Miami Dolphins seem improved, but why doesn’t record indicate it?

Something weird is going on with the Miami Dolphins in the sense that they seem better than last year but they only have six wins. The Dolphins have proven they can hang with the best of the best in the NFL but haven't been able to turn the corner and win those games. Why is this happening and is there anything the team can do to get over the hump?

“We have a lot of football left to play, and most importantly this one," Joe Philbin said. "Those are things that will all be determined in due time, but really all that matters right now is this week and the Jets. Like I’ve said before, more just the way the guys have played the game. It started in Atlanta in the preseason. I liked the way the guys played. Obviously, we have a lot of things to improve upon and do better, but I like the way they take the field. I like the way they care about one another. I like the effort that they’ve been giving. It just feels like a better football team.”

Brent Grimes weighed in and said that they are approaching it one game at a time, noting that they have to win this game if they want to stay alive in the playoff race. Grimes said he doesn't know who the Dolphins play next because they are so focused on the Jets and especially because it's a division game. Jared Odrick said they aren't thinking about losing and instead are asking the question of how many wins they need to get to make the playoffs. He said they want to win every game from here on out and that is their goal.

Ryan Tannehill said that it's definitely frustrating to lose all these close games and especially because these losses may decide whether or not the Dolphins make the playoffs at the end of the season. 

“Yeah. It’s tough, you lose those tight games and it’s the NFL, you’ve got to be able to win those tough games, especially when you hit November. Every game gets a little bigger once you hit November. So to lose two tough ones in November is definitely tough. I feel like, if you look at Green Bay, Detroit, if we make one more play, offense or defense, we’re going to win those games. So if you make that one play or don’t make that one play, it doesn’t make you a worse or better team and how you think of yourself. Obviously, you are what your record is. But the playmakers that we have and the ability that we have, that one play doesn’t change. I have a lot of confidence in the guys in our locker room and the plays that we can make. But at this point, we can’t do anything about that. You learn from it and get ready to play these next five games.”   

Philbin said that he and the coaches have been stressing the one game at a time approach and all of their focus and attention are on the Jets and the Jets only. 

“We obviously have a game Monday night in New York. There’s a lot that goes into each and every game-plan, and game-plans change. Their job description, the players within each plan changes. Today, we talked about we really have to focus on the Jets, on this plan that we are putting in and installing, and we talked about fundamentals. We have to be a better fundamental football team than we were the other day. That’s really been as we started our preparation for the Jets what we’ve been really focused on.”

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. You can follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs

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