“The first time I went through the two-minute offense with Dan Marino and seeing how quick, fast, and effective he was, I couldn’t believe it happened.”

This was a quote obtained from my discussion with former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Richmond Webb last month.

Webb is a Dolphins legend, arguably the greatest ever tackle to put on the Miami Aqua and Orange.  He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time First Team All-Pro and two-time Second Team All-Pro. He was also on the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team and is in the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll. He spoke of these achievements.

“It makes me feel good. We had some really good teams and had some really good runs.

“I wish we had one chance of a Super Bowl. My third year, we had a really good team and made it to the AFC Championship and lost to Buffalo. If I would have a shot to play in the Super Bowl, that would have icing on the cake.

“In order to achieve that (team goals and success), you’ve got to play at a high level and be at your best. That’s what I always tried to do, and I was rewarded with some accolades throughout my career. I’m more proud of the relationships that I formed with guys that I still have to this day that I played with.”

Dreaming Big In Dallas

Richmond grew up in Dallas, Texas. This is the hub of football in America, with high school, college, and professional football all massive in the state. This was the aim for a young Richmond.

“As a kid, growing up as a kid, it was always the Dallas Cowboys. I loved football and Basketball. Once I started playing organized football, that was the goal. Then I got an opportunity to get a scholarship to go to school and play football at Texas A&M.

“As time progressed, and I continued to get better and better, I knew I would have a shot. To say way back then that I knew I would have the career I had, I didn’t, but if you ask any kid if they wanted to play in the NFL, of course.

“I was happy that I got an opportunity to play at Miami because I got coached by Don Shula, playing with Dan Marino, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, guys like that. I went to a really good organization.

“They were known for winning, for success, this, and that, I think that helped my career as well, learning from guys that came before me on how to conduct yourself as a pro and what it takes to play at a high level.

“I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel; I just saw what other guys did and just implemented that, and it worked out for me.”

Richmond’s Successful College Career

Richmond played college football for Texas A&M. During his time there, he was an SWC champion in 1986 and 1987. In 1989, he reached the Sun Bowl and was made team captain. He was also named to all SWC team in the same year. Richmond talked about his biggest highlights during his time in college.

“We went to three Cotton Bowls and won two out of three. It was a little different back then. Journalists would vote on who they thought was number one, number two.

“Just being able to play with some of those guys, for four-five years and then to achieve some of the success, to be able to go to Cotton Bowl games and get rewarded at the end of the season.  I still have those memories; I still have my Cotton Bowl rings.”

Richmond’s Draft Day Experience

Webb was the ninth overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, going on to start 163 started regular games for the Dolphins, as well as an additional 20 with the Cincinnati Bengals.

His experience of being drafted was a lot different to how it was for those in 2023.

“It’s a whole production now. They do a really good job with it. I went five or six years ago.  They had it in Nashville. I was highly impressed. TV doesn’t do it justice if you have never attended a draft experience.

“Back then, they would have a few guys go to New York. I went home to Dallas to my parent’s house and watched the draft from there. I got a call from two or three teams; Miami was one of them. They were saying if I was there, they’d take me.

“You start watching the draft. It was only on ESPN. After every pick, they analyzed everything. When they picked Chris Singleton at the eighth pick, he went to New England. My phone started to ring. It was Don Shula. He said, are you ready to be a Dolphin? I said yes, sir. I could actually breathe. You try to relax, and you’re nervous.

“I was happy to go somewhere warm. I didn’t want to go to a cold weather team. I could relax, but before the draft, I was really nervous. If you watch drafts before, you can see guys who were really highly rated who slip lower than you expect them to go. Once you get that phone call, it takes a whole lot of pressure off.

“I was happy to be in the NFL. I really didn’t take it personal that some teams didn’t take me earlier. The only thing I felt was pressure; I wanted to show I was worthy of the pick.

“I missed a week of training camp; I could learn the offense, that was really important. If you hold out in training camp, you don’t learn the plays. It helped speed up the process. I didn’t want to be considered a bust.”

Richmond’s Thoughts On Protecting Marino

Miami has been starved of postseason success ever since the day Marino retired. They have lost each of their last four playoff wins, with their last win coming on December 30^th, 2000. Richmond was part of that team.

“It’s a lot of factors. It’s easy to say in hindsight. I was glad I played in the era I did, the guys I played with. You know, going into the playoffs, you’ve got to play mistake-free football.”

Protecting Marino was the ultimate aim for any Dolphins offensive lineman during that era. Webb was responsible for a unit that ensured Marino was never in the top 10 most sacked quarterbacks.

“We worked on that. We took pride in that. That’s something the Dolphins did well, protecting Dan Marino. When me and Keith Sims came in, we were rookies. The two guys that were the starters the previous year, they were holding out for new contracts.

“Coach Shula made a bold move, which most people don’t do. He put two rookies on the blindside of his quarterback, and it actually worked out. We had to put a lot of work in. We got assigned early, played every preseason game, and got a lot of reps. Once you kind of learn the offense, where you’re not thinking about what the play is or what you do, that’s when you see the growth come. When you don’t know the offense, if there’s any hesitation, it slows down because now you’re hesitant, do I go this way or that way?

