I know this is going to sound entirely optimistic and should be taken with a grain of salt coming from a biased phins fan, but I think the Miami Dolphins have an outside shot of winning double digit games this year. Before the mob of phins news fans gets their pitchforks and demands for Jimmy Bourbon’s execution based on the parameters of excessive optimism that leads to stupidity, lets do a breakdown of the upcoming schedule.
Week 1 – Houston Texans away – The Texans are a very good football team, and will probably have no problem winning the AFC south this year. Also this is still the only NFL team that the Miami Dolphins have never defeated, and sadly they will probably come away from the first game of the season with a defeat. (0-1)
Week 2 – Oakland Raiders home – Since 1997 the Dolphins have faced the Raiders 11 times and have won 9 times. They have pretty much owned this team, and should be able to defeat them at home with the advantage of the 1pm scorching Miami heat. (1-1)
Week 3 and 8 – New York Jets – Division games are always close, and these two teams, always play tight entertaining games. Throw in the Tony Sparano leading the Jets offense with some wildcat plays, and these should be some very hyped up games. I think it is fair that we assume that the season series will be a split decision, one game apiece. (2-2)
Week 4 – Arizona Cardinals away – The Cardinals are a very similar team to the Dolphins, with an unsettled quarterback situation and a decent defense. This is definitely a game the Dolphins can win, so it will be reasonable to say they can come away with a victory here. (3-2)
Week 5 – Cincinnati Bengals away – The Bengals are a decent football team, but again this team falls into a the category of a team that shouldn’t scare the phins news fans. This is the type of team that will be fighting for a wild card playoff spot with the Dolphins, and if the phins have any chance of making the playoffs this is the type of team they must beat. (This could be a make or break game in the season.) I’ll have faith in the aqua and orange and say they win this in a close game. (4-2)
Week 6 – St. Louis Rams home – The Rams are a young team, similar to the Dolphins, but again a team the Dolphins can easily beat, if playing up to their potential. (5-2)
Week 9 – Indianapolis Colts away – We will get to see Andrew Luck in action, and only wonder what could have been, if we did not come alive at the end of last season and win ourselves out of the contention of drafting him. The phins have to win this game. (6-2)
Week 10 – Tennessee Titans home – The Titans are another team like the Cardinals that resemble the Dolphins, and are a team that the Dolphins can beat. Yes, my inner Dolphin fan is basically saying the teams they should beat they will beat. (7-2) (So after 10 weeks of the season though mind boggling, it is conceivable that the Dolphins could be 7-2.)
Week 11 and 16 – Buffalo Bills – The Bills beefed up their defensive line, and will be getting back a lot of players that suffered injuries last season. They are primed for a successful season, but again being a division foe, it is reasonable that they will split the season series. (8-3)
Week 12 – Seattle Seahawks home – Again another team that fits into the ‘should be able to beat them category.’ Also I may have given the Seahawks the nod here if the game was in Seattle, but since it is in Miami I will allow myself to believe they will win this game. (9-3)
Week 13 and 17 – New England Patriots – I will be a realist, and even though they are division rivals, I will succumb to the fact that the Patriots are the cream of the crop in the AFC, and they will probably be too much for the Dolphins to handle. The phins will play tough but lets be safe and say they lose both games. (9-5)
Week 14 – San Francisco 49ers away – Lets face it the 49ers are going to be very good this year, and it would be wise to believe that the Dolphins will come up short in this game. (9-6)
Week 15 – Jacksonville Jaguars home – These guys are not a very good football team, and if Maurice Jones-Drew sits out over a contract issue, then this team will be the worst team in the league. Phins win this game. (10-6)
So honestly fans can laugh at my football betting prediction of the Dolphins winning 10 games this season, but with a favorable schedule, and a little luck this might not be a dream. So what does the phins new nation think?