EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Dolphins’ final game in The Meadowlands could get them back into the AFC East or basically end their season.
Miami (2-4) will be looking to sweep the Jets, who lost 31-27 on Oct. 12 in South Florida.
A little brisker conditions here, 55 degrees with 9 mph winds that look more like 20 mph, based on the stadium flags.
Dolphins coaches have made the much-expected decision to bench Ted Ginn Jr.
Nearly as predictable, LB Joey Porter and Jets’ big-talking FS Kerry Rhodes exchanged words and shoves, with Jason Taylor surrounding them.
In a surprise move, the Dolphins benched struggling FS Gibril Wilson and replaced him with rookie Chris Clemons. That’s three rookie starters in the secondary, not easy to win like that.
Coaches are shaking things up, knowing it’s do or die.
First quarter
- Back-up LB Reggie Torbor, starting in place of Channing Crowder (shoulder), has the opening tackle, equaling his total in the one game he replaced Crowder in 2008 … at Kansas City.
- Brian Hartline was expected to start in place of Ginn, but did not line up on the first play. The Dolphins went with a two-TE set with Anthony Fasano and Joey Haynos.
- Hartline entered the game on the second play.
On the third snap, Henne overthrew Hartline, who had a step on the defender. Hacks in the press box are saying Ginn might have come up with because of his speed … the same hacks who were calling for Ginn’s head last week.
Can’t make some people happy.
- Wilson seems to be fired up by the decision to replace him by a rookie.
Wilson makes a nice tackle on Thomas Jones after an 10-yard gain that would been much more, and three plays later forces Mark Sanchez to get rid of the ball on a blitz.
- Ginn enters the game with a little more than seven minutes and Chad Henne goes right to him, throwing an incompletion on an out pattern with Pro Bower Darrelle Revis in coverage.
- Brandon Fields just booms one, season-long 64 yards.
- Matt Roth enters the game for the first time since last Jan. 4 in the playoffs with 6:45 remaining. Plays seven plays before JT comes back in.
- With back-to-back first-down catches TE Dustin Keller more of a factor than first game when he didn’t he didn’t catch a pass.
- Wilson looks good as a blitzer, jacked Sanchez on 3rd-and-6 to force a bad throw from the NY 35 and a Jets punt.
- In the team’s last meeting, Henne eased into the game with short, safe throws and then came up big late. Coaches seems to be asking him to Henne to make difficult throws, and in the swirling winds of The Meadowlands.
Heck, the Dolphins’ don’t even have a first down.
Second quarter
- The toughness of QBs is underrated. Sanchez was out on his feet for a moment at the end of the Jets’ last series, but comes bck in and has NY inside the 20 right now.
- Nice play by rookie Sean Smith, but could have been nicer, 95 yards the other way.
- Ginn lines up at kick returner and gets 22 yards, placing Dolphins at 25. The previous three drives began began at 13, 10, 20.