The Miami Dolphins’ head coach, Brian Flores, and offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey, as well as other key decision makers for the Miami Dolphins have opted to bench their veteran quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, in order to start their rookie QB in Tua Tagovailoa moving forward. The Miami Dolphins have a bye week for this upcoming week 7 of their 2020 – 2021 NFL schedule, so Tagovailoa will have two weeks to prepare as the starting quarterback for his first ever NFL start against the Los Angeles Rams at home on Sunday, November 1st, 2020.

Tua Tagovailoa’s First NFL Experience

Tua got a taste of his first ever NFL action last Sunday, October 18th, 2020 when the Miami Dolphins were blowing out the New York Jets late in the game. During his short first appearance in the National Football League he went 2 for 2 for 9 passing yards in his 5 total snaps played.

Timing of the Quarterback Change

 The timing of the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback change is quite questionable as well as controversial. Their previous starting quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick has led the Miami Dolphins to an overall record of 3 and 3 so far, and he was playing exceptionally well.

In fact, the last two games the Miami Dolphins have played were wins in which they outscored their opponents with a combined score of 67 – 17. Currently Fitzpatrick has a quarterback rating of 79.6 which just so happens to be good enough for the seventh best in the National Football League after week 6.

Fitzpatrick has publicly voiced his opinion about the quarterback switch to the sports media world, and he is extremely “heartbroken” about the change. Although he knew that Tagovailoa was the future starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, he was under the impression that the move would be made either next season or after the Miami Dolphins were struggling to win games.

Fitzpatrick felt like he was having great success with this young football team, and that he was the clear leader contributing to the Dolphins’ recent winning ways. Even though Ryan is not happy with the organization’s decision he is a true professional, and he will need to put his feelings aside and help Tagovailoa try to win football games this season.

Tua Tagovailoa’s Early Football Background

The youthful Samoan superstar quarterback was born in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He played his high school football at Saint Louis School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a standout play maker on the islands of Hawaii, Tagovailoa, chose to attend the University of Alabama under the tutelage of the famous and highly successful Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.

Tua’s College Freshman Year

When healthy at Alabama Tua absolutely demonstrated incredible skill and leadership at the quarterback position. In 2017 as a true freshman he backed up the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide, Jalen Hurts. He got to see the field often during blowouts, and he did not disappoint when he was on the field.

Early on in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs Jalen Hurts was proving to be quite ineffective and playing poorly at the quarterback position. Coach Saban decided to plug Tagovailoa in for the second half of the championship game, and this was a very wise decision.

Tua led Alabama to an explosive as well as extremely impressive second half offensively. He ended up throwing the game winning 41 yard touchdown pass, and won the offensive MVP of the contest. In that title match up Tagovailoa went 14 of 24 for 166 passing yards, 3 touchdown passes, 1 interception, and 27 rushing yards on his 12 run attempts.

Tagovailoa’s Sophomore Year at Alabama

 In 2018 Tua earned the starting quarterback job at Alabama over Hurts which effectively caused Jalen to transfer to the University of Oklahoma prior to the 2019 college football season. Tagovailoa had an absolutely unbelievable year with the Crimson Tide in 2018 although they lost the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship game to the Clemson Tigers.

He was the second place finisher in the Heisman Trophy race behind Kyler Murray, but he won the Walter Camp Award as well as the Maxwell Award. Tua was selected as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All SEC, Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, and he earned All American honors in 2018.

Tua’s Junior Year with the Crimson Tide

In 2019 Tua showed his true character and ability to lead Alabama even through a whole lot of adversity. While healthy he was spectacular early on this season as the Tide rolled through their competition with Tua at the helm. Then he suffered a high ankle sprain in the sixth game against the Tennessee Volunteers which resulted in surgery, but he only missed one game due to this injury.

In his first game back from the ankle surgery he had to face LSU and one of the best college football quarterbacks of all time in Joe Burrow. This was an unbelievable offensive showdown between the two gunslingers. Despite a poor first half of this game Tagovailoa bounced back extremely hard in the second half even while hobbling on his sore ankle. He went 21 of 40 for 413 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception in Alabama’s heart breaking 46 to 41 loss to the LSU Tigers.

Then in a game against Mississippi State Tua took a season ending sack in which he dislocated his hip fracturing the posterior wall as well as breaking his nose and suffering a concussion. This was the last snap of his college football career. He underwent surgery to repair his hip, and he has now been cleared by doctors for full football action since with the Miami Dolphins.

