Save the retrospection for a later date - there's work to be done
by Matty I on Dec 24, 2008 12:15 AM EST
in News
38 comments
Last year, right around this same time, the Miami Dolphins had one win. They also had just made a critical new addition to their front office - V.P. of Football Operations, Bill Parcells.
That was one year ago. And it's amazing to think about where this Miami Dolphins team has come back from in just one year. But, please, let's save the "Disney-esque" look back at this season's memories for the future. Now is not the time.
Yes - I appreciate everything this team has done. Yes - I am astonished, to be honest, at this turnaround. And like I said earlier, this has been one of the most - if not the most - enjoyable football seasons of my life.
But with that said, there's still work to be done. And I'm not ready for this amazing, improbable season to end. I doubt any of you are, either.
I'm sure some of you will tell me that I've forgotten the original expectations for this team back in August; that I'm being greedy. And to that I'd respond by saying "you're damn right I'm being greedy." I want this win on Sunday. I need this win on Sunday. And without this win on Sunday, I will be angry, disappointed, and heart-broken.
I'm not saying that I would consider this season a failure or a disappointment if the Fins lost. But there will be plenty of time to look back at this season with fond memories. Right now, I'm focused on just one thing: winning a division title.
When I think about Sunday's game and about why I want this win so damn badly, I can't help but think about the past. I think about the 2000 season - the last time the Dolphins won the division. That year, the Dolphins sat at 10-3 and had two home games in a row. I was thinking home-field advantage throughout the playoffs - or at the very least, a first-round bye. Instead, the Dolphins lost to the Bucs by 3 and the Colts by 7. They ended the year 11-5 and knocked off the Colts in the first round in that epic OT thriller in Miami - the one where Lamar Smith was unstoppable - before getting embarrassed in Oakland the following week.
I think back to 2001 - the last time Miami reached the playoffs. That year, the Dolphins ended the season 11-5, which would have been good enough for a first-round bye - if only the Dolphins didn't lose to the Patriots 3 days before Christmas, giving NE a matching record and the advantage in the tie-break. The Dolphins would go on to get crushed by Baltimore in the first round. The Pats, thanks in part to their bye, would end up winning their first Super Bowl to close that season.
I think back to 2002 - when the Dolphins finished in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East. The Fins, Jets, and Pats all had 9-7 records. But it were the Jets who won the division thanks to the tie-breakers. The Dolphins, of course, were left out of the playoffs. And let's not forget that all Miami had to do to win the division was to knock off either Vikings in week 16 (who ended the season 6-10) or the Patriots in week 17. The Dolphins lost both games by 3 points.
But most of all, I think back to 2003. That year, of course, was the year that the Dolphins went 10-6 and failed to reach playoffs - being 1 of only 3 teams since the NFL went to a 12-team playoff field in 1992 to win 10 games and not make the playoffs. That year also saw the Dolphins lose a heart-breaking, one-point game to the Texans. If the Dolphins would have won that game, they are 11-5 and in the playoffs.
The irony here, of course, is that the Dolphins could potentially end up 10-6 and miss the playoffs this season. Oh - and the Dolphins also lost a heart-breaking, one-point game to the Texans this year.
So, please, don't go all "Disney" on me and tell me about how great of a season this has been. I'm well aware of it. But I still want one more win. Yes, I'm greedy - and you should be, too.
As fans of the Miami Dolphins, we deserve to be greedy this one time!
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It'll happen
The Jets are playing like garbage right now. We’re playing better than they are in pretty much every single category. Now it’s the Patsies turn to have an above .500 season and get left out. Let them see what it’s like
by SDefee on Dec 24, 2008 12:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
right on Matty, was thinking the same thing all day
how many times have the Jets and their magnificent bs luck cost us a season? not the time to drop our guard, quite the contrary… right now nothing exists except 1 game on sunday…i remember that patriots victory in foxboro all too well…..we actually went up 24-13 in the 4th quarter, i was sure we had won the game at that point…Brady found a way though… and then the Jets beat the hell outta green bay in NY to crush us, as a win by GB would have had us in the playoffs in spite of the loss… personally, i intend to save the serious partying until february, guys… as for now, i’m holding the color green before my eyes and chanting ‘ptr, ptr, ptr…’
"I'm not near as deep and complicated as people think" ~Mike Tyson~
by Krab on Dec 24, 2008 12:32 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hell Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets go Dolphins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Win and your in!!!!!!!
by Brown42000 on Dec 24, 2008 12:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
TMQ
has mentioned the disparity again in the current playoff setup in this weeks column. Good read.
