Who would you have in your top 3 Miami Dolphins of all time? This is something that my buddy and I disagree on just about every week when we get together for the game, and I would imagine that we’ll never settle on an agreement. My friend Patrick Dwyer Merrill Lynch star employee, long term friend of mine and huge Dolphins fan is well versed when it comes to talking about the football franchise which he loves so much, and this is why it can be hard to agree with him, nonetheless here are my picks for the greatest 3 of all time, regardless of what Patrick believes.
3 – Paul Warfield
The big debate which Patrick and I often have is that Jason Taylor should be included in this list. I have no issue with Taylor being in the top 5 but for me, and despite his defensive expertise, he is pipped to number 3 by Paul Warfield. Quite how we got Warfield from the Browns is still up for debate but what I do know is that this Hall of Famer was a key part of that Dolphins side from the 70s who smashed records and won Super Bowls. Warfield’s catching ability was unrivaled and without him there is no way we’d have scooped up 2 Lombardi’s.
2 – Larry Csonka
Another remember of that Super Bowl winning side, and the unbeaten side of course, was Larry Csonka, a rushing beast who put fear into the heart of any defense who were unlucky enough to play against us. From 1971 to 1973 Csonka achieved 3 consecutive 1000 plus rushing yard seasons and it is no surprise that we made the Super Bowl in each of those years. Csonka could rush, he could carry when needed and who can forget Super Bowl VII in Minnesota when he ran 145 yards with 2 touchdowns on his way to being named MVP.
1 – Dan Marino
Even without ever having lifted the Lombardi trophy there is nobody on this planet who can tell me that Dan Marino wasn’t the greatest Dolphin of all time. Things could have gone better of course had the young Marino been able to overcome Joe Montana in the Super Bowl in 1984, but that certainly wasn’t the young QBs fault, neither was their failure to find success throughout his career. Marino passed a ball like nobody who has ever worn the Dolphins jersey and you only need to look at that 1984 season to see evidence of that. The young QB destroyed defenses and threw 5,084 yards, and for 48 touchdowns. His career stats are mightily impressive too, throwing for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns, breathtaking stuff. The failure of the Dolphins to find success with Marino at the helm was down to the coaching staff and the owners, not the man who I consider to be our G.O.A.T.
Who would your top 3 consist of?
