Miami Dolphins Remind Everyone They are a Rebuilding Team

The Miami Dolphins are a rebuilding team. If you did not believe it before yesterday, you should now. This team is talented, but they are not ready to make a run at the playoffs yet. They need a year to learn, to build, and to get ready for the stress and difficulty of November and December football. They will be ready in 2013. They are not ready this year.

Could Miami get hot and make it to the postseason? Of course. Anything is possible, especially in the AFC this season. The Dolphins still have two games against the New England Patriots - if they somehow pull off the upset in both of those games, they could (theoretically) even still win the division. But, it's not likely.

We all got wrapped up in the amazing start the Dolphins had. Sitting at 4-3, in the fifth spot in the playoff picture. Things looked great for the Dolphins this year. Then the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans reminded all of us of exactly where this Dolphins team is.

Which brings us back to that rebuilding word. Before the sky starts falling around all of us, remember what this year was about before the season started. Playoffs weren't a consideration. Even a winning record seemed like a long shot. This year was all about one simple thing - the guy under center.

Ryan Tannehill is the future of the Miami Dolphins. Let me write that again. Ryan Tannehill is the FUTURE of the Miami Dolphins. The future does not mean today; this Dolphins team is built for the future right now. Head coach Joe Philbin and general manager Jeff Ireland are building the team through the draft, and looking to the long term well being of a storied franchise.

Does that mean they aren't trying to win this year? Of course not. But, it does mean we as fans need to remember what this year is about. Ryan Tannehill has to develop. And, it's not going to be a smooth, linear development. Tannehill is going to have days like yesterday. He's going to make mistakes. And, it's fair to be critical of the play in the moment. But, after it's over. Remember, Tannehill is a rookie, and if, even through the stumbles, bad decisions, and horrible games, Tannehill is better at the end of the year than he was in Week 1, this year will be a success.

Does it suck to lose? Of course. Does it really suck to lose in the worst home blowout for the Dolphins franchsie since 1968? Absolutely. Are we going to see more games like this in the future? Probably.

But, there is a silver lining about having a game like this, now. The Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills on Thursday. We are just three days away from having this game cleansed from our palettes. Hopefully the team is ready to move on from yesterday and take it to their AFC East division rivals.