There’s a widely known phrase in sports activities that claims, “You are what your record says you are.”
As the Miami Dolphins have gone from an ideal 3-0 to a mediocre 3-3, the legitimacy of that saying is up for debate, even on the crew.
You may level to numerous causes for the present three-game shedding streak — accidents, the protection not producing turnovers, the porous move safety, inconsistent particular groups play, many issues.
So, who’re the Dolphins as we make our method by way of Week 7 of the NFL season? Are they the crew some thought might be AFC title contenders after they defeated New England, Baltimore and Buffalo, or are they the crew that had lackluster fourth-quarter showings in losses to Cincinnati, the New York Jets and Minnesota?
Well, the reply is type of difficult.
Some, corresponding to operating again Chase Edmonds, imagine the ‘You are what your record says you are’ phrase is legit.
“I think when you get into ‘woulda, shoulda, coulda,’ you start finding a way to make excuses for yourself,” he stated. “So I’m a giant believer in, ‘You are what the record says you are.’ “
Other gamers, corresponding to vast receiver Tyreek Hill, don’t essentially imagine it’s true.
“I don’t make excuses for the games that were losses,” Hill stated. “But what I will say is I know that this team is better than the scoreboard.”
Still others say the phrase is irrelevant as a result of it’s so early within the season.
Coach Mike McDaniel has at all times stated he’s a process-oriented man versus a results-oriented man.
“As far as, ‘You are what your record says you are,’ I think there’s truth in that,” he stated. “Because to spend time saying, ‘Well, but this, that, or the other’ is a idiot’s errand.
“However, I think teams are whatever they define themselves that day. I think the Miami Dolphins are as good as their Wednesday.”
McDaniel doesn’t favor basing what is going to ultimately be a complete season’s value of labor within the first six weeks.
He identified final yr, when he was offensive coordinator for San Francisco, they received their first two video games, then went on a four-game shedding streak, and ended up taking part in within the NFC Championship sport. He additionally identified in 2015, when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, they began 5-0 however completed 8-8 and missed the playoffs. In different phrases, he’s seen it each methods.
“I think people clinging to what their record says they are might be not quite focused on the job at hand, which is continuing to get better so you play your best football at the end of the season, which is what good teams end up doing,” he stated.
Defensive sort out John Jenkins, a 10-year veteran who was on the 2020 Chicago Bears crew that had a six-game shedding streak in the course of the season however nonetheless made the playoffs with an 8-8 file, stated the Dolphins are a very good crew.
“We’re a good team regardless of the situation that we’re dealing with,” he stated. “We’re a good team. It’s still early in the season. I take it day by day, week by week.”
To a person, the Dolphins say accidents aren’t a legit cause for his or her losses. They say each crew has accidents.
And the Dolphins will take a serious step within the harm restoration course of when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returns from concussion protocol to start out in opposition to Pittsburgh on Sunday evening.
As I’ve said, in some unspecified time in the future the accidents do develop into a legit cause for shedding. No crew has an limitless provide of proficient gamers.
As for whether or not the Dolphins are the crew their file says they’re, yeah, you must imagine that’s true as a result of it’s not simply the accidents which have brought on this three-game shedding streak. There’s additionally the minus-7 turnover margin, the 197 yards in penalties the previous two video games, and errors corresponding to dropped passes and blown assignments within the secondary and offensive line.
They nonetheless don’t have an offensive identification except for huge performs involving Hill or fellow vast receiver Jaylen Waddle, and so they don’t have a defensive identification. No one but is aware of what makes this crew go (except for Hill). So, at this level, yeah, they’re a legit .500 crew.
But right here’s the excellent news. The Dolphins may not be a .500 crew after 10 weeks, or 12 weeks, or 16 weeks. At any of these factors they might be properly over .500 simply as they might be a sport or two beneath .500.
We all give groups checkpoints through the season. The Dolphins have been nice on the first checkpoint. After 4 video games, beforehand the primary quarter of the season (when it was a 16-game season and never 17 video games, corresponding to now), they have been 3-1.
Now, they’re 3-3. But there’s no panic, no self-doubt, no rush to make main modifications.
“It’s the second quarter of the season,” linebacker Elandon Roberts stated. “On Sundays it shows ain’t no games won in the second quarter. You could have a fourth-quarter comeback easily.”
Or a second-quarter comeback, beginning with Sunday’s sport in opposition to Pittsburgh.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com