| Miami
Dolphins, professional football team and one of the
four teams in the Eastern Division of the American Football
Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL).
the team is named for the dolphins that inhabit the
coastal waters of Florida.
For
most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by
Don Shula, the winningest head coach in professional
football history. His Dolphins teams posted losing records
in only 2 of his 26 seasons with the club. In 1972 the
Dolphins became the first and only NFL team to complete
a 14-game regular season (and the entire postseason)
without a loss. Five future Hall of Fame members played
for Miami during the 1970s, including running back Larry
Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese. During the 1980s
and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most prolific
passer in NFL history. He piloted the Dolphins to numerous
playoff appearances and one Super Bowl, and he holds
numerous NFL career passing records.
Miami
joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion
team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and
actor Danny Thomas in 1965. the Dolphins began play
in 1966, and after four consecutive losing seasons,
Don Shula replaced George Wilson as head coach. Miami
joined the NFL in 1970 when the NFL and AFL completed
their merger.
the
1970s
the
Dolphins were a successful team during the early 1970s,
capturing the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback
Bob Griese and wide receiver Paul Warfield. the AFC
Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated
the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL
history (82 minutes 40 seconds). In Super Bowl VI, however,
Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3.
In
1972 the Dolphins accomplished an amazing feat, becoming
the first NFL team to finish a season undefeated (the
1948 Cleveland Browns had accomplished the feat, but
as members of the All-America Football Conference).
(This is sometimes called the "Perfect Season".) Miami
went on to win two playoff games and then Super Bowl
VII, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7. During
this season, Griese and veteran quarterback Earl Morrall
shared the passing duties, and running backs Larry Csonka
and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to rush
for more than 1,000 yards each. the offensive line included
future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little.
the 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No-Name
Defense because Miami's impressive offense received
much more publicity, was the league's best that year.
It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill,
and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott.
The
Dolphins won 12 games during the 1973 season and repeated
as Super Bowl VIII champions, routing the Minnesota
Vikings 24-7. Miami reached the playoffs again in 1974
but lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders.
After the disappointing defeat, several players, including Csonka, Warfield, and running back Jim Kiick, joined
the short-lived World Football League. the Dolphins
managed to win ten games in 1975, aided by Griese's
consistency and the fine play of wide receiver Nat Moore.
they did not make the playoffs however, losing on a
tiebreaker to the Baltimore Colts.
Miami
rebounded from a losing record in 1976 by winning ten
or more games in four of the next five seasons. Shula
built a solid defense around a new set of stars, including
linebacker A. J. Duhe and linemen Bob Baumhower and
Doug Betters. the Dolphins went 10-4 again in 1977,
but again lost the division title (and playoff spot)
to the Colts. they made the playoffs as a wild card
in 1978, but lost in the first round to the Houston
Oilers.
Csonka
returned to the Dolphins in time for the 1979 season.
After winning the division with a 10-6 record, the Dolphins
lost the divisional playoff to the eventual champion
Pittsburgh Steelers.
the
1980s
In
1980 the late David Woodley took over at quarterback
and Griese retired after the season. the Dolphins finished
8-8 and out of the playoffs.
the
Dolphins were back on top of the AFC East in the 1981
season, with an 11-4-1 record. they reached the divisional
playoff against the San Diego Chargers, regarded by
some as one of the most memorable games in NFL history.
After being down 24-0, Miami tied it at 24. After taking
the lead, San Diego tied it up 38-38 late. Chargers
tight end Kellen Winslow, under exhaustion, blocked
Uwe von Schummann's field goal try on the last play
of regulation, and Rolf Benirschke kicked the game-winner
for San Diego in overtime.
