I never thought I'd be saying this before the NFL season began, but the Dolphins are starting to look for real.
Bill Parcells, Miami's new vice president of football operations, has a great reputation for judging talent and turning around football franchises. He did it with New England, the New York Jets and Dallas.
I didn't doubt he could do the same with the Dolphins, I just didn't think he could do it as quickly as he has.
Just because my big buddy and debate partner Ken Willis has the waistline of your typical defensive lineman doesn't mean he knows anything about the NFL.
He really hasn't paid the league much attention since players stop wearing crew cuts and black high-top shoes. It's likely he'll compare my stature to Don Nottingham (ask your daddy) somewhere in his column, which also shows how out of touch he is. A contemporary fan would be more inclined to compare me to Maurice Jones-Drew.
Willie doesn't think the Dolphins can make a playoff run this season. He thinks they're a .500 team at best.
I'm guessing he didn't see Miami thump New England two weeks ago, and he didn't see the Dolphins whip San Diego last Sunday.
Part of the Dolphins' success stems from their quirky offensive set that calls for running back Ronnie Brown to take a direct snap.
After watching the win over the Chargers, I saw that there was much more to it than that.
Miami is playing tough defense. The players are buying into the team concept.
On offense, new quarterback Chad Pennington is distributing the ball accurately to his receivers, and Brown and Ricky Williams give the Dolphins a strong 1-2 punch at running back.
It helps that Miami is in the AFC East, which doesn't really have a dominant team now.
Buffalo leads the division with a 4-1 record, but the Bills starting quarterback Trent Edwards is suffering from a concussion and it's unclear how effective he'll be down the stretch. The Patriots lost quarterback Tom Brady, which makes them vulnerable. The Jets have been inconsistent with Brett Favre taking over at quarterback.
With that in mind, I'm guessing it might only take nine or 10 wins to take the division and make the playoffs. After watching the Dolphins the last two weeks, I think it's within reach.
Miami's team won't remind anybody of the perfect 1972 edition, but it might be the perfect medicine for all the Dol-fans who endured last year's 1-15 debacle.
