Is it just me or did it feel kind of like a bye week? It was kinda nice to have a stress free Sunday. Almost feels as if Thursday’s game didn’t happen. Sadly, it did though. The Miami Dolphins lost. Again. We’re now 4-4 and halfway through the 2018 season. If I’m being honest, it almost feels like we are 2-6 with the way our team has been playing. This season is beginning to feel like last year and I don’t want to go through that again. What is happening with the Dolphins? The question every Dolphins’ fan seems to be asking and yet we can’t agree on an answer.
Thursday Night Game
Let’s back up to Thursday before moving on and discussing what is next for our team. I’m not a fan of Thursday night NFL games. I’m really not a fan of the Miami Dolphins playing prime time games in general. We tend to not play well and it’s embarrassing. Our team fell apart in Houston. The first 3 quarters the Dolphins appeared to be doing “ok” and then welcome the 4th quarter. Now, when I mean, “ok”, I’m saying we still could of had a chance if our defense decided to do something.
The Bad and Ugly
Yes, we have several starting players out. I don’t know of another team who has lost the amount of players we have so early in the season. That being said, it’s still not an excuse. There is nothing positive I can say about our defense. Even with a couple key players injured (Hayes and Harris), it’s unacceptable how they have played. What is going on with Wake and Quinn? As a fan, I was pumped before the season started about those two. I was hoping to hear about them making multiple sacks a game. That’s not the case. Why can’t our defense make any stops? It’s like they gave up on that game. We missed too many tackles. We’ve barely had any sacks. Our run defense does not exist. Nothing existed Thursday. It’s not acceptable. Dolphins’ fans have every right to be angry and frustrated. Is Matt Burke a good coach for our defense? Based on the performance against Texans, no. But, is firing him going to fix our issues? Not likely.
The Good
Who played well on Thursday? DeVante Parker, Danny Amendola, and Kenyan Drake. Those were my favorite players from the game. Let’s be honest, we didn’t know what to expect from Parker. The drama that unfolded before the game from his agent, made it seem he wasn’t happy in Miami. However, Parker shut those rumors down. I had a feeling he would play well. He knows fans have been 50/50 about him and he knew he needed to step up because we need him. We don’t have anyone else. Especially now that Albert Wilson is done for the season and Stills is injured. Speaking of Wilson, I hope we see much more playing time from Drake now with Albert out. Drake is good. Really good. He needs more plays. Period. Him and Amendola together on that trick play in the 3rd quarter...just beautiful. Let’s look at that again.
Danny Amendola out here showing off the cannon! https://t.co/JpsdZbm3RG
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 26, 2018
Who else also thought, “Can Amendola be our backup quarterback?” Be honest. The thought entered your mind. I’m just trying to be hopeful. I miss Tannehill. Brock Osweiler is playing alright for a backup. Does that mean I think he could carry us the rest of the season? I really hope he doesn’t have to. If so, you better buckle your seat belts fans. It’s gonna be a long second half of the season if Tannehill doesn’t return (based on what Gase said today it may be a while too). That about sums up my views on last week’s game. The game went downhill in the 4th and no need to rehash that mess.
What’s Next
The positive takeaway from playing a Thursday night game, is that the team has some extra time to figure out what went wrong and try to fix it before this Sunday. It’s almost like an extra bye week for us and, boy, do we need it.
Our fan base is split. Twitter was a disaster Friday. I glanced at Dolphins Twitter for a few minutes, before I realized I wasn’t ready for that dumpster fire. Here is what my feed has been like the last few days:
- Fire Gase/Keep Gase
- Fire Burke
- Ross needs to go
- Cam Wake needs to be traded
- The Dolphins will not win another game. We’re the same ole Dolphins.
- Can we trade Parker?
- Jameis Winston may be an option
I can fill a whole article of just all the reactions from Dolphins’ fans. Fans are frustrated and we have every right to be. That being said, I don’t know what the team needs. I’m not sure anyone really knows. Fans are arguing with each other and I get it. We’re tired of the same thing. Do I believe Gase needs to go? Nope. I like him. He isn’t perfect by any means, but I think he is good for our team. I do believe we ran our course with Burke, but who would replace him? I see people stating we need a new quarterback. We need to fire Gase. Well, what is your solution? Do we just keep hiring a new head coach every few years? How exactly will that help our team. Also, who would you hire? When Philbin was fired mid-season, the Dolphins didn’t exactly have lines of potential coaches eager to fill the position. Same with quarterback. I’m all for drafting a quarterback next year, but who? I think there will be maybe 2 decent ones. The answer can not be just to fire or trade everyone. That’s not going to fix anything either.
I’m tired of watching our team fall apart each year. The worst part is when other fans, from teams like the Giants or Steelers, try to say they can relate to us. Has your team won a Super Bowl since 1973? Because that’s the last time the Dolphins did. The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since 2000. I was 18yrs old. I’ll be 37 this March. I love this team and will cheer them on till I die, but dang it. I want to see some of the good years that my dad and other fellow fans got to witness. I want to attend a playoff game and watch our team win. That’s the ultimate goal, right? You want to watch your team make it to the Super Bowl and win. It’s not easy building a winning NFL team. We’re not the only team struggling, but something has to change. The Miami Dolphins have problems and it seems nobody can agree on where to start to fix them.
Week Ahead
Trade deadline is tomorrow. Gase stated today he likes our team, but needs to be healthy.
I asked Gase in a round-about way if the Dolphins will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. His response: I like where we're at right now. Said getting healthy is the key.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 29, 2018
Someone asked him about DeVante Parker at today’s press conference. Gase doesn’t see Parker going anywhere. I don’t think it would be wise to trade him anyways. When he is healthy, he is good. I’m not sure if anything will happen with our team before the deadline. All I know is something needs to change before Sunday. We play the Jets at home. A division game we need to win. We’re still second in the AFC East. There are several teams with about the same record as us or worse. The Dolphins season is not over, but if keep playing like the last two weeks it will be. I will be at the game this Sunday. I will be cheering us on, with my flag, like I do every game. Win or lose, I will always support the Miami Dolphins.
Enjoy your week DolFans and let’s cheer on our Dolphins as they try to shut out the Jets on Sunday! Go Dolphins!
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