Tagovailoa is now ready to show the world that he can compete against the highest competition in the National Football League. Only time will tell if it was too early to insert him into the Miami Dolphins’ offense as their starting quarterback.

 Media Statements

 “Oh gosh, yes, you go out there and you look at it — he got under duress and made an accurate throw. He sat in the pocket on third down and made a throw for a first down,” the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey, explained. “Those are positives. Those are real positives. For a guy that hasn’t played a snap, those are real positives.”

 “I definitely could hear it. There’s nothing else playing in the stadium, so I could hear that,” Tua Tagovailoa recalls. “And that was awesome. But to just be out there with my teammates, being my first time, and getting the support and love from them, I think that was super awesome.

 “And then you have a 16-year vet like Fitz, who has no animosity toward it as well, who’s just been supportive that entire time. Good drive, bad drive, he comes to the sideline and just talks through his process with why he did some things. I’m very fortunate to have a mentor like him who is just very encouraging on the field and then this guy is, like, he’s just very personable off the field as well.”

 “From a rehab standpoint, or just from a strength training standpoint, he’s doing what everyone else is doing,” says the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, Brian Flores. “He’s doing well physically and mentally. From a health standpoint, it was obviously a serious injury, and he’s done a great job as far as getting himself back healthy and getting himself to a point where he can practice and take a lot of reps. He’s trending in the right direction from a health standpoint.”

 “He’s a hell of a player. Miami, especially at the QB position, really needs that. They need a leader. They need a player,” the former Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade said. “To come in as a young player and win a game in the second half of a national championship game — that shows some grit, that shows some balls. People have to really believe in you. Miami needs that. The Dolphins need that. Even though I’m a [Chicago] Bears fan, I was rooting for them to get him because Miami needs to get back to where the basketball program is.”

 “We feel like through practice meetings and walk-throughs that he’s ready, and that’s how we’re going moving forward,” Flores expressed. “[Ryan Fitzpatrick] has done a great job. He’s been productive. His leadership has been great. It’s not an easy decision for me or us as an organization, but we felt like for the team now and moving forward, this is the move we needed to make.”

 “We’ve seen a lot of improvement from Tua,” Flores goes on to say. “He’s gotten more comfortable — accuracy, decision-making have been good in practice. But again, practice is very different than games. We’re going to do everything we can from a meeting, walk-through, practice standpoint to get him ready to play in a game. Obviously we’re comfortable and confident that he’ll be able to be competitive in those games when that time comes. There’s a lot that leads into that.”

 “He’s practiced well,” Flores stated. “He works hard in meetings and walk-throughs. He’s got a good rapport with his teammates. Every week we’re going out to win, so, yeah, I’m confident that if we prepare the way he’s been preparing, then I’m confident that we’ll go out there and have good results. But it’s not a one-man game.”

 “One thing on this situation that’s unfortunate is that I didn’t get a chance to address the team before this was out in the media. That’s not the way I or we want to do business,” Flores explained. “That’s unfortunate. I’m not happy about that at all. So I’ll address that to the team and apologize that they had to find out on social media because I don’t think that’s fair to him.”

“Fitz has been great. He’s been great really for the last year and a half,” Flores remembered. “I don’t know if anyone has been more instrumental in trying to instill a culture and embody a lot of the things we’re looking for from a toughness, competitiveness, team-first [perspective]. He’s made an impact on Tua and a lot of other players on this team.

 “I have great respect for him, and that made this decision very tough. At the end of the day, we felt like as a team that this was the best thing for the team now and moving forward to go with Tua. Fitz, the way he handles himself and his impact on the team, will still be there. He’s been a tremendous asset and leader on this team.”

 “I was shocked by it. It definitely caught me off guard. It was a hard thing for me to hear yesterday, just kind of digesting the news. My heart just hurt all day. It was heartbreaking for me,” Fitzpatrick emotionally expressed. “Flo kind of said what he said and said what he said to you guys as well, and that’s the decision and the direction that the organization is going in.”

 “Obviously we’ve talked in the past, me and you guys, about how I’m the placeholder and this eventually was going to happen,” Fitzpatrick stated. “It was just a matter of kind of when, not if. It still just … it broke my heart yesterday. It’s a tough thing for me to hear and to now have to deal with, but I’m going to do my best with it.”

