Dear Dolphins Fans: Progress Is Not Easy

Sep 9, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) is pressured by Houston Texans linebacker Connor Barwin (98) at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Dolphins 30-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

So, today was not the grand coronation of the savior of the Dolphins franchise some fans were hoping for. To put it bluntly, rookie QB Ryan Tannehill looked like just that, a rookie. The Dolphins were massive underdogs going into their contest against the Houston Texans and they were beaten soundly. I have to admit, I was a little baffled by the reaction of many dolphins fans during today’s game.

Many fans in the livechat we hosted here on PhinPhanatic.com expressed serious frustration with the way the team played today. Thats fair, we Dolphins fans have suffered through a lot of bad years in recent seasons. I am frustrated too. I want to see nothing but success for my favorite sports franchise. But to the fans who were cursing first year coach Joe Philbin, condemning Ryan Tannehill as nothing more than Chad Henne 2.0, and proclaiming this season as a hopeless waste of time, I have one question. What were you expecting?

Today the Dolphins didn’t lose to a group of scrubs. The Texans might just be the best team in the AFC. Yes, there were some very painful moments in today’s game, but consider them growing pains. The Texans have had their share of those over the past decade, it took them time, but now they are ready to make their run at a championship.

The Phins have been building and building… and building, but have yet to put together a team that can consistently win football games, let alone become a serious contender. The  Dolphins’ model hasn’t worked yet. Dolphins ownership have been treating the franchise a bit like an etch a sketch, building for a few years then giving up and starting all over. Well, now we have a new slate. Many fans don’t want to realize this, but it is true: this is year one of a building process that is going to take time. The new foundation is being laid, but we may not know if it will work for while.

Just looking at the numbers from this mornings game only reveals a portion of what today was for the Dolphins. Yes there were three picks thrown by Ryan Tannehill, but they were only partially his fault. Yes, the team got blown out, but the defense played pretty well. All in all its the first step, its progress. You hope your rookie QB can learn, shake it off and get better. You hope your new head coach can correct the flaws that  the Texans exposed. You hope your GM knows what the missing pieces are and how to address them. But at the end of the day we won’t know if this regime will succeed or not for some time. All we can do is watch, temper our expectations and wait. With any luck they won’t have to shake the etch a sketch again.

Phins Up.