Sports: Tough times for the Miami Dolphins

I remember when the Miami Dolphins were actually decent. They seemed to make the NFL playoffs a good deal of the time. Those were the twilight years of Dan Marino's career, as artfully described by Will Ferrell:



The final game of both Dan Marino and head coach Jimmy Johnson's careers was an embarrassing 62-7 blowout to the Jaguars that still sticks in my mind. What followed after the departure of Marino and Johnson could only be described as "decay." Although the new quarterback, Jay Fiedler (a Jewish quarterback was particularly suitable for a South Florida team), and the new coach, Dave Wannstedt, were competent, seasons invariably ended with disappointment (including a ten-win season with no playoff berth).

This year has been the most frustrating for a fan, though. The Dolphins, who are 0-8, are actually getting worse as the season progresses - they've lost starting QB Trent Green and their star RB Ronnie Brown to season-ending injuries, they traded away Chris Chambers, and countless defensive players have been dancing in and out of the injured reserve. When veteran Pro Bowler Jason Taylor starts practice and literally says, "Hi, my name is Jason Taylor. What's your name?" to some third-string rookie being brought in to help out, you know you're going to have problems.

But, as a fan, you have to take the bad with the good. The Dolphins can't stay this bad forever...can they?