5 things Dolphins fans should be thankful for
By Brian Miller
With Thanksgiving finally here it’s time to look at five things that Miami Dolphins should be thankful for.
It’s Thanksgiving today, so Happy Thanksgiving! As we give thanks for what really matters in our lives we can have a little fun with what doesn’t really matter. As fans of a football team, we live and breathe everything that is Dolphins football but at the end of the day, we are still just rabid fans with families that come first.
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That doesn’t mean we can’t still be thankful for what the Dolphins have given us. Right? Right! So let’s have a little fun.
Number 5
Joe Philbin
We are not thankful for Joe Philbin but we are thankful that he is gone. After three years, four off-seasons, four games, and a ton of picked up gum wrappers and retied shoes, the Dolphins will enter the 2016 off-season getting a redo on their coaching search of four years ago. Thanks to Joe Philbin the Dolphins are still irrelevant and will likely have a high draft pick in 2016.
Number 4
Playoffs
How can you not be thankful for the Dolphins to have tanked so well this season that you won’t have to get a refill on your blood pressure medication? Seriously no end of the season, fingers crossed, praying to the Gods, for one win out of three remaining games only to be left heartbroken and shattered when Miami plays a horrible team and loses in the final week. O.k. so this year it’s New England who isn’t very horrible but you get the idea. It’s late November and there are still six games left to be played. And you can simply watch them with no worries of a heart attack!
Number 3
Dallas Thomas
Thanks to Dallas Thomas the Dolphins will once again have to waste a high draft pick on an offensive lineman. Thomas’ inability to play consistent and his ability to show he can play during training camp when it doesn’t count has kept him around for two too many years. Thomas is a human turnstyle but in doing so shows exactly the kind of gentleman he is. Often holding the door open for even the most feminine and whimpy defensive lineman in the league. Class!
Number 2
Jason Fox
Another offensive lineman makes our list. Fox isn’t a gentleman, in fact he is one of those touchy feely kind of guys. Instead of holding the door open, he holds it open and then grabs ahold of those passing through. Often giving them big hugs before letting them go. Sometimes he doesn’t let go. So why are we thankful? Simply because without Fox, we would really get an idea of just how bad Dallas Thomas is.
Number 1
Cheerleaders
Seven teams in the NFL don’t have cheerleaders. Most of those teams are tanking like the Dolphins and are left with watching other fans. In Miami we not only have cheerleaders but some of the hottest ones in the NFL. In addition, Miami has some of the most beautiful fans in the NFL as well so with four games remaining at home this season and the Dolphins likely playing for nothing, we have cheerleaders to watch and girls in bikinis at a football game! What can possibly be better than that?
O.k. so on to the real top five!
Number 5
Stephen Ross
Say what you will about Ross. Yes he bumbles and stumbles his way through things and often comes across as the dorky little kid on Christmas morning that wants to play all the video games at one time but you won’t find another owner in the NFL who is willing to put up the money and still stay the hell out of the operations. Ross has no problem spending to the salary cap and while he shows his face around the teams offices he really relies on his management team. If there is a fault to Ross it’s the fact he is exceptionally loyal to his staff. Still, if you sit back and really look around the league, Ross is not really Miami’s biggest problem, he is a better than average owner who is still finding his way. What he needs to do however is stop treating this team like any other business, it’s not. It’s different and loyalty and friendships won’t win you championships. Be thankful we don’t have Dan Snyder.
Number 4
Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill isn’t as popular today as he was entering the 2015 season. Some of that is one him some is on the line. A lot is on Bill Lazor. Tannehill has improved on his deep ball and is finally making fans believe that the Dolphins might actually find a deep passing game. For the most part, Tannehill makes good decisions but he has a lot of growing to do. Specifically in the pocket where his awareness is almost non-existent. Tannehill may not be the ace in the hole comeback quarterback but he can be a leader. We won’t know what Tannehill can do or if what we are seeing him do now is all we will get. We need a new OC and a far better offensive line. If that doesn’t help him, we can move him to the list above. For now we should be thankful that we have a steady quarterback who is one seriously tough S.O.B.
Number 3
Reshad Jones
Is there a better safety in the NFL today? Probably not. Maybe one other who will get more accolades but when it comes to making every decision count, Reshad Jones is the best. Jones is stellar in run suppport, stellar on the blitz, and great in coverage. He is an all around fantastic safety who the Dolphins are very lucky to have. In the 5th round of the 2010 draft, Jeff Ireland, or Bill Parcells take your pick, took Jones. He is by far the best player the duo drafted in their time with the Dolphins. The best part, and what we really need to be thankful for, is Jones has only been in the league for six seasons. He has a lot of very good football left in him.
Number 2
Dan Campbell
No this is not a copout. The truth is that while Campbell may not be ready for a full time head coaching gig, he has proven that this team has some talent that is worth keeping and furthermore, coachable. Campbell is coaching players that he otherwise wouldn’t have drafted or signed. Players that are not as physical as he would like. For Campbell it was an uphill climb and while he got half way up, he is still only half way up. What Campbell proved is that the Dolphins, with good coaching, could win and compete. The Dolphins are coming up short but they are playing much better than they were in the first four weeks and that’s because of how Campbell preps the team. Imagine a more experienced head coach taking over. Whether Campbell stays or goes at seasons end one thing remains likely, the roster will have quite a few new faces next season.
Number 1
The Miami Freaking Dolphins
Imagine what it would be like to be a Patriots fan. Your team cheats and you have managed to convince yourself that it’s not true. You buy into the Bill Belchick hardline approach of everyone is against us. You are so blinded by faith and winning that you can’t see the truth. When “bully-gate” happened, fans didn’t protect or hide behind the team. They recognized a problem and moved on. Now imagine being a Jets fan. Miami fans know heartache and they know what losing feels like. Now imagine that over the course of 50 years instead of 15…or is it 20 now? My point is that wether the Dolphins are winners or losers they are still the Miami Dolphins. A class organization with great fans and a great rich history with no asterisks next to their seasons.
You are a Miami Dolphins fan, is there anything better than that? Yes, I know, winning.