Miami Dolphins Continue Taking Strides Toward Major Offseason Changes

If things could get any worse for the Miami Dolphins, they got worse on Sunday in an NFL matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

It feels like I say that every week now, but the Dolphins are no longer just taking steps toward major offseason changes. They're now taking strides. And one could argue those strides are more like leaps and bounds.

Following Miami's 18-12 loss to the Colts at SunLife Stadium on Sunday, the Dolphins fell to 5-10 on the season and earned their first double-digit-loss season since 2011—also the final year of the Tony Sparano era.

Sunday's game got off to an all-too-familiar start when quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked for a safety. That's the fourth safety against the Dolphins this season. It continued in all-too-familar fashion when three Dolphins defenders all had a chance to tackle Colts running back Frank Gore, and all three failed to do so.

Once again, the Dolphins couldn't stop an opponent from running roughshod all over them, with 100 rushing yards on 23 carries (4.3 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns. Colts quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst combined to go 17-of-29 passing for 168 yards. It was far from a dominant performance through the air but good enough to keep the Colts on schedule.

Once again, the Dolphins offensive line couldn't stop an opponent from pounding Tannehill into submission. Thie fourth-year quarterback took six sacks and seven hits. Given the volume of hits he's taken over the past few seasons, it's a surprise he hasn't started to feel the ill effects of those hits sooner.

But those rushing stats, those hits on Tannehill, those are just symptoms of a much bigger, more grim diagnosis: a losing culture.

Over the past few years, the Dolphins have fought their way through those hardships and into mediocrity. This year, they haven't been so fortunate. The Dolphins are succumbing to that losing culture, which has engulfed the franchise for seven straight years. The only way to change that culture is to start all over.

Good luck getting Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to push that reset button.

He's had his finger over the switch so many times, but he has instead chosen to take half-measures, hoping that one or two key moves can put the team over the hump. It's resulted in years of mediocrity—followed by this year, which is way worse than mediocre.

It's a matter of speculation that interim head coach Dan Campbell is on his way out. General manager Dennis Hickey could also be on his way out. But will the Dolphins get rid of Mike Tannenbaum, the executive vice president of football operations? Will they start fresh on defense, where they've underachieved for the past two years and have ranked among the five worst defenses in the league?

They certainly won't get rid of Tannehill, who is under contract for 2016 and can't be moved. They won't get rid of Ndamukong Suh, either. He also carries a hefty, guaranteed-contract figure for next season.

There are some measures the Dolphins can take, but they can't take all of the measures they need. Rebuilding takes time. Unfortunately, Ross has shown that he's an impatient owner, and it will probably be awhile before they can make all the necessary changes to build the team from the ground up.