2007-08 Miami Dolphins
After presenting themselves as a sexy Super Bowl pick, and getting fans hopes up last season, the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs. After that disappointment, Miami went throuh a bit of a restructure, complete with new coach, QB, and mindset. John Beck starting is a definite possibility, and there is no arguing that proactive steps have been taken towards improvement in Miami. It will be interesting to see what the Dolphins do with the new changes they have implemented.
Previous Seasons
2005-06 Miami Dolphins tickets gave football fans in the Sunshine State new hope. Although the team did not make the playoffs, head coach Nick Saban’s first year in Miami provided a preview of a team that can become a championship contender. With the return of star running back Ricky Williams after his early retirement and veteran quarterback Gus Frerotte, the Dolphins look ready to make a run in the AFC.
The Dolphins’ main distinction among all teams in the National Football League is the storied perfect season of 1972. Since this famed year, no team in the league has been able to repeat the dominance of quarterbacks Bob Griese and Earl Morrall and the intimidating defense that featured linebacker Nick Buoniconti. The team’s immortal season finished with a victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. Six members of this team have been voted into the Hall of Fame.
1972 was not the only year that the Dolphins enjoyed success. Head coach Don Shula’s 25 years with the team produced 16 appearances in the postseason and another Super Bowl Championship in 1973 when the Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Shula coached some of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks including Griese and Dan Marino. During Marino’s 17 seasons in Miami, Shula molded him into one of the best passers to ever play the game, leading his team to the playoffs 10 times and competing in nine Pro Bowl games. However, the Marino-led Dolphins could never reproduce the Super Bowl Championships of Shula’s earlier teams. The quarterback played for the title in the second year of his career and lost to the San Francisco 49ers. Throughout the rest of his years in Miami, he did not have another chance to win the coveted game, and he retired in 1999 as one of the NFL’s best without a championship ring.
While the Dolphins enjoyed moderate success under Shula’s initial replacement, the Dolphins have been unable to return to the sense of glory. Despite five trips to the playoffs under head coach Jimmy Johnson, the team could not dominate in the AFC. Johnson retired with Marino, and the team struggled under the leadership of Dave Wannstedt. While the team posted four straight winning seasons, the Dolphins missed the playoffs twice and the frustration at Dolphin Stadium ended with Wannstedt’s firing in the middle of the 2004 season.
After Saban’s hiring, the team appears to be on the path back to greatness. While Williams’ season did not mirror his offensive dominance before his first retirement, the team’s improvement has fans believing that they will not be forced to suffer through the misery of 2004 again. The franchise will use the off-season to build on the year’s development and the opportunity to find more young talent in the NFL draft. With playoff hopes alive for next season, Dolphins football tickets will return to one of the most exciting forms of entertainment on South Beach.
