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PACKERS FALL TO DOLPHINS 28-20
posted 10/30/00
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| Rookie tackle Chad Clifton held his own in his second career start, not allowing a sack against one of the NFL's best defensive lines. |
Out front 17-0 with less than four minutes gone in the second quarter, the Packers appeared in a fair way to record their first-ever regular season victory over the Dolphins in Miami.
They had struck first as the game began, moving close enough for Ryan Longwell to deliver a 51-yard field goal - an effort that matched his career long - at 5:50 of the first quarter.
Brian Williams' force and recovery of a Thurman Thomas fumble at the Miami 43-yard line presented the Green and Gold with their next opportunity late in that opening period. With quarterback Brett Favre completing three passes for 32 yards en route, the Packers were in the end zone seven plays later, running back Dorsey Levens going over the right side from one yard out for the score. Longwell's conversion made it 10-0.
Favre then orchestrated the Packers' second and final touchdown of the afternoon on their next possession - with the aid of a 39-yard pass interference penalty on the Dolphins' Terrance Shaw that winged the Packers to Miami's 13-yard line.
Levens proceeded to do the rest, bolting up the middle for 6 yards on first down and then sweeping left end from seven yards out for the touchdown. With Longwell's conversion, it quickly became 17-0.
Miami did not initiate its successful response until its final possession of the first half. Taking over at the Dolphin 48-yard line, quarterback Jay Fiedler maneuvered the Floridians to Green Bay one-yard line in six plays, then went up the middle for the final yard himself with only 1:57 left in the in the first half. Olindo Mare's point after made it 17-7 going into the intermission.
The Dolphins subsequently took control of the game in the third quarter, punching home three touchdowns to take a 28-17 lead into the fourth period.
Mounting a 65-yard scoring drive following the second half kickoff, Fielder found wide receiver Oronde Gadsden in the right corner of the end zone with a 15-yard strike at 4:11 of the third quarter.
Converting a fake punt into a first down along the way, the Dolphins next scored on a 4-yard run by Lamar Smith, capping a 63-yard drive, a development which gave them their first lead of the game, 21-17.
They then forced a punt on the Packers' next possession and, when a high snap forced punter Josh Bidwell to hurry his kick - a modest 25-yarder - receiver Jeff Ogden fielded the football on the run, set sail to his right and raced down the sidelines to the end zone untouched. Mare's conversion, which closed out the Dolphins' scoring, made it 28-17.
The Packers managed to interrupt with a 48-yard Longwell field goal early in that final period reducing the Miami lead to 28-20, but it was to be their last scoreboard visit of the afternoon.
A Miami interception abruptly ended one promising drive and a lost fumble - following a sack of Favre - at the Green Bay 35-yard line voided their last opportunity.
Favre, who hit on his first 10 passes, closed out the day with 21 completions in 34 attempts for 194 yards, with one interception.
Ahman Green, called upon for heavy duty when Levens was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a knee injury, also had a productive afternoon, contributing 113 all-purpose yards (a season-high 94 rushing in 15 attempts and 19 via three pass receptions).
Middle linebacker Bernardo Harris paced the defense with 11 tackles, 8 of them unassisted.
COACH SHERMAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS:
(on the disappointment over losing after having taken a 17-0 lead) "Yes, it was...Any time you give up 28 unanswered points...We didn't respond offensively...we dropped too many balls at times...Our special teams did not contribute very much in the second half...gave up some big plays...It was a frustrating day.
"When you play on the road, it's tough...when you play on the road against a good team, it's tougher. We were able to jump out on this team. We had a good plan going into the football game. We knew what we wanted to do. I thought we executed it the first half fairly well. The second half, because of the big plays we gave up, it just didn't happen."
(on the loss of Dorsey Levens in the second quarter) "Any time you lose a player of Dorsey's magnitude, it affects you."
(on Levens' injury) "His (right) knee wasn't feeling up to par in the second half and we didn't feel like he could go, and the trainers didn't feel like he could go."
(on the fake punt and scoring punt return by the Dolphins) "It certainly didn't help. You give them two easy plays there...that directly affected the outcome of the football game.
"You come into this stadium against this team and their defense, and it's tough. We had a high snap and a poor punt - it was only in the air 3.4 seconds - and the Dolphins' return...Ogden did a great job on the return. It was to their credit - they took advantage of our error.
"The fake punt, we were trying to set up a return from our side and they caught us. And it was a great call on their part."
(on the performance of the rookie tackles, Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher) "I thought the tackles held up extremely well. Two rookies going up against those two guys who have 16 sacks between them - I thought they did an exceptional job. We gave them help on third downs...and other than that they were on their own, for the most part. And I thought the two rookies did a heck of a job."
(on whether Ahman Green can become an every-down back) "I think Ahman Green can be an every-down back. One thing. You need to know about Ahman Green. He is 23 years old...he's a young back. And when Dorsey Levens was 23, he wasn't the Dorsey Levens we know right now. Ahman Green's going to mature - I have a lot of confidence in him as a player and as a person. And I think he'll eventually be a heck of a back. I thought he did some good things today. He obviously dropped a couple of passes we wish we could have had, but he was playing a lot and we asked a lot out of him today."
