Miami Dolphins: Reasons to Be Thankful in 2020

2020 has gone by like a flash in the night, but for the Miami Dolphins, it has been a rare year of success. With Thanksgiving finally, here we can explore what the Miami Dolphins have to be thankful for in the 2020 season. Almost every player and coach has contributed in some way to their success this season but if we list them all this would be a long read. Here’s our list of Dolphins fans should be thankful for.

Brian Flores

Atop the list for the Dolphins is their head coach. Flores has this Dolphins team playing with purpose and direction. Every guy on the field knows their job and what is expected of them. They’re each put in a position to win and are buying into the same mantra as the championship Patriots. New England has preached a “team effort” and “next man up” and carried that through multiple championships

Flores has brought that same attitude to Miami but making his style of coaching his own. The Dolphins look to have their coach of the future if he can continue to build on this year’s success.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Every Miami Dolphin and their fans should be thankful for Ryan Fitzpatrick. His professionalism and leadership brought rare energy to this Dolphins team. He’s been booted around the NFL for 16 seasons but what he brought to South Florida was exactly what they needed. While some fans might be disappointed in the switch to Tua Tagovailoa despite Fitz winning, Tua couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. Not only has he passed on enough knowledge to help the rookie develop, but he also played well enough for his teammates to trust the process.

It would be easy on a losing team for players to give up mentally, but Fitzpatrick came on last season and elevated Miami to 5 wins when no one expected them to win any. Fitzmagic was the bridge to what could be a winning team for years to come.

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A Stout Defense

The Miami Dolphins have a stingy defense. They’ve created turnovers game after game and put Miami in a position to win football games. The 2020 Dolphins defense is showing exactly why Brian Flores was poached from New England after showing up the Rams in the Super Bowl. The unit is one of the top defenses in the NFL and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Defense wins championships but it also gives the offense some breathing room. When it comes to developing young quarterbacks, having a solid defense to make up for mistakes makes all the difference. Tua Tagovailoa has been put in a position to win without having to throw 45-50 times a game. Without the pressure of winning, he can focus on his strengths while brushing off his mess-ups.

Jason Sanders

Field goal kickers get so little respect. They might play 4-6 plays per game max but a lot of times can control the outcome. On top of the defense, Sanders has put the Dolphins in a very good position to win football games. Through week 10 of the NFL season, he has only missed one field goal and that was in the week 10 matchup.

To be honest, fans should be thankful he missed that field goal. It didn’t cost them the football game and it takes the pressure of being perfect off his shoulders and he could move on to the next attempt. Sanders has been pretty automatic this season and is one of the reasons Miami can breathe a breath of fresh air.

Jakeem Grant

From a wide receiver standpoint, Grant is your average contributor but that’s not the reason the Dolphins should be thankful. Grant is leading the NFL in return yards and continues to impress. While he’s had his stumbles along the way, he’s helping Miami win the battle of field position. With how much their defense is contributing, Grant is the compliment to defensive stands. With his speed, he’s often breaking off large chunks of return yards and setting the offense up for easy points.

The Miami Dolphins have a bright future ahead and it’s in large part thanks to key contributors like Zach Sieler, Kyle Van Noy, Devante Parker, and Emmanuel Ogbah. There are too many pieces in Miami that are lining up perfectly for the Dolphins’ success to list them all. That is the one thing every Dolphins coach, player, and fan should be thankful for this 2020 season.