Dolphins Could Still Lose More

Long before the final seconds ticked away in Sunday’s game the Miami Dolphins were losers.  They lost their hold on 2nd place in the AFC East, they lost control of a game, lost their emotion, drive, and their poise.  They lost their dignity, and then their composure.  After all was said and done, they lost the game.  Now, all eyes are focused on Miami today to see if this team is done losing or if they will lose some more from this weekend. 

Media and fans alike will be hitting refresh throughout the day awaiting word from WR Greg Camarillo who suffered a knee injury late in the game following a Chad Pennington interception.  Camarillo signed a 3 year 6 million dollar deal earlier this week and now may be lost for the season.  

Camarillo is denying that his injury is that serious, but the Dolphins heard the same thing from RG Donald Thomas a day before he was placed on IR.  That of course makes you wonder about the seasons future for standout rookie LT Jake Long.  

Long suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury in Sunday’s game, was whisked off to the locker-room, taped and then returned.  He said during post game interviews that he wil be fine and will not miss any time…again, so did Thomas.

The loss of one or both would be devastating to the healthiest team in the NFL.  Forget a loss to NE, losing one of these two would hurt the team more.  The Dolphins sit at 6-5 and had you told a Phins fan that was possible in August, they would have laughed and yelled “We’ll take it”.  Now, 6-5 and a loss to the Patriots is nothing more than a bitter pill that we are all being forced to swallow.  

Simply we expected more.  The Dolphins are pissed.  They feel embarrassed and angry.  They should be.  They no longer accept losing as o.k. and they no longer play the “great effort out there boys” card anymore.  This team wants to win, this team now believes they can.  So do their fans.

This is not the same Dolphins team that has taken the field in the last 5 years, maybe longer.  It’s gritty, hard hitting and has developed an attitude and as their attitude has evolved, so has that of the fans who support them.  Losing is no longer acceptable and “at least it was a good game” only means you lost at the end of it.

The loss doesn’t take the Phins out of the playoffs although last nights Indy vs. San Diego game didn’t help matters much.  The Colts found a way to win and now the Phins must play the “we need them to lose” game.  Time to stop rooting for who you like and against those you don’t.  Now it’s time to start looking at scenarios, head to head wins and losses, and conference records.

For the Dolphins, it starts this Sunday with the Rams and then the Bills and then the 49ers and then the….you get the point.  One game at a time, control what you can and hope someone else helps you along the way.

For now though, the playoffs and the rest of the season will take a back seat until there is word out of Miami about Camarillo and Jake Long.