Season Recap - 2010 Miami Dolphins

Final Record: 7-9

Finished: 3^rd Place in the AFC East

2011 Draft Position: 15^th

Preseason Ranking:   18
Preseason Letter of Misfortune:

Wildcat! What happened to the magic last year? In 2008 all anybody could talk about was the emergence of the wildcat offense unveiled to devastating effect against the New England Patriots the third week of the season. Spurred on by the new offense, Miami stole victories with their energetic, deceptive style of play. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams gave the wildcat offense a devastating 1-2 punch that left the rest of the league in its wake. After surprising the rest of the AFC East and stealing the division, the wildcat run came to a sudden, tragic end against Baltimore during the wild card game.

With such great success in 2008, 2009 should have been your year. But you faltered. Injuries hurt you badly. Defenses figured out how to slow the wildcat and your own defense broke down and allowed offenses to run all over them.

To succeed against the likes of New England and New York in 2010 you will have to reassert your dominance in the running game, with or without the wildcat antics. The maturation of Chad Henne and the addition of Brandon Marshall will only help improve your average passing game. But all the offensive firepower will not matter if the defense continues to work like a sieve and allow opposing teams to move up and down the field at will.

With three of your first four games against the likes of New England, Minnesota and the New York Jets, you will have to hit the ground snarling like a rabid wildcat. Anything less and you’ll be swimming in circles the rest of the season, trying to catch up to the rest of the division.

Week 1: Defeated the Buffalo Bills, 15-10

Ranked – 10

Traveling to Minnesota while the Vikings are still injured and rusty may help the Dolphins start 2-0 on the road. 

Week 2: Defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 14-10

Ranked – 10

Impressive win against an underachieving team on the road. The offense may not have been there enough to move up in the rankings, but the defense played well enough to keep you in the top 10.

Week 3: Lost to New York Jets, 31-23

Ranked – 19

So close to taking solid possession of the AFC East and now so far away. In a three-way fight, you needed every advantage you can get.

Week 4: Lost to New England Patriots, 41-14

Ranked – 26

After nearly a century of games, it's not easy to make history in the NFL, but the Dolphins did so... and not in a good way. Now Miami has an extra week to chew on the five unique touchdowns New England scored against them.

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Ranked – 20

Idle and improving.

Week 6: Defeated the Green Bay Packers, 23-20

Ranked – 17

Even if it takes five quarters, it's always difficult to defeat the Packers at Lambeau.

Week 7: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-22

Ranked – 17

The refs were right about the replay, but should have been more proactive determining who had the ball at the bottom of the pile before the replays were viewed.

Week 8: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 22-14

Ranked – 15

I have an idea - why don't the Dolphins try and win one at home.

Week 9: Lost at Buffalo Bills, 26-10

Ranked – 17

The road winning streak has ended and with it hope for an AFC wild card birth has been placed in serious jeopardy.  

Week 10: Defeated the Tennessee Titans, 29-17

Ranked – 16

It's still a two-team race in the AFC East, but the Dolphins are not going quietly into the night. They will not vanish without a fight.

Week 11: Lost to Chicago Bears, 16-0

Ranked – 19

Any hopes for a late season playoff push were all but crushed by the Bears last Thursday Night. It's never good to be shut out at home.

Week 12: Defeated the Oakland Raiders, 33-17

Ranked – 15

If only all games could be played on the road. Too bad the Dolphins have to return to South Florida, the home of underachieving talent.

Week 13: Lost to Cleveland Browns, 13-10

Ranked – 18 (ROCKY WEEK!)

[Miami fans, deeply concerned, walk towards the Dolphins on the beach] 

                   

Suntanned Fans: Can we talk to you? We wanna ask you something important, and we want you to tell us the truth. 

          

Miami Dolphins: What?

          

Suntanned Fans: Why'd you come here? 

          

Miami Dolphins: I just can't win in South Florida no more.

          

Suntanned Fans: If it's over because you want it to be over, I'm glad.

          

Miami Dolphins: We do. 

          

Suntanned Fans: It's just... you never quit anything since we've known you.

          

Miami Dolphins: We don't know what you want us to say. I mean, what happened? How did everything that was so good on the road get so bad at home? 

           

Suntanned Fans: What's so bad? Tell us, what? 

Miami Dolphins: We wrecked everything by not winning at home. I mean, why couldn't Parcells tell us where we really were right from the start? He didn't have to carry us and lie to us and make us think we were better than we really were when we weren't.

Week 14: Defeated the New York Jets, 10-6

Ranked – 16

It's difficult enough to play in a tough division without other team's taking cheap shots at your players.

Week 15: Lost to Buffalo Bills, 17-14

Ranked – 18

The Heat have figured out how to win in South Florida. Why can't the Dolphins?

Week 16: Lost to Detroit Lions, 34-27

Ranked – 19

A trip out of the state to finish the season is exactly what the Dolphins need. Sure, the game will be in frigid New England against the best team in the league, but at least it won't be in the nightmarish confines of South Florida.

Week 17: Lost at New England Patriots, 38-7

Final Rank - 18

Tomorrow, the 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars…