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40 Greatest Dolphins: My List |  | ||||||||
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by
Chris Shashaty, Phins.com Columnist To help celebrate and
recognize the Dolphins’ 40th season, the team has posted a ballot on
their web site for fans to vote for the 40 Greatest Players in team history.
Terrific idea! Only problem for me
was choosing. After all, the Dolphins have been blessed with so many great and
deserving players. I found that I quickly used up my 40 votes and still had far
too many great players below the line! After some deep
thought and hard research, here is my final Top 40. My list is broken out
position (players listed in alphabetical order) along with some brief comments
and an Honorable Mention to those players who deserve to be noted, even if they
didn’t make my final cut. Quarterbacks:
Bob Griese, Dan Marino, Earl Morrall Honorable Mention: Don Strock and David Woodley Comments: Griese and Marino are no-brainers. Morrall saved the
Perfect Season, giving him the nod over Strock and Woodley. Strock was the
ultimate relief pitcher. Woodley was the team’s MVP in 1980. Running Back: Larry
Csonka, Jim Kiick, Mercury Morris Honorable Mention: Tony Nathan Comments: Csonka, Morris, and Kiick hold the top three career
rushing yard totals in team history. Morris and Zonk each had 1,000 yard
seasons in 1972. Kiick was a dual purpose threat, a key weapon on a team that
appeared in three straight Super Bowls. Together, they helped power one of the
most formidable rushing attacks in NFL history. Nathan is the fourth leading
rusher in team history (with an excellent 4.8 yards per carry average for his
career) and is fifth in career receptions (383). Wide Receiver: Mark
Clayton, Mark Duper, Nat Moore, Paul Warfield Honorable Mention: Jim Jensen, O.J. McDuffie Comments: The Marks Brothers occupy the top two positions in the team’s
record book in receptions and yardage. Offensive Line: Norm
Evans, Bob Kuechenberg, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Wayne Moore, Ed Newman, Dwight
Stephenson, Honorable Mention: Roy Foster Comments: Langer and Little are Hall of Famers; Kuechenberg should
be as well. Together, with Evans and Moore, they comprised one of the greatest
offensive lines in NFL history. Evans was probably the best Right Tackle the
team has ever had. Stephenson is another Hall of Famer, arguably the greatest
center to ever play the game. Webb was a perennial Pro Bowler, the best Left
Tackle in team history. Newman was a terrific run blocker, a four-time Pro
Bowler who was twice named the team’s best offensive lineman. Foster was a
two-time Pro Bowler at Left Guard; he, Newman, and Stephenson were the key
interior line players that helped the Dolphins to two Super Bowl appearances in
the early 80s. Tight End:
Bruce Hardy Honorable Mention: Jim Mandich Comments: Bruce Hardy was one of Marino’s favorite targets and leads
the Dolphins with most receptions for a tight end. Hardy was named to the
Silver Anniversary team. Mandich was a complete player, equally adept at run
blocking (which he did most of the time) or receiving. His work as a run
blocker is really underappreciated. Defensive Line: Bob
Baumhower, Doug Betters, Kim Bokamper, Tim Bowens, Vern Den Herder, Manny
Fernandez, Bill Stanfill, Jason Taylor Honorable Mention: Trace Armstrong, Jeff Cross Comments: A four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All NFL selection, Stanfill
was a quarterback killer. He holds the team record for sacks with 67.5 and had
a monstrous 18.5 sack season in 1973 (team record). Betters is second in sacks
with 65.5 and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1983, only the
second Dolphin to ever earn that honor. He also was named to the Dolphins
Silver Anniversary team at DE, alongside Den Herder. Den Herder is third in
sacks with 64, “the finest defensive end I've ever had play for me”, according
to Don Shula. Jason Taylor is right behind Stanfill, Betters, and Den Herder
with 62.5 sacks; he may pass all of them this season, a truly amazing feat. Bokamper
actually earned a Pro Bowl berth as a linebacker (1979) before being converted
to a defensive end; it was a good move as he arguably did his best work on the
line. Baumhower was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All Pro; he
anchored the middle of the famed Killer B defense. Fernandez was also a pretty