 “There was a lot of stuff going through my mind yesterday, just from a personal standpoint, not necessarily with the team,” Fitzpatrick goes on to say. “Is this it? Like, was that my last game as an NFL player in terms of being the starter and going out there and playing?

“I’ve been a starter, I’ve been benched all kinds of different ways, but this one just really more so than any of them … this organization and what we’ve been through the last year and a half, this was kind of the first place other than Buffalo where I just felt fully committed and invested and felt like it was my team. To have that, I think that’s a lot of the reason why I just … my heart was so heavy yesterday. But that’s the direction that the organization and I’ve just got to accept it.”

 “Although it hurts me in a way to see Fitz hurt, I’m just very, very lucky to have someone like Fitz in my corner, regardless of the situation we’re in right now,” Tagovailoa explained. “I hate to say it like this, but it is like this: It’s like a father-and-son thing.”

 “Well, it’s definitely been a journey,” Tagovailoa recalled. “I definitely think of that injury, when I got hurt. And then the process leading up to being able to walk, being able to do football drills, and being able to do things in general. I definitely do reflect on that process that I went through, and I’m definitely blessed to still be here playing the game I grew up dreaming of playing.”

 “He’s a smart, collected young man. He’s very smart. He’s very calm. He’s definitely going to be a future great player in this league. We’re all excited. We all know what he can do,” says the Miami Dolphins’ linebacker Jerome Baker. “We’re ready to go. We believe in Tua. He definitely can get the job done.”

 “This profession is interesting in that the guy that fired me — I basically got fired yesterday and then my day of work today consisted of me in Zoom meetings listening to the guy that fired me, and then [was] locked in a spaced-out room with my replacement for four hours today. So there aren’t a whole lot of jobs that are like that,” Fitzpatrick emphasized. “But I know how difficult it is to play the quarterback position, and I know that that room is so important to the guy that’s playing in terms of everybody having your back and pulling in the same direction.

 “So today’s the day to digest a little bit, and we’ll get away for the bye a little bit. But, yeah, once this thing starts up again, I’ve got to do my best for Tua to help him out. Because there’s two separate situations here. One is with Tua — and I want him to do well and I think he’s a great kid and I think he has a really bright future. And the other one is my feelings and just kind of what I’m going through. And that has to be separate from when I walk into this building and help him out. I’ve got to separate those feelings from trying to be a professional and help him out as best I can.”

 Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Career NFL Statistics

 Passing

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD TD% Int Int% 1D Lng Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Rate QBR Sk Yds NY/A ANY/A Sk% 4QC GWD AV
2005 23 STL QB 12 4 3 0-3-0 76 135 56.3 777 4 3.0 8 5.9 40 56 5.8 3.7 10.2 194.3 58.2 9 49 5.06 3.11 6.3 1 1 3
2006 24 STL QB 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 99.4 0 0 0
2007 25 CIN QB 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2008 26 CIN QB 11 13 12 4-7-1 221 372 59.4 1905 8 2.2 9 2.4 99 79 5.1 4.5 8.6 146.5 70.0 50.4 38 193 4.18 3.58 9.3 3
2009 27 BUF QB 14 10 8 4-4-0 127 227 55.9 1422 9 4.0 10 4.4 65 98 6.3 5.1 11.2 142.2 69.7 35.3 21 127 5.22 4.13 8.5 1 2 3
2010 28 BUF QB 14 13 13 4-9-0 255 441 57.8 3000 23 5.2 15 3.4 151 65 6.8 6.3 11.8 230.8 81.8 50.7 24 145 6.14 5.68 5.2 1 1 9
2011 29 BUF QB 14 16 16 6-10-0 353 569 62.0 3832 24 4.2 23 4.0 179 60 6.7 5.8 10.9 239.5 79.1 50.5 22 148 6.23 5.29 3.7 2 2 11
2012 30 BUF QB 14 16 16 6-10-0 306 505 60.6 3400 24 4.8 16 3.2 175 68 6.7 6.3 11.1 212.5 83.3 43.8 30 161 6.05 5.61 5.6 0 1 11
2013 31 TEN QB 4 11 9 3-6-0 217 350 62.0 2454 14 4.0 12 3.4 119 77 7.0 6.3 11.3 223.1 82.0 57.2 21 109 6.32 5.62 5.7 2 2 9
2014 32 HOU QB 14 12 12 6-6-0 197 312 63.1 2483 17 5.4 8 2.6 120 76 8.0 7.9 12.6 206.9 95.3 61.1 21 83 7.21 7.15 6.3 9
2015 33 NYJ QB 14 16 16 10-6-0 335 562 59.6 3905 31 5.5 15 2.7 197 69 6.9 6.9 11.7 244.1 88.0 63.5 19 94 6.56 6.46 3.3 2 3 13
2016 34 NYJ QB 14 14 11 3-8-0 228 403 56.6 2710 12 3.0 17 4.2 130 57 6.7 5.4 11.9 193.6 69.6 37.9 19 81 6.23 4.99 4.5 5
2017 35 TAM QB 14 6 3 2-1-0 96 163 58.9 1103 7 4.3 3 1.8 64 41 6.8 6.8 11.5 183.8 86.0 59.7 7 34 6.29 6.32 4.1 0 1 3
2018 36 TAM QB 14 8 7 2-5-0 164 246 66.7 2366 17 6.9 12 4.9 113 75 9.6 8.8 14.4 295.8 100.4 62.1 14 76 8.81 8.04 5.4 7
2019 37 MIA QB 14 15 13 5-8-0 311 502 62.0 3529 20 4.0 13 2.6 182 51 7.0 6.7 11.3 235.3 85.5 66.6 40 209 6.13 5.78 7.4 3 4 10
2020 38 MIA QB 14 6 6 3-3-0 138 197 70.1 1535 10 5.1 7 3.6 80 70 7.8 7.2 11.1 255.8 95.0 82.5 10 49 7.18 6.62 4.8
Career 162 145 58-86-1 3024 4984 60.7 34421 220 4.4 168 3.4 1714 98 6.9 6.3 11.4 212.5 82.1 295 1558 6.23 5.63 5.6 12 17 96
4 yrs BUF 55 53 20-33-0 1041 1742 59.8 11654 80 4.6 64 3.7 570 98 6.7 6.0 11.2 211.9 79.8 97 581 6.02 5.33 5.3 4 6 34
2 yrs CIN 14 12 4-7-1 221 372 59.4 1905 8 2.2 9 2.4 99 79 5.1 4.5 8.6 136.1 70.0 38 193 4.18 3.58 9.3 3
2 yrs MIA 21 19 8-11-0 449 699 64.2 5064 30 4.3 20 2.9 262 70 7.2 6.8 11.3 241.1 88.2 50 258 6.42 6.02 6.7 3 4 10
2 yrs NYJ 30 27 13-14-0 563 965 58.3 6615 43 4.5 32 3.3 327 69 6.9 6.3 11.7 220.5 80.3 38 175 6.42 5.84 3.8 2 3 18
2 yrs STL 5 3 0-3-0 76 135 56.3 777 4 3.0 8 5.9 40 56 5.8 3.7 10.2 155.4 58.2 9 49 5.06 3.11 6.3 1 1 3
2 yrs TAM 14 10 4-6-0 260 409 63.6 3469 24 5.9 15 3.7 177 75 8.5 8.0 13.3 247.8 94.7 21 110 7.81 7.36 4.9 0 1 10
1 yr HOU 12 12 6-6-0 197 312 63.1 2483 17 5.4 8 2.6 120 76 8.0 7.9 12.6 206.9 95.3 21 83 7.21 7.15 6.3 9
1 yr TEN 11 9 3-6-0 217 350 62.0 2454 14 4.0 12 3.4 119 77 7.0 6.3 11.3 223.1 82.0 21 109 6.32 5.62 5.7 2 2 9

