Giants feel the Fins can win

[Lughead]

Giants see 0-7 Dolphins as a team that can win

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, October 26,

2007

BY JENNY VRENTAS

 

Star-Ledger Staff

 

During his days as a college player and coach, Cam

Cameron has gone sightseeing on road trips. But this

weekend, when he takes his winless Mimai Dolphins to London

to play the Giants, he has made no such allowance in the

team schedule.

 

 

"With these guys, I would think most of them can

afford to go back over there after they get done

playing," Cameron said. "There's not a ton of

time for (sightseeing) right now."

 

Not when you're 0-7 for the first time in the

history of one of the NFL's proudest franchises, have

lost 10 straight games dating to last season, and see no

easy way to snap the slide. The Dolphins' struggles,

injury-related and otherwise, have accrued to the point

where the question remains: Can the Dolphins field a

legitimate threat to the Giants on Sunday?

 

 

"If we go out and execute our game the way that we

have been the last couple weeks, we should come out with a

win," Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said.

"But should doesn't mean you're going to,

especially when they're a team that's gone so long

without a win. We know how hungry they can get."

 

 

To prove their point, the Giants readily note the things

their opponent has been doing well. The Dolphins'

record leaves no room for interpretation, but in statistics

other than points scored, they haven't completely

missed the mark. They rank second in the league with 5.0

rushing yards per carry and sit at sixth with 20.7 first

downs per game. And, they are first in the NFL in

fourth-down-conversions, at a perfect 8-for-8.

 

 

"When you see fourth-down plays and you see them

8-for-8, you automatically go to those eight plays and say,

'Okay, let me see what they're doing,'"

cornerback Sam Madison said. "Watching these guys on

film, you can't believe they're 0-7."

 

 

Of course, any look at the Dolphins this season is skewed

since quarterback Trent Green (their leading passer) and

running back Ronnie Brown (their leading rusher) have

suffered season-ending injuries, Green with a concussion and

Brown with a torn knee ligament. Brown had four straight

100-yard games, before his injury last Sunday, and leads the

league with 991 yards from scrimmage.

 

 

Miami is also without its leading receiver, Chris

Chambers, who was traded to San Diego for a 2008

second-round draft, and will travel to England without its

leading tackler, Zach Thomas, who was in a minor car

accident last weekend and has been advised not to make the

trip.

 

 

Now, the Dolphins are forced to start backups against a

team that has won five in a row, with a defense that forced

four turnovers in its last game. Perhaps the unknown

commodity factor could work in Miami's favor, or

perhaps there's a part of the team that's more

dangerous than its record indicates? Even Cameron isn't

sure about that.

 

 

"This will be another one of those weeks where we

come in with a new lineup -- we're not sure what that

lineup is yet," Cameron said. "We're just

trying to improve each of our phases (offense, defense and

special teams). Where we'd be dangerous, that's

really not our focus right now."

 

 

Certainly, no one would favor the Dolphins in this game,

but to Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, that itself is

dangerous. He points to the 2005 game against Minnesota when

the Vikings, who had been 0-4 on the road, stunned the 6-2

Giants with a three-point win at Giants Stadium. Then he

brought up the 2006 game with the 3-7 Titans, who came back

from a 21-point deficit to give the once 6-2 Giants their

third straight loss.

 

 

Neither opponent was as desperate as winless Miami, but

Jacobs' point was that he puts stock in the latent

threat.

 

 

"I don't know what the problem happens to be in

South Beach at this time," Jacobs said, "but they

have a lot of talent."

 

Take my word for it "THE DOLHPINS WILL NOT LOSE A GAME NEXT WEEK PERIOD":P

[BIGBLUE01]

LOL!!