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The Atlanta Falcons were bad last year.  Blame last year on the injuries to Julio Jones and Roddy White.  But the Falcons are still bad, what is the problem?

 Nine weeks into the season quarterback Matt Ryan has been sacked 15 times

While Jones and White are healthy, there are more important players on the offensive side.  Tackle Sam Baker, tackle Lamar Holmes, center Joe Hawley, and back-up center Peter Konz are all out for the season. That is an offensive line that has lost five key players.  The result?  Ryan has been sacked 15 times. 

Quarterback in distress

According to ProFootball Focus, in week seven against the Baltimore Ravens, Ryan was pressured on 32 percent  of his dropbacks.  The Ravens sacked Ryan five times.  They also had nine quarterback hits. 

It is taking a toll on Ryan's efficiency.  His production drops in the second half.  Ryan completes 70.2 percent of his passes in the first-half.  He only completes 58 percent of his passes in the second half.  In the fourth quarter he has been sacked seven times, thrown four interceptions, and completed 55.4 percent of his passes. 

As their offensive line becomes depleted their offensive output is put in a downward spiral.  In week three against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the offense put up 56 points; week four against the Minnesota Vikings they put up 28 points; week five versus the New York Giants 20 points, week six against the Chicago Bears 13 points and week seven versus the Baltimore Ravens seven points.  You get the picture.  A quarterback in distress equals bad offensive play.

While they may start out strong, the production dwindles not only as we progress through the NFL schedule, but also during the course of the game.

What's wrong with the Falcons?  Nothing a healthy offensive line couldn't cure. 

Follow me on Twitter @neverenoughghtl

The Atlanta Falcons were bad last year.  Blame last year on the injuries to Julio Jones and Roddy White.  But the Falcons are still bad, what is the problem?

 Nine weeks into the season quarterback Matt Ryan has been sacked 15 times

While Jones and White are healthy, there are more important players on the offensive side.  Tackle Sam Baker, tackle Lamar Holmes, center Joe Hawley, and back-up center Peter Konz are all out for the season. That is an offensive line that has lost five key players.  The result?  Ryan has been sacked 15 times. 

Quarterback in distress

According to ProFootball Focus, in week seven against the Baltimore Ravens, Ryan was pressured on 32 percent  of his dropbacks.  The Ravens sacked Ryan five times.  They also had nine quarterback hits. 

It is taking a toll on Ryan's efficiency.  His production drops in the second half.  Ryan completes 70.2 percent of his passes in the first-half.  He only completes 58 percent of his passes in the second half.  In the fourth quarter he has been sacked seven times, thrown four interceptions, and completed 55.4 percent of his passes. 

As their offensive line becomes depleted their offensive output is put in a downward spiral.  In week three against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the offense put up 56 points; week four against the Minnesota Vikings they put up 28 points; week five versus the New York Giants 20 points, week six against the Chicago Bears 13 points and week seven versus the Baltimore Ravens seven points.  You get the picture.  A quarterback in distress equals bad offensive play.

While they may start out strong, the production dwindles not only as we progress through the NFL schedule, but also during the course of the game.

What's wrong with the Falcons?  Nothing a healthy offensive line couldn't cure. 

Follow me on Twitter @neverenoughghtl

The greatest rivalry of all time goes like this:

1. Peyton Manning (No. 1 overall pick) vs. Tom Brady (No. 199).

2. One Super Bowl vs. Three.

3. 55 TDs vs. 50.

4. 515 TDs vs. 381.

5. 67,000 yds. vs. 51,000.

6. 97.9 QBR vs. 96.1.

You have to admit that there is a lot to consider in the history of these two greats. But the most important stat, in my humble opinion, is a simple win to loss ratio. And that was decidedly in Brady's court, even before this contest in week nine got out of hand.

Tommy boy held a 10-5 advantage, certainly a commanding lead in head-to-head battles with Peyton. But just in case there was a shadow of doubt (what with all the records and all), this has to count for something. Brady owns Manning.

So... what else did we learn today?

