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VICTORY! Dolphins snap slide with OT win against Ravens

YouTube brings us the final play of the Dolphins-Ravens game on December 16th, 2007. Cleo Lemon hits Greg Camarillo for a 64 yard TD pass, the Dolphins longest play from scrimmage this season. Much more importantly, the play occured in overtime, and gave the Dolphins their first win of the 2007 season. The Dolphins defeated the Ravens 22-16.

I have to tell you, folks, I was at work today during Miami’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens. Fortunately, that had me in the stockroom that was right next to the break room, where there are two TVs. I walked in to check on the game just as it had ended, but seeing the result definitely made the rest of my shift a little easier!

The 0-13 Dolphins welcomed Baltimore to town. The Ravens had gotten off to a promising 4-2 start, but came in losers of 7 straight games for a 4-9 record. However, the Ravens had recently played the Patriots very tough, and it was thought that their level of bad and the Dolphins’ level of bad were entirely different.

The game started like any other this year, as the Ravens took the early lead. Winning the toss, they went on a 10 play, 51 yard drive that was a lot of Willis McGahee. They were stopped at the 9, and Matt Stover kicked a 27 yard FG to give the Ravens a 3-0 lead.

The Ravens scored first in the first quarter, than first in the second quarter. A similar drive, an 11 play 42 yard drive that once again ended short of the endzone. Isn’t that our gig? Stover hit a 39 yard kick, and the Ravens led 6-0.

Were we headed for a 12-9 game? The Dolphins took the ball and marched down the field, Cleo Lemon and Lorenzo Booker leading the way. On 2nd and 3 at the 5, Cleo Lemon lofted a jump pass for the Dolphins tight end, who dropped it. It’s a little more excusable when I explain that tight end was in fact Jason Taylor. The Dolphins settled for a 23 yard Jay Feely FG, and it was 6-3 Baltimore.

It felt like the first team to actually score a TD would win, and that didn’t bode well for Miami. The Ravens went into a 2 minute drill and ran it quite well. On 1st and 10 from the Miami 17, QB Kyle Boller hit Mason for a 17 yard TD pass. The PAT made it 13-3, a seemingly insurmountable lead for THIS Dolphins squad to overcome.

The Ravens got the ball again with just 15 seconds left, but started at Miami’s 49 and managed to hit a 17 yard pass and spike. Stover lined up for a 50 yard field goal, but it was blocked by Jason Taylor, and the game went to the half at 13-3 Ravens.

At halftime, the 1972 team was honored. Yes folks, the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins were IN ATTENDANCE. Imagine that pressure! That was, no question, the BEST Dolphins squad ever, and you are playing in front of them at 0-13.

The Dolphins took the ball to start the 2nd half, and the team’s traded fruitless drives. Miami regained posession at 11:15, and went on another 10 play, 50 yard drive. The difference was that the Dolphins had started the drive on the 50, after Baltimore punted deep in their own end. So the drive ended with a touchdown. Samkon Gado plowed in from 7 yards, Feely added the PAT and the Dolphins had brought the score to 13-10.

Miami would add a field goal to that in the 4th after a lengthy 15 play, 82 yard drive. But, as great as that drive was, it only added 3 to the scoreboard, a 22 yard Feely kick that tied the score at 13.

The Dolphins held for a few series, and started a drive with great position on their own 46. Starting at the 5:58 mark, the Dolphins ate the clock and all 3 Baltimore timeouts and the 2 minute warning. Right after the warning, Feely hit a 29 yard field goal. 2 minutes left in the 4th and…the Dolphins…are winning? What’s gonna go wrong?

How about Coach Cam Cameron ordering a squib kick on a windy day? The ball took a weird bounce and went out of bounds, allowing the Ravens to start at their own 40. The Ravens had put QB Troy Smith (of Ohio State fame) in the previous series after an injury to Kyle Boller. Working with 1:56 left, Smith was quick and nimble, avoiding sacks and moving the Ravens down the field. With 12 seconds left, the Ravens had Miami right where they wanted. Baltimore held the ball, 4th down and 1, at Miami’s 1 yard line. With the running QB Smith, and the Willis McGahee in the backfield, the decision seemed a no-brainer. Plow that ball into the endzone, and leave the Dolphins hurting and winless still.

Except that Ravens coach Brian Billick seemed too scared of not getting that yard, and being the first coach to lose to Miami this season. He sent Stover out, who easily hit an 18 yard kick, and the game went to OT tied at 13.

When the Ravens won the coin toss, that hope seemed to fade. The Ravens had just gone on a long drive, and even another field goal would end the game. Sure enough, the Ravens drove the ball well again. 4th and 11 saw the Ravens at the Miami 26, a 44 yard try for Stover. Okay, game’s over. Wow, we fought hard again, and we lost again.

