Time to reflect...

What a difference one revolution around the sun makes...

This time last year, the Phins came into camp with question marks everywhere. Gone were the faces of the franchise for the last decade-plus, Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas. The QB job was wide open with John Beck (not Brady Quinn), Josh McCown (who?) and rookie Chad Henne vying for the starting role. Ronnie Brown was coming off a season ending knee injury and no one knew what, if anything, could be expected from Sticky Icky Ricky Williams. The front lines, on both sides of the ball, were an absolute mess, with free acquisitions and draft picks expected to take on critical roles. Wide Recievers? Ted Ginn (and his family), Greg Camarillo, who most of us only knew as the guy who caught the TD to keep us from going winless, and Derek Hagan, a Nick Satan draft choice who had as many drops as catches in his first two seasons, were the leading candidates.

But Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano had a vision, and they believed in themselves and their players. Those guys had Dolphins fans believing in no time as Chad Pennington came in and blew the roof off the building in his first practice (yea, Mr. Iverson, I'm talking about practice), Ronnie Brown and the wildcat offense took the league by storm and put the Patsies in their place in Week 3 and the team cruised to win after overachieving win by out-coaching, out-thinking and out-hustling opponents. What a year. And we're just getting started...

Now...Sparano looks like he knows more about each individual player than they know about themselves. Pennington is poised and looking ready for a repeat performance. Ronnie, coming off an impressive (but Pro Bowl worthy?) year, has everything in line to kick it into another gear and somehow, someway, in some (must be) alternate reality, Ricky Williams is leading by example and proving to be one of the most trustworthy players on the squad. The offensive line has a premier left tackle (Jake Long), a solid right tackle, and a fierce interior that could be truly special if (and it's a big if), Jake Grove, Justin Smiley and Donald Thomas can stay healthy. Mark my words, if these guys are healthy, this is one of the best lines in football. On defense, Taylor's back in town and looking as hungry and athletic as he has in years, ready to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks with 2008 AFC-sack leader Joey Porter on the other side. The ends are the way Bill Parcells likes them; big, powerful and athletic. Will Allen is shut down, period. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis are as physical and cocky as they are young and raw. Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell are a good safety tandem. Did I mention Pat White is on the roster in a top-secret role no one outside the team's brass understands? yet...

Ahh, there's electricity in the air in South Florida and it's not the weather; I didn't even see a single storm in the week I was down there. Unusual during the summer time down there, but not as unusual as it is for Dolphins fans to feel good about the prospects of our team going into the season, considering what the last few years have been like. That's what's creating the electric current. And I love that no one believes in these guys, still. Why should they? It's not what you did yesterday but what you're doing today and what you're going to do tomorrow. No predictions, no expectations. Just keep that current flowing, let's shock 'em like an electric eel...again and again.