“We just worked hard, we had good offensive line coaches, we did a good job of communicating, and that’s why we had success in protecting Dan.”

Marino is widely seen as the greatest quarterback to never win a Super Bowl. His last career game was a 62-7 playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Richmond was playing that game. He gave his take on a disappointing evening for the franchise.

“That was tough. We went to Seattle the week before, played there in the Wildcard game, and beat Seattle. We had to turn around and go to Jacksonville. That was a tough game. They had two weeks to prepare for us, but it was one of those games where everything they did went right, and no matter what we tried; it just didn’t fall into place. To get beat like we did, I don’t think anyone expected it to be that wide a margin of a gap. That was pretty tough. I think the effort was there; it just wasn’t our day.”

A Change In Quarterback

When Marino retired, his replacement was Jay Fiedler.  Richmond talked about the change in position and how it differed from his role.

“Jay was more of a mobile quarterback, could do stuff rolling out the pocket. Dan wasn’t very mobile but was so accurate throwing the football. With Jay, teams knew they had to keep containing it.

“He could hurt them with his legs, but teams weren’t worried about Dan running. Dan wasn’t mobile, but that’s why he was a Hall of Fame quarterback because the mental part, his accuracy, and throwing the ball the way he did. No one did it better, and that’s why he’s considered one of the greatest to ever play that position.

Richmond’s Feelings On All Three Head Coaches He Played For

Not only did Richmond experience a change in quarterback. He played under three different head coaches in Shula, Jimmy Johnson, and Dave Wannstedt. He gave his take on all three coaches.

Of course, I’m partial to Shula. That’s the guy who drafted me. He was one of the best to do it. Jimmy was good. He was a tough coach but he knew the game of football. He did a good job or preparing you of what to expect as far as how the game would probably go. He did that very well. Dave took over the last year. Jimmy was his mentor because he was his defensive coordinator in Dallas. He was more laid back than Jimmy. They were different, but they understood what it took to win, preparation, the mental part of the game, not doing things to beat yourself. That’s why we had the success we had whilst we were there.”

Richmond’s Favourite Game

Richmond also talked about his favorite game he played in.

Early on, the thing that really shocked me, I think we were playing in Cleveland. In practice, you work on the two-minute offense. This was a game for some reason; we were behind maybe five or six points where we needed to score. I know we didn’t have two minutes; Dan drove the ball down so fast so quick, and we scored. If it happened, but you’re almost like, I can’t believe it happened. When you’re not used to that, I think that was the thing, coming from college where we ran the football all the time.

“He would throw it before the defense could get set. He snapped the ball. Drilled again. You’re trying to get on the ball. The sideline guys are trying to move the chains. Fast motions. Next thing you know, touchdown. Once you went through it a few times, you knew if you gave Dan time, he would pretty much deliver every time.

“The first time I went through the two-minute offense with Dan Marino and seeing how quick, fast, and effective he was, I couldn’t believe it happened.

“That’s the thing we kind of got spoiled with. People would always ask us if you could score that quick; why don’t you do it all the time? I was like, no, we can’t do that every time because you’ve got to make drives last because your defense will be worn out. It will work against you just like it will work for you.”

Moving To Cincinnati 

Before retiring as a Dolphin, Richmond spent the final two seasons of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He spoke on his change of scenery.

“I think by that time, I understood, I wanted to stay in Miami, but I understood the NFL is a business, and at times, you’ve got to make tough decisions. I was getting towards the latter end if my career, and I’d had some injuries.

“I understood it but didn’t take it personal. As I say, it’s business. I wanted to continue to play football, so Cincinnati gave me that opportunity, and I was happy to go there. It was a little different, younger guys, this and that, but I had a good experience up there.  I was one of the elder statesmen that a lot of guys would come to for advice and seeing how I carried myself in practice. It would probably force guys to step up.

The thing I am happy with is that I kept a good relationship with the Dolphins because that’s where I spent the majority of my time, and when I made the phone call to say I’d like to sign and retire as a Dolphin, they welcomed me in with open arms.”

Richmond’s Thoughts On The 2023 Dolphins

Finally, Richmond and I discussed the current state of the team. Like a lot of Dolphins fans, certainly before last week’s Jalen Ramsey injury news, he is very excited about the upcoming season.

“I’m just as excited as everyone else. The key factor is keeping the team healthy. I like all the acquisitions they made during the offseason. Dolphins can see the difference when Tua was the quarterback versus when he wasn’t in there and how much more explosive the team was. It’s definitely important to keep him healthy, and I think he’s continuing to work to get better and better, and a guy like Jalen Ramsey, you’ve got Tyreek, you’ve got Waddle, and if you can add a guy like Cook.

“Even in the draft, a guy like Achane. We have so much speed; even the analysts are projecting the Dolphins at the lowest, are a top-five team in the NFL. If we make the playoffs, and everyone stays healthy at key positions, we’ve got a chance at the Super Bowl. That’s what has got everyone excited.

“You’ve got Chubb and Phillips coming off at the corners. It’s not just one-sided. We’ve got a complete team on both sides of the ball.“