The Dolphins are a team that is built to play with the heart and fight of champions

Nicholas Goldberg: Is Kevin de León toast?

Nicholas Goldberg: Is Kevin de León toast?

Nicholas Goldberg

January 13, 2012

With two-overtime losses against Washington and New York already in the books, the Miami Dolphins looked primed to continue their recent success without their most talented quarterback ever.

“We know who we’re playing in the playoffs this year and we know the challenge,” says head coach Tony Sparano. “Those two teams are certainly the top two teams we’ve faced this year. But we play them the same way we play everybody else. We’re going to go at them as if they were the best team in the world, and if they’re not then they’ll see how it is. There’s no question about that.”

The Dolphins were not going to let this challenge interfere with their quest for 12 wins and a Super Bowl berth. They took care of business at home against the San Francisco 49ers, then cruised to a 19-point win over the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles.

“This is an old-school team,” says Sparano, who’s been in the league 17 years and has won three Super Bowls. “We’re a team that is built, like Kevin, to play with the heart of a champion and win. And we want to be in position to be a Super Bowl champion.”

Sparano says he never thought his team could win four games. They’re just more patient than most, especially on defense. In seven games before the season started, the Dolphins allowed just 26.9 points per game. Of those six games, they gave up only two more points than they scored.

“We’ve been a good football team all year,” Sparano says. “And we’re going to continue to move forward because we know what’s at stake. We’re going to continue to continue to play with the heart and fight of champions and hopefully we’ll be in position to be a Super Bowl champion.”

The challenge ahead in the playoffs?

I’ll tell you what the challenge is, what everybody is talking about – the Miami Dolphins.

Sparano says the biggest thing he’s focused on is team chemistry. That’s what it

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