1. This New England Patriot defense is one of the best they have ever fielded.

I'm not alone in this; Rodney Harrison said the same thing in post-game comments. They may have surrendered 438 yards to Manning's offense, but also caused two turnovers. This has become Manning's Achilles Heel against the Patriots. Denver may have stolen Aqib Talib from New England, but Belichick one-upped them by signing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner (a fair trade-off in the eyes of Patriot fans).

2. Turnovers and Special Team play will kill you.

I've already mentioned the two picks, but when your Special Teamers give up a touchdown, that is like a dagger in the morale of the whole team.

3. Rob Ninkovich is way underated.

I keep hearing commentators say that Ninkovich is just okay. But he keeps proving them wrong by making plays like he did against Denver today. Manning should have seen the 6'3" 260# linebacker dropping into coverage, but threw the ball right into his hands. Ninkovich has four sacks on the season to add to the INT today, the fifth of his career. In five years with New England he has totaled 27.5 sacks. And he plays both linebacker and defensive end.

4. The Denver Bronco defense is overated.

They were ranked first against the run, and 12th against the pass through eight weeks. The Patriots had no better, but no worse rushing stats today than in previous weeks. But they DID outrush Denver by about 50%. But they could not stop Brady and co. when it counted: in the red zone. The Denver defense allowed four TDs, each to a different receiver. We all thought the Denver receiving corps would present nightmarish mismatches for the Patriot defense, but the opposite was true come the end of this game.

It would be negligent of me not to mention a few specifics that killed Denver and propelled Brady and the Patriots to the victory. How about Rob Gronkowski's circus catch down at the two yard line? And then there was the aforementioned 84 yard punt return TD by Julian Edelman, now the franchise record holder in that dept. in team history.

Stephen Gostkowski was solid, hitting field goals upon command, while Brady threw a cool 33/53 for 333 yds, four TDs, and just one INT (his first in five games). And a good portion of that was TE Gronkowski, eclipsing 100 yards for the third time this season. His TD catch gives him seven on the year, and makes him the third fastest player to reach 50 TDs (59 games as compared to Jerry Rice's 61 games).

Although snow was expected to be a factor, the storm was gone and field cleared before game time. This was a simple mano-a-mano test of strength. Brady won, sealing his legacy as the better mano.

The Atlanta Falcons were bad last year.  Blame last year on the injuries to Julio Jones and Roddy White.  But the Falcons are still bad, what is the problem?

 Nine weeks into the season quarterback Matt Ryan has been sacked 15 times

While Jones and White are healthy, there are more important players on the offensive side.  Tackle Sam Baker, tackle Lamar Holmes, center Joe Hawley, and back-up center Peter Konz are all out for the season. That is an offensive line that has lost five key players.  The result?  Ryan has been sacked 15 times. 

Quarterback in distress

According to ProFootball Focus, in week seven against the Baltimore Ravens, Ryan was pressured on 32 percent  of his dropbacks.  The Ravens sacked Ryan five times.  They also had nine quarterback hits. 

It is taking a toll on Ryan's efficiency.  His production drops in the second half.  Ryan completes 70.2 percent of his passes in the first-half.  He only completes 58 percent of his passes in the second half.  In the fourth quarter he has been sacked seven times, thrown four interceptions, and completed 55.4 percent of his passes. 

As their offensive line becomes depleted their offensive output is put in a downward spiral.  In week three against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the offense put up 56 points; week four against the Minnesota Vikings they put up 28 points; week five versus the New York Giants 20 points, week six against the Chicago Bears 13 points and week seven versus the Baltimore Ravens seven points.  You get the picture.  A quarterback in distress equals bad offensive play.

While they may start out strong, the production dwindles not only as we progress through the NFL schedule, but also during the course of the game.

What's wrong with the Falcons?  Nothing a healthy offensive line couldn't cure. 

Follow me on Twitter @neverenoughghtl

The greatest rivalry of all time goes like this:

1. Peyton Manning (No. 1 overall pick) vs. Tom Brady (No. 199).

2. One Super Bowl vs. Three.

3. 55 TDs vs. 50.

4. 515 TDs vs. 381.

5. 67,000 yds. vs. 51,000.

6. 97.9 QBR vs. 96.1.

