Notes (and philosophy):

-In a way, we should all be thankful for last season. We all can remember a day when we took playoff births for granted, but now we surely have been set straight. I am excited to watch the Dolphins on every Sunday this year, no matter the opponent, because I've learned what an opportunity it is to win a football game. Really appreciate and savor the special moments.

-How did Parcells and company rebuild this team? They took care of the quarterback position and line on offense, laying the groundwork for success on that side of the ball. On defense, making a simple philosophical change and (again) building up front has planted the seeds of success, and it is amazing what just one good draft can do for you.

Another thing that is nice (and I can't remember the last time this happened) is that the strengths and weaknesses of this team are exactly where we expected them to be. We knew we would be lacking at receiver and corner, but by building up front first we were able to see not only what we have at those positions, but also who has earned the right to stay and who needs to go in the skill positions. You can't do it the other way around, as last year's regime certainly proved. Now, we can look forward to a strong group of players up front next year to go along with the improvements we make on the edges.

-Not only in Miami, but around the NFL there seems to be a trend of young teams and (finally) young quarterbacks with a lot of promise, and they are upsetting the understood order of the the league and making things pretty interesting.

-One of my absolute favorite things in the world (and most bothersome when it is going against me) is being able to run the ball for first downs to seal a game. The defense knows exactly what is coming, but they are powerless to stop it anyway. It is a beautiful thing, and the Dolphins did it against the Chargers.

-Here's an interesting one: to this day, Dave Wannstedt putting up lobster traps all those years ago to warn players of "trap" games is still one of the biggest jokes in Miami. However, Parcells' similar mouse traps in Dallas and Sparano's saying, "Don't eat the cheese" are considered smart motivational tactics. Why? Three words: winning changes everything. Everything. If you are losing, it doesn't matter if you are doing the same exact things as a winner. You are considered stupid, wrong, etc...until you win, that is.

-On a similar note, the last few weeks have really underlined just how important the GM and head coach are. First of all, the GM decides who the players on the field are. It doesn't get any more important than that. I don't care who your coaches are, the players are the ones on the field every week, and therefore the talent level of your roster is going to be what sets the baseline of how good you are going to be. The coach can only take you from there.

Now, I will say that by the same token it is also very important who your last GM was, because since drafting is so important in this league, you are going to inherit the players that your last GM brought in, and they will be the heart of your team (at least at first). This is why the Dolphins have struggled for the last few years: remnants of the Rick Spielman era. (And going back to the last column, winning changes everything, so if you inherit bad players it is tough to be a "good" coach because your team will probably struggle, at least at first, which can doom you.)

Back to the coach, and the head coach is so important because he is the one who is responsible for taking things from there. There are two really important factors, though, in why he is so much more important than probably even all of the other coaches combined. For one, like I said before, every organization takes the personality of its leader. It is so important that your team has the right kind of character to win games in the NFL. The other thing is, even if your assistants are genius and have all kinds of great suggestions, as David Lee did with the Wildcat, it is up to the head man to take those suggestions or let them rot away with his team. No matter who your assistants are, the head coach is the one in the end with the power.

In sum, it all starts with the GM (who can be largely handicapped or helped by the last GM), because he is the one who decides who the players on the field are going to be. From there, and only from there, the head coach is of supreme importance because he sets the personality of the team and is the only one who can decide which of his and his coaches' many ideas will make it to the field. Throw in the fact that winning changes everything, and I think you have this year's lesson is football philosophy.