'Wildcat' tame by comparison

Patriots put brakes on Miami's gimmicky offense

MIAMI GARDENS - The gig was up on the Wildcat offense yesterday, as the Patriots forced the Dolphins to go with a more traditional game plan, largely behind Chad Pennington's arm.

Though Pennington responded by going 24 of 41 for 341 yards - a career best for the quarterback - with three passing touchdowns and another on the ground, the Dolphins still ended up on the short end of a 48-28 shootout with the Patriots.

Pennington threw a late interception and the Patriots capitalized, going ahead, 41-28.

"On the offensive side of the ball we turned it over there at the end and it was a bad decision," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said.

Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown had 37 yards rushing and no touchdowns, a far less productive day than the Week 3 blowout of the Patriots in which he had 113 yards rushing and a 19-yard touchdown pass, with most of his damage coming out of the Wildcat.

"It was a little bit of both," Dolphins wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said. "We used the Wildcat on them but we couldn't use it a lot. It was for big plays and different things in the ballgame the first time. We just tried to execute our game plan."

Ginn led the team with 88 yards receiving. Receivers Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo had 87 yards and 75 yards, respectively. Running back Ricky Williams added a 13-yard reception for a score.

Brown took direct snaps nine times and it was obvious the Patriots were more prepared for the trickery this time around as the Wildcat plays generally resulted in short gains.

The eight plays accounted for 25 yards (with the ninth play a Miami penalty) and Brown did not attempt any passes.

"I think we tackled better, and we hadn't worked on it in the first game," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I mean we've seen it from other teams, but not really their version of it. I think our ability to have a chance to prepare for it, and see some of the things they've run in other games, at least when we got to the sidelines we could talk a lot more about it, you know, this is what we expected, this is what they're doing, and this is the adjustment we've got to make."

On offense the Patriots countered with some high power of their own with 537 total yards, 415 passing yards from quarterback Matt Cassel.

"They've got a great offense themselves," Brown said. "They're playing good football and they've got offensive guys over there that make plays. On third-down situations they were able to make plays and were able to stay on the field in certain situations. We knew a big part of this game was trying to keep the ball and time of possession."

The Patriots and Dolphins traded scores at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. Cassel led a four-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a 21-yard Kevin Faulk touchdown run.

The Dolphins answered with a five-play, 69-yard drive capped by Williams's TD catch, to pull the Dolphins back within 31-28.

The Patriots scored another touchdown on the ensuing possession, but when the Dolphins went to answer, Pennington threw an interception to Brandon Meriweather at the Miami 37-yard line with 8:35 left in the game. The pick sent Dolphins fans filing out of the stadium and New England converted it into a 30-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski to take a 41-28 lead.

"I have to go back and look at it," Pennington said. "I felt like I lost the ball a little bit. I left it high. I am sure there is always a better place to go with the ball. Hindsight is 20/20. For the most part I felt like I stayed disciplined with the reads and we were creasing them here and there and really finding some holes, and it is one of them I would like to have back."