You have to admit that there is a lot to consider in the history of these two greats. But the most important stat, in my humble opinion, is a simple win to loss ratio. And that was decidedly in Brady's court, even before this contest in week nine got out of hand.

Tommy boy held a 10-5 advantage, certainly a commanding lead in head-to-head battles with Peyton. But just in case there was a shadow of doubt (what with all the records and all), this has to count for something. Brady owns Manning.

So... what else did we learn today?

1. This New England Patriot defense is one of the best they have ever fielded.

I'm not alone in this; Rodney Harrison said the same thing in post-game comments. They may have surrendered 438 yards to Manning's offense, but also caused two turnovers. This has become Manning's Achilles Heel against the Patriots. Denver may have stolen Aqib Talib from New England, but Belichick one-upped them by signing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner (a fair trade-off in the eyes of Patriot fans).

2. Turnovers and Special Team play will kill you.

I've already mentioned the two picks, but when your Special Teamers give up a touchdown, that is like a dagger in the morale of the whole team.

3. Rob Ninkovich is way underated.

I keep hearing commentators say that Ninkovich is just okay. But he keeps proving them wrong by making plays like he did against Denver today. Manning should have seen the 6'3" 260# linebacker dropping into coverage, but threw the ball right into his hands. Ninkovich has four sacks on the season to add to the INT today, the fifth of his career. In five years with New England he has totaled 27.5 sacks. And he plays both linebacker and defensive end.

4. The Denver Bronco defense is overated.

They were ranked first against the run, and 12th against the pass through eight weeks. The Patriots had no better, but no worse rushing stats today than in previous weeks. But they DID outrush Denver by about 50%. But they could not stop Brady and co. when it counted: in the red zone. The Denver defense allowed four TDs, each to a different receiver. We all thought the Denver receiving corps would present nightmarish mismatches for the Patriot defense, but the opposite was true come the end of this game.

It would be negligent of me not to mention a few specifics that killed Denver and propelled Brady and the Patriots to the victory. How about Rob Gronkowski's circus catch down at the two yard line? And then there was the aforementioned 84 yard punt return TD by Julian Edelman, now the franchise record holder in that dept. in team history.

Stephen Gostkowski was solid, hitting field goals upon command, while Brady threw a cool 33/53 for 333 yds, four TDs, and just one INT (his first in five games). And a good portion of that was TE Gronkowski, eclipsing 100 yards for the third time this season. His TD catch gives him seven on the year, and makes him the third fastest player to reach 50 TDs (59 games as compared to Jerry Rice's 61 games).

Although snow was expected to be a factor, the storm was gone and field cleared before game time. This was a simple mano-a-mano test of strength. Brady won, sealing his legacy as the better mano.

The Atlanta Falcons were bad last year.  Blame last year on the injuries to Julio Jones and Roddy White.  But the Falcons are still bad, what is the problem?

 Nine weeks into the season quarterback Matt Ryan has been sacked 15 times

While Jones and White are healthy, there are more important players on the offensive side.  Tackle Sam Baker, tackle Lamar Holmes, center Joe Hawley, and back-up center Peter Konz are all out for the season. That is an offensive line that has lost five key players.  The result?  Ryan has been sacked 15 times. 

Quarterback in distress

According to ProFootball Focus, in week seven against the Baltimore Ravens, Ryan was pressured on 32 percent  of his dropbacks.  The Ravens sacked Ryan five times.  They also had nine quarterback hits. 

It is taking a toll on Ryan's efficiency.  His production drops in the second half.  Ryan completes 70.2 percent of his passes in the first-half.  He only completes 58 percent of his passes in the second half.  In the fourth quarter he has been sacked seven times, thrown four interceptions, and completed 55.4 percent of his passes. 

As their offensive line becomes depleted their offensive output is put in a downward spiral.  In week three against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the offense put up 56 points; week four against the Minnesota Vikings they put up 28 points; week five versus the New York Giants 20 points, week six against the Chicago Bears 13 points and week seven versus the Baltimore Ravens seven points.  You get the picture.  A quarterback in distress equals bad offensive play.

While they may start out strong, the production dwindles not only as we progress through the NFL schedule, but also during the course of the game.

