Every year after the Super Bowl is played, and a new NFL Champion has been crowned, football teams, fans and the media hold a ritualistic vigil for a much hyped story that will develop and dominate the football headlines in the early days of the offseason. It is the saga of the latest superstar free agent and the question of where they will sign. The game of speculation by the media, and reports by self-proclaimed insiders, go on for months and gather momentum and interest like the live report of a highway police chase. The Miami Dolphins have a history, even before the current owner and present management, of going after these coveted players, and often enough, succeeding in their pursuit. Joey Porter, Brandon Marshall, Mike Wallace, and now Ndamukong Suh are among some of these superstars who once owned the spotlight for those few months. The results time and again however, have been to say the least, disappointing. It is still too early to grade the impact the Dolphins' latest big name free agent, Ndamukong Suh will have on the Dolphins' quest for a playoff berth, but so far this season, and after only 2 games, fans are starting to wonder.
Football teams are built through the draft and not through the free agent market. The latter only serves to fill gaps not filled from the draft. This off season the Dolphins chose not to prioritize crucial needs at some key skilled and non-skilled positions, concentrating heavily instead on the defense, specifically, defensive tackle. The Dolphins went on to sign their superstar Du Jour, and add one more defensive tackle free agent. The signings left little room under the salary cap to go after one of Miami's biggest needs, a talented offensive guard to solidify their offensive line.
Current starters on the team such as Brent Grimes, Cameron Wake, Ndamukong Suh, C.J. Mosley, Earl Mitchell on defense among others, and Greg Jennings, Jordan Cameron, Jason Fox, Branden Albert etc on offense, were not drafted or developed by the Dolphins. Other teams around the league, like the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers for instance, are traditionally less active during the free agent signing period, and these teams understandably, seldom get into salary cap trouble. Not by coincidence perhaps, these are the same teams that seem to always be on top of their division. Given Miami's history with high priced free agents, one would think the Dolphins would have learned a lesson from their experience by now, but just this year, it was Miami grabbing the sports world headlines when they signed the highest paid defensive lineman free agent ever.
It is too early to tell what the outcome of the 2015 season will be, it is turning out to be just that kind of season. Some good teams around the league which were expected to do well have started their season 0-2, but a dramatic turn around is bound to happen for some of these franchises, it is part of what makes football exciting and it will all come down to the final record, not to how a team starts or what they do in the off season. The Miami Dolphins made a loud splash in the off season again, ticket sales were up, fans raved, local sports radio phone lines were lit up by enthusiastic callers barking out war cries. The Dolphins enjoyed their 15 minutes of headline grabbing attention, and nothing could stop the wagon train which now seems on the verge of derailment. It is however a familiar story retold once again. It is a story written in a different book each year, and its collection is held in place by contrasting feelings as bookends, feelings of elation and bitter disappointment. The Miami Dolphins won the offseason again in 2015, but will they win the division?