Losing Csonka, Warfield and Kiick to the WFL was devastating. I don't think fans of today understand that impact. There was no free agency. Trades were pretty rare. You relied on the draft and Miami wasn't going to replace two Hall of Famers with drafted players.I was 8 years old. I truly believed we would be great forever.
That was the gift of Don Shula. Miami was almost always relevant. There weren't many years where I felt like the Dolphins didn't have a chance.We had a lot of good years after. We were always a team worthy of following until Shula retired. He was our rock. We never hit bottom while he was in charge.
McDrip gives me hope for the future.