Players That Overstayed Their Welcome W/Miami..

[Awsi Dooger]

I think this is true. I don't think many Dolfans want to admit it because it's a painful truth, but Shula squandered Marino's career.

Reversed. Shula would have been much better off if he never drafted Dan Marino. I was making that argument in the mid '80s. Shula betrayed everything in his background to become a pathetic pantyhose passing team.

It was totally unnecessary and not beneficial at all in that era, when the rules still favored balance. The NFC was stocking up on huge physical players and a brutal style of play. That aspect caught Shula off guard and he was ridiculously slow to figure it out. Actually he never did figure it out, other than stumbling upon Webb and Sims in 1990. Based on all the other nearby drafts you'd have to say that was a fluke. Everything was designed to feed the cupcake.

Sorry but I have to laugh whenever Tom Olivadotti becomes the scapegoat. He had no shot given the priority levels of this franchise. We had game after game running the ball 13 times or 11 times or the forever hilarious 8 times while leading throughout the playoff game at San Diego.

Those years don't exist to me, other than remembering so many wagers I won against the Dolphins.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

My thought process on this question is immediately toward late '70s and the glory year guys who were obviously past their peak but allowed to remain too long. That seems to be the essence of the OP's question, compared to most of the responses in this thread.

Shula was incredibly loyal. That's a strength but it also means there were many examples. Older members of the forum will remember this stuff:

* Wayne Moore at left tackle was gallantly hobbling around on bad knees and should have been replaced earlier. This is where the Leon Gray decision was so devastating. We had the guy and gave him away

* Bob Matheson lost vital quickness given that hybrid role. He still had the instincts but couldn't get there

* Larry Seiple was very average as a punter and no longer much of a running threat. He could have been replaced sooner. But the league didn't scout kickers very well in that era. The college ball was vastly different, leading to inflated numbers. Consequently NFL teams became content with what they had instead of the interchangeable parts like today

* Shula replaced Csonka with the combo of Norm Bulaich and Don Nottingham. Two veterans from the Colts. Vastly different styles. Bulaich was more versatile and clever while Nottingham was like a little bull. Both became very popular locally. That may have allowed Shula to ignore that this experiment should have lasted one season and not several, especially given the huge significance of the running game and fullback position in that era

 

[Awsi Dooger]

Obviously the number one answer is not a player:

* Motion sickness logo and the laughable uniforms

Classic example of change for the sake of change

 

[The Bopkin]

Paul Lankford. Always got burnt and always seemed to make the team.

 

[Sirspud]

Not as bad as Tyson Clabo.

They were the same player. Only difference was, there was reason to expect Clabo could have been could. He was in his prime and had been good in Atlanta. Columbo was known to be at the end of his rope.

 

[Dolph N.Fan]

They were the same player. Only difference was, there was reason to expect Clabo could have been could. He was in his prime and had been good in Atlanta. Columbo was known to be at the end of his rope.

Yep both garbage

 

[NY8123]

Miko Grimes

 

[DZimmer000]

Deshaun Watson!! He’s way over-stayed his welcome!!

Wooops….It was on the actual team and not on this board. Never mind.

 

[carjackistan]

Mike Pouncey, with honorable mentions to every other member of the 2013 offensive line. Pouncey was here a lot longer than the rest of them, and he had other issues: frequently injured, never as good as the salary and accolades indicated, generally a thug who did a lot of dumb stuff and never really faced consequences for it.

 

[Dolph N.Fan]

Koa Misi. He wasn't Dallas Thomas bad where his presence instantly hurt the team, but 7 years is a long time to waste a roster spot on. 0 ints in 7 seasons with miami. Invisible or hurt was Misi's MO.

 

[Tua808]

TUA and INTUAITRUST.

 

[KYFinatic]

Miko Grimes

I still remember her blocking me on Twitter. It's like my biggest Twitter flex.

 

[KYFinatic]

Obviously the number one answer is not a player:

* Motion sickness logo and the laughable uniforms

Classic example of change for the sake of change

I don't think our uniforms are that bad, especially after they made the change back to the darker orange.

The logo though... I have mixed feelings on this. I don't think the new logo is great, but I absolutely hated the cartoon Slingblade Dolphin we had from like 96-whenever. If it were up to me, and I think probably a hefty majority of fans, we'd go back to our "throwback" look permanently. But I don't think that's going to happen because Ross.

 

[Dynastybuilder]

I think this is true. I don't think many Dolfans want to admit it because it's a painful truth, but Shula squandered Marino's career.

I was happy when Shula was out. Great coach, don't get me wrong but he'd lost something that made him great.

 

[Feverdream]

Shula was one of the greatest coaches in the NFL history, but he absolutely squandered most of Dan's career. All Don had to do was bring in a decent defensive coordinator and draft some real playmakers on defense instead of the athletically limited, but smart players he craved.

Having been a fan throughout that period, I heard the whispers... there was a bias when it came to selecting African-American players, especially on the defensive side. I always hoped they weren't true, but the rumours were out there. This didn't help...