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Posted on Monday, 09.28.09

DOLPHINS SECONDAY

Opposition's receivers running unopposed against Miami Dolphins

All members of the the Dolphins secondary were victimized by the deep passing game of Philip Rivers and the San Diego receivers.

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson is all alone catching this pass for a first down to the 26-yard line in the second quarter of a game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

JOE RIMKUS JR. / STAFF PHOTO

Dolphins at Chargers | Sun., Sept. 27, 2009
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WEB VOTE What went wrong for the Dolphins on Sunday against the Chargers?

BY DAVID J. NEAL

dneal@MiamiHerald.com

SAN DIEGO -- Facing teams with big-play capability is akin to facing boxers with terrific punching power -- they don't have to catch you often to knock you down or out. Just ask the Dolphins, losers to Indianapolis (by decision) and San Diego (by KO) in a seven-day span.

Just as the Colts needed only one play to score and 35 plays to win, San Diego got what it needed offensively against the Dolphins essentially on a few huge plays -- a 30-yard crossing route to Vincent Jackson; a 47-yard bomb to Malcolm Floyd; and a 55-yard bomb to Jackson.

``Obviously, we can't give those plays up,'' cornerback Will Allen said. ``We've got to make those plays on the back end.''

Actually, you could subtract the crossing route, on which Allen fell. That second quarter drive ended with a missed field-goal attempt.

But the other two plays, both to receivers covered by cornerbacks with safety help, were crushing. The bomb to Floyd came on the first snap after the Dolphins had taken a 6-3 lead and sparked San Diego's lone offensive touchdown drive. That play especially galled cornerback Sean Smith, a Pasadena native playing in front of more than 50 family members and friends who had made the two-hour drive south from the Los Angeles area.

On Twitter, Smith wrote earlier in the day, ``A few hours b4 kickoff -- the stage is being set, I'm bout to put on a show!''

Instead, he was shown up a bit by Floyd, although Smith's free safety help from Gibril Wilson was limited to Wilson running behind Smith and Floyd.

Smith said afterward, ``I was right there. The ball went through my hands. I probably should've batted the ball down, but I felt I had a chance to intercept the ball.''

With injuries tearing at their interior offensive line, the Chargers have trouble running the ball and they allow pressure up the middle on quarterback Philip Rivers. The former problem prevents them from succeeding in the red zone, where they snapped the ball on five drives last week against Baltimore, but got only four field goals and turned the ball over on downs. On Sunday, against the Dolphins, they weren't much better, getting one touchdown, three field goals, a missed field-goal attempt and turning the ball over on downs.

But, outside the red zone, in the 50th season for original American Football League teams, the Chargers have gone old school AFL -- rear back and throw deep, like John Hadl looking for Lance Alworth. The Dolphins saw Rivers average 17.4 yards per completion against Baltimore. They saw him nail Baltimore with an 81-yard pass to Darren Sproles and hit a deep touchdown pass to Jackson.

Rivers averaged 16.8 yards per completion against the Dolphins. On San Diego's first fourth-quarter play, Rivers found Jackson behind Allen and safety Yeremiah Bell for 55 yards. That led to the field goal that put the Chargers up 13-6. With the Dolphins offense sputtering without Chad Pennington, the game was slipping away.

``He just split us, on my particular deep ball, [and it was a] good throw,'' Allen said.

Said Bell: ``No mistakes or anything like that.''

There weren't the missed tackles there were against Indianapolis. Still, the result was the same -- the big punches hit and the Dolphins were floored.

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