We really can't get into football; baseball is more our thing. So we were focused on the postseason, and then the next thing we knew, the Dolphins were halfway to a perfect losing season. Not good. And to add insult to injury, the Patriots are 8-0. (Small consolation: at least the Jets are sucking it up too.)

But we thought that this must really be affecting sports bars in the area: either people aren't going to the bars to watch the games, or they're drinking heavily to escape their sorrow. Clearly, we overestimated the Dolphins' influence. Thanks to the many South Florida transplants who root for their home teams, bars are doing just fine on Sunday nights. And apparently Dolfans aren't the type to use large quantities of beer to drown out the sting of an 0-8 record — at least not publicly. Here's what we learned:

Joey's Sports Bar in Pompano Beach: Rob Lugo, a manager there, laughed and said "It hurts everybody," although he said they get lots of fans of other teams: the Patriots, Steelers, Browns, Cowboys and Giants. "I don't think Dolphins fans care about the Dolphins anymore," he said. "If they were 6-2 or 5-3, yeah, there'd be more Dolphin fans."

Hot Shots Bar & Billiards in Sunrise: From Pete Olsson, a bartender: "Nobody really gives a crap. Everybody here is from somewhere else. Cowboy fans, Eagles, Pittsburgh, New England. Pretty much everybody except for the Dolphins. If they were winning every single game, it wouldn't make any difference."

The Ale House in Davie: This place is right next to the Dolphins training facility, so manager Ted Lynch said that lots of Dolfans do come to watch the games, although he also sees a good amount of Steelers fans. (Are there really that many Pittsburgh natives in South Florida?) The Dolfans are still showing up, but they're not staying quite as long. Once the game seems hopeless, they wrap up their tabs and head home, likely to do something that takes their minds off of football.

Shula's Steak 2 in Miami Lakes: Even at Shula's, they're not feeling too much of a sting, according to Dave Gergely, the director of sports entertainment. "We’ve always been a bar that’s served all different teams, but like any sports bar in South Florida, when the home team is doing well, business is better," Gergely said. Still, they show every game and get lots of customers who root for other teams, so in the end, an 0-8 record doesn't hurt too much. At least not financially.