No Morning Comfort

It was way too early this morning when the alarm went off to take the soon to be 5 year old to school. No light was shining through the windows or even the outside trees. Just blackness. I let him sleep for another 15 minutes or so and stumbled downstairs to the coffee pot that held the now burnt black mud left over from the wife’s early rise for work. A shower, three cups of oil and still, the morning sunrise brought no relief or comfort. The Dolphins loss was still bitter.

If some schmo like myself awoke to the bitterness of horrid loss, I can only imagine the late night film session that Tony Sparano put in last night at the training center. I can only imagine what Yeremiah Bell thought as the 4th and long pass slid through his hands and continued the Texans hopes on the final drive as Mr. 178 yards Andre Johnson hauled the floater in.

The Miami Dolphins will search for answers and the fans will want relief from yet another last second loss to the Houston Texans. 76. The number just sits like that black coffee. Unsettling, uneasy, and oh so bitter.

The game is a reminder that this team has a way to go before they are legitimate contenders for a wild-card let alone a division crown. The Phins slip to 2-3 which is enough to get some fans jumping mad and screaming about another horrible season when in reality the team is right in the middle of the pack.

In the AFC, the Dolphins are 10th. Below them at 11 is the next opponent, the Baltimore Ravens and above them the San Diego Chargers who they beat last weekend. The Chargers are 3-3 and the Jaguars are 3-3 neither team has had their bye week yet. Above them, the Jets, Colts, and Patriots…all at 3-2. One game above Miami.

That makes a fan feel both relieved and irritated. Relieved because it shows that the Phins are not out of this by any means. Literally one game out of being around the 5 to 7 range. The downside to this reality is that it magnifies the cost of a loss like the one this team suffered yesterday. 76 yards.

Some will view this is a warning sign that the team is simply over hyped. Others will view this simply as just another of those weird things that happens in the NFL. Still others, such as myself, will view this loss as a barometer for the attitude of this team. A half-full, half-empty kind of thing. On one hand, it could be a good loss in the sense that it may bring this team back to reality after two huge wins against playoff teams, no need for eating the cheese now. On the other hand, it is a bad loss that could curtail the faith of a young team. Against Baltimore this Sunday, the Phins will show what this game meant to them. A good loss or a harsh reality.

Regardless of how this game forces the Dolphins to play in the coming weekend or weekends, the one thing that is for certain, is there is no comfort this morning and that won’t change until the season plays itself out. All eyes will be locked on the Houston Texans if the Phins miss something by one game. Well, maybe not one game, but at least 76 yards.