It wasn't pretty, but it was dramatic. The Miami Dolphins waited until the final five minutes of the game in Los Angeles to pull out the improbable victory. It was, dare I say, Tebow-esk.
Now the Fins sit on a five-game winning streak and in second place in the AFC East. Don't worry, Patriots fans, we're not feeling that cocky that we think we'll catch you (though anything can happen). And all that talk six weeks ago about benching quarterback Ryan Tannehill, or trading players, or dismantling the team, is in the rearview mirror...for now.
Miami Herald Dolphins beat reporter Adam Beasley thinks this team is for real and explains his reasons in the following interview:
Do you remember that second week of October and what everybody was saying and thinking about the Dolphins?
How could I forget? I was already looking forward to the NFL draft, which would have been six months off; it was ugly. They couldn't score. They couldn't stop anybody. They could barely beat the Browns, which are not just the worst team in football this year but one of the worst teams in football of the last decade. They were terrible. And then the switch flipped and it was as simple as this: They figured out what they could do well and they did it. Try to play to your strengths and minimize the weaknesses, and their strengths are running the football, being physical, getting ahead of teams so their defense can unleash their pass rush. They've done those things and they've had a little bit of luck too.
Are they really good or are their opponents, like the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday, just not that strong?
I don't think they're as good as a five-game winning streak, but they won five games, so here they are. I mean, it is counter-intuitive. That is, you play to teams that are on your schedule. And look, they have another easy one this week, at least on paper, because the San Francisco 49ers are terrible. They don't do very much well. Their quarterback is more famous for his stances on social issues than he is making plays in the football field. But yeah, you play to teams that the NFL schedules you. And they got lucky; they really don't play anybody great until the last week of the season, week 17, which is New Year's Day and that's the New England Patriots, who may not have anything to play for and could have wrapped up their home field advantage throughout the playoffs by that point, so they [the Dolphins] could really roll through these last six games and not get anyone's best shot.
What about Ryan Tannehill? There was a lot of talk about benching him again back when they were 1 and 4. Head coach Adam Gase is called the ‘quarterback Whisperer’ and I'm wondering if he is finally whispering the right things in his [Tannehill’s] ear. Is this finally working?
I think there is real evidence that Adam Gase has a great impact on Ryan Tannehill, if for no other reason he has confidence in that guy. He [Gase] believes in him whereas past coaches did not. Joe Philbin was never totally bought in, and Bill Lazor did whatever he could to minimize Ryan’s impact on the offense. Adam Gase doesn't have those limitations. He knows that to succeed, for him to win, he's got to have Ryan Tannehill playing at a high level. On Monday, the day after the Rams game, he was talking to all us reporters, saying ‘you think he can't throw the deep, all your reporters think he's bad in the fourth quarter. I haven't seen that here. Maybe you guys shouldn't be in football. [He was] kind of making a joke at our expense. So yes, there is an improvement there. Let's just see if it's sustainable.
The win over the Los Angeles Rams was not pretty. They [the Dolphins] played terrible until those last five minutes. Does that show the signs of a good team, that they know how to win at the end? Or is that luck?
We don't know for certain. We don't know if now they're going to be able to win all these games late. But I will say this: They did it against a really good defense, against a defense that had shut them down for the first 55 minutes. Ryan started making throws and the receivers started making plays. I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes good teams do turn on in the end. But it's hard to turn on in the end like that against the Patriots. So yes, there is something to be said about teams that can close, that can finish, but you have to be in a position to finish those games and you can't play like garbage for the first 55 minutes.
Taking a look at the rest of the schedule, they have three of six games on the road and they're up north in the winter, so you never know what to expect. Aside from the finale against the Patriots, it doesn't look too brutal. Again, depending on weather, realistically, does this team have a chance for the playoffs?
Without question. I think 538, the website, gave them around 40, 35 percent chance. The Dolphins have a chance. They're not favorites yet, but they have a much better chance than one in four and even at three and four. So yeah, this winning streak has revitalized this franchise. It's made this locker room love their head coach. And I think even more importantly it's made the region realize, oh wait, we still have a football team in this town after years and years of mediocrity.
Considering what they've done so far, and barring the team falling apart at the back of the season, have players like Tannehill solidified their position on this team, because this was the year that the team could have probably just said we're cutting ties with you and going in another direction?
He's due about 18 to 20 million dollars next year. His salary goes way up. His salary cap obligation goes way up for the team. They have to make a decision on a guy this year. And I think he is winning that job. He is earning those tens of millions of dollars. And if he continues to play like this I think there's no question he'll be back in 2017. Winning does that, doesn't it?
