Written by Armando Salguero at The Miami Herald
The Miami Dolphins played “terrible” on offense the first 54 minutes of Sunday’s game, to use head coach Adam Gase’s word, and yet when the offense came onto field the final six minutes knowing it might get only one or two more chances to win, quarterback Ryan Tannehill told his teammates to get ready for an improbable victory because it was happening.
“I told the guys just before we went on that first touchdown drive, ‘Hey, everyone take a deep breath. We’re going to win this game.’” Tannehill said. “And that’s what we did.”
Why?
How could Tannehill make such a prediction? The offense had faced 10 third down situations up to that point and converted exactly none of them.
The Miami drive chart to that point looked like something out of a Football Follies highlight reel:
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.
Interception.
Punt.
Punt.
Punt.
So a victory? How?
Why?
“Because as long as there’s time on the clock, I’m going to believe we can win,” Tannehill said. “I have a lot of faith in everyone that steps on that field with me. We put in a lot of work and a lot of time. We’ve grown together over the past three months. As long as there’s time on that clock and we’re within reasonable scoring range, I believe we’re going to find a way to win.”
And this is important because the Dolphins are 6-4 now. And while they won’t dare articulate the idea of being a playoff-caliber team because Gase has them thinking strictly week to week — Nick Saban style — the idea this team might make it to the postseason is going to leak through the print media or social media and electronic media and maybe into your head.
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