Dolphins' special teams coach gets the gate

Can't say we're completely shocked by this one, but the Dolphins decided to fire special teams coordinator John Bonamego after a disastrous performance in last night's 41-14 loss to the Patriots in Miami.

Special teams meltdowns led to 21 Patriots points. Two blocked kicks led to touchdowns, and the Patriots returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown.

Assistant special teams coach Darren Rizzi will replace Bonamego, head coach Tony Sparano announced today. Bonamego had been with Sparano since he became head coach in 2008.

"It's a hard decisoin to make," Sparano said. "I know how hard this guy works. Nobody works harder than him at what he does."

The Pats trailed 7-6 when Brandon Tate returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown. Pat Chung later blocked a punt to set up another touchdown, and blocked a field goal that Kyle Arrington returned 35 yards for a touchdown to give New England a 34-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

It was Miami's most lopsided loss since their 1-15 season in 2007.