 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
Meaningless crown Dolphins have higher aspirations than just a division title
Updated: Friday December 29, 2000 11:10 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Miami Dolphins know what it takes to win the AFC East championship. They just didn't think they'd have to do it twice - in one game. The Dolphins were already in the locker room celebrating their 27-24 win against New England on Sunday, when they were called back on to the field to replay the game's final three seconds. They survived a failed Hail Mary attempt, and went back to the locker room to continue the revelry of their first title in six years. The Dolphins (11-5) haven't thought much about it since as they prepare for Saturday's wild-card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts (10-6) at Miami. "It's a shame that you can't walk in here and say, 'Hey we just won the division, and let's take two weeks and enjoy this thing.' You've got one day, and then you're in there grinding on the players. It's nice, but it won't mean anything on Saturday," Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt said.
The Dolphins, crushed by Jacksonville 62-7 in last year's divisional game, have greater aspirations than just a division title. "For us to lose Saturday would be a major disappointment. We have all the credentials. In the AFC, there's nobody we can't compete with," receiver Leslie Shephard said. The teams are meeting for the third time since Nov. 26, and each has won on the other's home turf. Indianapolis' Peyton Manning relied on the short-passing game in the last meeting, completing 21 of 28 passes for 206 yards in a 20-13 victory on Dec. 17. Edgerrin James rushed for more than 100 yards in both regular-season games, including a 17-14 Miami victory in Indianapolis on Nov. 26. "The difference in the game up there was, we didn't have penalties and we didn't make mistakes," Wannstedt said. "They came down here, and did the same thing. We made the penalties and we made the mistakes. The victory against the Patriots snapped a two-game losing streak for the Dolphins. Quarterback Jay Fiedler said a comeback victory against New England was just what they needed. "I feel great coming from behind," he said. The Colts might not feel so great if they fall behind, largely because of Miami's tough defense. "When you play the Dolphins, you know what you're getting into," Manning said. "They've got a great defense. The times we've played well against them, we just made plays and executed." Offensively, there's little comparison between the two teams. Fiedler has thrown for 2,402 yards to Manning's league-leading 4,413. Dolphins running back Lamar Smith has run for 1,139 yards to Edgerrin James' 1,709. Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison outgained Oronde Gadsden 1,413 yards receiving to 786. Dolphins offensive guard Mark Dixon said they'll need to have success running the ball. "The key for them to be successful is for their defense to play well, and they've been doing it," Dixon said. "Our style is to run the ball, and we need to do it better than we have recently. Lately, we've seen teams bringing the house to stop the run. That's what we'll see this weekend." In two games, the Dolphins could score only a combined 30 points against a Colts defense that ranks 21st in the NFL. The Colts allowed only 43 points in the final three games, compared with 70 in the three-game losing streak that preceded it. "There aren't going to be any major changes," Wannstedt said. "You don't win 10 or 11 games, and then all of a sudden change your offense or defense and do a bunch of different things. Both teams know each other fairly well."
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
