Dolphins at Patriots
Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 17
AT A GLANCE: The surprising Patriots (4-1) host the Dolphins (3-1) in
an early-season AFC East clash that could prove to be important in the battle for the
division crown.
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| OVERVIEW: Two of the elite teams of the AFC East,
arguably the NFL’s toughest division, square off in Foxboro, Mass., as New England
hosts Miami. The Patriots enter the game tied with Buffalo for the division lead, with the
Dolphins a half a game back. The Patriots have surprised many with their 4-1 start. They
would be 5-0 had PK Adam Vinatieri not bounced a game-winning field-goal attempt off the
upright in a 16-14 loss at Kansas City last week. New England has been behind in the
second half in 4-of-5 games this season, but the clutch play of QB Drew Bledsoe and the
offense has kept the Pats afloat.
Miami (3-1) was one of the favorites to win the division entering the season, but, at
times, the Dolphins’ offense has had some trouble fitting all its new pieces into
place. The emergence of rookie RB Cecil Collins and free-agent signee WR Tony Martin
played a key role in Miami’s 34-point explosion last week in a come-from-behind win
at Indianapolis.
The Dolphins and Patriots split last season. The last four regular-season meetings in
the series have been decided by three points or fewer.
WHEN THE DOLPHINS HAVE THE BALL:
After being called out before the Indianapolis game, QB Dan Marino responded with a big
game and led Miami’s comeback win vs. the Colts. In that game, Marino was able to
connect with Martin regularly for the first time since Week One. CB Ty Law, a Pro Bowler
last season who has not played at the same level yet this season, will probably go back
and forth between covering Martin and O.J. McDuffie.
Collins showed a burst last week. He is the guy the Dolphins are building their running
game around. Another rookie, FB Rob Konrad, will contribute mostly as a receiver.
One of Miami’s problems is injuries on the left side of the offensive line. OLT
Richmond Webb (knee) and OLG Mark Dixon (groin) sat out last week. OLT Brent Smith is not
as good as Webb, while OLG Kevin Gogan is a right guard who has struggled a bit with
footwork on the other side. That situation could open the door for Patriots DRE Willie
McGinest to get a good rush on Marino’s blind side. |
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|
Profile |
| Foxboro Stadium |
| Foxboro, Mass. |
| Date: Sunday, October 17, 1999 |
| 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time |
| Type Of Turf: Natural |
| Meeting Of The Year: First |
| Season Record: |
| |
Miami |
3-1-0 |
| |
New England |
4-1-0 |
| Season Record Vs. Spread: |
| |
Miami |
2-2-0 |
| |
New England |
2-3-0 |
| Home/Road Record: |
| |
Miami (R) |
2-0-0 |
| |
New England (H) |
2-0-0 |
| Home/Road Record Vs. Spread: |
| |
Miami (R) |
2-0-0 |
| |
New England (H) |
0-2-0 |
| Record On Natural Turf: |
| |
Miami |
2-1-0 |
| |
New England |
3-1-0 |
| Record On Natural Turf Vs. Spread: |
| |
Miami |
1-2-0 |
| |
New England |
1-3-0 |
|
|
| Marino will have to keep an eye on Patriots SS Lawyer Milloy, who is having a terrific
year. Milloy can stuff the run, blitz and play in coverage and has a knack for making
impact plays. WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL:
Bledsoe has played very well this year. It’s a good thing for New England, which
has not been able to generate a strong running game. Veteran RB Terry Allen has not been
terrible, but he has not shown much of a burst either. Allen and the rest of New
England’s backs will find tough sledding against the Dolphins, who have one of the
better run defenses in the league. If the Patriots are to establish the run, rookie C
Damien Woody, who has played fairly well this season, will have to help New England’s
guards hold off Tim Bowens and Daryl Gardener, who form one of the best DT tandems in the
NFL.
