Dolphins Have Plenty To Be Thankful For

In the midst of the most memorable Miami Dolphins season in a long time, there's a lot to appreciate about what's happening

With this being Thanksgiving week, it's only natural to take stock of everything and come up with things for which we are thankful.

When it comes to the Miami Dolphins, it's a pretty healthy list at this time, both for the players, their fans and those who cover the team on a regular basis.

This, quite simply, has been a fun year to cover the team, in part because of the success the team has enjoyed but also because the Dolphins simply are a fun team to watch.

And that would encompass our list of things to be thankful for when it comes to the Dolphins in 2022.

-- The Dolphins are in the thick of a playoff race. For anyone who covers an NFL team, this is what it's all about. The job always is interesting, mind you, but the enjoyment level goes up dramatically when the stakes increase. And the sooner a team shows it's playoff-worthy, the better. The Dolphins got themselves in the playoff race last year, but it didn't happen until late and then lasted only one week. The feeling here is that the fun will last for a while this year.

-- The Dolphins are fun to watch, more fun than they've been since ... well, a long, long time. The 2016 team was fun in a way because it always seemed to find a way to come up with a big play late in a game to win, but nothing like this. The 2008 season was fun in the sense that its success was so unexpected, but let's be honest, the Wildcat got old pretty quickly. The way the Dolphins are flinging the ball all over the place this year has just been impressive.

-- Thankful for Mike McDaniel and his borderline brilliant scheme and play designs. Yes, the Dolphins have talent on offense, but don't discount McDaniel's impact.

-- Thankful for Tua's growth both as a player and a person, and maybe they're connected. It's pretty obvious how much McDaniel's personal touch has positively impacted Tua, who just looks like a different guy. And we'll say this: There aren't many quarterbacks who throw a prettier pass down the middle of the field in the intermediate range.

-- Thankful for Tyreek Hill's brilliance. Everybody knew from his Kansas City days the dude was good, but this good? And beyond his excellence on the field, he deserves credit for setting the tone in camp with his positive attitude and his work ethic.

-- Thankful for Terron Armstead. It doesn't take long to see what a stud offensive tackle can do for an offense.

-- Thankful for good guys like Jaelan Phillips, who's not only a star in the making but an absolute class act.

-- Thankful for the Dolphins able to find hidden gems like Kader Kohou, who has been a key player in the secondary after arriving as a rookie free agent.

-- Could go on and on here with several other players, but we'll end this portion with a sincere thank you to anybody reading this.

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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM.

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DOLPHINS AND WHAT THEY'RE THANKFUL FOR

Head coach Mike McDaniel

“I’m most thankful for? I’m always pretty thankful for things, but right now I’m seeping with it. I do have an issue about being long-winded. I’m going to try to be as tight as possible. And also, I don’t want to get too emotional up here today. But right when you say it, ‘what are you most thankful for?’ Immediately (I go to) my wife and daughter. Especially since she’s two now. I didn’t really know that aspect of concrete support, family and fulfillment. People can’t do anything by themselves. Anything at all. And while I’m able to fully invest in people in the organization and do my job, which is incredibly important to me, I’d have no chance without my wife. This parent thing is legit. And I’m sure there’s some like ‘just wait!’ And I know. But right now she’s two and thinks I’m awesome and wants to hang out with me. Then I’m so thankful for everything good or bad, and everything in between, that happened in my life to give me the opportunity to be here. Then again, I’d probably (talk for) 45 minutes if I don’t … all aspects that I’m very, very aware of that. I can’t do my job for the team, for the players for the people in the building, for the fan base, for the organization, if you don’t have the right type of people deciding to go along the ride with you. I think it’s idiotic for people in positions such as myself to be delusional enough to think that it has, that they’re bigger than they are. It has stuff to do with you, but you are only as good as everyone that is involved in the process. It’s fulfilling of a half of season. It’s fulfilling as an offseason. I’m so fulfilled and thankful. And then on top of that, all of this happens, and I’m with a fan base that is as hungry but as appreciative as you could possibly have. I didn’t have any idea about the Dolphins fan base really having been in six NFL divisions, but this being one of two that I hadn’t been. And then the time, emotion, investment. There are scars and there are residuals for that. All I’ve seen are people that want to get excited. I’ve seen – okay, because you get vulnerable when you get excited. But to be able to do this job for this team for all these people, and then on top of that, have an informed, intelligent, passionate community, fan base, that really appreciates where you’re at, but more than that, you can see people. You’re able to – the outcome of games can affect people’s lives. It does. And it’s cool that we have a home-field environment that is outstanding. It’s just really cool to see people want and be able to be excited about something that they love. I’m a softie for that. You guys remember that’s where my roots start and I’ll never really stray from that empathetic situation. Didn’t I say I was going to be short? I feel like that was 10 minutes. But yeah, a lot to be thankful. I’m thankful for that question.”

QB Tua Tagovailoa

“I’m thankful for a lot of things, very thankful for a lot of things. I would say I first off have to be thankful for my family, my parents, my siblings. I’m very thankful for my wife. I’m very thankful for our child that we have together. I am also very thankful for our coaches, our coaching staff. I’m thankful for my teammates, very thankful for the supporting staff that we have here – guys that work in the equipment room, the janitors that are around here, the kitchen people, everyone that is a part of this organization I’m very thankful for. I’m thankful for (our football communications) team with our media and how (they) handle business with that. There’s a lot of things to be thankful for, and we as an organization, as a team, we have it really good. So I don’t want to waste an opportunity like this to be very thankful to a lot of people that have helped not just myself but other guys in this organization become who they knew they could be and become successful. So I’m very, very thankful and I’m glad you asked that. I don’t want to miss that opportunity to tell all those people that I’m very grateful and very thankful for them.”

T Terron Armstead

“Life, my family, where I am, my team. A lot. A ton to be thankful for.”

LB Jaelan Phillips

“What am I thankful for? The Miami Dolphins. (laughter) I’m thankful for my teammates. I’m thankful for my family, my coaches, the situation that we’re in. I have a lot of gratitude every day.”

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