2008 Miami Dolphins season The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the organization ' s 39th season in the National Football League and 43rd overall . During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single - season turnaround in NFL history , going from a 1 – 15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11 – 5 record in 2008 . The previous standard for improvement one year after a 1 – 15 season belonged to the 1992 Indianapolis Colts , who went 9 – 7 . The 1999 Indianapolis Colts were the only other team to accomplish a 10 - game turnaround , winning 13 games after winning 3 in 1998 . Additionally , Miami won the AFC East , becoming the first team in NFL history to win their division after only having one win the previous season . The 2008 season was the first with Bill Parcells as Executive Vice President of Football Operations , Jeff Ireland as General Manager , and Tony Sparano as head coach . With a league - worst 1 – 15 record in 2007 , the Dolphins held the first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and selected Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long . The offseason also saw the departure of two Pro Bowl ers and long - time Dolphins with the release of linebacker Zach Thomas and trade of defensive end Jason Taylor . Offseason personnel moves . Front office . On December 27 , 2007 , Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga hired former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Bill Parcells as Executive Vice President of Football Operations . Parcells signed a four - year deal with the Dolphins less than a day after turning down a similar offer from the Atlanta Falcons . Just a few days after Parcells ' hiring , three men were dismissed from the Dolphins ' front office . The most notable of which was general manager Randy Mueller , who was hired by the team in 2005 . Also dismissed were Assistant Director of Player Personnel Mike Baugh and College Scouting Coordinator Rick Thompson . Three days after Mueller ' s dismissal , Parcells hired Jeff Ireland as the team ' s new general manager . Ireland had worked for the Dallas Cowboys the past seven years , including the last three as Vice President of College and Pro Scouting . Ireland had worked with Parcells previously , when the latter was head coach of the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006 . Although Ireland was officially given final say on personnel decisions , it was speculated that Parcells was actually in control , and did not hold the title of General Manager so that the team may hire a front office executive from another team . On January 15 , the Dolphins reeled in another former Cowboys executive when they hired Brian Gaine as Assistant Director of Player Personnel . Gaine had previously spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys ' Assistant Director of Pro Scouting , working with both Parcells and Ireland during that time . Following the 2008 NFL Draft , it was reported on May 1 that the Dolphins had fired scouts Ellis Rainsberger , Jack Glowik and Roger Pollard . The team ' s vice president of media relations , Harvey Greene , said Rainsberger had retired and did not comment on the other two reported firings . Coaches . Head coach . Just one day after hiring of Jeff Ireland as general manager , the Dolphins fired head coach Cam Cameron after just one season on the job . Cameron led the Dolphins to an NFL worst 1 – 15 record in 2007 , which was also the worst in franchise history . Additionally , all but two members of the coaching staff were dismissed . The only coaches retained were assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards . Both Hoffman and Edwards were coaches for the Dallas Cowboys during Ireland ' s tenure with the team . A search for Cameron ' s replacement began almost immediately after his firing . Various candidates were rumored , many of which had some connection to Parcells and / or Ireland . Rumored candidates included Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel , Dallas Cowboys assistant Tony Sparano , Cowboys secondary coach Todd Bowles , Arizona Cardinals running backs coach Maurice Carthon and Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley . Additionally , Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were contacted . " The Washington Post " suggested that Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams could be a candidate as well . The first interview scheduled was Sparano , who met with the Dolphins on Saturday , January 11 . Sparano had previously met with the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens regarding their head coaching vacancies . On January 6 , it was reported that Sparano would be offered the Dolphins ' head coaching job , and that he would accept . The Dolphins denied the report