
MIAMI—Just hours after filing their annual request to view the NFL Championship Game, an annual ritual usually regarded as a mere formality for most football teams, the foundering Miami Dolphins organization received a curt "no" from the league's front office. "It is the considered opinion of the league that winning only a single game out of 16 is well below the standard we expect from our teams," the response from the league, penned by Roger Goodell and signed by a coalition of NFL owners, read in part. "We the undersigned feel the free time of Miami's players, coaches, and front-office personnel would be better spent scouting the draft, working on their fundamentals, or perhaps even seeking alternate employment." Goodell attached a special rider to the Super Bowl denial-of-viewership form specifically instructing the Dolphins not to try and watch the Super Bowl at a bar or at someone else's house, as the NFL would be sure to find out eventually.