C'mon over to Shady's world, MiamiDolphins.co.uk
by ShadyMDUK on Dec 24, 2008 12:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I was at the final game in Foxboro in 2000.
It was my first and only Dolphins game in person. It was Christmas Eve and freezing. It was odd because at the end of the game, Bledsoe fumbled and we recovered, ending the game. In the car ride home my dad turns on the radio to find that the officials had reversed the fumble call, instead deciding that it was an incomplete pass. So they dragged all the players (some with no pads and in their towels) back onto the field to “finish” the game. I believe NE brought out Blaine Bishop or Rohan Davey to throw a hail mary because Bledsoe apparently couldn’t get it done. Fortunately, nothing came out of the play and we won the game. Greatest football experience of my life and certainly one I will never forget!
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
by Daniel52 on Dec 24, 2008 12:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Nice Matty
very inspiring. Wish I knew this was coming before I wrote my Dolphins vs Jets column lol.
But I’m in complete agreement, this season is a terrific story, and we will all look back fondly on the accomplishments of this team, but it will feel incomplete without this win Sunday. Beating the Jets and winning the division gives this fairy tale a happy ending. So of course we should be greedy, this team has proven themselves to be better than we all expected, and we should be proud of that. But this team has also proven they can win the pressure packed games, and there isn’t a more pressure packed game than this one in 5 short days. If the Phins are “just happy to be here” like some fans no doubtedly are (nobody here, don’t worry) then they will lose. But they have shown a hunger and desire this season that I’ve never seen out of an entire Dolphins team in my life.
They will win Sunday. I can feeel it.
"Are we doing this? Is this happening"
by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 24, 2008 12:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Barrel One
Great reading Matty, Once kick off starts, its going to be an intense, fun 3-4 hours. I’m going to cheer and yell, and enjoy every second. I’m going to enjoy it more, when the Dolphins take the Victory formation one last time in the regular season.
Merry Christmas to all , and to the Jets GOODNIGHT!
by HuskerDolphin on Dec 24, 2008 1:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
woooooooooooohooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
by Matty I on Dec 24, 2008 1:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Perfect gift for you. They say its the thought that counts....so heres what I think you'll like
Merry Christmas Matty, and enjoy the extra hour!
Merry Christmas to all , and to the Jets GOODNIGHT!
by HuskerDolphin on Dec 24, 2008 9:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
haha
nooooooooooooooooooo
I can’t wait any longer!!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
by Matty I on Dec 24, 2008 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
it doesn't start working until Jan 1, so you're fine until then
Merry Christmas to all , and to the Jets GOODNIGHT!
by HuskerDolphin on Dec 24, 2008 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
lol
I’m heading over to read your column now.
Oh – and can you really “feel it”? Because I’m as nervous as ever and really don’t know what to expect.
by Matty I on Dec 24, 2008 1:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
oh I can feel it
we’re winning this game. I can honestly say I’m not even nervous, just incredibly excited. Maybe that’s the same thing, I don’t know. But I recognize this feeling. I’ve had this feeling before, when I just knew my team would be leaving the next game with a victory. The first time I had this feeling, before such a big game, was my youth league Super Bowl back in 2001. Similar situation. We had lost to a team earlier in the year, they were a juggernaut, undefeated, unscored on. Kicked our ass 28-0. But we were so focused and so intent on winning that game, all week I knew it was gonna happen. All day of the game, I knew we were getting that trophy. Opening kickoff, they fumble, we recover, and the feeling I had all week stuck with me until the end of the game, when we won going away 27-13. I’ve got that feeling now too. This Dolphins team just will not lose. They refuse.
"Are we doing this? Is this happening"
by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 24, 2008 2:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's not being greedy
It’s very reasonable to expect this Dolphins team to win against the Jets. Every game for the past month has been deemed a virtual ‘playoff’ game, and every game the Dolphins have taken care of business. We all know the Fins have the ability to win, and they have showed it 8 of the last 9 weeks. Meanwhile, the Jets are playing their worst football of the year, losing 3 of 4, and are questioning their golden boy Brett’s ‘cannon’ arm.
It’s not greedy at all to expect a win. We SHOULD be expecting it, and after this season, DESERVE to expect it.
by DolPhanDave on Dec 24, 2008 2:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
well said
DolPhanDave do you feeel it??
"Are we doing this? Is this happening"
by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 24, 2008 2:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
oh i feel it
i’ve run out of words…let’s get this game over with so we can kick Baltimore’s ass already.
by DolPhanDave on Dec 24, 2008 2:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yessir!!
Dolphins Nation is flying high right now!
