First things first. The Miami Dolphins are tanking. Secondly, they just went plaid having gone from light speed to ludicrous speed on the tanking.

I write this, still recovering from the news that Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills were traded to the Houston Texans for a couple first round picks, a second round pick and a partridge in a pear tree. I write this as LB Kiko Alonso was then traded to the New Orleans Saints for another LB who I believe had as many tackles last year as I had attempts at intermittent fasting, which ironically was a means for me to drop some LBs of my own. Finally, I write this after having seen a tweet by Dave Hyde of the Sun-Sentinel suggesting that a recently signed Xavien Howard could be next.

In all honesty, I feel like I am losing hope on this franchise.

Look, I’m not here to dissect the trade, specifically the Tunsil and Stills moves, and pretend to forecast that these are prescient moves by Chris Grier. It could very well turn out to be the heist of the century because after speaking to some of my friends who are Texans fans, they feel that this trade gets them to a wonderful 6-10 record. So if those players aren’t going to elevate the Texans to the next level, then I’m downgrading from extremely pissed to simply annoyingly irritated.

I get it. These are moves to stockpile picks like those survivalists canning, pickling and dehydrating food in anticipation of Y2K. The horde of draft picks are currency that will be used to guarantee that the Dolphins in the 2020 draft will be able to nab the quarterback they want (Tua Tagovailoa) or one of the other heralded players that I will probably be listening to Three Yards Per Carry debate over. And don’t think that I won’t fall in love with some QB with off the chart measurables and intangibles but is unfortunately from a school so small that it is accessible only by a six dog drawn sled but should nevertheless be drafted because Chris Kouffman says we should draft him.

But there is no certainty and nothing is guaranteed! Ask Laremy Tunsil. Too soon?

My frustration in all of this is that for the nearly 40 years that I have been a Miami Dolphins fan I cannot remember a time when this franchise was devoid of hope. And I’ve suffered through a lot as a fan.

I remember the lock out year and the quarterback who had what I would guess would be the inspiration for Ray Finkle’s mustache. Never lost hope. I remember watching Dan Marino blow out his achilles and took to blaming the Cleveland Browns turf as the culprit. Never lost hope (nor did I have hope in Scott Mitchell).  I remember consistently coming up short against the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, being embarrassingly present for one of the losses. Never lost hope. I lived through 1-15 and the nightmare of Cam Cameron. Never lost hope. I sat disaffected when Nick Saban actually followed through on his word by not becoming the University of Alabama head coach but taking Wayne Huizenga’s plane to sign the contract. Never lost hope. I lived through a lot as a Dolphins fan and did so to the soundtrack of Rick Weaver and Hank Goldberg. Kids, that was a time when the Dolphins did not sell out enough to lift the blackout on television and some of us were forced to listen on something called a radio. But I digress. Anyway, I never lost hope.

The reason I write all of the above is that the common thread amongst all of those wonderful memories is that I could at least fall back on the fact that we had talent, which resulted in hope. We had Marino. We had the defense that Jimmy Johnson built. We had Saban drafting everyone from the SEC and anyone with the letters S-E-C in their name. We had Bill Parcells applying fixes along the way. So honestly, I cannot ever recall the aqua and orange purposely making moves to–ah screw it–overtly tanking.  Yes there were periods of rebuilding. But I, and likely other Dolphins fans, saw them more as periods of re-loading because, again, we had some great talent to build around. Looking up and down the depth chart I am at a loss. So you can appreciate when I, and I’m sure many other Dolphins fans as well, fell out of my chair screaming when the ESPN alert came across my phone with the announcement.

Am I to feel a little better that we were very active in claiming a bunch of players off waivers?  Will the hope come from this group? Likely not.

So where is the hope? Chris Grier has been here for many years, outliving many key people and I honestly do not know if he’s done enough to earn my loyalty or trust to give him a pass on all of this. Hell, we lived through so many iterations of what was supposed to pass for a competent offensive line and it still hasn’t been fixed. Then we turn around and trade our one given? Are we to assume that Brian Flores, coming from the Patriots system will bring the Patriots mindset, schemes, and, hopefully, luck? I guess so. Perhaps this Vince Biegel guy who we acquired in the Alonso trade turns out to be our Rob Ninkovich? Who knows? I don’t. There are too many unknowns. And I don’t like unknowns. I like certainty. Ok, give me 90% certainty. The 90% will give me some hope.

