Should Miami Dolphins Fans Be Cheering for Wins or Losses?

What is a sport about? What does an athlete play for? What is a franchise built for?

Winning.

Winning games is what drives fans, athletes, coaches and everyone associated with a team. The NFL and its draft system lends itself to debate every time a team begins a season poorly and is out of the playoff race.

Is the team better off losing games and getting a higher draft position? Should the team give young players a chance to play more prominent roles, regardless of the outcome of a game? 

In the words of the great (?) Herm Edwards, "You play to win the game." There is no other way a true fan can look at the Miami Dolphins this season or any other for that matter.

This is especially true now, after having won two games and essentially taking themselves out of the running for the top overall pick in April's Draft.

First of all, there are players on this team that are talented.  Vontae Davis, when healthy, can be elite. So can Karlos Dansby, Cameron Wake, Yeremiah Bell, Brandon Marshall and Jake Long. 

This 2011 Miami Dolphins team is not nearly as flawed or devoid of talent as some of the other bottom dwellers in the league. They lost four games in which they led in the fourth quarter, and beat two teams who have won seven games this season.

Do the Dolphins need an answer at quarterback? Absolutely. Anyone who doesn't think that just hasn't been watching football for over a decade. But, having said that, it doesn't mean the answer is Andrew Luck. 

Tanking the season will lead to drastic player overhaul (which, talent-wise, may not be needed). It will lead to drafting a quarterback in the Top 3 picks, which could be a reach, and it will also lead to immediately starting a rookie quarterback in 2012, essentially foregoing that season as well.

Cam Newton has been awesome, and the Panthers are 2-7. Andy Dalton has been awesome, and the Bengals are a loss this week at Baltimore away from being essentially out of the race. Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars are 3-6. 

If Andrew Luck can't play well against an average Pac-12 defense (Oregon) at home, what makes anyone believe he can play well consistently against an average NFL defense?

I'm not knocking Luck, I just cannot fathom how he is considered arguably the greatest prospect of all-time.

The argument for losing games is Mr. Luck. How many top draft picks have fizzled out? Just as many as the amount of great quarterbacks that have been found late in drafts. Dan Marino saw five quarterbacks selected before him in 1983. How did that turn out for Miami? 

The Dolphins can remain respectable while still drafting smartly, because the great franchises manage to do that.

With four games still remaining in the division, a sold out home game against the so-called 'Dream Team' Eagles (who have only one more win than Miami), and a nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Cowboys, the Dolphins still have a chance to make a huge statement this season. 

Wins make much bigger statements than losses.