A few thoughts from the other side.

- I think the Dolphins are a team headed in the right direction. The 10-win improvement last season was no fluke. With a tougher schedule this year, repeating the 11-5 season might prove tough...but that's the price of getting better.

- I think Chad Pennington played a very efficient game. And Ronnie Brown complemented that with his hard-nosed pizazz. I, personally, think the "Wildcat" is more than just a gimmick -- it truly gives the Dolphins two very distinct offenses.

-- The Miami offense protected the ball well and, obviously, if you can gain 230 yards on the ground without coughing up a fumble, your offense is doing everything it needs to do to give the team a chance to win.

-- The poorly-executed "2-minute drill" notwithstanding, I thought the Dolphins' coaches did a terrific job managing the game. Tony Sparano was right that gaining a big advantage in Time of Possession is how to beat the Colts. And his team accomplished that brilliantly.

-- All in all, I think the Dolphins outplayed the Colts in all but one aspect of the game. About the only one where they didn't -- pass defense -- proved enough to give Manning enough of an opening to eke out a win with a couple big YACs. The Colts offense put up one TD at the very start and one at the end. That was enough, but that was also it...and there's something to be said for that.

-- The good news for both teams is that, IMO, neither team made too many "big" mistakes. Not only turnovers, but also things like big penalties, flubbed assignments, etc. It was a pretty darn good football game for Week 2, I think.

 

If I was an NFL Offensive Coordinator, I think I'd be licking my chops at the sight of the Colts defense whether they were exhausted or perfectly refreshed.

Last night had shades of a few years ago when our run defense, with Bob Sanders sidelined, was just awful. You think giving up 230 yards on the ground is bad....how about the 350 we gave up to the Jags late in that season?

Of course, once Sanders returned, the D stepped it up in the playoffs and we went on to win the SB. But this is a whole new defense for us....and I'm not sure we have the personnel that Larry Coyer needs for what he's trying to do.

 

As I said, pass defense was clearly the Achilles Heel for the Dolphins last night. Reggie Wayne was well-contained. But the LB coverage on Clark obviously didn't get it done (which isn't uncommon...Clark's a tough guy for an LB to cover) -- and the Miami secondary needed to do a better job limiting the YACs which, ultimately, decided this game.

But I don't think you have anything to complain about offensively. Other than the clock mismanagement at the end of the game, I thought Miami's offense was very good -- if not bordering on great. Not only did they not turn the ball over, the OL got the better of most snaps, the Wildcat produced just as it's intended to, Pennington played efficiently and smart without forcing anything, etc.

The Dolphins weren't looking for a big passing game offensively -- their game plan was to keep the offense on the field and the Colts offense on the sidelines. You don't do that by passing a lot. You do it by grinding out 230 yards on the turf, moving the chains, and eating up clock with points to show for it.