What A Game?

I'm pretty much whupped after a marathon weekend of boozing in south Florida. Landed in Ft. Lauderdale and made a night of it in the finest chain restaurant in the continental U.S., The Alehouse chain of southern Florida. Man their wings are awesome.

With a pair of sleep hours in my back pocket I then set off for the keys, where after some heavy boozing I collected a sleep hour and set to preparing for the game at around four in the morning. The drive was gorgeous. The sun rising in the east while on a highway in the middle of the sea is something you must make time to behold.

Add a few jumping tarpons and you got yourself something very picturesque.

But I don't want to talk about that stuff. I want to talk Dolphins football.

I'm Pissed At The Fans

And disappointed. For one the game wasn't sold out and yet the lively tailgate outside was packed to the brim. Pounding down a miller lite after devouring an egg salad sandwich from Publix, I looked around and felt pride in my fellow Phins fans. After a handful more beers I was ready to weep with joy. By the end of the third quarter something close to derision was creeping into my heart. A lot of people at the game Sunday can be summed up in a single two-word expression: You suck.

Cheering, assholes, isn't all that hard to do. Watching Jason Taylor look to the stands and raise his arms, trying to get some noise to support his defense broke my heart. The four of us, three Dolphins fans who live in PA and an Eagles fan made the most noise in our entire section. An Eagles fan had to pitch in, Phins fans, and for those of you that sat quietly in your seats, not even fucking clapping, you ought to feel like my liver did this morning, which is to say worthless.

It isn't a symphony you're watching. It isn't a new age concert with a contortionist ballet you're their to look upon. Yet still I saw hundreds of Phins fans sitting in their seats, quietly waiting for Yanni to take the stage.

When the Pats come wandering into south Florida in a few weeks I fully expect you turds to have your game faces on. Cause there won't be an Eagles fan there to help show you what making noise looks like. Turds.

Chad Henne

After that interception the stadium was crushed. Henne sat alone on the bench, shunned like a pariah. Spartacus Cannonarm, however, was not to be flagged by a lone mistake.

That final drive was Chad Henne's second come-from behind this season. In six games Chad Henne is 4-2 as a starter and has come from behind twice to win. For those of you that are cautious sorts, you can go ahead and get the chrism ready.

This guy is the real deal. No question about it.

Ricky Williams

Ronnie and Ricky dominated this game, and though the official line on the injury to Brown's ankle has not emerged as of yet, the reality is that Ricky Williams can carry a full load on his shoulders. And then some.

The Bucs defense had been wearing those red shirts all day and having to tackle the load that is old Engine #34 twenty times was apparently too much. Run, Ricky run!!!

Ted Ginn, Jr.

Seriously. Sign that cat I showed you on last Friday. That's all I'll say about it. Actually I think he officially is in a funk of some sorts. He has always been inconsistent, but this is ridiculous. The guy is talented. Here's to hoping he's just been in a funk and will emerge sometime soon.

The other conclusion is that he just sucks.

Josh Freeman and the Bucs

The Bucs lost the game, perhaps because of a weird interception call that went the Phins way, but as my old man always says: Excuses are for those who need them.

Many fans and commentators are screaming that the sky is falling because the Phins pulled a close one out against the Bucs. The conventional wisdom is the Bucs are a one-win team and that the Phins should take them apart if they want to be a playoff caliber team.

These guys weren't at the game though. Josh Freeman can ball. The guy is a playmaker. The Phins pressured him all day, and got to him a lot in the first half, but the kid was not phased. Two forced fumbles, a bad call turns into an interception, and being sacked and knocked around all day... None of these things got to him.

The team the Dolphins played on Sunday is not the team that lost to the Patriots in London or lost every game up until two weeks ago. This was Freeman's second start and he almost got a win. Bucs fans, you ought to be pretty excited about this kind of thing. I think Chad Henne vs. Josh Freeman will be a match-up that ESPN will talk about or NBC will flex in the future.

Good game, fellas.