"Against The Tide"

No one likes the unhappy ending. It’s a downer; it creates discontent and bad word-of-mouth advertising for movie studios. To avoid the pitfalls of disappointment, Hollywood goes to incredible lengths to ensure that movie-goers of all ages do not leave the theater with the proverbial bad taste fresh in their mouths. Therefore, they create uplifting, inspirational content that increase audiences enjoyment and attachment to the film. This not only ensures that audiences will speak more highly of the film; it will also foster better DVD sales on the other end of the revenue stream.

There are few better settings for the classic underdog story than in Sports. They are arguably one of the best backdrops for inspiration. It is dyed in the fabric of competition. It is found in Coach Vermeil’s office when Papale makes the roster, when Jimmy Morris unloads his first fast ball for the Tampa Bay Rays, when Rudy steps onto the field at Notre Dame, and even when golf caddy Danny Noonan sinks the winning putt to overcome Judge Smails and Dr. Beeper at Bushwoods. From legendary films as Bull Durham through modern spectacles Any Given Sunday, overcoming all odds, believing in yourself, become the duplicated mantra that has accounted for sport commentary clichés for years.

This past season the NFL laid the foundation of hope for a new script of comebackers. The Miami Dolphins were previously an assumed “W” on the season schedule. However this underachieving team has evolved into a playoff contender. Not only has the team turned it around, they nearly stole Cinderella’s cleat in one offseason.

After finishing the 2007 season with a dismal 1-15 record the Dolphins solicited the best NFL construction foreman in Bill Parcells to demo the old team and rebuild the foundation. He released the current GM and Head Coach. He brought in a new head coach in Tony Sparano who assisted him in Dallas. Long time veterans Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor were dispersed and Rookies played on opening day. Parcells, wanting to establish a new QBPA (Quarterback Protection Agency) drafted a 6’7” Tackle with the number 1 overall pick in the 2008 Draft to produce both in the running game and to pay lower blindside insurance premiums. Finally, he brought in the 2006 comeback player of the year in Chad Pennington who became unemployed when the Jets sought a similar move when they brought in the aging gun-slinger Brett Favre.

Therefore, the classic three parts of a story include the set up, the confrontation and the resolution. Or better, where we were, where we got to, and what we learned...

The Set Up

The Miami Dolphins are arguably one of the most renowned Franchises in NFL History. They own the only perfect season, achieving a 17-0 record for the 1972 season. They have hoisted the Lombardi trophy twice, sent 9 players/coaches to the Hall of Fame and have provided SportsCenter with a never-ending list of guests to mock undefeated teams that have a realistic shot at becoming the second undefeated team in history.

Though they have the legendary achievements in the past, it has been a slow climb in the new millennium. Over the past 5 years the Dolphins have amassed a 30-50 Record under 4 different head coaches. The most notable season came in 2003 when they went 10-6 and finished in second place in the AFC East. After a slumping 4-12 mark in 2004, the team fired head coach Dave Wannstedt and brought in LSU’s Nick Saban who was one year removed from a BCS championship. Though the team started out strongly, they stumbled through mid season and rebounded in time to finish the 2005 season with a 9-7 record. While Saban could never galvanize or create a winning strategy to maintain at the professional level, the college itch returned. After the 2006 season, Saban exited stage left and stepped out of Shula’s shadow and into Bear Bryant’s’ when he assumed the head coaching job at Alabama.

2007 was a year that hopefully most Dolphin fans experienced amnesia as the team hit a league low 1-15 mark. The sole win held out until week 13 when the fins defeated Baltimore. It was the first and only win for Head Coach Cam Cameron who was charged with the ultimate job of replacing moral and continuity for a Franchise in disarray. Though Cameron became the sacrificial lamb, his departure marked just the beginning in a tidal wave of changes on the horizon.

The Confrontation

In December 2007, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga hired Parcells to be the executive vice president of football operations. Since Parcells has shown particular durability in returning teams to previous glory it was the perfect setting for the ‘Big Tuna’. Soon after getting his new office in order, Parcells relieved a sluggish GM and unproven head coach. Parcells then moved in on his former mentee in Dallas, Tony Sparano. After further personnel consideration, Veterans Trent Green, Marty Booker, and future Dolphin Ring of Honor member Zach Thomas were given their pink slips.

