let me start by saying, i was at the game last night. now, having been to only 4 or 5 phins games over the past 3-4 yrs, i did come away impressed with the number of people at the game. perhaps that's because in recent years i went to mid or late season games when the team was already a few games out of 1st, and struggling for a wildcard spot, if any postseason at all.
Last night was refreshing, possibly because it was opening night, i did see a huge amount of people at the stadium. that's a rare sight for my eyes, sun life stadium filled to near capacity for a prime time game. that was enough for me, i could not take wipe the smile from my face as i walked thru the parking lots past huge amounts of tailgaters and kids playing football games, the aroma of bbq steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs, everyone enjoying themselves. as for the game in all honesty, i came away impressed... i know we lost, but Miami was in it until the very end (1/2 way through 4th quarter).... again, what do you expect? perennial SB team vs a team of back to back 7-9 seasons...
as for the fans, my father and i had the luxury of sitting in front of a group of Patriots fans vacationing from up north... now don't get me wrong, i was surrounded by dolphins fans, and hell I'll take a 70-30 ratio Phins fans in a sold out stadium any week. That's not the issue... Its that Patriot fans DON'T SHUT UP! Man, this group of guys behind us were yappin the entire game. I was wearing my white Cam Wake jersey, and that immediately got respect from these guys as according to them, Wake is the only guy who's worth anything on our team. I almost blew up here... In the end, after going back and forth the whole game, and they turned out to be nice guys. At one point i did feel the need to state the obvious, a feeling I've had for as long as i can remember: That is, which fan earns more respect, the loyal follower of a team hasn't won a playoff game in 10 yrs, or a perennial Super Bowl favorite? Maybe my logic is off, but to me that answer is obvious.... Miami fans.
Back to the game, like i said, i think Miami played all right. I have yet to watch it on DVR so i missed out on the commentary and replays, but from what i saw in Henne he seemed to have control of our offense. the running game, outside of a scrambling Henne, was non existant. Bush was a dual threat for the offense last night, catching 9 passes for 56 yds and a TD, and running 38 yds on 11 carries... I dont know if he's ever going to run for 150 yds @ 6ypc, but then again, is peyton hillis good for 9 or 10 catches a game. Bush did alright IMO... Marshall put up big numbers, and Hartline showed good hands.
what the last night showed me, was that this team is not yet good enough to hang with the elite offenses in the NFL(stating the obvious) but we're closer than originally thought. The defense will put it together, and the running game will improve with Haynesworth/Wilfork not on the schedule. I loved seeing Henne take off, being decisive, and making decisions using instinct, as opposed to coaches dictating his play.
My original prediction was somewhere around 8-8, 9-7. Now i know the road doesnt get much easier from here and we're in a tough division, but i think this team will win its fair share of games.
*On a side note, i was more pissed off at the Jets win sunday night than Miami coming up short against a SB contender... Rex Ryan must have a horse-shoe shaped butt plug up his *** for the way that game turned out...