Dissociative
identity disorder (DID):
a rare mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct or dissociated personality
states that alternately control behavior… DID the Miami Dolphins finally overcome the split personality plaguing them
all season? DID Ryan Tannehill throw his receivers open, instead of
throwing them covered? DID the Miami defense play two halves of great
football in a single game? DID the coaching staff make halftime
adjustments to counter their own first half tendencies? The Miami Dolphins’ season
hinges on the team’s recovery from DID.
Against the Jets, Miami overcame the dreaded DID syndrome and at
6-6 is poised to make a run at the playoffs. The Tale of Two Halves has been
the moniker of the Dolphins all season. Squandered first half leads left fans
breathless as each game teetered on the outcome of the final play. The Tale of Two
Halves DID continue in New York, but by swapping a first half lead and
second half collapse, with a first half swoon and second half scoring, the
Dolphins found the winning formula to deal with DID. DID they simply
mask DID symptoms or DID they truly recover is the question…
In The Tale of Two Halves, throwing cards on the table early may not necessarily
trump, and saving wildcards for later is another form of DID. Almost as
vague and dissociative as bullying in an NFL locker room, identifying DID
is first step in the DID healing process. Now it can safely be
confirmed, the Miami Dolphins are not schizophrenic, they are simply misunderstood.
Fixing any Identity Disorder begins by recognizing the problem and in the Jets
game, Miami DID.
The first step in recovery from DID for the Dolphins, was
switching first half momentum for second half scoring. Football games swing on
the ebb and flow of momentum as the Jets game DID. As a general rule,
the team with momentum at the end of the game usually comes out on top. The
question is, DID scoring points equate to momentum? A team suffering
from DID knows only too well, momentum without points leads to the depression
of DID. Therefore, while closely related, momentum alone cannot win. Scoring
points creates or destroys momentum and DID win the game and is the key
to DID recovery.
As detailed, complete recovery from DID can only happen when momentum
in The Tale of Two Halves is superseded by scoring points. Great coaches rarely
make unplanned adjustments at halftime. They implement contingency plans formulated
prior to the game based on opponent tendencies recognized in the first half. Scoring
after the half as Miami DID in the process of controlling the Jets, DID
lead to a Dolphin victory. As clinical studies have shown, scoring in the first
half is excellent for momentum, but not scoring in eight straight fourth
quarters causes the heartbreak of DID to fester.
The diagnosis is clear, Miami can win out and be a dangerous playoff
opponent if the Dolphins can overcome the ill effects of the notorious DID
syndrome. With the DID of bullying behind them, the DID of first
half momentum and second half lulls in the past, only the DID of not
scoring in the fourth quarter remains for the Dolphins to make a full recovery.
As defined above, contingency plans created prior to the game for adjusting to opponent
tendencies during the game, is the key to changing fourth quarter DID
symptoms.
The Dolphins almost DID it during the Jets game, they almost DID
it against Carolina, but the complexity of the dreaded DID syndrome is
deeply rooted in the psyche. Destroying DID once and for all requires the
confidence that comes only by scoring when the game is on the line in the
fourth quarter. Once a fourth quarter offensive player crosses the goal line,
the Dolphins done DID it, they DID in the DID, and DID it
with the style of true DID survivors. Beating DID takes doing, and
only by defeating DID can the Dolphins can truly say, they DID
it.
Sometimes a little humor is the best damn DID medicine of all!
