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2009 Miami Dolphins season

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The 2009 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 40th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 44th overall and the second under head coach Tony Sparano.[1] The Dolphins entered the 2009 season as the reigning AFC East champions after posting an 11–5 record in 2008. Dropping by four more games, the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007, marking the 25th consecutive year that the region hosting the Super Bowl did not see its host team play in, thus it set off a playoff drought that lasted until 2016[2] (not counting years where Super Bowls have been played on neutral sites).

2009 Miami Dolphins season
General managerJeff Ireland
Head coachTony Sparano
Home fieldLand Shark Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place3rd AFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersOT Jake Long
S Yeremiah Bell
K Dan Carpenter
AP All-ProsJake Long (2nd team)

Offseason personnel moves

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Coaching staff

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The Dolphins fired offensive line coach Mike Maser on January 14, 2009, just one year after he was hired to head coach Tony Sparano's staff.[3] During Maser's lone season with the Dolphins, the team had the 12th-best offense in the league with 345.6 yards per game.[3] A day after firing Maser, the team hired Dave DeGuglielmo, who had been the assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants, as their new offensive line coach.[4]

After kicking coach Steve Hoffman left the team to join the Kansas City Chiefs,[5] the Dolphins hired University of Rhode Island head coach Darren Rizzi as the assistant special teams coach on February 21.[6]

Players

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Re-signings

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Signings

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Departures

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Trades

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Free agents

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UFA: Unrestricted free agent, RFA: Restricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive-rights free agent

Position Player Free agency
status		 Date signed 2009 team
SS Yeremiah Bell UFA 2/26 Miami Dolphins
OT Vernon Carey UFA 2/20 Miami Dolphins
LB Channing Crowder UFA 2/25 Miami Dolphins
CB André Goodman UFA 3/1 Denver Broncos
TE Aaron Halterman ERFA
FS Renaldo Hill UFA 2/27 Denver Broncos
C Al Johnson UFA 3/17 New England Patriots
LB Quentin Moses ERFA 3/31 Miami Dolphins
G Ike Ndukwe ERFA 3/20 Miami Dolphins
WR Tab Perry UFA
LB Derek Smith UFA
= Retained by Dolphins

2009 NFL Draft

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Originally slated to have the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, the Dolphins' pick moved up one spot to 25th after the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles made it to the NFC Championship.[8] Both the Cardinals (9–7) and Eagles (9–6–1) were projected to pick before the Dolphins (11–5), but with one guaranteed to make the Super Bowl (and thus pick 31st or 32nd depending on the outcome) the Dolphins moved up one position in the draft.[8]

Draft Name Position College Height Weight
Rnd Pick
1 25 Vontae Davis CB Illinois 5'11" 203
2 44 Pat White QB/WR West Virginia 6'0" 197
61 Sean Smith CB Utah 6'4" 215
3 87 Patrick Turner WR USC 6'5" 220
4 108 Brian Hartline WR Ohio State 6'3" 188
5 161 John Nalbone TE Monmouth 6'4" 255
165 Chris Clemons FS Clemson 6'1" 210
6 181 Andrew Gardner OT Georgia Tech 6'6" 305
7 214 J. D. Folsom ILB Weber State 6'3" 230

Notes

Draft pick signings

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  • May 21 – Signed tight end John Nalbone to a four-year contract.
  • June 18 – Signed offensive tackle Andrew Gardner to a four-year contract.
  • July 3 – Signed wide receiver Patrick Turner to a four-year contract.
  • July 3 – Signed linebacker J. D. Folsom to a four-year contract.
  • July 15 – Signed wide receiver Brian Hartline to a four-year contract.
  • July 24 – Signed cornerback Sean Smith to a four-year contract.
  • August 1 – Signed cornerback Vontae Davis to a five-year contract.
  • August 2 – Signed quarterback Pat White to a four-year contract.
  • August 2 – Signed safety Chris Clemons to a four-year contract.

Undrafted free agents

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Following the 2009 NFL draft, the Dolphins signed the following nine undrafted free agents on April 30:

The team later signed guard J. D. Quinn (Montana) on May 11. Two of the undrafted rookies left the team shortly after signing, with Bronson failing to report to training camp on August 2 and Rogers opting for retirement on August 6.

