After all the Dolphins already had gone through this
season, what was a little 14-point deficit against the New
York Jets? So what if their starting quarterback Jay Cutler
was no longer in the game, instead getting his chest and
ribs checked out? And no left tackle Laremy Tunsil either?
Pfft. Big deal.
The Dolphins just seem to always find a way, no mat-
ter the obstacle, no matter the opponent.
You don’t think it’s by coincidence the Dolphins had
won 12 consecutive games decided by seven points or less
after their latest escape, the 31-28 decision against the Jets
decided by Cody Parkey’s last-minute field goal.
Three, four, five in a row, maybe you start thinking it’s
just a fluke or a run of good luck.
But 12? That is absolutely crazy.
It’s just what these Dolphins do, though. Actually, it’s
what they’ve done since Adam Gase became head coach
in 2016.
Just as was the case last year, the Dolphins don’t nec-
essarily look overwhelming when you look at their roster
even though they do have talented players at several spots,
namely Jay Ajayi, Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake, Re-
shad Jones.
Then there’s a guy like Jarvis Landry, who isn’t the
most naturally gifted athlete in the NFL because he does-
n’t have great straight-line speed, though it would be fool-
ish to underestimate his athletic ability.
What Landry has in abundance — even overabun-
dance, if there’s such a thing — is fight. The guy is ab-
solutely incredible to watch just for his sheer unwillingness
to be denied. It’s truly amazing.
He also epitomizes what this Dolphins team is about:
It’s a team with some flaws, but one that will never, ever
give up no matter what.
That showed up in the game against Atlanta, and again
against the Jets.
Much was made of the comeback from a 28-14 deficit,
but this also was a game where the Dolphins just kept
coming back. Jets open the game with a five-play, 75-yard
touchdown drive; Dolphins respond with a five-play, 75-
yard touchdown drive. Jets score to make it 14-7; Dolphins
answer to make it 14-14.
So where does this ability to persevere come from? It’s
pretty obvious: It comes from Gase.
After the Jets victory, his regular season record as an
NFL head coach was an impressive 14-8, including 13-
in the last 17.
That’s heady stuff. Gase came to the Dolphins with a
reputation as an offensive guru, but more than anything he
has brought swagger to South Florida.
The Dolphins simply didn’t have that before, and that
confidence clearly has manifested itself time and time
again, both in him and his team. Gase knows he won’t
make the right call all the time, but he’s always going to
believe in it and he’s never going to back down.
That’s what the Dolphins do, and that’s why they al-
ways push forward.
It doesn’t matter if they have to relocate to California for
a week because of a hurricane; it doesn’t matter if their
new linebacker is a no-show for the season opener; it does-
n’t matter if they fall behind 17-0 at Atlanta.
And it won’t matter, either, if Cutler winds up being out
of the lineup for a few weeks because of that injury he sus-
tained against the Jets.
In Matt Moore, the Dolphins have a backup quarter-
back who personifies a lot of the traits Gase displays. How
often have we heard him referred to as a “gunslinger”?
Well, being a gunslinger entails making some throws that
can look ugly, such as his interception against the Jets. But
the thing about Moore is that he won’t stop slinging just
because he gets picked off.
Whether the offense, which sputtered for most of the
first five games, suddenly becomes consistently productive
with Moore at quarterback remains to be seen, though a
good indication of that probably could be found in that
Thursday night game at Baltimore.
The degree of difficulty for that game already was
pretty high given that it came on a short week against a
team that’s been difficult to handle, and then there was the
issue of Tunsil’s uncertain status on top of it.
Regardless of what happened in that game, the Dol-phins have positioned themselves to be able to make an-
other run at the postseason this season.
For the repeat playoff performance to happen — and it
would be a first since 2000-01 — the Dolphins will need
more consistency from the offense and for the defense to
play the way it played in the first five games and in the
second half against the Jets.
There are encouraging signs everywhere, from Cam
Wake’s recent sack surge, to Reshad Jones starting to make
plays at safety, to DeVante Parker’s eventual return.
Above everything else, though, is that mental fortitude
the Dolphins have shown they clearly possess. Yes, there
will come a time when they will lose a close game and that
incredible streak will come to an end.
But does anyone doubt the Dolphins will continue to
find a way to come up with the key plays that allow them
to turn losses into victories?OCTOBER 28, 2017 Dolphin Digest 3from the EDITOR Alain Poupart @APoupartFins
Coach Adam Gase is per-
haps the biggest reason the
Dolphins have done so well
in close games the past two
seasons.Determined Dolphins
Thrilling comeback victories against the Falcons and the Jets provide
more evidence of a team that usually finds a way to get it done
NEXT ISSUE
The next issue of Dolphin Digest will be
printed Tuesday, Nov. 7 and will include complete
recaps of the games against the Baltimore
Ravens and Oakland Raiders, as well as analy-
sis of all the latest news and developments in-
volving the team.