 Adjusted Passing

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS QBrec Att Y/A+ NY/A+ AY/A+ ANY/A+ Cmp%+ TD%+ Int%+ Sack%+ Rate+
2005 23 STL QB 12 4 3 0-3-0 135 80 84 69 73 89 87 52 103 71
2008 26 CIN QB 11 13 12 4-7-1 372 66 67 77 76 94 79 108 77 84
2009 27 BUF QB 14 10 8 4-4-0 227 87 83 83 81 83 98 79 81 83
2010 28 BUF QB 14 13 13 4-9-0 441 95 99 97 99 91 111 94 108 98
2011 29 BUF QB 14 16 16 6-10-0 569 93 100 88 93 105 99 80 120 93
2012 30 BUF QB 14 16 16 6-10-0 505 92 96 94 96 99 105 93 107 97
2013 31 TEN QB 4 11 9 3-6-0 350 97 101 92 95 101 96 86 106 94
2014 32 HOU QB 14 12 12 6-6-0 312 118 119 113 114 103 111 100 100 109
2015 33 NYJ QB 14 16 16 10-6-0 562 94 104 97 104 87 113 95 122 98
2016 34 NYJ QB 14 14 11 3-8-0 403 90 98 78 83 75 83 66 113 72
2017 35 TAM QB 14 6 3 2-1-0 163 92 100 97 102 84 99 109 116 95
2018 36 TAM QB 14 8 7 2-5-0 246 148 147 124 125 112 126 58 109 114
2019 37 MIA QB 14 15 13 5-8-0 502 95 96 93 94 91 94 96 95 92
2020 38 MIA QB 14 6 6 3-3-0 197 110 114 101 105 123 104 81 113 104
Career 162 145 58-86-1 4984

Rushing and Receiving

Games Rushing Receiving Total Yds
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Rush Yds TD 1D Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD 1D Lng R/G Y/G Ctch% Y/Tgt Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fmb
2005 23 STL QB 12 4 3 14 64 2 6 14 4.6 16.0 3.5 14 4.6 64 2 3
2006 24 STL QB 11 1 0 3 0 0 1 2 0.0 0.0 3.0 3 0.0 0 0 0
2008 26 CIN QB 11 13 12 60 304 2 24 22 5.1 23.4 4.6 1 1 -3 -3.0 0 0 -3 0.1 -0.2 100.0% -3.0 61 4.9 301 2 11
2009 27 BUF QB 14 10 8 31 141 1 12 31 4.5 14.1 3.1 31 4.5 141 1 3
2010 28 BUF QB 14 13 13 40 269 0 15 22 6.7 20.7 3.1 40 6.7 269 0 8
2011 29 BUF QB 14 16 16 56 215 0 20 18 3.8 13.4 3.5 56 3.8 215 0 7
2012 30 BUF QB 14 16 16 48 197 1 9 20 4.1 12.3 3.0 48 4.1 197 1 8
2013 31 TEN QB 4 11 9 43 225 3 17 26 5.2 20.5 3.9 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.1 0.0 100.0% 0.0 44 5.1 225 3 9
2014 32 HOU QB 14 12 12 50 184 2 13 16 3.7 15.3 4.2 50 3.7 184 2 5
2015 33 NYJ QB 14 16 16 60 270 2 23 19 4.5 16.9 3.8 60 4.5 270 2 5
2016 34 NYJ QB 14 14 11 33 130 0 7 14 3.9 9.3 2.4 33 3.9 130 0 9
2017 35 TAM QB 14 6 3 16 76 0 5 15 4.8 12.7 2.7 16 4.8 76 0 0
2018 36 TAM QB 14 8 7 36 152 2 9 18 4.2 19.0 4.5 36 4.2 152 2 4
2019 37 MIA QB 14 15 13 54 243 4 16 20 4.5 16.2 3.6 54 4.5 243 4 9
2020 38 MIA QB 14 6 6 25 135 2 11 17 5.4 22.5 4.2 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.2 0.0 100.0% 0.0 26 5.2 135 2 1
Career 162 145 569 2605 21 188 31 4.6 16.1 3.5 3 3 -3 -1.0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 100.0% 572 4.5 2602 21 82
4 yrs BUF 55 53 175 822 2 56 31 4.7 14.9 3.2 175 4.7 822 2 26
2 yrs CIN 14 12 60 304 2 24 22 5.1 21.7 4.3 1 1 -3 -3.0 0 0 0 0.1 -0.2 100.0% 61 4.9 301 2 11
2 yrs MIA 21 19 79 378 6 27 20 4.8 18.0 3.8 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 100.0% 80 4.7 378 6 10
2 yrs NYJ 30 27 93 400 2 30 19 4.3 13.3 3.1 93 4.3 400 2 14
2 yrs STL 5 3 17 64 2 7 14 3.8 12.8 3.4 17 3.8 64 2 3
2 yrs TAM 14 10 52 228 2 14 18 4.4 16.3 3.7 52 4.4 228 2 4
1 yr HOU 12 12 50 184 2 13 16 3.7 15.3 4.2 50 3.7 184 2 5
1 yr TEN 11 9 43 225 3 17 26 5.2 20.5 3.9 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.1 0.0 100.0% 44 5.1 225 3 9

