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Dolphins are Looking Better as each Day Passes
By Ronn Burner • on January 26, 2010
In lieu of the announcement this week that Dolphins Safety Yeremiah Bell was selected as an alternate to the Pro Bowl it got me thinking. Why are we getting so lucky all off the sudden? Someone from our secondary was elected to the Pro Bowl? Ok, where’s Ashton Kutcher? I’m not saying Bell isn’t a good player getting better but is he really amongst the top 5 out of 32 safeties in the AFC? Hey, I’m not complaining, I’m just saying. It just feels like the Dolphins have been recently surrounded with positive energy. Good things are happening. There’s just a weird front of positive energy blowing through Miami that we haven’t felt in years. Does anybody else feel this? Am I wrong? Seriously, I have huge drinking problem so sometimes my radar is way off. I once thought Neve Campbell was the hottest chick on the planet. Don’t judge me.
We’re not used to this and losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 was the “official” end of the Dolphins rise and inevitable fall in 2009. At the time, things looked bleak. A three game losing streak knocked them so far out of the playoffs they shouldn’t have even been allowed to watch them, the Jets (whom we swept) were winning, our defense was treating ball carriers the way a rodeo clown treats the bull, Ched Henne gets that phantom “eye injury”, Pat White got hit so hard his kids are going to walk with a limp, when Ted Ginn ran onto the field it wasn’t to get the tee and Conan O’Brien was still stuck on the sinking NBC ship. It was dark times. It appeared that Miami still had a long way to go to reach the so-called “elite” status. Bookending the season with 0-3 runs is hardly a ringing endorsement for being a contender the following year. Where do we go from here and where do we even start?
What a difference a few weeks make. Peyton Manning and company opened a can on the Jets (whom we swept) and euphoria ensued. Paul Pasqualoni, rightly or wrongly, was blamed for the defensive, ahem, performance thus sending him to the front of the unemployment line. Our search to land his replacement went about as well as my search to land a celebrity date from the bleachers at the Emmy Awards last week. At least I actually talked to my targets.
Fade out Miami, Fade in Denver. Broncos Defensive Coordinator, Mike Nolan, and Head Coach Josh McDaniels abruptly and “cordially agree to go their separate ways” i.e. they &*%@ing hate each other. Whatever, don’t care. Fade out Denver, Fade in Miami. Bam! Like a Genie in a bottle we land, if nothing else, the best dressed Defensive Coordinator in all of football. All kidding aside (for as long as I can take it anyway) and within the context of sports, Nolan is a godsend. Our defensive struggles are well documented and Nolan, a firm believer in the 3-4 (Hey, don’t we run the 3-4?) took Denver from 29th in the league to 7th and the Broncos forced 30 turnovers, 17 more than the 13 they had the previous year. In doing so he took the undersized 5’11 Elvis Dumerville and transformed him into the 2009 NFL Sack King. Cameron Wake plays the same position and had 5 ½ on a fraction of the snaps. If we extrapolated the numbers then Wake would have something like 147 sacks next year. That would be totally awesome.
Even in the playoffs the Dolphins are still benefiting from the positive energy bug. Don’t belief, pride, resilience, heart, hunger and confidence move mountains in the NFL? Just look at what the Jets (whom we swept) accomplished with their loose-lipped Head Coach, still wet behind the ear quarterback and the only receiver in the NFL that even Ted Ginn makes fun of. The thing is they drank their own Kool-Aid and that alone can take you places where magical things can happen. Just hope when you get there Peyton Manning isn’t standing there waiting with that stroke face smirk of his. Cause then you’re @%*&^#.
My point is look at the so-called four best teams in the NFL. The New York Jets (whom we swept) advanced to the AFC Championship game riding on the belief instilled by their lippy rotund Coach. Players, fans, coaches and phony celebrity owners are well aware of the fact that we swept them. Dear Mr. Ryan, I think I can speak for all Dolfans when I say that we would like to offer you a Coke and a smile. Sincerely, The Broom Crew, The Sweep the Leg Gang or The Mop Squad, whichever you prefer. Sorry gravy is extra.
The Dolphins had Corky Manning (Did that cross a line? I don’t even know. If so, I blame the Editor) and the Indianapolis Colts on the ropes with a 23-20 lead with only 3:19 left in the game until Pierre Garcon took a simple jail break screen pass 48 yards for the game winner. Chad Pennington actually still gave Miami a chance to win with a strike that ricocheted so hard of Ginn’s hands it looked like he was trying to block a shot – Ted Ginn Jr. Great googly moogly. And I’m back. - Miami held the ball for 45:07 to the Colts 14:53 (dry heave). Then the New Orleans Saints came marching in with their unstoppable offense and Miami jumped on them like they were our prom date mounting (pun intended) a 24-3 lead only to see a bevy of errors by the players, coaching staff and officiating crew flip us over with no Vaseline. And you can bet your bottom dollar that had we played the Minnesota Vikings we would have been in the game right up until Ginn dropped a pass, Sparano made a bonehead decision, Ricky fumbled or our defense gave up a 40 yard quarterback sneak.
What’s my point? Well, it’s simple. We were literally 1 play away from beating both the 2009-10 Super Bowl XXXXIIII, er, XXXXIV, argh, 44 Champions and the eventual loser in addition to sweeping the AFC runner-up.
If that doesn’t instill supreme confidence in our 2010 chances than nothing short of Dan Marino strapping the pads back on will.
Don’t lie, Neve Campbell was sort of hot in “Wild Things”.
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