Each week throughout the 2006 season, Miami Dolphins Head Coach Nick Saban will share his thoughts through an exclusive column on MiamiDolphins.com as told to Andy Cohen of Dolphin Digest.

August 14, 2006

The message to the fans as the regular season approaches is this:

If you are truly a fan and support the Dolphins, then ask yourself what you can do to help this team. What our fans can do to help this team accomplish our goals is to be positive, be supportive and create an atmosphere and environment in Dolphin Stadium which is difficult for the other team to function in.

So I'm going to ask the fans to compete for 60 minutes in a game just like I ask my players to do. Those that did that in the Buffalo game last year saw a tremendous comeback; that's what competitors have to do. You've got to play the game all the way through. You can't get frustrated just because something bad happens. You've got to turn and play the next play.

It's just like playing golf. If you hit it under the tree, the next shot is the most important shot you have. If you hit it 300 yards right down the middle of the fairway, the next shot is the most important too because you can hit that one in the water. Golf is kind of like a metaphor of life.

Our fans are going to need to help our team have success because that's what they want our team to have and that's how they can contribute in a positive way. They've been absolutely great about that. The interest, the enthusiasm, the support has been much appreciated by all of our players, the coaches and the entire organization.

The more enthusiastic and positive we are, the better chance the fans will give us at home to create the type of environment that's difficult for our opponents to play in. And that's what we're all shooting for.

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I think everybody realizes who we are playing in our first game and that we are starting the season on a Thursday night before the other teams play. As a competitor, the challenge of playing the defending champion is something that intrigues you, excites you and should drive you to become better.

But we try to get our players to focus on what's happening now, and not be thinking too much down the road. I don't know what effect it will have on the players seeing the Steelers getting their Super Bowl rings. We don't want to be effected in terms of our motivation and what we want to accomplish by external things.

We have our goals. We have our things that we are driven to accomplish and achieve. That should be motivation enough for us to do our work at a high level of efficiency.

You've got to remember we're not playing any bad teams year. They are all capable of beating us and we need to go in with that mindset. Over a 16 game schedule, it's important we play with consistency and give ourselves the best chance possible to get into the playoffs. Not looking ahead and concentrating on the challenge that each day brings is so important in that process.

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What is really evident in this training camp is that the players have so much better of an understanding of what our expectations are relative to the standard of excellence that they work at each day.

That was something we tried to establish in last year's camp, but actually we've accomplished it much better this time around. I know it's an intangible, but it really does effect performance because mentally you don't make as many mistakes that way, your effort is better and even the toughness you approach things with is better.

I can tell you on offense a lot of that confidence has to do with the presence that both Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington brings to this team. The experience they bring. The confidence the other players have in their abilities has really helped from a leadership standpoint, but also from a standpoint of how the other offensive players go about their jobs.

There is a strong belief on this team that good things can happen and will happen. That's so important.

I know the fans want to know about Daunte Culpepper and the progress he's making. I know they want to know whether he's going to be in the starting lineup against Pittsburgh. I can't make predictions. Too many things can happen between now and then.

But I will tell you this. Daunte has always been able to do a little bit more of what we anticipated he could do in terms of his rehab schedule from the day he got here.

He stayed here this summer, he was here all during the off season program and he was here for all the OTA days. All during that time, he set a great example of tremendous determination to overcome adversity in terms of what he needed to do to get himself back to where he needed to be.

Because of that attitude, he has progressed about as rapidly as anyone could have ever expected him to and he's always been able to do a little bit more than what anybody thought he could do. That has benefited his development as our quarterback as well as creating stability and confidence in his mind that he's ready to play.

Daunte now has a good grasp of our offense. The longer you work with people, the better you develop the chemistry. He's really showing that chemistry with our receivers now. He works hard with Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Randy McMichael and all of our receivers. You can sense it coming together each day in practice.

He also continues to show improvement in his movement. When we had mini camp back in June, even though he was out there doing everything, you could notice he wasn't 100 percent in doing it. Now, there is a lot less occasions where you notice that he has anything that is affecting him. He makes quick movements to scramble and to move in the pocket. He seems like he's much closer to 100 percent.

We'll obviously know a lot more over the next few weeks, but right now we have every reason to be encouraged.