Miami Dolphins and their fans should embrace the rebuild

I’m just going to say it, I’m all aboard the Miami Dolphins’ rebuild plan.  As a fan, tanking, I mean rebuilding, is tough, but in this case I think it has to be done.  

Every week I sit in front of my TV here in Maine and watch my beloved Miami Dolphins compete on the gridiron.  It’s one of my favorite things to do. But over the past 10 to 15 years it’s been hard. Every season I think of the famous phrase from Alexander Pope’s Poem, An Essay on Man, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.”  As a proverb it translates to, “it’s human nature always to find fresh cause for optimism.”

Isn’t that the life of a Dolphins fan?  Whether it’s a new coach or a fancy new free agent optimism always seems to be the Dolphins’ fan mantra.  But this year is different. The entire feel of what’s happening in Miami feels like a changing of the tides.  It’s not a secret around the National Football League that by and large your team is only as good as your quarterback.  Have a middling quarterback and you will most likely have a middling team. This is the hamster wheel the Miami Dolphins franchise has been on.

The Dolphins have finally decided to break this cycle and try to land that elusive franchise quarterback and to do that it requires some drastic measures.  Some of which have been very unpopular. But some of the moves that have been made and the path the Phins are taking is starting to change some minds. Not only has the Dolphin twitter community seemed to have calmed down, but there are also changes among those on the outside.

Living in the heart of Patriot country, our team (and the Jets) are always the butt of the joke.  Recently though I’ve noticed a change. Understandably biased local sports talk radio has begun to see Miami’s plan coming into focus, and believe it or not it’s changing minds.  They are starting to see the resources the Dolphins have acquired both in the draft and in the salary cap. They also see the gradual but consistent improvement the Dolphins have shown over the course of the first four weeks of the season.  And dare I say it, have actually shown some respect toward the Dolphins and their rebuild blueprint. But, let me be clear, I couldn’t care less about what other teams fans think of what the Dolphins are doing. I only care about the results.

So whether you are in favor of the tank (rebuild) or not, at least embrace the fact that the Miami Dolphins are not sticking to the business as usual concept.  Continue to support the team, embrace the opportunities younger guys are getting and be pleased with the growth the team shows no matter how big or small. In the end, I believe it will all be worth it.