BAMAPHIN 22
FinHeaven Elite
Nelson Goris fell in love with the Miami Dolphins when he moved to South Florida from up north nearly a decade ago. He even bought season tickets.
But he wanted championships. He gave up his seats a few years ago, when it seemed obvious to him that the Dolphins never reached their potential, and the team's front office never quite tried hard enough to add the right players. Sure enough, the Dolphins staggered to a 4-12 record in 2004. But his faith in the team has returned. Wearing a white Dolphins floppy hat and a bright orange Jason Taylor jersey, Goris visited training camp the other day. Sitting in the stands alongside his two daughters and his son, Goris couldn't hide his excitement about the upcoming season.
"I expect Super Bowls, nothing less," he said. "This year, they made the right moves.''
A few rows below, Paul Black sat with his wife and son, and dreamed about the Dolphins playing Super Bowl XLI in Dolphin Stadium.
"I expect better than last year," he said. "As a matter of fact, I expect nothing less than a 13-3 regular season."
From Goris to Black, and other fans such as 15-year-old Evan Smith to 41-year-old Ray Barreto, expectations for the Dolphins are surging, perhaps to a level not seen since quarterback Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season.
Yes, the team acquired three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, but most fans identified a different person as the reason for their optimism: second-year coach Nick Saban.
Sum it up in four words: In Nick they trust.
Players believe Saban changed the team's culture, from one too accustomed to losing to one in which players expected to win. Under Saban, the Dolphins finished their 2005 season with six consecutive victories and a 9-7 record.
"If you take it back to when I first got here [in 2004], it's totally different," wide receiver Marty Booker said. "He's just a genius, a mastermind. He knows what it takes to win. He knows what it takes to get the best out of his players."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-dolphins0406aug04,0,2084642.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines
But he wanted championships. He gave up his seats a few years ago, when it seemed obvious to him that the Dolphins never reached their potential, and the team's front office never quite tried hard enough to add the right players. Sure enough, the Dolphins staggered to a 4-12 record in 2004. But his faith in the team has returned. Wearing a white Dolphins floppy hat and a bright orange Jason Taylor jersey, Goris visited training camp the other day. Sitting in the stands alongside his two daughters and his son, Goris couldn't hide his excitement about the upcoming season.
"I expect Super Bowls, nothing less," he said. "This year, they made the right moves.''
A few rows below, Paul Black sat with his wife and son, and dreamed about the Dolphins playing Super Bowl XLI in Dolphin Stadium.
"I expect better than last year," he said. "As a matter of fact, I expect nothing less than a 13-3 regular season."
From Goris to Black, and other fans such as 15-year-old Evan Smith to 41-year-old Ray Barreto, expectations for the Dolphins are surging, perhaps to a level not seen since quarterback Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season.
Yes, the team acquired three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, but most fans identified a different person as the reason for their optimism: second-year coach Nick Saban.
Sum it up in four words: In Nick they trust.
Players believe Saban changed the team's culture, from one too accustomed to losing to one in which players expected to win. Under Saban, the Dolphins finished their 2005 season with six consecutive victories and a 9-7 record.
"If you take it back to when I first got here [in 2004], it's totally different," wide receiver Marty Booker said. "He's just a genius, a mastermind. He knows what it takes to win. He knows what it takes to get the best out of his players."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-dolphins0406aug04,0,2084642.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines
