Saw this on profootballtalk… thought it was interesting off season topic. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...hmore-to-four/ Who would be your four? Players only Dan Marino Larry Little Dwight Stephenson Larry Csonka All included: Don Shula Joe Robbie Joe Thomas Dan Marino
No love for the player with the 6th most sacks in NFL history? Thomas is a borderline guy in most of these conversations, but Taylor should never be.
fro me it would be Csonka Marino Taylor Thomas While Thomas may be a reach for a lot of people he was Miami Dolphins football for me. I grew up watching him his whole career and the guy was my favorite player EVER
Thomas built two super bowl winners and the only NFL team to ever have a perfect season. That trumps anything Taylor did on the field IMHO...
Joe Robbie has to be first on my list. Without him being willing to purchase an AFL team to play in Miami, everything else concerning the Miami Dolphins and it's past 46 years of history would be irrelevant. He also built a stadium WITHOUT expecting the taxpayers to pay for it. Don Shula, because he was the one person who made the Miami Dolphins a dominant force in the NFL for over 25 years. This was the single best personnel decision Joe Robbie made during his entire time as owner of the Dolphins. Dan Marino, because he was the best offensive player for the Dolphins over the past 46 years. Jason Taylor, His signing with the hated Jets is the only reason I hesitate putting him on this list, but just as Marino was the greatest offensive player in Dolphin history, Taylor was the best defensive player in team history.
If he had left the Dolphins to sign with the Jets and the Dolphins still wanted him at the time, I would agree with you. Unfortunately the team showed no interest in signing him because Parcells was still with the team and he just didn't want to sign Taylor. Taylor still wanted to play in the NFL and the Jets were really the only team that seemed interested in signing him at the time. Therefore I can't blame him for going to the Jets when it was apparent that he wanted to remain in Miami, but Parcells was in the way. At least once Parcells left the organization, Taylor was able to come back and play his last season for the Dolphins. Taylor never wanted to play anywhere but in Miami. It was Parcells who first traded him to the Redskins in 2008 and then forced him to sign elsewhere, (the Jets), when he wouldn't offer him a contract for the 2010 season. Taylor has done a lot of wonderful things for the South Florida area beyond just playing football. He was a "Man of the Year" for the NFL because of his work in the South Florida community. I have no problem forgiving him for the one year he played for the Jets. Chad Pennington played for the Jets for far more than one year and I still rooted hard for him when he played QB for the Dolphins. I will also be rooting for Dustin Keller this year and I couldn't stand him when he played for the Jets.
Or he could have been like Zach Thomas when he was asked by the Pats to play for them… I believe he said something to the effect of I spent a career hating them why would I want to go play for the? But alas… JT was about JT… and his price for choosing to play for the Jets is… "NO Mt Rushmore for him…"
I understand your feeling this way. I wasn't happy at the time, seeing Taylor playing for the Jets. That still doesn't change my view that Taylor was the best defensive player in the Dolphins history and that is why I would put him on my, "Mt Rushmore of Dolphins". I would also add that while Thomas was a great player for the Dolphins, his career went downhill after he was cut. He played one mediocre season in Dallas and was cut by the Chiefs before the 2009 regular season even began. Taylor was still a productive player even in 2011. I think Thomas probably selected the Cowboys over the Patriots in 2008 because he is from Texas and he probably wanted to be closer to his old home and his family. He also had options in 2008, while it appeared that Taylor really didn't have any other option in 2010, except for the Jets. I just wonder if Thomas would have turned down the Patriots in 2008 if no other team had offered him a contract. It is easy to say you don't want to play for a team when you have other choices, but not so easy when only one team is showing interest in you.
I guess these are good choices if you are only 10 years old and have never read or heard about the history of the Dolphins before these players arrived in Miami.
Shula = greatest coach in NFL history. Griese = QB of our two SB winners and a HOFer. Csonka = The best runner in team history and a HOFer Marino = HOFer who retired holding all significant league passing records. Any other suggestions are made out of emotion and not done objectively. There is no other quartet that make any more sense for our Mt Rushmore.
Because it is limited to 4, and I'd rather put guys who actually effect what happens in games ahead of him. If it was a 5 headed Mt, he could be the 5th.
LOL Now you and I are splitting hairs because I would of said that about Greise. He is a very close 5th in my book. I think its hard to argue that any one person influenced the Dolphins more than Joe Robbie.
I'd listen to whatever Fin D has to say on the subject seeing as he was alive for the construction of the actual Mount Rushmore.
