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IN MY OPINION

Brutal twists, turns from start to end in Miami Dolphins' win

epope@MiamiHerald.com

Just dial it up, folks, put the Dolphins and Jets on Monday Night Football and stand back and watch them bruise each other. Just don't call it a night too early, or you miss Ronnie Brown's triumphant 2-yard touchdown burst for this 31-27 classic victory with six seconds left.

It's ferocity in semi-maniacal mode, violent twists and turns from the first whistle. It's bloody defense against breakaway offense and the Dolphins breathlessly, finally prevailing in the 77th game between these hatred-fueled rivals.

Everybody expected a brawlgame, but it was supposed to be fought down and dirty, with the linemen swinging the haymakers.

Instead, coaches Tony Sparano and Rex Ryan unleashed early offenses probably nobody in the vast MNF audience could have envisioned.

Let's go back to the replay, bruise by bruise, catch by catch, gallop by gallop.

It was Brown left-handing a pass out of the Wildcat to Anthony Fasano for 21 yards on the way to the Dolphins' 7-0 lead -- a beaut of sheer execution.

The Jets couldn't have been surprised because they have been checking out that stuff on film all week. But Brown slung it in there so perfectly it clicked, and, fittingly, he was the one who bulled over for a yard and the Dolphins' 7-0 lead.

In other words, Ronnie Brown started it and finished it.

Early on we started getting a little of everything from down there, and by no means was it all good news for Dolfans.

It almost seemed unfair when a punter, of all people, should introduce such a degree of artfulness into such mayhem. But he did. The punter was Steve Weatherford, and he fooled the Dolphins big-time on a fake kick and skipped 26 yards for the big number on the Jets' comeback to 7-7.

Large licks were landing out there. Tacklers were bringing shots up from Port Arthur, as they say of boxing haymakers, but offenders were still escaping.

Again, this was supposed to be battled out in the trenches. And it was, but some tough backs -- Dolphins Brown and Ricky Williams, and Jets Thomas Jones and Leon Washington -- were clawing for extra yardage and got it.

Williams showed some real foot for age 32 on a 59-yard getaway leading to the Dolphins' 10-7 lead.

Then another fake punt tricked the Dolphins.

Gang Green lined up as if to kick, but direct-snapped to Brad Smith for a first down that kept the Jets going to A.J. Feely's 40-yard field goal for the 10-10 tie. Remember, Feely was doing this stuff for the Dolphins last year until Bill Parcells shipped him out for, among other things, overinterviewing.

Dan Carpenter took over Feely's job after that, and Carpenter kicked a first-quarter field goal Monday night. Feely's second boot through the uprights put the Jets ahead 13-10 at half.

So the half didn't end up as offensively wild as it started. Some serious tackling was going on, and both clubs carried multiple contusions to intermission.

That came as no great shock. If there was any surprise, it was that the 3-1 Jets led the 1-3 Dolphins by only three points at the half. Miami's soldiers up front were trading shot for shot in ways that must have brought a smile to Don Shula, who was introduced pregame to the delight of 69,767 fans.

Gibril Wilson got a little overzealous even for this game when he landed a head-to-head shot on intended receiver Ben Hartsock. Wilson was flagged for a personal foul that the rule was intended to prevent. It was implemented specifically for the purpose of sparing head injuries.

It wasn't long after that, just on the edges of the third and fourth quarters, that the Dolphins went barging downfield for their 17-13 lead. This touchdown maneuver traveled 2 yards from Chad Henne to Fasano, and Fasano should get extras as this week's training table for his crazy diving catch.

When Mark Sanchez's apparent 34-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards was ruled down at the 1-yard-line, Thomas Jones simply plowed in from there, and it was 20-13 Jets with 12:17 remaining.

That's always how it is with the Dolphins and Jets. I hit you, down you go. You hit me, down I go. Nobody gets out unscarred.

And suspense? Henne either took some out or put some more in with a perfect 53-yard touchdown strike to Ted Ginn Jr. So it's 24-20, Dolphins, with plenty of time left for people to hit each other in the head.

Then came the apparent killers, the interference call on Will Allen that gave the Jets a 43-yard gain to the Dolphins' 3, and Thomas Jones slogging right over for a 27-24 lead with the clock racing.

Don't we know these things never end the way they're supposed to?

Because right there was where the Dolphins took dead aim on the green pants above the green grass and went after them with Ricky Williams, Pat White, Greg Camarillo hauling in stuff from Henne, and, finally, so so sweetly, Brown barreling into the end zone from 2 yards out.

And now let's get some ice on all those bruises.

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