What's wrong with the Falcons?  Nothing a healthy offensive line couldn't cure. 

Follow me on Twitter @neverenoughghtl

The greatest rivalry of all time goes like this:

1. Peyton Manning (No. 1 overall pick) vs. Tom Brady (No. 199).

2. One Super Bowl vs. Three.

3. 55 TDs vs. 50.

4. 515 TDs vs. 381.

5. 67,000 yds. vs. 51,000.

6. 97.9 QBR vs. 96.1.

You have to admit that there is a lot to consider in the history of these two greats. But the most important stat, in my humble opinion, is a simple win to loss ratio. And that was decidedly in Brady's court, even before this contest in week nine got out of hand.

Tommy boy held a 10-5 advantage, certainly a commanding lead in head-to-head battles with Peyton. But just in case there was a shadow of doubt (what with all the records and all), this has to count for something. Brady owns Manning.

So... what else did we learn today?

1. This New England Patriot defense is one of the best they have ever fielded.

I'm not alone in this; Rodney Harrison said the same thing in post-game comments. They may have surrendered 438 yards to Manning's offense, but also caused two turnovers. This has become Manning's Achilles Heel against the Patriots. Denver may have stolen Aqib Talib from New England, but Belichick one-upped them by signing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner (a fair trade-off in the eyes of Patriot fans).

2. Turnovers and Special Team play will kill you.

I've already mentioned the two picks, but when your Special Teamers give up a touchdown, that is like a dagger in the morale of the whole team.

3. Rob Ninkovich is way underated.

I keep hearing commentators say that Ninkovich is just okay. But he keeps proving them wrong by making plays like he did against Denver today. Manning should have seen the 6'3" 260# linebacker dropping into coverage, but threw the ball right into his hands. Ninkovich has four sacks on the season to add to the INT today, the fifth of his career. In five years with New England he has totaled 27.5 sacks. And he plays both linebacker and defensive end.

4. The Denver Bronco defense is overated.

They were ranked first against the run, and 12th against the pass through eight weeks. The Patriots had no better, but no worse rushing stats today than in previous weeks. But they DID outrush Denver by about 50%. But they could not stop Brady and co. when it counted: in the red zone. The Denver defense allowed four TDs, each to a different receiver. We all thought the Denver receiving corps would present nightmarish mismatches for the Patriot defense, but the opposite was true come the end of this game.

It would be negligent of me not to mention a few specifics that killed Denver and propelled Brady and the Patriots to the victory. How about Rob Gronkowski's circus catch down at the two yard line? And then there was the aforementioned 84 yard punt return TD by Julian Edelman, now the franchise record holder in that dept. in team history.

Stephen Gostkowski was solid, hitting field goals upon command, while Brady threw a cool 33/53 for 333 yds, four TDs, and just one INT (his first in five games). And a good portion of that was TE Gronkowski, eclipsing 100 yards for the third time this season. His TD catch gives him seven on the year, and makes him the third fastest player to reach 50 TDs (59 games as compared to Jerry Rice's 61 games).

Although snow was expected to be a factor, the storm was gone and field cleared before game time. This was a simple mano-a-mano test of strength. Brady won, sealing his legacy as the better mano.

AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton has ended a management arrangement with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment. "The contract expired and I am going to be doing something different," the 29-year-old Mercedes driver told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday. "I don't know what yet, but I will decide at the end of the year. ...

The greatest rivalry of all time goes like this:

1. Peyton Manning (No. 1 overall pick) vs. Tom Brady (No. 199).

2. One Super Bowl vs. Three.

3. 55 TDs vs. 50.

4. 515 TDs vs. 381.

5. 67,000 yds. vs. 51,000.

6. 97.9 QBR vs. 96.1.

You have to admit that there is a lot to consider in the history of these two greats. But the most important stat, in my humble opinion, is a simple win to loss ratio. And that was decidedly in Brady's court, even before this contest in week nine got out of hand.

Tommy boy held a 10-5 advantage, certainly a commanding lead in head-to-head battles with Peyton. But just in case there was a shadow of doubt (what with all the records and all), this has to count for something. Brady owns Manning.

