Time to see what others are saying about the Dolphins' most recent loss.
BLAME THE DEFENSE
The Herald's Armando Salguero writes in his latest column that it's the defense's fault that this team is 0-3. Here's what he says:
But after three weeks in which Jason Taylor and Co. have yet to play one good game, it is Miami's defensive bubble that apparently has burst.
''Our offense goes out and puts up 28 points, we should win,'' defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. ``Without a doubt we should win the game. I can't describe it except to say it's frustrating. It's discouraging.''
How else to describe a unit on which cornerback Will Allen and safety Renaldo Hill have such a violent you-take-him, I-got-him argument after a New York touchdown, that they have to be restrained on the sideline to keep a fight from breaking out?
How else to describe a unit whose only signature player -- Taylor -- had more offside penalties (three) than solo tackles (2), and none of those stops was a sack or caused lost yardage.
''I didn't get to the quarterback,'' Taylor said afterward. ``I suck right now. It's as simple as that. So there. There's your headline.''
The headline on this game is actually more depressing than that because it's not just about Jason Taylor's struggles. It's about an entire defense's troubles. Once-proud, once good enough to save Miami from its anemic offense, this defense now cannot make a play to get off the field.
That is why the Jets converted 62 percent of their 13 third-down plays Sunday.
The Miami defense is simply bad right now, and the proof is in that New York's offense actually looked proficient. That's saying something because the Jets had to wait to play the Dolphins before they could score a first-quarter touchdown. They had to wait to see Miami on the schedule to finally score a rushing touchdown.
Ouch. These comments hurt because they are true. I said in my recap post that I blame the defense for that loss yesterday and it's clear I won't be the only one saying that. And I don't want to hear about the absence of Zach Thomas being the reason. Sure, he might have helped. But even when Zach played the past 2 weeks, they still couldn't stop the run or make any crucial stops on 3rd down. It's painful. Very, very painful right now.
SPECIAL TEAMS & COACHING
The Sun-Sentinel's David Hyde, on the other hand, was blaming the special teams unit and coaching staff for the loss to the Jets. Here's what Hyde writes:
Too scared, actually.
That's what Leon Washington's teammates were coming up to him and saying after Dolphins coach Cam Cameron ordered squib kickoffs in the second quarter. That was so the Jets' backup returner couldn't run back a second touchdown.
"See how they're thinking?" New York Jets players were asking Washington.
"They're scared of you!"
"You're in their heads!"
It's one thing to lose, as the Dolphins did again Sunday, as they're capable of any Sunday. But either you trust your team or you don't. You either go down swinging or you don't.
You either believe that players can do what they're paid to do, especially on something as basic as special teams. Or you risk watching an afternoon swing on silliness. That's what happened in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Jets.
For the second consecutive week, it was special teams blunders that chased away a good chance. Jason Allen contributed a holding penalty on a punt that negated a 27-yard return by Ted Ginn Jr. A timeout that could have been gold at the end was wasted before an easy Jets field goal.
The big mistake, the one that led to something even bigger, came when Washington returned a kickoff 98 yards to put the Jets ahead 14-7.
So that was bad play. But this was worse thinking: Squibbing two ensuing kickoffs to keep Washington from touching the ball. Washington is a nice player. But he's not even the Jets' regular kickoff returner. All-Pro Justin Miller is hurt.
You're kicking scared of him?
Ok, he makes a valid point. It was clear that Cam was scared of Washington after the killer kick return in which the kicker was the only one to get a hand on him. But that isn't why the Dolphins lost. It didn't help that the Jets got some good field position because of the squibb kicks, but let's be real for a moment. Good field position doesn't guarantee points. Instead, it was the defense not being able to stop a Jets offense that isn't that good. That's why the Dolphins lost and I think most of you will agree.
BROWN IS SPECIAL
I figured I'd end this post with a positive quote. On ESPNews' Hotlist, analyst and former NFL receiver Quadry Ismail said, "You know, Ronnie Brown is something special." He went on to talk about how he needs to get enough carries because he's clearly a back that gets better as he gets more touches. He also said something along the lines of Brown being a top back in this league for many years if he can just stay involved in the offense and that will come down to Cam and the coaching staff.