Heres my team, factoring in some level of longevity
Qb Dan Marino, Griese, Strock
RB Csonka, R Williams, Morris, Nathan, R Brown
WR Warfield, Duper, Clayton, Fryar, McDuffie, N Moore
TE Jackson, Mandich, McMike
OT Webb, Moore, Giesler, Dixon
OG Little, Kuechenberg, Newman, Sims
C Stephenson, Langer
K Stoyanovich
DE Stanfill, Taylor, Cross, Wake, Den Herder
DT Fernandez, Baumhower, Bowens, Suh
LB Thomas, Buonoconti, Offerdahl, Duhe, Brudzinski
CB Surtain, Madison, Howard, Vincent
S Scott, Anderson, Oliver, Marion
P Roby
I put a couple of place holders in there because I need to think some more.
Great list. Thank you for listing so many names and from various eras. I'll use them for reference
* Quarterback -- Griese. I already detailed that in another post
* Fullback -- Larry Csonka is the ultimate Miami Dolphin. Nobody else has ever defined the franchise like #39 and his toughness and playful personality in that era. I feel sorry for younger fans who didn't experience it. Every local mom wanted Csonka as their son
* Halfback -- Mercury Morris. He is 7th on the all-time list with 5.1 yards per carry, a full yard above Ricky Williams. Granted, Williams was fed the ball more frequently and his average suffered. But I was always aware of that 5+ during Mercury's career. O.J. Simpson would reference it all the time also. He was jealous of Mercury because his average was always high while O.J.'s was lower early in his career on weak teams. Then during Simpson's prime seasons with Buffalo he would be ahead of Mercury but always aware of #22 not far back
* Wide Receiver -- Paul Warfield and Mark Clayton. I see no reason for any debate or further names
* Tight End -- This is difficult. We've had a wide range of body types and styles. Marv Fleming was the best blocker but past his prime and not much of a downfield threat with the Dolphins. Jim Mandich and Joe Rose were the best lean clever receiving types. Since I prize raw ability at the skill positions I'll go with Keith Jackson. Basic reference I believe he was the earliest drafted tight end the Dolphins have ever had, although it was with the Eagles.
* Center -- Dwight Stephenson is one of the highest rated players at any position and an easy choice above Jim Langer, even though Longer was gritty and excellent
* Guards -- Larry Little and Bob Keuchenberg. Not as clear cut as wide receiver but I'd be skeptical of anyone who argued a different name. Maybe Keith Sims if he had been more physical. But given the softness of that Marino era Sims predictably became less dominant in the run game than he had been at Iowa State and early in his Miami career
* Tackles -- The best guys have all been on the left side...Wayne Moore, Richmond Webb and Jake Long. I think Long for a short period was the best tackle the Dolphins have ever had, so I'll go with him. Long had the tenacity in his game to move to the right side. I'll take Webb at left tackle. He was more smarts and finesse than Long so he stays on the left. I appreciated many of the right tackles like Norm Evans and Jon Giesler and the guy who went to the Texans later but realistically none of them belong with the other names on a list like this
* Defensive End -- Bill Stanfill and Jason Taylor are even more clear cut than Warfield and Clayton at receiver. I would tune out anyone suggesting another name
* Defensive Tackle -- Now this one is difficult. I could respect one name or combo after another, and unlike virtually any other position I might be prone to changing my mind from day to day. Manny Fernandez was a beloved player, kind of like the Csonka of defense. He was quick and had the famous dominant game in the Super Bowl versus the Redskins. But he wasn't at that level week to week. It always astonishes me that younger fans somehow are more aware of Fernandez than Stanfill, and hold him in higher regard, even though no question Stanfill was the superior player and that held true year after year. Let's see, Bob Baumhower always gave an honest effort and could play nose tackle or 4-3 tackle. He wasn't a great athlete. Daryl Gardener flashed as well as anybody. Tim Bowens probably needs to be on the list. Yeah, this has gone on too long. I love disruptive interior types so I'll go with Bowens and Fernandez. Bowens had that ideal size in the 6-4, 320 range. I don't like overly tall interior guys.
* Linebacker -- another tough one. I realize I've been friendly to the glory years guys but I'll leave out Nick Buoniconti here. Heck, I don't want to make this overly complicated. John Offerdahl, Zach Thomas and A.J. Duhe all had smarts and toughness. I'll assign them to these spots and everything will sort its way out
* Safety -- strange how these positions with exactly two players are the easiest of all. Dick Anderson and Jake Scott. Again, this is somewhat like the Manny Fernandez/Bill Stanfill situation. Jake Scott was the Super Bowl most valuable player and therefore his name is remembered 50 years later. He was also a storm off the field. Dick Anderson was the better player. No comparison in terms of tackling ability. Scott could be taken for a ride. Anderson was a Hall of Fame caliber player whose career was cut short by that devastating knee injury in the Pro Bowl
* Cornerback -- difficult again. Special mention to Curtis Johnson and Tim Foley of the early '70s. They were ideal for that era when rules allowed chopping the receiver down at the line of scrimmage. Sam Madison was the best pure cover guy we ever had, IMO. I'll go with him on one side. Other guy is maybe the decision I struggle with beyond any other position. I understand the extreme value of turnovers. But I can't stake the notion that Xavien Howard otherwise is not particularly special. That's why opponents see opportunity and throw at him so often. I'll reluctantly default to interceptions and put Howard on the list now, with option to remove if he regresses soon, which I anticipate. Surtain would replace Howard
* Kicker -- the current guy Jason Sanders has the best mechanics of any Dolphin kicker and it's non arguable. I have mentioned that my friends and I wagered big man to man on field goals, but the criteria was left of center or right of center, not make or miss. With Jason Sanders his alignment is so perfect every time I'm thinking dead center instead of one way or another. I can only think of a few kicks all season in which one side seemed obvious. And that is very, very rare. The Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker is more famous and proven. His mechanics are not nearly as good. Very easy to pick a side with Justin Tucker, especially when he gets into that rut of coming across the ball with a left to right flight
* Punter -- I'm not thrilled with anybody. Reggie Roby is among the most overrated players in franchise history. We had some excellent recent guys for a short term. I'll give a nostalgic nod to Larry Seiple since he played such a key role in that 1972 AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh. Seiple was smart and tough like the entirety of that team
* Punt Returner -- I always loved the early '70s setup with Dick Anderson short and Jake Scott deep. Yes, the two safeties were the punt returners. Both incredibly smart, which was vital on the Poly Turf. Anderson played up man and would never let the ball land and bounce another 20 yards. I am flabbergasted that strategy was abandoned league wide. Scott was a weaving type return man who knew how to get the quick 7 yards and fall down, while also recognizing when it was time to take it wide down the sideline. Jakeem Grant would top the list if he merely understood that frequent need to just take the easy yards straight ahead instead of always the home run
* Kickoff Returner -- Mercury was great for the brief time we used him. Same deal with Jakeem Grant as on punt returns. He needs to learn the Devin Hester method of attacking straight ahead and then planting the outside foot to quickly cut against the grain. That way you are always gaining ground and when that cutback works it's a jackpot. These days with special teams speed so incredible it is most often best to merely accept the 25 yard line. I've been kind of impressed that Dolphin return men since the switch to 25 yard line have generally made the correct call and taken the 25