Miami Dolphins: Bad Record, Good Team

Or, "Final Playoff Call for Mr. Sparano."

Yeah, I said it. What do you want to make of it? I’m saying it. The Dolphins have a good team, right now, just the way they are.

There are, obviously, certain areas where the Dolphins need to step it up. Of this, I have no doubt. But through all the prognostication, I offer you the simple fact that this team is not far off. Can they step it up? Can the team gel? Will we ever be able to say the team name and the term “have put it all together” in the same sentence? This remains to be seen, and time is running out.

This week, they play the Chargers, who are no pushovers and will, of course, be favored. The Dolphins could play well and lose again, and the season will slip away again, 0-3, 0-4, and counting. Anyone remember 2007?

So, why do I make the statement I do? Is it ridiculous, unrealistic optimism? Hope against hope of a magic miracle turning point of aqua and orange resonance? Perhaps, but that’s not my modus operandi.

The Dolphin legacy has done an about face. Perhaps having so much success in those early years has planted a seed of bad karma for future years. The years, the decades of so-very-good-but-not-the-best, year after year has created a teaser for the fan faithful. Back in those days, EVERY year was a reasonable year to say “this is our year again,” but it did not happen. Oh that’s right, throw in a stud quarterback who appears BRED to win championships, a quarterback who would have , could have, should have…

But DID NOT.

Now THAT’S frustration. Now THAT’S pressure. Pressure is only good to a certain extent. The right amount creates a hard work ethic and intensity on the field. Too much, and a team can crack, and winning (take a look at our home record lately?) becomes like trying to find the Holy Grail.

Turnovers become like that too (how many interceptions have we dropped the last two seasons?), Game winning drives become elusive. Why, I would say under this pressure, a quarterback might even go 0 for 4 on his final four pass attempts and fail to win a game, after completing 80% of his passes all day (that’s what happened last week).

And the cancer can spread. The team and fans start to expect to lose. They don’t see things. They don’t see Clyde Gates getting pushed illegally out of bounds (pass interference) while a-slightly-off-but-still-CATCHABLE ball is caught out of bounds. Did I miss something? Someone, please watch the last Dolphin series on offense and tell me why that is not pass interference and WHY THIS WASN’T ARGUED!

Tell me, please, that losing isn’t bred in. That it isn’t part of our DNA, and that it is possible to turn things around. It is you know, possible to turn it around, if we believe we can. This may sound far-fetched, but I would like to see the team that DID turn it around without believing they could first.

Can Sparano be the guy who can do it? I don’t know. I have my doubts. I am particularly concerned about a quote I read from Ricky Williams following an appearance on Sid Rosenberg's radio show (h/t Palm Beach Post):

"Tony goes through a lot of effort to show us the things it takes to win football games. Not turning the ball over, converting third downs, scoring in the red zone. He spends a lot of time saying, ‘If you do these things, you win.’ And sometimes I feel personally that he does a little bit too much. My personal opinion is if you have the right attitude that you guys are going to win, then all that other stuff takes care of itself."

Yes, I can imagine the feedback I will get echoing a comment by Williams, but I do believe, in this instance, the man was correct.

Where does that leave us? I will tell you: I am trying to create a “reverse cancer” here on anything reminiscent of a losing mentality, because I think this team is good, very good.

I see an improving quarterback who can make all the throws, a stud first-year running back, and another who is dangerous with the ball in space. I see some very good receivers. I see a line that, on paper at least, is NOT supposed to be a weakness (both on offense and defense).

The Dolphins defense had much better positioning in the secondary last week. I know it was just Cleveland, but the coverages looked much more sound. Miami was beaten, primarily, on two great passes where the coverages were good and an excellent pass was needed to penetrate the defense.

But there is fight in this team, and talent. I believe, if the team can tweak their mindset a bit in pressure situations, then they can still win, but they must do it with confidence, not desperation (despair rations).

Does anybody remember confidence? I do. Does anybody remember the old uniforms I wrote about with “Go Back To The Throwback.” It’s not just about the old helmets!