Pennington is done for the season. It feels like déjà vu, but this time I’m on the other end of it. Now Jets’ fans get to laugh at the misfortune of a division rival. Call it karma. Call it shitty luck. Either way the stache looks like it will remain in tact.

After Miami’s third consecutive loss, with the Lions getting their first win of the season in 19 games before Miami got their first of the season, this missive will be less angry and more pensive.

Miami, I have been your fan through the roughest of times, but never through the most glorious of times. Sure, the Marino era was great, but without a solid running game to compliment Marino’s skill, Super Bowl glory never materialized. There were many playoff appearances with just as many playoff eliminations. Once Marino left, there was a total shift in the strength of the offense and the team. The defense dominated and there was that initial awkwardness shortly after Marino, but eventually Ricky Williams showed up and did great things for the running game. Now we are fortunate to have Ronnie and Ricky, along with Patrick Cobbs, who is a quality third down back and special teams player.

Nevertheless, the quarterback situation has been in a state of transition, and while Pennington filled the void for one season, we are back to uncertainty at quarterback. But Henne does not worry me nearly as much as Lemon or Fiedler did. He needs the experience and he is about to get plenty of it. So while this season looks like a lost cause, I do feel Miami will win a game in the next 2 weeks, meaning the stache remains.

That said, I was in San Diego this week, waiting at the airport shortly before kickoff. I contemplated missing my flight to go buy scalped tickets in order to attend my first Dolphins’ game. Fortunately, I didn’t. I would have regretted the decision only because the game was relatively boring, filled with calamity, and ended in a loss. The secondary is still playing poorly, which is saddening only because the Dolphins’ rush defense is playing so well.

Again, it seems as though the Dolphins simply don’t have the will to win. While the Dolphins’ schedule this season is one of the toughest in the league, Miami has consistently failed to capitalize on opportunities. It almost feels as though they get complacent on drives where they do everything right only to throw it all away on some boneheaded mistake that turns the ball over or forces them to settle for a field goal. I really don’t know why they keep doing this, and hopefully the rocky first 3 weeks will serve as a valuable learning experience. If it doesn’t, then this already depressing season will be a hard one to follow, especially when I’m constantly reminded of it every time I look in the mirror.