So... what else did we learn today?

1. This New England Patriot defense is one of the best they have ever fielded.

I'm not alone in this; Rodney Harrison said the same thing in post-game comments. They may have surrendered 438 yards to Manning's offense, but also caused two turnovers. This has become Manning's Achilles Heel against the Patriots. Denver may have stolen Aqib Talib from New England, but Belichick one-upped them by signing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner (a fair trade-off in the eyes of Patriot fans).

2. Turnovers and Special Team play will kill you.

I've already mentioned the two picks, but when your Special Teamers give up a touchdown, that is like a dagger in the morale of the whole team.

3. Rob Ninkovich is way underated.

I keep hearing commentators say that Ninkovich is just okay. But he keeps proving them wrong by making plays like he did against Denver today. Manning should have seen the 6'3" 260# linebacker dropping into coverage, but threw the ball right into his hands. Ninkovich has four sacks on the season to add to the INT today, the fifth of his career. In five years with New England he has totaled 27.5 sacks. And he plays both linebacker and defensive end.

4. The Denver Bronco defense is overated.

They were ranked first against the run, and 12th against the pass through eight weeks. The Patriots had no better, but no worse rushing stats today than in previous weeks. But they DID outrush Denver by about 50%. But they could not stop Brady and co. when it counted: in the red zone. The Denver defense allowed four TDs, each to a different receiver. We all thought the Denver receiving corps would present nightmarish mismatches for the Patriot defense, but the opposite was true come the end of this game.

It would be negligent of me not to mention a few specifics that killed Denver and propelled Brady and the Patriots to the victory. How about Rob Gronkowski's circus catch down at the two yard line? And then there was the aforementioned 84 yard punt return TD by Julian Edelman, now the franchise record holder in that dept. in team history.

Stephen Gostkowski was solid, hitting field goals upon command, while Brady threw a cool 33/53 for 333 yds, four TDs, and just one INT (his first in five games). And a good portion of that was TE Gronkowski, eclipsing 100 yards for the third time this season. His TD catch gives him seven on the year, and makes him the third fastest player to reach 50 TDs (59 games as compared to Jerry Rice's 61 games).

Although snow was expected to be a factor, the storm was gone and field cleared before game time. This was a simple mano-a-mano test of strength. Brady won, sealing his legacy as the better mano.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C), Adnan Januzaj (L) and Robin Van Persie react during their English Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the King Power stadium in Leicester" align="left" border="0">

Instead of marching defiantly towards an intense and heated derby, City are meekly plodding towards the fixture and many feel it's United that head to the Etihad as favourites.

AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton has ended a management arrangement with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment. "The contract expired and I am going to be doing something different," the 29-year-old Mercedes driver told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday. "I don't know what yet, but I will decide at the end of the year. ...

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C), Adnan Januzaj (L) and Robin Van Persie react during their English Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the King Power stadium in Leicester" align="left" border="0">

Instead of marching defiantly towards an intense and heated derby, City are meekly plodding towards the fixture and many feel it's United that head to the Etihad as favourites.

AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton has ended a management arrangement with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment. "The contract expired and I am going to be doing something different," the 29-year-old Mercedes driver told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday. "I don't know what yet, but I will decide at the end of the year. ...

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C), Adnan Januzaj (L) and Robin Van Persie react during their English Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the King Power stadium in Leicester" align="left" border="0">

Instead of marching defiantly towards an intense and heated derby, City are meekly plodding towards the fixture and many feel it's United that head to the Etihad as favourites.

AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton has ended a management arrangement with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment. "The contract expired and I am going to be doing something different," the 29-year-old Mercedes driver told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday. "I don't know what yet, but I will decide at the end of the year. ...

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C), Adnan Januzaj (L) and Robin Van Persie react during their English Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the King Power stadium in Leicester" align="left" border="0">

Instead of marching defiantly towards an intense and heated derby, City are meekly plodding towards the fixture and many feel it's United that head to the Etihad as favourites.

AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton has ended a management arrangement with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment. "The contract expired and I am going to be doing something different," the 29-year-old Mercedes driver told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday. "I don't know what yet, but I will decide at the end of the year. ...

