GarageGabs

Going into the 2006 season Miami Dolphins fans had high hopes. Miami was coming off a 9-7 campaign, during which they won their last 6 games. They returned future stud running back, Ronnie Brown who had a successful rookie season. They upgraded at quarterback, going from NFL journeyman Gus Frerotte to former All-Pro Daunte Culpepper. A solid, veteran defense returned along with team savior Nick Saban. Much of the hype surrounding the Dolphins involved them over-taking the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

Now look. Miami quickly learned that they had made a mistake at quarterback as they started the season 0-2. C-Pep was a liability on offense and didn’t seem to be the same man he had once been. Shaky in the pocket he seemed to develop a propensity for getting sacked…21 times in 4 games to be exact. The running game was non-existent as teams could load up on Brown…The defense on the field all to often.. All of the sudden Chris Chambers and Marty Booker had been neutralized as deep threats. Miami had no deep passing game. It seemed Culpepper would either get sacked….or check down to a short receiver. Drew Brees, Drew Brees, Drew Brees…..wow.

A gimpy Culpepper would only make it 4 weeks, leading the Dolphins to a 1-3 record. Enter Joey Harrington….yeah, that’s right, Joey Harrington. Harrington came in and promptly lost 3 games in a row himself, throwing 7 picks to just 3 TD while at it. But, Mr. Savior Nick Saban stuck with him, and Joey would eventually reward him by winning 5 out of 6. The Dolphins defense had stood up as well and was the talk of the town. In this new world of NFL parity, if you win 5 out of 6 at just about any time during the season, you are in the playoff hunt. The Dolphins stood at 6-7, and had hope, even if it was in the form of Joey Harrington.

The thing that killed me during all of this was the hype surrounding Joey Harrington. All the NFL analysts were saying how stupid Detroit and Matt Millen were for letting him go…..how could they let this gold nugget of a QB get away. I never got that. In 4 seasons with Detroit, Harrington averaged 15 TD passes….and 15.5 INT per season. This year with Miami, he threw 12 TD passes, and 15 picks….Winning 5 out of 6 really goes to peoples heads.

Harrington ended up playing a complete DUD of a ball game in week 15 vs. Buffalo, going 5 of 17 and throwing 2 picks. Miami was also officially eliminated from the playoffs. Enter Cleo Lemon. Ok, I have nothing against this guy Lemon…the only thing is, the only people/things I’ve ever known to be named Cleo, were a Siamese cat I had as a kid, and of course, Ms. Cleo, the fortune teller lady. The Dolphins figured that with their season over, they may as well give this undrafted kid out of Arkansas State a chance. In all fairness, Lemon didn’t play that bad, but he didn’t win a game either. By the way, if Cleo Lemon were an NFL quarterback, I think he’d be Anthony Wright.

Miami finished up the year 6-10 and are now full of question marks and rumors. Word is, Nick Saban is about to bolt for Alabama. We should know Saban’s decision by tomorrow morning. It’s also rumored that the starting QB job is going to be a battle between Lemon and ….Daunte Culpepper. The defense has been the core of the team for several years but isn’t getting any younger. Chris Chambers has proven to be a guy you can throw the ball to a lot….but he won’t catch many. Funny, fantasy players knew that BEFORE this season started. Ronnie Brown appears to be a solid back, but with no passing game, can he perform? Who will coach this team? Can Culpepper EVER return to his Viking form? I heard Randy Moss needs to get out of Oakland…hmm. The division isn’t getting any easier and the Jets and now even the Bills appear to be stepping up the plate. I dunno, it’s just amazing, how a season can begin with so much hope and end with such a big question mark.

*UPDATE*  Sure enough, Nick Saban is gone