later that day , saying it was an initial interview only and that the team had interviews with others planned over the next few days . However , the addition of quarterbacks coach David Lee , a former Cowboys assistant , fueled speculation that Sparano was indeed going to the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins . The team then proceeded to interview Frazier , Ryan and Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz . After the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants in the divisional round of the on January 13 , speculation grew that Sparano ' s hiring was imminent . On January 16 , the Dolphins ended their search by naming Sparano the eighth head coach in franchise history . He received a four - year contract believed to be worth between $ 2 . 5 and $ 2 . 7 million per season . Assistants . Parcells and Ireland made their first coaching staff addition on January 7 , luring Ole Miss offensive coordinator David Lee to be quarterback s coach . Lee , who briefly followed Houston Nutt to Ole Miss after serving as his offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2007 , worked with Parcells and Ireland as the Cowboys ' quarterbacks coach from 2003 to 2006 . The addition fueled speculation that Sparano was indeed going to the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins . Two days after hiring Sparano as their head coach , the Dolphins made their second assistance coach hiring . On January 18 , Mike Maser was named the team ' s new offensive line coach . Maser had previously served in the same capacity for the Carolina Panthers from 2003 to 2006 , and worked with Sparano when both were assistants for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002 . Over the next week , the Dolphins filled various positions on Sparano ' s staff . On January 22 , former Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach James Saxon was hired in the same capacity for the Dolphins . Also hired that day was former Atlanta Falcons strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus , who took the same job with Miami . On January 23 , the Dolphins added four more assistant coaches to their staff when they named Paul Pasqualoni as their defensive coordinator , Todd Bowles as assistant head coach / secondary , Kacy Rodgers as defensive line coach and David Corrao as defensive quality control coach . Pasqualoni , Bowles and Rodgers all came from the Dallas Cowboys ' staff , while Corrao was most recently linebackers coach at the University of Mississippi . A day later , former UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell was named the team ' s new wide receivers coach . Five more coaches were added to the staff on January 28 when the Dolphins named John Bonamego as their special teams coordinator , George DeLeone as their tight ends coach , David Puloka as assistant strength and conditioning coach , Jim Reid as outside linebackers coach and Steve Bush as offensive quality control coach . The Dolphins made their final addition to the staff on February 4 , hiring Dan Henning as offensive coordinator . Henning , who had most recently served as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2002 to 2006 , had previous worked for the Dolphins under Don Shula as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach in 1979 – 1980 . Final staff . When the Dolphins ' coaching staff was completed with the hiring of offensive coordinator Dan Henning on February 14 , only two of the 17 assistant coaches under Sparano ( Edwards and Hoffman ) were holdovers from the previous season ' s staff . Three of the new coaches ( Bowles , Pasqualoni and Rodgers ) had experience with Parcells , Ireland and Sparano in Dallas . The completed staff was as follows : Players . Free agency . The Dolphins entered free agency $ 44 million under that year ' s $ 116 million salary cap – the highest in the league at the time . The team cleared between $ 13 – 15 million by cutting players leading up to free agency . Free agents . " UFA " : Unrestricted free agent , " RFA " : Restricted free agent , " ERFA " : Exclusive - rights free agent 2008 NFL Draft . Due to their league - worst 1 – 15 record in 2007 , the Dolphins secured the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft on April 26 . The Dolphins used it to draft Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long . Including Long , the Dolphins selected the following nine players in the 2008 NFL Draft : Notes Draft day trades . On the first day of the draft , the Dolphins traded second - year running back Lorenzo Booker to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fourth - round pick ( 115th overall ) in the 2008 NFL Draft . On the second day of the draft , the Dolphins acquired the Detroit Lions ' third - round pick ( 66th overall ) as well as their sixth - round pick ( 176th overall ) in exchange for the Dolphins ' third - round pick ( 64th overall ) . The Lions used the pick to select running back Kevin Smith , while the Dolphins took defensive end Kendall Langford with the third - round pick and running back Jalen Parmele with the sixth - rounder . Later on Day 2 , the Dolphins traded the fourth - round pick acquired from the Eagles , along with a seventh - round pick ( 208th overall ) , to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the 110th overall selection . The Dolphins used this pick to select guard Shawn Murphy . The 115th overall pick was eventually dealt by the Bears the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , who used it to select defensive tackle Dre Moore . The Bears used the seventh - round pick to select defensive end Ervin Baldwin . Draft pick signings . In the weeks leading up to the draft , the Dolphins began contract negotiations with Jake Long . On April 14 , Peter King of " Sports Illustrated " reported that the Dolphins had given Long a deadline to accept their contract offer ( believed to be worth less than 2007 No . 1 pick JaMarcus Russell received from the Oakland Raiders ) ; otherwise , they would move on to another prospect . On April 22 , the Dolphins officially signed Long to a five - year , $ 57 . 75 million contract with $ 30 million guaranteed , assuring they would take him first overall . On May 19 , the Dolphins signed sixth - rounders Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard and seventh - rounder Lionel Dotson to contacts . On May 23 , sixth - round pick Donald Thomas was signed to a multi - year deal . On July 11 , the Dolphins signed third - round pick Kendall Langford to a multi - year deal . Undrafted free agents . Following the 2008 NFL Draft , the Dolphins signed 18 undrafted free agent s . They were : Two failed to survive a week with the team , as the Dolphins released Lane and Reece on May 5 . Less than a month after being signed , Robertson decided to retire . On June 9 , the Dolphins signed wide receiver John Dunlap ( NC State ) after he attended a minicamp on a tryout basis . Training camp and preseason . Roster moves . Final cuts . On August 30 , the Dolphins made 17 roster moves to reach the NFL ' s 53 - player limit . The players released were : Preseason schedule . The Dolphins ' 2008 preseason schedule was announced on April 3 . Preseason recap . After losing their preseason opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , the Dolphins won their final three contests to finish the preseason 3 – 1 . Quarterback Chad Pennington was the Dolphins ' most efficient passer of the preseason , leading the team in completion percentage ( 72 . 0 ) and passer rating ( 104 . 8 ) . Rookie quarterback Chad Henne led the team in passing yards ( 351 ) but also in interceptions ( 2 ) while matching Pennington in passing touchdowns ( 1 ) . Running back s Ricky Williams and Jalen Parmele tied for the team lead in rushing yards at 123 . Williams , Parmele and Ronnie Brown were the only Dolphins to rush for a touchdown during the preseason , scoring one each . Lex Hilliard and Patrick Cobbs finished fourth and fifth , respectively , on the team in rushing yards . No Dolphins player surpassed 100 receiving yards during the preseason , though wide receiver Ted Ginn , Jr . came closest at 97 . He also tied rookie Davone Bess for the team lead in receptions with eight . Tight end s Anthony Fasano and Sean Ryan were the only Dolphins to catch a touchdown pass . On special teams , rookie placekicker Dan Carpenter converted 7 - of - 8 field - goal attempts and all six extra - point attempts . Punter Brandon Fields punted 21 times for a 44 . 1 - yard average and two touchbacks . Meanwhile , Davone Bess led the team in punt returns ( 6 ) but Ted Ginn , Jr . was the only Dolphins player to return a kick or punt for a touchdown . Patrick Cobbs led the team in kick return yards with 106 . On defense , Linebacker s Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor tied for the team lead with 17 tackles , while Ayodele led the team in solo stops with 12 . Five others – Yeremiah Bell , Channing Crowder , Renaldo Hill , Nathan Jones , Edmond Miles – also reached double - digits in tackles . Four players – Jason Allen , Renaldo Hill , Michael Lehan , Joey Thomas – recorded an interception during the preseason . The Dolphins also totaled 14 quarterbacks sacks during the preseason . Linebacker Rob Ninkovich and defensive end Randy Starks each record a team - high two sacks , while ten other players each recorded a sack apiece . Channing Crowder , Junior Glymph and Paul Soliai each forced a fumble during the preseason . Regular season . Schedule . The Dolphins ' 2008 regular season schedule was released on April 15 , 2008 . