This is a timeline about the NFL and it follows the Miami Dolphins from the POD in 2003 (Ricky Williams' third positive drug test is averted) through about a decade of ripples. Not sure if I plan to take this all the way to present day, but at least through the 2012 season. (If you're a Saints fan, I will be throwing you a bone even with no Brees.) Enjoy.
INTRODUCTION
(ESPN broadcast)
"Yeah, we were winning that year, but I just...I couldn't take it anymore. That was really what the two positive tests were about. I felt like weed was the only thing that kept me sane until the team hired a psychiatrist. And this was the first guy who really put a finger on it.
"It all started in New Orleans with that stupid-ass picture of me in a wedding dress with Ditka. Everyone had all these expectations, like I was the damn Messiah for a football team. And no one there could figure it out. No one in Miami could figure it out. I even told the man, 'I just don't think I want to do this anymore, Doc.' He didn't say anything.
He listened. He just sat there and listened. He was the first person who did that. And yeah, I know looking back that the Dolphins did it so they didn't have to worry about losing their star running back. But I didn't care. I got better. I learned how to live in this world. And I'm grateful for that opportunity. Now I can still be around the game, and I love that. I can do what I want and still be a football guy. It changed my life. I'm happy.
And of course I probably wouldn't have kept playing if I hadn't started soing mindfulness therapy and yoga. And we never would have had a run like we did."
Ricky Williams, ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Miami Ice," aired August 1, 2016
(Dolphin Stadium, press conference, November 21, 2005)
Miami Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt approaches the microphone, appearing upset.
Wannstedt: I'll make this quick. I've talked this over with our general manager, Rick Spielman, and our owner, Mr. Huizenga. Effective immediately, I am resigning as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Several voices in the background call out for Wannstedt to answer questions, but he simply walks off the stage and general manager Rick Spielman takes his place.
Spielman: Coach Wannstedt has made his decision clear. We will move forward as a football team, and we will rally around our interim head coach, Marc Trestman. We are better than our record at this point, and we will move forward with Coach Trestman.
(CBS broadcast, Gillette Stadium, January 1, 2006)
Steve Beuerlein: And with that, we're right up against the two-minute warning as the Dolphins lead the Patriots 25-20. Olindo Mare will attempt a 41-yard field goal to put Miami up by eight. The kick is set to go...the snap is away, Mare boots it...splits the uprights and...wait, the officials are blowing it dead. What's going on here?
Dan Marino: Looks like Trestman didn't like what he saw, and he called a timeout before the play was snapped. That just doesn't make any sense to me, icing your own kicker before he has the chance to put this game in a very tight spot for New England. I mean, this is a lost season for Miami, sure, but there's no reason the Dolphins can't end it on a high note with a well-done win here. What is Trestman doing?
Ahead to after the commercial.
Beuerlein: Mare will try again from 41. There's the snap, the hold is good...and Mare shanks it wide left. The Patriots will get the ball on their own 31 with a chance to win the game.
Marino: Another blown call for Trestman. I tell you, it looked like he had it together after the win in Oakland, but that disastrous play call against Buffalo four weeks ago just showed that things haven't changed much in Miami from a coaching standpoint. This team made that terrible call against Baltimore last year that cost the Dolphins the playoffs, and now with nothing more than pride on the line, Trestman makes one of the most difficult calls to understand I've seen in a long time with that timeout.
Beuerlein: It's Patriot ball now, first and ten, and Brady has the ball, and the handoff is to Pass for maybe a yard.
Cut to the end of the game.
Beuerlein: Nine seconds left, first and goal on the Miami 16, Brady back to pass, he fires...incomplete, and now the Patriots have one last chance to win. Four seconds remaining. Brady with the snap, Deion Branch is open in the end zone, Brady fires...CAUGHT! Touchdown Patriots, and as time expires, the New England Patriots win their season finale as the Dolphins slide to 5-11.
