It seems as though there is no topic of greater debate when it comes to football than whether or not the 1972 Dolphins are indeed the greatest team to ever play the sport and whether or not achieving that perfect season is actually as great an accomplishment as all Dolphins’ fans claim it is. Yet, despite the controversy, oftentimes, there comes a time in the each season when a team’s performance and record prompts talk of whether or not that team will actually pursue perfection. Some teams choose not to strive for it, instead, they are happy to rest their players to decrease their chance of injury and increase their chances of success in the post-season. Others have tried, most recently, the 2007 New England Patriots, but none of them have succeeded.

The 1972 season would be Don Shula’s third season with the Dolphins, and coach Shula and his young team of players went into the season knowing they had something to prove. The previous season, Shula coached the Dolphins team into the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance only to be crushed 24-3 by the Dallas Cowboys; they ended that season with a 12-4-1 record, yet many people still didn’t see this team as something special.
In week 5, in a game against the San Diego Chargers, starting QB Bob Griese went down with a broken leg and a dislocated ankle. He wouldn’t return to play until the second half of the Division game against the Steelers, a game in which he proved he was ready to start in the Super Bowl, which is exactly what he did. The impact that backup QB Earl Morrall, made on the team can’t and shouldn’t be overlooked though, because not only was he essential in guiding the team to the playoffs, he maintained the team’s perfect record, and became the leading passer on the AFC as well, despite having missed those first few games.
This offense, however, was not lacking in talent in other departments. The top three WR, Paul Warfield, Howard Twilley and Marlin Briscoe averaged over 18 yards per carry, with Warfield leading the team with 20.9 yards, numbers which are impressive even by today’s standards, even considering that the league has turned the game into a passing game. And they were also dominant in the running game, becoming the first team in NFL history to have two players, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, rushing for over 1000 yards. The team itself averaged over 200 yards per game, another stat which again, is impressive even compared to today’s standards.
The “no name defense” as it became known after Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry couldn’t recall any of their names, was the best defense in 1972. They led the league in total yards, allowing only 3297 and scoring, allowing only 171 points or 12.2 points per game. They allowed only 18 touchdowns in the regular season, and had 26 interceptions (second only behind the Steelers with 28) and 33 sacks.
The Dolphins went into Super Bowl VII as a two point underdog despite being the undefeated team. And they finished the season with a close to perfect game. Bob Griese completed 8 out of 11 passes for a total of 88 yards and a TD, Larry Csonka rushed for 120 yards, and the defense was superb. The Dolphins led 14-0 and the single TD by the Redskins came as a result of a miscue at the end of the game, when kicker Garo Yepremian attempted to throw a blocked field goal which was then intercepted and returned for a TD.
Six members of the 1972 Dolphins have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with coach Don Shula, they include: Nick Buoniconti, linebacker and the driving force of the “no name defense”; Larry Csonka, fullback and MVP of Super Bowl VIII; Bob Griese, quarterback and six times Dolphins MVP; Jim Langer, one of the finest centers to ever play; Larry Little, guard and the embodiment of the intimidating force of the teams rushing attack; and, Paul Warfield, one of the premier wide receivers ever to have played in the NFL.

Yet despite all the stats, when the lists of the greatest teams to ever have played get put out by the media, the Dolphins fail to show up at number one more often than not. ESPN for example, ranks them at number two behind the 1985 Chicago Bears, this is their argument:

“Consider, for example, that the Dolphins played one of the easiest schedules in modern NFL history – the opposition had a combined winning percentage under .400. Unlike the 1985 Chicago Bears, the Dolphins didn’t stroll through the playoffs. They beat the Steelers in the AFC title game by only four points, 24-17 and were underdogs going into the Super Bowl against the Redskins, who they defeated 14-7. Undefeated underdogs? That means you are not beaten but beatable.”