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > All games are Eastern Time . < nowiki > # < / nowiki > Games that can be potentially moved to Sunday Night Football at 8 : 15 p . m . on NBC - TV . Game summaries . Week 3 : at New England Patriots . The Dolphins headed to Foxboro to face the Division rival New England Patriots . Little did New England know that they would be a test for an offensive formation concocted as the Dolphins coaching staff wanted to put running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown onto the field at the same time . David Lee thus revealed the " Wildcat " to the NFL . Ronnie Brown would take direct snaps and keep it himself or hand it of to another back . The Dolphins decimated the Patriots all day with the Wildcat offense for a 38 – 13 victory . Week 12 : vs . New England Patriots . A week after a 400 - yard passing game against the Jets Matt Cassel threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns while Chad Pennington threw for 345 yards and two scores ; both quarterbacks also ran in a touchdown . The Dolphins " Wildcat " offense was limited to 27 yards as the Patriots broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter , winning 48 – 28 . Week 17 : at New York Jets . The Dolphins clinched the AFC East title as they intercepted Jets quarterback Brett Favre three times ( Philip Merling ran in a 25 - yard touchdown on a Favre pick ) while Charlie Anderson and Patrick Cobbs blocked a Jets punt . The win put the Dolphins into the playoffs for the first time since 2001 . Awards and honors . Coaches . After leading the Dolphins to an 11 – 5 record and an AFC East title in his first year as head coach , Tony Sparano was selected as the NFL Alumni ' s 2008 Coach of the Year . Sparano was also one of six nominees for the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year Award . Players . The Dolphins landed two players – running back Ronnie Brown and linebacker Joey Porter – on the AFC ' s Pro Bowl team . Porter recorded 17 . 5 sacks during the 2008 season and was named as a starter on the AFC ' s squad . In his first career Pro Bowl season , Brown led the Dolphins with 214 carries , 916 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns . He also ranked fourth on the team with 33 catches and sixth with 254 receiving yards . Additionally , Porter was nominated for the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year Award and was a second - team AP All - Pro selection . Quarterback Chad Pennington , guard Justin Smiley and cornerback Will Allen also received votes for the All - Pro team but were not selected . However , Pennington did earn the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for the second time in his career . Pennington led the NFL with a 67 . 4 completion percentage and was second in the NFL with a 97 . 4 passer rating . He threw for a career - high 3 , 653 yards , 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions . In January 2009 , three Dolphins rookies were selected to the Pro Football Writers Association ' s All - Rookie Team . Earning selections were offensive tackle Jake Long , defensive end Kendall Langford and placekicker Dan Carpenter . The first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft , Long started all 16 games for the Dolphins at left tackle . A third - round pick out of Hampton , Langford started 14 of the 16 games in which he played as a rookie and recorded 31 tackles and two sacks . Undrafted out of Montana , Carpenter went 21 - for - 25 ( 84 percent ) on field goals and made all 40 extra - point attempts . Playoffs . Game summaries . AFC Wild Card : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Entering the postseason as the AFC ' s # 3 seed , the Dolphins began their playoff run at home in the AFC Wild Card Round , with a Week 7 rematch against the # 6 Baltimore Ravens . Miami would deliver the game ' s first points with rookie kicker Dan Carpenter ' s 19 - yard field goal . The Ravens would later respond with a 23 - yard field goal from kicker Matt Stover . Baltimore would take the lead with safety Ed Reed returning a Chad Pennington interception 64 yards for a touchdown . The Ravens would then close out the half with Stover ' s 31 - yard field goal . Baltimore would increase their lead in the third quarter with running back Le ' Ron McClain ' s 8 - yard touchdown run . The Dolphins tried to comeback in the fourth quarter as Pennington completed a 2 - yard touchdown pass to running back Ronnie Brown ( with a failed PAT ) , but the Ravens would pull away as quarterback Joe Flacco got a 5 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , Miami ' s impressive turnaround season ended with an overall record of 11 – 6 . Despite having only 16 turnovers throughout the entire regular season , the Dolphins committed 5 turnovers ( 4 interceptions and a lost fumble ) .