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The overriding taxable of Miami Dolphins manager Brian Flores’ Monday position aft his squad was eliminated from postseason contention connected Sunday evening: Disappointment.
“You’re successful the incorrect concern if you’re not disappointed by that,” helium said successful an day web league call. “Disappointment for our team, for the radical successful the building, for our players, coaches, enactment staff. Everyone works truly hard, and they enactment a batch into this.”
After the operation of Sunday’s 34-3 nonaccomplishment to the Tennessee Titans and different AFC results made it mathematically intolerable for Miami to suffice for the postseason, the Dolphins (8-8) inactive person 1 much crippled to decorativeness retired their season. Flores’ connection to the squad was to stay focused for the finale against the part rival New England Patriots (10-6).
“There’s a batch of emotions that travel with being eliminated,” Flores said. “It’s casual to spell and lament each those feelings, and the hard happening to bash is prime yourself backmost up and determination connected to the adjacent challenge. That’s what we request to do.”
It is so easier said than done aft the Dolphins’ seven-game winning streak came to a crashing end successful Nashville, but players connected Monday appeared to instrumentality the attack of continuing to excavation for information up of Sunday against the Patriots, adjacent if overmuch of the meaning down the crippled was lost.
“Me, personally, I’m conscionable a competitor, truthful it doesn’t substance what benignant of crippled it is, what benignant of presumption it has, I’m going to get retired determination and play,” said information Eric Rowe. “Me, I privation to marque my hostile look embarrassed. That’s conscionable maine personally. Everybody connected the squad is simply a competitor, truthful nary one’s going to instrumentality it like, ‘Why americium I here? This don’t mean nothing.’ So, I cognize we’re each going to play hard.”
Added defender Robert Hunt: “We’re going to play, man. We’re going to spell out, instrumentality it 1 time astatine a clip and, of course, effort to extremity the play connected a bully note.”
After winning each crippled successful November and December, the Dolphins’ improbable playoff propulsion ended arsenic the Titans rushed for 198 yards and handled the chilly, rainy conditions astatine Nissan Stadium amended than Miami.
It would tempt galore to look backmost astatine winnable games mislaid during the Dolphins’ 1-7 start, whether it beryllium last-second tract goals surrendered to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons oregon Las Vegas Raiders — oregon not coming done against the injury-depleted Indianapolis Colts connected Oct. 3.
“I can’t alteration the past, truthful there’s nary constituent successful looking backmost and trying to spot what could’ve happened oregon what could’ve been,” said linebacker Jerome Baker. “I woody with reality, and world is we’re not going to the playoffs. Just decorativeness this play disconnected beardown and get it done Sunday.”
At 8-8, Sunday’s finale serves arsenic a tiebreaker successful the NFL’s caller 17-game docket to find if the Dolphins decorativeness with a winning record.
“Yeah, I would similar to bash that,” Hunt said. “That’s the extremity beauteous much.”
Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle besides has an NFL rookie grounds connected the line. He stands astatine 99 receptions, 2 shy of Anquan Boldin’s people of 101 acceptable successful 2003 with the Arizona Cardinals. Waddle has antecedently said the mode helium wants to get the grounds is if accompanied by a win.
“I’m not truly that focused connected the grounds oregon anything,” helium said Monday. “I’m conscionable focused connected my job, trying to assistance the squad win.”
Rooting interest
With the Dolphins present eliminated, fans tin inactive propulsion for them to amended their first-round draught prime successful the last week of the NFL regular play without rooting against their team.
Due to 2 trades Miami made up of past year’s draft, the Dolphins ain the San Francisco 49ers’ first-round prime portion their prime goes to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 49ers are a playoff squad successful the NFC arsenic it stands aft Week 17, but they tin autumn retired of the playoff representation this week. Such a script would unafraid that prime being a top-18 enactment for Miami.
Dolphins fans tin basal for a San Francisco nonaccomplishment astatine the Los Angeles Rams, and a New Orleans Saints triumph astatine the Atlanta Falcons. That would get the Saints into the playoffs implicit the 49ers.
If San Francisco makes the playoffs, the first-round prime that goes to Miami volition beryllium upward of 18 with the anticipation inactive that it shoots further back. If the 49ers propulsion disconnected a wild-card circular upset, that draught enactment volition beryllium No. 25 oregon worse.
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