Miami Dolphins Did Not Quit

There have been times in the past where the Miami Dolphins players walked off the field at half-time and were dejected. I have seen it up close and first hand from the field level at the tunnel. They didn’t speak, they didn’t look up, they had no drive and when the 2nd half started they took the field in the same manner in which they left it. The results were the same as well.

That was not the case on Sunday when the Dolphins sprinted off the field down by 10 to the New England Patriots after turning the ball over three times in the first half. That was not the case when they ran back on the field to start the second half with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady staring at them from across the field. That was not the case when they came out and dominated the second half of football.

It’s hard to tell exactly what happened or who happened as we all were a little shocked in quarter three. You know as well as I do that the everyone held their collective breath waiting for it to fall apart as it had so many times before. This time it didn’t. The Dolphins were relentless on both sides of the ball.

The offensive line didn’t simply play well they manhandled one of the NFL’s better defenses. They gashed them in the running game and gave Ryan Tannehill time. The defense wasn’t going to be shown up as they put so much pressure on Tom Brady that Brady was out of rhythm the entire second half. They took away his tight-ends, his receivers, and when they weren’t knocking him to the ground they were forcing him to stay in a collapsing pocket and throw the ball too early. Of course that couldn’t be accomplished without a great game from the second level defenders.

The linebackers were back-ups. All three forced to play all day due to injuries and each of the showed up. Each of them did their job and did it well. Un-drafted rookie Chris McCain, Jelani Jenkins, Jason Trusnik, and Jonathan Freeney. All the while the cornerbacks held the Patriot wide-outs in check all day. Brent Grimes was Brent Grimes, Louis Delmas stood out and led from the deep secondary, Will Davis and Jamar Taylor saw action, and Cortland Finnegan was around the ball all game.

In other words, it was a complete team effort.

Still, something was said in that locker room at halftime. They didn’t simply go in and come out and continue their game plan.  No there was something else. They came out and played possessed and determined. They played like they were winners and in the end they were.

The Dolphins have a long season ahead of them but they took one huge step forward and they eliminated one potential tie-breaker agains the team everyone expects to win the division. The Patriots can not sweep the Dolphins in 2014.