Waking up on Sunday morning as a Dolphins fan is an uneasy feeling at best. The feeling is like eating questionable Chinese food. You never know what team you’re going to get. You either get the team that won 3 straight games to begin the season or the team that looked lost in the last two weeks.
The Dolphins on Saturday night were 3-point underdogs at home. The Bears going into the game, were 3-1 coming off a bye-week. The last week they played, they hung 48 points on the Buccaneers. On Sunday morning, the Dolphins were getting 7.5 points at home. I didn’t have to read the latest news because the game line said it all. Ryan Tannehill was going to be out this game and Brock Osweiler was going to get his first start of the season.
The same Brock Osweiler that got a 4-year, 72-million-dollar deal from the Texans. After one disappointing year, he got traded. The same guy that got cut in pre-season from the one-win Cleveland Browns. Even further, got shown the door by the Broncos after getting another chance last year. The player who wasn’t even supposed to beat out David Fales this year for the backup Quarterback job. He is one of those “Adam Gase guys” that he loves to keep around because they know his system. They seldom produce for the Dolphins.
On Sunday, we saw everything that Brock offers. Osweiler showed great pocket presence on most throws, not getting sacked once. He also stared down a receiver for an interception. Regardless of the results, he shows a lot of enthusiasm just like former backup, Matt Moore. The team seems to respond different with him as Quarterback. A lot of the times with Tannehill, I wait for him to do something great. When he does something such as run for a first down, I want him to show emotion and signal first down. He never does, you know what you are getting. He has been the same player since 2012. He doesn’t lose games (except last week against the Bengals). He does not win games either. Today, Brock Osweiler won the game for Miami.
There were many different reasons the Dolphins won Sunday’s game. For example, the Defense keeps on forcing game changing turnovers. Both turnovers were in the red zone. The Offense did play ahead of the chains, gaining positive yards rushing on first down. The up- tempo, no huddle offense, was fast and effective. Frank Gore turned back the clock again with a vintage performance. Albert Wilson had 2 long touchdown receptions (Jarvis Landry had 2 catches). Danny Amendola led the team with 8 receptions, most of them keeping drives alive. Trailing most of the 2nd half, the game seemed all but over. I’m not sure if Tannehill was under center they would have pulled it out. Granted, Brock Osweiler is a backup for a reason but on Sunday he was a shot in the arm that Miami needed. I don’t think there’s a Quarterback controversy for the Dolphins. Go with the hot hand for now and let the rest play itself out. For now, let’s enjoy another weird win. This season is different, I’m not sure if that’s good or bad yet!
Phins up!