(CBS broadcast, Paul Brown Stadium, January 8, 2006)
Jim Nantz: The Chargers have the ball at the Bengals' 44, first and ten with the game on the line. San Diego needs a touchdown to tie. Brees takes the snap and hands off to Sproles, and he's got a hole and a gain of about seven. He's finally brought down by Odell Thurman in Bengal territory.
Ian Eagle: This is exactly what the Chargers need to do. Under five minutes left in the game, and they're using their best chance to make up ground. This should be an easy first down here, but let's see if it turns into a shot at a tie game.
Nantz: Second and three, Brees is back to pass, over the middle to McCardell...he has it at the 40 for a big gain and he's down at the 32 of Cincinnati. The Chargers are really making big gains here.
Eagle: Uh-oh, it looks like Brees got roughed up on that play. You see the replay, and Justin Smith was way too late to Brees, and now the quarterback is a little slow to get up. He landed on his wrist, and now Marty Schottenheimer has a big decision to make here. Will we see Philip Rivers here in crunch time? That's an awfully big stage for a young quarterback.
Nantz: Nope, Brees is back under center as the Chargers pick up at the Cincinnati 17 after that late hit on Smith. Brees back to throw, O'Neal uncovered has a clean shot at Brees...he goes down hard and it's a fumble! Picked up by Keiwan Ratliff and he's off to the races! He's at the 30, the 35, no one within striking distance of Ratliff and no flags on the play! He's got the distance! Touchdown Bengals and they're on top 30-17 here in Cincinnati!
Eagle: Looks like Brees still isn't getting up. The medical team is on the field attending to him, and he's not moving. That was a brutal hit by Deltha O'Neal, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the San Diego Chargers.
Nantz: The crowd applauds as Brees is carried off on the cart and he's on his way to the locker room. Clearly he's done for today, and given the score, you have to wonder if he's played his last down in a Charger uniform.
(Dolphin Stadium, president's office, February 20, 2006)
COO Bryan Wiedmeyer meets with general manager Randy Mueller.
Wiedmeier: Damn it, this is a bad situation, Randy. We need a coach. And I don't mean some stopgap wash-up.
Mueller: What about Kubiak?
Wiedmeier: Houston beat us to him. Even Herman Edwards is taken. We need a plan.
Mueller: What about a college coach?
Wiedmeier: This better be good.
Mueller: I called Nick Saban at LSU.
Wiedmeier: He's a no-go. He's interested but his wife said no.
Mueller: Figures. If only there were a guy who was on his way out and would be interested.
Wiedmeier: Yeah, but I don't want an experiment. I want someone we know can do the job.
Mueller: Someone who wins at both levels.
Wiedmeier: Preferably someone with a chip on his shoulder against some of the teams that have been kicking our asses year in and year out.
Mueller: Well, there is one name, but...no. He'd never bite. Too entrenched in college, but there has to be some way to pry him away.
Wiedmeier: Tressel?
Mueller: Wasn't thinking of him, but it's worth a shot. If he's good enough for Ohio State, well...
Wiedmeier: Doesn't know shit about quarterbacks. Try again.
Both pause for a moment.
Mueller: Pete Carroll.
Both men laugh.
(ESPN broadcast)
"And so in 2006, I was still coming down off the Texas loss. And I couldn't shake this feeling like something bad was around the corner at USC. I mean, yes, in retrospect, it looked like I was running away from the scandal, but really it was this idea that this was as good as it was ever going to get at USC. I reached the top and there was no getting back there.
"And Randy calls out of the blue. I didn't know the man from Adam and his voice sounded an awful lot like Lane Kiffin's. So Randy said he wanted to interview me for the Dolphins' head coaching position.
"I laughed. I actually said to him, 'Shut the hell up, Lane. You want to pull this shit, at least say you're with the Seahawks or something.' I hung up the phone.
"Then Bryan Wiedmeier got on the phone and I figured out they weren't joking. We still have a laugh about it to this day."
