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Troy Aikman wanted to play for Dolphins in 2002

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Trackstar, Dec 2, 2016.

  1. Trackstar

    Trackstar Season Ticket Holder Luxury Box

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    Watching a football life on NFL network; towards the end Aikman says he almost came out of retirement. He got a call from Dave wannstadt in Miami before the 2002 season. He met with wannstadt and asked Aikman if he could come back and play. Aikman says "yes I want to do it". Trains all offseason as if he's coming back but the Dolphins never signed him. This was before 2002. The year we were arguably the best team in the AFC before the epic collapse.

    Here is an article from 2002. http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jan/15/sports/sp-nflreport15
     
  2. resnor

    resnor Derp Sherpa

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    Would have been awesome...
     
  3. dolfan7171

    dolfan7171 Well-Known Member

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    Dolphins would've been feared that year. We had Ricky Williams and Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael. Nobody would want to play us.

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  4. Deus ex dolphin

    Deus ex dolphin Well-Known Member

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    So, we could have had an older and injury-prone Aikman? With Jay Fielder as the back-up QB, instead of Ray Lucas? Yeah, I'd have been okay with that....
     
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  5. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Id forgotten all about that . i was so pumped reading about those rumors, and then he backed off for fear of concussions .
     
  6. Muck

    Muck Throwback Uniform Crusader Retired Administrator

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    Per Aikman, he didn't back off. It was Miami, for reasons he still does not know.

    Aikman also claimed in the documentary that he retired not because of injury/health, but because he was resentful towards the Dallas organization. The sales pitch was to reunite him with Norv Turner, whom the Dolphins had just hired as offensive coordinator. Aikman says he was all in.

    My view -- huge missed opportunity by Wanny. That 2002 team was loaded. You could have had a Hall of Famer at the controls, running the offense that won him Super Bowls. And just a few weeks later, you added "Emmitt Smith" in Ricky Williams, who turned out to be All-World.

    And it's not as if Fielder was some sacred cow. You'd actually worked out a trade to replace him with Matt Hasselbeck the previous offseason.

    Aikman, Ricky, Chambers/McKnight/Gadsden/McMichael and that defense....with Fielder as the backup instead of Lucas, hard to imagine they miss the playoffs. More likely, you avoid that rough stretch with Lucas. And possibly the slide after Oakland.
     
  7. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    I'm willing to bet Aikman isn't being entirely honest here. It's far more likely he's the one who backed off at the last minute. We've seen tons of indicision with aging QBs before.

    The Dolphins would probably have signed him solely for the name recognition alone regardless of his play. It would have been a huge injection o merchandise and ticket sales.

    It's easy for him to throw blame on owners and personnel who are no longer here.
     
  8. dWreck

    dWreck formerly dcaf

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    were we that enamored with Fielder or that scared of Aikman?
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2016
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  9. Dolphins1Beatles

    Dolphins1Beatles Ziggy Stardust

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    Would have been interesting. It may have worked, I mean look at Manning with the Broncos, though I know Aikman's injuries were piling up so he wasn't at the same level. Ricky would've carried the load, and maybe Aikman would've just given that extra push to get the team into the playoffs instead of having that awful late season collapse.
     
  10. Deus ex dolphin

    Deus ex dolphin Well-Known Member

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    Wanny put the ball, and season, in the hands of Fiedler late in that final game of the season (versus the Pats) instead of handing it off three times to Ricky and trying to grind out a first down. Incomplete passes, no time off the clock, and the Pats got to drive down for the winning FG without time being much of an issue.

    Sure, the Pats expected the us to run it, but so had the rest of the teams on our schedule and Ricky got it done time and again. At worst, you would have forced the Pats to burn their timeouts and taken the clock down some before punting it away. It's one thing to lose when you try your best option and fall short, but another to lose due to poor coaching.
     
  11. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    That was the worst bit of play calling for a series I have ever seen. So what the Pat's knew we were going to run Ricky Williams, they hadn't stopped him all day. Run the ball and kill the clock. Not 3 straight incomplete passes, take no time off the clock and shank a punt. That was the game that I made my mind up that Wannstink had to go.

    Stupid idiot.
     
  12. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    We need to get over this. We need to get over drafting John Avery over Moss, missing Brees twice and all the other bonehead moves. These new Dolphins and, specifically the HC and FO will do great things


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  13. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    JUST ANOTHER REASON TO HATE WANNSTEDT. THAT TEAM WAS ONE QB AWAY FROM BEING A LEGITMATE SUPER BOWL CONTENDER BUT HE COULDNT GET OVER HIS LOVE AFFAIR WITH FIEDLER
     
  14. Jt0323

    Jt0323 Fins Up! Luxury Box

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    Hopefully this season is the season we can stop looking at what ifs. I can't wait to look at a bright future instead of a shirt gloomy past full of what ifs. That's sums up my career being a fins fan. I got to enjoy a little Marino, but that was at the end of his career.

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  15. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    sadly enamored with Fiedler
     

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