Perfect72
It's Only Happened ONCE!
Not my story. Just posting. I know many will say the only way the Dolphins go to the playoffs in 2016 is via multiple airplane crashes for most of the other NFL teams or something of the sort. BUT, if the Dolphins DID go to the playoffs, what would be the LEGITMATE reasons/happenings to cause it? 
Many of us have tempered expectations for this year, and that's absolutely fair. If we do happen to shock the world, how do we pull it off?
Look, at my core, I'm a fighter. My mind is telling me to take the high road for the Miami Dolphins in 2016, and drift down the "scholarly road" to fandom, seeing myself as beyond the emotionally-driven psychopaths that feast on an exclusive diet of wins. I tell myself, "this is a big year to evaluate Ryan Tannehill and the future of our QB position" or "it's a great opportunity to see which young guys develop" or "we have a new coach and, finally, we're going to see some progress". I also know myself well enough to know that after I have 3 beers before the game starts, I'm going to be foaming at the mouth for a delicious win and nothing will quench my thirst other than beer and a win. I can't resolve my jadedness with my quest for NFL domination.
Instead of fighting my aquaism, I decided to come up with a most fantastic "what if" game. What if the 2016 Miami Dolphins make the Playoffs? How do we do it? Here are the 3 most-likely-to-be-proven-absurd possibilities for the Miami Dolphins to make it click and play beyond Week 17 for the first time since 2008:
#1: We win the turnover battle
Is it ironic that 2008 was the last time we were in the top 13 in turnover margin? (We happened to be #1: +17). Being #1 in the league in turnover margin and timely QB play was the recipe in 2008. Since then, Miami has ranked:
· 2009: 27th (-8)
· 2010: 30th (-12)
· 2011: 24th (-6)
· 2012: 25th (-10)
· 2013: 18th (-2)
· 2014: 14th (2)
· 2015: 18th (-3)
Just looking at that gives me whiskey d**k. In the last 7 years, we've only finished in the top half of the league once, and in that same year, gave us the only season we actually had a positive total turnover margin during that time span. As a young pup, I wrote a FanPost on how lucky turnovers are, and how much the turnover discrepancy determines the fates of games and seasons. Let's just say, when you consider the law of averages, you'd like to think that one of these years we will be successful in the turnover margin (sigh).
#2: We go 4-2 or better in the AFC East
For a team that went 1-5 against the AFC East in 2015, that's quite a task. Yet, the challenge remains. A win in Foxborough Week 2 over a hopefully-overwhelmed Jimmy Garroppolo would certainly go a long way. Laremy Tunsil's drop in the NFL Draft allows us to match up better with the formidable defensive fronts of the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and New England Patriots*. My concern in each and every one of these contests is whether we can establish the run and stop the run.
More at LINK: http://www.thephinsider.com/2016/5/14/11674358/the-2015-miami-dolphins-get-to-the-playoffs-because
Many of us have tempered expectations for this year, and that's absolutely fair. If we do happen to shock the world, how do we pull it off?
Look, at my core, I'm a fighter. My mind is telling me to take the high road for the Miami Dolphins in 2016, and drift down the "scholarly road" to fandom, seeing myself as beyond the emotionally-driven psychopaths that feast on an exclusive diet of wins. I tell myself, "this is a big year to evaluate Ryan Tannehill and the future of our QB position" or "it's a great opportunity to see which young guys develop" or "we have a new coach and, finally, we're going to see some progress". I also know myself well enough to know that after I have 3 beers before the game starts, I'm going to be foaming at the mouth for a delicious win and nothing will quench my thirst other than beer and a win. I can't resolve my jadedness with my quest for NFL domination.
Instead of fighting my aquaism, I decided to come up with a most fantastic "what if" game. What if the 2016 Miami Dolphins make the Playoffs? How do we do it? Here are the 3 most-likely-to-be-proven-absurd possibilities for the Miami Dolphins to make it click and play beyond Week 17 for the first time since 2008:
#1: We win the turnover battle
Is it ironic that 2008 was the last time we were in the top 13 in turnover margin? (We happened to be #1: +17). Being #1 in the league in turnover margin and timely QB play was the recipe in 2008. Since then, Miami has ranked:
· 2009: 27th (-8)
· 2010: 30th (-12)
· 2011: 24th (-6)
· 2012: 25th (-10)
· 2013: 18th (-2)
· 2014: 14th (2)
· 2015: 18th (-3)
Just looking at that gives me whiskey d**k. In the last 7 years, we've only finished in the top half of the league once, and in that same year, gave us the only season we actually had a positive total turnover margin during that time span. As a young pup, I wrote a FanPost on how lucky turnovers are, and how much the turnover discrepancy determines the fates of games and seasons. Let's just say, when you consider the law of averages, you'd like to think that one of these years we will be successful in the turnover margin (sigh).
#2: We go 4-2 or better in the AFC East
For a team that went 1-5 against the AFC East in 2015, that's quite a task. Yet, the challenge remains. A win in Foxborough Week 2 over a hopefully-overwhelmed Jimmy Garroppolo would certainly go a long way. Laremy Tunsil's drop in the NFL Draft allows us to match up better with the formidable defensive fronts of the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and New England Patriots*. My concern in each and every one of these contests is whether we can establish the run and stop the run.
More at LINK: http://www.thephinsider.com/2016/5/14/11674358/the-2015-miami-dolphins-get-to-the-playoffs-because
