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The Miami Dolphins are losing this season. A lot. And badly. But it is a season in which the team is looking to reset the foundation of the franchise, create much needed salary cap space, begin an influx of youth, and set up the team for long term success. But, in the meantime, the Dolphins are doing a lot of losing.
But, it seems the fan base is starting to accept the losses now for the hope that future years will bring a lot more winning. For a team that has been mired in mediocrity for two decades, but is still the fifth-winningest team in league history, winning has the be the ultimate goal. The fan base seems to be coming around on the plan.
As we do every week, today we will take a look at SB Nation’s FanPulse survey results for this week. SB Nation’s FanPulse is a weekly short survey about the NFL, with a question included about the respondent’s confidence in the direction of his favorite team. Obviously, for The Phinsider reader, that favorite team is the Miami Dolphins.
So, how confident are you in the direction of the Dolphins?
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Sign up for FanPulse, our Dolphins fan survey. Let us hear your voice.
After the 2019 season, only 31 percent of the fans responded they were confident in the direction of the team. That increased all the way to 66 percent at free agency, then dipped to 60 percent before the Draft, but rebounded to 69 percent post Draft. Ahead of Preseason Week 1, the survey showed 64 percent of the fans were confident in the direction of the team. Before the regular season started, the confidence was sitting at 58 percent of the fans, then dropped to 34 percent after being destroyed by the Baltimore Ravens. It increased to 41 percent last week, despite the loss to the New England Patriots, as fans started to accept this season and they reacted to the Dolphins trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now, with another lopsided loss, this time to the Dallas Cowboys, the fan base continues to move upward in their confidence level. Heading into Week 4, 49 percent of the fan base says they are confident in the direction of the team.
Will that continue to improve despite losses? Will a win change how the fans feel?