December is coming

[DenverFinFan]

Given the name and genesis of this website, is anyone else a bit nervous about December?

At this point in the season this is pretty much as good as I can remember so I’m not too worried, but I still have some butterflies of apprehension.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Like PTSD, it will always be a concern for us. I think we all feel this team is different but we've seen enough Week 17 and Week 18 collapses for 5 lifetimes already, so it is in the back of my mind.

However, losing a close game in Buffalo wouldn't fall into the collapse category for me. Losing by 40 would.

[Pappy13]

This year does feel different. Honestly I didn't think Miami had played it's best football until the last game against Cleveland. If they can keep that up going forward they will be fine I think. That didn't feel like an aberration to me like many other blowout wins in the last 20 years, rather it felt like a full team win. Can't really say that about any other game other than maybe the Bills earlier in the year.

[Dave Gray]

Given the name and genesis of this website, is anyone else a bit nervous about December?

Jeez...I hadn't even thought about it.

It's been so long since we've even been competitive that I hadn't even considered a "December demise".....for the last 20 years...a demise from what, exactly? 
But no....I don't think so.  I think we're good enough to compete into the winter months.

[CF DolFan]

The Dolphins have won 10 of their last 11 games at Hard Rock Stadium but 4 of their last 7 games are on the road. It's a perfect recipe for disaster but I think we will do fine. This team doesn't seem to be winning on fluke plays but they are  winning in different ways and in spite of some bad fluke plays. It has a whole different feel to me. While I'm sure we will stumble somehwere along the line right now we seem to be getting better and better as we go. The guys look like they aren't thinking near as much as they were in the first few weeks.

[Dave Gray]

It has a whole different feel to me.

I just want to highlight this sentence because I think it captures a lot of the vibe.  It's not just that we're winning.  It feels that we're winning because we're playing better than the other team throughout the game.  It feels like we're never out of a game.  It just feels different this year.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Jeez...I hadn't even thought about it.

It's been so long since we've even been competitive that I hadn't even considered a "December demise".....for the last 20 years...a demise from what, exactly? 
But no....I don't think so.  I think we're good enough to compete into the winter months.

The last two seasons we missed the playoffs with blowout losses in the final week.

[Dave Gray]

When I used to use the phrase December demise, it meant, to me at least....

We were a good team at the beginning of the year and then fell apart at the end of the year.  I haven't felt that since the 90s.

[DenverFinFan]

Jeez...I hadn't even thought about it.

It's been so long since we've even been competitive that I hadn't even considered a "December demise".....for the last 20 years...a demise from what, exactly? 
But no....I don't think so.  I think we're good enough to compete into the winter months.

Does 99’ count? 7-1 and Marinon comes back and eke into the playoffs?

Hmm maybe the Ray Lucas year? Generally speaking you’re correct we just sucked, but as Edge pointed out we lost wildcard hopes a few times.


None of the December games are gonna be easy. West coast trip and Bills and even though GB looks bad I won’t write off Rodgers quite yet.

2-2…would that be considered a demise? I guess it would depend on if we make the WC or not.

Nervous sure, a little. But I think we can defy history this year. I’d love that 1st seed.

[CF DolFan]

When I used to use the phrase December demise, it meant, to me at least....

We were a good team at the beginning of the year and then fell apart at the end of the year.  I haven't felt that since the 90s.

That's what it is. We typically would start seasons very well thanks to a lot of hot homes games and as the season went long we'd falter in cold weather December games.

[fyo]

That's what it is. We typically would start seasons very well thanks to a lot of hot homes games and as the season went long we'd falter in cold weather December games.

Four out of the final five games are away. And the two that aren't in the freezing cold are West Coast games, which statistically sucks as well.

[Sunstroke]

Miami will be fine. Different team, different coach, different mindset...

[stinkfish]

Whether you like it or not, weather is not an excuse.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Problem with not playing many cold weather games in Dec is you won’t be ready to play them in January.  That is why southern teams often have problems in the playoffs.  If Miami does well enough so Buffalo has to come south for the playoffs Miami has a slight home field advantage, if Miami has ti travel to Buffalo then Bills have huge home field advantage.

[Spider-Dan]

Problem with not playing many cold weather games in Dec is you won’t be ready to play them in January.  That is why southern teams often have problems in the playoffs.

The Super Bowl is almost always played at a warm-weather site, so instead of looking at SB winners, let's look at the teams that made it there.  I'll define "warm weather" as a team that plays either in a non-snowy climate, or in a dome.  Over the last 20 years, most SBs have been a warm weather team vs. a cold weather team, with the following exceptions:

52: PHI vs. NE, both cold
46: NYG vs. NE, both cold
45: GB vs. PIT, both cold
44: NO vs. IND, both warm
42: NYG vs. NE, both cold
39: NE vs. PHI, both cold
37: TB vs OAK, both warm

I don't know that GB has had any more of a home field advantage over the last 10 years than NO, but I do know that both of those teams have had a major advantage at QB.  When Peyton went from IND to DEN he didn't magically become a cold weather QB, and when Brady went from NE to TB he didn't suddenly become soft and vulnerable to the elements.