In
the strike-shortened season of 1982, the Dolphins, led
by the "Killer B's" defense (Baumhower, Bill Barnett,
Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper and Bob Brudzinski), held
five of their nine opponents to 14 or fewer points en
route to their fourth Super Bowl appearance. During
the first two rounds of the playoffs they got revenge
for previous losses. Late in the season in a snowy game
against the New England Patriots, a convicted felon
on work release cleared a path for Patriots kicker John
Smith to score the game-winning field goal. In the first
round in Miami, they met again, with the Dolphins winning
easily. In the second round against San Diego the Dolphins
got revenge for their loss the previous year, winning
even more handily. After shutting out the New York Jets
in the AFC championship, they lost Super Bowl XVII to
Washington 27-17. Ironically after enjoying success
rooted in a defense-first philosophy, and employing
a ball control offense to take pressure off of lacklustre
quarterbacks, the next 17 seasons would be marked by
an average rushing game and defense that limited a great
quarterback.
During
the third game of the 1983 season, Shula replaced quarterback
David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino, who went on to
win the AFC passing championship and rookie of the year
award. During the mid-1980s Marino produced the most
impressive set of passing statistics in NFL history,
setting single-season records for most yards (5,084),
touchdown passes (48), and completions (362) during
the 1984 season. Seldom sacked by defenders, Marino
was protected by an outstanding offensive line as he
passed to receivers such as Mark Clayton and Mark Duper.
Despite the regular season success (the Dolphins went
12-4, the only team in the AFC East with a winning record),
they were upset in the divisional playoff by the Seattle
Seahawks. Defensive End Doug Betters was the Defensive
Player of the Year.
In
1984, the Dolphins won their first 11 games en route
to a 14-2 season. Marino, in his first full season,
was voted MVP as he threw for over 5000 yards and 48
touchdowns. Miami beat the Seahawks and Steelers in
the playoffs to get to Super Bowl XIX. In the title
game, however, Miami lost to the San Francisco 49ers
38-16. It would be Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.
In
1985 Miami went 12-4 and was the only team that beat
the Chicago Bears all year. After beating the Cleveland
Browns in the divisional playoffs, many people were
looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl
XX. the Cinderella New England Patriots, the Dolphins'
opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans.
New England forced 6 turnovers on the way to a 31-14
win - the Patriots' first in Miami since 1969.
In
1986 the Dolphins, hampered by defensive struggles,
stumbled to 8-8, out of the playoff picture. the problems
continued in 1987, with an 8-7 record in a strike-shortened
year; their first at new Joe Robbie Stadium. Miami had
their first losing season in years in 1988, and were
back to 8-8 in 1989.
the
1990s
By
1990 the Dolphins had finally shaped up on defense,
and finished with a 11-5 record, second in the AFC East.
they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round,
but lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoff.
the team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991,
and narrowly missed the playoffs on an overtime loss
to the New York Jets the final week of the season.
the
Dolphins finished 11-5 in 1992, capturing the AFC East
title in Mark Higgs' best season as a running back and
Keith Jackson (newly acquired from the Philadelphia
Eagles) leading the team in receiving. they beat the
Chargers in the divisional playoff, but were stunned
by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship.
1993
turned into a disastrous year for the Dolphins. Both
Marino and backup Scott Mitchell suffered season-ending
injuries, and Miami lost its final 5 games to miss the
playoffs at 9-7. With Marino back for the 1994 season
they won the AFC East again with a 10-6 record. After
beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round,
they suffered a heart-breaking last-second loss to the
San Diego Chargers in the divisional playoff.
In
1995 Marino broke the career passing records formerly
held by Fran Tarkenton for yards (48,841), touchdowns
(352), and completions (3,913). the Dolphins finished
9-7, second in the AFC East, but still made the playoffs
as a wild card; losing to Buffalo in the first round.
Following the 1995 season Don Shula became an executive
in the Dolphins' front office. Jimmy Johnson, who had
won a collegiate national championship at the University
of Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys,
was named as Shula's replacement.
In
1996 Miami finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs, with
rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar's 1000-yard rushing season
one of the lone bright spots. In 1997 Miami stumbled
late and backed into the playoffs with a 9-7 season,
losing to the New England Patriots in the wild card
round.