I agree with this, except I remove Griese. I think we go undefeated with Morrall at the helm the rest of that year. However you can't deny the best center to ever play the game, so I replace Griese with Dwight Stephenson. JMHO.
Hate to break it to you but there will never be a Dolphins MT. Rushmore. It is fiction. I doubt he is ten. Just ready to look to the future. Not a bad list.
Fin D is mere child of 38. He is far from the oldest one here. Rev Rick, now maybe he was alive back then. Or that other navy fellow, from Georgia. I can't recall his name right now.
Hell that Marty guy was 45 when the internet started. He has to be 75 by now. Favorite board junkie ever.
While I agree with everything you said, it does bear mentioning that it was Earl Morrell and not Bob Griese who led the Dolphins the majority of the perfect season of '72. I'm taking NOTHING away from Griese at all. He was a true leader on the field. I do honestly believe Joe Robbie MUST be considered. Over the lack luster years of the Dolphins recent seasons, lost is the fact that it was Joe Robbie who brought the Dolphins to Miami; that it was Joe Robbie who brought Don Shula to Miami; that if it weren't for Joe Robbie, the Miami Dolphins might not even exist nor would we have the legendary teams that we've had. Robbie HAS to be considered. Robbie is to Miami what Lamar Hunt was to Kansas City; Art Rooney to Pittsburgh; Al Davis to Oakland. He was a true pioneer who brought us our beloved Miami Dolphins
Obviously this whole MT. Rushmore of Dolphins is nothing but a made up idea for a thread. My comments were only intended to show that some people on this forum really have no idea of the history of the Miami Dolphins. Especially when they include players on today's roster in a thread which is intended to list the greatest contributors in the history of the Dolphin organization. Years from now, maybe some of these players may be seen as important members of the Dolphins in regards to their contributions to the organization. Right now though, only Wake would even be in the top 50 of the greatest contributors to the Dolphins over the past 46 years. None of the other three on the list are even in the top 200-300 top contributors at this time.
Robbie should not only be considered, he is at the head of the class, as far as I am concerned. Without Robbie putting up the money to buy the team and putting it in Miami, there would be no 46 year history of the Miami Dolphins to even consider. Unfortunately you just have a lot of young posters on here that really don't know much about the early years of this organization. The fact is that Robbie did more for this organization than all the players, coaches, and recent owners combined, while he was the majority owner of the Dolphins.
Kuechenberg. Toughest man I've ever seen. Buoniconti is a fraction of the thickness of a hair behind in that department. Zach Thomas is a hair's thickness behind Kooch.
Do we know for sure it was Robbie who first broached the idea of bringing Shula to Miami, or was it Joe Thomas?
If we are to include Robbie for his part in the very existence of the team, then what about Danny Thomas? He was originally a co-founder and co-owner. He later sold his share to Robbie, but he was also significant in getting the thing started and was there at the beginning. Not sure Robbie could have done it alone. Also Robbie originally wanted to have his expansion team located in Philadelphia, but AFL commissioner Joe Foss encouraged him to do it in Miami instead. Maybe Foss should be on the fantasy Dolphins Mt Rushmore, or else Danny Thomas.
Players Only: Marino Csonka Buoniconti LIttle or Griese (can't decide). All associated: Shula Marino Csonka Buoniconti Nick is underrated; he was the QB & leader of the No Name Defense and that defense was much better than any other D the Dolphins have fielded.
Whether or not it was Joe Robbie's or Joe Thomas' idea to bring Don Shula to Miami is irrelevant. Joe Robbie was the Dolphins' founding owner. It was Joe Robbie who signed Don Shula. It was Joe Robbie's actions that forced the league to take action against the Dolphins for tampering, thus costing the team a first round draft pick. The final decision was with Joe Robbie and that decision brought Shula, three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, two consecutive Super Bowl Championships and the only undefeated team in NFL history to the city of Miami, all within a matter of 4 years of taking that bold step. Not putting Joe Robbie on the proverbial Miami Mount Rushmore would be the same the same as not putting George Washington on the real Mount Rushmore in my opinion.
Yes, and Danny Thomas sold his stake in the team after the AFL awarded the franchise to Miami. The team didn't even have a name at the time so Danny Thomas' relevance to the Miami Dolphins is miniscule at best. The previous points remain...Joe Robbie is to the Miami Dolphins what all of these other storied teams owners are/were to their teams' foundings...Halas, Rooney, Davis, Hunt. Wihtout Joe Robbie, there would be no Miami Dolphins.