good anchor for the No Name defense, earning the team’s Outstanding Defensive
Lineman award for six consecutive seasons. His work in Super Bowl VII, where he
logged 11 tackles despite facing constant double teams, stands as one of the
great performances by a defensive lineman in Super Bowl history. Fernandez was
named to the Silver Anniversary team. A two-time Pro Bowler, Bowens was one of
the most dominant and unselfish players in team history, almost unmovable even
when double teamed. Cross earned a Pro Bowl berth in 1990 and was named the
team’s Outstanding Defensive Lineman four times. He is fifth on the sack list
with 59.5. Armstrong stands sixth on the team’s sack list with 56.5 and was an
outstanding team leader during his six years as a Dolphin. Linebacker: Nick
Buoniconti, A.J. Duhe, John Offerdahl, Zach Thomas Honorable Mention: Bob Brudzinski, Bryan Cox, Larry Gordon,
Steve Towle Comments: This was the hardest group to choose from as all of the
above names are arguably deserving. Buoniconti is the only defensive Hall of
Famer the Dolphins have, a blatant travesty that will hopefully be corrected in
the future. He started what has become a fine tradition of outstanding play at
middle linebacker. Offerdahl was a five-time Pro Bowler in his short but
illustrious eight year career. Had he played longer, he’d have been a Cornerbacks: Sam
Madison, Patrick Surtain Honorable Mention: Curtis Johnson, Don McNeal Comments: Even though Surtain is no longer a Dolphin, he and Madison
will be forever linked to each other as the greatest cornerback tandem in team history
and among the best in NFL history. They hold the top two spots in team history
with regards to interceptions by cornerbacks. However, it is their skill in
man-to-man defense for which both have been well-regarded. Johnson was a key
piece of the No Name defense and holds the team record for the most blocked
kicks in team history. He was twice named the team’s Outstanding Defensive
Back. McNeal, named to the Silver Anniversary team, possessed excellent cover
skills though his career was hampered at times by injury. Safeties:
Dick Anderson, Tim Foley, Jake Scott Honorable Mention: Glenn Blackwood, Louis Oliver Comments: Scott and Anderson are the top two career Dolphin INT
leaders and were named to the Silver Anniversary team. Scott is one of the
finest safeties in NFL history, a four-time Pro Bowl selection in his six
Dolphin seasons, and a Super Bowl MVP. Anderson, a three-time Pro Bowler, was
the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1973. He is remember for an
incredible four interception effort against the Steelers in 1973 (a team
record). Kickers/Punters:
Olindo Mare, Reggie Roby, Larry Seiple, Garo Yepremian Honorable Mention: Pete Stoyanovich Comments: Mare is the team’s all-time scoring leader and finest
kicker in team history. He is the team’s #1 all-time in accuracy and sixth in
NFL history among kickers with at least 100 career field goals (an .819 success
rate). Mare also deserves credit for revolutionizing the on-side kick. Since
the introduction of the K-ball in 1999, he has the most touchbacks in the NFL
with 86 and the most touchbacks in the NFL (119) since 1997. He also has kicked
more field goals (194) than anyone else in team history. Roby was the team’s
finest punter, renowned for his booming punts over the rim of the Orange Bowl.
His special combination of distance and hangtime made him a formidable field
position weapon. Seiple, a combination tight end and punter, holds the team
record for the most punts for the most yards by a Dolphin (633 for 25,347
yards). He is often remembered for his 37-yard run off of a fake punt in the
1972 AFC Championship game against the Steelers, a play that may very well have
decided that game (a 21-17 Dolphin win). Yepremian is second in all-time
scoring and holds team records for scoring points in 121 consecutive games and
for the most extra points kicked (335). He is also famous for kicking the
game-winning field goal that ended the longest game in NFL history as well as
for his bungled throw that Redskin Mike Bass returned for a TD in Super Bowl
VII. Stoyanovich was the most prolific long distance kicker in team history,
once nailing a 59 yarder (team record). He is also the second-most accurate
kicker in team history (.793). See the complete
ballot at: Miamidolphins.com Advertisement |
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