Balance. We could use that term to talk about the importance of balance to an NFL team in achieving victory/success and how that was evident in this last game against the Titans. Instead I want to use it to talk about how my approach has changed following the last couple of seasons and then the start to 2015. Hope. That's what a lot of us have had or, at least, wanted to have. We've seen the Dolphins change (again & again), we've tried to identify the weak areas, look for signs of improvement, seen moves, built hope on what we've seen, and since it doesn't need spelling out here, most of us entered this season hopeful of what we might see. And then we saw what we saw. Fans went from "We're going to win the division!" to "I'm never being a fan again!" in next to no time. Even if it wasn't quite that extreme for some of us, we were, nevertheless, scratching our heads over a team that seemed to be strengthened, having been on the cusp of the playoffs, failing utterly against 'weaker' opponents. It was disheartening. Then the axe fell. It was an axe many of us had been looking for/expecting for a while and when the majority of replacements came from in-house, it looked a little decent. We had two weeks to ponder what might be, and for hope to begin to creep in. For me personally, I resigned myself to a 2015 season of curiosity. Changes had been made and I felt like with so much being up in the air (so many new coaches, little experience, same schemes, possible player/team issues etc), the best (only) approach I could take would be one of fascination - what and see what happens and what comes out of this explosion/collapse. So that's how I went into yesterday's game, and man was it enjoyable to see the result. (Only thing I didn't like was Vernon's low hit on Mariota. No need for it and I don't want to see it as a regular part of what these Dolphins do. The only thing that could really turn me off this team is if they start playing dirty.) Despite yesterday's victory though, nothing has changed for me. This team as a whole is still unknown territory, for me, until they have had a chance to show how they perform against quality opponents - real benchmark games - and also consistency over time. The HC position was given to Campbell unexpectedly. If they fell - or do fall - I wasn't about to put it all on him. Same with the other coordinators, except maybe Lazor. So the changes made turned this into an experimental season for me, and until further notice, that's how it's going to remain. And in fact, I think that's a plus for me. I don't go into games with any intention other than just to watch and enjoy, as long as they play with passion, grit, and honour I'll enjoy it. Last point - I'm a bit concerned about some of you guys on here who already seem to be back on cloud 9. You might be setting yourself up for a fall again. After the dismal start to the year yesterday's game was against an opponent who had lost 7, if not 8, straight games at home. Admittedly, the result was what it should have been against a team of that quality (if the pre-season expectations were correct). However, it doesn't mean this Phins team is suddenly out of the woods or about to go 10-6. The Oline still has issues, especially is Albert goes down. More immediately, I'm bearing in mind that it's one thing to come out of the gates of the bye week, with a new coaching staff, all pumped up, against a weaker opponent. It's something else to maintain that energy and confidence and fighting spirit right throughout the season, and after facing losses. So we should be careful about getting too excited and hopeful about what we've seen in just one game.
