Brady’s arrival spurred Pats’ edge,
Since 2001, Dolphins have struggled to find stability at QB.
DAVIE — Over most of the past two decades, the Dolphins haven’t been in the Patriots’ stratosphere. There are many reasons why New England’s been so far ahead during that span, but there’s no bigger factor than quarterback.
The Patriots found Tom Brady with the 199th overall pick in 2000 and made him a full-time starter in 2001. Since then, his team has won five Super Bowls and Miami has had to fight like crazy just to finish second in the AFC East five times.
The Dolphins only interruption of New England’s hold on the division was in 2008, when Brady was injured on opening day and missed the season. Even then, the best Miami could do was split the season series, match the Patriots’ 11-5 record and take the division on tiebreakers.
Here’s a look at how disparate the quarterback situations have been:
■ Brady has started 245 of New England’s 266 games. The Dolphins have started 18 guys: Ryan Tannehill, Jay Fiedler, Chad Henne, Matt Moore, Chad Pennington, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, A.J. Feeley, Jay Cutler, Ray Lucas, Trent Green, Daunte Culpepper, Brian Griese, Sage Rosenfels, John Beck, Tyler Thigpen and J.P. Losman.
■ The teams’ levels of stability at quarterback has played out in the draft, with huge consequences for both sides. When Brady hit the scene, Miami was rolling with Fiedler while searching for a long-term replacement. The Dolphins squandered three consecutive second-round picks on Beck (2007), Henne (’08) and Pat White (’09) before using the No. 8 overall pick in 2012 on Tannehill.
Bill Belichick must have had a good laugh at a few of those. He’s been taking quarterbacks, too, but more so as a hobby so he can try to flip them. His biggest hit was taking seventh-rounder Matt Cassel and later packaging him in a trade for the No. 34 overall pick, which he used to draft safety Patrick Chung. Belichick also got three wins out of 2014 No. 62 overall pick Jimmy Garoppolo during Brady’s suspension before turning him into what will probably be no worse than the 35th selection in 2018.
■ During Brady’s run, which has been continuous other than that 2008 season and sporadic absences for other reasons, New England has posted an NFL-best 96.8 passer rating. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are 25th at 79.3. For a point of reference, that’s right around Buffalo and Chicago. For what it’s worth, Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles has an 81.8 rating this season.
■ Miami has thrown 101 more interceptions than the Patriots, who are at a leaguelow 173.
■ Not surprisingly, the Patriots are top-three in the league in passing yards and touchdowns, hanging out with the Colts (Peyton Manning), Saints (Drew Brees) and Packers (Aaron Rodgers). That’s helped them rack up the most points, nearly 600 ahead of their nearest competitor. Miami is bottom-10 in those categories.
■ Speaking of Brees, the Dolphins had their choice of him or Culpepper back in 2006. Since that season, when Brees landed with the Saints, he’s the only player to throw more touchdown passes (400) than Brady (355). Brees has thrown for more yards, posted a better completion percentage and is 1.8 points below him in passer rating.
■ New England leads everyone with a 204-62 record, 30 games better than No. 2 Pittsburgh. The Dolphins are 124-142, good for 21st.
■ Miami’s .466 winning percentage, on par with fellow nondescript teams such as the Cardinals and Titans, is thanks in part to a 10-22 record against the Patriots. The Dolphins once went four calendar years without beating New England and have an active losing streak in Foxborough that dates to ’08. The point differential since 2001 is plus-226 (a touchdown per game) for the Patriots. Brady has 52 touchdowns against 21 interceptions in those games.
Alonso fined: The NFL fined linebacker Kiko Alonso $18,231 for a hit on Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.
The fine is Alonso’s second of the season, following a $9,115 loss in salary for causing a concussion for Baltimore QB Joe Flacco.
Alonso’s hit on Fitzpatrick came late in the first half of the Bucs’ 30-20 victory.
It was a rough week for Alonso, who according to Pro Football Focus statistics was targeted 11 times, allowing 10 receptions for 138 yards.
Defensive coordinator Matt Burke this week stressed the Dolphins place numerous responsibilities on Alonso and said Alonso is doing “a pretty good” job despite the workload.
Alonso’s workload won’t get any easier today. Against New England, he’ll see All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“We put a lot on Kiko Alonso,” Burke said. “He does a lot for this defense. He does a lot for me as a playcaller. He gets a lot of people lined up. He makes a lot of checks. We always basically put him on the hardest matchup possible, period. So we’re going to put him in spots that are tough for him at times and he’s going to have his moments.
“But I’m happy with the way he’s performed so far, for sure.”
Alonso leads the Dolphins with 69 total tackles.