Phins.com's 50th Anniversary Team

As many of you know, Phins.com was the FIRST Miami Dolphins web site in history. As lifelong fans, we grew up with this team. Few have personally seen the best and the worst of times, and players, as we have.

In honor of the 50th Season in Miami Dolphins history, we are pleased to share with you our picks for the 50th Anniversary Team.

NOTE: due to variations in schemes run by the team, we allow for three WRs as well as extra slots for 4-3 and 3-4 front seven players.

Curt Fennell Godfather	Chris Shashaty Columnist	"Bitchin' Dave" Kennedy Contributer
QB: Dan Marino Comment: This was easy: Marino is the greatest passer in the history of the game. Bob Griese was the perfect QB for the early 70s team, but no one has ever been better than Marino.	QB: Dan Marino Comment: The greatest passer and perhaps QB in NFL history. Hall of Famer. Honorable mention to Bob Griese, another HOFer and two time Super Bowl champion.	QB: Dan Marino Comment: If he had played in the current era he might be in the conversation as best ever in the league. But he still had an outstanding career
RB: Tony Nathan Comment: One of the most versatile players in Dolphins’ history. Ricky Williams was more talented, but Tony Nathan was more valuable to the team.	RB: Ricky Williams Comment: 2nd all-time in rushing, with 3 of 5 top season totals. Off-the-field issues hurt his legacy. Honorable mention to Tony Nathan, #1 RB in all-purpose yards (8,752).	RB: Ricky Williams Comment: Williams deserves the nod because he holds the all time records for rushing, and brought some excitement to the run game.
FB: Larry Csonka Comment: If you were going to cast someone in a film as the perfect fullback, you’d pick Csonka. Like Marino, this was easy.	FB: Larry Csonka Comment: All-time leader in rushing, perhaps greatest FB to ever play. Hall of Famer.	FB: Larry Csonka Comment: Csonka gets the nod as one of the toughest SOBs to ever play the game.
WRs: Paul Warfield, Mark Clayton, Nat Moore Comment: Warfield was one of the best pure receivers to ever play the game, but played on a Dolphins’ team that rarely threw the ball. If he had played with Marino, he’d hold all major career receiving records. Moore was the definition of dependable and Clayton and Marino had a special magic. Duper was great, but not as good as Clayton. Personal Prediction: in 10 years, we’ll be talking about Jarvis Landry on this list.	WRs: Paul Warfield, Mark Clayton, Nat Moore Comment: Warfield still holds the team record for average yards per reception in a season (23.9); Clayton holds team records for TDs and receptions; Moore’s 74 TDs are ranked 2nd. Warfield is in the Hall of Fame, and Clayton and Moore should be, too. Honorable mention to Mark Duper, 1st in receiving yards and also HOF worthy.	WRs: Paul Warfield, Mark Clayton Comment: For a run oriented team, in a run oriented league Warfield set a standard for receiving that was amazing. Mark Clayton was, for a time, one of the top 2-3 receivers in the league.
TE: Jim Mandich Comment: This is a tough pick, because the Dolphins have never had a truly dominating TE. But I picked Mandich over Hardy, because he had a better Y/R average (11.6 vs 9.6), scored more TDs per year (2.9 vs 2.3) and fumbled only once in his career.	TE: Bruce Hardy Comment: Sure handed, with most TDs and 2nd most receptions by a TE in team history; an underrated blocker; 11 seasons.	TE: Keith Jackson Comment: Yeah, his career in Miami was short, but he was dynamic and could do a lot on the field.
OTs: Richmond Webb and Norm Evans. Comment: Webb is easily the best left tackle in Dolphins’ history. Most don’t remember Evans very well, but he was the right tackle on one of the best OLs in the history of the game.	OTs: Richmond Webb, Norm Evans Comment: Webb appeared in 7 consecutive Pro Bowls (a team record); the finest left tackle in team history and HOF worthy. Evans, a 2-time Pro Bowler and member of the Silver Anniversary team, is probably the best right tackle in team history; a dominant run blocker.	OTs: Richmond Web, Norm Evans Comment: Webb was probably the quietest person to play the O-Line. You never heard anything from him or about him. All Evans did was to anchor that undefeated line.
OGs: Larry Little, Bob Kuechenberg Comment: Larry Little is in the HOF and Kuechenberg would have been in the HOF if either Little or Langer hadn’t been.	OGs: Larry Little, Bob Kuechenberg Comment: Little is in the HOF, Kooch should be too. Together with HOF C Jim Langer, they powered the Dolphin offense in the glory years.	OGs: Larry Little, Bob Kuechenberg Comment: You can only think of them together, and these two anchored what was one of the best O-Lines of all time.
C: Dwight Stephenson Comment: The Dolphins have had more than their share of outstanding centers, but Stephenson was unlike any other.	C: Dwight Stephenson Comment: The greatest Center to ever play the game, a Hall of Famer. Honorable mention to Langer, another HOFer.	C: Dwight Stephenson Comment: One of the greatest centers to ever play the game. He could handle anyone 1:1
DEs: Jason Taylor, Cameron Wake Comment: Jason Taylor was easy, but the other one was very tough. I gave consideration to Wake, Doug Betters, Vern Den Herder, and Bill Stanfill. The final deciding element for me was that Wake has played on bad teams and still has been a dominating force on the field, while the others had the good fortune to be on teams that were good enough to go to the Super Bowl.	DEs: Jason Taylor, Doug Betters Comment: Two NFL Defensive Players of the Year. Taylor was the greatest individual defender in team history and the team’s all-time sack leader. Betters is 3rd in sacks and anchored the edge of the great Killer B defense for 10 seasons. Honorable mention to Bill Stanfill, 2nd all-time in sacks.	DEs: Jason Taylor, Bill Stanfill Comment: Taylor deserved the defensive MVP, and probably the MVP one year. The guy was amazing and basically never got hurt while he was in Miami. Stanfill could go up against some of the great linemen of his day, and win.