This is basically the same argument other people make, and truthfully it is so ridiculous I don’t even know where to start, so I guess I’ll address the points in the order in which they were presented. The Dolphins didn’t choose their schedule, it was given to them, and you can only beat those teams which you play. There were many teams before and there have been many more since that have played weak schedules, yet they have failed to accomplish the same result so I don’t understand how anyone can make a valid argument out of that.
Also, while it is true that the Dolphins didn’t stroll through the playoffs, like the Bears did, it is also true that the Dolphins played most of the season with a backup QB. The one time the Bears backup QB Steve Fuller was called into action to take the place of starter Jim McMahon who was sidelined with a pinched nerve the team fell behind forcing McMahon to come into the game. Had McMahon suffered the same injury Bob Griese suffered and been out for most of the regular season it doesn’t seem likely the Bears would’ve strolled through the playoffs, honestly, it’s hard to tell if they would’ve even made it. This same argument can be made in regards to the AFC title game, while also noting that there was no such thing as home field advantage then, and the game was actually played in Pittsburgh.
But the best part of this argument is by far the last line, because not only do they point out how incoherent it is that an undefeated team was considered an underdog but they actually make an argument that the team can’t be considered as great because although not beaten they are beatable. Weren’t the 1985 Chicago Bears beat as well??? As far as I remember the 1985 Dolphins led by quarterback Dan Marino beat them 38-24 on a Monday Night Football game week 13; that’s a solid two touchdown difference!

Don Shula has also shared his thoughts on the subject saying: “I never thought the accomplishment has been treated properly in history. “The Forgotten Team” Buoniconti calls it and that sounds right to me. The Lombardi Packers, the Steel Curtain Steelers, the 49ers of the 80s – for some reason those are the teams that seem to get history’s first mention as the greatest ever. And, it’s true, they were great teams with great achievements, but were any undefeated for the season? Did any of them go 32-2 en-route to two Super Bowl titles? Isn’t that how you measure success?”
I have to answer his question by saying he is right. As Bill Parcells once said, you are as good as your record says you are, and the 1972 Dolphins were perfect. In the forty four years that professional football teams have competed for what is now known as the Vince Lombardi trophy, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team that has ever achieved perfection. They did what seemed impossible, pushed the limits and against all odds succeeded, but most importantly they did something that hadn’t been done before and hasn’t been done since. So get the champagne bottles ready boys, because when those undefeated teams lose, we are not celebrating their loss, but honoring our wins, and in a sport were old records seem to be broken year after year, this is the one record that has stood the test of time, and that’s something every Dolphins fan should be proud of.
And to answer the question which started this article, there is no better team in history than the 1972 Dolphins.

With the owner’s meeting taking place in Orlando over the last few days, there has been a lot of football talk lately but not much happening, and when it comes to the Dolphins, the front office has proven that not much of what they said should be taken too seriously, as more than once this season they have said one thing one week and turned around and done the opposite the next (remember Stephen Ross saying he expected Gibril Wilson to be great next season and the team cutting him a week later?).
This morning, Tony Sparano spoke after the AFC coaches’ breakfast and the one thing he made clear was that there would not be a QB controversy in Miami; Henne is our starter and Pennington is our #3 and they both know that. Although he didn’t mention who is expected to be #2 or #4, I think it’d be fair to assume that Thigpen is our #2 and White is our #4 considering he did acknowledge that Thigpen can do a lot of the same things athletically that White can, thus making him a wildcat candidate if that’s still in their plans as I expect it to be.
Sparano was also asked among other things about Jason Taylor’s future with the Dolphins’ and he said he would not comment, he also said he enjoyed having him on the team and coaching him. A lot of people out there are assuming that because he spoke of Taylor in the past tense the Dolphins are not interested in Taylor at all; I personally think that his refusal to comment is more meaningful. If there is one thing this team has not wasted any time doing this season is getting rid of the people they don’t want and I feel if they weren’t interested the team would’ve been made clear by now. I think Taylor wants to play for the Dolphins and I think the Dolphins need Taylor, so I don’t think that’s the issue, the issue is, in my opinion, whether or not they can reach an agreement that would make both parties happy, and that’s probably still being debated, which is why no decision has been made.
Regarding free agency, Sparano said that the team is interested in looking at older players who are available this year, as opposed to the young talent they usually go after. This has people excited about the rumor that has been going around about the team being in talks with Darren Sharper as was first reported in rotoworld.com. Sharper would be a good veteran to bring in to fill what is definitely one of the most pressing needs for the team this season, and would be a good mentor to Chris Clemons so I hope that these rumors are founded.
Sparano was also questioned about the team’s decision to ban Justin Smiley from conditioning, and although he did state that his history of injuries had to do with the decision, there were also other factors that were taken into consideration. When it comes to the Smiley situation, I’d like to think that a trade had been worked out prior to this decision being made although that doesn’t seem to be the case. There is something about the way the situation is being handled that doesn’t seem right to me, especially from the business side of things; wouldn’t this move decrease his trade value? This is just something that doesn’t seem to fit in with the way Parcells handles business, so I think there is more going on with this issue than what we know thus far, but only time will tell.
As far as fans calling for the team to bring in Brandon Marshall or even Terrell Owens, Sparano said neither of these guys fits in with their scheme. So I see TO not being the ideal WR, but Brandon Marshall, one of the top 5 WR in the NFL doesn’t fit in? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. I like Dez Bryant, I think if he’s available at 12 we should draft him if we’re not picking up a WR in free agency, but when you consider that #12 pick could also buy you Brandon Marshall, I just don’t understand the thought process. This team has not one, but two quarterbacks with a great arm that they can exploit (bleacherreport.com ranked the all 32 teams in the NFL by their QB and backup QB and had us tied at 5), but no wide receiver to target or open up the field so that the other receivers that we have, that are also great can be even better. Considering the NFL has turned into a passing league, I think this is a deal we are going to wish we made.
In some other news that I didn’t get to cover, I am happy to say that we have chosen to resign all three exclusive rights free agents. WR Davone Bess, TE Joey Haynos and K Dan Carpenter, have all signed one year contracts, I couldn’t get the exact amounts on their contracts but because they were exclusive free agents it is expected their compensation would be comparable to that of their previous contracts.
I am also very pleased with the Richie Incognito signing, sure he was voted dirtiest player in the game in a survey last year, but I think his attitude is something that the team will be able to handle. I also believe that he will help improve Jake Long's game even more. Incognito is aggressive and I believe he will bring leadership and help the offense push a little harder and a little stronger and that's always an advantage.
Finally, Jets’ owner, Casey Johnson, has said that he would like to play the Patriots or the Dolphins in this year’s Monday Night season opener and I for one would love to get the chance to be the first team to beat them. Not only will it be a great start to the season for us Dolphins’ but it will also save us from having to hear those obnoxious Jets fans going on and on for weeks about how they made it to the Championship game… I see another sweep in our future!

