Dreaming about the possibility of success for everyone on same day

“Grandpa, tell me again the story about how the Marlins, the Panthers, the Heat, the Dolphins and Inter Miami captured South Florida’s heart during the 1918 Spanish flu.”

“You mean the 2020 coronoavirus pandemic, dear.”

“If you say so, Grandpa.”

“And Inter Miami wasn’t involved.” “No?”

“No, their bubble burst when they burst in the bubble after three lousy games. Lost them all. David Beckham waited years to get a team and — wham — it was nil at the start.

“But what about the Impossible Dream where they all won championships?”

“Yes, it was Impossible Dreams, plural. That was the other teams. No one expected anything from them either. That’s why it was so much fun. Remember what I tell you is the secret to success?” “Keeping expectations low?”

“That’s my girl. Expectations were naturally low for these teams too. None of them had done anything. Then they all played Aug. 1 — well, the Dolphins only practiced, but that was telling too — and they all won. That’s when it started. Imagine — pro hockey, baseball and basketball teams winning the same day!

“It helped that LeBron James and Giannis got polio, right?

“That’s later, dear, and it was COVID-19.”

“That’s right, it started with the

placed on injured reserve.

Nineteen games isn’t much of a sample size to determine if these two cornerback converts can handle the challenges that come with playing safety, effectively replacing Reshad Jones, who was released this offseason after serving nine seasons as a starter, and Fitzpatrick.

But these former cornerbacks do have experience and versatility on their side.

And that happens to be two of the key ingredients coach Brian Flores intends to build his hybrid defense on, creating a seamless, interchangeable unit.

“I’m a guy that can play any place in the backfield,” said McCain, who started 32 games as a cornerback his first four seasons in the team’s nickel defense and on the boundary.

“With practice and time, everyone gets better. It’s not my decision to make decisions. I love doing what I do, and I can do it all.”

The Dolphins don’t believe in having free and strong safeties. They want defensive backs playing that position who can do whatever is asked, which sometimes means serving as a pseudo linebacker on runbeing ning plays, dropping back into man-to-man coverage on a tight end, tailback or receiver, and serving as the last line of defense on passing plays.

That’s a tall order of requests for two players with limited experience at the position.

McCain — who is relatively small for a cornerback, much less a safety — hasn’t proved his 5-foot-11, 192-pound frame can handle the battering that comes with the position, and Rowe isn’t exactly known for being a striker. So don’t expect either to mix it up in the box as Jones did for a decade in Miami’s defense.

But it’s very likely that their diverse skill sets will allow the Dolphins defense be more exotic with the coaching staff ’s play-calling since either player can move back to the boundary or play the nickel spot on any given play.

And that’s exactly what Flores wants: a defense in which it will be difficult to predict what each player will be doing before the ball is snapped.

As versatile as they might be, there’s no guarantee McCain and Rowe can produce the type of game-changing plays — interceptions, forced fumbles, sacks and defensive scores — that Jones regularly did.

Or that the pair can handle the physical banging that comes with being a safety, which is typically north of 210 pounds.

And will adding the bulk, the muscle needed to handle the physicality of playing safety impact either player’s ability to cover? We’ll soon see.

The Dolphins do have a few options if the cornerback converts don’t pan out.

Adrian Colbert and Steven Parker started a handful of games at safety for Miami when McCain was sidelined, and their development could take another step forward.

Clayton Fejedelem and Kavon Frazier, two veteran safeties, were both added as free agents this offseason. Both have started a handful of games.

And Miami drafted Brandon Jones, a former Texas standout, in the third round of April’s draft. He’s been praised for having the intelligence and physicality needed to be an NFL starter in time.

However, there is usually a learning curve for safeties that requires some patience.

And patience is exactly what this entire unit will need because only time will dictate how Rowe and McCain’s cornerback-to-safety evolution goes, and that position could either speed up or slow down the evolution of Flores’ defense.

Dave Hyde