Dolphins-Patriots Prediction

The Dolphins are undefeated so far this season.  Well, undefeated in the AFC East.  The perfect division start will be on the line today in New England.  I have to admit, I was very impressed with the way Miami bounced back to beat the Jets last weekend.  The funny thing is, the Fins should be 5-2 after blowing games against the Colts and Saints.  Ironically, those are the two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL.  Now come the Patriots, fresh off a bye, and focused on taking control of the division.

How do the Dolphins win this game?  Well, the Wildcat will need to work to perfection.  We all remember that the formation was unveiled by the Fins last season against the Pats.  It surprised a normally well-coached New England team to look foolish.  The Patriots won’t be fooled this time around.  That doesn’t mean Miami can’t have some success with it.  I think they will.  Of course, the Patriots will look for ways to put the game in the hands of Chad Henne.  He has been solid, for the most part, in his time as a starter this season.  I think he can handle the pressure and make smart decisions.

The problem I see in this game is the defense.  With Will Allen out, the pressure is on two rookie cornerbacks against Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker.  Advantage Patriots!  It also doesn’t help that Gibril Wilson is still a liability in the secondary (expect to see more of rookie Chris Clemons today), and that Channing Crowder and Jason Ferguson will both be out with injuries.  I think it’s just too much for Miami to overcome.  The Dolphins fall back in the pack but make it a game.  Prediction:

• Dolphins- 20
• Patriots- 31

My record picking Dolphins games in 2009: (5-2)

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Canes “D” impresses

It’s been a while since the Hurricanes defense played a complete football game, but they did just that on Saturday against Virginia.  The Canes “D” just manhandled the Cavs offense all game long.  UVA got 10 points directly off blocked punts, but otherwise did nothing.   The final stats say it all:  Virginia had 10 first downs and just 149 yards of total offense.  That’s a dominant effort!

It was a big performance by a Miami defense that has been hit hard with injuries.  The good news is, they should get some of those guys back over the final few weeks.  On Saturday, a lot of young players rotated in and out of the game, and they played with a fire I haven’t seen from the Canes defense in a long time.  It’s the kind of game that could jump-start the unit over the final 3 games.  I have plenty of confidence in UM’s offense to play well down the stretch, and if the defense follows, I don’t see the Canes losing another game this season.

Dolphins-Jets Prediction: Round 2

It seems like the Dolphins and Jets played just a few weeks ago.  Oh, that’s right, they did!  In a bizarre scheduling quirk, the Fins play their rivals twice within a 3 game span.  Miami gets a chance at the season sweep, and I think they get it.

The Dolphins showed in the first game that they match-up very well against a solid Jets defense.  New York couldn’t slow down the Wildcat, and I see no reason why the Fins shouldn’t have success again.  It’ll be interesting to see how the two young QB’s handle the opposing defense the 2nd time around.   Mark Sanchez will be without a big weapon in Leon Washington, and I think that will hurt New York.  I think the Dolphins win another nail-biter!  Prediction:

• Dolphins- 23
• Jets- 20

My record picking Dolphins games in 2009: (4-2)

***I didn’t make an official blog prediction on the Saints game, but I did pick New Orleans to beat Miami via my twitter.

 

Canes Wake up, just in time!

The old saying goes it’s sometimes better to be lucky than good.  Well, that was never more the case than in Miami’s win at Wake Forest on Saturday.  The Canes trailed by 13 in the 4th quarter, had been outgained by a 2-1 margin and the Deacons had the ball for twice as long as UM, yet Miami still found a way to win.  4 Wake Forest turnovers and an injury to starting QB Riley Skinner sure helped.  Still, the Canes showed a lot heart to complete the improbable comeback.  Jacory Harris was sub-par for most of the game, but in the two drives before each half, Harris was at his best. 

Right before halftime he directed a long drive in under 40 seconds that resulted in a touchdown.  Then on the final drive in the 4th quarter, Harris managed to convert a 4th and 16 to former high school teammate Aldarius Johnson.  The drive ended with a great sliding grab by Travis Benjamin, and the Canes slid right out of Wake with a game they had no business winning.

Still, they did win it, and it’s a huge win at that.  Miami remains in the Top 20 in the nation, and they also remain in the hunt for an ACC title.  We can certainly sit here and talk about the inconsistent offense that gained just 10 yards in the 2nd half before that final drive.  Or, we can point out that the defense has more holes than swiss cheese.  I know the defense is burdened with a lot of injuries, but that’s no excuse.  Opposing teams won’t care about that down the stretch.  Maybe this game will serve as a wake up call and get Miami going again.  One thing’s for sure, this win saved UM’s season, for now.

Hurricanes-Wake Forest Prediction

I’m back to full-time duty on the blog with a prediction for Miami’s game at Wake later today.  The Canes are coming off a very disappointing loss at home to Clemson.  It not only dashes any national title hopes, but it also put a serious dent into Miami’s ACC championship hopes.  I expect the Hurricanes to have a nice bounce back performance today.

