Normally, when the Dolphin's squander a 14-3 lead in the first half, my afternoon is only going to get worse.
Characteristically, when their punt coverage unit misses a dozen tackles on a 70 yard return for a touchdown, I scream enough profanities to make Andrew Dice Clay's dirtiest hooker blush.
Typically, after a 4th and 2 defensive meltdown with 0:03 seconds left in the game, I throw my Coors Light at the television screen (if not the Texans fans sitting next to me).
Usually, yesterday's astonishing loss would have hit me harder than Kimbo Slice with brass knuckles.
The good news: this season has been anything but normal.
In all honesty, I'm not mad. I'm disappointed and a little stunned, but I'm not angry. I'm not even all that discouraged.
How could any lifelong Dol-fan remain so optimistic after such a seemingly devastating loss? I'm glad you asked. I've compiled five good reasons why you should still be happy about where the Dolphins are at too:
5) They lost to the Houston Texans. They always lose to the Texans. You knew, deep down in your heart-of-hearts, that this wasn't going to be an easy game. The Texans came into this game winless, but they aren't a below average team. You want to win every game... but, if you have to take a loss, isn't it better to be defeated by a winless team? Surely you remember how tangible the dread feels, viscous and black, as it slowly floods your mind each week as you impatiently clamor for your team's first win.
Don't forget, the Texans also have four ex-Fins on their team. You know you secretly wish Morlon Greenwood, Sage Rosenfels, Matt Turk, and Jeff Zgonina all find success (okay, okay, maybe not Matt Turk). If you're from South Florida, you might also be a Hurricanes fan, and watching the dynamic Andre Johnson is always exciting.
4) The Dolphins have a bad secondary, a bad receiving corps, and a disastrous special teams unit*. I know what you're thinking: "Wait a minute, that's not a good thing." You'd be wrong.
Consider the statement's flip side: the Dolphins do not have a bad offensive line, defensive line, running back corps, linebacker corps, or quarterback. Doesn't that make you smile, just a little bit? Last year every one of those units was below average. For a few of them, it was because of injuries; for most of them, it was a lack of quality personnel.
The Three Musketeers (there must be a better nickname for Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, and Tony Sparano out there somewhere... really, this needs to be addressed) did a great job in one off-season at the positions where help was needed most desperately. The Dolphin's offensive line and defensive front seven honestly look pretty good. Joey Porter, Matt Roth, and (to my surprise) Channing Crowder are playing like Pro Bowlers.
3) Going into week seven, the Miami Dolphins are completely healthy. Crowder went down yesterday, but he returned almost immediately. As far as I can tell the Dolphins sustained Zero significant injuries this weekend. After six weeks, everyone on the team is healthy. Let me reiterate: everyone on the team is healthy. That's unheard of in the NFL.
At this point last year, the starting SS (Yeremiah Bell), the starting QB (Trent Green), and the starting RB (Ronnie Brown) were all on the injured reserve list and out for the remainder of the season. An uninjured team is probably just a lucky team, but it sure is nice to finally have a few breaks go the Dolphins way.
Speaking of differences between this year and the last...
2) The Dolphins will not finish 1-15 this season. Barring a retroactive forfeit, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. The Dolphins are 2-3 right now, but their schedule gets easier every week.
Four of their next five games are at home (BAL, BUF, @Den, SEA, OAK); all of them are very winnable. Seattle and Oakland are a combined 2-8 and Baltimore's rookie Joe Flacco is likely to get the "Matt Cassel treatment" from the Dolphin's physical defense. Buffalo won't be easy and Denver's Jay Cutler could very well decimate the Dolphin's secondary, but the team be at least 5-5 after week eleven.
This year's team is healthier, more talented, and considerably better coached than it last year's.
1) The Dolphins are a legitimate 2008 Playoff contender. Really. They are.
I guarantee at least one team from the AFC East will earn a Wildcard berth. The AFC is weaker than ever before. The Colts will fade (yes, I saw Peyton this weekend, but it's an aberration, they're done) and the Ravens will falter. The Jaguars will stick around; the Chargers probably will not (and remember, the Dolphins own the tie-breaker there).
I'm not sure how the AFC East will go down, but I do think all four teams will finish at or above .500. This weekend's loss hurt, but it wasn't a backbreaker. The Dolphins need to win their upcoming home game against Buffalo. I know we're looking ahead, but the Dolphins must win their final regular season game against the Jets. To have a real shot at winning the division the Dolphins have to finish at least 4-2 in the AFC East. The Dolphins still get to play the two worst teams in the AFC West and the three worst teams in the NFC West. 10-6 is not even a stretch at this point.
Are you convinced yet? Perhaps not.
Hopefully you're at least feeling more sanguine after yesterday's meltdown. I know I am.
Honorable mentions: (1) My fantasy team (2-4) finally won this weekend. Maurice Jones-Drew showed his firsts signs of life. Both of those unexpected events make me happy. (2) Ronnie Brown is a bona fide beast. He leads the NFL with seven offensive touchdowns.
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*disastrous special teams unit - It's very possible that special teams coach John Bonamego needs to be fired. I don't know much about Bonamego, except that he held the same job with the Saints and that he was mildly successful with Reggie Bush. Tedd Ginn Jr. is no Reggie Bush. Sadly, he's no Davone Bess either.
Both our coverage and our return units are consistently horrible. Something needs to change. Man, I miss Coach Westhoff.
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