(by Rich Rodriguez) Rich breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly in Miami’s 19-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately there was more bad and ugly than good for the Miami Dolphins.

The Good

1. Phillip Merling had a monster game, even though you only see 4 tackles on the stat sheet, Merling was constantly disrupting plays and pressuring Matt Ryan.

2. Dolphins run defense was able to shut down Michael Turner, who had 65 yards on 22 carries (less than 3 ypc). One would have thought that by taking Turner out of the game, the Dolphins would be able to at least keep this one close. The Dolphins front seven did an excellent job against 2008’s 2nd ranked rush offense.

The Bad

1. Chad Pennington held onto the ball too long. He had time for the most part, save a few plays. But he didn’t seem decisive and it cost the team. One interception and one fumble for Pennington is uncharacteristic.

2. The offensive line was unable to really open up holes for the Dolphins running backs. Even though Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were able to combine for 82 yards rushing, the Dolphins had trouble running the ball up the middle out of conventional sets.

3. Anthony Fasano had a nightmare game, fumbling the ball twice.

4. The Dolphins return game was putrid. With three returns from the endzone ending up inside their own 20. Two by Ted Ginn and one by Patrick Cobbs. Kneeling is an option! Especially when the return blocking is about as bad as it can get.

5. The Dolphins secondary, especially rookie Sean Smith, had trouble covering guys. Smith was beaten by Roddy White on one play. Fortunately for him, the ball was so poorly thrown by Matt Ryan that a wide open White could not get his hands on it.

6. Last, but definitely not least. Jake Long had just about the most embarassing moment an offensive tackle could ever have, getting run over by a defensive end. John Abraham absolutely planted Jake Long on his read end before running over him to sack Chad Pennington. Long was also called for a hold on the play. Long also gave up another sack and several quarterback pressures. He did not perform like a #1 overall pick/Pro Bowl/franchise left tackle today.

The Ugly

1. The playcalling seemed unimaginative as it seems Dan Henning was not getting very creative with ways to get the ball in the handls of playmakers.

2. When Henning did get creative, Pat White missed a huge play to Ted Ginn, who had beaten double team coverage deep, and should have run in for 6. White overthrew Ginn by 10 yards.

3. The Miami Dolphins in general played an ugly game. After a 0-0 stalemate in the 1st quarter, which is the type of game the Dolphins wanted, the Falcons were able to turn it up a notch, the Dolphins were not.

All in all, an ugly game for the Dolphins that leaves alot to be thought about and worked on. Here’s hoping this doesn’t set the tone for the remainder of the season.