Top 10 Miami Dolphins

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Like Punxsutawney Phil, Mercury Morris pops up once a year.  While Phil predicts the weather, Mercury does a victory lap after the last undefeated team in the NFL tastes defeat.  It’s his way of highlighting the specialness of the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins.  They were indeed a special team.  Some of them are on this list.  And here we go.

10. Paul Warfield:  If you just look at the stats, Warfield doesn’t belong on this list.  Warfield spent five seasons with the Dolphins, catching 156 passes for 3355 yards and 33 TDs.  During that time he was named to the Pro Bowl four times and the All Pro team twice.  Clearly he was respected in the time in which he played.  He was, of course and member of the perfect 1972 team as well as the 1973 Super Bowl winner.  Warfield was clearly a big play guy, averaging 21.5 yards per catch with the Fish.  Other guys caught more passes for the Dolphins, but Warfield is my pick as the best receiver in Dolphins’ history.

9. Dick Anderson:  Anderson and Jake Scott formed a memorable safety duo for those great Dolphins teams of the 70s.  Jake almost made this list.  As for Anderson, Dick spent nine seasons with the Dolphins, picking off 34 passes and recovering 16 fumbles.  He was a three time Pro Bowler and was twice named All Pro.  He was the 1973 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  Anderson also was good for another five interceptions in 11 playoff games. An interesting stat about Anderson:  his 34 interceptions led to 792 return yards.  He led the NFL in that category twice.  Anderson was definitely a big play guy for the Dolphins in the early 70s.

8.  Bob Griese:  Griese was considered an almost robotic player in some respects, but on a team as good as the Dolphins were, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Bob was behind center on both the Dolphins championship seasons, though Earl Morall did the heavy lifting during the 1972 perfect season, even being named to the All Pro team.  Griese spent 14 seasons quarterbacking the Dolphins, being named to eight Pro Bowls and two All Pro teams.  During Bob’s prime, the Dolphins featured a great running game which suppressed Griese’s passing stats. Bob was the perfect QB for the Dolphins of the early 70s.

7. Dwight Stevenson:  The Dolphins have had some great offensive linemen in their history.  A case in point is Dwight Stevenson.  Stevenson anchored the Miami offensive  line from his center position in the 80s.  During his eight seasons in Miami, he was named to the Pro Bowl five times and named All Pro four times.  He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1980s first team.  He and the Steelers Mike Webster were pretty much the premier centers in the NFL in the 1980s.

6. Jim Langer: While Stevenson was a great center in the 80s, the same could be said for Langer in the 70s.  Jim was the center for both Miami Super Bowl champions and was a six time Pro Bowler and was four times named All Pro.  He was named to the NFL Hall of Fame’s All 70s team.  He, along with guards Bob Kutchenberg and Larry Little gave Miami an incredible middle of the offensive line in the 70s.

5. Larry Little:  Speaking of Larry Little, here he is.  Little is the third offensive lineman to show up on this list and Bob Kutchenberg nearly made.  An argument could be made about who should be on this list and who should be slotted where, but I gave Little this slot in part because of his longevity.  Little spent 12 of his 14 seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins.  The five Pro Bowls and All Pro teams didn’t hurt either.  Like Langer, Little was named to the All 70s Team by the NFL Hall of Fame.  The offensive line may have been an overlooked component of those great Dolphins teams off the 70s. 

4.  Zach Thomas:  Well, we’re finally off of those 1972 perfect Dolphins for now.  Zack Thomas was a prolific middle linebacker for the Dolphins from 1996-2007.  Zack was named to the Pro Bowl team from 1999-2006.  He was also named All Pro five times.  Zack was responsible for 24 turnovers, 17 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.  Not bad for a fifth round draft pick.

3. Larry Czonka:  Czonka was the battering ram for the championship Dolphins teams.  Larry went over 1000 yards rushing from the 1971-73 seasons.  In 1971 Czonka averaged 5.4 yards per carry, which led the NFL.  Czonka scored 54 rushing TDs and caught four TD passes in his tenure in Miami.  While Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris were nice side dishes in the Dolphins running game during the 70s, Czonka was the entree. Czonka played in 12 playoff games in Miami, scoring 10 TDs.  Like so many off the Dolphins on that great 1972 team, Larry was on multiple Pro Bowl and All Pro teams.  In his case, the count was five Pro Bowls and two All Pro teams.

2. Jason Taylor:  Jason is the most dynamic defensive player in Dolphins history.  His stats are staggering.  In 13 seasons in Miami, Taylor recorded 131 sacks, picked off eight passes and recovered 27 fumbled.  He also returned three of his interceptions for TDs and scored six more TDs on fumble recoveries. Taylor recorded double digits in sacks six times, leading the NFL in that category with 18.5 in 2002.  Jason has a pile of awards, including six Pro Bowls and three All Pro teams.  He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the AP in 2006 and the all 2000s NFL Team by Pro Football Reference.

 1. Dan Marino:  Dan is arguably the best QB to have never won a Super Bowl.  He was, however, one of the greatest offensive players in NFL history.  In 17 seasons in Miami, Dan was named to nine Pro Bowls and three All Pro teams.  In 1984 Marino was named the NFL's MVP. His 86.4 career passer rating seems average by today's standards, but Marino was far from average.  I used to routinely overestimate the Dolphins chances because I was enthralled by Marino's strong arm and quick release.  It's a shame for Dan's sake he wasn't surrounded by the talent Bob Griese was.