Will the Real Miami Dolphins Fans Please Stand Up?

One win, seven losses. The Miami Dolphins home record last season, making them the grand prize winners in the sweepstakes for team with the least home wins last year. Wait there isn’t a prize for that? Even the Bills, Browns and Panthers managed to win two games in front of their loyal fans. So what pray-tell is the Dolphins big problem with playing in South Florida?

Is it the heat?

Is it the night life distractions throughout the week?

Did the team just fall on some bad luck last season?

I’ll go with answer d) none of the above. The Dolphins have trouble playing at home because the fans are not 100% behind them. When you think of NFL fans you think of Steelers fans with their terrible towels, you think of the dog-pound in Cleveland, you even think of the 12^th man in Seattle… Seattle! The following article was written in 2008, but I think it is still relevant, ranking our fans as one of the worst in the league. The stadium is usually half empty, the fans who do show up shuffle in late, there is zero noise factor to distract the other team and the overall atmosphere is garbage. Where are the real fans?

Late last season, fans were booing our starting quarterback, and even started a “Henne Sucks” chant in the stands. I don’t want to turn this into a debate about Chad Henne’s ability to play quarterback, but the bottom line is that the fans need to stand behind the product that the organization puts on the field through thick and thin. We’ve been to the mountains and the valleys as a fan base, but now it is time to kick it into another gear. We need to show our team that we support them and show the opposing team that coming to Miami means more trouble than just dealing with the heat.

In the last five seasons only one team with a losing home record has made the playoffs (2007 New York Giants 3-5), four other teams (06’ Jets, 09 Cardinals (Doesn’t count because the NFC West is just so pathetic), 09’ Jets and 10’ Eagles) made the playoffs with 4-4 home records. The other 25 playoff teams had winning home records. A winning home record will be a key factor for the Dolphins this season if they want to make the playoffs, but they can’t do it alone. I am challenging the Miami Dolphin fan base to stand up and be counted, and to prove me wrong.