With the new ESPN 30 by 30 series movie Run Ricky Run ready to premier on April 27th, I thought there was no better time to take a moment and talk about how even at 32 years old, and despite all the incidents surrounding his life; Ricky Williams is still someone we should be proud to call a Dolphin.

In looking at Ricky Williams this past season, it’s hard to believe that only a few short seasons ago he was a guy who was thought of around the league and by fans as a disappointment. In August 2004, Williams announced he was retiring, and with that decision came a wave of anger and resentment that would’ve broken the strongest person down. Many people believed he chose weed over football, considering that his decision to retire came after testing positive for the substance three times during the previous season. But Ricky said he needed the time for himself to discover who he was and he felt the restrictions of the NFL wouldn’t allow him to do that.

Ricky decided to come back to the NFL in 2005, and that season he was able to run for 743 yards while sharing time with Ronnie Brown, a rookie who was drafted second in the 2005 draft. But his return wouldn’t be seamless, on February 20th, 2006, and after playing for just one seasno, it was announced that Williams would be suspended for the whole 2006 season after failing the NFL drug policy for the fourth time, this time presumably the substance was something other than marijuana. Ricky tried to appeal the test result but his appeal was denied and he was suspended for another season, this time the news was written off by many people as “what else could you expect?” even though it had been reported that Williams had been nothing but a model player since his return.

With the suspension in place, Ricky decided to play in the CFL which up to that point had no rules indicating a player suspended in another league wouldn’t be able to play (this changed in 2007 when a new rule was introduced which was informally referred to as “The Ricky William Rule”). The Dolphins allowed Ricky to play for the Toronto Argonauts with the condition that he would return to play for the Dolphins in 2007.

Williams was finally reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on November 26, 2007, and on that Monday Night game against the Steelers, he suffered a pectoral injury which would again sideline him for the season. At that point it really seemed as though Williams would never get to catch a break, he was 30 years old and people thought nothing more could be expected of him. He did however come back in 2008 to play in all 16 games, and served as the perfect complement to Brown when running the wildcat.

