NFL
Dolphins embarrass Dallas

By Seattle Times news services

	TONY GUTIERREZ / AP Ricky Williams of Miami takes a handoff from Jay Fiedler during the first quarter. Williams finished with 104 yards.
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IRVING, Texas — Jay Fiedler took the first snap, dropped back and threw deep to Chris Chambers. While pass interference prevented them from hooking up, the theme was set.

Fiedler and Chambers connected on three touchdown passes and Fiedler ran for another score, leading the Miami Dolphins past the Dallas Cowboys 40-21 yesterday in a much higher-scoring game than expected from two of the NFL's best defenses.

"We just wanted to come out and prove this is the No. 1 defense in the league," said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who had two sacks and pressured Dallas quarterback Quincy Carter the most. "We wanted to show them that you can't go by statistics. They have a great defense, but with the guys we have, their line is just not comparable."

Fiedler, in his first start since Oct. 19, was nearly perfect. He was 14 of 17 in the first half, then just 2 of 3 in the second half when the Dolphins opted to protect a big lead by handing off to Ricky Williams.

The former University of Texas star responded with 104 yards, putting him over 1,000 for the season.

"We talked all week about how we needed this win, and they came out and made it happen," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said.

For all the offensive firepower displayed in Miami's highest-scoring game since getting 49 in the 2002 opener, the biggest play came from the defense.

On the third snap of the second half, with Dallas down just nine, Ogunleye ticked the ball away from Carter and Jason Taylor returned it 32 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-14.

Miami (8-4) is 1-1/2 games behind New England in the AFC East and 1-1/2 games ahead of Denver and Cincinnati for the conference's final wild-card spot.

The Dolphins have won three straight and are 5-1 on the road, the kind of momentum they need considering their history of disastrous Decembers and a schedule that could set them up for another: at New England a week from Sunday, then home against Philadelphia.

"We're definitely happy with the win, but we're not satisfied," Taylor said. "We know we have to stay poised for the next four games. We feel we're a different football team now than in years past. We think that's going to lead to success in December."

The Cowboys (8-4) lost for the third time in six games, making the kind of mistakes that coach Bill Parcells hates most. With errors on offense, defense and special teams, the only person who might escape criticism is Richie Anderson, who had the first two-touchdown game of his 11-year career.

"I'm a little embarrassed that we came out here on Thanksgiving — a national broadcast — and played like that," said Parcells, who nearly kicked over a massive hamper in the middle of the locker room.

"It's only one game, but I'm disappointed," he said. "You have to learn, and a beating like we took today can teach you something. We were just awful."

Carter said he understood Parcells' angst.

"He expected more from us, and we didn't give it to him," Carter said. "Today was not a good example of where this team is or the direction that we're headed."

Dallas fell out of a first-place tie with the Eagles in the NFC East, and out of a four-way tie for the best record in the NFC.

Plus, the disappointment will linger for 10 days, until the Cowboys play at Philadelphia.

"This team does not have the maturity for this kind of situation," Parcells said. "We've got a lot on the line, but after this I don't know if we can do it with this young team."

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company