There was once a time when the only time you heard the Miami Dolphins mentioned by the National Media was when they were being ridiculed or mocked. Well that time was not that long ago, in fact the Dolphins were hardly given any respect even this past offseason.

Missing out on Jeff Fisher, and Peyton Manning many media members around the league laughed saying the Dolphins were the team that kept swinging and missing.

Well flash forward to today where the Dolphins sit in the 5^th place of the AFC and a potential playoff contender.

It seems for the first time the Dolphins are getting plenty of respect. Peter King has had the Dolphins in his top 15 of his power rankings for 2 straight weeks now and it would be hard pressed to find a power ranking with the Dolphins below 12th spot.

Even Vegas is jumping on the Dolphins bandwagon, Per @BovadaLV, the #Dolphins have 2/3 odds to make playoffs.

The Dolphins have also proved many of the doubters wrong including Yahoo’s Mike Silver who tweeted, RT @MikeSilver I was wrong, dolphins fans. Your team is good.

The formula seems pretty simple; find yourself a QB, win some games and you gain some respect.

The season is still very young and there is certainly a lot to prove however it would appear the Dolphins are turning a lot of heads around the league. 

The Dolphins put a smile on all their fans faces as they dominated and embarrassed the Jets in their own building with a solid 30-9 victory. After a week of smash talking and bitterness between two rivals however it’s time to move one.

The Dolphins had all of Sunday and Monday to celebrate and let their big win sink in but that being said it’s important that this team does not lose focus. With the W the Dolphins moved into 5^th spot of the AFC currently holding a wildcard spot. Right under them are the 4-3 Colts led by Andrew Luck.

The Dolphins can’t afford an emotional letdown this week with a potential matchup against the Colts having late season playoff implications. That being said I have full confidence that Joe Philbin will ensure that this week’s win and a current 3 game winning will not be allowed to get to the players heads. While Joe does have a cool confidence to his demeanor, I would almost guarantee you that he will have his team ready and focused for another big AFC matchup.

The Dolphins won’t have the opportunity to burn former 1^st round draft pick Vontae Davis as it has been reported that it is very likely that Davis will miss the game with an injury.

It’s now week 9 in the NFL and who would have thought a Dolphins vs. Colts matchup might have serious playoff implications.  The Colts won’t be a walk over game however if this defense can keep up its very strong play this is a game the Dolphins SHOULD win.

The Dolphins also will get an opportunity to jump start their running game against a pretty weak run stopping unit in Indy. The Dolphins are now back home having avoided hurricane Sandy and need to get back to work.

5-3 would be quite the start to the season for this Dolphins team that didn’t get much respect coming into the season. I guess the sky might not be falling in Miami after all.

Let the good times roll and make this a 4 game winning streak. 

I know what you are thinking. I know this is a site for opinions and highlights and lowlights of our Dolphins. This blogger must be crazy and is not well qualified with the gift of prognostication.  This blogger does not have ESP.

Bare with me a second, the Miami Dolphins are 4-3 and far from the Super Bowll, but they are on track for the playoffs.  With a big win over an embattled Jets team on the road and total domination on special teams, defense, and mistake free football, the Miami Dolphins have the potential to be contenders for the first time since 2010.  

What has to happen?

First the Dolphins need to continue to execute their offense by putting more touchdowns on the board than field goals.

Next, the quarterback play and execution needs to improve beginning drives and on third down passing.  For this to happen, the Dolphins must establish a third receiver and a go to guy when Hartline, Fasano, and Bess are not open.  This can happen with either Moore or Gaffney coming into the fold.

One surprising stat is the Dolphins have been stopped on plenty of 3rd and short opportunities.  

In addition, the Dolphins defense must take away the ball more than they have. 6 interceptions and 1 for 8 on attempted fumble recoveries wont get the job done. Most surprising is the lack of urgency and white or aqua jerseys pouncing on the ball.

Lastly, the Dolphins O-line must absolutely keep Ryan Tannehill's jersey clean. The Dolphins o-line anchored by Mike Pouncey has accounted for hurries and knock downs and sacks. Richie incognito, Jake Long cant miss on their assignments down the stretch.

Of course, being playoff bound is just as special.

Of course Reggie Bush needs to get healthy and hopefully this bye has served him well.

