“You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?”
– The Talking Heads, “Once in a lifetime”
Today is July 10, exactly one month before the Dolphins’ first preseason game at home against Tampa Bay. And the news wires are a little slow in the NFL these days.
The only thing that qualifies as an NFL event between now and the start of training camp is Thursday’s supplemental draft, in which one team – maybe the Dolphins – will draft an interesting receiver named Josh Gordon. A source says the Dolphins were in attendance at Gordon’s Pro Day on Tuesday, but so were about two dozen teams.
Other than that, we have 17 more days to kill until the Dolphins begin training camp.
But a lot has happened leading up to today — a new coaching staff was hired, new schemes are being implemented on both sides of the ball, several key pieces were added and subtracted, the fans revolted (and calmed down) and the Dolphins drafted a first-round quarterback for the first time since Dan Marino.
To paraphrase David Byrne, how did we get here? Let’s take a chronological look back at Dolphins’ offseason, beginning with the season-ending victory over the Jets and leading us up to today.
January
1st: Dolphins end disastrous 2011 season with win over Jets. LINK
1st: Jason Taylor announces his retirement after the game. He is now an analyst with ESPN. LINK
2nd: Dolphins coaching search begins immediately. Candidates include Joe Philbin, Jeff Fisher, Todd Bowles, Dave Toub, Mike Zimmer, Mike Mularkey and Mike McCoy. LINK
10th: Tony Sparano is hired as the Jets’ offensive coordinator. LINK
13th: Fisher chooses St. Louis over Miami; Stephen Ross says he doesn’t want his coach having ultimate power. LINK
17th: Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan leaves to take the same job with Atlanta. LINK
21st: Philbin, formerly the offensive coordinator in Green Bay, is introduced as the 10th head coach in Dolphins history. LINK
22nd: Ross has one person at the top of his wish list: Peyton Manning. LINK
24th: Dolphins are switching to a 4-3 defense in 2012. LINK
27th: Dolphins hire Mike Sherman as offensive coordinator, Kevin Coyle as defensive coordinator. LINK
30th: WR Brandon Marshall wins Pro Bowl MVP. LINK
February
4th: Hall of Fame voters don’t elect Bill Parcells. LINK
15th: Dolphins enter the offseason with enough salary cap room to sign Peyton Manning, but not enough to make a huge splash in free agency. LINK
March
6th: Colts cut Peyton Manning. LINK
12th: Dolphins meet with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. LINK
13th: Dolphins open free agency with a splash, but not one the fans expected: Trading Brandon Marshall to the Bears for two third-round picks. LINK
14th: Dolphins sign CB Richard Marshall, the only outside free agent to get more than a 1-year contract this offseason (3 years). LINK
14th: They also resigned Paul Soliai to a two-year extension. LINK
16th: Peyton Manning formally rejects the Dolphins, who needed to enlist Dan Marino to get an interview. LINK
18th: Dolphins allow Matt Flynn to sign with Seattle, turn attention to Alex Smith and David Garrard. LINK
19th: Dolphins sign Garrard, cut Yeremiah Bell. LINK
20th: Jeff Ireland takes heat from everyone, including protestors at Dolphins’ training facility. LINK
26th: Stephen Ross pleads the fans for patience. LINK
27th: Even before drafting Ryan Tannehill, Philbin says he wants to have an “open competition” at QB. LINK
29th: Dolphins’ offensive line is switching to a zone blocking scheme. LINK
30th: LB Koa Misi was arrested on a battery charge from an incident in California last year, but he attends entire offseason workout program. LINK
April
10th: DE Cameron Wake, upset with his contract, is the only player to miss the first OTA of the season. LINK
15th: Dolphins sign a former accountant who played NAIA college basketball to play tight end. LINK
17th: Dolphins sign WR Legedu Naanee and LB Gary Guyton. LINK
17th: Dolphins’ 2012 schedule released. Fins open at Houston, play New England twice in December, have eight 1 p.m. home games and play just one primetime game (at Buffalo on a Thursday night in November). LINK
26th: Dolphins “execute their plan” by drafting Ryan Tannehill 8th overall. LINK
27th: Ireland says Tannehill could be talked about “in the same breath” as Andrew Luck and RG3. LINK
27th: On day 2 of the draft, Ireland picks a right tackle, pass rusher and tight end. LINK
28th: On the final day of the draft, Ireland says he picked the top players available on his draft board. LINK
May
4th: Tannehill already knew “80-85 percent” of the playbook on the first day of rookie minicamp. LINK
6th: Wake signs a “five-year” contract extension (LINK), but it is really three years and $17 million guaranteed. LINK
8th: A look at the Dolphins’ rookies and how they fit into the team’s plans in 2012. LINK
10th: Our primer on rookie contracts, and why the Dolphins had enough cap space to sign their entire rookie class. LINK
14th: A look at the players who could be salary cap casualties. LINK
18th: Yeremiah Bell signs with the Jets. LINK
23rd: Philbin turns up the tempo at practices and may run a “fast break” offense in 2012. LINK
24th: Philbin says he wants to name his QB starter before the third preseason game. LINK
25th: Cantor Gaming sets the Dolphins’ over/under win total at 7.5. LINK
30th: Dolphins sign up for HBO’s Hard Knocks. LINK. Herm Edwards, who did Hard Knocks in 2008, calls it “harmless fun.” LINK
31st: 11 things to know about the Dolphins and Hard Knocks. LINK
June
2nd: Dolphins change their marketing strategy to emphasize football and tradition over glitz and glamour. LINK
5th: A look at the 10 Dolphins with the most to prove this year. LINK
6th: The most important story of the offseason: Dolphins cheerleaders perform “Call Me Maybe.” LINK
11th: Dolphins sign Chad Ochocinco, who changes his name back to Chad Johnson after getting married on July 4. LINK
11th: Ross says he’s eager for uniform and stadium changes, possibly as soon as 2013. LINK
15th: Several players say they like Philbin’s openness and transparency. LINK
16th: Dolphins players getting inundated with endorsement opportunities thanks to Hard Knocks. LINK
18th: Glut of 1-year contracts show Dolphins are gearing up for 2013. LINK
21st: Dolphins glad to no longer share stadium with Marlins, hope to schedule a lot of soccer events. LINK
27th: LT Jake Long is the Dolphins’ lone rep on NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2012. LINK
27th: Former team president Eddie Jones passes away. LINK
29th: Training camp practices start early this year. LINK
