What A Difference A Year Makes

The following article is written by Clint Miller.  Clint is one of our readers and my brother.  These are his observations on a season that defies a simple turnaround.  Scroll down the main page to vote for the Player of the Week!

On September 30^th 2007 I had the opportunity to attend the Miami Dolphins Web Week-end event.  The Dolphins were playing the Oakland Raiders and many people believed the Phins were poised to get their first victory of the 2007 season.  Well, we all know how that turned out.  The Dolphins had a less than disappointing game and Daunte Culpepper rubbed it in with a three touchdown performance.  This past Sunday I was able to attend the Dolphins vs Oakland rematch and witnessed the Phins avenge that loss.  But before I get into that experience let me point out some differences:

                                                  2007                                                       2008

                               Miami                  Oakland                   Miami                        Oakland

First Downs:           13                               21                        20                                  11

Total Yards:           278                            369                       382                               186

Passing:                 137                             70                        160                               116

Rushing:                141                             299                       222                                70

Final Score:            17                               35                         17                                 15

O.k so the final score wasn’t all that impressive but it was a victory and it put the Dolphins at 6-4 for the first time since 2003 (we finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs).  Another big difference between the two games was the area that I watched from. 

In 2007 I was on the field and on Sunday I was in the nose bleed seats. The biggest difference I noticed wasn’t on the field, it was in the stands, and in the parking lot, and every other area where a fan would be.  It seemed the stadium was alive in a sea of aqua and orange.  Everywhere I looked there was a Miami jersey or a Dolphins shirt and on some rare occasions in a tattoo perfectly placed just above the low-cut collar line of a very nice South Florida female fan. 

I know, “it was played at Dolphins stadium what did you expect.”  In 2007 the Raider Nation was out in force.  You couldn’t drink a beer without tripping over one of them.  On Sunday the silver and black were scattered in an unimpressive display of support.  The Dolphins fans were loud and then they got louder with every first down.  When the Raiders were in scoring position the end zones went nuts, screaming and yelling, chanting and standing on their feet.  The place was rockin’ and when the game was over the excitement spilled out onto the concourse, the ramps and the parking lot. 

Like many Dolphin fans I drove the long four hour drive back to Orlando with a scratch in my throat and dreams of a 10-6 season.  What a difference a year makes. Maybe its Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, or Tony Sparano that’s responsible for the new found pride or maybe it’s the renewed energy from the players on the field.  What ever the difference is its exciting to be a Miami Dolphins fan again and I was proud to have witnessed such a show of support with my father a good friend and the thousands of Miami fans that descended upon Dolphins stadium this past Sunday.  GO PHINS!!!!!