HEARTBREAKER!

                   Matt Schaub scores with :07 left to put the game away

This was a hard one to swallow. There are so many things that hurt about the stinging loss to the Houston Texans that it is hard to define. I have heard and read several comments along the lines of "you have to give credit to the Texans" and "Houston made the plays when it counted and Miami didn't".  Well I am having a hard time explaining this loss and feeling that passive about it. Don't get me wrong, I have not cashed in the season and I am definitley happy to see the improvement of the team. There were some real strong positives out of this game. But this game should have been won by the Dolphins and from where I sat these were key issues:

1. The secondary has real problems with coverage. In a copy cat league you will see the bigger, more talented wide receivers have their way all year. It just very bad.
2. Miami lost on the line of scrimmage. While we all enjoy and love the wildcat, the fact is the base offense could not run the ball and that hurt this team.
3. Despite not being able to run, the offense did not open up the passing game enough. Where was Fasano? Ginn? Chad has shown he can win games.
4. Speaking of Ted Ginn, it is a crime that Miami still does not have Ginn returning kicks and punts. Bess just does not have the speed and can't get through the gaps.
5. Why challenge the spot of the ball when it was obvious that it was not a bad spot, yet earlier on a crucial bad spot the play went unchallenged.
6. The quick pass to the Wide Reciever does not every work. Please get rid of it.
7. We were out coached in this game. The defense on the QB draw was bad enough, but how do we leave Andre Johnson in one on one man coverage the whole game and then on the last drive leave Walters wide open and unaccounted for? Someone is not communicating, or adjusting. Players just looked confused.
8. Ricky was better when he was big and strong, and not small and fast. Rarely do we see him break tackles or run with the authority we are use to seeing. I miss that.
9. Missed tackles are killing this team.
10. The special teams toucdown changed the game. It never should happen. It wasn't a great return and players did not stay in their lane and no matter how many times I watched the replay Miami was so out of position that it seemed like we only had five guys on the field.

Now I know some of you may feel like I am not being fair, or being negative. Well I am sorry but this was losing to the winless Houston Texans. You just don't let an 0-4 team with a career backup QB throw for 379 yards against you. It is just not OK. After handling two elite teams in dominant fashion you have to win this game. There is a huge difference in being 3-2 versus 2-3 and this team needs every win it can and should get. With this loss and the loss against the Jets the Miami Dolphins have now left two wins on the field. Perhaps it highlights the fact that this team is still three or four quality starters away from being a playoff contender. I am sure they need time to gel as a unit and under a new coach and new system. That is precisely why you have to win the winable games. You can't just get "up" for the big games and then lose your edge on a game like this. I didn't see the same flying to the ball pressure defense or determined running game this Sunday. For that reason and for the reasons above I put this loss where it belongs. This one is on the Coaching staff.

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