A Key Reason Miami is Better This Year

[Jim Gray]

Injuries, or rather, the lack of them.

For the past 2 games, no Dolphins were on the NFL injury report.  They were the only team last week to have "zero" players on the list.  Miami has lost 1 player to IR this year, rookie guard Donald Thomas.  The team is healthy, the healthiest team in the NFL.

Hopefully this trend will continue.  I know that one of the first things Parcels did when he came to Miami was look at the stack of player injury reports.  To paraphase Bill, "there's something wrong here, and it's going to change".  I hope this isn't just luck, and is instead the result of a new conditioning program.

[Calgary_Dolphan]

Or attitude.  Hurt guys in the Parcells mold typically 'suck it up'.  Remember Terry Glenn?  She was hurt . . .

[Defense54]

I still say that when Cam shipped off Chambers Mid season last year that signaled to the rest of the team........this one doesn't count guys. You just don't ship off one of your top tier players mid season for a draft pick that can't help you.  That signaled the attitude for the remainder of the season.

[Tenshot13]

^ You are correct sir....I sure do like Chad Henne though.

[Sunstroke]

Lil_B and I talked about this on Saturday's show as well...the complete opposite in injury situations from last year to this year. By week 4 last year, our PA announcer was calling for the lucky fan in section 206 to come on down and play free safety in the second half. This year...nada.

We should all knock on wood several times this week...

[YoFuggedaboutit]

While nothing can prevent all injuries, good conditioning can reduce the odds of injuries tremendously.  Last year's team was poorly conditioned.  I recall them sucking wind in the 4th quarter of the Washington and Dallas games. 

Parcells decided to spend this year's offseason workout programs working on conditioning, and only conditioning.  That way, they could focus only on fundamentals during training camp.  While a lot of players said that this was one of the most grueling offseason conditioning programs that they've ever experienced, it paid off on Sunday.  One of the offensive lineman was saying how he was still fresh on that last Dolphins drive, and he looked across the line at the San Diego defense and saw their tongues hanging. 

[Phishfan]

I was just thinking about this when I watched a game the other day. I can't remember who was playing, but on offense alone one of the teams lost the center and both guards.

[Brian Fein]

^^  I think that was Jacksonville....

[Kid Dynamite]

I believe it is the change in culture.

I wasnt around back then but I was told that when Shula came in the Dolphins team turned around immediately.. He brought a different culture.

I believe that Parcells is developing a winning culture. this team isnt great BUT Sporano and his team are positive enough to give these guys the tools to succed using what they have. That wild cat offense will never work the way it did against New England but it gave these guys hope and now they know what it is like to win.. Winning is contagious.

[Tepop84]

It is mostly coaching.  Last years team was talented before all the injuries.  They were just outcoached badly. 

[NADS]

Pennington.  Only game we weren't really in was Arizona and that was because we got behind early.  Pennington is a great game manager and his accuracy is tops.  With him at QB, Fins penalties and turnovers are near fewest in the league.