National impression of the Miami Dolphins is changing
By Brian Miller
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the NFL talking heads in the media were criticizing the Miami Dolphins at every turn. That is changing.
Two weeks ago on Monday Night Football, Steve Young blasted the Miami Dolphins because well, Steve Young thinks his opinion matters. it doesn’t. Still, his comments about the team really were nothing new.
The Dolphins have been criticized by every media outlet for their desire to “tank” and lose games this season to secure the top pick in next year’s draft. Every trade was made fun of and even some called for the league to investigate. The Dolphins, however, have maintained they are not tanking and now, that national criticism is starting to change.
Miami won last week, their first of the year. It wasn’t last week’s game that turned the tune of the media, it was how they have been playing. Take it game to game and it may not seem like much effort but look at how the team has improved weekly from the first week of the season. Watch how they compete from the first quarter to the second and into the third and now into the fourth.
This isn’t a team that is tanking. This is a team that is getting better each week. A team comprised of players that may not be in the NFL or at the very least another team’s practice squad. With the win, last Sunday the Dolphins gave a proverbial middle finger to those talking heads and clearly said, “we are not here to lose”.
Miami has a long way to go before they are relevant, years maybe, but they are fighting and they are clawing their way through games. On SiriusXM’s NFL channel the show “The Opening Drive” with Bob Papas and Charlie Weis today talked about the Dolphins and both hosts were impressed with the fight this team is showing consistently.
Miami isn’t done either. They want more wins. They have the Jacoby Brissett Colts this week without Brissett. They have the Jets again, the Giants, the Browns, the Bills who they almost beat three weeks ago, and they have the Bengals.
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Miami isn’t built to win a lot of games but with the way they are starting to play and the way the other teams are playing now, is it unrealistic to think that Miami could beat the Browns, Jets, Giants, and Bengals? Is it unrealistic to think they could steal a game from the Bills or Colts?
What would you think if the Dolphins managed to win five of the remaining eight games? No one wants a 6-10 record but what does that say about the coaching job this team has done? What does it say about this team’s grit and determination?
Yes, we all know that winning will mean losing a legit shot at Tua Tagovailoa or Chase Young or another top quarterback and yes it would be so Miami to play this bad only to win out the season and finish in the middle of the pack.
This team, however, has been disrespected from the start of the year and now, maybe, they are starting to show that they are not some team to be walked over. The players believe in themselves and the system is proving that it might just work. Then you have to imagine what this team will be like when the talent is far better than what they have now. Can’t wait to hear the talking heads when that tune changes.
Right now, today, it’s not about winning football games and the Dolphins may try but they still are not very good. Maybe though this will finally put an end to the horsecrap commentary that has continued to dog the Dolphins since before the season started. Maybe.