Nobody saw that coming.
Not me, not you, not the analysts, and certainly not the Miami Dolphins.
Nobody saw three Ryan Tannehill interceptions. Nobody saw a Reggie Bush benching. Nobody saw a 24-3 halftime deficit. And two weeks ago, nobody saw the Dolphins at 4-5 going into this game on Thursday night.
However, this is where the 2012 Miami Dolphins stand right now. Two games out of the division race, two games out of the wildcard race, and currently on a two game losing streak that, just a short while ago, seemed unthinkable.
What's that old saying? “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
Yeah, lets go with that.
This game will define who these Miami Dolphins really are. Up to this point, this group- this young, rebuilding group- has yet to face any adversity. They've been this season's cinderella; they were relavent again, making a playoff push that not even the brightest pundits could foresee, and everybody, including myself, bit.
They had a rookie QB who didn't play like one. A defense that not even Barry Sanders could run on. A coach who was the second coming of Don Shula.
For the first time in a long, long time, the Miami Dolphins were a threat in the AFC.
And then, in the span of three looooooong hours on Sunday, the football Gods, in Lucy-like fashion, yanked the football away right as we were about to kick it. And in a season filled with so many positives, just like that, adversity finally found its way to South Florida.
But it's no longer about what happened, or why. Not on a short week like this with the Buffalo Bills a mere 48 hours away.
It's now about how they respond.
In a season filled with so many big games, so many positives, it's the way the Miami Dolphins respond on Thursday night, following a route of epic proportions, that will truly define this 2012 season.
The way Ryan Tannehill plays following his worst professional performance. The way Reggie Bush plays following a two quarter timeout. The way this once prideful defense responds to giving up over 100 yards on the ground to a single rusher for the first time in over a year. The way this coaching staff responds to a game-plan on Sunday that, quite frankly, left you scratching your head.
For the first time all year, these Miami Dolphins are faced with adversity.
And they'll be on the national stage, under the lights and on the road, to face it.
That three game winning streak was nice, so was that 4-3 record. But the cards have changed now.
How the Miami Dolphins play their new hand will truly define their 2012 season.
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