Thoughts from Miami

What hold does Ricardo Colclough have over Bill Cowher? There has to be something.

How else can you explain Cowher putting him back to field a punt after the problems Colclough had fielding punts in training camp?

Colclough looks like Lonnie Smith trying to play center field when he’s back there fielding punts.

I can kind of understand why Cowher would rotate Colclough and Braynt McFadden at cornerback. You have to keep them both ready to play.

But putting Colclough back there for punts is just crazy.

© Ike Taylor shut Chris Chambers out in the first half, holding him without a catch while shadowing him. In fact, Chambers really didn’t get going until late in the game, finishing with five catches for 59 yards.

But on the drive home after the game, I heard more than one radio pundit talk about what a bad game Taylor had.

What the heck were they watching?

Yes, he missed an easy interception in the back of the end zone and Miami scored a touchdown on the following play. And yes, he missed a couple of tackles in run support. But Miami finished with 43 yards rushing.

The bottom line is that Taylor kept Chambers off the board, something Miami couldn’t do with Ward.

It’s like basketball. You can’t expect the guy you’ve got covering the other team’s best player in man-to-man defense to also come down and score 20 points as well. It doesn’t work that way. Let him shut down the other team’s top gun and be happy if he gets you a basket here or there.

© The offensive line’s blocking was spotty, at best, especially in pass blocking. But that was because Miami was mixing things up defensively like New England plays against the Steelers, giving them various looks.

In fact, the Dolphins were defending the Steelers like the Steelers play defense. You saw what that did to Daunte Culpepper, who looked confused for much of the game.

© Special teams play was a problem. You’d hate to think Chidi Iwuoma and Willie Reid would mean that much to this team and that the problems were due to the group not having a lot of playing time together in the preseason.

Then again, you can bet Iwuoma and Reid will be active when the Steelers line up to play Jacksonville.

© Where’s the love for Nate Washington now?

© Speaking of love, Joey Porter professed his for Cowher following the game. This after Porter laid a smooch on Cowher following the linebacker’s interception return for a touchdown.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

© Antwaan Randle El would have been caught from behind had he been on the receiving end of the pass Heath Miller took 87 yards for a touchdown. Cedrick Wilson didn’t catch a pass, while Miller – who actually was the Steelers’ second-leading receiver last year – had three catches for 101 yards and Washington had two for 32 and also ran a reverse for eight yards.

I guess they didn't need Randle El as much as everyone thought.