My main ground rule for picking an NFL Cinderella remains the same: no playoff appearance in the previous season. With that in mind …
I currently love the Chargers to win the loaded AFC West, but A) that’s en vogue right now; and B) the Bolts were my Cinderella team last year. Like everyone else, I see the Broncos snapping a run of five straight losing seasons, as Russell Wilson changes everything. I also think Matt Ryan gets the Colts back on track to legit contention. Not exactly a hot take.
I need a team that isn’t in the top half of the league for Super Bowl odds. I need a team that still has skeptics in the court of public opinion. I need a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs in years.
I need the Miami Dolphins.
That’s right: Fins up! Your 2022 NFL Cinderella team is Miami. And I’m kind of obsessed.
As alluded to above, I normally don’t look to sell my Cinderella team through hyperbole. But hey, I’m feeling it! So let’s get some takes off …
- Miami is making the postseason.
- The Dolphins are better than the Patriots.
- Tyreek Hill‘s new team will win more games than his old team.
Take that, Saint Peter’s!
I’m fired up about this team. And that’s really something, considering how I felt about the Dolphins just a few months ago.
Miami’s offseason started off in rather ugly fashion, with the unceremonious firing of Brian Flores. I exploded on my SiriusXM Radio show when the news broke. Flores posted winning records in two of his three seasons at the helm — and honestly, that one losing campaign might have been his most impressive coaching job of all, given the extreme dearth of talent on that 2019 roster. The firing still angers me, but …
Everything that’s happened since Flores’ shocking ouster has been flat-out perfect, including the replacement choice at head coach, Mike McDaniel. The Yale alum has the makings of an offensive guru, having honed his craft under Kyle Shanahan. Players love the former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator. I chopped it up with Deebo Samuel on radio row at the Super Bowl, and the emerging superstar absolutely gushed over McDaniel: his scheme, his personality, his ability to make individual players sizzle. I loved Flores, but he clearly struggled to find the right offensive coordinator, stalling progress on that side of the ball. McDaniel will instantly help my guy, the much-maligned Tua Tagovailoa.