It was in 2009 though when Ricky would get a chance to shine again. On week 9, in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ronnie Brown suffered a foot injury which took him out for the rest of the season. This untimely injury had everyone worried about the continued effectiveness of our running game but it set up the opportunity for Ricky to step up to the plate and support our running game. And that is precisely what he did. It was a pleasure to see Ricky run those plays, he finished the season with 11 touchdowns and 1121 yards, breaking a record for the longest span between 1000 yards seasons (six years). But more satisfying than that was to be able to listen to the fans root for him on the stands and actually scream “Run Ricky Run” every time he carried the ball.

Ricky Williams has definitely had rollercoaster ride in the NFL, and so have the fans who have followed him but he has found a way to not only come back and make an impact in the sport and on the team, but most importantly he has found a way back into the fans hearts. And if the last season is any indication of what he has left to offer, I’m sure we will be treated to even more Ricky in 2010, so that he can retire on the positive note that he deserves.

The first weekend of free agency is behind us and, call me crazy, but I’m pretty pleased with what I have seen so far. Not only did we get that big name signing we have been waiting for, but most importantly, in my opinion; I believe the front office showed us that they can see where our weaknesses are and they are ready to do something about them. Basically mediocrity is no longer good enough for this team and I like that.

Porter’s release didn’t come as a surprise, considering they had already tried to let him go, but Akin Ayodele and more so, Gibril Wilson were, at least to me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I expected or wanted them to be starters next season, but I definitely didn’t see the release coming that early into the offseason. The ILB position is something we all expected would be addressed if not in free agency, in the early rounds of the draft, but safety is something I honestly thought that we would consider in the later rounds with the expectation that Gibril would be the guy that we would rely on; we did after all spend a lot of money on him.
As I said before though, I do feel like the front office made a statement with those releases and I like the attitude. For the first time in a long time I feel like we are building a team to win, not one year but to dominate for years to come, and for this reason alone, I have a little more faith in Parcells and what he is doing, I feel as though he has a plan and he is in the process of executing it, so although I’m anxious, I’m not so worried anymore.

The Dansby signing is another big step and one that fans should be very happy about, and as I said in a previous post, one of the smartest investments we could’ve made. Dansby was signed to a five year deal for $43 million, with $27 million guaranteed in the first three years.
Most fans are ecstatic about the Dansby deal, as am I, but there are a few doubters out there. Let me just say that it’s not all about the numbers with Dansby, I read a report on ESPN were they compared his numbers to Ayodele’s and came up with something like a 5% difference in effectiveness. But have you seen this guy play? There will not be one game were you don’t hear Dansby’s name called, he is a machine and he doesn’t stop! I believe his addition to the defense will also help improve Crowder’s game; prior to last season he was able to come up with a big number of tackles and having Dansby play opposite him I believe will bring some of that back.

Another big smart move that might have gone a little unnoticed is the resigning of Chad Pennington. Pennington signed a one year deal for $2.5 million, with a $1.515 million “trade bonus” clause and the option of earning $5.75 million if he earns the starting job. Regardless of the salary incentive offered if he was to become a starter, I still believe that Pennington was resigned with the idea of being a back up to Henne. Some people might think that this might generate a QB controversy which will be detrimental to the team; I personally believe that Pennington being on board will bring Henne’s game up to the next level, especially if they get him that #1 WR. I do have to admit that although I wanted Pennington back, I didn’t think he would be, the fact that a deal has been worked out just shows that not only do the Dolphins respect Pennington as a player (unlike that other team that all of a sudden wanted him back), but also that Pennington’s heart is with the Dolphins.

Of course there are those people out there who are a little disappointed about the guys we didn’t sign, but I never really considered those guys to be the exact pieces that we needed. Out of the three WR I thought we would consider, I still stand by the fact that I think Marshall is our guy, trading in a #12 pick for Marshall gives you a player who has already proved he can make the plays and although I like Dez Bryant, if I had the choice I would pick Marshall, plus, if anyone does end up picking up Marshall then Bryant is sure to go to the Broncos. As far as the character issues go, I believe you have to take into account the role that McDaniel’s played in them, this is a different team and I believe Marshall would come with a change in attitude.
As far as Boldin goes, I did say he would be a trade I would consider for a third round pick and a lot of people thought that would never happen; the truth is I wasn’t too far off, Arizona traded Boldin and a 2010 fifth round pick to Baltimore for a 2010 third and fourth round pick. Yet I feel that not only is Boldin injury prone, but he also wouldn’t be as effective without a #1 guy, so I think we might have been disappointed if we had actually gotten him, but we’ll never know now.
As far as A. Rolle and his deal with the Giants, I personally think they overpaid for him, the deal we offered I thought was a fair one and although it was obviously not enough, I don’t think he merits more, but again we’ll see how that works out for the Giants. I actually believe that Ryan Clark will be our guy and I’m happy about that, I expect we’ll hear an update on that soon enough. I have heard some people are concerned about whether or not he’ll miss games due to his blood condition, and that is a possibility, but this guy is tough and hard hitting and definitely worth getting regardless. Different players miss games every season due to injury, this guy missed one game last season. The fact that the team is aware the player won’t make it to that game ahead of time should allow them to make adjustments.