The Miami Dolphins’ Franchise History 

Points Top Players Off Rank Def Rank Overall Rank Simple Rating System 
Year Lg Tm W L T Div. Finish Playoffs PF PA PD Coaches AV Passer Rusher Receiver Pts Yds Pts Yds T/G Pts± Yds± out of MoV SoS SRS OSRS DSRS
2020 NFL Miami Dolphins 3 3 0 2nd of 4 160 113 47 Flores Fitzpatrick Gaskin Parker 14 22 4 18 12 6 17 32 7.8 -3.0 4.9 -0.1 5.0
2019 NFL Miami Dolphins 5 11 0 4th of 4 306 494 -188 Flores Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick Parker 25 27 32 30 27 32 31 32 -11.8 0.2 -11.6 -2.4 -9.1
2018 NFL Miami Dolphins 7 9 0 2nd of 4 319 433 -114 Gase Howard Tannehill Gore Amendola 26 31 27 29 11 30 30 32 -7.1 -1.7 -8.8 -3.6 -5.2
2017 NFL Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 3rd of 4 281 393 -112 Gase Jones Cutler Drake Landry 28 25 29 16 29 29 25 32 -7.0 0.7 -6.3 -3.9 -2.4
2016 NFL Miami Dolphins* 10 6 0 2nd of 4 Lost WC 363 380 -17 Gase Suh Tannehill Ajayi Landry 17 24 18 29 13 24 29 32 -1.1 -1.3 -2.4 -0.6 -1.8
2015 NFL Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 4th of 4 310 389 -79 Campbell,Philbin Tannehill Tannehill Miller Landry 27 26 19 25 18 28 27 32 -4.9 -1.9 -6.8 -4.7 -2.2
2014 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 3rd of 4 388 373 15 Philbin Tannehill Tannehill Miller Wallace 11 14 20 12 14 15 13 32 0.9 1.6 2.6 2.9 -0.4
2013 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 3rd of 4 317 335 -18 Philbin Grimes Tannehill Miller Hartline 26 27 8 21 18 18 28 32 -1.1 0.3 -0.8 -2.9 2.1
2012 NFL Miami Dolphins 7 9 0 2nd of 4 288 317 -29 Philbin Wake Tannehill Bush Hartline 27 27 7 21 24 20 28 32 -1.8 -0.8 -2.6 -5.5 2.9
2011 NFL Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 3rd of 4 329 313 16 Sparano,Bowles Marshall Moore Bush Marshall 20 22 6 15 24 14 22 32 1.0 -0.1 0.9 -2.2 3.2
2010 NFL Miami Dolphins 7 9 0 3rd of 4 273 333 -60 Sparano Wake Henne Brown Marshall 30 21 14 6 30 22 11 32 -3.8 4.1 0.3 -2.8 3.1
2009 NFL Miami Dolphins 7 9 0 3rd of 4 360 390 -30 Sparano Long Henne Williams Bess 15 17 25 22 26 20 20 32 -1.9 3.6 1.7 2.9 -1.2
2008 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 5 0 1st of 4 Lost WC 345 317 28 Sparano Long Pennington Brown Ginn 21 12 9 15 1 16 18 32 1.8 -2.3 -0.5 -2.4 1.8
2007 NFL Miami Dolphins 1 15 0 4th of 4 267 437 -170 Cameron Taylor Lemon Brown Booker 26 28 30 23 22 31 27 32 -10.6 2.3 -8.4 -4.1 -4.2
2006 NFL Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 4th of 4 260 283 -23 Saban Taylor Harrington Brown Booker 29 20 5 4 13 19 12 32 -1.4 2.1 0.7 -3.3 4.0
2005 NFL Miami Dolphins 9 7 0 2nd of 4 318 317 1 Saban Thomas Frerotte Brown Chambers 16 14 15 18 14 17 18 32 0.1 -0.8 -0.8 -1.1 0.3
2004 NFL Miami Dolphins 4 12 0 4th of 4 275 354 -79 Bates,Wannstedt Taylor Feeley Morris Chambers 28 29 20 8 29 26 25 32 -4.9 2.7 -2.2 -2.7 0.5
