Miami Dolphins At 50: Top 10 DLs
By Dan Heaning
Mandatory Credit: MiamiDolphins.com
No. 1 – Jason Taylor
Was there ever any doubt?
Jason Taylor is the longest serving defensive player in Miami Dolphins history. The only player to play more games than him in the aqua and orange was some guy named Dan Marino.
Even if the league counted every sack from the beginning of time, Taylor would still dominate the franchise leader board with his 131 sacks, practically doubling the next closest player.
Taylor’s combination of athleticism and power was unheard of when he broke into the league and would still be pretty uncommon today. Taylor would line up very far off the side to give himself even more room to dance around opposing tackles.
Danced being the operative word there, Taylor was so good with his feet he appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2008 – much to the chagrin of Bill Parcells.
Taylor played 13 seasons with Miami and if it were not for that feud between him and the man they call “Tuna” he may have played his entire career in Miami. In fact, Taylor is so beloved in Miami that most fans choose (or involuntarily block out) the fact that he played one season with the hated New York Jets.
Like some on this list, Taylor also played linebacker a smidge. However, he only recorded one interception as a LB meaning the other seven picks came about when he was a defensive end. That’s nearly unheard of. Not only that, but he returned three of them for touchdowns.
He also forced 43 fumbles, recovered 27, and ran six for touchdowns. Oh, and he has three career safeties. So Taylor at times was a better point producer than the Miami Dolphins offense.
Arguably, Jason Taylor is not just the best lineman, but the best defensive player in Miami Dolphins history. It’s a shame that he never really had the offensive help to get the team far into the playoffs, but on some Sunday afternoons he had that covered too.