"Jake Long was flattened into a 317-pound pancake by defensive end and human spatula John Abraham.

It was a rare moment of vulnerability for the Dolphins' star left tackle, already one of the NFL's premier bodyguards at age 24.

But Long's utter helplessness on the play typified that of his team in a 19-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday's season opener. It was a debut that induced cringes instead of confidence.

The Dolphins were picked to lose inside the echo chamber known as the Georgia Dome, but not in such an incompetent way, not after the heartening turnaround of last season, not with the reliable Chad Pennington at quarterback.

The problem was, Pennington got harassed all afternoon. He was sacked four times. He fumbled the ball and threw an interception to account for half the Dolphins' turnovers (Anthony Fasano had the other two).

Pennington is like a calculator. He doesn't make mistakes unless someone stomps on his buttons. In this case it was Falcon defenders, twisting, slaloming and bulldozing through Long's offensive line.

Long's problems were at the root of the Dolphins' failure. Dealing with the fleet Abraham, he looked like a guy chasing Usain Bolt. He didn't react fast enough or adjust cleverly enough. Neither he, his teammates nor his coaches were proactive once it was clear the Falcons were in a rhythm and the Dolphins weren't.

The loss should prove to be only a mild regression for last season's comeback story of the year, the transformation from 1-15 laughingstock to 11-5 AFC East champion. There's no reason to get cynical about the Dolphins after one game. They've got the toughest schedule in the NFL looming, but those 11 victories were not an illusion.

The defense, stoked by the return of Jason Taylor, played with efficient vigor, holding the league's No. 2 rushing attack to 68 yards and Michael Turner to zero touchdowns. Tony Gonzalez looked as good as ever, especially when he left Yeremiah Bell grasping his shadow, but he and his fellow receivers and Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan faced tightening pressure as the game went on. Nine of the 19 points scored by the Falcons were byproducts of Dolphin turnovers.

`STAY COMMITTED'

``Stay committed,'' coach Tony Sparano said when asked about his postgame message to the team. ``Our mettle was tested. I thought we fought real hard but we didn't do smart things. That's one of the things this football team prides itself on, and I don't think a person in that locker room right now would tell you anything different.''"