Dolphins are Sixth Youngest Team in NFL

Bill Parcells and the Dolphins have been one of the league's more aggressive teams during the NFL Free Agency period. They've signed eight unrestricted free agents and traded for nose tackle Jason Ferguson. One of the most significant accomplishments the Dolphins have done is get younger. They released five veterans whose average age was 34.2. Those aging vets were replaced by seven free agents whose average age
is 26.7.

On NFL Network last night, The show Total Access was discussing the impact Brett Favre’s retirement had on the average age of the Green Bay Packers. As of yesterday the Green Bay Packers are the youngest team in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins showed up in the list at number six. The show only displayed the seven youngest teams and here is the entire top seven with the average age per player:

1. Green Bay Packers-25 years, 300 days
2. Buffalo Bills-26 years, 66 days
3. Atlanta Falcons-26 years, 96 days
4. New York Jets-26 years, 115 days
5. Indianapolis Colts-26 years, 125 days
6. Miami Dolphins-26 years, 147 days
7. San Diego Chargers-26 years, 190 days

It would have been nice to see all 32 teams on the list however in order to perhaps extract a little more meaning. Interesting to me that 3 of the top 6 on the list comes from the AFC EAST making this division the youngest in the NFL. It also seems apparent that the seven youngest teams are either a playoff caliber team or one of the worst in the NFL. No middle ground in that list.

The additions of Ferguson and defensive tackle Randy Starks may hint that the Dolphins aren't going to take either LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey or USCs Sedrick Ellis with the first pick. Signing Josh McNown may also hint that Miami will also pass on Boston Colleges QB Ryan. I just listened to a Justin Smiley on NFL Network and Smiley indicated that McNown by far is the largest most impressive quarterback he has ever met in person.

Of Miami's seven major free-agent signings, three of them are prototypical cogs in a 3-4 alignment. Randy Starks, a 6-foot-3, 312-pounder, is a versatile defensive lineman who is big enough to play nose tackle but could transition into the end spot if needed, while linebackers Charlie Anderson and Reggie Torbor are both over 6-2 and 240 pounds and are well-suited to the 3-4. (Note: Torbor did play in a 4-3 for the Giants in 2007.)

Also when you factor in recent trade acquisition Jason Ferguson -- who has spent most of his NFL career playing nose tackle -- it becomes all the more apparent that Miami's days as a 4-3 haven are coming to an end.

Perhaps more importantly in terms of a future Dolphins resurgence is a more subtle trend discovered when looking over Miami's recent acquisitions. That is, six were products of the 2004 draft.

Justin Smiley: second-round pick (46th overall).
Randy Starks: third-round pick (71st overall).
Reggie Torbor: fourth-round pick (97th overall).
Ernest Wilford: fourth-round pick (120th overall).
Sean Ryan: fifth-round pick (144th overall).
Charlie Anderson: sixth-round pick (200th overall).

It almost appears as if Parcells & Co. made a concerted effort to round up players whom they scouted in the 2004 draft but were unable to land, with Sean Ryan being the lone exception because Parcells actually did draft him while with the Cowboys. This is actually a great idea when you consider both the lack of depth that has plagued the Dolphins for years and the utter ineptitude of the Dave Wannstedt regime when it came to drafting legitimate NFL talent (none of Wannstedt's draft picks are still with the team).

The idea is evidently to remedy the relatively bare cupboard left behind by the previous regimes while simultaneously adding a second layer of young talent to go along with the incoming batch of rookies slated to land in Miami in late April.

Most prognosticators and analysts would agree that the Dolphins need to see improvement from their offensive line if the team is to make any significant improvement on last season's 1-15 record.

Fortunately for Dolphins fans, owner Wayne Huizenga was smart enough to lure one of the NFL's most astute grocery shoppers to Miami and has handed over full operational control to one Duane Charles Parcells.

Besides having a proven eye for on-field football talent, Parcells also has a pretty solid track record of identifying quality football people and putting them in positions to succeed (see former assistants Belichick, Bill and Coughlin, Tom).
To shape the Dolphins' offensive front, Parcells and head coach Tony Sparano brought in Mike Maser, a 12-year NFL veteran line coach with a record of developing young linemen and of producing units that create lanes for the running backs and time for the quarterbacks.

The Jags ran for more than 2,000 yards during four of Maser's final five years in Jacksonville (where he served alongside fellow assistant Tony Sparano, Miami's head coach). When Maser took over Carolina's offensive line in 2003 (under offensive coordinator Dan Henning, by the way, now with Miami), the Panthers set team records both for rushing (2,091) and for fewest sacks allowed (26).

So far, Parcells, Ireland, and Sparano have been tight-lipped about the team's plans and have done nothing to tip their hand regarding personnel decisions. However, over the next two weeks, fans (and second-guessers) will start to get an indication of what direction the team will be headed. Parcells has done a fine job of assembling a coaching staff whose focus is on fundamental football and developing young players. Now the time has come for him to start bringing them some groceries.