South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
This isn’t a season for miracles
Kenyan Drake has watched the Miami Miracle play a countless number of times.
Drake, the Miami Dolphins running back who scored the 69-yard touchdown to beat the New England Patriots in Week 12 last season, may not seek a replay of the historic moment to watch on his own.
But whenever a video of the play presents itself on his social media timelines, Drake gives it a considered glance and relives the moment.
“I don’t personally go and look for it, but whenever it comes up I find myself just looking through the duration of the play and seeing all of the details,” Drake
said this past week. “But it’s in the past, honestly.
“We’ve got to focus on the 2019 Patriots. That’s where my head is at.”
When the Dolphins host New England on Sunday, it will be 280 days since their last meeting at Hard Rock Stadium, a 34-33 win for the Dolphins on Dec. 9 last season.
And so much has happened, at least for the Dolphins, in less than a year.
The Patriots have played seven games since, winning six of them, including Super Bowl LIII, where new Dolphins coach Brian Flores called plays for the New England defense, helping Bill Belichick and Tom Brady win their sixth championship together.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, have played just four games since their miraculous win. They’ve lost all of them, including Flores’ debut last week, a 59-10 drumming by the Baltimore Ravens that marked one of the worst defeats in Miami’s 53-year franchise history.
Miami has also seen significant roster turnover since Flores was hired to oversee the franchise’s extensive rebuild, also led by general manager Chris Grier, in hopes of achieving sustained, long-term success, reminiscent of the socalled “Patriot Way.”
The Dolphins hired Flores, who brought with him a number of fellow Patriots assistant coaches, to shape Miami in New England’s image. However, the process has gotten off to a significantly turbulent start this season.
“We’re trying to build the Miami Dolphins — I’ll say that first and foremost,” Flores said this past week. “New England has their players, their coaches and their own organization. We’re the Miami Dolphins and we’re trying to build something here.
“We’re going to have our own personality as a team, our own culture. That’s the goal.”
Only Drake and receiver DeVante Parker remain from that Miami Miracle winning play, on which quarterback Ryan Tannehill found Kenny Stills downfield and Stills tossed the ball to Parker, who quickly flipped it to Drake near the sideline.
Drake ran upfield thanks to space-clearing blocks by former receiver Danny Amendola and former starting offensive lineman Ted Larsen, eventually turning the corner on former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski — whom Flores put on the field in New England’s prevent defense — to score the gamewinning touchdown after time expired.
Stills and standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil were traded away to the Houston Texans for a bevy of future draft picks, while linebacker Kiko Alonso was also sent to the New Orleans Saints before the disappointing season opener.
And 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick caused a stir this past week by making his trade request to get out of Miami public before the Patriots game. Fitzpatrick, like several other Dolphins players, is upset about his playing time and multiple roles in Flores’ defense.
“I think everybody on this team is going to have a role, and that role is going to fit whatever we feel is best for the team,” said Flores, the first-time NFL head coach.
“I think they all understand that, and I think that’s the way it should be.”
Flores says New England’s winning ways — sparked by Brady, Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft — stems from continuity.
“There’s a system in place, a culture in place, and it’s a group of guys that work hard, that understand the game and have good leadership, really across the board,” Flores said. “All of those things amount to sustained success, I believe.”
Ideals such as continuity and sustained success are the goal, but they have been elusive for the Dolphins early in the FloresGrier tenure.
And now, the Dolphins must face the defending champions with at least the betting odds, stacked heavily against them.
New England is an 18
1⁄2-point favorite, with a
$200 or $2,000 money line bet needed just to win $10 or $100.
Brady is also expected to have polarizing new receiver Antonio Brown — a Miami native who was accused of three incidents of sexual misconduct in a civil lawsuit this past week — available to play.
The Dolphins might be a considerable underdog as Flores prepares to go up against his old compadres in New England. But Sunday’s game is another step in the process that Flores, Grier and the Dolphins must endure before their lofty franchise goals can be achieved.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to help ourselves this week,” said Flores.