The Fin Fan Illness...

[marino2duper73]

So, I've been observing the fan base on FH for many years, as I take as much of an interest in my fellow Fins fans as I do my team. As the team has progressed and regressed over the past half century, the mentality of a Dolphins fan certainly HASN'T changed. Question success, and confirm disappointment.

This year is no different then any other. What starts in April with pessimism and doubt, then post-draft and into training camp (no matter the Covid), the cautious optimism begins to take shape. Then when the season begins, the "illness" starts to infect the gen pop on FH.

Games not played well trigger the calling for the front office to be imploded, and any progress is met with resistance out of disbelief, or being the "beaten dog" that is our fan base trusts no treats in the dish.

This Dolphins team is on year two of a MASSIVE rebuild. Evey core position is being evaluated. Every specialized roster move is a litmus test of the staff's ability to evaluate talent. Every injury or player incident under a microscope.

The "illness" that has sickened Fins fans for decades is to always expect failure, even if there is progress. To always assume the front office does not know what it's doing, and rightfully so based on the results of past GM, coaching, and player decisions.

However, this mentality that fans have is EXACTLY like a chronic illness. We've learned to live with the symptoms, and the optimism for a cure can be just as easy to dismiss as false senses of security.

Our fan base has never experienced a true rebuild, so it has no idea what it looks like. Would we know what success in a rebuild represents? Do we even understand what progress looks like, when we have only seen regression with multiple coaches, GMs, and players? Self diagnosis of this illness is impossible.

So in year two, with a young and bright HC in Brian Flores and a competent GM in Chris Grier, the trials of the cure for the illness are happening. There will be setbacks, as there are in any "solutions to problems" agendas.

My hope is that the fans that have the "illness" don't continue to ignore the symptoms, as those of us that participate in the trials will be cured in a time sooner than thought possible.

Go Fins!

 

[Pandarilla]

There's an anti-vaxxer joke in there somewhere...

 

[NBP81]

The "illness" that has sickened Fins fans for decades is to always expect failure

Man... I dont even know where to start... If thats an illness, 60%+ of this place is hit by the battered wi..... err... fan syndrome

 

[superphin]

Well it can't be any worse than blue waffle....btw DO NOT google blue waffle.

In any sport the cure to any problems whatsoever is and always will be winning.

 

[Pandarilla]

Well it can't be any worse than blue waffle....btw DO NOT google blue waffle.

In any sport the cure to any problems whatsoever is and always will be winning.

Baitin' the lines, are ya?...

 

[superphin]

Baitin' the lines, are ya?...

 

[DolfanISS]

I just think it’s football because they play once a week what you last saw is fresh in your mind and you overreact to it. It’s like that team, never us haha, that goes 10-0 and loses a game. Suddenly the narrative turns to, they were exposed. It’s probably just, they had one bad game.

I admit at the beginning of the week I thought we would beat Jacksonville but the more I heard folks talk about this Jags team the more doubt starting creeping into my mind. All last week the media was making Minschew sound like the next big thing and even Wingfield was gushing over several Jags players. When the idiots on the pre game show unanimously picked against us I was almost convinced we’d lose. Again just the last they saw which was Jacksonville scoring in bunches. Bottom line we don’t know anything about the defenses they faced and won’t until about week 8.

 

[NY8123]

I give it three years and if in the third year there is still mediocrity, tear it down again. Given this is a "true rebuild" they get 3 years. Tua hasn't stepped onto the field yet so how can you judge the progress of a coach if all his pieces can't be used?

I'll reserve my judgement until after the draft in 2021. If this team isn't firing on all cylinders in 2021 my pitch fork and torch is coming out.

 

[Danny]

It's not an illness. It's called we haven't won a SB in 47 freaking YEARS and we're tired of waiting. People can give us all the "we're rebuilding and it takes time" all the want but fans just want results. Trust me, give us a winner and the FO/HC and team will get their props. Till they show us something different than what we've seen for years and years, expect most fans to feel the same way. This team has let the fan base down time after time. Stop calling out the fans that are sick of waiting for a winner. After all these years of losing the fans have a right to be upset.

 

[dolfan91]

My problem is caring so much. Hate losing in the ways Miami lost its first, two games. But understand its part of the growing pains, or at least that's what I'm trying to make myself believe.

 

[Digital]

I give it three years and if in the third year there is still mediocrity, tear it down again. Given this is a "true rebuild" they get 3 years. Tua hasn't stepped onto the field yet so how can you judge the progress of a coach if all his pieces can't be used?

I'll reserve my judgement until after the draft in 2021. If this team isn't firing on all cylinders in 2021 my pitch fork and torch is coming out.

