This is the state of Don Shula.
Dan Marino played here. Lee Roy Selmon. And Tony Boselli. Larry Csonka. Derrick Brooks. Maurice Jones-Drew.
The Dolphins won Super Bowls. The Bucs won a Super Bowl. Hall of Famers stopped by. Over the years, this state has figured out a thing or two about pro football.
Why, then, can’t anyone play it anymore?
The Dolphins are 1-2 and in last place in the AFC East. They’re coming off a 41-14 loss to Buffalo. The Jaguars are 1-2 and, by tiebreaker, in last place in the AFC South. They’re coming off a 51-17 pasting by New England. The Bucs are 1-2 and in third place, held upright by only the winless New Orleans Saints. They’re coming off a 19-9 loss to a previously winless Houston team. That’s 3-6, coming off losses that add up to 111-40.
In other words, ouch.
Look at the NFL Hot Seat Rankings. Joe Philbin is No. 2, Gus Bradley is No. 6 and Lovie Smith, the safe one, is No. 8.
The Dolphins have the 18th-best offense in the NFL, and the other teams are jealous. Jacksonville is 24th. The Bucs are 26th. In quarterback rating, Miami’s Ryan Tannehill is 23rd, Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles is 33rd and Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston is 34th.
Defensively, the Bucs are 16th. Jacksonville is 22nd and Miami 26th.
This week, Miami plays Sunday night against the Jets, the Jags play the Colts and the Bucs are home against Carolina.