The one move I wasn’t too happy about was the decision not to resign Nate Jones, Jones was one of the best special teams players we had and I was more than a little disappointed when I heard he had signed a four year deal with the Broncos. That however wasn’t the most disappointing news I heard all weekend; finding out about Jason Ferguson’s eight game suspension due to violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy was. I really was hoping we would resign Ferguson for one more year if he chose not to retire, but the truth of the matter is, this is not a big a setback as a lot of people think. I believe we had every intention of drafting a nose tackle in the draft regardless because as it has been said many times, there are a couple available and these type of players do not come around to often; still I feel this is a horrible note for Ferguson to retire on, and I have to believe the substance abuse they’re reporting comes as a result of his injury and not performance enhancing drugs, although I don’t know that for sure.

It’s only been about 4 days but this free agency already has and will continue to give us much to talk about, I will continue to post updates as soon as they become available, remember phins2phins is now on twitter, follow us at www.twitter.com/phins2phins to get up to the minute news and feel free to share any comments below or send suggestions to phins2phins@gmail.com

Just like I did with offense, I would like to take the time to summarize what we have discussed thus far in order to try to paint a picture of what our defense will look like in 2010. I would also like to take the time to take a look at our kickers because they are after all an integral part of the team and we shouldn’t forget about them.

Nose tackles.- Although not a priority to be fulfilled in the first round, we definitely need to acquire a nose tackle. It is still not clear whether or not Ferguson will return next season, and even if he does, not only will he not be done rehabilitating his quadricep injury until late July, but he will probably retire at the end of the season, so it would be wise to acquire his replacement, considering that the guy who is currently in charge of the task, Soliai, has not been very dependable in the position. While Ferguson was playing, our defense ranked 7th against the run, by season’s end, we had fallen to 18th and that is something we need to work on improving.

Defensive ends.- We have a very solid core of young defensive ends, and considerable depth in the position. This is one area of the team in which I expect to see great improvement in this upcoming season, not due to changes in the players, but actually with the changes in the coaching staff. These guys are young and have the ability to get even better; I think Nolan is the key to taking them to that next level.

Inside linebackers.- I wouldn’t mind seeing a whole different group of guys in this position, but realistically speaking, when it comes to our two starters, I see us getting rid of Ayodele and keeping Crowder. I also believe that if we are going to spend a lot of money on any one guy in free agency, that guy would be Dansby, and I will be staying up late tonight waiting to see what happens with him because I think he will be one of the first people who strikes a deal at the start of free agency. Regardless of whether or not we pick up Dansby, we will probably end up getting another guy in the draft. A lot of people believe that guy will be McClain, I personally hope it’s Brandon Spikes, because there is still something about McClain that makes me uneasy. Bottom line is, we will probably have two new ILBs on our roster next season, and we can only hope one of those comes in free agency.

Outside linebackers.- There are a lot of unknowns still when it comes to our OLBs. We are now certain that Porter will not be coming back, but are we going to just cut him, or will we try to trade him? I personally believe Porter might have some trade value but it wouldn’t surprise me if they just cut him in order to avoid any further headaches. We also still don’t know whether Taylor will be back, I think with Porter’s imminent departure there is a greater chance of seeing JT striking a fair deal with the Dolphins. Despite his age, Taylor has proven he is still capable of performing, but most importantly, we all know how much of an asset he would be when it comes to coaching and motivating the younger guys. I expect Cameron Wake to make an impact next season when he becomes a regular starter and I believe we will draft an OLB early on in the draft.

Cornerbacks.- Despite Will Allen’s recent encounter with the law, I don’t suspect he will be going anywhere, our new corners have both shown they can step their game up and perform but they could use the veteran’s guidance to help with their development. I don’t see any changes taking place in this position, but I believe we will see the improvements that come from having had the experience of playing a whole season in the NFL.