For my friend, Chris McLeod, it was the game he became a San Diego Chargers fan. For myself, it was one of the saddest days of my life as a Miami Dolphins fan. It’s known as the Epic in Miami – a 41-38 win by the Chargers in the Orange Bowl that changed playoff football in my eyes forever.

To watch it on television – from what I have been told – was a feeling of triumph and then despair. To watch it in person was maybe the greatest football game I have ever seen with the exception of the 31-31 tie between the Seminoles and Gators in 1996.

The game, won by the Chargers in overtime, 41–38, is one of the most famous in National Football League lore because of the conditions on the field, the performances of players on both teams, and the numerous records that were set. It was also referred to in the Miami Herald as the "Miracle That Died", while Sports Illustrated dubbed it the "Game No One Should Have Lost".

This weekend, the Dolphins and Chargers clash again, 32 years later and while there have been many other contests between the two, and all I can think of is how this writer who was 11 years old at the time, was impacted by that game forever.

The Dolphins of 2014 are trying to move forward from the 27-13 sloppy win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and focus on a San Diego Chargers passing attack that may not be as prolific as Dan Fouts and his core of wide receivers and a solid running game, but it has a chance to put up plenty of points on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins defense, however, may be as tough as the defensive unit back then under Don Shula. As a unit, it will certainly have a say in the outcome on Sunday.

JORDAN LOOKS GOOD IN FIRST GAME

According to the team’s website, defensive end Dion Jordan looked good in his first game of the 2014 season.

Jordan ended up playing 30 of the Dolphins’ 71 snaps on defense and was often used in non-passing situations, something that didn’t happen often in Jordan’s rookie season.

Jordan was credited with two tackles on defense and another one on special teams, where he got 19 snaps.

THE DEFENSE SCORES MORE THAN THE OFFENSE

The Dolphins’ long interception returns, as chronicled on Dolphins.com today, were a hot topic of conversation during the weekly day-after press conferences of Head Coach Joe Philbin and Coyle.

The Dolphins are averaging an amazing 43.2 yards on their six interception returns this season after scoring two touchdowns against Jacksonville, and both Philbin and Coyle said Monday the team spends time at practice working on that part of the game.

“A lot,” Philbin pointed out. “Kevin and the staff do a great job of teaching that. There’s semi-art to it, if you will. A lot of times we do pursuit drills and sometimes we just emphasize pure, flat-out pursuit to the ball carrier. Then there are other days where we will do an interception drill where we will turn the ball around, give guys with hand shields and we’ll set up the blocking the way we want and then coach up going down the numbers and specific blocking that we would like to get. It’s something we like to teach a lot and they take pride in it.”

Coyle said the Dolphins actually are devoting more practice time to interception returns this year than in the past.

For my friend, Chris McLeod, it was the game he became a San Diego Chargers fan. For myself, it was one of the saddest days of my life as a Miami Dolphins fan. It’s known as the Epic in Miami – a 41-38 win by the Chargers in the Orange Bowl that changed playoff football in my eyes forever.

To watch it on television – from what I have been told – was a feeling of triumph and then despair. To watch it in person was maybe the greatest football game I have ever seen with the exception of the 31-31 tie between the Seminoles and Gators in 1996.

The game, won by the Chargers in overtime, 41–38, is one of the most famous in National Football League lore because of the conditions on the field, the performances of players on both teams, and the numerous records that were set. It was also referred to in the Miami Herald as the "Miracle That Died", while Sports Illustrated dubbed it the "Game No One Should Have Lost".

This weekend, the Dolphins and Chargers clash again, 32 years later and while there have been many other contests between the two, and all I can think of is how this writer who was 11 years old at the time, was impacted by that game forever.

The Dolphins of 2014 are trying to move forward from the 27-13 sloppy win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and focus on a San Diego Chargers passing attack that may not be as prolific as Dan Fouts and his core of wide receivers and a solid running game, but it has a chance to put up plenty of points on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins defense, however, may be as tough as the defensive unit back then under Don Shula. As a unit, it will certainly have a say in the outcome on Sunday.

