You want a team that's oozing confidence? Look at your Dolphins dance in the end zone and see Ronnie Brown and Vernon Carey and Ikechuku Ndukwe performing their version of the Cupid Shuffle -- bustin' moves they first rehearsed during Saturday's walk-through practice because they knew there would be an appropriate moment for them in Sunday's game.
Confidence? Listen to guard Justin Smiley talk about a team that was going nowhere three weeks ago but now believes it can make an important trip later this season.
'With us it's not just about, `Hey let's see if we can win eight games this year,' '' Smiley said. 'We're saying, `Hey, let's play in the Super Bowl.' That's what I'm talking about after seeing what we're capable of doing.'' So the team that wasn't certain it could score last season is doing premeditated touchdown dances now. The players who didn't have much to say after the Arizona game last month are now talking Super Bowl.
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
That is how things work in the NFL when you beat New England and San Diego in consecutive games.
That is how things are for the Dolphins after following their most surprising victory in years with their most important victory in years.
Miami's victory against the Patriots was nice and necessary. It was a fresh breeze of optimism for a team trying not to go stale.
But that win came with asterisks because it wasn't against Tom Brady's New England Patriots, it came on a day Miami unveiled a gimmick offense and, after all, it was only one win.
But this game, this opponent, this victory comes with no need for rationalization. The Dolphins look like they are for real. And they are making no apologies for it.
''There are people that will say the same thing about this game,'' defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. ``We're still going to fight for respect and we know that. We're in an uphill climb. Hopefully we're going to raise some brows. Hopefully we're going to get people to believe.
'Hopefully, they'll starting saying, `These guys are for real; we have to take a look at these guys over here. Maybe we should pay more attention to what they've got going on over there because those guys are making some noise.' ''
As noise goes, the Dolphins are more riot in the streets than neighbor playing his television too loud.
This team is drawing attention because it has beaten the two teams that played in the AFC Championship Game last season. And they beat those teams in improbable fashion.
That New England victory, you must remember, came with coach Tony Sparano out-coaching Bill Belichick.
Sunday's win came when Brown outshined San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson. It came when strong safety Yeremiah Bell all but erased Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates from the field. It came when Miami offensive players got the ball with 5:55 to play in the game and, clinging to a seven-point lead, vowed not to relinquish possession until the game ended.
''The guys in the huddle,'' Brown said, ``they were talking about finishing the game with the offense on the field. Jake Long said it. And we did that.''
And they did so much more.
SLOW STARTERS
The Chargers are notoriously slow starters but great and dangerous finishers. So you should not have been surprised by Miami's 17-3 halftime lead or San Diego's second-half comeback to make it 17-10.
That comeback seemed predestined when former Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers made the score 17-10 in the third quarter and the Chargers recovered Davone Bess' fumble on the ensuing kickoff on the Dolphins' 25-yard line.
The Chargers moved to the 1-yard line and must have felt good about tying the score when they handed the ball to Tomlinson on fourth down. Tomlinson, remember, is arguably the NFL's most dynamic running back.
But he was stopped well short of the goal line.
''The first couple of games this year we didn't play like we're capable,'' Bell said. ``But we're different now. We're more together. We've figured out what we have to do and we're doing it. Now it's about confidence. It's momentum. It's big what's going on here.''
What is happening is the Dolphins are leaving behind their old 2007 loser label and identity.
''We have a completely different mentality,'' receiver Greg Camarillo said. ``We go into games expecting to win and if anything different happens, we're surprised. We've arrived. We're not last year's Dolphins anymore.''
That fact still needs to be sealed with a few more victories. But things are looking good for this confident team.
And as Ronnie Brown and the offensive linemen showed, that's worth dancing about.
Confidence? Listen to guard Justin Smiley talk about a team that was going nowhere three weeks ago but now believes it can make an important trip later this season.
'With us it's not just about, `Hey let's see if we can win eight games this year,' '' Smiley said. 'We're saying, `Hey, let's play in the Super Bowl.' That's what I'm talking about after seeing what we're capable of doing.'' So the team that wasn't certain it could score last season is doing premeditated touchdown dances now. The players who didn't have much to say after the Arizona game last month are now talking Super Bowl.
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
That is how things work in the NFL when you beat New England and San Diego in consecutive games.
That is how things are for the Dolphins after following their most surprising victory in years with their most important victory in years.
Miami's victory against the Patriots was nice and necessary. It was a fresh breeze of optimism for a team trying not to go stale.
But that win came with asterisks because it wasn't against Tom Brady's New England Patriots, it came on a day Miami unveiled a gimmick offense and, after all, it was only one win.
But this game, this opponent, this victory comes with no need for rationalization. The Dolphins look like they are for real. And they are making no apologies for it.
''There are people that will say the same thing about this game,'' defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. ``We're still going to fight for respect and we know that. We're in an uphill climb. Hopefully we're going to raise some brows. Hopefully we're going to get people to believe.
'Hopefully, they'll starting saying, `These guys are for real; we have to take a look at these guys over here. Maybe we should pay more attention to what they've got going on over there because those guys are making some noise.' ''
As noise goes, the Dolphins are more riot in the streets than neighbor playing his television too loud.
This team is drawing attention because it has beaten the two teams that played in the AFC Championship Game last season. And they beat those teams in improbable fashion.
That New England victory, you must remember, came with coach Tony Sparano out-coaching Bill Belichick.
Sunday's win came when Brown outshined San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson. It came when strong safety Yeremiah Bell all but erased Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates from the field. It came when Miami offensive players got the ball with 5:55 to play in the game and, clinging to a seven-point lead, vowed not to relinquish possession until the game ended.
''The guys in the huddle,'' Brown said, ``they were talking about finishing the game with the offense on the field. Jake Long said it. And we did that.''
And they did so much more.
SLOW STARTERS
The Chargers are notoriously slow starters but great and dangerous finishers. So you should not have been surprised by Miami's 17-3 halftime lead or San Diego's second-half comeback to make it 17-10.
That comeback seemed predestined when former Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers made the score 17-10 in the third quarter and the Chargers recovered Davone Bess' fumble on the ensuing kickoff on the Dolphins' 25-yard line.
The Chargers moved to the 1-yard line and must have felt good about tying the score when they handed the ball to Tomlinson on fourth down. Tomlinson, remember, is arguably the NFL's most dynamic running back.
But he was stopped well short of the goal line.
''The first couple of games this year we didn't play like we're capable,'' Bell said. ``But we're different now. We're more together. We've figured out what we have to do and we're doing it. Now it's about confidence. It's momentum. It's big what's going on here.''
What is happening is the Dolphins are leaving behind their old 2007 loser label and identity.
''We have a completely different mentality,'' receiver Greg Camarillo said. ``We go into games expecting to win and if anything different happens, we're surprised. We've arrived. We're not last year's Dolphins anymore.''
That fact still needs to be sealed with a few more victories. But things are looking good for this confident team.
And as Ronnie Brown and the offensive linemen showed, that's worth dancing about.