2003 NFL Miami Dolphins 10 6 0 2nd of 4 311 261 50 Wannstedt Thomas Fiedler Williams Chambers 17 24 3 10 10 12 19 32 3.1 0.3 3.4 -0.7 4.1
2002 NFL Miami Dolphins 9 7 0 3rd of 4 378 301 77 Wannstedt Williams Fiedler Williams Chambers 12 15 4 3 15 5 7 32 4.8 1.2 6.1 1.7 4.4
2001 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 5 0 2nd of 5 Lost WC 344 290 54 Wannstedt Taylor Fiedler Smith Chambers 8 21 11 5 26 9 12 31 3.4 -0.7 2.7 -0.3 3.1
2000 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 5 0 1st of 5 Lost Div 323 226 97 Wannstedt Taylor Fiedler Smith Gadsden 16 26 3 6 5 8 20 31 6.1 1.0 7.1 0.0 7.1
1999 NFL Miami Dolphins* 9 7 0 3rd of 5 Lost Div 326 336 -10 Johnson Madison Marino Johnson Martin 13 20 19 5 23 21 6 31 -0.6 2.5 1.9 1.2 0.7
1998 NFL Miami Dolphins* 10 6 0 2nd of 5 Lost Div 321 265 56 Johnson Madison Marino Abdul-Jabbar McDuffie 16 16 1 3 7 10 8 30 3.5 2.4 5.9 -0.7 6.5
1997 NFL Miami Dolphins* 9 7 0 2nd of 5 Lost WC 339 327 12 Johnson Marino Marino Abdul-Jabbar McDuffie 13 11 16 26 8 14 17 30 0.8 0.6 1.3 1.0 0.3
1996 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 4th of 5 339 325 14 Johnson Webb Marino Abdul-Jabbar McDuffie 13 14 17 17 4 13 15 30 0.9 -0.6 0.3 0.6 -0.4
1995 NFL Miami Dolphins* 9 7 0 3rd of 5 Lost WC 398 332 66 Shula Webb Marino Parmalee Fryar 7 8 10 16 18 7 9 30 4.1 -1.4 2.7 3.1 -0.4
1994 NFL Miami Dolphins* 10 6 0 1st of 5 Lost Div 389 327 62 Shula Webb Marino Parmalee Fryar 3 1 17 19 13 7 4 28 3.9 0.3 4.2 4.5 -0.3
1993 NFL Miami Dolphins 9 7 0 2nd of 5 349 351 -2 Shula Webb Mitchell Higgs Fryar 5 2 24 20 22 15 5 28 -0.1 -0.3 -0.5 3.9 -4.3
1992 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 5 0 1st of 5 Lost Conf 340 281 59 Shula Webb Marino Higgs Duper 8 5 11 10 15 11 6 28 3.7 -2.2 1.5 2.1 -0.6
1991 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 3rd of 5 343 349 -6 Shula Marino Marino Higgs Duper 6 7 24 25 23 18 16 28 -0.4 -3.7 -4.1 0.7 -4.8
Points Top Players Off Rank Def Rank Overall Rank Simple Rating System 
Year Lg Tm W L T Div. Finish Playoffs PF PA PD Coaches AV Passer Rusher Receiver Pts Yds Pts Yds T/G Pts± Yds± out of MoV SoS SRS OSRS DSRS
1990 NFL Miami Dolphins* 12 4 0 2nd of 5 Lost Div 336 242 94 Shula Offerdahl Marino Smith Duper 14 11 4 7 10 7 8 28 5.9 -1.2 4.7 0.5 4.2
1989 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 3rd of 5 331 379 -48 Shula Marino Marino Smith Clayton 15 7 22 24 27 19 17 28 -3.0 -1.8 -4.8 -0.6 -4.2
1988 NFL Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 5th of 5 319 380 -61 Shula Marino Marino Hampton Clayton 17 5 24 26 20 20 14 28 -3.8 1.0 -2.8 1.0 -3.9
1987 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 7 0 3rd of 5 362 335 27 Shula Stephenson Marino Stradford Clayton 7 4 16 26 18 9 11 28 1.8 0.3 2.1 3.2 -1.1
1986 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 3rd of 5 430 405 25 Shula Stephenson Marino Hampton Duper 1 2 26 26 22 12 9 28 1.6 -1.1 0.5 6.2 -5.7
