Winning ugly is pretty with a defense like this - Football - MiamiHerald.com Raise your hand -- any hand -- if you can remember any defense getting pounded the way the Dolphins did Sunday without giving up a single touchdown. And winning. On second thought, forget the hand-raise. That thing hasn't happened within memory. Not the way, anyway, the 49ers offense savaged the Dolphins by every number but the winning one and wound up hanging up only a grand total of three field goals in this grotesque 14-9 loss.
This was definitely a game where you read the stats, scratch your head and wonder how in the hell the 49ers didn't win. They controlled all the key stats and still couldn't pull it off. Why? Well, it's quite simply a matter of mathematics. When your opponent keeps you out of the endzone, forcing you to settle for a FG, then what they've just made you do is work twice as hard for every point you score than for every point your opponent scores. They're forcing you to take TWO drives the length of the field to yield less points than they're getting with ONE drive the length of the field. You have to have twice as many first downs, twice as many third down conversions, twice as many passes and runs, etc. So when it's all said and done, you've worked twice as hard as your opponent, AND you're still behind by one point on the scoreboard. That's demoralizing, and THAT'S how the Dolphins won on Sunday for the last three weeks. Very impressive.
Well, the Niners did drive at will on us, but we A. Kept them away from making a big play, they earned yardage B. Our tackling has improved greatly since the first month of the season. DC Pasqualoni and Bowles have really worked their schemes here in Miami, in Dallas, they had physically gifted players, in Miami, they are making do with cast offs, and they have done a great job with them.
I think the only thing that stoppped our offense in the first half was us, right when they were ready to establish rhythym they did something to halt that very same rhythym. Chad is so efficient all he needs is a couple of drives to get us the lead, after that we become experts at misdiretion football. The team is really fun to watch right now, this team has people scared because of their unpredictability.
It befudels the mind at least a Miami fan, when Joey Haynos scores the winning TD... Imagine other fans look when we have unknown players that can be called upon to make a big play for us at any time...
