There were “Tua” chants successful the end. There was besides the coach, Brian Flores, talking afterward of the “resilience” of his squad portion basking successful the radiance of a play expanse of New England.
If lone it meant something.
If lone it had immoderate consequence.
If lone the Dolphins had played similar this erstwhile it really mattered the erstwhile week successful Tennessee.
What benignant of fun-fest would Sunday person been if the Dolphins knocked New England from the playoff perch, 33-24, portion qualifying themselves?
That, folks, would person been thing to be, “proud of this team, arrogant of their fight, their resilience,” arsenic Flores said aft Sunday’s game.
As it was, this was a hollow day, an bare season, close down to the chants for backmost Tua Tagovailoa, who astir apt played his last crippled successful a Dolphins uniform. That’s up to squad proprietor Steve Ross. He hasn’t talked publically successful astir 2 years, truthful it’s hard to cognize his thoughts connected anything, overmuch little however helium feels astir this rebuild having a 4th day enactment Monday with nary playoff appearance.
The ball’s successful your court, Steve.
Do you privation to: a) Cut bait with Tua aft 2 seasons; b) chopped bait wide manager Chris Grier for picking Tua successful a three-year sacrifice of seasons; c) chopped bait with Flores and determination connected to the entity of your heart’s tendency a decennary agone successful an seemingly NFL-bound Michigan manager Jim Harbaugh; oregon d) each of the calamitous above?
You tin marque a lawsuit for each of them.
You tin marque the lawsuit for none.
You tin wonderment if Ross knows what to do, considering he’s had 12 years arsenic proprietor with 1 playoff game.
You tin besides expect him to person Deshaun Watson connected Line 1 immoderate time now, too, considering that’s the presumption we were successful astatine the Nov. 2 commercialized deadline. Has thing changed to alteration that idea? Has Ross considered what it would beryllium similar to person a look of the franchise who faces 22 intersexual battle allegations?
Tua was large connected Sunday’s opening drive, completing each 7 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. He past completed 56 yards of passes the remainder of the day. His bigger players were with his feet, existent third-down runs helium hadn’t shown an affection toward trying until the adjacent of Sunday’s game.
“We wanted to extremity this play with a bang, that’s what we went retired and did,” helium said.
Well, if a amusive but inconsequential triumph is simply a bang, that’s what it was.
“This play has been up and down for maine and a batch of the guys,” helium said. “We’ll spot what the offseason has planned for us.”
Yes, present we are, the offseason. Again. You privation to accidental its the astir important offseason successful years for the Dolphins, but that’s however it’s been the past 3 seasons.
Here’s a elemental question: Was this a palmy year?
“Every twelvemonth is different,” Flores said by mode of answering. “Every acquisition you larn from them, bully oregon bad. That’s benignant of however I effort to attack everything. I’ve learned a batch this twelvemonth astir myself, this team, players connected this squad and the radical successful our building. That’s truly what I instrumentality from it. … I’d similar to deliberation I’ve grown a small bit, but I anticipation that’s the lawsuit for everyone.”
That’s existential, man.
I was conscionable expecting immoderate position connected having a bully but yet meaningless Sunday successful the bigger representation of a mislaid season. The thought was the playoffs. I mean, wasn’t it? And present different play says goodbye arsenic the chants of, “Tua,” echo.
Does it substance different twelvemonth was lost? Does Ross care?
“It had its highs and it had its lows,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said of the season, a large 1 for him. “I don’t adjacent person words for it. It was conscionable new.”
He’s a rookie, bless him. All his seasons are up of him. But nary rookie of the past 20 years has won a playoff crippled for the Dolphins. Sunday was fun. But ideate what it would person felt similar if that triumph meant anything?