Dolphins All-Time Team combines high-powered offense with stifling defense
Dolphins All-Time Team combines high-powered offense with stifling defense
Here is my take on the All-Time Team for the Miami Dolphins. There are All-Pros and Pro Bowlers at nearly every position.
The Miami Dolphins won back-to-back Super Bowls after the 1972 and ’73 seasons and also had success throughout the 1990s. Their All-Time Team features many stars from both of those eras.
Coach: No argument here, there’s Don Shula and then there’s everyone else. After a successful seven-season run with the Baltimore Colts, Shula spent 26 years at the helm in Miami. Under his leadership, the Dolphins went to the playoffs 16 times and played in five Super Bowls. He had 257 of his NFL record 328 regular season victories with the club (all other Dolphins head coaches have a combined 195 wins). Others of note: Immediately following Shula, Jimmy Johnson led Miami to three playoff appearances in four seasons and Dave Wannstedt-led clubs made the playoffs twice in four full years. The 2008 team coached by Tony Sparano won the AFC East.
Quarterback: Dan Marino is the choice here, but the decision was tougher than you would think. Marino made nine Pro Bowls and was an All-NFL First Team selection three times. His best season was 1984 when he passed for 5,084 yards (then a record) and won both the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. He also played in the Super Bowl that year, but he was outdueled by Joe Montana in a loss to the 49ers. The Hall of Famer finished with 61,361 passing yards and 420 touchdowns, which were the most in NFL history when he retired after the 1999 season (he has since dropped to fifth in both categories). Not every team can boast two Hall of Fame signal callers. Bob Griese made eight Pro Bowls and two All-NFL teams in 14 seasons. He also led the Dolphins to their two Super Bowl victories and finished with 25,092 yards and 192 touchdowns. Injuries have cost Ryan Tannehill quite a bit of time, but he went over 20,000 career passing yards this season.
Running Back/Fullback: The categories have been combined because the Dolphins have typically used multiple backs in a variety of roles throughout their history. Hall of Famer Larry Csonka was the bruiser, topping the club’s charts with 6,737 yards and 53 touchdowns. He won two Super Bowls, made five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. His pals in the triple threat backfield during the 1970s, Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick, both finished with more than 3,600 rushing yards. Miami’s modern pair of hard-nosed Ricky Williams and elusive Ronnie Brown gave opponents fits. Williams is second behind Csonka with 6,436 yards and 48 touchdowns, and his 1,853-yards, 16-score campaign in 2002 earned him All-Pro and Pro Bowl status. Brown is third with 4,815 yards and 36 touchdowns. Other backs include the early 1980s tandem of Tony Nathan and Andra Franklin and Karim Abdul-Jabbar, a late ‘90s star.
Wide Receiver: Favorite targets of the three quarterbacks dominate this list. Mark Clayton made five Pro Bowls and finished with 8,643 yards and a team record 81 touchdowns, mostly from Marino. Mark Duper was a three-time Pro Bowler who has 8,869 yards (most in franchise history) and 59 scores. Oronde Gadsden finished with 5,074 yards and his 90 catches in 1998 led the NFL. Hall of Famer Paul Warfield was a standout on the championship teams. He made the Pro Bowl all five seasons in Miami and was an All-Pro twice. Nat Moore was third on the team list with 7,546 yards and second with 74 touchdowns, and was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in 1977. He and Duriel Harris played under both Griese and Marino. Two stars from the 2000s round out the position. Chris Chambers had 5,688 yards and 43 touchdowns and Jarvis Landry made three straight Pro Bowls playing with Tannehill.
Tight End: Two players known more for their blocking man this position. Bruce Hardy scored 25 touchdowns in 12 seasons and Randy McMichael finished with 3,096 yards over five years.
Tackle: The starters are Richmond Webb, who made seven straight Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams, on the left side and Norm Evans, a two-time champion and Pro Bowler, on the right. Backing them up are Jon Giesler, who protected Marino during his early years and Vernon Carey at stalwart right tackle in the early 2000s.
Guard: Both starters are from the Super Bowl winners. Left guard Bob Kuechenberg went to six Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 1978. Hall of Famer Larry Little made five Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team at right guard. Behind them are Keith Sims, who made three Pro Bowls in the mid-1990s and Ed Newman, who made four straight Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in the 1984 Super Bowl season.
Center: This position also boasts two Hall of Famers. Jim Langer made six Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams in 10 seasons. A knee injury forced Dwight Stephenson to retire after only eight seasons, but he made the Pro Bowl five times and was an All-Pro four straight seasons in the mid-1980s. Jeff Dellenbach and Tim Ruddy were steady starters for the 20 years after Stephenson retired.
Defensive End: Hall of Famer Jason Taylor mans the right side. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006. His 131 sacks are the most in team history and his career total of 139.5 ranks seventh all-time. Jeff Cross is the starter at left end. He made the Pro Bowl in 1990 and his 59.5 sacks are third on the team’s all-time list. There is no shortage of talent here, with Super Bowl starters Vern Den Herder and Bill Stanfill as primary backups. Trace Armstrong’s 56.5 sacks ranks fourth in team history, Doug Betters earned Pro Bowl, All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1983 and Kim Bokamper made the Pro Bowl in 1979.
Defensive Tackle: Tim Bowens made two Pro Bowls in his 11 seasons as the teams left tackle, and he was also the 1994 Defensive Rookie of the Year. The other starter is Bob Baumhower, who made five Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 1983. Behind them are Super Bowl stalwarts Manny Fernandez and Bob Heinz.
Linebacker: Starters include five-time Pro Bowler and 2012 All-Pro Cameron Wake and his team second-best 97 sacks on the right side, Hall of Famer and two-time champion Nick Buoniconti, with his eight Pro Bowl and five All-Pro selections, in the middle and 1984 Pro Bowler and 1979 Defensive Rookie of the Year A.J. Duhe to the left. Backups are seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro Zach Thomas, three-time Pro Bowl selection Bryan Cox and six-year starter Derrick Rodgers.
Cornerback: Two stars from the late 1990s and early 2000s are the starters. Patrick Surtain had 29 interceptions, made three straight Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2002. Sam Madson amassed 31 picks, was a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro. The reserves include two-time champions Tim Foley and Curtis Johnson, along with mid-‘90s starter Terrell Buckley. Foley made the Pro Bowl in 1979.
Safety: Super Bowl VII MVP Jake Scott is the starting free safety. He has a team-high 35 interceptions, made the Pro Bowl five times and was an All-Pro twice. Fellow two-time champion Dick Anderson, with his 34 interceptions, start on the strong side. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and the 1973 Defensive Player of the Year. Behind them are three-time Pro Bowl selection Brock Marion and Glenn Blackwood, a two-time Super Bowl starter in the early 1980s.
Kicker: Olindo Mare scored 1,048 career points and was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in 1999. Garo Yepremian was a two-time champion, All-Pro and Pro Bowler, but he was most known for trying to throw a pass after a blocked field goal, leading to Washington’s only score in Super Bowl VII.
Punter: This was a tough call. Brandon Fields had a 46.8-yard average over eight seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2013. Reggie Roby had a 43.3-yard average over 10 years, was a two-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1984.
Special Teams: John Denney has been the team’s long snapper since 2005 and made two Pro Bowls.
Returners: Four players have more than 2,900 kickoff return yards. Morris returned three for touchdowns, but Fulton Walker, Wes Welker, and Ted Ginn Jr. also have at least one score. Scott, Welker, and McDuffie all have more than 1,000 punt return yards, giving the Dolphins plenty of options.
Next: Here come the champs, the New England Patriots.
- By: Kevin Rakas