Miami Dolphins
HISTORY
Founded in 1966 as an AFL expansion franchise. Joined the NFL in 1970 as part of the AFL/nfl merger, and has never relocated.
CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
League Championships: 2 - 1972 (Super Bowl), 1973 (Super Bowl)
Conference Championships: 5 - 1971 (AFC), 1972 (AFC), 1973 (AFC), 1982 (AFC), 1984 (AFC)
Division Championships: 12 - 1971 (AFC East), 1972 (AFC East), 1973 (AFC East), 1974 (AFC East), 1979 (AFC East), 1981 (AFC East), 1983 (AFC East), 1984 (AFC East), 1985 (AFC East), 1992 (AFC East), 1994 (AFC East), 2000 (AFC East)
Playoff Appearances: 21 - 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983,1 984, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
2005 Finish: 9-7, 2 nd Place AFC East
Recent Records:
2004: 4-12 2005: 9-7 2006: 6-10
2008 NFL DRAFT GRADES
It just sucks to have the first overall pick in the NFL - you end up picking some kid to be the highest paid player ever, and it really only translates if he’s some super star quarterback in the making. The way it ended up, the Dolphins liked the idea of having a sure thing tackle to help build their offense, and so that guy is Jake Long. He wasn’t a bad pick, but I’m not sure he’s as great as everyone says he is. He looked solid, and could be very good, but I thought there were better athletes at the same position. He was safe, and will help right away, they get credit for that. The Dolphins made some very good picks but dropped to a B because they seemed happy taking projects over the last few rounds, where they needed help. I thought there was immediate help out there, but the Fins went for gold…
Phillip Merling was a GREAT pick. I rate him out as a top 15 guy, and there he was with the first pick in Round 2, and just like that the Dolphins have two great prospects to build their offensive and defensive lines around. I thought Merling was one of the best all around ends in the draft - he can rush the passer and holds up well against the run. He had injury history (hernia surgery) but he was a top notch talent at Clemson.
Chad Henne was up and down the prospect radar while leading Michigan over the last few years, and obviously he needs to build his consistency. But he’s got a good arm, is a confident kid, and I believe he’ll turn into an average starting quarterback in the league, not bad for a low 2nd round pick.
Kendall Langford was a stud at Hampton - but there are some that question how he’ll hold up against top talent. He sure has the body to be a weapon, and Bill may have a nice piece to his 3-4 defense with this kid.
Shawn Murphy makes the 4th lineman in the first 5 picks for Bill Parcells and the Dolphins. You think this guy doesn’t know how to build a winner? Ha. Murphy has the intelligence, size, and athleticism to play guard or tackle. He moves well for a big guy and has proven to be one tough hombre.
Jalen Parmele has nice size, and could be a pound the ball runner for the Dolphins. He could also be used as full back, and rates out as a nice special teams player.
Donald Thomas was a relatively unknown commodity, but he could be one heck of a player. The Fins really liked his athleticism and raw ability, but he won’t help right away, even on this young team.
Lex Hilliard was a dominant force at D1-AA in Missoula, Montana. He has great size and determination, and probably would have been a higher pick if not for some injury concerns. He proved to be a very tough player at Montana.
Lionel Dotson was the 6th and final line prospect taken in the ‘08 draft, and while there are few that expect him to contribute this year, it’s not hard to see that Bill Parcells is stock piling able bodied linemen with good feet for the future.
2007 Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were a huge disappointment in 2006, as they failed to live up to the hype 2005’s finish brought them. The singing of Daunte Culpepper backfired, as he played too soon, and never really recovered from the knee injury that hampered him in Minnesota. Ricky Williams hit up some drug problems once again, and Ronnie Brown found running room hard to come by as he was the only real threat in Miami. Without a quarterback to move the ball, the Dolphins lost double digit games in 2006. The Joey Harrington project failed again, leaving the Dolphins hoping for Culpepper to return to form in 2007 or Cleo Lemon to bust out and do work. Both hopes are questionable. All this combined to drive Nick Saban back to the college ranks, eventually making way for new head coach, Cam Cameron. The hope is that Cam does for Daunte what he did for Drew Brees, and does for Ronnie Brown what he helped accomplish for LaDainian Tomlinson. We’ll see if all works out. Honestly, I think Cam is an upgrade over a college coach.
2007 Off-Season Plans:
The Dolphins paid big money for Joey Porter in free agency, and whether that was such a good move or not will depend on how healthy Joey stays over the next couple years. He is 30, and boy does he hit hard, 2 things that often mean injuries are on the way. However, on paper, the signing puts Joey on one side and keeps Jason Taylor on the other, making some dangerous collisions dance through the minds of opposing quarterbacks. Also signing was fullback Cory Schlesinger, as surely Cam understands the need for a good blocking back, he had Lorenzo Neal for much of his time San Diego. The Dolphins re-signed big defensive tackle Keith Traylor. They also cut, traded, or let go Joey Harrington, Damion McIntosh, Seth McKinney, Randy McMichael, Sammy Morris, Travis Minor, Dan Wilkinson, and Wes Welker among others. It will be interesting to see if the cleansing in Miami translates to more success than they’ve had the last 3 years. Some more moves could be on the way, as the Dolphins need help on the offensive line, in the secondary, and many other places. The draft should bring in a load of young talent for the Dolphins, which is just what their aging defense needs. The Fins could use a stud defensive tackle, like Alan Branch, and that’s where I have them going with their first pick. However, if LaRon Landry is on the board at #9, he would greatly improve the Dolphins shotty secondary.
See the DOLPHINS draft situation at Lucky’s Mock Draft!
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