Miami's Quest For 0-16
| 25
|
by Oneflydude
With all the talk coming from the New England Patriots "Pursuit to Perfection," there hasn't been much about the Miami Dolphins, "Pursuit to Shame." If the Miami Dolphins were to go 0-16, would this be something to cheer about, or something to never talk about again? Think of it this way. If you were a member of the 2007 Dolphins, would you be proud, or shamed to say that you went 0-16 in the regular season? Hell, a Dolphins fan would probably be ashamed to see their team go 0-16. But if it is a first, wouldn't their be just a little bit of pride in that?
They would be the first team in NFL history to achieve that. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Colts accomplished something close to it. Back in 1976 when they first came into the league, they lost their first 26 games as a team. That was when there were only 14 games in a season. So they went 0-14 in their first year. They are not the only team to go winless in a regular season. The Baltimore Colts went 0-8-1 in 1982. They only played nine games due to a strike, but they still went winless that season.
But 0-16 is a different feat. The Dolphins maybe only the third team in NFL history to have a winless season, but they could be the first to go 0-16. Possibly in the same year that another team could go 16-0. The ironic thing is that the Miami Dolphins franchise is the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in a season. The Cleveland Browns accomplished that in 1948, but that was when they were a part of the AFL. Funny thing is that they only had 14 games in the regular season. With all of the talk from the '72 Dolphins about the Patriots season, how would they feel if their undefeated season was shadowed by a 0-16 season? Or what if it was shadowed by the Patriots undefeated season (according to Don Shula, it won't be a legit undefeated season)? Which record would get more attention? What would 0-16 mean for a modern day team in the NFL?
Many questions to be answered if this were to occur. The Dolphins still have a chance to get themselves a win with their upcoming schedule, but it still could be tough. Four of their last five games will be against teams who are under .500.
Dec. 2: New York Jets
Dec. 9: at the Buffalo Bills
Dec. 16: Baltimore Ravens
Dec. 23: at the New England Patriots
Dec. 30: Cincinatti Bengals
Now at 0-11, there are only five games left for them to turn themselves away. With Miami's luck, this push for 0-16 could be easy. Nothing seems to be going Miami's way this season. RB Ronnie Brown was hurt, causing him to miss the rest of the season. Their other RB Ricky Williams was activated on Monday, only to get injured and be out for the rest of the season as well. In a sloppy game on Monday Night Football, where the conditions are horrible and the field sucks, the Dolphins couldn't take advantage of any of that. They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 3-0. More of a baseball or hockey score than a final football score. This could have been the worst game this season by the Steelers, and they still won! The Dolphins just couldn't get to them when they were down.
They are average when it comes to rankings in the NFL. For example, they are 10th in the league in yards allowed, 13th in offensive yardage and 8th in rushing yards. Right in the middle of the pack. One good sign for Miami is that they have lost six games this season by three points or less. This could be the only positive thought stemming from this 0-16 talk. Maybe the fish could win a game this season. They have four winnable games coming up in their schedule. This was franchise who once dominated the NFL at one point. With the possibility of being the first team to go 0-16 in a regular season, what will this say for the frustrated '72 Dolphins team. There are a lot of people who are sick of hearing their mouth (including me), but they might have to deal with two things that they never wanted to ever see happen; a team go 16-0, and their former team go 0-16.