(on whether he was thinking, when the score was 17-0, 'This is the team I thought it was') "Yes, I was. And I'm still thinking it is. We were up 17-0...against a good defense...away from home. And I still think we can become a good football team. And I told our team today there's a fine line between winning and losing - and we're not that far off that line in my mind with the players we had out there today. It all depends on hanging together and fighting through things and refusing to lose. And we didn't get that done today. But we will get it done."
(on whether there was soul-searching going on in the locker room) "The soul-searching happens this week. People will look at themselves, and look in the mirror, and say, 'OK, what can I do to help this team? What can I do to make a difference?'
"The guys put forth a great effort the last two weeks on behalf of this football team. I think it showed the way we came out. We didn't make the plays we needed to make but that doesn't mean they're bad guys or bad players. It just means that we have to get better - and it has to happen this week when we get ready for Monday night's game against Minnesota."
THE PLAYER PERSPECTIVE:
Quarterback Brett Favre: "Guys were making plays. But I guess it was one of those days we didn't make enough of 'em."
(on the lost opportunity) "It was a big opportunity, to get out 17-0. I knew it (the game) wasn't ours. I'm sure they felt the same way. But we did jump out to a good lead against a very good football team. But there will be more opportunities...but we're running out of 'em."
"I just hope guys don't give up. It's not over. It's a little deeper, but it's not over...We've got too good of character on this team."
(on how he would describe his team's situation) "I would describe it three-and-five...It doesn't matter what I think. All I know is you've got to play as hard as you can...you've got to prepare...and you've got leave it all out on the field...and I hope everyone else can feel the same way.
"I suppose they (the Dolphins) were surprised that we scored 17 points that quick. I was somewhat surprised myself...I don't know what happened after that."
(on there having been 'a lot of dropped passes' by the Packers) "It just happens. What else are you going to do? You've got to keep throwing it. We're all human and l make mistakes. I make bad throws from time to time, too."
(on the team as a whole) "I feel we're capable of being a very good football team. I also know that we're young in some areas, make mistakes in some areas. And injuries, it appears, will not go away.
"But, you know, I hope we can learn from a game like this. Some of our younger guys in a situation like this against a good football team and jump out 17 to nothing, they might have thought it was in the bag. I don't know if that had any effect. Nothing's ever guaranteed in this league. Miami can attest to that.
"I think we're capable of being a good football team. Whether it's now, or next year, I don't know."
Middle Linebacker Bernardo Harris: "We had chances to dominate the game. We're up 17-0 and then we don't make the little plays and end up losing the game. With the lead we had and the way we were playing, we should not have lost."
(on some of the results of both teams' passing games) "Today was a pass-happy day. Just throw the ball deep and hope the ref will give you pass interference, because there was a lot of them out there today."
NOTE-WORTHY:
-Linebacker Brian Williams registered the Packers' first fumble recovery of the season late in the first quarter, and the acquisition was a one-man operation. He stripped the ball loose from Miami running back Thurman Thomas during a tackle and promptly gathered in the football to complete the project.
-Fellow defender Vonnie Holliday, returning to action for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in the Arizona game September 24, posted his first quarterback sack of the season in the second quarter, felling the Dolphins' Jay Fiedler for a 2-yard loss.
-Ryan Longwell's 51-yard, first quarter field goal, matching his career longest, was the fourth of his career of 50 yards or longer and his second 51-yard effort of the season, matching the one he delivered at Detroit October 8.
-Longwell's miss of a 53-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter ended a string of 13 consecutive successes for the fourth-year specialist, a skein that had equaled his career longest, forged over the 1997 and 1998 seasons. It was only his second miss in 20 attempts to date this season. He also has made all 14 of his extra point tries.
-Quarterback Brett Favre made his 133rd consecutive start Sunday, extending his NFL record for quarterbacks.
-Teammate LeRoy Butler also extended his imposing personal streak by playing in his 99th consecutive regular season game.
-Cornerback Mike McKenzie Sunday made his first start since suffering a knee injury in the Packers' regular season opener against the New York Jets September 3.
-Wide receiver Corey Bradford became a starter Sunday, stepping in for fullback William Henderson as a third receiver on the game's first play.
-Henderson, meanwhile, returned the game's opening kickoff, providing the Packers with good field position by way of a 22-yard runback to the 39-yard line. It was Number 33's first KOR of the season.
-Dolphin Jeff Ogden's 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter was the first such scoring runback against the Packers since Tampa Bay's Jacquez Green posted a 95-yarder on September 13, 1998.
-Packers inactives for Sunday's game included tight end Ryan Wetnight, offensive tackle Earl Dotson, defensive ends David Bowens and Billy Lyon, linebacker Chris Gizzi, safety Gary Berry and designated Third Quarterback Danny Wuerffel. The Packers entered the game with one roster vacancy, having placed running back Herbert "Whisper" Goodman on waivers Friday.
-The Packers' rookie offensive tackles - Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher - made their second starts as a tandem in Sunday's contest.
-Center Frank Winters (offense), strong safety LeRoy Butler (defense) and linebacker Nate Wayne (special teams) were the Packers' captains against Miami.
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