For the Miami Dolphins 2019 success comes from more that W’s
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins begin their 2019 season on Sunday and the expectations for losing are through the roof. Winning however won’t measure success.
In the NFL or for that matter any sport, a team’s success is measured by the number of wins they put in that column. More W’s than L’s and it’s a win. For the Miami Dolphins, 2019 is not about the W’s.
We need to be realistic. The Dolphins are not going to win a bunch of games this year and that is o.k. They may not “win” the first overall pick in 2020’s NFL Draft and that too is, in reality, o.k. as well. For this team, the measurement of success will come from different viewpoints.
A .500 season
If the Dolphins were to reach .500 this season it is a certainty that Brian Flores should be considered a candidate for coach of the year honors. There is little talent on the surface of this team. If Miami wins eight games, they will have played very well and far above expectations. While that won’t win many fans over, the future would look good considering they will have maximized the talent they have.
First overall pick
For most fans, getting the first overall pick or even a top three draft pick would be a successful season. Miami wants, or is rumored to want, a shot at the big QB in the 2020 draft. Tua Tagovailoa or maybe Justin Herbert or one of the other top prospects. Or maybe they simply wait it out until 2021 for a shot at Trevor Lawerence and parlay a top two or three pick into more picks.
Miami has uncertainty with Josh Rosen and we have to believe at some point this season he will take over the reigns as the teams leader and signal caller. They need to play him. He has to show what he has or doesn’t have. The Dolphins need to know this as well.
If the Dolphins finish near the top of the draft order, fans will consider this a successful “tank” season.
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Reality
The real success of this season won’t come with an 8-8 record or a top draft pick. Success will come with the identification of players that this team can build around and with. With so much youth on the roster, finding players that will develop as the season progresses is imperative. On the offensive line, there are a lot of question marks but if Miami can find two quality starters by the seasons end, they will give Miami two less needs heading into next year.
The same can be said at QB, WR, TE, and every position on the defensive side of the ball. This season is as much about player evaluation as it is about getting winning check marks in a column.
This is a rebuilding season and we all know that, come to terms with that, expect that. What happens next is up to the coaches who are tasked with ‘teaching’. These coaches can’t accept tanking and they need to rely on teaching the systems to the players. If the players don’t get it, they will be gone, if they do, the team will be better for it.
Wins and losses determine the overall impression of a football team but in Miami’s case it is about getting better for the long game. The Dolphins are hoping they have the right staff in place to make that an eventual success. If it works, the Dolphins will be a better football team sooner rather than later and while the draft will provide talent, identifying the talent that is here now, this year, is just as important as waiting for the drafts in front of them.
If the Dolphins can do that, if they can evaluate the talent on this team, this year, and can find four or six guys that can take a big step forward, the season will be a successful one.