Study: The Miami Dolphins Are 8 Good Players Away From Super Bowl Contention
Joe Philbin returns to the Miami Dolphins with a 23-25 record as head coach after another 8-8 season wrapped in perfect mediocrity -- 4-4 at home, 4-4 on the road, and 3-3 within the AFC East.
With the Patriots and Seahawks battling for Super Bowl glory this Sunday, Dolphins fans have to be wondering how far their team is from achieving contender status. The last time they made it to the promised land was Super Bowl XIX in 1984.
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The good folks at Pro Football Focus -- a scouting service used by a good chunk of NFL teams -- calculated how far the other 30 teams are from contending by the number of quality players on each team's roster.
What makes a Super Bowl contender? When Pro Football Focus analyzed the 28 teams that played in the conference championship games for the 2007 to 2013 seasons, it found that, on average, 40 percent of those rosters were composed of good/elite players (you had to play 250-plus snaps to qualify). Using that methodology, PFF determined how many above-average players stood between your team and contending for this year's Super Bowl.
They found the Dolphins are eight good/elite players away. This ranked 17th of the teams not in the Super Bowl. Only five players on the roster are considered good/elite and a whopping 20 of the 32 players to qualify filed into the average category.
When will the Dolphins shed the perpetually average label?
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