Pete Carroll, Dolphins head coach, 30 for 30 documentary "Miami Ice," aired August 1, 2016
(SportsCenter, March 13, 2006)
Rece Davis: We have some breaking NFL news. Drew Brees has a new lease on life after that devastating hot in the wild card game in Cincinnati, and according to an NFL doctor, he's passed his physical. And now he has a new home. The Miami Dolphins have signed Brees to a six-year deal worth $68 million. According to sources, Brees has been promised the starting job with the Dolphins, making it likely that Gus Frerotte will be traded.
(Radio City Music Hall, NFL Draft, April 29, 2006)
Paul Tagliabue: With the fourth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select A.J. Hawk, linebacker, Ohio State University.
(Full draft list, Miami Dolphins, 2006)
4. A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State
37. Jimmy F. Williams, CB, Virginia Tech
41 (from AZ): Roman Harper, S, Alabama
68. Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio State (traded to DEN)
101. Cory Rodgers, WR, TCU
126 (from DEN): Elvis Dumervil, DE, Louisville
212. Cortland Finnegan, CB, Samford
Also acquired: Brandon Marshall, WR, Central Florida from DEN
Also traded: 2007 5th-round pick to DEN
(NFL Live, September 7, 2006)
Chris Berman: One team we're paying close attention to is the new-look Miami Dolphins. Head coach Pete Carroll went defense-heavy with the draft, but the most talked-about acquisition of the offseason is quarterback Drew Brees. After a rough season last year, Miami opens this season, the Dolphins get a break right out of the gate as they open against another new-look team, the Tennessee Titans. With that in mind, let's see what's in store this week.
Transition to the "Swami Sez" segment.
Berman: I have Pittsburgh covering against the Buffalo Bills. The Bengals should have no trouble in Kansas City. McNabb and Company should fly out of Houston victorious. The defending champion Colts escape the Manning Bowl with a win, but Eli keeps it close and the Colts don't cover. And finally, the Dolphins come away with an easy win over Tennessee.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Currently this covers the time from the POD until the opening of the 2006 season. Next up will be the 2006 season. I hope to deliver at least one major update a week.
INTRODUCTION
(ESPN broadcast)
"Yeah, we were winning that year, but I just...I couldn't take it anymore. That was really what the two positive tests were about. I felt like weed was the only thing that kept me sane until the team hired a psychiatrist. And this was the first guy who really put a finger on it.
"It all started in New Orleans with that stupid-ass picture of me in a wedding dress with Ditka. Everyone had all these expectations, like I was the damn Messiah for a football team. And no one there could figure it out. No one in Miami could figure it out. I even told the man, 'I just don't think I want to do this anymore, Doc.' He didn't say anything.
He listened. He just sat there and listened. He was the first person who did that. And yeah, I know looking back that the Dolphins did it so they didn't have to worry about losing their star running back. But I didn't care. I got better. I learned how to live in this world. And I'm grateful for that opportunity. Now I can still be around the game, and I love that. I can do what I want and still be a football guy. It changed my life. I'm happy.
And of course I probably wouldn't have kept playing if I hadn't started soing mindfulness therapy and yoga. And we never would have had a run like we did."
Ricky Williams, ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Miami Ice," aired August 1, 2016
(Dolphin Stadium, press conference, November 21, 2005)
Miami Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt approaches the microphone, appearing upset.
Wannstedt: I'll make this quick. I've talked this over with our general manager, Rick Spielman, and our owner, Mr. Huizenga. Effective immediately, I am resigning as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Several voices in the background call out for Wannstedt to answer questions, but he simply walks off the stage and general manager Rick Spielman takes his place.
Spielman: Coach Wannstedt has made his decision clear. We will move forward as a football team, and we will rally around our interim head coach, Marc Trestman. We are better than our record at this point, and we will move forward with Coach Trestman.
