What are we?

If you are a Dolphins fan watching the game against the Bengals on Sunday and you were thinking to yourself on more than one occasion "Here we go again", who would blame you? The Dolphins were involved in another nail biter in what has become an emotionally confusing season for Dolphins fans. However this time the Dolphins did something we have been begging them to do for the last two weeks...THEY FINISHED. In doing so we are left with one question..."What are we?"

Coming into the season the expectation was we were going to see a football team that was rebuilding (again) with a rookie quarterback under center. The expectation was we would see growing pains, with some signs of hope, progress and perhaps a peek into what the future may look like. We have seen all of that, and maybe a little more. Ryan Tannehill has played progressively better with each passing week and very rarely are we seeing him make the same mistake twice. If you are into passer rating, his has gone up each week. His command of the offense has gotten better, his poise showing during tough times. As with any rookie, there are some throws he would like back, but there is plenty there to be excited about.

Also entering the season we wanted to see a rookie head coach and how he would go about winning over the locker room. Again, we expected some bumps in the road and perhaps an error here or there, but when this team lost two heartbreaking games in a row in overtime, the young team wasn't phased and responded with a big win on the road at Paul Brown Stadium. They appear to be buying in.

So as Dolphins fans, we see our team stand at 2-3 going into week 6 and right in the mix in the very early playoff picture. Dare we even think about that at this point? Do we look ahead to a winnable game at home this week against the Rams and think what it would do for the team heading into the bye week? What it would do would put the Dolphins at 3-3 and give them some momentum. It would toy with the emotions of a fan base looking for a reason to turn a season of growth into a season of hope. Many Dolphins fans feel this team should be at 4-1, and can focus on the "what if’s". A win at home against the Rams may shift the fan base to ask "What could be?"

It may also go a long way in answering the question "What are we?"