But, if the Dolphins want make their owner do pirouettes dance Gagnam style and spin more than in his interviews, then getting to the Super Bowl is the most likely of scenarios that would make all Dolfans proud!

Yesterday was one weird Sunday.  One minute I am waiting for Ryan Tannehill to get a red zone touchdown versus the Jets defense and the next minute I see Tannehill go down in a heap of pain on a sack by Calvin Pace on the next series.  While the other sideline has Tim Tebow, the Dolphins gladly and happily had Matt Moore who was willing and able to lead the Dolphins to victory.

After Ryan Tannehill was named the starter, Matt Moore has been waiting patiently for his chance to prove other people wrong.  He's been rumored to be traded somewhere for a late round pick or receiver at the end of training camp.  The one thing that stood out from his conversation with the media back in August as far as his role was that Matt Moore mentioned he was ready for the relief pitcher role.

On Sunday, Philbin summoned the bullpen and brought in Matt Moore after the sack took Tannehill out of the game and after a couple of warm up tosses, Moore was the man for the rest of the day.  Although 57.9% of passes completed, 1TD and no interceptions, and a 96.6 quarterback ratiing,  Moore could made no mistakes.  Aided by patient running by Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas, and awesome field position and special teams play, Matt Moore's day was not spectacular, but just enough to bury the Jets.    

Even though Tannehill's ability to mobilize the offense complete with hand signals that the offense s was missing, Matt Moore worked with what he had in a gutsy performance of taking over, running the offense, and not shying away from making plays down the field.  On Sunday the Miami Dolphins defense and special teams found a way to get the job done (two blocks on special teams punt and field goal) by Jimmy Wilson and 3rd round pick Olivier Vernon, including a punt block recovery in the endzone for a TD.  

Basically, Moore didn't have to do much, but manage the game and get a hold or a save similar to a relief pitcher.  

If anything, sending Matt Moore out there was a confidence builder for the team and for the coaching staff who were rumored to be unhappy with Moore's play in preseason and not turning out to be the guy that would challenge Ryan Tannehill.

Most of all, it keeps the Dolphins moving in the right direction and shows the resiliency of this team as a team that plays together and wins together.

This is a new era in Miami Dolphins football and the Miami Dolphins are proving others wrong behind one very important concept: team.

Phins Up!

In the famous words of former head coach Dennis Green " they are who we thought they were ". Marc Sanchez and the New York Jets are who everyone thought they were, bullies who run their mouths but cant back it up on the football field. After a week of trash talking, the Dolphins players had the last laugh on Sunday.

In an impressive and dominating performance the Dolphins special teams and defense came to play on Sunday making several big plays on route to a 30-9 win against their bitter rivals.

Whether it was a blocked punt by Jimmy Wilson that led to an Olivier Vernon touchdown, a blocked Vernon FG a 50+ yard return from Thigpen, the Dolphins special teams unit had the best performance of the season and probably in years. Brandon Fields and Dan Carperenter also contributed with a strong performances. Darren Rizzi's unit outplayed long time Jets special teams coach Mike Westoff.

The Phins defense matched the special teams strong performance with dominant play in the secondary picking off Marc Sanchez a couple of times. The defense consistently put pressure on Sanchez and never let him get in rhythm successfully turning the New York crowd against the struggling QB.  

The work Kevin Coyle has done with this secondary should not be ignored as he has got the most of his players allowing them to play at their full potential.

On the other side of the ball, Ryan Tannehill had to leave the game early with an injury however are early reports are encouraging and he should be back next week. Matt Moore the true professional he always is filled in admirably. Moore didn't have the offense firing on all cylinders however they were able to make the plays when needed.  

The Dolphins run game was slightly improved however there is still work to be done, Daniel Thomas had one of his most encouraging games of the season though the numbers might show it in the box score.

Joe Philbin really had his team focused and prepared this week as his cool, confident demeanour definitely influenced his young impressionable squad.

Overall it was a great time win which puts the Dolphins at 4-3 with a winning record for the first time in 687 days.

A couple of game balls this week should be given out to coach Rizzi ( special teams coach ) Coach Philbin and Olivier Vernon and Jimmy Wilson.

Dolphins are starting to get the most out of their young players and hopefully this Sunday was more of good things to come.

Let the good times roll as the Dolphins are currently riding a 3 game winning streak.