The Patriots’ passing game has been explosive. WR Terry Glenn is finally healthy
after struggling with injuries for much of the last two years, and fellow WR Tony Simmons
had a big game last week. He can be an impact player but is still raw. Glenn and Simmons
will have to fight through the bump-and-run, in-your-face coverage of Miami CBs Terrell
Buckley, Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. If Glenn beats the jam at the line, he may be
able to get behind his defender and make some big plays. TE Ben Coates has not gotten much
work the last two weeks, so Bledsoe may look to get him involved early.
Game preview and depth charts were compiled as of Oct. 10, 1999 |
|
Dolphins depth
chart |
OFFENSE |
| WR |
80 MARTIN, 86 Gadsden, 82 Shannon |
| OLT |
78 WEBB, 74 Smith, 68 Sheldon |
| OLG |
63 DIXON, 66 Gogan |
| C |
61 RUDDY, 62 Ruegamer* |
| ORG |
65 DONNALLEY, 60 Bock |
| ORT |
76 BROWN, 74 Smith, 68 Sheldon |
| TE |
84 DRAYTON, 83 Goodwin, 89 Perry |
| WR |
81 McDUFFIE, 87 Green, 88 Jacquet |
| QB |
13 MARINO, 11 Huard, 16 Druckenmiller |
| HB |
34 COLLINS*, 32 Johnson*,33 Abdul-Jabbar |
| FB |
44 KONRAD*, 36 Pritchett |
DEFENSE |
| DLE |
79 MIXON, 93 Armstrong |
| DLT |
95 BOWENS, 91 Bromell |
| DRT |
92 GARDENER, 98 Simpson |
| DRE |
99 TAYLOR, 96 Owens |
| WLB |
59 RODGERS, 57 Brigance |
| MLB |
54 Z. THOMAS, 50 Hollier |
| SLB |
52 R. JONES, 53 Izzo |
| LCB |
27 BUCKLEY, 23 Surtain |
| RCB |
29 MADISON, 24 Wilson, 28 Hill |
| SS |
38 JACKSON, 22 Wooden |
| FS |
31 MARION, 25 Jeffries |
| SPECIALISTS |
| P |
4 HUTTON |
| PK |
10 MARE |
| H |
11 HUARD, 4 Hutton |
| PR |
27 BUCKLEY, 81 McDuffie |
| KR |
31 MARION, 24 Wilson |
| KC |
89 PERRY, 60 Bock |
* Rookie |
|
|
Patriots depth
chart |
| OFFENSE |
| WR |
84 JEFFERSON, 81 Simmons, 80 Brown |
| OLT |
78 ARMSTRONG, 66 Ellis |
| OLG |
63 IRWIN, 68 Lane |
| C |
65 WOODY*, 67 Andersen |
| ORG |
71 RUCCI, 68 Lane |
| ORT |
77 MOSS, 64 Fletcher* |
| TE |
87 COATES, 83 Rutledge, 86 Bartrum |
| WR |
88 GLENN, 80 Brown, 82 Brisby |
| QB |
11 BLEDSOE, 17 Friesz, 7 Bishop* |
| HB |
22 ALLEN, 33 Faulk*, 27 L. Warren, 35 Ellison |
| FB |
30 T. CARTER, 37 Floyd, 44 Shaw |
DEFENSE |
| DLE |
98 MITCHELL, 92 Collons, 74 Sullivan |
| DLT |
90 EATON, 93 Kuberski |
| DRT |
95 THOMAS, 98 Mitchell |
| DRE |
55 McGINEST, 94 Spires |
| SLB |
53 SLADE, 99 Crawford |
| MLB |
59 KATZENMOYER*, 58 Moore |
| WLB |
54 BRUSCHI, 99 Crawford |
| LCB |
24 LAW, 31 Serwanga |
| RCB |
21 ISRAEL, 34 Jones, 32 Cherry* |
| SS |
36 MILLOY, 25 Wigham |
| FS |
42 C. CARTER, 41 T. George* |
SPECIALISTS |
| P |
10 L. JOHNSON |
| PK |
4 VINATIERI |
| H |
10 L. JOHNSON, 17 Friesz |
| PR |
80 BROWN, 34 Jones |
| KR |
21 WARREN, 33 Faulk* |
| KC |
86 BARTRUM, 63 Irwin |
* Rookie |
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