(CBS broadcast, Gillette Stadium, January 1, 2006)
Steve Beuerlein: And with that, we're right up against the two-minute warning as the Dolphins lead the Patriots 25-20. Olindo Mare will attempt a 41-yard field goal to put Miami up by eight. The kick is set to go...the snap is away, Mare boots it...splits the uprights and...wait, the officials are blowing it dead. What's going on here?
Dan Marino: Looks like Trestman didn't like what he saw, and he called a timeout before the play was snapped. That just doesn't make any sense to me, icing your own kicker before he has the chance to put this game in a very tight spot for New England. I mean, this is a lost season for Miami, sure, but there's no reason the Dolphins can't end it on a high note with a well-done win here. What is Trestman doing?
Ahead to after the commercial.
Beuerlein: Mare will try again from 41. There's the snap, the hold is good...and Mare shanks it wide left. The Patriots will get the ball on their own 31 with a chance to win the game.
Marino: Another blown call for Trestman. I tell you, it looked like he had it together after the win in Oakland, but that disastrous play call against Buffalo four weeks ago just showed that things haven't changed much in Miami from a coaching standpoint. This team made that terrible call against Baltimore last year that cost the Dolphins the playoffs, and now with nothing more than pride on the line, Trestman makes one of the most difficult calls to understand I've seen in a long time with that timeout.
Beuerlein: It's Patriot ball now, first and ten, and Brady has the ball, and the handoff is to Pass for maybe a yard.
Cut to the end of the game.
Beuerlein: Nine seconds left, first and goal on the Miami 16, Brady back to pass, he fires...incomplete, and now the Patriots have one last chance to win. Four seconds remaining. Brady with the snap, Deion Branch is open in the end zone, Brady fires...CAUGHT! Touchdown Patriots, and as time expires, the New England Patriots win their season finale as the Dolphins slide to 5-11.
(CBS broadcast, Paul Brown Stadium, January 8, 2006)
Jim Nantz: The Chargers have the ball at the Bengals' 44, first and ten with the game on the line. San Diego needs a touchdown to tie. Brees takes the snap and hands off to Sproles, and he's got a hole and a gain of about seven. He's finally brought down by Odell Thurman in Bengal territory.
Ian Eagle: This is exactly what the Chargers need to do. Under five minutes left in the game, and they're using their best chance to make up ground. This should be an easy first down here, but let's see if it turns into a shot at a tie game.
Nantz: Second and three, Brees is back to pass, over the middle to McCardell...he has it at the 40 for a big gain and he's down at the 32 of Cincinnati. The Chargers are really making big gains here.
Eagle: Uh-oh, it looks like Brees got roughed up on that play. You see the replay, and Justin Smith was way too late to Brees, and now the quarterback is a little slow to get up. He landed on his wrist, and now Marty Schottenheimer has a big decision to make here. Will we see Philip Rivers here in crunch time? That's an awfully big stage for a young quarterback.
Nantz: Nope, Brees is back under center as the Chargers pick up at the Cincinnati 17 after that late hit on Smith. Brees back to throw, O'Neal uncovered has a clean shot at Brees...he goes down hard and it's a fumble! Picked up by Keiwan Ratliff and he's off to the races! He's at the 30, the 35, no one within striking distance of Ratliff and no flags on the play! He's got the distance! Touchdown Bengals and they're on top 30-17 here in Cincinnati!
Eagle: Looks like Brees still isn't getting up. The medical team is on the field attending to him, and he's not moving. That was a brutal hit by Deltha O'Neal, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the San Diego Chargers.
Nantz: The crowd applauds as Brees is carried off on the cart and he's on his way to the locker room. Clearly he's done for today, and given the score, you have to wonder if he's played his last down in a Charger uniform.
(Dolphin Stadium, president's office, February 20, 2006)
COO Bryan Wiedmeyer meets with general manager Randy Mueller.
Wiedmeier: Damn it, this is a bad situation, Randy. We need a coach. And I don't mean some stopgap wash-up.
Mueller: What about Kubiak?
