The Miami Dolphins are a great football team filled with many excellent players. However, some of these players deserve special credit which will be given here in brief paragraphs.
QB Jay Fiedler-
Jay may not be the best quarterback in the NFL, but most of the time he comes through for his team. Had he been starting the whole year, the Dolphins definitely made the playoffs. But Fiedler got injured, and Ray Lucas had to take over for him. When Jay got back he did OK, but lost the last two games of the year. Clearly he was not back to his full caliber. This year, he should be back in shape and ready to take on opponents.
RB Ricky Williams-
This guy gave it his all for the whole year, and gained more rushing yards (1,853) than any other back. He was always there and always had a lot of yards to gain, even when the Dolphins lost. He is the missing link at running back that the Dolphins have been missing for years.
WR Chris Chambers-
Here is a great wide-out that just hasn’t reached his full potential. Maybe it was because of the QB situation with Fiedler’s injury, maybe not. It was expected that Chris would have an explosive year coming off of his initial rookie success. Unfortunately, his numbers reflected those of last year, but with four fewer TD’s. Hopefully he will have a better year this season.
TE Randy McMichael-
Who says you can’t get a great player after the first few rounds? McMichael was drafted in the fourth round by the Dolphins, but he certainly put up first round numbers. He was always a great target for Fiedler or Lucas with good hands and amazing athleticism. He used speed, strength, and great hurdling to make his way to the end zone four times and gain 485 receiving yards on 39 receptions. He’s coming back this year as a dominating tight end, so opponents better watch out.
LB Zach Thomas-
Another brilliant year at middle linebacker and a gazillion more tackles. He has regularly been the heart and center of this great Dolphins defense. Zach has a great nose for the ball and always comes up with the great tackles.
DE Jason Taylor-
At right end, Jason Taylor was as explosive and dominant as Zach Thomas. With 18.5 sacks, he was second on the defensive MVP list. What’s great about him is that he has the speed of many running backs, so he can break quickly off the line and cut the corner before a back gets there, as well as chase a QB.
S Brock Marion-
Strong safety undoubtedly was a strong position for the Dolphins this year. Marion had five interceptions, made great tackles, and prevented many long gains by being there in the last line of defense.
CB Sam Madison-
Although Madison had another good year, it wasn’t a great year. He got three interceptions and covered receivers well, but it just wasn’t up to his usual excellence. Nevertheless, Sam is still a guy you want on your team.
CB Patrick Surtain-
This was a superb season for Pat Surtain as he finally had the explosive season he had been waiting for. Always overshadowed by Sam Madison’s strong performance, Surtain rarely got very much credit. This year, he did much better than Madison and made his way to the Pro Bowl.
K Olindo Mare-
There is no doubt that Mare is one of the best kickers in the league, but being great does not always mean that it has to be constant. This year, Mare was off to say the least. He missed field goals in the clutch and even had a kick off go out of bounds against New England in the final week of the season. All in all, lets just hope he does a little better this year.
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