Keys to the Dolphins’ 2016 success
With OTAs concluded and mini-camps and training camp on the horizon, the regular season is rapidly approaching. Dolphins’ fans are hoping for a more successful 2016 campaign, and there are several keys to turning that hope into reality.
Each season begins with new hope, but, unfortunately, the last few seasons have ended in disappointment. For the Dolphins to return to the playoffs in 2016 and maintain a level of success going forward, several things must happen.
Win divisional games. The Dolphins know their opponents for at least six games every single year, their divisional rivals: the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. While the Dolphins have seemed to hold their own against the consistently successful Patriots, the same cannot be said for the Dolphins against the less consistent Bills or Jets. Last year, in fact, the Dolphins were just 1-5 in their divisional games, with the sole win coming against the Patriots in the Dolphins’ final game of the season. This trend cannot continue if the Dolphins are to return to their winning ways.
Playing at a consistently high level. Too often in recent seasons, the Dolphins have played up to or down to the level of their competition. While those games demonstrate that the Dolphins have the physical talent to compete, the results also demonstrate that they lacked the mental strength and/or coaching to be successful. The Dolphins must dominate their inferior opponents in a manner similar to the way they did against Houston last year, and they must be prepared to compete with the teams at or above their level.
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Playing with more physical toughness. As set forth in a previous post (https://phinphanatic.com/2016/04/20/dolphins-need-tougher-players-2016/), this does not mean that the current roster lacks any such players. Think once again about Jarvis Landry against the Houston Texans in 2015, where he caught a 13-yard sideline pass, turned, avoided a defender, juked another, broke two tackles, ran all the way across the field, juked another defender at the 5, and extended the ball while being tackled, resulting in a touchdown. During this offseason, Landry said that he does not want any limits and will do whatever the coaches want him to, including running the ball, throwing a pass, or even being on the offensive line. This type of attitude and toughness need to permeate throughout the entire 2016 roster.
A great home field advantage. Although articles have been published recently arguing that NFL football is better watched on television than in person (see, e.g., http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-tv-live-sports-spt-0511-20160510-story.html), such articles miss a key component of a team’s success. Seattle has gone to great lengths to make their fans a part of their team’s on-field advantage, and the Dolphins will fully experience that Seattle home field advantage during the first regular season game of the season. Similarly, there is little dispute that the Orange Bowl was a great environment and advantage for the Dolphins’ teams that played there, a prime example being the December 2, 1985 game against the Chicago Bears that preserved the Dolphins’ record 1972 undefeated season. The Dolphins are in the process of undertaking a significant stadium renovation that should make a huge difference for the fan experience, and hopefully for the team as well. To aid the Dolphins in coming through on the other three keys to success, the fans owe it to the team to follow through on the fourth.