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Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers - 08/25/01
Game Summary - Packers Win 17-12
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| WR Corey Bradford celebrates his touchdown with WR Donald Driver |
In the 52nd installment of the Midwest Shrine Charity Game, Green Bay prevailed 17-12 over Miami. On a night soaked by a constant rain, Packers running back De'Mond Parker carried the team in the fourth quarter to its second win of the preseason, while the Dolphins fall to 1-3.
After Rondell Mealey left the game early on with a sprained ankle and Herbert Goodman had trouble running the ball, Parker got his chance to shine. Fighting for a roster spot, Parker broke a 54-yard run in the fourth quarter which sparked Green Bay's winning drive.
"Doug [Pederson] checked to a draw on the blitz and there was a huge hole," Parker said. "My line did a great job creating a big hole to the right side. It was a great check by Doug."
Parker finished off the 7-play, 95-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run sealing a victory for the Packers. The third-year back from Oklahoma completed the night with 80 yards on 9 attempts with an 8.9-yard average per carry. Mealy finished with 3 carries for 19 yards and Goodman tallied 19 carries for 65 yards.
For Miami, Lamar Smith led the way on the ground with 46 yards on just 4 carries. The Dolphins' autry Denson also contributed 22 yards on 13 carries.
"On my first couple of carries I was a little hesitant, trying to get a feel for the turf," Smith said. "Once I got a feel for the turf and changed my spikes (from _" to _"), I felt ready to go."
Failing to reach the end zone, the Dolphins settled for four Olindo Mare field goals on the night. He connected on 4-of-5 attempts from 29, 44, 25 and 22 yards out, missing from 37 yards wide left. Ryan Longwell got the Packers on the board first with a 29-yard field goal, his only attempt on the night.
Packer signal caller Brett Favre played the entire first half and half of the third quarter. He finished the night with 7 completions on 19 attempts for 92 yards including one touchdown. Wide out Corey Bradford was on the receiving end of the game's first touchdown.
"We called a slant play," Bradford said. "I went in and when he first threw it, it kind of bounced off my chest and the linebacker spun me around right into it. I just caught it, looked at the goal line and was determined to get across it."
Bradford recorded the lone touchdown reception on the night for the Packers with his only catch in the game. Rookie tight end David Martin led the Packers with 2 catches for 26 yards.
Miami's Chris Chambers -- starting in place of Oronde Gadsen -- led his team with 48 yards on 3 receptions. However, Darren Sharper intercepted a Jay Fiedler pass early on intended for the former Wisconsin Badger.
"We were in a cloud-type coverage and they tried to run play-action," Sharper said. "We had worked on it in practice and coming into the game we knew they were trying to work the ball to No. 84 Chris Chambers -- trying to bring him a nice little homecoming.
"They were looking for him all through the first half. I saw he was running an in-route - they tried to clear out for him - I was supposed to be in a deep half zone, but I just jumped and ran with him. I saw the quarterback looking at him and I jumped in front of him and was able to hold onto a slick ball."
That was Fiedler's only mistake of the night as he finished with 14 completions on 26 attempts for 134 yards. Ray Lucas provided a 10-for-15 effort for 72 yards in relief. For the Packers, Doug Pederson led the game winning drive and finished the night going 3-of-4 for 44 yards. Third quarterback Henry Burris saw his first action of the preseason late in the fourth quarter.
"It was good to finish it off and get a victory," Burris said. "It is so good to get in the atmosphere and actually get in and be a part of it."
The night was also special for defensive tackle Gilbert Brown. Making his first game appearance after a year out of football, the "Grave Digger" was a fan favorite. He pulled out his trademark move after tackling Smith behind the line of scrimmage to the delight of the over 57,000 fans assembled. The lineman enjoyed playing once again for the green and gold.
"It feels great," Gilbert said. "Every time I get out there and get to play with my friends, do what I have to do and dig graves - that's all I like to do. I just had fun today."
In his post game press conference, GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman commented on the positives of tonight's game.
"as frustrated as I am about some of the things that we screwed up on this evening, I'm very pleased with the first offense in the first quarter," Sherman said. "I'm very pleased with our punter [Josh Bidwell]. I thought he did a tremendous job in some difficult situations. I'm very pleased with the running backs and the run game, particularly late in the game. That's hard with the ball on the 5-yard line. If we are forced to punt there, they are certainly in great field position.
"David Martin made some big plays for us tonight. Donald Driver made a great third-down conversion. I'm very pleased with that. Sharper's interception was critical. We're still getting the ball. We're creating turnovers."
Game Highlights (Real audio)
Packers-Dolphins archived complete game broadcast (Real audio)
Post-Game / Locker Room audio Clips
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman (Realaudio)
TE Bubba Franks (Realaudio)
DT Vonnie Holliday (Realaudio)
DT Russell Maryland (Realaudio)
CB Tod McBride (Realaudio)
RB De'Mond Parker (Realaudio)
QB Doug Pederson (Realaudio)
S Darren Sharper (Realaudio)
T Mark Tauscher (Realaudio)
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
GBP: R.Longwell 29-yd Field Goal is good.
GBP: B.Favre 16-yd pass to C.Bradford for Touchdown. (R. Longwell Extra Point is good)
2nd Quarter
MIA: O.Mare 29-yd Field Goal is good.
MIA: O.Mare 44-yd Field Goal is good.
3rd Quarter
MIA: O.Mare 25-yd Field Goal is good.
MIA: O.Mare 22-yd Field Goal is good.
4th Quarter
GBP: D.Parker 4-yd run for Touchdown. (R. Longwell Extra Point is good)
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