Miami
had a solid 10-6 season in 1998 with a career season
for receiver O.J. McDuffie, but it was not enough to
get past the New York Jets into first place in the division.
the Dolphins beat the Bills in the wild card round,
but lost to the eventual champion Denver Broncos (who
lost only one of two games that season to Miami) in
the divisional playoff.
In
1999 Marino would be injured in a game where backup
Damon Huard led a comeback. In Marino's first game back,
he would have the worst game of his career, on Thanksgiving
in Dallas, throwing 5 interceptions and having a passer
rating of 0.0. Miami went 2-6 in their last eight games,
but still backed into the playoffs at 9-7. After a close
win over Seattle in the wild card round, they suffered
one the worst playoff losses in NFL history against
the Jacksonville Jaguars: 62-7. After the season, Jimmy
Johnson left the team and Marino retired.
the
2000s
2000–2001
Zach Thomas contributed heavily to the Dolphins 00' and 01' playoff
runs.Before the 2000 season, Dave Wannstedt, formerly of the Chicago
Bears, became the new coach, and ex-Jacksonville Jaguars backup Jay
Fiedler became the new quarterback, even though former Marino backup
Damon Huard had been considered the favorite. Despite lowered
expectations, the defense broke through with Jason Taylor and Trace
Armstrong each getting 10 sacks, and four players (Sam Madison,
Brian Walker, Brock Marion and Patrick Surtain) tallying at least
five interceptions. All-pro linebacker Zach Thomas also contributed
many tackles. In addition, Lamar Smith rushed for 1,139 yards, and
Miami finished atop the AFC East with an 11–5 record. In the first
round of the playoffs, Miami took the Indianapolis Colts to overtime
and won on a Lamar Smith touchdown run. Smith finished with 209
yards on 40 carries, but in the next round, the Dolphins were shut
out by the Oakland Raiders, and a worn-out Smith was barely able to
run.
The 2001 offseason brought in rookie Chris Chambers at wide
receiver, but Trace Armstrong left, as did two offensive linemen,
Richmond Webb, a Pro Bowl anchor since 1990, and Kevin Donnalley.
During the 2001 season, the Dolphins relied on a strong defense to
finish 11–5, earning a Wild Card spot and finishing second in the
AFC East behind the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England
Patriots. The Dolphins lost in the first round of the playoffs 20–3
to the Baltimore Ravens.
2002
Ricky Williams during a Pro Bowl stint Miami revitalized its running
game in time for the 2002 season by trading for New Orleans Saints
running back Ricky Williams. In addition, rookie tight end Randy
McMichael made his presence felt. The Dolphins, behind a new
offensive scheme under freshly hired offensive coordinator Norv
Turner, and a power running game led by Williams, quickly rushed out
to a 5–1 start, including an incredible last minute comeback by
Fiedler against the Broncos. However, Fiedler injured his thumb and
would be out for an extended period of time. This intrigued some
Dolphins fans, who believed backup Ray Lucas could outdo the
much-maligned Fiedler. However, Lucas was abysmal in his first two
games and merely average in his third, and the team dropped three
straight. Miami rebounded with wins over Baltimore and an impressive
thumping of San Diego, but lost to Buffalo. Still, Miami pulled off
an impressive win over the Oakland Raiders and sat at 9–5 with two
weeks left in the season, in prime position to steal the AFC East.
However, despite dominating the New England Patriots for most of the
game in Week 17, the Dolphins blew an 11-point lead late in the
fourth quarter of a devastating loss. Due to a tiebreaker, both the
Dolphins and Patriots lost out on the playoffs as the Jets took the
AFC East title. Many fans called for Wannstedt's firing, but he was
kept on for the 2003 season. Despite it all, the team believed it
had plenty to look forward to, as Ricky Williams broke Dolphins
records with 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.
