5 Reasons for the Dolphins' Turnaround

It's tough to find bright spots for an 3-8 football team. The Dolphins may be one of the rare cases of a team which can actually have something to feel good about after an 0-7 start to the season.

Yes, the Dolphins lost on Thursday to Dallas. But they accomplished several things. They looked like a highly competitive, somewhat talented football team. They played a one-point game and led in the fourth quarter in a tough environment on a huge national stage. And they continued to build offensive confidence, even without scoring a touchdown in the red zone. 

If it sounds like I'm big on moral victories, I'm not. Those are facts. Here are the top reasons the Dolphins have made a huge turnaround the past four games of this season. 

Using Reggie Bush Effectively

Reggie Bush struggled in the early part of the season. The Dolphins' prized free-agent acquisition did nothing to instill confidence that he could be an every-down running back, or that the Dolphins' running game could even use him as a change of pace. 

All of a sudden, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and head coach Tony Sparano are designing more tosses and cutback plays for Bush, who has scored twice on off-tackle sweeps. They are also finding a way to get him more involved in the passing game, with wheel routes against linebackers working to perfection. 

Bush's yards-per-carry is up around the 4.5-yard mark, which is very solid for an NFL back, especially after how low it was before this Dolphins turnaround. 

Defense Is Forcing Turnovers

Ah, the power of the turnover. During the past four games, the Dolphins' defense has stepped up and created six turnovers and blocked a punt for a touchdown. Vontae Davis is healthy and playing excellent football, and Karlos Dansby (albeit a stretch to call him the best linebacker in football) is flying around the field and hitting opponents with a ferocity Dolfans have not seen in a long time.

Aside from the turnovers, the run defense has been solid all year, ranking seventh in yards allowed. The corner play has been inconsistent, but they have been making big plays as of late. 

Matt Moore

Matt Moore is playing outstanding football. Take that sentence, store it in the archives, because it may not have been said ever before. All joking aside, Moore is making excellent reads, he is finding two of his key targets in Anthony Fasano and Brandon Marshall and he is using quick drops to counteract an offensive line that has been shaky. 

Although he has not had a chance to lead a game-winning drive, and he couldn't get the Dolphins to score a touchdown inside the red zone Thursday, his play has been very consistent the last four weeks, and he gave the Dolphins a lead late in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys that the defense and special teams failed to hold.

Confidence

Confidence is an underestimated part of this game. The Dolphins seemingly had none of it during their 0-7 start, which included blowing late lead after late lead. This Dolphins team is visibly confident. They're making big plays, the sideline is jumping after big hits, the deep balls have been working well with Hartline and Marshall stretching the field and coach Sparano has done a heck of a job in keeping this locker room together. 

Despite the loss on Thursday, the team should feel confident in how well they played on the road against a good team. And with two games coming up at home, the Fins have to realize building a home-field advantage after going a year between home wins is the next step in becoming a better football team. 

Level of Competition

As Dolphins fans, and as objective reporters, it is important to realize the Chiefs, Redskins and Bills are all playing horrible football right now. Let's not take away from the fact the Dolphins outplayed those teams in every facet of the game, but most NFL teams would have done the same. The Dolphins could have made a statement with a road win at Dallas, but providing a very good showing on a national stage on Thanksgiving afternoon is a step in the right direction.

The schedule doesn't give the Fins too many more teams playing poorly, but all in all, the Raiders, Eagles and Jets have extremely average records. As I wrote in a previous column, sports are played to win and with the possibility of finishing 7-9 or 8-8 still realistic, why not strive for a great finish to the season?