Wiedmeier: Houston beat us to him. Even Herman Edwards is taken. We need a plan.
Mueller: What about a college coach?
Wiedmeier: This better be good.
Mueller: I called Nick Saban at LSU.
Wiedmeier: He's a no-go. He's interested but his wife said no.
Mueller: Figures. If only there were a guy who was on his way out and would be interested.
Wiedmeier: Yeah, but I don't want an experiment. I want someone we know can do the job.
Mueller: Someone who wins at both levels.
Wiedmeier: Preferably someone with a chip on his shoulder against some of the teams that have been kicking our asses year in and year out.
Mueller: Well, there is one name, but...no. He'd never bite. Too entrenched in college, but there has to be some way to pry him away.
Wiedmeier: Tressel?
Mueller: Wasn't thinking of him, but it's worth a shot. If he's good enough for Ohio State, well...
Wiedmeier: Doesn't know shit about quarterbacks. Try again.
Both pause for a moment.
Mueller: Pete Carroll.
Both men laugh.
(ESPN broadcast)
"And so in 2006, I was still coming down off the Texas loss. And I couldn't shake this feeling like something bad was around the corner at USC. I mean, yes, in retrospect, it looked like I was running away from the scandal, but really it was this idea that this was as good as it was ever going to get at USC. I reached the top and there was no getting back there.
"And Randy calls out of the blue. I didn't know the man from Adam and his voice sounded an awful lot like Lane Kiffin's. So Randy said he wanted to interview me for the Dolphins' head coaching position.
"I laughed. I actually said to him, 'Shut the hell up, Lane. You want to pull this shit, at least say you're with the Seahawks or something.' I hung up the phone.
"Then Bryan Wiedmeier got on the phone and I figured out they weren't joking. We still have a laugh about it to this day."
Pete Carroll, Dolphins head coach, 30 for 30 documentary "Miami Ice," aired August 1, 2016
(SportsCenter, March 13, 2006)
Rece Davis: We have some breaking NFL news. Drew Brees has a new lease on life after that devastating hot in the wild card game in Cincinnati, and according to an NFL doctor, he's passed his physical. And now he has a new home. The Miami Dolphins have signed Brees to a six-year deal worth $68 million. According to sources, Brees has been promised the starting job with the Dolphins, making it likely that Gus Frerotte will be traded.
(Radio City Music Hall, NFL Draft, April 29, 2006)
Paul Tagliabue: With the fourth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select A.J. Hawk, linebacker, Ohio State University.
(Full draft list, Miami Dolphins, 2006)
4. A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State
37. Jimmy F. Williams, CB, Virginia Tech
41 (from AZ): Roman Harper, S, Alabama
68. Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio State (traded to DEN)
101. Cory Rodgers, WR, TCU
126 (from DEN): Elvis Dumervil, DE, Louisville
212. Cortland Finnegan, CB, Samford
Also acquired: Brandon Marshall, WR, Central Florida from DEN
Also traded: 2007 5th-round pick to DEN
(NFL Live, September 7, 2006)
Chris Berman: One team we're paying close attention to is the new-look Miami Dolphins. Head coach Pete Carroll went defense-heavy with the draft, but the most talked-about acquisition of the offseason is quarterback Drew Brees. After a rough season last year, Miami opens this season, the Dolphins get a break right out of the gate as they open against another new-look team, the Tennessee Titans. With that in mind, let's see what's in store this week.
Transition to the "Swami Sez" segment.
Berman: I have Pittsburgh covering against the Buffalo Bills. The Bengals should have no trouble in Kansas City. McNabb and Company should fly out of Houston victorious. The defending champion Colts escape the Manning Bowl with a win, but Eli keeps it close and the Colts don't cover. And finally, the Dolphins come away with an easy win over Tennessee.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Currently this covers the time from the POD until the opening of the 2006 season. Next up will be the 2006 season. I hope to deliver at least one major update a week.
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