I hope that when we fast forward past the root canal and proctological exam that will be the 2019 season, that we come out on the other side with our franchise quarterback, a new left tackle and a bevy of other players via draft or free agency. I really hope that this happens and there is nothing but success and the front office would look like geniuses.  I then wouldn’t mind looking back at the absurdity of this piece, question why I would write it in the first place and, rather than explain me away as just being a knee-jerk jerk, will look to chalk it up to cabin fever having watched Hurricane Dorian coverage on television and Twitter for two straight days.

Perhaps that is my excuse. At least, I hope.

We won’t see the likes of John Denney again on the Dolphins.

The 14-year veteran long snapper, released Monday, was an anomaly in the NFL — cynically referred to as Not For Long.

Denney was the ultimate specialist whose name didn’t show up in the scoring summary but often had a hand in shaping outcome of games. He was so adept at one skill, as the fulcrum for decisive kicks and game-altering punts, he appeared in all 224 games since joining the team as an undrafted rookie in 2005.

Only Dan Marino played in more games for the Dolphins.

Denney, 40, was virtually anonymous until his rare longevity made him a fan favorite. Now he is one of the last familiar names to depart in the stunning turnover of the Dolphins roster since the end of last season.

“To be thinking I was going to be a long-term guy in Miami was unforeseeable,” Denney told me in a 2016 interview.

As an undrafted defensive end who could also snap, his hope was “to maybe get a couple bucks under my belt to get a down payment on a house or a new car.”

Instead, the Weston resident stuck around through the regimes of coaches Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Tony Sparano, Joe Philbin — plus interims Todd Bowles and Dan Campbell — and Adam Gase until the end came at the onset of the Brian Flores era.

It is indicative of the futility of the franchise this century that Denney only experienced two playoff games, both losses.

More from Maven: As Dolphins pin hopes on draft picks, expect rough ride for next two years

Denney’s wife an Internet star

It appeared Denney would continue his unforeseen run with the team when rookie Wesley Farnsworth, the latest threat to his job, was released Saturday.

It remains possible the Dolphins could re-sign Denney as the roster churn continues. But it didn’t sound likely Monday when he thanked the team for the opportunity he was given and the support of Dolphins fans over the years.

It has become rare for much to be known about the lives of players beyond their exploits on the field, except for elite quarterbacks and a few other select stars. Scan the Dolphins’ roster as it stands today and it’s a sea of faceless names.

While many players don’t last the average three seasons, Denney and wife Christy have had five kids during his time with the Dolphins.

It is a reflection of the obscurity of the position he plays, that despite being a two-time Pro Bowl selection his wife may be the most recognizable or well-known figure in his own household.

Christy is an all-star on the Internet with her food blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything, which she started in 2008 and generates several million page views a month. It has been featured in a half-dozen national publications and nine of her recipes have been “pinned” more than a million times on Pinterest. She has a cookbook that sells well on Amazon.

Denney much preferred to operate under the radar because long snappers only receive attention when they make a bad snap. He didn’t have many of those.

While the average fan may take the snapper for granted, every successful kick begins with him. His importance was evident when the Dolphins needed Andrew Franks to make a field goal on the final play to defeat the Cardinals in 2016.

It was only a 21-yarder, but the ball and the field were wet from rain throughout the afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium. Denney felt he had a decent grip on the ball and was ready to make the snap when the Cardinals called time out.

“The ref picked the ball up and had it under his towel, which was soaked, so it was serving no purpose. Then it started raining harder,” Denney said. “The second time the ball was a mess. It was a sloppy situation.”

Denney got the ball back to holder Matt Darr, who set it down and the winning kick was made. Franks got the credit, and Denney was more than happy to remain inconspicuous.

Content in obscurity

“I don’t expect anyone to know who I am. The hardcore Dolphins fan can pick me out. But it doesn’t happen often at all,” Denney said in the 2016 interview.

It wasn’t by accident that Denney stuck around so long. During this year’s training camp, Flores singled him out as one of the hardest workers on the team as far as conditioning and preparation.

At 6 feet 5 and a chiseled 242 pounds, Denney was more likely to be mistaken for a basketball player than a Dolphin.

But he didn’t just snap the ball and head for the sideline. He was credited with 49 tackles on special teams. He forced a fumble in 2012 and recovered three fumbles, including a game-changer in a 27-23 win over Atlanta in 2013.

There is no allowance made for sentiment in the NFL. Players are interchangeable parts, continuously being swapped out for a newer, sleeker model.

Denney was that reliable old lawn mower that still got the job done.

Even though we barely noticed him over the many years, he was a constant that will be missed.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

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