By Dave Hyde
SUN SENTINEL
August 02, 2009, 6:02 AM /
0 comments
Think for a moment, on the edge of another Miami Dolphins training camp, about lessons learned. Not quarterback lessons or coaching lessons or lessons on how to block the zone blitz.
Lessons of August. Maybe they’ve finally taken root around Dolphins fans. For one of the few times in an uneven couple of decades the atmosphere around this team begins without hype or hate, without the extremes of playoffs being hawked or the fear they’re a bridge so far.
Listen. Do you hear the sound around this team? It’s as welcome at today’s start of the smacking of pads. It’s the noise of moderation. No one but the fringe element shouts about a guaranteed playoff run. Nor do too many expect a doomsday slide from last year due to the NFL’s toughest schedule, as if that’s a known commodity in this league.
No one insists it’s a certainty, the continued incline of last year’s 11-5 surprise. Nor does anyone focus solely on the unusual array of questions for a team just off the playoffs: Who’s the No. 1 receiver? Can Joey Porter repeat last year? Can Chad Pennington stay healthy again?
Maybe, finally, the lesson of Augusts past has taken hold.