Safeties.- We have a Pro-Bowler in Yeremiah Bell, and a complete bust in Gibril Wilson; still, I don’t see us pursuing a safety in free agency or early on in the draft so I suspect we will see these two guys on the field again next season; that is unless, we strike gold with the safety we are sure to pick up in the draft in one of the later rounds.

With our offensive and defensive needs having been addressed, the only two people I haven’t talked about are our kickers. Even though sometimes their contributions go unnoticed, our kickers are an important part of the team and the ones that we have are both great each in their own right.

Dan Carpenter.- Carpenter was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and has been a reliable kicker in both his seasons with the Dolphins, having scored over 100 points in both. This past season he led the team in scoring with 112 points, having scored 25 out of 28 field goals as well as 37 out of 38 extra points. He had actually converted 62 straight extra points from the start of his career prior to missing his first and only one so far in the game against Tampa Bay. Carpenter finished fourth in the AFC when it comes to field goal percentage and made his first Pro Bowl appearance last season. Having a guy like Carpenter on the roster gives you the security of knowing that your team has the ability to secure three points on a FG when needed.

Brandon Fields.- Fields third season with the Dolphins was a good one. He punted 75 times for 3472 yards, averaging 46.3 yards per punt (that number is the second highest number in Dolphins’ history) and 33% of the time those punts landed behind the 20 yard line. Overall he finished third in the AFC and sixth in the NFL when it comes to gross punting.

We are less than 36 hours away from the start of free agency, and if you are like me you will be one of those people who stay up until 2 am waiting to hear about all the trades that start taking place at 12:01 am. I personally can’t wait to see where some players will end up, but most importantly after all the rumors that have been going around I can’t wait to find out what new guy will be wearing aqua and orange next season.
With that being said, today we will take a look at the final piece of our defense, the defensive line. In order to run a successful 3-4 defense you need a solid defensive line who can occupy the opponents offensive line, and although we all know we struggled on defense last season, especially after Ferguson’s injury, our defensive line was actually one of the most productive units in the team. First I will focus on our nose tackles, followed by our defensive ends.

Jason Ferguson.- Ferguson has proven to be a natural team leader over the past two seasons, and that is the main reason I expect him to be back in the team next season even though he will be an unrestricted free agent as of Friday, that is unless he decides to retire. Despite being 35 years old, Ferguson has been quite productive, last season he even managed to improve his tackle total despite having played in only nine games before being placed on injury reserve for a quad injury. I believe that if Ferguson can remain healthy he will be a solid backup nose tackle who will give us the added benefit of mentoring the younger guys who will replace him.

Paul Soliai.- When it comes to physical build, Soliai has all the tools necessary to be a good nose tackle, unfortunately he consistently proved to be unreliable in the position by getting single blocked time and time again as a starter. The 25 tackles he accrued last season are an improvement over his two prior seasons; he didn’t however start in either of those. With a little work Soliai might see some improvement but overall, I believe that we will be drafting his replacement.

Tony McDaniel.- McDaniel was used as both a backup nose tackle to Soliai after Ferguson was out for the season and as the fourth defensive end of the team. He didn’t however make any big plays as either, despite having played in all 16 games. McDaniel hasn’t proven to have much potential , and taking into consideration his recent encounter with the law, which by the way is not his first, I wouldn’t expect him to play a prominent role on the team.

Ryan Baker.- Baker saw very little action this season, and despite having made two tackles and recording half a sack, it is really hard to know how much potential he has. We might see some more of him next season depending on who we draft and whether or not he shows any improvement during this offseason.

Randy Starks.- If there was an award for most improved Starks will definitely earn it, I guess all he needed was to get adjusted to the 3-4 defense because he dominated in every aspect last season. Starks was the second best 3-4 defensive end against the run in the NFL (first was Cleveland Brown’s Robaire Smith) as well as the second best 3-4 defensive end when it comes to tackles; although defensive ends don’t usually rush the passer, Starks took it upon himself to do so and he was very successful, he ended the season with 56 tackles and 7 sacks. Being only 26 years old, Starks has a bright future with the Dolphins and I personally can’t wait to see him grow even more.

Kendall Langford.- Although not as sharp as Starks, Langford also proved to be an excellent defensive end, capable of defending both the run and the pass. He ended the season with 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks. I believe that for a team running a 3-4 defense it doesn’t get much better than this pair, and being only 24 years old, I believe Langford will continue to improve as well.