Not today. Stover’s kick pushed to the left, and MISSED.

The Dolphins took the ball. The first play of the drive, Booker was stopped for a 3 yard loss. On 2nd down, Lemon scrambled right and picked up 5 yards. The 3rd play is called Scat Left Ernie. It’s a simple enough play where a receiver comes from across the field and runs an out. The receiver was Greg Camarillo. Lemon hit him, he caught the ball.

He shook the tackle.

There was nothing but green grass ahead of him.

He didn’t fumble. He didn’t fall down, like Booker did earlier on the Ravens 10 after catching the ball and having the same swath of green grass ahead. There were no yellow flags.

All there was to see was Camarillo, running into the endzone and running the 2007 Miami Dolphins out of the history books. As the play-by-play man said on CBS.

“MIAMI HAS WON! MIAMI HAS WON!!!”

Dolphins 22, Ravens 16, OT FINAL

THREE UP
1) VICTORY! SWEET AND GLORIOUS VICTORY. It was exactly 372 days, 1 year and 1 week, since the Dolphins last won a game. The 0-fer this year is done. The Bucs first team is safe, the only winless NFL team ever. It felt so good to win. Watching the replay…the tears were there. I didn’t cry but…it was kinda close. Owner Wayne Huizenga, beset upon after a leak that he has discussed selling the team, DID cry. The players jumped around and hugged and celebrated. For once, there was joy and not frustration. For once, WE get to think about what went RIGHT, not what went wrong.

2) Greg Camarillo. Kid, don’t worry that Jim Mandich doesn’t know your first name (”JEFF CAMARILLO, YOU ARE THE MAN!”). You will now ALWAYS be remembered. It wasn’t just that you happened to catch the ball. You efforted this team out of winlessness. You broke a tackle and ran for daylight. Camarillo said after the game that the last time he saw so many reporters to talk to him was when his “holding penalty” (sure it was) brought back what was thought to be Ted Ginn’s first TD return in the NFL.

3) Cleo Lemon. I ridiculed the move. I still don’t support it. As I said, developing Beck is more important than 1 win. But Lemon GOT US this win. 23-39 for 315 yards, and the 1 TD pass to Camarillo. But he led the Dolphins to 3 FG drives, every one we needed to get to OT.

Honorable mention to another solid game from Jay Feely, and Jason Taylor, who had a great game, even fighting injury late.

THREE DOWN
Yes, even after a win, there are things to improve on.

1) Coaching. While Coach Billick stole the show with his decision to play for OT with 4th and goal from the ONE YARD LINE, if the Ravens had won we’d instead be questioning WHY Coach Cameron ordered a squib kick with a 3 point lead and 2 minutes left. Feely took the appropriate blame for it going OB, but did say those things can happen when short kicks are ordered on windy days. Coach Cameron, even with now 14 games under his belt, seems to make at least one totally un-understandable decision a game.

2) Defense. Made stops when it counted, for the MOST part. Had sort of a bend but not break attitude. Almost gave up the game twice, with the last drive of regulation and first drive of OT.

3) Travis Daniels. As the Dolphins celebrated their first win, Ravens CB Ronnie Prude is walking off the field. Suddenly, the Dolphins’ Daniels jumps up on his back, and seems to laugh at him as he walks away. Even if it IS your first win in 14 games, have some class.

Well, the breath of relief has officially been sighed. The NFL has to be slightly disappointed, as they don’t get what would have to be the latest matchup of undefeated vs. unvictorious. Yep, the Dolphins will celebrate their win by heading to the undefeated Patriots. The Dolphins should be motivated enough. Now that they’ve tasted victory this year, they should want more. Some will want to defend the 1972 Dolphins. Others will want to beat the unbeaten.

The weather may actually play in Miami’s favor. Today, snow and freezing rain slowed the Patriots, who “only” beat the Jets by 10 in a game where the experts expected them to go score-crazy. Miami has benefited from weather before, narrowly losing 3-0 to the Steelers at Pittsburgh in a deluge.

Can the Dolphins go to New England and do what most believe to be impossible? Tune in to CBS at 4:15PM to find out.

For every winner, there is a loser. We here at The Phish Tank KNOW what a long losing streak feels like, and the Ravens have now lost 8 straight. A promising 4-2 start has dissolved to 4-10. So, for once I can refer you to the LOSING writer (it’s not me! FINALLY!), but do the folks over at Ravens Roost a favor and check out their version of Mike and Mike (Brown and Zoran) who each have posted a take on the Ravens loss.

Miami has the Dolphins. This year, they may not be the greatest football team. But they will NOT go down as history’s worst.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 2:34 am and is filed under Miami Dolphins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.