1985 NFL Miami Dolphins* 12 4 0 1st of 5 Lost Conf 428 320 108 Shula Stephenson Marino Nathan Clayton 4 6 12 23 13 5 14 28 6.8 0.3 7.0 6.1 0.9
1984 NFL Miami Dolphins* 14 2 0 1st of 5 Lost SB 513 298 215 Shula Stephenson Marino Bennett Clayton 1 1 7 19 5 2 2 28 13.4 -2.9 10.6 9.1 1.5
1983 NFL Miami Dolphins* 12 4 0 1st of 5 Lost Div 389 250 139 Shula Betters Marino Franklin Duper 7 16 1 7 2 2 14 28 8.7 -1.0 7.7 2.6 5.2
1982 NFL Miami Dolphins* 7 2 0 1st of 5 Lost SB 198 131 67 Shula Baumhower Woodley Franklin Cefalo 10 19 2 1 7 3 8 28 7.4 0.8 8.2 2.6 5.6
1981 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 4 1 1st of 5 Lost Div 345 275 70 Shula Baumhower Woodley Nathan Harris 11 16 5 15 12 8 14 28 4.4 -1.5 2.9 0.1 2.8
1980 NFL Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 3rd of 5 266 305 -39 Shula Blackwood Woodley Williams Nathan 24 26 9 14 11 19 23 28 -2.4 0.9 -1.6 -4.6 3.1
1979 NFL Miami Dolphins* 10 6 0 1st of 5 Lost Div 341 257 84 Shula Foley Griese Csonka Moore 11 16 4 4 12 4 7 28 5.3 -0.9 4.3 0.3 4.0
1978 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 5 0 2nd of 5 Lost WC 372 254 118 Shula Williams Griese Williams Harris 2 13 6 23 1 3 20 28 7.4 0.2 7.6 4.2 3.3
1977 NFL Miami Dolphins 10 4 0 2nd of 5 313 197 116 Shula Langer Griese Malone Moore 3 10 5 16 9 5 10 28 8.3 -0.5 7.8 4.4 3.5
1976 NFL Miami Dolphins 6 8 0 3rd of 5 263 264 -1 Shula Langer Griese Malone Moore 15 13 15 26 8 15 22 28 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 -1.8 1.7
1975 NFL Miami Dolphins 10 4 0 2nd of 5 357 222 135 Shula Little Griese Morris Moore 6 11 4 6 13 4 7 26 9.6 -0.3 9.3 3.3 6.0
1974 NFL Miami Dolphins* 11 3 0 1st of 5 Lost Div 327 216 111 Shula Little Griese Csonka Moore 3 11 6 8 11 5 8 26 7.9 -1.8 6.1 3.9 2.3
1973 NFL Miami Dolphins* 12 2 0 1st of 5 Won SB 343 150 193 Shula Anderson Griese Csonka Warfield 5 9 1 3 12 2 4 26 13.8 -0.5 13.3 5.0 8.3
1972 NFL Miami Dolphins* 14 0 0 1st of 5 Won SB 385 171 214 Shula Anderson Morrall Csonka Warfield 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 26 15.3 -4.3 11.0 4.5 6.5
1971 NFL Miami Dolphins* 10 3 1 1st of 5 Lost SB 315 174 141 Shula Warfield Griese Csonka Warfield 4 5 3 5 7 3 4 26 10.1 -2.4 7.7 2.4 5.3
1970 NFL Miami Dolphins* 10 4 0 2nd of 5 Lost Div 297 228 69 Shula Kiick Griese Csonka Warfield 11 11 5 15 7 8 14 26 4.9 -6.3 -1.3 -1.3 0.0
1969 AFL Miami Dolphins 3 10 1 5th of 5 233 332 -99 Wilson Buoniconti Griese Kiick Seiple 9 9 7 5 9 9 8 10 -7.1 0.4 -6.6 -4.4 -2.2
1968 AFL Miami Dolphins 5 8 1 3rd of 5 276 355 -79 Wilson Griese Griese Kiick Noonan 6 6 7 9 3 6 6 10 -5.6 -0.9 -6.5 -2.5 -4.0
1967 AFL Miami Dolphins 4 10 0 3rd of 5 219 407 -188 Wilson Westmoreland Griese Haynes Clancy 9 6 8 8 6 9 8 9 -13.4 1.2 -12.2 -6.2 -6.0
1966 AFL Miami Dolphins 3 11 0 4th of 5 213 362 -149 Wilson Warren Wood Auer Roberson 8 8 7 8 3 8 8 9 -10.6 0.9 -9.7 -7.3 -2.4