From the outside, it is assumed that when these many changes occur in the same offseason, the organization is in the ‘rebuilding’ phase. This ensures that even though the fan base and local media will be brutal about the season progress, major sport networks will chalk it up to reconstruction and continue to insert the next year defense into any real assessment. But demolition and the quick build is the Parcells trademark. For a league where experience matters, Parcells has proven himself to be the master. He is the only coach in NFL history to lead 4 different clubs to the post season.

Confidence was in the air during the transition from the preseason to the regular season as the Dolphins went 3-1 in August. But waking up in week 3, the dolphins found themselves winless. After losses to the Jets and Cardinals, the New England Patriots were also anxious to bring in an underperforming team. But, as in all great turnaround stories, week 3 showed the system and personnel firing on all cylinders with an impressive 38-13 win moving into the Bye week. Week 5 showed a sustained momentum as the Dolphins defeated the Chargers at home.

This would typically be the time when the story would fade away and we would wake up in the playoffs. But, for Dolphins, swimming against the tide is not that easy. They would need to loose 2 consecutive weeks to find their record at an underachieving 2-4. Week 8 marked the half way point of the season, and no doubt some words of encouragement were given from Parcells to Sparano to help rejuvenate the team. Whatever actions or scripted speeches were given; it worked. The Dolphins proceeded to lose only one more contest to the Patriots, setting up a potential playoff berth by winning in week 17 in New York over Division rival Jets.

The Resolution

On the final Sunday of the Season the Miami Dolphins flew north to compete for the Divisional crown of the AFC East. A little over four months before the Jets had released Miami QB Chad Pennington to make room for Big Apple new comer Brett Favre. Though Favre’s bust has already been created for Canton, his uncommitted attitude was his ticket out of Green Bay. During the 2007 playoffs, it was the Favre and the Packers who were competing in the NFC championship. In 2008 it was the Jets trying to hold onto the Division.

The Dolphins came in on a 5-game winning streak, while the Jets were losers of 3 of 4. Though the dolphins always held the scoring edge in the game, the background to the story is much more interesting. For the Jets, they saw their 18 year veteran throw for one touchdown, yet gave back 3 interceptions. This in comparison to the old goods that threw for two scores and zero interceptions.

And while turnovers are costly in any game, in the playoffs they are magnified due to the stage. Favre was brought in to produce. On the season, Favre provided 22 touchdowns to 22 interceptions for 3,472 yards with an 81.0 QB rating. Though this was good enough to lead the Jets to a 9-7 record, it was not better than the man he took the job from. After being released by the Jets, Pennington remembered the mindset he had for the 2006 season when his efforts were rewarded with the NFL Comeback Player of the year. Statistically, Pennington had the much better season throwing 19 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. He amassed 3, 653 yards with a 97.4 QB rating. He was the first Dolphin QB since Dan Marino to throw for over 3,500 yards en route to his second Comeback Player Award.

When time expired at the Meadowlands, it was Pennington and the Dolphins who enjoyed a 24-17 edge over the home team. For Pennington, it had to be especially sweet that the Divisional Title game was won over his former team. Vindication had to be a sweet emotion of the day. Furthermore, Pennington now has a conversation starter with Payton Manning for being the only quarterbacks to provide a team with a 10 game turnaround.

The Dolphins lost their Wild Card Playoff match to the Baltimore Ravens, effectively bringing their season to an end. And though the clock rang midnight for the Dolphins, their 11-5 record is a classic example of a “worst to first” story. Though I do not expect to see “Against the Tide” being released anytime soon with DeNiro playing Parcells and James Gandolfini as Tony Sparano; it is a story that most sports fans enjoyed. And for the Detroit Lions and their fan base, I am sure that they are already looking at filming “Lion Pride” in the fall of 2009 as a sequel to the 2008 Dolphins.