Dolphins Going 0-17? Why That Talk Is Ridiculous

Dolphins Going 0-17? Why That Talk Is Ridiculous

Ryan Fitzpatrick said last week that if the Miami Dolphins lost to the Las Vegas Raiders in the season opener, going 0-17 is a real possibility. The Dolphins lost to the Raiders on Sunday, and he didn’t back down from that statement early this week. He described the state of the team, including their cap situation and the fact that they have no winnable games on paper for the rest of the season. 

I understand Fitzpatrick’s point of view, and he makes good points about both the schedule and the team’s situation, but I also think it’s premature to make such a prediction. It’s week 1, and a long season remains. This isn’t to say I think the Dolphins will prove anyone wrong, go on a streak, and possibly sneak into the playoffs. It’s week 1 and only week 1, as there are 16 more games to be played. Teams can look so bad to start the season and by the end of the season do not look so bad, or vice versa. 

Fitzpatrick talked about this because he used the 2019 Dolphins team he was on, how they got off to a very bad start, and how they were beaten by large margins. He referenced how the team didn’t have a chance because of the turnover on the roster.

One Bad Game Doesn’t Define a 17-Game Season

Yet somehow the Dolphins played better as the season went on and finished 5-11 with Fitzpatrick at quarterback, including a season-ending win against the New England Patriots in their backyard that kept them from being the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Now Fitzpatrick got benched after the first 2 games that year for Josh Rosen, and then they went back to him a few weeks later; honestly, if the Dolphins didn’t go back to him, they would have been lucky to win 2 games that year because Rosen wasn’t a starting quarterback and made more mistakes than plays, whereas Fitzpatrick made things happen and was a leader. 

The Dolphins have Malik Willis, and yes, he doesn’t have the experience of Fitzpatrick, having only started 7 games now, but he does have a skill set that you need nowadays in the NFL a quarterback that can make plays with his legs when the play breaks down and a strong arm, so I believe that he is capable of keeping the Dolphins in games and winning a few. I’m not making Willis out to be our franchise quarterback because he still has a long way to go, but he has a skill set this team hasn’t had at quarterback. 

Yes, the Dolphins roster was stripped down, as evidenced by 13 rookies making the team, having the youngest roster in the NFL, and the team choosing to absorb $180 million in dead cap space for players no longer on the roster that didn’t do anything to make this team succeed, which I think was the right thing to do. However, if the Dolphins really wanted to tear down this roster further, they wouldn’t have given Jordyn Brooks, Aaron Brewer, or DeVon Achane new extensions. The Dolphins’ new regime, led by John Eric Sullivan, identified those players as building blocks.

If Sully really wanted to tear down the roster further, then he would have traded those players to get the most value in draft capital, and if he did, I don’t think anyone would have blamed him. Sully also would have spent money to sign Willis at quarterback with $45 million guaranteed. If he wanted to go in full rebuild-tank mode, he would have signed a journeyman quarterback not capable of being a starter. The Dolphins tried that route in 2019, and the irony is that Fitzpatrick was the reason they won enough games and kept the team from possibly getting the No. 1 pick, and could have taken Joe Burrow, and maybe things are different. 

You can’t judge teams after a week. The NFL is full of parity, and games are closer than when I grew up, and anything can happen on any given day. Did anyone see the Arizona Cardinals going into Los Angeles and beating the Los Angeles Chargers?

Did anyone think the Kansas City Chiefs would dominate the Denver Broncos the way they did with Patrick Mahomes coming back from a serious knee injury and Andy Reid committing to the running game?  

The point is, anything can happen on any given Sunday. Injuries will happen as the season goes on, and they can change the course of a team’s season and a game. Also, teams can overlook opponents who are up against a team that is supposed to be bad and has a bad performance, like the Chargers last week. 

The 0-17 Conversation Has Already Started

Saying the Dolphins, or any team, is going to go 0-17 after week 1 is wrong. Anything can happen on any given day. I don’t expect the Dolphins to win a lot of games this year, but I expect them to get better on the field and win a few games.

Could the Dolphins go 0-17?

Yes, of course, they could, and if they do, then Fitzpatrick was spot on in his prediction.

I know what the Dolphins’ schedule is, and it’s tough; on paper, there isn’t a game they will be favored in, but there will be a game where things click and they will get one. I truly believe that. If they don’t, then I’m dead wrong, and I’ll accept it, but let’s not overreact to one game and what the schedule and the state of the team look like.