This is my take on it as well. Looking back at the "great" coaches I've seen in my life, guys like Don Shula, Bill Walsh, Chuck Knoll, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Bellicheat, and Marv Levy just to name a few, I noticed a similar pattern. Sure, they lost, particularly in their first year or two, but at some point in the first 3 years they gave us real belief that they were building a dynasty. Their teams were fierce and inspired fear. Their teams were not Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, they tended to be consistent even if the results weren't. They were tough to play against and you always felt like you needed an extra week to prepare for them properly. And each team showed some of this quality within the first 3 years. They tended to win by year 3, and you really felt a strong swell of momentum.

Not saying there aren't good coaches that have taken a bit longer. But, I can't recall a great coach in the modern era who could not prove he was definitely worth keeping by year 3 ... even in the massive rebuilds like Bellicheat in Cleveland or Johnson in Dallas. I have hope for Coach Flo, but I'll be making that same determination at the end of the 2021 season. It's not personal ... just a realistic observation. If three years is not enough ... then you're not the guy. Cold hard truth.

 

[Mach2]

It's not an illness. It's called we haven't won a SB in 47 freaking YEARS and we're tired of waiting. People can give us all the "we're rebuilding and it takes time" all the want but fans just want results. Trust me, give us a winner and the FO/HC and team will get their props. Till they show us something different than what we've seen for years and years, expect most fans to feel the same way. This team has let the fan base down time after time. Stop calling out the fans that are sick of waiting for a winner. After all these years of losing the fans have a right to be upset.

Not an unreasonable position.

 

[The Ghost]

All things considered, this season is going even better than I had hoped. We've been competitive against NE and Buffalo and beat the pants off the Jags while Houston is 0-3. This is what we needed to happen. The 2021 draft is still critical to this whole process. The defensive front 7 will see an influx of talent next year, the OL will be bolstered, the WRing corp will get its speed.

Buffalo is not for real.

New England is just another team.

New York Jets are moving to the XFL.

 

[1972forever]

So, I've been observing the fan base on FH for many years, as I take as much of an interest in my fellow Fins fans as I do my team. As the team has progressed and regressed over the past half century, the mentality of a Dolphins fan certainly HASN'T changed. Question success, and confirm disappointment.

This year is no different then any other. What starts in April with pessimism and doubt, then post-draft and into training camp (no matter the Covid), the cautious optimism begins to take shape. Then when the season begins, the "illness" starts to infect the gen pop on FH.

Games not played well trigger the calling for the front office to be imploded, and any progress is met with resistance out of disbelief, or being the "beaten dog" that is our fan base trusts no treats in the dish.

This Dolphins team is on year two of a MASSIVE rebuild. Evey core position is being evaluated. Every specialized roster move is a litmus test of the staff's ability to evaluate talent. Every injury or player incident under a microscope.

The "illness" that has sickened Fins fans for decades is to always expect failure, even if there is progress. To always assume the front office does not know what it's doing, and rightfully so based on the results of past GM, coaching, and player decisions.

However, this mentality that fans have is EXACTLY like a chronic illness. We've learned to live with the symptoms, and the optimism for a cure can be just as easy to dismiss as false senses of security.

Our fan base has never experienced a true rebuild, so it has no idea what it looks like. Would we know what success in a rebuild represents? Do we even understand what progress looks like, when we have only seen regression with multiple coaches, GMs, and players? Self diagnosis of this illness is impossible.

So in year two, with a young and bright HC in Brian Flores and a competent GM in Chris Grier, the trials of the cure for the illness are happening. There will be setbacks, as there are in any "solutions to problems" agendas.

My hope is that the fans that have the "illness" don't continue to ignore the symptoms, as those of us that participate in the trials will be cured in a time sooner than thought possible.

Go Fins!

I disagree. While there are certainly a few posters on here who are obviously upset with the front office and other issues with the a Dolphins. I think the vast majority of the posters are being patient with the fact the Dolphins are in a rebuilding mode and these posters realize that it was going to take more than one season to rebuilt this team after years of mediocrity.

As far a Flores being the right HC and Grier being the right choice to rebuild the team, only time will tell. The majority of posters on here went into the season expecting a better team than last year but not a team that would likely make the playoffs this year. So far the Dolphins appear to be a better team than the 2019 team and they still appear to be several players from being a playoff team. So they are what most of us expected they would be,.

i don’t see anyone on here that has an illness. I merely see fans who come here to express their opinions concerning the Dolphins and no more than that. On occasion they will vent negative views when they are frustrated but that certainly doesn’t mean they have an illness. It just means they are fans and each fan is entitled to his or her own opinion, even if that opinion is negative toward the Dolphins in a particular post.

 

[Bumpus]

Well, I think I finally figured out My Personal, Successful, Winning GAMEDAY Routine this Thursday. :up:

It’s gonna be a tough thing to duplicate on a weekly basis, but never let it be said that ol’ Bump wasn’t willing to take one for the team. Pass the cholesterol.