2003
The 2003 Miami Dolphins were a hard team to pinpoint. The defense
was again solid and forced a lot of turnovers, and opposing offenses
found running the ball extremely difficult. However, poor offensive
line play (despite most of the starters returning) gave little room
for Ricky to run, and the offense was stagnant. The Dolphins began
with a repeat of 2002's season end, with a complete meltdown against
the Houston Texans, but they rebounded to win four straight games.
During a crushing overtime loss at the hands of the Patriots, Jay
Fiedler was injured, forcing newly acquired backup Brian Griese to
lead the Dolphins to victory the next week over San Diego. That,
however, was Griese's high point, and after a good showing against
Indianapolis in a losing effort, he was lousy against the Titans and
highly ineffective against the Ravens. When Griese and the Dolphins
fell behind to the Washington Redskins, Jay Fiedler came off the
bench and saved their season, leading them to a comeback victory,
24–23. Miami looked like it might rebound thanks to a victory over
the Dallas Cowboys that took them to 8–4, but two key losses to the
Patriots and the Eagles ended Miami's postseason hopes. Miami
finished 10–6.
2004
The 2004 offseason was disastrous for the Dolphins. Tight end Randy
McMichael was arrested for domestic violence and wide receiver David
Boston (signed from San Diego) suffered an injury in training camp
and missed the entire season (Boston also failed a drug test for
steroids later in the season). But the biggest shock came when Ricky
Williams retired for then-unspecified reasons, until it was
eventually revealed that a) Williams had recently suffered his third
strike under the NFL's substance abuse policy, and b) to a lesser
degree felt he was unnecessarily overused by Wannstedt. Many experts
predicted a disastrous season for the Dolphins. These predictions
proved right as Miami dropped their first six games of the 2004
season, marking the worst start in franchise history at the time.
After the team fell to 1–8, Wannstedt resigned on November 9, 2004.
He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim
Bates. The Dolphins fared slightly better under Bates, winning three
of their final seven games, including a 29–28 upset victory over the
defending champion Patriots on December 20 in a nationally televised
Monday Night Football contest. Despite this, the Dolphins decided
not to hire Bates for the permanent coaching position.
2005–2006
After a 4-12 season, the Dolphins selected running back Ronnie Brown
with their first pick.Instead of retaining Jim Bates, the Dolphins
hired LSU coach Nick Saban. With the second pick the 2005 NFL Draft,
Nick Saban elected to go with Auburn running back Ronnie Brown. And
with that, the Nick Saban era kicked off with a 34–10 win against
the Denver Broncos. From there, however, the Dolphins struggled,
losing seven of their next nine games to fall to 3–7. The two wins
came over the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints, a game
that took place in Tiger Stadium due to Hurricane Katrina. After a
frustrating two months, however, the Dolphins would rally late in
the season, as they won their final six games, including a win to
end the season over the New England Patriots. The team finished the
year 9–7, and narrowly missed the playoffs.
In Saban's second season, the Dolphins were expected to contend for
a playoff spot. The season, however, turned out to be a major
disappointment. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper never recovered from
his devastating knee injury from the previous season, and was
ultimately benched after the fourth game of the season and
eventually put on Injured Reserve. After starting the season 1–6,
they won four straight games, back in the playoff hunt at 5–6, but a
few losses later ended their playoff hopes. This was Saban's first
and last losing season as a head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
On January 3, 2007, Saban announced that he had accepted a contract
for eight years and a guaranteed $32 million to coach at the
University of Alabama. Saban left despite making several public
statements in the preceding weeks assuring fans and owner Wayne
Huizenga that he would be staying on as coach of the Dolphins. Cam
Cameron, previously the offensive coordinator for the San Diego
Chargers, was then introduced as the new head coach of the Dolphins.
