BY RYAN MERARD
“Dang, the Dolphins are actually good this year?” is a question that has probably been asked by numerous sports fans, especially the Miami ones. Seeing the numbers “10-6” next to the Miami Dolphins may be an uncommon sight in the NFL standings because of how poor this team has performed in the past.
A team like the Dolphins usually gathers low expectations from sports fans but with a winning percentage of 62.5% in the 2020-2021 season, Miami certainly surprised many football fans and even some of their own fans as well. There were several positive moments for this team, such as when they won 5 straight games midway through the season.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s first start also provided an electrifying moment for Miami fans, as his debut was highly anticipated after a hip injury in college. As the starting quarterback, Tua had a record of 6-3 showing his potential off as he adjusts to professional football.
“I think Tua can be really good in the future,” senior Bryce Pritchett said. “He’s only a rookie and once he gets comfortable and starts making decisions that are supported by him and his coaches, he could really start to make a legitimate name for himself with the Dolphins.”
“I think Tua can be really good in the future.”
Senior Bryce Pritchett
Even with such a turnaround from previous seasons, they still managed to miss the playoffs. When a win was needed most, the Dolphins happened to get blown out by the Buffalo Bills in their final game, placing an end to their season.
“It was very disappointing to see us have such an amazing season, win double digit games and unfortunately still not make the playoffs,” senior Kyle Grossman said. “Even though we missed the playoffs, the future is bright with our young players and we are only going to keep improving.”
Fans may be disappointed by the shortcomings of such an appealing season but it is important to acknowledge that the team is still rebuilding. After several years with former quarterback Ryan Tanehill, Miami decided to switch things up and trade him. They would later sign Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2019, making this his second year as a quarterback in Miami.
The coach, Brian Flores, is also a fresh face in the Miami scene but worked his way into being a Coach Of The Year candidate (COTY) in just his second year. Going through such changes and still being able to win 10 games is an achievement that can turn heads in the sports world.
Miami currently has the 3rd pick in the upcoming draft. In a season where they finished second in their division, it would be expected that they would not be able to have such a high pick, but a trade in 2019 between the Houston Texans and the Dolphins allowed Miami to acquire Houston’s first round pick for 2020 and 2021. With the Texans having a below average season, the high pick which was supposed to be theirs is now Miami’s, so ultimately this trade gives the Dolphins the chance to even better their roster.
With this season, the Dolphins showed that they are not to be looked at as those teams that are usually expected to be at the bottom of the league. The season that just concluded was a huge jump from the 5-11 season the Dolphins had in 2019, displaying the huge progress that was made in just one year. Being a Dolphins fan can really test one’s patience as they have not won a playoff game since entering the new century, but the constant shortcomings will soon be put in the past as it seems like the franchise is headed in the right direction.
“I believe the Dolphins performed really well or one can say at an accelerated pace because we were in year two of our rebuild with a rookie quarterback starting more than half of them,” senior Shaun Lawrence said. “We didn’t play as a team, we played as a family and we will be stronger next year.”
Photo courtesy of FanSided
