Today, as is tradition here, we share Dolphins related reasons for being thankful even as we never lose sight of the fact we cover a game and there is always next week or next year and the results aren't in the same universe with those thing truly important -- such as family, health, provision, soundness of mind and soul, and relationships with those who matter most.
Anyway, let's get to it ...
We are thankful the Dolphins should now know how to deal with Buster Skrine blitzes because, after all, they saw 22 of them the first time they played the Jets.
We are thankful new addition Quinton Coples, known for having a good appetite, should be hungry in a different way against his former team on Sunday.
We are thankful for that easy early season schedule. Yeah, that worked out great.
We are thankful for wide receivers coming out of nowhere -- even after not showing up during the offseason -- and leading the team in receiving touchdowns and yards.
We are thankful for hair color in a bottle because without it, Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry wouldn't quite be themselves.
We are thankful for Joe Philbin rapping in a top hat because it didn't do squat for the win-loss record but it confirmed things we thought about the man.
We are thankful for an interim head coach coming out of nowhere and showing up with a big personality and straight talk.
We are thankful for an owner who recognizes when it's time to make a coaching change -- even if that recognition comes a couple of years after everyone else recognized it.
We are thankful for big, bruising running backs born in London.
We are thankful for trips to London -- if only they would not come at the expense of a home game against a division rival.
We are thankful for a reconstructed stadium.
And the looming reconstruction of the team that calls that stadium home.
We are thankful that Ryan Tannehill, sacked 169 times during his NFL career, can still walk.
We are thankful center Mike Pouncey is one nasty dude when he needs to be.
We are thankful Pouncey knows he needs to get stronger to be nastier.
We are thankful for a healthy Branden Albert even though he still walks as if he's 70.
We are thankful that linebackers will be available in the next draft.
We are thankful that cornerbacks will be available in the next draft.
We are thankful for a personnel department that recognizes it needs linebackers and corners in the next draft.
We are thankful that Achilles' injuries heal because ... Cameron Wake.
We are thankful we saw evidence of this because ... Dan Marino.
(OK, so maybe Marino's surgery didn't go quite as well as it could have.)
That made us thankful the Achilles tendon is in the leg, not the right arm.
We're thankful for home games. Remember what those are?
We are thankful there are only six division games because Miami fans can take only so much failure.
We are thankful for the next dozen years because the last dozen have been punctuated by 11 New England division title.
We are thankful for offseason championships because the Dolphins have won tons of them.
We are thankful for the immediate future because the immediate past offered no postseason appearance.
We are thankful NFL players are not solely defined by their rookie seasons.
We are thankful worrisome foot injuries can and do heal.
We are thankful Reshad Jones troubles coaches with the manner he carries interceptions into the end zone and takes them out as well.
We are thankful for Greg Jennings remaining a class act even if his ability has slipped.
We are thankful the number of times Ndamukong Suh's says "At the end of the day" compared to how many sacks he collects is down to about 10 to 1 instead of 50 to 1 as it was the first month of the season.
We are thankful for Lamar Miller's running.
And pass catching.
We are thankful Bill Lazor knows running the football is important in the NFL.
We are thankful that Dan Campbell reminds him every so often.
We are thankful to the Merchant Marine Academy for giving Lou Anarumo a foundation as a defensive coordinator.
We are thankful for fast starts even if they visit too infrequently.
We are thankful for a strong finish because it has been a stranger the past few years and is desperately needed now.
We are thankful for the greatest media relations department in the NFL.
We are thankful someday that department will show what it can do come the postseason.
We are thankful Brent Grimes isn't going to get sick eating Turkey today.
Because we know things don't go well when Brent Grimes eats something that makes him sick.
We are thankful that day after day, year after year, since 2007 you have come to this site and made it the most popular spot at The Miami Herald.
We know you don't always agree. We know we don't always get it exactly right. But you should know we'll always try to correct the record and accept blame when warranted.
So we are thankful for you sticking right here.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero
We are thankful for that easy early season schedule. Yeah, that worked out great.
We are thankful for Joe Philbin rapping in a top hat because it didn't do squat for the win-loss record but it confirmed some things we thought about the man.
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