I want to believe.
Make me believe, Miami. Please.
I really haven’t looked forward to a team like this since 1984. That year, in my heart, I knew that all the pieces were there. Don Shula was in his prime. Dan Marino had taken over for David Woodley the year before, and promptly gone bat-poop crazy. Dan the Man and David Overstreet were the future. I kept telling people, “Watch out for my Dolphins! WATCH OUT!â€Â
Still, it wasn’t perfect; no team ever has been since 1972. My uncle kept saying, “They’re gonna miss Bill Arnsparger…he was a defensive genius.†And you could see it; the Dolphins had lost to the Seahawks the year before in the playoffs; the defense wasn’t the same as it had been in 1982. Of course, I was 14 in 1984. I had a fire in my belly, and I was convinced nothing could go wrong for my Dolphins. Of course, something did.
I was actually more excited about David Overstreet than Dan Marino. Today, everyone forgets the promise he finally showed in 1983, and how exciting he looked. He had power and grace and speed, and was ready to shut everyone up about being a failed draft pick. He was going to tear it up in 1984. Then on June 25th, right before training camp, David Overstreet drove off the road and hit a gas tank…and he was gone. And I cried.
The Dolphins were okay, though…Dan the Man single-handedly annihilated the AFC. He didn’t have much of a running game, but he didn’t need it…until he ran into San Francisco. And then we really missed Bill Arnsparger and David Overstreet. And we lost. And I cried a little, but it was okay, Dan would be back.
Then came the late 1980s, and Tom Olivadotti, and no running game, and the assault on Mount Shula, and the disappointment of JJ, and the end of it all at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. And then Dan retired, and I cried…because he really deserved a better team than he had the last ten years of his career.
And I honestly haven’t believed since.
Yes, we had the running game, and a defense, and that game in Denver was easily one of the best football games I’ve ever seen in my life. But…we had Rain Man as a coach, who wasn’t smart enough to run the clock out with the best running back on the planet on his team, and I knew he couldn’t be counted on. And then Ricky let us down, and I didn’t shed a tear…because of course…I didn’t believe anymore. I still wore my jerseys, and I still watched, but it wasn’t the same.
Then suddenly, this past spring, there was a spark. It popped up out of nowhere, not when we traded for Daunte, but when we got Dom Capers. Something flared in my gut…and it hurt. It hurt because it reminded me of past success, of having a complete team, the AFC flagship of the early 1980s. It reminded me of looking at the schedule and checking off wins without hesitation as I looked at the Bills and Jets. And now I realize, it hurts because…all of a sudden I feel like I’m 14 again, aching for the season to start, because my team looks pretty darned good.
Because…there are weaknesses, but they’re not all that obvious anymore, are they? Our secondary isn’t the best, but it certainly isn’t the worst…and we have a wizard as a “defensive assistant.†Our offensive line isn’t perfect, but there’s this Hudson Houck guy who I hear is pretty good with offensive lines.
And we have a stud running back, with a hammer of a blocker. We have good wideouts again. We have a quarterback who’s immensely talented and might have a little something to prove. Heck, we even have a backup quarterback who might have a little something to prove.
And then, there’s the head coach. I look at him, and I know he believes. He’s believed from the first day, even if I didn’t. Now he makes me want to believe so bad that it hurts even more…because deep down inside I’m trying to keep that spark from turning into something out of control. He’s making other people believe; opposing fans are starting to get that look again…you know that look…the sudden look of realization when The Quarterback took a hop-step forward and impaled a receiver with a 40-yard strike. They don’t want to play the Dolphins anymore. They’re starting to worry. They’re starting to believe.
But not me. Not just yet. I WANT to…God knows I do. I’m on pins and needles, because we play the Super Bowl champions in six days. In their house. They’re a very good team. And it scares me.
It doesn’t scare me because I’m afraid we’ll lose. That’s not it at all.
If we lose, it’s what was expected. This is the Miami Dolphins, after all, the team that nobody’s been really afraid of for a very long time.
It scares me because I think, deep down in the pit of my stomach, right where that spark is sitting and waiting…that we just might flat-out kill them. It’s completely unreasonable, of course. They’re the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. We CAN’T kill them. Except…the last time I felt this feeling in my stomach…I was 14. It was right before the season started. We played the defending NFC Champion Washington Redskins. And we flat-out killed them.
If that happens, I won’t be able to stop that spark in my belly from turning into a fire again. Because I’ll believe.
I want to believe.
Make me believe, Miami. Please.
Make me believe, Miami. Please.