2007
The Dolphins began their season with Trent Green as their starting
quarterback but after four games, Green was put on the injured
reserve. For the rest of the way, the Dolphins went with Cleo Lemon
and rookie John Beck as their quarterbacks. The Dolphins also
suffered another setback with then NFL leading rusher Ronnie Brown
went down for the season with a knee injury.
Midway through the 2007 season, the NFL scheduled the Dolphins' home
game against the New York Giants to be played in London's Wembley
Stadium; this was the NFL's first regular-season game to be played
outside of North America. The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13-10.
Shortly afterwards, one of Miami's top wide receivers Chris
Chambers, who was acquired in 2001, was traded to the San Diego
Chargers. On December 16, the Dolphins ended a 16 game losing streak
by defeating the Baltimore Ravens at home 22–16 in overtime on a 64
yard touchdown from Cleo Lemon to Greg Camarillo, making the wideout
an instant cult hero with the fans. Despite the win over the Ravens,
the team would lose its next two games to finish an NFL worst 1–15,
which tied the then NFL record for most losses in a season with 15,
a record shared by 7 other teams, according to Steve Hirdt of the
Elias Sports Bureau. The record for most losses has since been held
by the 2008 Detroit Lions with an 0-16 record.
2008
Late in the 2007 season, two-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill
Parcells was named Executive Vice President of the Dolphins football
operations. Shortly after the season finale, Parcells fired general
manager Randy Mueller and on January 3, 2008, head coach Cam Cameron
was fired along with almost all of his staff. That same offseason,
the Dolphins also parted ways with two Pro Bowlers and long-time
Dolphins, releasing linebacker Zach Thomas (who later signed with
the Dallas Cowboys) and trading defensive end Jason Taylor to the
Washington Redskins for a second round draft pick.
Parcells then proceeded to hire Tony Sparano, who was previously an
assistant under Parcells during his days as the head coach of the
Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins ultimately took Jake Long, star
offensive lineman out of the University of Michigan with the first
pick of the 2008 draft and drafted quarterback (Chad Henne) with
their second round pick for a second consecutive year. After the New
York Jets traded for Brett Favre and released quarterback Chad
Pennington the same day, the Dolphins quickly signed Pennington, who
was a former Parcells draft pick.
Going into their bye week (week 4), the only Dolphins victory was
over the New England Patriots in week 3. Their next game was against
the San Diego Chargers on October 5, 2008 in which the Dolphins
prevailed 17–10 and earned a .500 record 2–2; however, the two wins
were against the two teams that contested the 2007–08 AFC
Championship game. The implementation of the "Wildcat" offense or
single-wing offense was covered heavily by the media, despite the
package being used sparingly during their two upset victories vs.
the Patriots and Chargers.
Early on, Miami suffered the narrowest of defeats when they lost
29-28 to the Houston Texans. The team, however, would bounce back
with four consecutive victories over the Buffalo Bills, Denver
Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Oakland Raiders. After a crushing
twenty point loss to New England, the Dolphins fell to third in the
AFC East division. Again Miami rebounded to win their next four
games, against the (St. Louis Rams, Bills in Toronto, 49ers, and
Chiefs). This brought their record to 10-5 and let them control
their destiny against the New York Jets in the regular season
finale.
Pennington, the former Jet, outdueled future Hall of Famer Brett
Favre to lead the Dolphins to victory 24-17 to win the AFC East past
the New England Patriots. A year after going 1–15, the Dolphins
completed a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Tony
Sparano, joining the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in
NFL history to make 10-win improvements. Miami, which ended the
regular season by winning five straight and nine of 10, made the
playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. It was the Dolphins'
first AFC East title since 2000. However, the Dolphins lost in the
first round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens 27–9.
2009
On March 25, 2009 it was reported by ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen
that the Dolphins intend to have Chad Henne be the starting
quarterback by the 2010 season. Leaving current starting
quarterback, Chad Pennington's future with the team in doubt after
the 2009 season. Henne will receive at least 12 quarters of play in
the 2009 preseason to prepare him for the 2010 season.
|
