NOW & THEN – JETS VS DOLPHINS

Last weeks game against the Cardinals gave us rain, fumbles, interceptions and flags galore – what a messy situation.  But, I think, the single most important factor was, somehow, someway, we managed to WIN!  The injury to Tannehill is, of course, very concerning.  But now we learn, hopefully, the injury wasn’t as serious as it appeared on game day.

In ’72, we lost our QB, Bob Griese to a badly broken leg.  We had to face the Jets, Bills and Patriots with an old backup QB, Earl Morrall or  “Earl the Pearl.”  We bought him a rocking chair for the locker room.  Of course, we were uneasy with the loss of Griese but it didn’t take long for Earl to gain our full confidence in his ability to lead us.  He came through like a lion – leading us most of the way through an undefeated season!  

Sometimes, when the game looks the bleakest and most disturbing, it can turn out “perfect” in the end.  Let’s hope our old reserve QB, Matt Moore, still has some fire in him as he displayed last week in the final seconds of the game.  If so, maybe he can lead us in to our first playoffs in too many years.  We’ll see.

This weekend we face the Jets.  Another tough game, especially, with a “new” QB on the field.  This, of course, is a critical match-up.  We must win every game, at this point, to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.

When I think about playing the Jets in my day, I remember players like John Elliott and Gerry Philbin.  They were solid, heavy hitters.  They made you pay the price for running the ball and any amount of yardage gained against them.   I could always count on a sore body and a long soak in the ice bath after a game against these two!  

Thankfully, this time, I’ll be watching with a cold beverage in a comfortable chair with no rehab in my future.
ZONK