United They Stand, Divided We Fall

The Miami Dolphins are standing in their locker room in Davie, united together.  Not an offense and defense unit, but a team unit.  They call themselves family, they say things like “we couldn’t wait to get back here“, in regards to their time off with the bye week.  If the Dolphins players stand united, then divided the fans are falling.

Don’t you just want to slap the crap out of the guy that is disagreeing with you in the discussion forums?  Well, I am sure that he is wanting to reach through the cable line and wring your neck as well.  Put them in a room together and someone is going to throw down.  Hell, someone might even get killed.

But not so in Miami.  Not so in Davie.  Not so in the training center.  That is what the Dolphins are calling home.  LJ Shelton said that he is back with family.  Calling the locker room a home.  The players poke fun at each other, they play domino’s, they are relaxed.  But make no mistake, they want to win.

Players are saying that at home, their real home, that it is different.  They say that family and spouses ask what is wrong, how do you feel, what is going on, basic questions to why they are 0-8.  At the training center, it is just them.  They know where they are at, and ask them who is to blame and the defense will point to itself, the offense will point to itself, the coaches will point to themselves.  Ask them and they will tell you it’s a team effort and a team responsibility.  They are tired of losing.  They are tired of being tired.  They have reached the point where winning will now mean little more than self respect.  They are relaxed.  That is a good thing.

When a team stops feeling they have to win, they take that pressure off and allow themselves the feeling of wanting to win to take over.  That is when they will become better and show improvement.

The fans may not wait that long, they have not waited that long as it is.  A win will not get the wagon jumpers to jump back on but another loss will get more fans to jump off.   The fans are going to stay divided until there is something or someone new to rally around together.

If after the season Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller are replaced, the yells of “I told you so” will be heard everywhere from that side of the fence.  If they stay, there will be groans.  If they succeed, the attitudes will change, but their decisions will still be debated if for no other reason to allow themselves the feeling that they were still right.  It’s called self justification.  And, regardless of what side of the fence you are on, everyone does it.

Whether you think your right now or someone else is wrong is not important.  It is what this team becomes under this coach and GM or under the next one if they are gone.  For the good of this team, everyone should be hoping that these guys are right, regardless of what you think.

However, in order to find out the answer as to who is right, well…that starts in that locker room.  They are the only ones who actually play the game.