JORDAN LOOKS GOOD IN FIRST GAME

According to the team’s website, defensive end Dion Jordan looked good in his first game of the 2014 season.

Jordan ended up playing 30 of the Dolphins’ 71 snaps on defense and was often used in non-passing situations, something that didn’t happen often in Jordan’s rookie season.

Jordan was credited with two tackles on defense and another one on special teams, where he got 19 snaps.

THE DEFENSE SCORES MORE THAN THE OFFENSE

The Dolphins’ long interception returns, as chronicled on Dolphins.com today, were a hot topic of conversation during the weekly day-after press conferences of Head Coach Joe Philbin and Coyle.

The Dolphins are averaging an amazing 43.2 yards on their six interception returns this season after scoring two touchdowns against Jacksonville, and both Philbin and Coyle said Monday the team spends time at practice working on that part of the game.

“A lot,” Philbin pointed out. “Kevin and the staff do a great job of teaching that. There’s semi-art to it, if you will. A lot of times we do pursuit drills and sometimes we just emphasize pure, flat-out pursuit to the ball carrier. Then there are other days where we will do an interception drill where we will turn the ball around, give guys with hand shields and we’ll set up the blocking the way we want and then coach up going down the numbers and specific blocking that we would like to get. It’s something we like to teach a lot and they take pride in it.”

Coyle said the Dolphins actually are devoting more practice time to interception returns this year than in the past.

For my friend, Chris McLeod, it was the game he became a San Diego Chargers fan. For myself, it was one of the saddest days of my life as a Miami Dolphins fan. It’s known as the Epic in Miami – a 41-38 win by the Chargers in the Orange Bowl that changed playoff football in my eyes forever.

To watch it on television – from what I have been told – was a feeling of triumph and then despair. To watch it in person was maybe the greatest football game I have ever seen with the exception of the 31-31 tie between the Seminoles and Gators in 1996.

The game, won by the Chargers in overtime, 41–38, is one of the most famous in National Football League lore because of the conditions on the field, the performances of players on both teams, and the numerous records that were set. It was also referred to in the Miami Herald as the "Miracle That Died", while Sports Illustrated dubbed it the "Game No One Should Have Lost".

This weekend, the Dolphins and Chargers clash again, 32 years later and while there have been many other contests between the two, and all I can think of is how this writer who was 11 years old at the time, was impacted by that game forever.

The Dolphins of 2014 are trying to move forward from the 27-13 sloppy win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and focus on a San Diego Chargers passing attack that may not be as prolific as Dan Fouts and his core of wide receivers and a solid running game, but it has a chance to put up plenty of points on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins defense, however, may be as tough as the defensive unit back then under Don Shula. As a unit, it will certainly have a say in the outcome on Sunday.

JORDAN LOOKS GOOD IN FIRST GAME

According to the team’s website, defensive end Dion Jordan looked good in his first game of the 2014 season.

Jordan ended up playing 30 of the Dolphins’ 71 snaps on defense and was often used in non-passing situations, something that didn’t happen often in Jordan’s rookie season.

Jordan was credited with two tackles on defense and another one on special teams, where he got 19 snaps.

THE DEFENSE SCORES MORE THAN THE OFFENSE

The Dolphins’ long interception returns, as chronicled on Dolphins.com today, were a hot topic of conversation during the weekly day-after press conferences of Head Coach Joe Philbin and Coyle.

The Dolphins are averaging an amazing 43.2 yards on their six interception returns this season after scoring two touchdowns against Jacksonville, and both Philbin and Coyle said Monday the team spends time at practice working on that part of the game.

“A lot,” Philbin pointed out. “Kevin and the staff do a great job of teaching that. There’s semi-art to it, if you will. A lot of times we do pursuit drills and sometimes we just emphasize pure, flat-out pursuit to the ball carrier. Then there are other days where we will do an interception drill where we will turn the ball around, give guys with hand shields and we’ll set up the blocking the way we want and then coach up going down the numbers and specific blocking that we would like to get. It’s something we like to teach a lot and they take pride in it.”

Coyle said the Dolphins actually are devoting more practice time to interception returns this year than in the past.