Miami Dolphins Information
The Miami Dolphins were part of the AFL from 1966-1969 and joined the NFL in the merger of 1970. In 1972, they completed a perfect season by going 14-0 in the regular season and sweeping through the playoffs. They’re the last team to record such a feat and a few team members still get together every year to celebrate the last undefeated team’s first loss each season. They drafted quarterback Dan Marino in 1983 and he was the face of the franchise for decades, along with head coach Don Shula. Since Marino’s retirement, the team has struggled a bit, missing the playoffs for consecutive years for the first time since 1988-89. Don Shula coached in Miami for 26 years, and he was followed by Jimmy Johnson, best known for his success as the head man during the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl runs. In 2000, Dave Wannstedt came in as the new coach, and he brought with him a philosophy of run first offense and a mentality on defense to get to the ball. Wannstedt has winning records in each of his first four seasons, but he’s only managed to win one division championship in the competitive AFC East.
The offense of the Miami Dolphins is led by running back Ricky Williams. Williams made his name known at the University of Texas and set all kinds of rushing records in his time there. He was drafted by Mike Ditka and the New Orleans Saints, but soon after signed with the Dolphins. Williams is capable of breaking any run for extended yardage and is one of the safest bets in all of football. Jay Fiedler is the quarterback and will be challenged by newly acquired A.J. Feeley. David Boston was acquired from the Chargers for a player and a draft pick, and if he can keep injuries out of the way, he could easily become the most dominant receiver in the game. He’ll team up with Chris Chambers to form one of the best tandems in the league.
The defense of the Dolphins is recognized as one of the best units in the league. Zach Thomas led the team with 153 tackles in 2003, and Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye combined for an astounding 28 sacks. Patrick Surtain had a team high 7 interceptions and 13 passed defensed, and he’ll team with Sam Madison again in 2004 to form one of the best secondary groups around. Junior Seau moved from San Diego before the 2003 season and gave the Dolphins some extra experience in the middle of the field from his linebacker position. He also pitched in with 96 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Olindo Mare has become one of the most reliable kickers in the league with his clutch performances over the years, and the Dolphins players don’t have to worry about late game situations knowing that he’s waiting on the sidelines. He’s averaged more than 112 points a season over his 7 year career and has a career field goal percentage of just fewer than 83%.
The Dolphins only made six picks in the 2004 NFL Draft, and they only made one of those selections on the first day of the draft. With the 19th selection, they chose Vernon Carey, an offensive lineman out of the University of Miami. Carey will be expected to play a fair amount in his first season with the team. The team’s next two picks could be huge in the future in the form of Will Poole and Tony Bua. Poole was a corner back at USC and had first round potential, but bad combine results slid his stock into the fourth round. Bua was a safety at Arkansas, and although he’ll play a limited amount on defense, he should be very involved in special teams, an area where the Dolphins were weak in 2003.