the Patriots linebackers.  The Patriots are only allowing 78.0 yards rushing per game but that’s mostly because teams get taken out of the running game due to the Pats offense getting a jump on them.  The Patriots blitz from all angles so the Fins need Cleo Lemon to protect the football which could be a problem as 3 of his 70 pass attempts this season have been intercepted.  Without Chris Chambers around, look for Marty Booker and TE David Martin to be the main men in the passing game.  Ted Ginn Jr. and Derek Hagan will also have increased roles against the Patriots and they need them to produce and not be intimidated.

PREDICTION:  The Dolphins ambushed the Patriots last season in Miami 21-0 and the Patriots will have a let down one of these weeks.  Look for the Dolphins to give the Patriots a game for at least a half.  PATRIOTS 30, DOLPHINS 14.

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The Dolphins continue to go young as they have cut Donovin Darius.  Darius made 13 tackles this season for the Dolphins but he’s been a little banged up.  By missing time, he let his eventual replacement take his job.  Cameron Worrell will be the starter at strong safety for the Dolphins and he’s been decent so far this season with 28 tackles.

The Dolphins have traded Chris Chambers to the Chargers for a 2nd round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.  This trade will likely help both teams as the Dolphins are starting to go young.  Chambers has caught 31 passes for 415 yards (13.4 avg) with 0 TDs so far this year.  He finishes his career with the Dolphins having played in 100 games (90 starts) and he caught 405 passes for 5,688 yards (14.0 avg) with 43 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 41 times for 355 yards (8.7 ypc).  The Dolphins will give Derek Hagan and Ted Ginn Jr. a bigger piece of the pie on offense with Chambers gone.  Hagan will likely move into the starting lineup and he has caught 6 passes for 72 yards (12.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ginn has caught 3 passes for 83 yards (27.7 avg) and he also has carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc).  Hagan will likely start over Ginn because Ginn also returns punts and kickoffs.  Ginn has returned 10 punts for 73 yards (7.3 avg) and he also has returned 25 kickoffs for 627 yards (25.1 avg).

No one who has every watched Bernie Kosar play could forget his now-legendary sidearm passes. Nor could they overlook the fact that Kosar’s arm put the University of Miami on the map in 1983 when he quarterbacked the team to its first national championship. The 300 yards and two touchdowns he threw for the Hurricanes as a freshman in that 1994 Orange Bowl against Nebraska were the impetus for the Hurricanes’ four future national titles.

Although renowned as a player, the Orange Bowl MVP is headlining a new venture: an ownership share in the Arena Football League’s new team in Cleveland, a city where he captured the hearts of football fans across the nation after the Browns obtained the quarterback in the 1985 NFL Supplemental Draft.

“I have always believed that Cleveland would be a perfect market for Arena Football. I am honored to be a part of bringing a great product here and look forward to bringing an ArenaBowl championship to my hometown.” said Bernie Kosar.

While Kosar had a stellar career with the Miami Hurricanes, his stats were about to get better as he graduated from college football to the NFL. In his nine seasons with the Browns, he posted 21,904 yards, 1,853 completions and 116 touchdowns. He led the team to three AFC championship games in four years, all of which were lost to John Elway’s Denver Broncos. Elway owns the Colorado Crush, which should make for a great new rivalry with Cleveland.

Kosar spent the last half of the 1993 season with the Dallas Cowboys, quarterbacking the team to win in the ’93 NFC Championship game after relieving an injured Troy Aikman. A week later, he earned his only Super Bowl championship ring as backup for Aikman. Kosar spent the final three years of his career with the Miami Dolphins, contributing 987 yards and five touchdowns. He closed his NFL 12-year career with 1,994 completions for 23,301 yards and 124 touchdowns.