Phillip Merling.- Merling was our second round pick in the 2008 draft, and even though Langford who was the third rounder jumped ahead of him and has proven to be a better pro player thus far, Merling has not disappointed. Although he only started in 2 games, he played in all 16 and recorded 33 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Like the previous two defensive ends discussed, Merling is also very young and has been improving consistently, I believe he is a great addition to the team.

Lionel Dotson.- Dotson was the seventh round pick for the Dolphins in 2008, he played twice in a reserve role last season and recorded two tackles. I expect him to stay in the team in order to add depth to the position, but I don’t know that he has the ability to surpass any of the previous guys discussed.

Ikaika Alama-Francis.- he was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 2007 draft and was signed by the Dolphins on November of 2009. I suspect Alama-Francis will be competing for a spot in the roster this upcoming season.

Brian Johnston.- he was originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 draft and was signed to a future contract with the Dolphins in January of 2010. Like Alama-Francis, Johnston will be competing for a spot in the roster this upcoming season.

In looking at our defensive line, the one thing that becomes clear is that although we have good depth when it comes to the defensive backs, we desperately need help with a nose tackle. As a whole unit though, we have to admit this past season these guys did as much as they possibly could without getting much help from the linebackers.
Considering we have incredible, young defensive ends, I will only focus on discussing what nose tackles are available in free agency and the draft, keep in mind that nose tackles are a commodity and these guys don’t come around often so I believe we will definitely be drafting a guy to fulfill this position.

Vince Wilfork (New England Patriots).- Wilfork is by far the best nose tackle in free agency he is an elite player and one any team running a 3-4 defense would love to have. Rumor has it that Wilfork and the Patriots are coming close to finalizing a deal, but even if they didn’t you can expect the Patriots to use the franchise tag on Wilfork.

Aubrayo Franklin (San Francisco 49ers).- Although he wasn’t as effective defending the pass as we was defending the run, Franklin also turned out to be one of the league’s elite nose tackles. I don’t suspect Franklin will be going anywhere, even if a deal is not worked out, the 49ers are sure to use the franchise tag on him.

Dan William (Tennessee).- Williams proved to be dominant during his last college season. He recorded 56 tackles and 2 sacks in 11 games and he is likely to be the first nose tackle selected in the draft. Some people think he might even make his way into the first round, thus making it unlikely for him to end up playing for the Dolphins.

Terrence Cody (Alabama).- Cody has been one of the most talked about prospects for the Dolphins as far as a nose tackle, but because of all his weight issues I don’t know that we would pick him, maybe if he falls to the third round but I don’t know that that will happen. Sure Cody has tremendous potential and even though I would argue he is better than Soliai we have seen how disruptive the weight issue can be.

Cam Thomas (North Carolina).- This is the guy that I believe we will end up drafting, he has a lot of potential and had a great Senior Bowl performance. It is also likely that we can get him in the third round, thus allowing to fill more pressing needs in those earlier rounds.

Finally, I just want to let you guys know I have not forgotten about our kickers. I’m planning on reviewing them in a post which I should have up by tomorrow afternoon. I will also have a summary of our defensive needs like the one I put up about our defense so don’t forget to stop by and check for that.

Additional notes:
Other defensive linemen who will be available in free agency are: Casey Hampton (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ryan Pickett (Green Bay Packers), Julius Peppers (Carolina Panthers), Aaron Kampman (Green Bay Packers), Leonard Little (St Louis Rams).
Other defensive linemen who will be available in the draft are: Linval Joseph (East Carolina), Torrell Troup (UCF), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma), Jared Odrick (Penn State), Lamar Houston (Texas), Alex Carrington (Arkansas State).

With the combine taking place in Indianapolis and free agency around the corner I’m as excited as ever for football season to start. Looking at the combine and how the players have been performing, it seems as though this is going to be a great draft class. Hopefully we manage to pick up players that will make an immediate impact, but we’ll still have to wait over a month to find out who those players are and another six months to watch them play. In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and finish up our review of the defense. I’ll start up by finishing up the secondary today by looking at the safeties and then I’ll make sure to update you on our defensive line before Friday.

