Greetings; not necessarily from the Phinsider (though that is my "resident" blog), but as a fan of the Miami Dolphins and, more importantly, a human being.

I wish your team the best of luck, and I do not say this in a condescending way. I believe these teams match up well against each other respectively, and have full faith that this will be a back-and-forth game until the fourth quarter. Forgive my bias, and I do not wish to sound ignorant or presumptuous, but I believe that the Dolphins have more urgency and will thrive off the home crowd enough to give them the edge as the clock counts down to zero.

I predict 28-24, Miami.

I'm sure this type of thing has been beaten to death already, and it was not my intent to post this up as a "my team will beat yours, let me hear your rebuttal" type post. No, instead, after watching Jay Cutler get his ass handed to him on a silver platter eight times before being put out of his misery with a game-ending (for him, anyway) sack resulting in a concussion last night, this is my point:

We derive so much of our energy, our passion, our joy or depression from the results of our favorite teams week-in and week-out. We expect so much of them; to go out there every weekend and literally put their health on the line, sometimes even their lives. Fortunately, that's extraordinarily rare, but it is still a possibility. Yet, we do not afford them the same benefits that we see in our individual lives: safety. These guys could suffer from post-concussion symptoms, or joint/bone/cartilage/muscle/ligament pain, or, really, anything, as early as their mid-30s. I cannot begin to imagine millions of dollars being worth a shortened or miserable life, and I for one would like to stop taking the people who play this sport, which I love with all of my sports-loving heart, for granted.

This is what I meant by "best of luck;" may no players suffer any serious injuries, for the short- or long-term, and may the best team on the field tonight win.

I only do this because, unlike some other division rivals, I have a healthy respect for you and the New England Patriots. Let's enjoy a great game tonight in Miami! Have a brew for me if you can manage to attend.