Week 3: Miami Football Dolphins @ New Jersey Jets

Initially, I had planned to do a lengthy analysis/write up about this game and how I'm from New Jersey but loathe the Jets and their fans.

I thought of talking a little about the resistable force (Dolphins front seven) going up against the moveable object (Jets offensive line).

Or how the Miami run defense that's worst in the NFL will be without arguably its most important run stopper...and how if the run defense were actually good, the pass defense would probably be among the worst.

Then again, I could mention how the Jets offense is questionable, and I'm not simply alluding to the injuries (Pennington, Cotchery, Jones, to name a few).

What about how Pennington Bear and the Jets have owned the Dolphins lately, especially in New Jersey?

I considered continuing my plea for Ronnie Brown to get a legit shot by explaining how he averages 4.6 yards per carry and the Dolphins are 6-2 when he gets 20+ carries.

Then I remembered how the numbers, the records, and talent on either team are rendered meaningless when these two rivals play, so I briefly toyed with the idea of recapping some of the historic games. But that's already been done in far more detail than I ever cared to do...here. Besides, absurd comebacks (Monday Night Miracle) and "epic" battles seem to happen regularly in sports these days.

That being said, there is one game in this rivalry, better yet... play that transcends all the typical great moments. A single play that hadn't been pulled off before, and hasn't been done since. A play that capped off a miraculous comeback in front of 75,606 people (the largest home attendance mark in Jets history), and sent the Jets franchise into a tailspin. This play was pre-direct tv, pre-internet blogging boom, and yet every single one of you knew exactly what I was talking about before you finished reading the first sentence. That probably says enough, but I can't think of any reason to hold back on the Jets...

The Jets were 6-5 at the time and seemingly headed to 7-5 (leading 24-6 in the fourth quarter) before they were blindsided by Marino. They would end up losing the last 5 games of the season, finishing 6-10 . The following season the Jets would lose 52-14 on opening day in Miami and go on to finish an NFL worst, 3-13. Which, of course, was followed by another NFL worst 1-15 season. To recap: The Jets were 6-5 prior to the defining play, 4-33 in the two plus seasons after it.

Whenever I find myself questioning my belief in football, I simply turn to these videos and all faith is restored...

For Jets fans beautiful memories of the fake spike, click here.




"Everybody said if Marino was going to be around at that time, they'd take Marino. Obviously the Jets know something that, you know, the people up here don't."


So, the Dolphins may be 0-2, playing poorly, and showing little signs of life, but none of that matters in this game. Besides, things could always be worse...we could be the F'in Jets.

BELIEVE IN FOOTBALL, BELIEVE IN THE DOLPHINS...
F THE J.E.T.S.