From: chf0@roger.gte.com (Curtis Fennell)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: Dolphins vs Bills observations
Date: 9 Oct 92 13:29:13 GMT
Organization: GTE Laboratories

In article <BvtC79.EnF@acsu.buffalo.edu> v073pzuy@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Mr. Tinkertrain) writes:
>In article <2764@ceylon.gte.com>, chf0@harvey.gte.com (Curtis Fennell) writes...
>>The notable exception was the shutdown of the Bill's running game.
>>The Miami Defense used a new defensive alignment of 2 down linemen, 4
>>linebackers and 5 defensive backs with a mixture of man-to-man and
>>zone pass coverage.  Now, ordinarily, playing a 4-2 ...
>
>Not to nitpick, but it's called a 2-4, not a 4-2.

You are, of course, right.  I stand corrected.

>But the Bills (ie., Jim Kelly) abandoned the running game.  Therein lay the
>problem.

Well, they certainly did, but what choice did they have?  When you are
down by 14 and averaging only 3 yards per carry, you can't spend too
much time trying to salvage the running attack.

>There are easier ways to beat this.  One is to mix in more of the play-action
>passes.  Another would have been to zing the swarming Miami defense with a 
>Kelly-to-Thomas-to-Kelly-to-Reed flea-flicker in the second quarter, which I
>personally feel would have given a great shot at a big gain, and probably
>scoring.

Only if the secondary swallows the fake.  And the way Miami's DBs were
playing, I don't think they would have.

>>Now, I know that this game was not the SuperBowl, but it is difficult
>>to overestimate how important this game was for the Dolphins. Because
>>until the Dolphins could go into Rich Stadium and beat the Bills,
>>they could never go back to the Super Bowl.  
>
>Actually, they'd better sweep them, or they're going to be hard up to win the
>division.  Remember, with a tie, the Bills have a leg up on the Niners game,
>which will be stiff competition for Marino and Co.

They have a better chance of sweeping the Bills this year than they've
had in a long, long time.

Still, if the Dolphins and Bills go 1-1, there are still a lot of other
possibilities. But the season still needs to be taken one game at a
time.  Miami could easily be shocked by a fired-up Falcons team this
weekend and needs to be concerned about that.  A lackluster
performance by Dan Marino and a few big plays by the Atlanta offense
and we're back in second place in the division (I can't imagine the
Bills losing to the Raiders, especially after last Sunday).

>>But the Dolphins are back, football fans!  And it is very fitting
>>that on the 20th anniversary of the perfect season, the Dolphins are
>>once again establishing themselves as one of the league's elite
>>teams.
>
>They were there 2 years ago.  Nice to see a race this year for the division.
>The Bills should respond in the usual seasonal response (ie., get on a roll).

The MNF game in November could be quite a game.

>Hats off to the Miami defensive coordinators, though.  

The did do a great job, didn't they?  I wonder why it took so long,
though.  Was it the addition of Troy Vincent that made it possible?
The return of John Offerdahl?  The example set by Denver in last
year's AFC Championship?  I suspect is was a combination of those
things.  

I have been very critical of Tom Olivadotti in the past, but Sunday he
finally set up a game plan that worked.

>The Bills should still
>have taken the opportunity to continually run the ball.  Buffalo was 22 for
>63.  Factor out the 7-yard loss by WR Andre Reed on the end-around
>and you have 21 rushes for 70 yards, which isn't too bad.  The
>problem was that the rushing game was let go and not utilized until
>the game was out of hand. 

I don't know.  21 for 70 yards is still only 3.3 yards per carry.
That's still not that good.  But I think that the biggest problem was
Kelly's impatience. He obviously could move the ball, he just kept
throwing into serious coverage.

>
>The game obviously turned on Oliver's INT return.

There ought to be a catchy name for that play, like the "The Drive"
for Denver or "the Catch" for San Fran.  Any suggestions?

>					---Chet Zeshonski

Curt
--
Curt "I always pick the Dolphins - even against Buffalo!"  Fennell
			DOLFAN in New England.             
'72 Dolphins - The perfect team in the perfect season - 17-0