I really haven’t looked forward to a team like this since 1984. That year, in my heart, I knew that all the pieces were there. Don Shula was in his prime. Dan Marino had taken over for David Woodley the year before, and promptly gone bat-poop crazy. Dan the Man and David Overstreet were the future. I kept telling people, “Watch out for my Dolphins! WATCH OUT!â€Â
Still, it wasn’t perfect; no team ever has been since 1972. My uncle kept saying, “They’re gonna miss Bill Arnsparger…he was a defensive genius.†And you could see it; the Dolphins had lost to the Seahawks the year before in the playoffs; the defense wasn’t the same as it had been in 1982. Of course, I was 14 in 1984. I had a fire in my belly, and I was convinced nothing could go wrong for my Dolphins. Of course, something did.
I was actually more excited about David Overstreet than Dan Marino. Today, everyone forgets the promise he finally showed in 1983, and how exciting he looked. He had power and grace and speed, and was ready to shut everyone up about being a failed draft pick. He was going to tear it up in 1984. Then on June 25th, right before training camp, David Overstreet drove off the road and hit a gas tank…and he was gone. And I cried.
The Dolphins were okay, though…Dan the Man single-handedly annihilated the AFC. He didn’t have much of a running game, but he didn’t need it…until he ran into San Francisco. And then we really missed Bill Arnsparger and David Overstreet. And we lost. And I cried a little, but it was okay, Dan would be back.
Then came the late 1980s, and Tom Olivadotti, and no running game, and the assault on Mount Shula, and the disappointment of JJ, and the end of it all at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. And then Dan retired, and I cried…because he really deserved a better team than he had the last ten years of his career.
And I honestly haven’t believed since.
Yes, we had the running game, and a defense, and that game in Denver was easily one of the best football games I’ve ever seen in my life. But…we had Rain Man as a coach, who wasn’t smart enough to run the clock out with the best running back on the planet on his team, and I knew he couldn’t be counted on. And then Ricky let us down, and I didn’t shed a tear…because of course…I didn’t believe anymore. I still wore my jerseys, and I still watched, but it wasn’t the same.
Then suddenly, this past spring, there was a spark. It popped up out of nowhere, not when we traded for Daunte, but when we got Dom Capers. Something flared in my gut…and it hurt. It hurt because it reminded me of past success, of having a complete team, the AFC flagship of the early 1980s. It reminded me of looking at the schedule and checking off wins without hesitation as I looked at the Bills and Jets. And now I realize, it hurts because…all of a sudden I feel like I’m 14 again, aching for the season to start, because my team looks pretty darned good.
Because…there are weaknesses, but they’re not all that obvious anymore, are they? Our secondary isn’t the best, but it certainly isn’t the worst…and we have a wizard as a “defensive assistant.†Our offensive line isn’t perfect, but there’s this Hudson Houck guy who I hear is pretty good with offensive lines.
And we have a stud running back, with a hammer of a blocker. We have good wideouts again. We have a quarterback who’s immensely talented and might have a little something to prove. Heck, we even have a backup quarterback who might have a little something to prove.
And then, there’s the head coach. I look at him, and I know he believes. He’s believed from the first day, even if I didn’t. Now he makes me want to believe so bad that it hurts even more…because deep down inside I’m trying to keep that spark from turning into something out of control. He’s making other people believe; opposing fans are starting to get that look again…you know that look…the sudden look of realization when The Quarterback took a hop-step forward and impaled a receiver with a 40-yard strike. They don’t want to play the Dolphins anymore. They’re starting to worry. They’re starting to believe.
But not me. Not just yet. I WANT to…God knows I do. I’m on pins and needles, because we play the Super Bowl champions in six days. In their house. They’re a very good team. And it scares me.
It doesn’t scare me because I’m afraid we’ll lose. That’s not it at all.
If we lose, it’s what was expected. This is the Miami Dolphins, after all, the team that nobody’s been really afraid of for a very long time.
It scares me because I think, deep down in the pit of my stomach, right where that spark is sitting and waiting…that we just might flat-out kill them. It’s completely unreasonable, of course. They’re the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. We CAN’T kill them. Except…the last time I felt this feeling in my stomach…I was 14. It was right before the season started. We played the defending NFC Champion Washington Redskins. And we flat-out killed them.
If that happens, I won’t be able to stop that spark in my belly from turning into a fire again. Because I’ll believe.
I want to believe.
Make me believe, Miami. Please.
But, you are not alone believe me.:D There are so many that have been waiting for a long time. It's coming soon. Real soon. This is maybe the year. :D