"Are we doing this? Is this happening?"
by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 24, 2008 2:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
feels amazing, doesn't it??
And just imagine what the future holds. We have a lot to look forward to with this franchise, and after the last few years, i think we will gain a greater appreciation for it all.
Its great to be a MIAMI DOL-FAN!
by DolPhanDave on Dec 24, 2008 2:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
you said it all
It’s 220am, and I can’t sleep. And it’s not the head cold, or this crappy movie I have on right now.. it’s pure adrenaline in anticipation of Sunday.. And it’s only friggin Wednesday!!
"Are we doing this? Is this happening?"
by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 24, 2008 2:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
About "we will gain a greater appreciation for it all".
I’m already APPRECIATING ALL THIS.
This is all about us, that is why Matty I might feel greedy, but in reality we are taking what is rightfully OURS!
THIS YEAR THE AFC EAST IS A DOLPHINS DIVISION!
I will see the Dolphins win a SUPER BOWL before i die(21 years and counting)
by Aleta on Dec 24, 2008 7:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
matty
yup the retrospective was nice – except i have to say that 2001 team was a talented team with a terrible coach, that IIRC had a couple serious injuries at the end of the season that allowed some match up issues (both DT were out … bowens and chester?? for the bmore game?)
were as, i get the feeling that this is just an average NFL team (talent wise it is) that is WELL coached and has played a VERY favorable schedule agains some weak teams, most of whom have been playing with out their best player. This has been the season of the irish…
All that said, the jets are a team with some serious talent, although they haven’t really been playing like it lately, so sunday will have to be the first upset of a more talented team that the phins will have to accomplish in order to continue to advance in the playoffs, because even if they beat the jets they are likely the 5th (at best) team in the afc playoffs and likely will be moderate to large underdogs in every game from here on out.
by W NY Fins Fan on Dec 24, 2008 3:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you that this season has broken the right way for the Fins.
With injuries to our team and to the opposing teams, we have been fairly lucky. But i will disagree on two things. One, the weak teams we played have played us tougher than their records. And two, these Dolphins have continued to play better and better ball throughout the year. Yes, they are well coached, but they are also improving rapidly. At this point, i would not count them out of any game.
-LCFF
by LeftCoastFinFan on Dec 24, 2008 4:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
dude, are you on any medication?
why you gotta shit in peoples corn flakes….my you gotta piss in my cherrios? Schedule my blackass…the Jets and their “oh so talented” team went 0-4 in the AFC West….0-4 on the West coast….lost to most of the teams we beat….and are 1 bonehead Bills move from being 8-7 and TOTALY irrelevant al together. You must be a Yankees fan huh? Did you like it when my upstart Marlins went all the way and bitch slapped numerous “favorties?”
you calling this a upset? we have a better record…..8 of 9 win streak….they are falling apart…..we will find ways to win this game like we always do…and make sure u come back around to say “ok i admit it…im a giants fan” when we celebrate all over the jets field Sunday around 723pm
in our 1st game …with 43 new players…..a qb 3 weeks into being a phin….we lost on the last play vs the jets….and if not for a brett favre popfly miracle we would have beat them even in a newbie state.
I seriously love this favorable schedule shit….we beat the Chargers, Broncos, and Patriots…we took care of the bad teams…ARZ packed it in weeks ago of the Pats woulda lost that game as well…..
for ur info we will be the 3rd seed if we win Sunday…making us the 3rd best team..no matter what ur negaitve nancy self says. too bad uve never been to a Phins playoof game….favorite…underdog…kiss my ass…vegas had us at 5 wins this year.
u seriously are the Cam Cameron of posters in here…why dont u change ur sig to “fail forward”
"CP10 doesnt sleep....he waits"
by Rzayo24 on Dec 24, 2008 4:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Rzayo24! What can i say?
OH YEAH!! I will put my ASS TOo SO THAT THeY CAN KISS OUR ASSES!!
What efffing type of a fan are this guys. What the efff is wrong with them?
Schedule? Last time i check, we beat the Seahawk, and people told us that they SUCK, them they beat the propellers & all of the sudden, the Seahawk are great?
The Dolphins are doing what they are supposses to do, and that is win efffing game.
I have been saying this all year round MARK MY WORDS " WE ARE GOING TO BEAT THE propellers and ARE GOING DEEP INTO THE PLAYOFF!
Ps For those IDIOT saying that we go it easy, well, you can J-e-t-s my dick!
