The Dolphins are winning the crowd, Mr. Ross
In the big screen classic, “Field of Dreams”, an Iowa farmer finds his place in baseball lore when he builds something most others believed was a random schizophrenic episode. In the end the crazy farmer who saw images of grandeur became the porthole provider to a world far beyond our imagination. Enter the The Miami Dolphins, who are giving their fans a glimpse of “What used to be and can be again”, as James Earl Jones so eloquently said in the aforementioned movie.
In fact, The Miami Dolphins have nearly done the impossible. The team has re-energized their fan base with a “Foot on your throat” attitude and are “winning the crowd” as Coach Tony Sparano spoke of before the season began. Winning the crowd isn’t necessarily the byproduct of four wins, but rather the style of football being played, one that models confidence and spirit. The Dolphins have been mostly a confused and impudent offensive football team for over a decade. Except for brief moments of serviceable play from guys like Jay Fiedler and Chad Pennington, quarterback play has been thrust above all else as the criptonite of the franchises attempt at relevance. I’ll say it now, The Miami Dolphins have found their quarterback of the future in Matt Moore and he’s still only 26 years old.
In Matt Moore, the Dolphins now have a quarterback with a Marinoesque like competitive spirit and have found a coach that has been able to rally the troops. Not since # 13 dawned the Aqua n’ Orange in South Beach have the Dolphins had a quarterback that has both long term upside of greatness along with the ability to win now. In fact, taking it a step further I believe the Dolphins may have one of the better long term quarterback situations in the league because I’m one to believe that rookie quarterback Pat Devlin is a future NFL starting caliber quarterback.
The Dolphins 2011 Draft was exceptional. The front office stayed the course and drafted the best available players, while letting the big board determine their focus. Jeff Ireland found impact blue chip players in Mike Pouncey, Daniel Thomas, Clyde Gates, and Charles “Big Play” Clay. To Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross, I would urge you to follow the advice of Eleanor Roosevelt when she proclaimed, “Every time you meet a situation you think at the time it is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it, you find that forever after you are freer than you were before.”
Mr. Ross, keep Tony Sparano! He is coaching with freedom and has risen from the depths and learned from these challenges. Lets reap the rewards of this learning curve and not hire another “past his prime” media darling coach that will halt our focus and momentum going into the 2012 season. It’s my guarantee that status quo will lead the Miami Dolphins relevance again and the fans will walk back to the orange carpet. The crowd has been won!