"The Miami Dolphins have to be taken seriously. Here's a team that seems to be jelling"
About this Quote
Seriousness is the currency of sports legitimacy, and Al Michaels is spending it carefully here. “The Miami Dolphins have to be taken seriously” isn’t praise so much as a recalibration of expectations: a signal to viewers that whatever their preseason assumptions were, the broadcast is now obligated to treat Miami like a real factor. Michaels’ voice, built for big moments, makes even a midseason pivot feel consequential. The line carries the faintest whiff of surprise, which is the point: the Dolphins aren’t just winning; they’re forcing a narrative rewrite in real time.
The second sentence does the real work. “Seems to be jelling” is classic broadcaster hedging dressed up as chemistry talk. “Jelling” is deliberately soft science - a way to explain performance without committing to a specific scheme, stat, or single hero. It credits the group, not the quarterback, the coach, or a hot streak, and it gives audiences an intuitive framework: talent has stopped being theoretical and started becoming functional. The phrase also implies prior disorder: a team that didn’t quite cohere, now snapping into shape.
Contextually, this is Michaels doing what elite play-by-play voices do beyond calling downs: managing the emotional stakes of the game. He’s narrating momentum as legitimacy, inviting casual viewers to lean in, and telling skeptics they’re behind the curve - without ever saying you were wrong.
The second sentence does the real work. “Seems to be jelling” is classic broadcaster hedging dressed up as chemistry talk. “Jelling” is deliberately soft science - a way to explain performance without committing to a specific scheme, stat, or single hero. It credits the group, not the quarterback, the coach, or a hot streak, and it gives audiences an intuitive framework: talent has stopped being theoretical and started becoming functional. The phrase also implies prior disorder: a team that didn’t quite cohere, now snapping into shape.
Contextually, this is Michaels doing what elite play-by-play voices do beyond calling downs: managing the emotional stakes of the game. He’s narrating momentum as legitimacy, inviting casual viewers to lean in, and telling skeptics they’re behind the curve - without ever saying you were wrong.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teamwork |
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