There was a time when rivalries in the AFC East were awaited for with anxious anticipation by a football nation, eager to witness another chapter in the saga between icons of the playoffs. None perhaps more classic, than the tightly contested battles between Miami and New York. It has been New England who, in recent years, has stood alone in the East and has dominated the division, but as Buffalo and Miami begin to re-emerge as new forces in the East, the landscape of the division will soon inevitably change once again. Nothing however, seems to stir the passion of fans in two of these NFL cities, more than a game between the Jets and the Dolphins.
This traditional intradivisional rivalry, seems to bring out the best out of each team, which may be fueled by the emotion from the stands. Maybe the fact that so many former New Yorkers have taken up permanent residence in South Florida, that has created long lasting deep rooted resentment and led to so many fights in the stands, that makes many South Floridians have nothing but contempt for the Jets. For Jet fans, it may be years of domination by the Dolphins through the 70's, that fuels their hatred but one thing can be expected when these two teams meet on Monday Night Football, divisional standings and season stats will matter not at all, for it is raw passion that takes over each time the ball is kicked off.
There have been many classic games between Miami and New York and perhaps none more memorable, than the one in which then Miami quarterback Dan Marino faked a spike with less than 30 seconds left to play, and threw a touchdown pass to Mark Ingram in the end zone, which sealed the win for Miami. Other notable games include showdowns in the 1980s, between QB's Dan Marino and Ken O'Brien. Now the stage is set, and these teams, which appear to be headed in different directions, will match up again on the national stage this week.
This Monday night, when the Dolphins face the Jets, they will be going against the 9th defensive leaders in sacks in the NFL, but the Jets are ailing in their secondary. Miami's defense is also ailing and has been forced to look outside their locker room for help for their secondary. Cornerback RJ Stanford was signed by Miami on Tuesday, as the list of injured players in the squad grew last Sunday with an injury to last year's second round draft pick Jamar Taylor, who was in the game in place of starter Cortland Finnegan.
Miami's offensive line is another area of concern for Miami. Left tackle Brandon Albert is out for the year which forced the Dolphins' staff to have to reshuffle their OL players around to compensate for the huge loss. Nothing may have been more instrumental in keeping Dolphins' quarterback Ryan Tannehill upright during this period however, even taking into account the 5 sacks suffered against Denver, than offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's astute play calling through it all. Lazor will have to continue to put Tannehill in positions to minimize the line's vulnerability, with creative plays and will also have to stay away from becoming predictable against New York.
Jets' head coach Rex Ryan, named Geno Smith as the starting quarterback this week early Wednesday morning in place of Michael Vick. Smith was benched by Ryan earlier this season in favor of Vick. Smith, will be trying to earn his old job back and validate his coach's decision. The Dolphins were burned last year by Smith and lost a playoff bid by losing a must win game against the Geno Smith's led Jets, and should not be underestimating Smith. Expect the Dolphins to bounce back after their loss to Denver and move up to 7-5 as they beat New York by the score of 28-10.