Dolphins 50th Season Depth Chart: Safeties

The Miami Dolphins will celebrate their 50th NFL season this year, spanning from 1966 to 2015. Thousands of players have hit the field for the team over that time, helping the team appear in five Super Bowls, winning two of them, including the only undefeated season in league history. Despite spending the last decade stuck in a purgatory of mediocrity, the Dolphins are still hold the fourth highest winning percentage in the NFL at .565, behind just the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers.

The team has eight Hall of Famer players, Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Dan Marino, Dwight Stephenson, and Paul Warfield, plus one Hall of Fame coach Don Shula. Another three Hall of Famers, Cris Carter, Junior Seau, and Thurman Thomas, all had brief stints in aqua on their way to Canton.

As we all look forward to better days for the Dolphins from this rut that has been the franchise since the turn of the century, we can also look back at one of the premier franchises of the NFL as they turn 50. We will do that over the next few days as we build the Miami Dolphins' 50th Season Depth Chart.

We conclude the defense today with a look at the safeties.

Starters: Dick Anderson, Jake Scott
Reserves: Glenn Blackwood, Brock Marion

Anderson was drafted in the third round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Dolphins, playing nine years in South Florida. He played in 121 games during his career, starting 101 of them, beginning his rookie year. He intercepted eight passes in a season three times, finishing second in 1968, third in 1970, and leading the league in 1973. He also led the league in fumble recoveries (5) and fumble return touchdowns (1) in 1972, as well as interception returns for a touchdown (2) in 1973. For his career, Anderson recorded 34 interceptions , second in team history, with three interception touchdowns, as well as 16 fumble recoveries with one touchdown.  He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1972, 1973, and 1974, and was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 1972 and 1973.

Scott joined the Dolphins and a seventh-round pick in the 1970 Draft. Like Anderson, he immediately took over the starting position, holding it for six years with the Dolphins. During that time, he started all 84 games in which he appeared, recording 35 interceptions, most in Dolphins team history, and seven fumble recoveries. He was awarded the 1972 Super Bowl MVP award for a two-interception performance in the championship game, sealing the Dolphins' Perfect Season. Scott was selected to the Pro Bowl every year from 1971 to 1975, and was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 1973 and 1974.

Blackwood was selected in the 1979 Draft's eighth round. After playing on special teams primarily for his rookie season, Blackwood took over the starting strong safety position in 1980 and held it through the 1987 season, appearing in a total of 118 games with 106 starts. He recorded 29 interceptions, with one touchdown, along with 14 fumble recoveries during his career.

Marion joined the Dolphins in 1998 after five years with the Dallas Cowboys. In Miami, Marion started all 95 games in which he played over six years, missing just one contest. Playing free safety, Marion recorded 20 interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, with five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, a sack, and 528 tackles. He led the league in interception returns for a touchdown in 2001 with two, including a 100-yard return. Marion was selected to three career Pro Bowls, all with the Dolphins, receiving the honor in 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Tomorrow's depth chart will add two specialists to the roster.