Archives for January 2002

‘Let’s put it this way: How much worse was he than Johnson?’

‘There were some dubious offensive play calls (a pass on critical third-and-one in third quarter was among them) made and the lackluster defensive unit made Fiedler and Smith look like Griese and Csonka. Lousy finish spoils a good last month for Gregg Williams.’

‘"It was a great team win,” coach Dave Wannstedt said after Miami outgained Buffalo on the ground 202-39 to clinch a home playoff game next Sunday.’

‘The stingy Dolphins defense allowed 38 rushing yards on 17 attempts. That included 3 rushing yards in the first half on eight attempts in what was a stunning defensive effort.’

‘"He did some good things with a limited amount of practice time and game-speed experience,” Bills coach Gregg Williams said. "We saw him do some good things, but he saw some things that he has to improve to take the next step."’

‘The remnant of a big home crowd howled, coach Dave Wannstedt jogged off the field into a grinning hug from old Hurricanes quarterback Jim Kelly, and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga waited inside the winners’ dressing room, beaming, squeezing every sweaty player’s fingers in a pistoning handshake. Everybody felt great.’

‘But in three of the past four meetings, Moulds has been held to 12 catches for 164 yards and no touchdowns.’

‘Quarterback Jay Fiedler finished the season with a rating of 80.3, the highest for a Dolphins quarterback since Dan Marino’s 80.7 in 1997.’

‘[Pat] Williams played approximately a half-dozen downs on a sore knee. After Ruddy blocked him low a couple of times, Williams called it a game. That essentially took out Buffalo’s best defensive player, who the Dolphins believed should have made the Pro Bowl.’

‘Fiedler only attempted 16 passes, completing nine for 110 yards. But with a 27-point victory and the offense not committing a turnover, Wannstedt doesn’t mind the unimpressive aerial numbers.’

‘He rushed for a season-best 158 yards and on a season-high 30 carries, and he was running aggressively, slamming into the holes and carrying defenders while grinding out the tough yards.’

‘Linebackers Tommy Hendricks and Scott Galyon and free safety Arturo Freeman, members of the "JIC Club," have proven in the past two weeks that they are ready when the Dolphins need them. "We tagged it the `Just In Case Club,’" Galyon said, "and we prepare ourselves to be ready when the team needs us. You never know when your time will come, but you can’t let your teammates down."’

‘Five punts, five balls down inside the 20-yard line for Matt Turk, whose value has grown enormously as the offense has turned increasingly more docile in the second half of the season.’

‘The list of injured players increased for the Dolphins after Sunday’s 34-7 victory over Buffalo, and that could be troublesome for a team that had nine starters on last week’s injury report.’

‘The good news: They start with a home game Sunday. The bad news: They start against the Ravens or Jets. Pick your poison.’