Miami Dolphins Fans: Do You Believe?

One. That was the number last season.

One. The number of wins the Miami Dolphins had last season.

One. The number of plays that determined the outcome of the win.

One. One man hired to change the world around for the Dolphins.

Enter Bill Parcells, the Dolphins’ Vice President of Football Operations as of last year. The man who has changed many a franchises from the slums of the NFL to contenders. The first decision made, bring in people you trust.

Exit Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller; enter Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland. The “Trifecta” in full effect, ready to take on the challenge of a 1-15 football team coming off a personal low.

How do you change such a thing? In Bill Parcells’ case, it’s easy. That is because this season, the Dolphins have surprised everyone, running their way to a 6-4 record and right into the thick of a tough playoff race. The “Trifecta” has stepped up to the challenge and are succeeding with great results.

After a crazy offseason, which brought Jake Long, Phillip Merling, Kendall Langford, Chad Henne, and Chad Pennington, the Dolphins have gained back the respect from the league. Starting the season off with two key losses, Miami came back huge against the New England Patriots.

The downfall of the Patriots in that game came in the form of one Ronnie Brown, and the hugely popular trend known as the Wildcat formation. That week, Brown used the formation to perfection, putting up five touchdowns. The kicker: one of them was a 19-yard passing touchdown to Anthony Fasano.

Eight weeks later, and the Phins are in the thick of the playoff race, just one game behind the Jets for the AFC East Division lead and Ronnie Brown has ran for nine touchdowns. The most interesting point to this, was that just a year ago, Brown had torn an ACL, an injury that has ended many careers.

However, Brown has persevered and worked hard to come back and help Miami to a winning record over halfway through the season.

Another main reason for the success for the team is the defense, mainly, Joey Porter. In 10 games this season, Porter has accumulated 13.5 sacks. That is a career high for the veteran, who is now back in a system he is familiar with, a pure 3-4.

Porter has taken on the tackles he’s faced with near absolute ease, completely beating them with his speed and strength.

However, Porter isn’t the only one stepping up for the defense. Time to give credit to what was once considered the biggest weakness on the team, the secondary. They’ve been playing lights out recently, and have completely changed the perspective of them being the weakness of the team.

The biggest weakness on this team has got to be the special teams. Too many times has this unit given up good field position and it’s come back to haunt the team late in the game. Despite pulling off those close games, the special teams unit has almost lost those for the team. This has to change before they can become serious contenders in the league.

There are a few things the team can improve on, and chances are Bill Parcells will look to the draft to help. To not only continue the rebuilding, but to also add to the chemistry and success of the current team. Here are some players the Phins may look at in the draft on the defensive side of the ball.

Terrence Cody, NT, Alabama
Sen’Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn
Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas
Greg Hardy, DE/OLB, Ole Miss
George Selvie, DE/OLB, South Florida
Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State
Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
Macho Harris, CB, Virginia Tech

These are all guys that can have a huge impact on the defense from day one. Where Parcells drafts, nobody knows, but one thing is for sure; Parcells means business, and that business is a winning tradition back in Miami.

Do you believe?

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