Since 2002, the Miami Dolphins and their fans have been through a number of years of mediocre football. Yes, the team made the playoffs in 2008, but as everyone knows, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the team’s season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Had it not been for Brady’s injury, New England probably would have won the AFC East again that season.
Even if you count 2008, Miami has missed the playoffs 13 out of the last 14 years. But this season, it is something different about this year’s Dolphins team and it all starts with head coach Adam Gase.
Unlike previous coaches such as Dave Wannstead, Tony Sparano or Joe Philbin, Gase has a mentality where he is always confident that his team can win any game they play. The perfect example of this was last week’s 14-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams when the Dolphins came back in the fourth quarter to win on the road.
Down 10-7 in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins were driving down the field, Gase said he never thought about going for the field goal to send the game into overtime.
“It was either going to be a pick or a touchdown,” Gase said. “That’s how we were going to that game wasn’t going into overtime. That’s how it was going to be.”
Under previous coaches, there were a number of moments where the team would play like they were playing not to lose. Does anyone remember the Dolphins 27-24 2014 loss to the Green Bay Packers where Philbin said he was feeling queasy during the game? Gase’s confidence has appeared to have rubbed off on the team and that is a primary reason the team has won their last five games after beginning the season 1-4.
Miami has won four straight games, all when trailing in the fourth quarter. That is the first time in franchise history that has happened.
This is the best streak the Dolphins have had since they made the playoffs in 2008. Now at 6-4, Miami is just a game out of the last wild-card spot in the AFC.
Gase has everyone playing better, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill. In his first five games this season, Tannehill threw six touchdowns and seven interceptions. During the five-game winning streak, Tannehill has thrown for 1,017 yards, six touchdowns against only one interception.
Before this season, many consider Tannehill only a game-manager, but he has been much more than that in the Dolphins last two games. Against the Chargers, Tannehill outdueled future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers as he threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 31-24 victory. Tannehill also had a little help from linebacker Kiko Alonzo, who return a pick-six to seal the deal for the Dolphins.
While down 10-0 against the Rams, Tannehill led the Dolphins down the field as he threw two touchdown passes in less than seven minutes. Previous Dolphins team probably would have lost close games against the Rams and the Chargers, but this Miami team keeps finding new ways to win each week.
While it is a little too early to say, the Dolphins will be in the playoffs, they do have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. Of Miami’s last six opponents, only the New England Patriots currently have a winning record (8-2).
With the San Francisco 49ers coming up on Sunday, Gase says he isn’t thinking beyond that.
“Past San Francisco, I have no idea who’s after that or after that,” Gase said. “I come in, start working on San Francisco and after that, we’ll worry about when that that comes up. But right now, we’ve got to figure out a way to win one game this week.”
No matter what happens the rest of this season, Gase has implemented a brand-new attitude with this year’s Dolphins team. It appears that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has finally found the man that could lead his team back to the playoffs.
You can find Antwan on Twitter @antwanstaley
