Miami Dolphins: The Wait is Almost Over

The countdown began as early as March. Everyone from the “experts” to your friend Gus who lives on your couch and hasn’t paid rent in two months, has weighed in on what direction the Miami Dolphins should take in order to get this team into the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Now that all of the noisome noise of the offseason is behind us, we can now assemble our thoughts and focus on what’s at hand in the next coming weeks: training camp. The great musician Tom Petty put it best: “waiting is the hardest part.” Those lyrics reign true in a number of life’s tribulations, particularly to the average football fan impatiently waiting for the start of the NFL season to finally get underway.

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Now, we might not exactly have any hair left to pull out of our heads, bottom lip to nibble on, or knuckles left to crack, but we do have football—and all of that pain we anxiously put ourselves through this offseason was worth it. Ok wait, calm down, we still have a few “short” weeks left of this agony to endure—but it’s almost here.

This year feels a bit different than years past. It seems as if the Dolphins—after years of crawling around on their hands and knees, meticulously scouring for draftees, free agents, and cleaning up the contracts of players who either underperformed on the field or put a financial strain on the teams “books” —have recovered several puzzle pieces carelessly strewn about in seasons past.

We, as Dolphins fans, have good reason to remain optimistic—regardless of what the naysayers believe or say. Yes, the Dolphins still have a number of wrinkles to straighten and holes left to be filled. And yes, we understand—and are well aware of the crumbling that unfolded before our eyes over the past two seasons. It’s hard not to forget. But, this roster does show promise—much more than in years past—and we should feel pretty good about our chances, right?

This isn’t the same old Dolphins fan that has remained persistent the last few years. These aren’t the same fans that continue to be blinded by their fandom, such as the compulsory 11-5 prediction you so often hear at any sports bar in South Florida. No, this is a new fan that actually has reasons to be thrilled about this teams direction and potential.

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Besides the fact that the Dolphins roster seems to be better than what was flung onto the field last year, there’s also some other tidbits that could work in the Dolphins favor this upcoming season. Their hated arch-nemesis, the New England Patriots, who have been the biggest, most annoying thorn in the side of the entire AFC East will look to continue to be as dominant as what we’ve unfortunately grown accustom to. However, the Patriots look to be on the decline and it seems as if Tom Brady—suspension or not—is at the end of his hall of fame career. And unless the Patriots find another way to bend the rulebook—to the point of ripping it up and laughing in the face of their opposition—we can only hope that their time is coming to an end.

The Bills, the only other team in the division besides the Patriots to display a winning record last year, still don’t have the one and only position that truly matters: quarterback. And although the Bills have loads of talent and have been a migraine for the Dolphins during the Joe Philbin era—treating Ryan Tannehill as their own personal tackling dummy along the way—they still have an inept offensive head coach, who once again has no quarterback to work with.

To put an end to the rest of the division, we have the Jets. And that’s it—nothing more to say, really. Well, wait; they do have a pretty darn good defense that can scare the living daylights out of you. But like the Bills, they currently don’t possess a proven quarterback on their roster. Accompany that with the recent four-game suspension that was handed down by the NFL to their standout defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson for violating the leagues substance abuse policy, and the Dolphins could very well use this to their advantage. Indeed, the team is fortunate enough to play the Jets during the last game of Richardson’s suspension.

So, are you excited yet? I am. I’m looking forward to the challenges that face this team this upcoming season. Look, this team has talent; anyone with eyes can see that. If this team’s coaching can match the talent that they put on the field, this year can be a success. What exactly is success for this team? Is it a perfect 19-0 season with Ryan Tannehill hoisting the Lombardi Trophy over his head at the end of the year? No? Ok, I’ll settle for the playoffs—but nothing short of that!