Yeremiah Bell.- Bell was one of the three Dolphins’ players selected to play in the Pro Bowl and is by far the best safety we have in the roster. He led the team in tackles with 114 total, making it his second straight season with over 100 tackles. He also had 3 interceptions, and 1.5 sacks, which brings his total up to 7.5 in the time he has played with the Dolphins, the highest total for any defensive back in team history. The only area that Bell can improve upon is one on one coverage, but all in all he is a solid guy that I am confident can make a tackle when needed and has the speed to chase those receivers down when they do get away.

Gibril Wilson.- Where do I even start? Even though Ireland spoke out on behalf of Wilson a couple of days ago I still believe that he will fail to be part of the team in this upcoming season. There really is just no reason to keep him, just like there was no reason to acquire him in the first place. Signing Wilson is easily the biggest mistake this front office has made thus far; sure Ginn missed some big plays but at least he managed to make a couple of big ones as well, Gibril did absolutely nothing. Despite having finished second in the team when it comes to tackles with 91 total, Wilson failed to make a single big play. He didn’t get any interceptions even though he had more than a couple of shots at easy ones, he didn’t even force a fumble. There really are no redeeming qualities in Gibril and I would be more than happy to see him go.

Tyrone Culver.- Culver has been a very solid special teams player since joining the Dolphins in 2008 and I expect he will be back next season. In addition to playing special teams, he did get an opportunity to start in a couple of games this season. All in all, he played over 300 snaps on defense and managed to get 16 tackles, 6 pass deflection and one interception on Drew Brees which set up a Dolphins touchdown.

Chris Clemons.- This rookie saw limited action this past season, he took very little snaps on defense and played a few times in special teams where he did manage to get 6 tackles. Clemons has potential, he was a fairly solid player in college but we’ll have to wait and see how much action he will get next season.

Although not necessarily a pressing need in the first few rounds of the draft, I do believe we should try to find another guy to bring in to fill in the safety position. Let’s take a look at what’s available in both free agency and the draft, even though I believe we will get our safety help from the draft.

Darren Sharper (New Orleans Saints).- Sharper had one of his best seasons with New Orleans in 2009; he managed 9 interceptions which he ran back 376 yards. Considering they won the Super Bowl and forcing turnovers is what the Saints defense takes pride in I just don’t see him going anywhere.

Nick Collins (Green bay Packers).- Currently one of the best safeties in the league, Collins’ has been a solid performer in the Packers defense. He is a very talented player and I’m sure any team would love to have him. He is an restricted free agent though, so I’m sure the Packers will offer him a pretty good deal to ensure that he continues to play for them.

Antoine Bethea (Indianapolis Colts).- Another restricted free agent, even though Bethea might not get much recognition around the league, the Colts know how valuable he is to them. He’s one of those guys who has the ability to play as both a free safety and a strong safety and perform equally well in both. I believe he will continue to play for the Colts.

Eric Berry (Tennessee).- By far the best safety in the draft ; I would love to say that we have a shot at getting Berry, but although safeties rarely get drafted in the top 5, I believe Berry might actually go that early. This guy is amazing and has so much potential he hasn’t even tapped into, I’m sure he’ll be a pleasure to watch no matter what team he ends up in.

Earl Thomas (Texas).- Thomas declared for the draft in his sophomore year, but despite having only 2 years of college experience he has proved he has the talent to become a solid safety in the NFL. Although there is a possibility he might fall to the second round, I don’t expect us to pick up a safety that early on.

Nate Allen (South Florida).- Allen is a very good safety that has gone by a little unnoticed; I personally saw him play a couple of times during his sophomore year and very impressed. There is a possibility he might still be around in the third round, but even then I still think it would be too early in the draft for us to consider picking a safety.

I do believe we will try to pick up a safety in the later rounds of the draft, possibly with one of our sixth round picks, or maybe even a fifth round pick if we are indeed awarded one, which I think we might; but, I don’t think we have any shot at even guessing who we would consider that deep into the draft.


Additional Notes:
Other safeties available in free agency are Roman Harper (New Orleans Saints), O.J. Atogwe (St Louis Rams), Bernard Pollard (Houston Texans), Will Allen (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Atari Bigby (Green Bay Packers), and CC Brown (New York Giants).
Other safeties available in the draft are Taylor Mays (USC), Morgan Burnett (Georgia Tech), Darrell Stuckey (Kansas), Reshad Jones (Georgia), Larry Asante (Nebraska), Major Wright (Florida), Myron Rolle (Florida State).