"The expansion Miami Dolphins were understandably terrible as a fledgling franchise, losing more games than they won and missing the playoffs in four consecutive seasons from 1966 to '69 before Don Shula came on the scene in 1970.

The next-longest string of seasons under .500 and out of the playoffs for the franchise?

Now.

These Dolphins.

These Dolphins will lose more games than they win for the third consecutive season — a fact mathematically guaranteed by Sunday's sad 26-10 loss to the Eagles.

These Dolphins, their playoff hopes on a death bed before the game, laid those hopes to rest when the Eagles scored 24 points in a second-quarter outburst that made everyone remember how Miami started 0-7.

"Yeah, we thought we could still do it, we thought we could make history," linebacker Karlos Dansby lamented. "But it's not going to happen. We're not going to the playoffs. Very disappointing. Very disappointing."

(In a Jim Mora voice): Playoffs?

Playoffs?

This team needs to run, not walk, run to the offseason and rethink everything its brain trust thought was true about turning an NFL franchise into a champion."