Dolphins need to put blinders on for playoff run

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Thursday, December 11, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Miami Dolphins
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It’s human nature for athletes in a race for a championship to look at their competitors to see how they do from game to game. After all, if the team you are battling for a playoff spot loses, then it can tend to take some pressure off you in your upcoming game.

The best thing that head coach Tony Sparano can do for the 8-5 Miami Dolphins as they race to the postseason is to borrow some horse-racing blinders to put over the players’ eyes. Horses with blinders don’t get distracted by other horses and they concentrate solely on the finish line.

The worst thing that the Dolphins can do is look at the remaining schedules of the teams they're competing against for a playoff spot, namely the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.

In order for the Dolphins to avoid being one of those disappointed teams that is sitting at home for the playoffs, they need to do one thing -- worry about themselves. It’s really simple because if the Dolphins win their remaining three games -- matchups with San Francisco, Kansas City and the Jets -- they are in the playoffs.

If Miami loses any of its final games, then it will be time to start looking at other teams for playoff help. It all starts on Sunday against the red-hot 49ers. San Francisco, now 5-8, is rejuvenated under interim coach Mike Singletary and quarterback Shaun Hill.

The 49ers have won three of their past four games under Singletary. One of the biggest reasons has been the improved play of Hill, who has completed almost 63 percent of his passes and has thrown 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Although Chad Pennington has been the heart and soul of Miami’s turnaround this season, the running game is still a big part of the offense. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have combined for 13 rushing touchdowns this season.

If the Dolphins are going to have success against the 49ers, they must do it against a San Francisco defense that has become stingy against the run. In a 24-14 win over the Jets last week, the 49ers only allowed 62 total yards on the ground to Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.

As Miami prepares for Sunday, it’s time for Sparano to break out his old coach’s cliché book. This contest truly brings the mentality of “taking it one game at a time,” and “we control our own destiny.”
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every ...
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CommentsComments: 3  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
SteFin		10:12 AM
12/12/2008
The 49ers are a tale of two seasons and their 2nd season is impressive. The 49er Defense has the personel to negate the run and ...
No.2
pvtfish		05:44 PM
12/14/2008
looks like we should be able to post at least a 10 win season, which to be honest coming into the season this year if you were to ...
No.3
Joe		06:37 AM
12/15/2008
After watching the game against the 49ers one thing becomes apparent, if the dolphins want to make it into the playoffs the ...
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