Dec. 9, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Detailed view of the Hall of Fame patch worn by Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams (95) before a game against the St. Louis Rams at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL announced their 12 finalists for the Hall of Fame.  The vote will take place soon and the finalists will be announced around the Super Bowl.  In August, six former players and/or coaches will be enshrined in Canton forever.  The Miami Dolphins will not be putting anyone’s bust in the hall this year.  Or next year.  Or the year after that.

The last player the Miami Dolphins saw inducted into the HOF was Dan Marino.  That was nine years ago.  In that time Bob Kuechenberg came the closest to being inducted and to be honest, it was never really that close given his indignation towards the media.  The question of should he be in is a different debate all together but for the record, yes, I do believe he should.

It’s not surprising that the Dolphins have not placed anyone in so long a time.  Since Dan Marino retired the Dolphins have hardly made a dent in the AFC East standings and they have made no splash in the Playoffs.  The closest they have come to a Super Bowl was playing host to it in south Florida.  The best hope for a Dolphins HOF representative lies with former LB Zach Thomas, a long shot, and Jason Taylor a possible but not a guarantee.

Winning obviously breeds winners and winners go the HOF.  Sure, from time to time that standout player get’s elected despite the fact that his team never make the playoffs or came close to making a Super Bowl run.  They are the ones who match up statistically with other HOF’ers.  They hold records or come in a close 2nd or 3rd.  They are also normally the only players from their team that will ever come close to making it to the small northern city outside of Cleveland.

Just like Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor.  Standouts on an otherwise nameless team.  High on accomplishment statistically but short on post-season success.  How many names come to mind since the mid-1980′s that you believe should be in the Hall of Fame?  Richmond Webb?  A very thin maybe.  Ricky Williams?  Thinner.  Not likely as his transgressions took him off the field of play rather than occurring after he left the game.

The reality is a slap in the face.  This time of year is a harsh reminder of the failures of this organization to find even a few players who could change the game.  The Drew Brees’ over the Daunte Culpeppers.  The Eddie Moore’s, Jamar Fletchers, AJ Feely’s.  The list goes on.  The sad part is that looking at the current Miami Dolphins, no one stands out as the next great HOF player.  Not a knock on Jeff Ireland but simply because these guys are still too young to see what their long term accomplishments will be.  If Ryan Tannehill can become this generations Dan Marino you are looking at 12 to 14 years before he retires.  Another five until he is enshrined.  Some of us will be well into our 50′s or 60′s.  Some of us won’t even be around to see it.

For a pure football fan, the enshrinement of new busts in the Hall of Fame is exciting and a time to reflect on the accomplishments of that player and normally, the championship runs of their team.  The lack of putting a player on that list, yearly, does the opposite.

For now, the task to change that is resting on the shoulders of Joe Philbin.

Here is to hoping for Taylor and Thomas!

he Miami Dolphins will kick-off their 1:00 pm game today against the St. Louis Rams with hopes of joining the .500 club.  With Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas making a half-time appearance to have their names forever enshrined in the Dolphins “Ring of Honor” the Dolphins will attempt to enter the bye week on a high-note.  In order to achieve that goal, they will need to face a daunting defense that has quietly improved week to week.

The Dolphins could enter the bye-week at .500 at 3-3 and are the only team at .500 who legitimately could claim to be two field goals away from 5-1.  Facing two overtime losses back to back, the Dolphins rebounded last week in an away victory against the Cincinnati Bengals that have fans talking more about how they won than how they lost their previous two’s.

With a fourth quarter lead on the line, the Dolphins finally found a way to put the game away by a strong defensive effort.  Today, they will need to find a strong offensive effort against a front seven that is good against the run and better at getting pressure on the quarterback.  As evidenced by the image used for this article, the Dolphins face a team that is statistically lacking in the rank and file of the NFL.  However, their improvement week to week can not be denied.

The Rams are sixth in the NFL in sacks, something the Dolphins have struggled with in the last few weeks of the season.  Picking up the blocking along then offensive line will go a long way to giving Ryan Tannehill the kind of time he needs to pick the St. Louis secondary apart.  The Dolphins will likely use more of the same RB’s out of the back-field today to keep the Rams linebackers out of Ryan Tannehill’s face.

Perhaps the biggest question is whether or not the Miami Dolphins young and poorly  getting better wide-receivers can keep their cool when faced with the trash talking cheap shot play of Rams CB Cortland Finnegan.  Finnegan has been touted as one of the dirtiest players in the NFL and he more than likely take as many shots on the Dolphins wide-receivers as he can get throughout the game.

