faba Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Saban not switching to Lemon By Jason Lieser Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, December 19, 2006 DAVIE — Even with the Dolphins eliminated from the playoffs, coach Nick Saban said Monday that he won't change his approach for the final two games. That means playing his starters and going all out to try to reach .500. "Our message to our locker room is we're going to play the best players and try to win our remaining games," said Saban, whose club slipped to 6-8 Sunday. "That's what our philosophy is." Joey Harrington will continue to start at quarterback even after having the worst outing of his career in a 21-0 loss in Buffalo. He might be joined Monday night against the New York Jets by running back Ronnie Brown, who was cleared to return to practice. Brown broke a bone in his left hand against Detroit on Thanksgiving and has missed the past three games. Saban did not say Brown would play, but the second-year back was optimistic. "I'm cleared to practice so that's a good sign," Brown said. "It's not a no-risk situation, but it's pretty minimal." Brown no longer is wearing a cast, but he said he will cover his left hand with a protective pad when he plays. Saban continued to back Harrington, as he has throughout the quarterback's ups-and-downs this year. "We're going to play him," Saban said. "He's won five out of six games for us prior to yesterday. He's improved throughout the season for us. "I think he would probably tell you that yesterday wasn't one of his best performances, but ... we want to support him so that he can play well." Harrington was 5-for-17 for 20 yards with two interceptions, earning a 0.0 passer rating. Saban replaced him with Cleo Lemon in the fourth quarter, and Lemon completed 9-of-16 passes for 98 yards with the game out of reach. Saban wouldn't commit to playing Lemon against the Jets or in the finale Dec. 31 in Indianapolis. "We have a lot of confidence in Cleo," Saban said. "If the opportunity presents itself to play him we'll certainly do it, but we're not making any radical changes." Miami's final two games are against teams fighting for playoff position, but center Rex Hadnot said the Dolphins don't need the motivation of being spoilers. "I couldn't care less what anybody else has going on," Hadnot said. "No matter who it is we play next, we go out there to win ball games. It's still our job and we have a great sense of pride in this locker room." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BwanaZulia Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 That is actaully great news. I watched Lemon in pre-season and he actually has some talent. You might see more of him next year (along with a lot of Squish The Fish and Squeeze The Lemon posts). BZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Not surprising. Harrington gives them the best chance to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BwanaZulia Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Not surprising. Harrington gives them the best chance to win. But who gives them the best chance at a high draft pick? BZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor99 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 But who gives them the best chance at a high draft pick? BZ The Jets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justincredible Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Wow. I hadn't taken a look at the box score from that game. I didn't realize Harrington was that putrid this week. Lets hope he drops another 0.0 on Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Wow. I hadn't taken a look at the box score from that game. I didn't realize Harrington was that putrid this week. Lets hope he drops another 0.0 on Christmas. 5-17, 20 yards, 2 INT's Joey Harrington is the savior in Miami indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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