Mike Nolan is new defensive coordinator

The Miami Dolphins' new defensive coordinator is former Broncos and Ravens coordinator Mike Nolan. Nolan's Broncos had the seventh-best defense in the league this season, and he had a hand in the dominating Ravens defenses from 2002 to 2004. He did also serve an unsuccessful stint as head coach of the 49ers, but defense is where he's shown his worth.

The good news came after a couple of discouraging weeks. After Paul Pasqualoni was fired, the Dolphins unsuccessfully went after Al Groh (who went to Georgia Tech) and Keith Butler (who stayed with the Steelers). However, with the souring of relationships between Nolan and Denver head coach Josh McDaniels, Miami was able to land their man.

Dolphins knocked out in season-ending loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers knocked out the Dolphins' top two quarterbacks en route to a 30-24 win. Chad Henne was enjoying a good day passing, going 16 of 20 for 140 yards, before suffering head injuries in the second quarter that blurred his vision. His backup, Pat White, didn't last much longer before he also left the game with a head injury. Fortunately, neither QBs' problems were diagnosed as serious. Third stringer Tyler Thigpen, who didn't take a snap in practice, gamely stepped in and almost led the team to victory. However, two late interceptions doomed the comeback effort.

The Dolphins finished the season 7-9, a significant step back from last season's 11-5. In the grand scheme of things this season, the outcome of the last game didn't factor into the Dolphins' playoff hopes because they would have missed the playoffs even with a victory.