Dolphins’ Xavien Howard wanted respect and money — and just reminded why he deserved both | Opinion

He demanded a trade. He wanted out. Felt underpaid and disrespected and wanted the world to know it. Finally, at least, the Miami Dolphins begrudgingly reworked his contract to keep him.

And they’re in first place in the AFC East today because of it. Because of him.

X marks the spot.

Xavien Howard signed a new deal. Sunday, his signature was on the Dolphins’ 17-16 victory at New England — and with a dramatic flourish.

This is why he wanted his money, Dolphins. This is why you had to pay him.

If his NFL-leading 10 interceptions last season didn’t convince you, his one-man show late in Sunday’s division grudge match should have done the trick.

Seldom has one play turned a game, prevented a loss, preserved a victory, like this one did.

“Having ‘X’ is definitely really fun,” said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa afterward. “Something, anything, can happen.”

This happened:

Patriots were driving inside the Dolphins’ 10 in the closing minutes, at the very least all but assured a chip-shot go-ahead field goal by a kicker who had already made three.

Boom. Howard jars the ball loose from running back Damien Harris — and recovers. Miami has it at its own 9-yard line with 3:31 to play and controls the rest of the way.

“I just punched the ball out, really,” Howard underplayed it. “My mind-set was get the ball out.”

Everything was out there for the taking as the 2021 NFL season began Sunday. It was all out there here, especially, at the seat of league dominance for the past two decades. Tom Brady has left, though his No. 12 jersey is everywhere in the crowd, still. The king is gone, and he took everything with him.

But he left something behind:

Newness, and the excitement of possibility.

Who will reign next in the AFC East? It’s an honest question for the first time in two decades.

Just before kickoff came word the supposedly mighty Buffalo Bills had lost at home to Pittsburgh 23-16. More expected, the New York Jets also lost. So the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots were playing for first place in the division — worth not much so early in an 17-game season, but maybe worth a bit more symbolically.

Here, where six Vince Lombardi Trophies sit on shelves, and where Bill Belichick still roams the sideline, the Dolphins came as underdogs and made their statement here Sunday. They beat the Patriots on their turf. Fins coach Brian Flores, in his third season, is now 3-2 versus his former mentor. You know the Bills were watching, too.

For as long as the Patriots reigned, Miami hardly mattered, shrunk to an afterthought team seldom in the playoffs. That isn’t changing — it has changed.

Miami had lost 11 of its past 12 trips to Patsville before Sunday. Different now.

The Dolphins have not had back-to-back seasons of 10-plus wins since 2000-01. Now, it will happen this year, or the season will be a huge disappointment.

Miami wasn’t great Sunday, just good enough.

Defense won this game for the Fins, and it wasn’t just Howard’s exclamation point. The Pats had three 14-play drives that ended in consolation field goals.

This is not a Miami Dolphins offense that knows what it is, or wants to be. It has gone through an offseason and a preseason and into a season, still trying to decide. To find out.

It is not a run offense. Doesn’t have the horses, or the commitment. The blockers are too inexperienced, the running backs ordinary, the mind-set of “establish the run” nonexistent.

It is not a passing offense. Tagovailoa threw (a lot) fewer balls Sunday than did Pats rookie Mac Jones. It’s as if they don’t quite trust Tagovailoa yet to have the game in his hands. Look at other pass-first attacks around the league, and Miami’s is nothing close.

The lack of a clear idea or identity on offense is why you see things like you did Sunday:

Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett inserted, twice, out of the blue, to run a few plays as a change or pace or surprise.

The dusting off the old Wildcat formation, with a running back taking direct snaps and Tagovailoa set wide as a receiver. This actually worked. From the Wildcat they had two runs for 12 yards and a 3-yard Tagovailoa touchdown throw to Waddle. The Wildcat briefly returned a second time.

The bells and whistles disguise what you don’t believe you can get done without them.

Oh, and why is tight end Mike Gesicki, such a big part of the offense, targeted just twice with zero catches?

“There’s a lot of things we’ve got to clean up offensively,” admitted Tagovailoa, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 202 yards and a TD, and also an interception he meant to throw away but didn’t. He also scored o a short run. “But that was winning football on the defensive side. We’ve got to may more of our offensive opportunities to give them a rest, running the football more.”

The Dolphins and Patriots are in each other’s way as both jockey to oust Buffalo as the AFC East’s new top dog.

It is arms race in that both have young quarterbacks.

It also is a spending race.

In the 2020 offseason Miami spent a then-record $147.2 million on free agents.

In ‘21 New England broke that record by spending $163 million.

ESPN research has shown big spending in free agency generally sees an immediate significant bump — as Miami saw last year in going from 5-11 to 10-6. But that same research indicated there is then usually a falloff. In other words, big free agent spending tends to be a quick fix that is not sustained.

We are just now beginning to see how this all plays out.

It played out rather dramatically to open the ‘21 season.

At a place where Miami historically seldom wins.

A place where the Dolphins found themselves in first place as they celebrated in a full stadium not accustomed to such quiet at home.

Xavien Howard was asked what’s more fun, an interception or a fumble recovery?

“A win,” he said.