-by Sunstroke Stevens

(The following is from an article to be widely released on Monday, February 8th 2005, the morning after Super Bowl XXXIX. I offer this up as a sneak peek to every cynical, whiney, the-sky-is-falling Dolphins fan out there)

It wasn’t supposed to happen. It couldn’t…not if pretty much all of the so-called experts were to be believed. No way… no possible way.

No way that Miami could overcome a 1-3 start that featured enough key injuries to fill an emergency room to scrap their way into a wild card berth. The loss of Jason Taylor alone should have sent the Dolphins to the bottom of the AFC East like a well-placed harpoon. No possible way that the offense could actually start clicking AFTER losing David Boston and Randy McMichael to severe ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively, in week four. But there they were after week 16, wearing their 9-7 record like a bloodied badge of honor and clutching a copy of the NFL’s playoff tie-breaker rules like a dog-eared Bible.

No way that Miami could win their wild card game against Indianapolis. On the road, against a Colts offense that most people considered the NFL’s best for most of the season. No way. Indy cruised to an 8-0 start before losing Peyton Manning to a crushing blow from Bears rookie of the year candidate, Tommie Harris, in week eleven. Peyton was back now, and the Dolphins playoff lives were being counted in minutes. Everybody said so. Heck, before the game was played, ESPN reporters were already asking Kansas City HC, Dick Vermeil, how he was going to prepare for the Colts’ potent offense! No way Miami even makes a game of it…at least that’s what the pre-game spread of 13 and a half points was telling us anyways. ~ No way that Miami’s defense could limit former Hurricane Edgerrin James to 13 yards on 18 carries or cause Manning to throw more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (1). No way that final score of Dolphins 31, Colts 16 was accurate…right?

No way that Miami could shut down Priest Holmes in the second round as easily as they seemed to shut down Edgerrin James in the wild card game…Priest was coming off an MVP season where he ran for an inhuman 2,157 yards and 25 TDs, 18 of those coming at Arrowhead, where the Dolphins were expected to be bludgeoned into submission. “Make your vacation plans for the Keys now,” the AM sports-radio voices screamed at us…”South Florida’s Dream Season ends here.” ~ No way that Priest Holmes could possibly cough up the ball after getting double-slammed by Ogunleye and Junior Seau in the backfield with roughly 30 seconds remaining in the game. No way that Patrick Surtain could scoop the ball up off the turf and sprint 62 of the most gloriously silent yards (I swear…it was as though 79,000 Chiefs fans had instantaneously left the building) to give Miami the 24-17 victory. Maybe, just maybe. Nah, no way. We all knew who was up next…

No way Miami stood a chance against New England in the AFC title game. Not after the defending champs had put together, arguably, as dominant a season as the NFL had ever seen. A 15-1 record was just the surface. The Patriots had allowed opponents to score an average of seven and a half points per game during the regular season, the best in the league, as was their sixteen point average margin of victory and plus-25 turnover margin. Sweat shops in third world countries were already starting to print up New England’s expected Super Bowl victory T-Shirts that proclaimed “Three out of Four and Hungry for More!” No way this gutsy bunch of Dolphins could overcome about a foot of expected snowfall at game time, frozen conditions and the heart-wrenching news that Miami’s newest favorite son, QB A.J. Feeley could miss the game with a sprained thumb suffered against the Chiefs. With Fiedler under center, no way could the Dolphins be anything more than a bug on Super-genius Bill Belichick’s snowmobile windshield. ~ No way could Miami keep the game close despite Jay’s 3 for 15 first half passing performance… No way that an injured A.J. could come out with his thumb wrapped and throw two fourth quarter scores. No way that Ty Law could slip on the frosty carpet…just a little, allowing David Boston to muscle his way to a little separation and a 37-yard TD that gave the Dolphins their only lead of the game…at the only time a lead matters, the end. No way, indeed… Miami 24, New England 20

“No way…Miami’s going to suffer an emotional letdown” I couldn’t believe my eyes, but that was what the papers were saying in the two weeks that led up to Super Bowl XXXIX. No way that Surtain can handle Terrell Owens off the line; no way that Jason Taylor and Ogunleye could corral McNabb. No way that Miami’s patchwork offensive line could keep the NFL’s leading sackmeister, Jevon Kearse, from smacking A.J. Feeley around like a slow-swinging piñata. ~ No way a Super Bowl this hyped could be over by halftime, when Ricky Williams scored his second rushing touchdown to put Miami up 28-6. No way could Ogunleye blitz his way to 4 sacks and the Super Bowl MVP award after starting the year in a bitter contract holdout. No way this could really be happening…right?

There was no way that the Miami Dolphins could win it all this season, but somehow…a way was found. Looking back at it now, I don’t believe that “no way” ever stood in the Dolphins way at all.

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