I have mixed feelings about this game.  Losing to a division rival always hurts.  Especially when the Dolphins are within striking distance throughout the game.  But, being that competitive gives me great hope that this team is coming around.  Give them more time, and the Miami Dolphins really will be a team winning championships - just not this year.

But, this loss also makes it tough to give out game balls this week.  The normal suspects did not have the types of games which we are accustomed to them having.  No one seemed to dominate.  Tough week for game balls.  So, here we go:

1-yard Game Ball: Pat White.  I'lll give this one yard to P'Dub, simply because he finally did something.  The option was awesome, especially when you consider everyone says that the option doesn't work in the NFL.  I would love to see a triple-option with Ricky, Ronnie, and P'Dub.  Or, maybe an option with P'Dub and...God forbid...Ted Ginn, Jr.  If Teddy could handle the pitch, it would let him get up to speed and start doing what he does best...run fast.  Anyway, P'Dub had 6 rushes for 45-yards, but was 0 for 1 passing. 

2-yard Game Ball: Joey Hanos.  Joey Hanos caught another Wildcat touchdown pass from Ronnie Brown.  Another Wildcat touchdown pass against the Patriots.  He finished with 3 receptions for 29 yards, and the 1 touchdown.  A decent day for Naygor, especially when you consider how little the Dolphins have been hitting their tight ends this year.

3-yard Game Ball: Vontae Davis.  Yes, he got hurt and was out for part of the game.  And, yes, he did not shut down Randy Moss.  But, in a game where not a lot went right, VD gets this for his opening drive pick.  He also tied for the team lead with 6 tackles.

4-yard Game Ball: Brandon Fields.  Again, the punter gets love.  Fields blasted the ball 5 times, for a 40.8 yard average.  His longest was 51-yards and he had 4 of the 5 kicks finish inside the Patriots 20-yard line.

5-yard Game Ball: Dan Carpenter.  It was that kind of day.  The top two Game Balls went to the kickers.  DC$ was the man again.  He was 2 for 2 on extra points, but really, the impressive part of the game was his 52-yard blast to open the game's scoring. 

Okay, I know, kinda weak on some of the Game Balls, but that's why the Fan Game Ball still exists.  If I over looked someone, let me know.

And, for the downside:

Sack: Joey Porter and Jason Taylor.  Really, this is more for Joey than JT, but did either one of them get mentioned outside of being mentioned for not being mentioned?  Did they even play?  They two had 2 tackles total, and both of those were Jason's.  That's how little an impact our Pro Bowl sack artists had during the game.  What makes this even more embarassing is how well Joey Porter riled up the Patriots before the game with his talk about Tom Brady having his own rules.  Awesome job Porter.  Porter must have been learning from Channing Crowderon how to open up your mouth, and then have little-to-no impact.  I like Porter and Crowder, and I like that they aren't afraid to speak their mind, but both of them need to learn to back it up when they say something.  So, for not getting a sack this is a big 5-yard sack, with Joey Porter eating most of the yardage (3 yards) and Jason gets 2-yards (hey, at least he shows up in the box score, right?).

Look for a yearly Game Balls update later this week, as the Dolphins are half way through their schedule now.