Tickets are still available to Monday Night’s Dolphins home opener against the Indianapolis Colts at Land Shark Stadium. As of yet, none of the team's games this season has been declared a sellout.

The team saw season ticket sales drop nearly 16 percent last year to 46,131 – the lowest level since 1992. While team officials say season ticket sales are pacing ahead of last year and should exceed 50,000, the team could be facing the possibility of local television blackouts for the first time in more than a decade.

The team needs to sell 62,133 general seats in the lower and upper decks at the 75,540-seat stadium at least 72 hours before kickoff to prevent a blackout. Suite and club seats are not included in the blackout guidelines.

Read my story today for more details on how the team is trying to sell tickets this season.

It helps that the team had such a dramatic turnaround on the field, going from a franchise-worst 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 and the first trip to the playoffs in seven years last season. But Florida’s unemployment rate is 10.7 percent and the economy is still sputtering. And not everyone’s convinced – especially after last Sunday’s 19-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons – that the team is back.

But I’ve spoken to several fans who’ve either decided to keep their season tickets or invest in season tickets for the first time.

After buying individual tickets to every game last season, Dave and Susan Pein of Coral Springs, decided to buy season ticket after their favorite team made the playoffs last season. (See photo of the Peins waiting in line to buy playoff tickets last December).

“This is it,” Dave Pein said. “We’re back and it’s time to go.”

It’s actually more economical for the Peins, who have two sons, Devin and David, and a third -- to be named Dillon -- on the way. The couple is spending $2,900 to buy a pair of lower bowl seats on the 35-yard line from a veteran season ticket holder, rather than about $6,000 to buy by the game, Dave Pein said.

Tom Pillsy is entering his fifth year as a season ticket holder. The paramedic supervisor from Cape Coral who makes the 2.5-hour drive each way for Dolphins home games, almost gave up his tickets this year, when his hours and overtime pay were cut. But he kept the tickets because he enjoys the outings with his teenage son Ryan.

“I can’t think of anything else an 18-year-old still wants to do with his dad,” Pillsy said. “I’m just a fan whether they win or lose. I think this year they have a better team than last year.”

What about you? Have you purchased season tickets?