NT/DTs: Bob Baumhower, Manny Fernandez Comment: Baumhower made the Pro-Bowl in 5 of his 9 years while Fernandez anchored the middle of that no-name defense and with his 17 tackles from the nose in SuperBowl VII, deserved to be the MVP.	NT/DTs: Bob Baumhower, Manny Fernandez Comment: A 5-time Pro Bowler, Baumhower is the finest DT in team history. Fernandez was the anchor of the heart of the famed 53 defense; recorded an astounding 17 tackles in Super Bowl VII; a member of several all-time Super Bowl teams.	NT/DTs: Tim Bowens, Manny Fernandez Comment: Bowens was a mountain of a man and anchored the middle in a way that few can. Fernandez had a gift and ability to get in the backfield and be disruptive. He should have been the Superbowl 7 MVP.
OLBs: Bob Brudzinski, Bryan Cox Comment: Chris picked 4 ILBs for his list and I know why - it’s much easier to find good ILBs in Dolphins’ history. But Brudzinski anchored the left side of the killer B’s defense and Bryan Cox, while he played mostly inside, had his best season at the ROLB position in 1992, picking up 127 tackles and 14 sacks, while making the Pro-Bowl and being picked as an All-Pro.	LBs (4): Nick Buoniconti, AJ Duhé, John Offerdahl, Zach Thomas Comment: Inside or out, these four LBs stand above all others. Buoniconti is in the HOF, and Thomas (#1 in all-time tackles) should be too. Had Offerdahl played longer, he would also have been in the discussion; he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1986. Duhé, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1977, is the only LB in the Dolphin top 10 in sacks; his 3 INT performance in the 1982 AFC Championship stands forever as a seminal moment in team history.	OLBs: AJ Duhe, Bob Brudzinski Comment: Duhe was one of the players who helped define the attacking linebacker. He played inside, outside, and rushed the QB. What more could you ask for?. And who can forget his game against the Jets in the mud? Brudzinski doesn't get enough credit, but there was a reason the Dolphins traded for him and he clogged up running lanes and took on blockers, freeing everyone else to finish things off.
MLBs: Nick Buoniconti, John Offerdahl Comment: Buoniconti is the only member of the No-Name Defense to be in the HOF. Offerdahl was even better, but had his career cut short because of injury.		MLBs: John Offerdahl, Zach Thomas Comment: Johnny O was outstanding at his position, and if not for injury might be a candidate for the hall of fame. For an undersized, too slow player, all Zach Thomas did was make plays.
CBs: Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain Comment: It’s hard to imagine one without the other, but individually they were great and unstoppable as a team.	CBs: Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain Comment: Madison was a 4-time Pro Bowl selection and first in INTs by a CB (31). Surtain is right behind him with 29, and is probably the finest overall CB in team history.	CBs: Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain Comment: you can really only consider these guys together. When they played together the NFL considered them the best tandem in the NFL, possibly of all time. So it seems fitting they go here.
Safeties: Dick Anderson, Jake Scott Comment: Another team that would be impossible to break up. They were not unusually physically gifted, but were two of the smartest players to ever play the position. They are numbers 1 and 2 in career interceptions for the Dolphins and one of the main reasons the No-Name Defense was as great as it was.	Safeties: Dick Anderson, Jake Scott Comment: Top two in interceptions, and two of the best athletes in team history. They stand alone. Scott was a 5-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl VII MVP. Anderson was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973 and a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 70s.	Safeties: Dick Anderson, Jake Scott Comment: Dick Anderson may be the best player ever to play safety. He could take over a game single handedly. Jake Scott was one of those guys who you could always count on to do great things.
K: Garo Yepremian Comment: The most valuable kicker the Dolphins ever had, even though his FG% would be poor by today’s standards.	K: Garo Yepremian Comment: Still holds team records for scoring points in 121 consecutive games and the most extra points kicked (335). Famous for kicking the game-winning field goal that ended the longest game in NFL history, as well as a bungled throw that Redskin Mike Bass returned for a TD in Super Bowl VII. A member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 70s.	K: Pete Stoyonivich Comment: He had some amazing clutch kicks, and always handled himself well. And when he missed, he was big about it and took the heat. He also has the longest FG in Dolphins history.
P: Reggie Roby Comment: Another easy pick, Roby set the standards for punting in his day. He looked like a linebacker and when he punted, his kicking leg would go straight up.	P: Reggie Roby Comment: The greatest punter in team history, the only guy I ever saw who could punt a ball above the rim of the Orange Bowl. One of the most intimidating field position weapons in NFL history. A member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 80s.	P: Reggie Roby Comment: The guy was built like a lineman, but could boom punts. Some people don't know this, but he wore a watch just so he could measure his own hang time.
Special Teams: Jim Jensen Comment: The ultimate Jack-of-all-trades, Jensen could (and did) play QB, WR, RB, special teamer and anything that Don Shula asked him to do.	Special Teams: Jim Jensen (QB/RB/WR) Comment: The ultimate throwback utility player, “Crash” did it all. He was especially valuable as a special teamer and third down conversion machine. An 11th round pick, he played 11 seasons and wore #11.	Special Teams: Jim Jensen Comment: The guy would, could, and did play most positions on the field. And he was a tiger on special teams