DAVIE — Darren Rizzi is the associate head coach of the Dolphins and he’s been with the organization since 2009 and he’s seen a lot.
He’s seen a lot of coaches, a lot of players, and yes, too many losses and not enough playoff wins.
Surely, Rizzi has never seen anything like the Miami Miracle. Few of us have. But Rizzi is an unfailingly candid guy.
And so here are the Dolphins, 7-6, somehow still alive in the AFC playoff picture, likely needing another upset win Sunday at Minnesota to keep breathing, and Rizzi is asked to ponder what it is about this particular roster, this particular team, that he likes. In essence, despite all the injuries and the seeming lack of overall star power, why exactly is this team finding ways to win?
“There’s no drama, if you will,” Rizzi said this week. “You guys know I’ve been around here for a couple of years and there’s been some drama-filled stuff that’s happened here. I’m not letting the cat out of the bag on that one. But I don’t feel that with this crew. It’s a lunch pail, hard hat crew.”
Continued Rizzi: “I don’t see the divas and the drama queens or whatever you want to call them. Whatever the right term is or the wrong term, I don’t see that. I see a lot of camaraderie. I see a lot of cohesiveness.”
It is possible, and should be probable, that cornerback Xavien Howard (seven interceptions) and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (zero sacks allowed) will play in the next Pro Bowl. They are ascending young talents and solid individuals and surely Miami will attempt to lock them up with long-term contracts this offseason.
But what the Dolphins lack in overall star power, they believe they’ve made up for with the addition of skilled veterans who have altered the chemistry and vibes in Miami’s locker room.
Miami felt that when things went wrong in the past, some players weren’t running to the front of the lines. And so those players were let go.
It’s fascinating to think about the players who have been named Dan Marino team MVP the last three seasons.
In 2018, it was Ndamukong Suh, the surly loner who was extremely powerful but also extremely highly paid and whose impact on the team wasn’t deemed positive enough on or off the field to warrant staying.
Suh was set free.
In 2017, it was Jay Ajayi, who spearheaded a playoff run with his furious runs, but who the team viewed as pouty and an exhibitor of poor body language.
Ajayi was traded to Philadelphia.
And in 2016, it was safety Reshad Jones and receiver Jarvis Landry, who the team felt improvised and lost his cool too often.
Landry was traded to Cleveland.
There is no doubt Suh, Ajayi and Landry were Pro Bowl talents. But the Dolphins felt they had a better chance for long-term success with players who followed direction and didn’t march to the beat of their own drummer.
“I’m pretty sure I have a good feel what this team is about,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said this week. “Our guys... this is a good group of guys. They work hard. They give you everything they have.”
Which brings us to the final three games of this season. All that talk about improved culture? It’s time to see it translate in the most important time of any season.
The Dolphins, according to the New York Times NFL playoff machine, now have a 21 percent chance to make the NFL playoffs.
“I heard after the game before that last play, ESPN has us like 99.9 percent chance we’re going to lose that game,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said of the Miami Miracle. “They were going to execute that last play as hard as they could and do their jobs and they did.”
Would it be a miracle if the Dolphins made the playoffs now? Not really, and here’s why.
The Dolphins are 7-6, tied for the sixth playoff spot in the AFC with Baltimore, Indianapolis and Tennessee. Miami is the only team in the group that does not face a winning team down the stretch: at Minnesota (6-6-1), vs. Jacksonville (4-9) and at Buffalo (4-9).
“If we keep winning, we’re going to have to play five, six playoff games basically because every single game for us, from two weeks before all the way to the last game, have been basically playoff games for us,” Miami rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick said.
Added veteran receiver Kenny Stills: “We know that we control our own destiny and we have to win in order to keep our hopes alive.”
The Ravens hold the last playoff spot at the moment, due to win percentage in common games. The Dolphins are fortunate the Colts and Titans face each other.
Of course, Miami would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Indianapolis but win a head-to-head tiebreaker with Tennessee.
All this is slightly miraculous, considering Miami is -55 in points differential and have lost Ryan Tannehill for five games and Josh Sitton, Daniel Kilgore, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant and William Hayes for the season.
Gase agrees this roster has his fingerprints on it. But it’s also fair to say it’s missing a key part or five.
“My only complaint is I wish we could stay a little healthier,” he said. “It just seems like we kind of run in and lose some good players.”
There are things the Dolphins must do to improve their chances to actually pull this off, and shock the world in a manner that would be somewhat similar to 2016, when Gase’s 10-6 debut included a playoff appearance:
• Tannehill must play as well in the final three games as he has in the three he has since returning from as shoulder injury. Yes, Tannehill’s shoulder still hurts. Yes, he’s now playing with an injured ankle. But Tannehill must make good decisions and convince opponents he’s mobile enough and strong-armed enough to create downfield plays in the passing game.
• The Dolphins must be better on third downs on offense. They’re 30th in the league at 32 percent, which is unacceptable. The Vikings lead the league in third-down defense, which is a real issue this Sunday. But the goal over the last three games should be 40 percent, which would increase Miami’s odds to win and Tannehill’s chances to return next season.
• Miami must overcome their road woes. The Dolphins are 1-5 on the road this season and have lost 10 of their last 11 away from home. Once again, the team will travel on Friday, something Gase has tried to mix up the routine this season. Nobody seems to know why the Dolphins play so much worse on the road. But they must prove they can reverse course down the stretch.
The Dolphins, starting this Monday, have drilled into their players’ heads that The Miracle is over. So much so that players wouldn’t talk about it this week.
Gase believes he has a roster with players who are, for the most part, emotionally mature enough to reduce the chances of an emotional hangover.
The importance of offseason addditions like Danny Amendola and Brandon Bolden, Super Bowl champions with a team up north, will be tested this week. Teammates and coaches have praised those players for attention to detail, relentless focus, competitive spirit, consistent intensity, established routines and situational preparedness.
But is all that enough?
Miami fans should root hard this week for the Giants (+1) over the Titans, the Cowboys (+3) over the Colts and the Bucs (+7.5) over the Ravens.
And of course, they should root hard that Miami’s upset bid on Sunday does not require another miracle. If Miami were to win out, the New York Times computer says there’s an 85 percent chance they’d make the playoffs.
If it were to happen, it would not be because the Dolphins accumulated a roster of stars. It also wouldn’t be because of smoke and mirrors or magic or luck. It would be because of key offseason additions, quality coaching and the sincere belief that positive plays would be made at the most critical moments in the most critical games.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sport...miami-dolphins-believe-they-can-make-playoffs
