Green & White Task: Keep 'Fins Winless
Published: Tue, November 27, 2007 - 6:48pm EDT
By Randy Lange
File Under: Shea Stadium, Cary Blanchard, Dolphins winless Miami Saints
11/27 — Week 12 of the NFL schedule is over. Things have cleared up from the 97 percent humidity in Pittsburgh on Monday night. And the Jets have a chance to get back on the winning track and finish this season strong.
They also have a chance of becoming the first team to lose to the Dolphins this season.
There are always expectations and trepidations when going up against a winless NFL team in the second half of a season, and that's just what the 'Fins are after falling to 0-11 as a result of their 3-0 waterlogging by the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Monday.
The Jets, at 2-9, aren't far away. They also know they were one of six teams to beat the Dolphins this season by exactly three points, 31-28, back in Week 3, and that Jets-Dolphins is a big enough rivalry without adding intrigue due to one of the teams being undefeated or winless.
We'll develop this theme of how the Jets perceive Sunday's annual game in South Florida, including a chat I plan to have with somebody who was in a similar predicament with the Green & White many years ago. That story will appear on newyorkjets.com later this week.
But for now I just wanted to go over some other ancient history regarding the Dolphins. For one thing, Dolphins-Steelers is the first 3-0 game in the last 14 NFL seasons and only the second such game in the last 25 seasons.
The other 3-0 game in that span is near and dear to the hearts of Jets fans of a certain age: that's the score the Jets defeated the Redskins by at RFK Stadium in 1993. The wind was fierce in the nation's capital that day, but it didn't really start to howl until after Cary Blanchard knocked through a 45-yard field goal in the first period for the game's only points.
A second note of interest to Jets fans heading into this game is that it is only the second time in franchise history that they're playing a winless team with 10 or more losses. The first time at Shea Stadium in 1980, it didn't work out well as the Jets lost to the 0-14 Saints, 21-20. The second was better as the 1986 Jets dispatched the 0-10 Colts, 31-16, at the Meadowlands.
NFL-wide, 0-11 teams are 3-5 in their Game 12s since 1970. The last winners were the Chargers at home over the Chiefs in 2000. Here are the eight games played by 0-11 teams since 1970:
| Year | 0-11 Team | Opponent | Score |
| 1975 | San Diego | at Kansas City | Chargers, 28-20 |
| 1976 | Tampa Bay | at Oakland | Raiders, 49-16 |
| 1977 | Tampa Bay | vs. Chicago | Bears, 10-0 |
| 1980 | New Orleans | vs. Los Angeles | Rams, 27-7 |
| 1984 | Buffalo | vs. Dallas | Bills, 14-3 |
| 1986 | Indianapolis | at Houston | Oilers, 31-17 |
| 2000 | San Diego | vs. Kansas City | Chargers, 17-16 |
| 2001 | Detroit | at Tampa Bay | Buccaneers, 15-12 |
Ira Said:
Wed, November 28, 2007 - 11:05am EDT"CaneJet, Yes J.Johnson had a big game vs the Skins. He was a very good back that most fans never bring up. 1993- 198 -821 yds and 67 catches-641 yds. 1994- 240 -931 yds and 42 catches -303 yds. Those are very good #'s."
Larry Said:
Wed, November 28, 2007 - 1:31pm EDT"Lets not forget if not for LWs return for TD we would have lost to the Fins. This coaching staff is the problem. They have shown themselves to be 1 year wonders. They dont have the creativity or know how to put together an effective game plan consistantly beyond what they did last year. We have become more predictable than a JV high school team. What a pathetic year. "
Jeremy Said:
Wed, November 28, 2007 - 6:18pm EDT"Press conference with both Mangini and KC brought up the issue of Clemens success in the 2 minute drill. With that being said: Why doesn't Shotty and Mangini let him run the no huddle? Every game he's marched down the field with the 2 minute offense. Actually it seems like the only time the O moves the ball it's with a hurry up/no huddle offense. Randy, any stats on the success of the 2 minute?"
Randy Lange Said:
"Jeremy, I'll have that for you in a Kellen Clemens story that will appear, oh, around 12:05 a.m. Thursday."
Ira Said:
Tue, November 27, 2007 - 8:15pm EDT"Randy, That 93 game vs the Skins was a classic. A Saturday afternoon game and i believe that it should've been 6-0 but the Jets botched a short FG attempt when the LS hit the holder in the head with the ball. Randy,was Aguiar the holder? Also Jets -Fish 2-20 could be the worst combined record matchup in NFL history at this point. Hope the Jets can finish out with some wins. "
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