EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- When Ray Lucas packed his bags for Miami after the 2000 season, he dreamed of returning to East Rutherford as a starting quarterback to face his old team.

That dream came true Sunday night. But his nightmare since becoming the Dolphins' starter three weeks ago continued in Miami's 13-10 loss to the Jets.

"What's to be proud about after losing a game?" said a despondent Lucas afterward. "It sucks. This whole thing sucks."

	Lucas

Lucas loved playing for the Jets. He grew up nearby in New Jersey. He played his college ball at Rutgers. And he was 6-3 as a starter for the Jets in 1999. He couldn't wait for this homecoming.

But after the game, silently packing his suitcase at his locker, all Lucas wanted to do was leave. "Keep it short, all right?" he pleaded to the Dolphins media official. Yet he answered all of the reporters' questions, even offering them some of his tobacco dip despite his obvious disappointment. "What isn't disappointing right now?" Lucas said. "We've lost three freaking straight games."

Lucas has started all three, taking over for the injured Jay Fiedler. When Fiedler went down, the Dolphins were 5-1, on top of arguably the toughest division in the NFL. Now, the AFC East is a dogfight -- Miami shares the lead with New England and Buffalo at 5-4, with the Jets just a game behind.

Lucas' first two starts were extremely ugly. He completed less than half his passes and threw six interceptions in defeats against the Bills and Packers. His numbers against the Jets were better: 19-for-28, with a touchdown. He did throw one interception – but it was called back due to a penalty.

But another miscue cost his team dearly. Deep in his own territory in the first quarter, Lucas fumbled an exchange with running back Robert Edwards. The Jets recovered, and Curtis Martin scored the Jets' only touchdown on the very next play. "That can't happen," said Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt. "I don't know if he had a mental lapse or what."

	“	I'm going to do whatever it takes this week. If I got to be a cheerleader, I'm gonna be a cheerleader. If I've got to shut my mouth, I'll shut my mouth. If I have to watch more film, I'll watch more film. We have to stop this right now. ”
		— Ray Lucas, Dolphins quarterback

Lucas bounced back in the second quarter, throwing what appeared to be a game-tying touchdown pass to Chris Chambers. That prompted Lucas to pump his fists fiercely, screaming away all his frustration. But the catch was overruled on replay, forcing the Dolphins to settle for a field goal. When he completed a touchdown pass to Rob Konrad in the second half, Lucas displayed much less emotion.

Despite Lucas' success in '99, the Jets chose Chad Pennington with a first-round draft choice in 2000, signaling who their quarterback of the future would be. Lucas felt they made the wrong choice. But in this game, Pennington engineered an 84-yard fourth-quarter scoring drive. And when Lucas got his chance to answer back, with 2:10 remaining from the Dolphins' 34-yard line, he simply did not deliver.

Fiedler is no Dan Marino -- who looked just as dejected as the rest of the Dolphins in the locker room after the game -- but this team clearly misses him. For now, Lucas remains the man, and he remains confident in himself.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes this week," said Lucas. "If I got to be a cheerleader, I'm gonna be a cheerleader. If I've got to shut my mouth, I'll shut my mouth. If I have to watch more film, I'll watch more film. We have to stop this right now."

Or they won't need to pack for the playoffs.

Kieran Darcy covers the NFL for ESPN The Magazine.