Some would say that a 2-4 record leaves little to be thankful for, but I am here to present the bright side of the almost first half of the season.  Here are 10 reasons why Dolphins fans should smile.

1) The Dolphins would have had to play a perfect game to beat the Saints last week.  In my opinion the Saints are as scary as the Patriots of two years ago.  The Dolphins did play a near perfect game for 1.9 quarters before giving up an end of first half touchdown and making two handfuls of mental errors in the second half.  The Dolphins gave away a game versus the best team in the league.

2) Will Allen is out for the season.  How is this at all positive?  Well…no other player in the secondary has more than 4 years of NFL experience.  This is baptism by fire and without their general it’s time for young guys to take a leadership role.  Pressure will be on two rookies: Sean Smith and Vontae Davis.

3) A 2-0 record in division.

4) The Dolphins have played two currently undefeated teams (Colts, Saints), a likely wildcard in the NFC (Falcons), a manic San Diego team, and two tough division games.  The going gets much easier from here on out.  (See # 5)

5) Of the ten remaining games, five are against sub .500 teams.  Two of those teams are winless (Titans, Bucs).  See for yourself.

6) A trip to the Meadowlands this week and to Gillette Stadium next week equals two games in which the Dolphins can move toward the top of the AFC East and build  some confidence going into a series of very winnable games (or fall further into irrelevance).

7) Besides the Colts and Broncos, every team in the AFC has at least two losses.   Moral: A 10-6 or 9-7 team may get a wildcard spot in 2009.

Chad Henne looks more promising through two games (against good D’s) than any quarterback we’ve seen since…dare I say it?  Jay Fiedler!

No…I wasn’t going to throw out a Marino comparison.

9) The Dolphins’ running attack is ranked 2nd in the league.  The offensive line is getting push.  Ricky Williams adds much needed explosiveness (see 68 yard run against Saints).

10) Just two years ago one win was reason for superbowl-like celebration.  Today there is a new infusion of ownership, a “working man” mentality, a core group of young players, no quarterback controversy, and a growing fan base.  In other words, at least 8 teams that I can name off the top of my head: the Redskins, Titans, Bucs, Rams, Browns, Chiefts, Raiders, and Lions would love to be Miami right now.