MIAMI GARDENS — There was the general manager meeting each player at the tunnel, high-fiving some, hugging others.
There was the kicker, counting off on his fingers how many field goals he’d made, and with it, how many that a good portion of the crowd figured he wouldn’t make before foot hit leather.
There were the two quarterbacks in a long embrace, the losing veteran from Dallas congratulating the up-and-coming winner from Miami, maybe not a torch-passing moment, but close.
And there was the owner shaking his fist to the fans as he left the field Sunday night.
Just one win out of 11 for the Dolphins? You know better than that. If you’ve followed the team for more than a minute, you know how much this must mean to general manager Chris Grier, to kicker Jason Sanders, to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and to owner Stephen Ross.
The Dolphins are in the playoffs. Start there. Celebrate that, why don’t you, because coach Mike McDaniel has been here two years and taken this team to the playoffs two years. If you’re wondering when was the last time the Dolphins made the playoffs two years in a row, the answer is not since 2001. A generation ago. McDaniel was just graduating high school.
