It was fourth down and one for the Miami Dolphins, and with a little under four minutes to play, the Fins had once again left too much time on the clock for the opposing team. I'd seen it a million times over the years- the conservative, let the defense win it, old school style attitude- and I knew a punt here would most likely lead to the same ending I'd become so accustomed to in Miami.
The heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, this can't seriously be happening again, ending. I sat there and knew what awaited the Miami Dolphins, because, well, I'd seen this movie before! They'd give the ball to the Rams, with just enough time to drive up the field, get into comfortable field goal range, tie the game up, and win it in overtime. We saw it in the Jets game, and the Cardinals game, and, heck, we nearly saw it last week too.
But, there in-lies the beauty of what is quickly becoming a special season in Miami. These Dolphins are learning from their mistakes, where teams' from the past would refuse to do such a thing. Tony Sparano refused to ditch his old-school style of play. Chad Henne refused to look down field, and instead continued to check down. Brandon Marshall refused to catch a touchdown pass, and instead dropped nearly one a game.
But in one single play, in the fourth quarter, in a game that meant so much to this organization, Joe Philbin made a call that, for lack of a better phrase, took some serious, serious onions. Who would of thought that, in a year full of so many big-time plays, a three yard run up the middle would be the biggest?
Philbin called for a fake punt, on his own 40 yard line, up by only a field goal, with plenty of time left on the clock. And with one swift direct snap to Chris Clemons, and three seemingly easy yards later, the Miami Dolphins season was defined. Suddenly, that image that I was so accustomed to seeing, week in and week out, year in and year out, began to fade away, much like those old, heartbreaking memories.
The culture in Miami, after a decade of stubborn refusal, has finally turned the corner, something that, just six short weeks ago, seemed nearly impossible. All of a sudden, the Fins retained the ball. All of a sudden, with one simple fake-punt, the Rams went from getting the ball back in decent field position, with two timeouts and the two minute warning, to taking over nearly a minute later, from their own six yard line, with only one timeout. A minute, you might say, doesn't make that big of a difference.
A minute, in football, makes ALL the difference. Imagine if Jeff Fisher had just one more minute to work with yesterday, you think he still kicks a 66 yard field goal? Fat chance. In-fact, with the way the Rams were driving, I'm willing to bet that they would have scored a touchdown on that drive if they were given just one more minute.
I'm willing to bet that, had Philbin not called that fake punt, the Dolphins would be 2-4 today, and not 3-3. Why am I so sure? Because, like I said, I've seen this episode so many times before.
But not yesterday.
Yesterday, much like this season, was different. Yesterday, with one gutsy call, the culture in Miami began to transform.
And in a season filled with so many transforming plays- Reggie Bush dazzling in week two, Ryan Tannehill breaking records in week four, and Reshad Jones sealing the win in week five- isn't it ironic that a three yard run on fourth down may prove to be the most transforming play of all?
Enjoy the bye week, Miami Dolphins, you've earned it.
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