First Half Of The Season Leaves Dolphins With Questions

Nov. 04, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin watches pre game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-US PRESSWIRE

It is hard to imagine a loss ever being a good thing. Quite honestly only a win gets you noticed regardless of old cliches. That being said, Sunday’s loss to the Colts wasn’t the end of the world. Everyone in Dolphins nation was starting to get a big head, myself included, but how can you blame a fan base that has been suffering for so long. After a few really good wins the Dolphins came back to earth this past weekend.

Andrew Luck had what can only be described as a career day on Sunday. He set a record that most people thought Ryan Tannehill was going to set a few weeks back. Luck was unstoppable and managed to throw for 433 yards setting the single game record for passing yards by a rookie, and somehow the Dolphins still only lost by a field goal.

It is nice to be able to watch a game where even though the Dolphins are losing they are still within striking distance to eek out a win if possible. This game clearly showed some holes in the team all around that some of us have neglected to acknowledge. Between the lines it also showed a little consistency that was nice to see.

One area where the team still showed some consistency was special teams with another field goal block, Olivier Vernon where have you been hiding!? How did we not see this guy on Hard Knocks? Cameron Wake recorded his 5th sack in as many games. Also not that it is much solace at this point, but early in the game the Colts had a 1st and 10 at the Dolphins 11 and the defense held them to a field goal. Something they have done an excellent job at so far this season.

The running game struggled again compared to earlier this season, which is something that turning around could be detrimental to the Dolphins success. The defense had a hard time most of the game doing anything to disturb Luck (this is pretty evident looking at the stat sheet). Tannehill was fine for this game, and his stats are skewed after having several Dolphins receivers drop passes time after time. The Dolphins offense really needs to get better on 3rd down too because 4-11 will not cut it.

The one thing we will ultimately learn from this game is how do the Dolphins rebound? With the Tennessee Titans coming into Miami do the Dolphins lay down and start to play like most experts had predicted them to after the preseason, or do they regroup, put in a good week of practice, and get back to their winning ways. At 4-4 sitting right behind the New England Patriots this is where you learn what a team is made of. This is our chance to see specifically how Joe Philbin and his coaching staff move forward for the second half of the season.