Trash talk, a pick-6 and sweet revenge: An all-around great day for ex-Pats defenders
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Nobody, outside of perhaps Brian Flores, had a better time here Sunday than Dolphins defensive backs Nate Brooks and Eric Rowe.
Brooks and Rowe practiced for untold hours against Tom Brady during their time as members of the Patriots.
And they turned that experience into a weapon against New England’s future Hall of Famer, highlighting an all-around impressive game by Miami’s secondary.
Rowe, signed by the Dolphins last offseason after three years with the Patriots, made it a homecoming to remember, picking off Brady and returning it for a touchdown in the first half.
While Brooks did not have that same signature moment, he largely held his own Sunday, battling all game with ex-teammate Phillip Dorsett. And Brooks let Dorsett hear about it any time he got the better of him with a constant stream of trash talk caught often by CBS’ camera crew.
“That’s just emotion,” Brooks said. “I came from here so I had a lot riding on this game. I practiced against those guys every year. We’d go back and forth in practice. It was a lot of emotion in that game.”
Most importantly, Brooks and Rowe helped give the Dolphins just enough defense to escape town with a win for the first time since 2008.
Rowe’s pick-six was the first of his career, and the first Brady as thrown in 35 career meetings with the Dolphins.
“I know that stadium gets loud and it gets rocking, but it was quiet,” Rowe said. “You looked back and their fans’ faces, they were sick. They did not expect us to come out and play like that.”
Improved health, a fresh chance by Brian Flores’ coaching staff and a position change have all benefited Rowe, who got a new three-year contract a few weeks back.
Brooks, meanwhile, just wanted a chance to play after spending three months on New England’s practice squad. He got that in Miami after the Dolphins signed him earlier this month.
While he was far from perfect Sunday — he did allow a 50-yard completion to Dorsett — he wasn’t a liability either.
As for that non-stop talk ...
“When [Brooks] first came to us, he was running with scout team and he was talking trash to our offense,” Rowe said. “I was like, OK. This guy’s a talker. We like that. He’s got confidence in his play. Out here, I was like, ‘Wow. He’s talking, talking. Keep it going.””
Dorsett was the recipient of most of Brooks’ talk Sunday, but “the whole team, really,” heard from him Sunday.
Even Brady, who completed just 16 of 29 passes for 221 yards?
“Nah, you can’t talk to Tom. That’s still Tom Brady. You can’t talk to Tom like that.”
One more ex-Patriot defender who made an impact Sunday: defensive lineman Trent Harris, who had a sack and six tackles for Miami.
Odds and ends
▪ Flores won another pass interference review Sunday. A Patriots first down was wiped off the board when officials saw on replay that Ben Watson illegally blocked while the ball was in the air.
▪ The Dolphins stuck with their rookie guards Sunday, starting Shaq Calhoun on the right side and Michael Deiter on the left. The line in general was just good enough in pass protection to give Ryan Fitzpatrick time to throw, but Calhoun did allow a sack by Lawrence Guy in the first quarter.
▪ Matt Haack’s second pass of the season wasn’t nearly as successful as his first. Haack, who threw a touchdown pass to kicker Jason Sanders against the Eagles, was asked to use his arm again Sunday. The Dolphins deployed their punter out of Wildcat on fourth-and-2 fake near midfield, but his attempt to Deon Lacey was overthrown. Even still, he went into the locker room with a higher halftime passer rating (39.6) than Brady (34).
▪ Albert Wilson caught five passes for 59 yards, but that told just a small part of his story Sunday. He also attempted two passes — one he completed to Patrick Laird for 20 yards, the other fell incomplete — but had a huge drop in the second half that ended a drive. The Patriots scored a game-tying touchdown almost immediately on the ensuing possession.
▪ The Dolphins rushed for just 1,156 yards in 2019, breaking the record for fewest yards in a 16-game season in franchise history.
