This situation will be covered

Special teams coach Brad Seely this week will try to fix his kick and punt teams, which are giving up too many yards and aren't making big plays.

Ranked 28th in punt coverage and 29th in kick coverage, the Patriots were burned Monday night on a 71-yard punt return by Wesley Welker, which led to a Dolphins score in the first quarter of a 29-28 Miami win. New England's coverage seemed to be stacked to the right, and Welker found daylight left. Welker also had a good night returning kicks; he had two for a 27.8-yard average.

On average, Miami started drives at its 44-yard line; the Patriots started at their 27 on average.

The Patriots were without speedy kick returner Bethel Johnson, who had a thigh injury, and his absence was felt, as Kevin Faulk returned four kicks for an 18.3-yard average.

Johnson was averaging 24.8 yards per kick return and brought one back 93 yards for a score on the opening kickoff against Cleveland Dec. 5.

Johnson was listed as questionable on the injury report during the week but did not make the trip to Miami.

Veteran David Patten ran the ball out of bounds on a kick return with 2:03 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Patriots leading, 28-23. Had Patten run the kickoff past the two-minute warning, the Patriots would have forced the Dolphins to stop the clock on the ensuing first down. Instead, the Dolphins only used one timeout (their first of the half) during the Patriots' possession.

Match game
Sunday's matchup against the Jets will feature two of the top three backs in the AFC in Curtis Martin and Corey Dillon. Martin leads the conference with 1,511 yards and an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Dillon has 1,430 yards and a 4.7-yard average. On Sunday, Martin became the oldest running back to gain more than 1,500 yards, at 31 years 246 days . . . This week's injury report could be interesting. It appeared punter Josh Miller injured a shoulder while trying to tackle Welker on his long punt return, although it didn't affect his kicking the rest of the game. Je'Rod Cherry was limping after the game, and defensive back Randall Gay left after having the wind knocked out of him.

Honored guest
Dan Klecko's dad Joe, a former standout defensive lineman with the Jets, will have his jersey retired in a halftime ceremony at the Meadowlands during Sunday's game. Dan Klecko was placed on injured reserve after hurting his knee during the Steelers game Oct. 31. He had knee surgery and has recovered faster than expected . . . Adam Vinatieri has gone three straight games without a field goal attempt . . . Wide receiver David Givens saw limited action while still nursing an ankle injury . . . Quarterback Tom Brady was at the Patriots' facility early watching tape . . . The Patriots waived linebacker Justin Kurpeikis and defensive back Omare Lowe.

Making his case
Dolphins interim coach Jim Bates interviewed with team owner Wayne Huizenga yesterday for the permanent job. While the post appears to be Louisiana State coach Nick Saban's for the taking, Bates made a great case for himself with the win over the Patriots. Bates appears to have the hearts and minds of the players, who have lobbied for him. "People say we're a different team under him, and it's true. I will play for that man anywhere, anytime," said Randy McMichael. League sources indicate Bates might have thrust himself into the mix for another head coaching job if the Dolphins hire Saban.