The Rams on offense are not as scary as the teams the Dolphins have faced in the last few weeks.  They have an aging running back in Steven Jackson and the loss of WR Danny Amendola has left the team without a reliable and tested wide-out.  The Dolphins improving secondary must take this opportunity to continue their progress and not let up.  The Dolphins are starting to find a rhythm in a back-field devoid of start power and will once again be without corner Richard Marshall.

Still, the Dolphins have managed to keep Andre’ Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and A.J. Green shut down or at the very least in check.  With the number one rushing defense in the NFL, expect the Dolphins secondary to be tested often by the Rams and Sam Bradford.  Regardless of the statistics, this game is likely to come down to defensive play.  The Rams have beaten the Seattle Seahawk‘s and last week ended the opening perfect run of the Arizona Cardinals shutting their offense down to the three points.

The side note to this game is the match-up of coaches.  The Dolphins were shunned by Rams coach Jeff Fisher after a week long courtship that became similar to the Lebron James “Decision”.  Rumors abounded that Fisher had chosen Miami, then the Rams, then Miami and back again.  After his decision was made officially, the talk of yet another blunder by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and the fact that Ross would not give full control to Fisher and strip that power from Jeff Ireland was close to a volcanic eruption fit from fans.

Fisher said he chose the Rams because he felt they had a better QB situation and gave him more of an opportunity to find quicker success with players already in place to build around.  The Dolphins opted for Joe Philbin as their fall back and so far Philbin has proven to be a solid choice.  The answer of who has the better team, who is the better coach, and who will bring their team long term success will still play out over years not quarters.  Today however, the Dolphins players can make a statement that Joe Philbin, for today, was the better choice for Stephen Ross.

The game kicks off at 1:00 pm join us for our live gameday chat!

Jan 1, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Jason Taylor (99) is carried off the field by his teammates after defeating the New York Jets at Sun Life Stadium. Taylor retired after this game. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will add Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor to their “Ring of Honor”.  The duo spent most of their NFL careers playing side by side with the Dolphins before moving on later in their careers to play elsewhere.  Both victims of a Bill Parcells over inflated ego.

Thomas was unceremoniously dumped in Parcells 2008 off-season shortly after the 2007 campaign with Cam Cameron came to a close.  An image of Thomas leaving the facility and then taking a parking sign from the players lot was plastered around the internet leading to speculation that he was released.  Shortly thereafter the team made a rather quiet announcement akin to letting go of a practice squad player.

In other words, no fond farewell.  No “Thomas was a great player for this organization”.  Just a simple, Zach Thomas has been released.

A few weeks later, Jason Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins after he and Bill Parcells failed to see eye to eye on a myriad of issues.  Including Taylor’s stint on “Dancing with the Stars”.  Taylor would spend one year with the Skins before coming back to Miami on a one year deal and then bolting to the New York Jets where he made many Miami fans irate.  His one year stint with NY netted him no Super Bowl victory and he rejoined the Dolphins in the 2011 season to wrap his career.  In his final game on his final defensive play, Taylor intercepted a pass and ran into the endzone.  The TD was called back and Taylor ended his long storied career lining up on the offense and taking the final snap in a Dolphins victory formation.

While Zach Thomas took to his hometown Dallas Cowboys and then the K.C. Chiefs until concussions ended his attempts to continue playing, the Dolphins found history to be an important part of their future.  Bill Parcells’ exit from Miami allowed the Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland and CEO Mike Dee to bring Thomas back for a proper send-off.  Thomas signed a retirement deal and stood at a podium and said his good-bye’s to the Miami fan base prior to last years Jason Taylor swan song.

This Sunday, the Dolphins will honor both men when they bring them back at half-time to formally enshrine their names forever into the wall of fame.  With these two men, the Dolphins will lose the last two stars from a decade long roster built with no-names, never-were’s, and never will-be’s.  Taylor and Thomas represent the last great Miami Dolphin players deserving of a place in that ring of honor.

Many fans will point to names from the 70′s and 80′s who still have yet to be acknowledged with the honor and later this year former DC Bill Arnsparger will get his name on the ring, but Taylor and Thomas represent an entire generation of Dolphins fans who didn’t see Dan Marino or Larry Csonka play.  They represent more of the present than any other single player.  In the years to come as the team ponders names to add, a logical void of players from the start of Jimmy Johnson’s three and out through Cam Cameron’s 1 and done will be left off that list.  Taylor and Thomas now represent that era and stand for the top of what was good about those teams.

One year apart entering the league, one year apart leaving the league.  Brothers on the field, brother-in-laws off of it, it’s only fitting that they take their bow together this Sunday.