Training camp and preseason

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Opening camp roster

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Miami Dolphins 2009 opening training camp roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Rookies in italics

Final preseason roster

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Miami Dolphins 2009 final preseason roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Rookies in italics

Transactions

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Preseason

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 17 Jacksonville Jaguars W 12–9 1–0 Land Shark Stadium Recap
2 August 22 Carolina Panthers W 27–17 2–0 Land Shark Stadium Recap
3 August 27 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–6 3–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap
4 September 3 at New Orleans Saints W 10–7 4–0 Louisiana Superdome Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 13 at Atlanta Falcons L 7–19 0–1 Georgia Dome Recap
2 September 21 Indianapolis Colts L 23–27 0–2 Land Shark Stadium Recap
3 September 27 at San Diego Chargers L 13–23 0–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
4 October 4 Buffalo Bills W 38–10 1–3 Land Shark Stadium Recap
5 October 12 New York Jets W 31–27 2–3 Land Shark Stadium Recap
6 Bye
7 October 25 New Orleans Saints L 34–46 2–4 Land Shark Stadium Recap
8 November 1 at New York Jets W 30–25 3–4 Giants Stadium Recap
9 November 8 at New England Patriots L 17–27 3–5 Gillette Stadium Recap
10 November 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 25–23 4–5 Land Shark Stadium Recap
11 November 19 at Carolina Panthers W 24–17 5–5 Bank of America Stadium Recap
12 November 29 at Buffalo Bills L 14–31 5–6 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap
13 December 6 New England Patriots W 22–21 6–6 Land Shark Stadium Recap
14 December 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 14–10 7–6 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Recap
15 December 20 at Tennessee Titans L 24–27 (OT) 7–7 LP Field Recap
16 December 27 Houston Texans L 20–27 7–8 Land Shark Stadium Recap
17 January 3 Pittsburgh Steelers L 24–30 7–9 Land Shark Stadium Recap

Standings

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AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) New England Patriots 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 427 285 L1
(5) New York Jets 9 7 0 .563 2–4 7–5 348 236 W2
Miami Dolphins 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 360 390 L3
Buffalo Bills 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 258 326 W1

Game results

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Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 0 077
Falcons 0 10 6319

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta

 
The Miami Dolphins preparing for the 2009 season opener in Atlanta.

After a great season for the Miami Dolphins in 2008, the Dolphins went to the Georgia Dome to take on 2008 playoff contenders, the Atlanta Falcons. After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons got on the board with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to fullback Ovie Mughelli in the second quarter. They also got a 36-yard field goal by kicker Jason Elam to make the score 10–0 at halftime. In the third quarter, Mike Peterson intercepted a Chad Pennington pass, which set up a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez and a 50-yard field goal by Jason Elam to make the score 19–0. Chad Pennington then hit a 9-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Williams.

The Falcons won the game 19–7 as the Dolphins started their season 0–1.

In 2008, no other team turned the ball over less than the Dolphins with only 13 turnovers, but in Week 1 Miami's offense had 4 turnovers, without having a single turnover on defense.

Week 2: vs. Indianapolis Colts

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 6 01427
Dolphins 7 6 01023

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

After a miserable loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Dolphins host their home opener to the Indianapolis Colts. On the first play from scrimmage, Peyton Manning threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark. The Dolphins answered with a 14-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown out of the Wildcat Offense. The Dolphins and Colts kept going back and forth at each other with two field goals by Dan Carpenter and Adam Vinatieri to make the score 13–13 at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Ronnie Brown ran 2-yards for a touchdown to put Miami up 20–13. The Colts answered back with a 15-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Donald Brown. Miami than hit a 45-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter. But the Colts took the lead thanks to a 48-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon. The Dolphins tried to rally at the end of the game but Chad Pennington was intercepted by Antoine Bethea to secure the Colts' victory.

The Colts won the game 27–23 as the Dolphins dropped to 0–2.

The Dolphins dominated the game in the time of possession battle, but lost the game with almost 50 minutes of offensive possession.

Week 3: at San Diego Chargers

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 3 3713
Chargers 0 3 71323

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Looking for their first win of the season, the Dolphins traveled to Qualcomm Stadium to take on the San Diego Chargers.