I will see the Dolphins win a SUPER BOWL before i die(21 years and counting)
by Aleta on Dec 24, 2008 7:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure I understand the "Disney" thing
IMO, one of the most important aspects to the Dolphins right now in approaching this game is how far they have come through the course of this season. They have settled the secondary, and (mostly) the O-line, they have found chemistry among the offense and trust among the defense. Special Teams are playing like… well, like Special Teams, not Special Olympics. They have grown together as a team, and are playing their best football of the season RIGHT NOW. And they have proven to themselves and all the nay sayers that they can go into a cold weather venue and win. Don’t under state the huge importance of this one. This has been a huge stigma for this team, and getting past it will give them the confidence they need going into the Meadowlands.
To see how far this team has come, you have to compare today with where they were at the beginning of the season. It is exactly this development among all aspects of the team that puts them in the position to actually beat the Jets this Sunday.
If that is what you are talking about by going “all Disney”, then I just don’t get your point. If you are saying that people are giving up on the season as “already over and a success”, and talking about what a great year it has been “past tense”, I have missed that. The feeling I get is that just about everyone fully expects us to beat the stinkin’ jets and move on.
I am proud of how far my Fins have come from the beginning of the year to now. Good teams play their best ball at the end of the season. And that is exactly what they are doing.
-LCFF
by LeftCoastFinFan on Dec 24, 2008 4:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Nice say Matty.
“Being Miami Dolphins fans we deserve to be greedy this one time!”
Gotta love that. But us as Phin fans have gone through the harshest of times. Not to mention 07’. Were going sorta emoitianal here but anyway. 1-15 (sorry if that made you die) to 11-5. Wow. That word describes the season. Wow. 1-15 to 11-5.
Wow.
Phins are Awesome. Period.
by Phinsguy99 on Dec 24, 2008 10:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Another great article Matty
GO DOLPHINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"The dolphin is one of the fastest and smartest creatures of the sea. Dolphins can attack and kill a shark or whale. Sailors say bad luck will come to anyone who harms one of them." - Joe Robbie, Oct 8, 1965 upon announcing the name of the new AFL Miami football team.
****Keeper of the Phinsider Comment Goo-ing Plasma Cannon****
by Mosul_DolFan on Dec 24, 2008 11:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
ESPN Picks Jets
Just got through watching one of the guys on ESPN pick the JETS because of Favre’s experience and home field advantage.
The way to beat a bully is to hit him in the mouth. I hope Miami plays physical and shocks them early. There have been far too many JETS wins in the last years and this is the first time that Miami really looks like they have no reason to lose if they play well.
I believe the commentators are underestimating the fire burning in the Fins.
TH
by oceantracks on Dec 24, 2008 11:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
that's cool! Let em pick the friggin jets.
every time they pick against us, we win.
-LCFF
by LeftCoastFinFan on Dec 24, 2008 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
there is a time in which a person has to step up
a time when if the deed is not done, there is devastation
a time when one man can make a difference
believe in the code:
Pennington
Longest Sig In the History of Phinsider belongs to Me. 53 Lines in Total.
by finsxfactor on Dec 24, 2008 11:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
i thought you were going to say "beck"
:)
-LCFF
by LeftCoastFinFan on Dec 24, 2008 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
this is me and nicky...then rz shows up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cNDSPutas8
Longest Sig In the History of Phinsider belongs to Me. 53 Lines in Total.
by finsxfactor on Dec 24, 2008 2:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Mosul_DolFan
your parents live in the Orlando area?
by fansince70 on Dec 24, 2008 4:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yup
"The dolphin is one of the fastest and smartest creatures of the sea. Dolphins can attack and kill a shark or whale. Sailors say bad luck will come to anyone who harms one of them." - Joe Robbie, Oct 8, 1965 upon announcing the name of the new AFL Miami football team.
****Keeper of the Phinsider Comment Goo-ing Plasma Cannon****
by Mosul_DolFan on Dec 25, 2008 8:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m a die hard dolfan and I now live in ct and I am so sick of the jet fans that I need a win on sunday badly.I know we are going to finally get that when that always seems to elude us. go dolphins
by dolfan64 on Dec 25, 2008 10:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
damn right!
They will find a way and get the job done!
by Matty I on Dec 25, 2008 11:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It always amazes me how many Dolphin fans there are spread out across this country. I mean even here in Iowa surrounded by Bear, Viking and the occasional packer fan who is willing to admit it. I am always running into a Dolphin fan and invariably we get down to how in the world did you end up a phin fan here in the middle of nowhere. And what comes out of these conversations is extremely interesting stuff. Someone should put these stories down on paper. I really believe Miami Is Americas team not the goat ropers. maybe we could call them Miami Dolphins from sea to shining sea or something like that. lol
by iowaphinatic on Dec 27, 2008 5:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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