Miami didn’t beat the New York Jets Sunday night but I found myself impressed with several aspects of the team.

Cameron Wake was a monster on defense, pressuring the quarterback and on one play fighting off a lineman attempting a cut block while maintaining enough balance to still jump up, knock down Mark Sanchez’ pass and almost intercept the deflection.

Brandon Marshall and Chad Henne finally found each other. The duo connected 10 times for 166 yards and almost gave the Dolphins a chance to tie the game at the end. Marshall finally justified the price Miami paid to get him this offseason and it looked to me like those two have a lot to look forward to the rest of the season.

But one thing the Dolphins didn’t do well was execute the so-called Wildcat offense. Every time someone other than Henne took a snap on Sunday night, the Jets appeared ready to stop the run. I don’t remember them gaining more than a yard or two on any run. They lost yards on a couple. And Ronnie Brown, on that fake run, drop back pass, looked like a panicked teenager surrounded by cops after getting busted on a late night beer binge before throwing a pass that landed about 15 yards over the receiver’s head.

The Wildcat was entertaining as a gimmicky offense when the Dolphins were otherwise undermanned. It helped them steal a couple games they shouldn’t have won, including the blowout over New England when Tony Sparano first unveiled the new offense.

But let’s be real. Miami has a strong-armed up-and-coming quarterback in Henne and some real weapons at wide receiver and tight end in Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano. It’s not the strongest group in the league but it’s a good mix of players who have legit skills. They continue to have a solid two-back combo in Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, though the latter has not gotten on track yet.

And they’ve got one of the league’s best left tackles anchoring a line that seems to be sneaky good. Coupled with a defense that appears to be among the league’s better, there is less reason for the Dolphins to mess with the Wildcat, especially as it appears to be losing effectiveness.

During the game Sunday night, there were at least two occasions during which the Dolphins appeared to have some good momentum going. Then Henne went to the sidelines, Brown took some snaps and seconds later it was third and long.

It was entertaining and effective for awhile. But I don’t think the Dolphins need, nor are they better off, taking out their best personnel groupings for a high school-style offense that the league appears to have solved. Miami can now win without this kitten of an offensive strategy.