The Demon Deacons are coming in on a 2-game losing streak, and they are playing some bad football overall.  Yes, they have a solid, veteran QB in Riley Skinner, but not much else.  The Canes offense gets in gear and the defense makes enough plays to get a comfortable win on the road.  Prediction:

• Hurricanes- 34
• Wake Forest- 24

 My record predicting Canes games in 2009:   (3-4)

***I technically didn’t make blog predictions on the UCF and Clemson games, since I was out of town, but I did pick them to win both via Twitter.

Back on Blog

I’m sure many of you have noticed that I haven’t been around the blog for over a week now.  I was out-of-town working on a Local 10 Cruise special set to air in December.  I had a blast learning ways to save money on booking a cruise, and saving money while on the ship.  I think the show will look great.  That said, it’s time to talk sports again, so I look forward to updating the blog everyday with the latest in South Florida sports.

Calvin Pace: Wildcat = Nonsense

Welcome to the -Sore Losers Club- Calvin Pace.   Fresh off his team getting run all over the field, and thanks in large part to the Wildcat formation, the Jets linebacker decided to call the package “nonsense.”  His exact quote was:  “I can’t respect that stuff, all that wildcat,” … “We’re in the NFL.  Don’t come here with that nonsense.”   Nonsense huh?  If it’s such nonsense, why didn’t you stop it?  This is a classic case of being a sore loser. 

Many of the Dolphins responded today by laughing his comments off.  Some bit there tongues, not wanting to say too much, since the teams play again in 3 weeks.  Channing Crowder, who has never bit his tongue when speaking, made a great point.  He pointed out that the Jets ran 2 fake punts.  Now that’s a gimmick!  Then again, the Dolphins couldn’t complain much about that because they were fooled both times.  That’s pretty embarrassing for an NFL team.  Not as embarrassing though as getting your butt kicked by so-called “nonsense.”  The Dolphins have been running the Wildcat formation for well over a year now, and it’s clearly part of who they are.  Teams have hundreds of Wildcat plays on film and they still can’t seem to stop it.   I’d say it’s passed the part of “gimmick” and entered the part of legitimate weapon in the NFL.

So Pace can keep on crying.  His Jets tried the play and got stuffed.  It takes the proper personnel and ability to make it work.  It also takes the proper personnel and ability to stop it.  It appears the Dolphins have what it takes and the Jets don’t.  No nonsense there.  Just the facts.

Henne vs Sanchez: Round 1

What can you say about the performance on Monday Night Football by Chad Henne?  He had a near flawless game on the national stage, and in the process, he outplayed Jets 1st round pick Mark Sanchez.  I have to admit, I was very impressed with Sanchez, but Henne was even better.  That’s saying a lot, especially since all the attention entering the game was on the Jets rookie QB.

Henne is technically not a rookie, but let’s face it, it was only his 2nd career start.  Sitting and watching another quarterback play for a year has its benefits, but Henne played like a seasoned veteran.  I didn’t expect him to be ready for that type of breakout performance in such a key game.  Dol-Fans everywhere have to be feeling better about the quarterback situation for the future after this win.  I know it’s too soon to anoint him the next Dan Marino, but for a franchise desperate to find someone to FINALLY replace the legend of Marino, this was a pretty good start.

What makes it even more fun for the future are the potential battles between Henne and Sanchez.  This was a shoot-out, reminiscent of the days of Marino gunning it all over the field against Ken O’Brien.   You knew the last team to have the ball would probably win the game, and the Dolphins ended up being that team.  The thought of seeing Henne and Sanchez compete twice a season over the next decade should excite any Dolphins or Jets fan.  Both teams were searching for a leader for the future, and both teams seem to have found one.  Could Henne fall back to earth and have some bad games?  Of course.  I don’t think we can expect him to be perfect every time out.  As I’ve said before, he will have some bumps in the road.  That said, what we saw Monday night shows that the long road may end with a franchise QB leading the way.

Dolphins-Jets Prediction

I have to make another short and sweet prediction, since I’m headed out to the stadium now.  I’ve been leaning all week toward picking the Dolphins, but the reality is, the Jets have the perfect formula to beat Miami.  Rex Ryan was the mastermind behind the Ravens dominance of the Wildcat last season, and he’s got a talented defense in New York that can do the same.  I expect Chad Henne to see a lot of pressure and make one mistake too many.  Prediction:

• Jets- 23
• Dolphins- 21

My record picking Dolphins games in 2009: (3-1)

Hurricanes-FAMU Prediction

As if I really needed to pick this one, I’ll go ahead and make it official.   I expect two things to happen in the Canes game against Florida A & M. 

1) The Canes will win by a lot!

2) The FAM-U band will ROCK in the postgame concert!

• Florida A & M- 10
• Hurricanes- 45

My record in Canes games in 2009: (1-3)