Perhaps the greatest mismatch of Week 3 was the Patriots versus Miami Dolphins game. The Dolphins were no match for the New England Patriots who easily won…wait. Wha? Oh yeah, that’s right. It was the other way around. The game went harshly against the grain and shocked the nation when the Dolphins thoroughly trounced the Patriots 38-13. It was an amazing offensive output by a team that nearly went completely defeated last year (1-15) and a poor defensive showing from a team that was unbeaten in its last 22 regular season games.

How did they do it? Answer: Wildcat formation. Simply put, the Wildcat formation stacks its best and biggest blockers along the right side of the line to create more running angles to that unbalanced side. Additionally, QB Chad Pennington and running backs Ricky Williams and Patrick Hobbs lined up as wide receivers as other running back Ronnie Brown became the shotgun QB for the package. Then, as the play begins, Ricky Williams starts into a violent, full speed motion that crosses in front of Brown just as the ball is snapped. This play (which is based in misdirection) has three choices at this point: Hand off to Williams, Brown runs with it through a stacked line of blocking, or Brown throws to a receiver.

The misdirection was a rousing success against the Patriots. The Dolphins ran the Wildcat package 6 times for 118 yards and 4 touchdowns. Williams ran the ball twice for 30 yards, Brown ran 3 times for 69 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Brown also threw for a 19 yard touchdown completion. Without a doubt, the Wildcat package dismantled the Patriots defense. Now it remains to be seen: Are the Dolphins to employ this tactic regularly, or was it specially designed for the Patriots game?

The Miami Dolphins, or to be exact,  new Dolphins’ boss Bill Parcells fired the team’s head coach Cam Cameron after 1-15 season. This decision was made after the Dolphins defeated the Baltimore Ravens in a football game at Dolphin Stadium, to improve their record to 1-13 in Miami. Cameron was sacked Thursday Jan. 3, 2008 by. It means that the reeling franchise will have its fifth head coach in five seasons in 2008.

Among NFL stories that could never be missed, one probably at the top of the list is the annual look back to the undefeated Dolphins of 1972.

Every time some club gets 6 or 7 games unbeaten into a season, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are dredged up. They have been dining out on this for thirty-five seasons and enough already.

Every generation of NFL fans wants to see history made on his watch. We want the thrills here and now, but not in the past or uncertain future. However, we get quite a few as most records are made to be broken. Apparently, some records simply cannot be surpassed because of fundamental changes in the game. Nobody can even threaten Cy Young’s 511 victories or Glenn Hall’s 502 consecutive games by a goalie. It can’t happen today and this age, and we know it and that is fine.

But what about an undefeated season? Other than those who hate the New England Patriots, for whatever reason, is there anyone who doesn’t want to see it? The legendary Jack Nicklaus’s greatness can never be diminished, but we are hoping to witness Tiger Woods winning his nineteenth major. In sports, we are waiting for a new story to witness and 19-0 New Endlang Patriots, or Tiger Woods reaching nineteen majors is a truly big story.

The whole business of the 1972 Miami Dolphins resurfaced this week after Shula, who coached the team, was quoted as churlishly suggesting an unbeaten season might require an asterisk because of the National Football League punishment for the New England Patriot rule-breaking in “Spygate” earlier this year.