After a scoreless first quarter, Nate Kaeding hit a 25-yard field goal to score the first points of the game. Miami answered with a 24-yard field goal to tie the game at halftime 3–3. Miami took the lead after a 23-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter. But the Chargers retook the lead with a 5-yard touchdown run by Philip Rivers. The Chargers pulled away in the fourth quarter with two Nate Kaeding field goals and a 31-yard interception return by safety Eric Weddle. The Dolphins got a 14-yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams, but couldn't make a comeback.

The Chargers won the game 23–13 as the Dolphins fell to 0–3.

Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington left the game with a shoulder injury after being hit by linebacker Kevin Burnett and was out for the season. The Dolphins chose Chad Henne to lead the Dolphins for the rest of the season.

Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 3 0710
Dolphins 0 17 14738

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

The Miami Dolphins came off of a 0–3 start and tried to rebound against the Buffalo Bills. After a scoreless first quarter the Dolphins rallied quick with a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown by rookie Vontae Davis and a 1-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown along with a 33-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter making the halftime score 17–3. Miami continued with a Chad Henne touchdown pass to Brian Hartline and a 1-yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams. Trent Edwards hit Josh Reed for a 3-yard touchdown but Miami ended the game with a 1-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown.

The Dolphins won the game 38–10 as the team improved to 1–3.

Chad Henne made his first NFL start and threw for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Week 5: vs. New York Jets

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 7 6 01427
Dolphins 10 0 02131

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Ronnie Brown ran in for the winning touchdown with just seconds left to send the Dolphins into their bye week at 2–3.

Week 6: BYE

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Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 7 142246
Dolphins 14 10 10034

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

After they passed on signing him during the 2006 offseason, this was Saints quarterback Drew Brees' first time playing in Miami. With the surprising loss, the Dolphins dropped to 2–4.

Week 8: at New York Jets

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 3 21630
Jets 0 3 16625

at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey

With their season sweep over the Jets, the Dolphins improved to 3–4.

Week 9: at New England Patriots

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 3 7 7017
Patriots 7 9 8327

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 3–5.

Week 10: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 3 31423
Dolphins 6 13 0625

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 4–5.

Week 11: at Carolina Panthers

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 14 01024
Panthers 3 0 01417

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 5–5.

Week 12: at Buffalo Bills

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 7 7014
Bills 0 7 02431

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 5–6.

Week 13: vs. New England Patriots

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 7 7021
Dolphins 0 10 9322

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 6–6.

Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 7 7 0014
Jaguars 0 7 3010

at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 7–6.

Week 15: at Tennessee Titans

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Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Dolphins 3 3 315024
Titans 7 10 70327

at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 7–7.

Week 16: vs. Houston Texans

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 10 17 0027
Dolphins 0 3 71020

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 7–8.

Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 14 3 7630
Dolphins 7 3 01424

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

The final outcome of this game had somewhat of a domino effect. It resulted in the Dolphins' elimination from the post-season (including Super Bowl XLIV, which they hosted February 8, 2010), and also, by virtue of the final standings' tiebreaker (as the result of the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Oakland Raiders), the Steelers themselves being dethroned of their world title defense.

The Dolphins ended their season in 3rd place in the AFC East as they finished the season 7–9.

Transactions

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Staff

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Miami Dolphins 2009 staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

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2009 Miami Dolphins roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 8 reserve, 6 practice squad

References

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  1. ^ "Miami Dolphins History". Dolphins 2007 Media Guide (Miami). Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  2. ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/columnists/greg_cote/story/822086.html[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b "Sources: Dolphins fire O-line coach". ProFootballWeekly.com. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  4. ^ "Dolphins Name Dave DeGuglielmo Offensive Line Coach". MiamiDolphins.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  5. ^ "Chiefs Announce Assistant Coaches, Without Disclosing Their Specific Jobs". ProFootballTalk.com. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  6. ^ "Dolphins Add Darren Rizzi To Coaching Staff". MiamiDolphins.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Miami Dolphins January 2009 transactions". ProFootballWeekly.com. Retrieved January 12, 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ a b "Miami Dolphins move up to no. 25 in draft". Sun-Sentinel.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  9. ^ "Miami Dolphins July 2008 transactions". ProFootballWeekly.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  10. ^ "Dolphins bring back Ferguson". ESPN. March 10, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Miami Dolphins August 2008 transactions". ProFootballWeekly.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
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