It is straight-up midseason and the Miami Dolphins are straight-up average: 4-4. Except it feels so much worse because halftime arrives on a 1-4 skid after the apparent mirage of that 3-0 start, and the past two games have been especially depressing for Dolfans trying against odds to keep playoff hope (or any hope) alive.
I know Dolfans. I live with them. I have grown up among them. They are my friends, acquaintances and neighbors. Their frustration is palpable. The past couple of down decades they have survived seasons with defense mechanisms up. The fatalistic attitude.