2016 Dolphins Turning Even Omar Kelly Into A Believer

Omar Kelly has covered the Dolphins for over a decade.

Omar Kelly has covered the Dolphins for over a decade.

Now, Omar Kelly ‘seems to be’ buying into Miami as a Franchise on the rise.

Omar Kelly gets called a Miami Dolphins troll by some and realist by others.

No matter how you slice it, he hasn’t been much of a believer in the Dolphins success, and the truth be told, he’s been mostly correct — until this season.

I’ve found myself disliking his cantankerous shtick at times — my fandom prefers a more gentle criticism of Miami. But, I have still read many of his articles and watched his videos over the years, nevertheless.

He’s a hard-ball beat writer — that’s his angle. I get it.

But, Kelly is close to the players and the team, and that type of insight that’s invaluable for those of us who like to try and ‘figure out’ the team’s direction, personnel and coaching staff (for me and many the game extends past the 60 minuets of play).

Recently, Kelly has been delivering his insight with a different tone. And that’s the main crux of this article: true winners have the ability to turn critics into supporters.

And ladies and gentlemen, that’s what this Miami Dolphins team is doing.

Now, there’s no firm conclusion that Kelly has ever been a ‘critic’ of the Dolphins or not — it could have simply been tough love. But, what isn’t debatable is the changing of his tenor on Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins Franchise.

And that my fellow fans that is a beautiful thing to behold, because it’s a sign that things are truly changing for the better.

Kelly views this Bills game as a key moment in defining this team’s direction.

Watching Kelly defend Tannehill these days and expressing high-regard for the team’s direction says a lot about how far this 2016 Miami Dolphins team has come…

…And more importantly, how far this team will go, because he’s not the only one changing their tune.

The odds from all the ‘money boys’ those into pay per head sportsbook was 7 wins for the season.

The Dolphins have already passed that expectation and are now about to leave it far behind in the rear-view mirror with win against the Buffalo Bills this Christmas Eve.

This is where I totally agree with Kelly. Statistics have Miami with a a 92% chance of making the Playoffs with one more win! Now that’s change you can believe in.

Look, just about every Miami fan has had their ‘doubting Thomas moment’. Not many can say they believed every step of the way. And for those who did, bravo! My ‘moment’ came after Titans game, when just about every aspect of this regime seemed uncertain in my mind.

And of course, just as I doubted them, they rose like a Phoenix — my timing has never been hot-to-trot.

Kelly now views the Dolphins as a Franchise on the rise — and more will join him.

I had spent months writing articles in support of this regime, defending my stances with a million taps of the keyboard — I was all in, and all out if they flopped. It wasn’t just commitment from an emotional standpoint, but from a football knowledge standpoint. So, when the Titans travesty occurred, my defeat was all encompassing. It hurt my heart and more importantly my pride as an football evalautor. With wheel barrels full of crow at my doorstep, I wasn’t a happy camper.

That experience is why I have some empathy for Kelly. Because early on in his career, his barrels of crow were geometrically greater than mine. And that couldn’t have been easy to swallow.

But, that’s the beauty of this new regime, this 2016 season, and the future: it doesn’t suck, and might just end up being special.

It’s time to turn the page from the disasters of the past and smell the freshness of a new era. As the Dolphins perform better, the writing will be more positive from the real sports writers, the fans will be more unified, the home crowds will roar louder, and game time will be a thing of joy and not trepidation. And, this hack writer is here to tell you, just like Kelly’s tune is changing, so will all those who doubt that the Dolphins franchise has returned to respectability. Go Fins!!!


 

12 comments

  • Dunner

    OOOppps, Even I forgot about Aikens. He should be a pro bowl special teams player. Excuse me he is, he should be thers, just got snubbed also.

  • Dunner

    No respect for this team that has the 5th best record in the league and 2 pro bowlers? No Laundry, Ajayi, Maxwell, Tunsil, James, Stills, Thomas, Denny???

    Hope this team and these players use it as fuel for Sundays game. Could use any and all advantages vs the Bills.

    Heres to wishing Miami some how finds their way to Oakland in the playoffs. After all, Oakland had the most pro bowlers in the AFC (7). Then we should see the difference between the 2 teams. It is not 5 players thats for sure!!!

    This is without pro bowlers Jones and Pouncey. Sure they would have been snubbed also.

    • Lemmus

      …all true Dunner …and yet …Baltimore was a beat down …a real one …by a team with strengths that matched our weaknesses

      …I don’t put any stock in pro-bowlers as real evaluations of the players since selection is based more on fandom, both personal and team, than it is on current petformance

  • Lemmus

    …lmao …now THERE is a real Debbie Downer 😄

    • admin

      I think it’s a cherry on top of the season if he goes full fan mode…but, in all honesty must have been tough to cover this team all these years.

  • phinfreak

    Yes, this season is an improvement over the last 10. Yes, the Fins actually won a couple games nobody thought they would, but the also lost a few they shouldn’t have. One season does not mean a franchise has turned a 10 year losing season drought.

    Talk to me after the Bills game.

    • admin

      I think the overall trend has had a stark up turn, and many off season moves have panned out. That offers more hope then in some time. BUT you are correct they need one more win to truly validate the notion that this team is certainly heading in the right direction.

      • Dunner

        Losses = @ Seattle, @ New England, @ Cincy, Titans, @ Baltimore

        5 Losses, that is it. I will give you the Titans game at home, however; now we see that the Titans are not a bad team. So I don’t see it like you do, I do not see a game outside of Tennessee that should have won. Not could have, but should have!

        Is ironic that ALL 5 losses have come to teams that are in the playoffs or in the hunt? I know Cincy has a slim chance, but they were a different team in week 4 vs us opposed to now.

    • FinFanMan13

      Maybe not for this year, but it has definitely turned this franchise around for the future. Winning all those games that would surely have been lost the last 10 years is proof-positive to me.

      • admin

        I’d like to see this win…or one against the Pats. Saban had a 9-7 season. 10 wins would be solid proof. Now, I think he will even if it’s 9, but 10 is such a nice round number!!!

  • Dunner

    Omar is a Debbie Downer. Hard to believe he gives props to any of the Dolphin players or the team itself.