08:04 Sat 03-06-10 | by Andy Kent
That splash you just heard was the sound of the Miami Dolphins making an impressive leap into the free agency pool five weeks before the 2010 NFL Draft.
After a brief but effective courting period, the Dolphins today managed to sign linebacker Karlos Dansby away from the Arizona Cardinals. Dansby became an unrestricted free agent at 12:01 a.m. on Friday after spending his first six seasons in Arizona as one of the catalysts on the Cardinals’ defense. He made one of the most memorable plays of the postseason when he returned an Aaron Rogers fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in overtime of Arizona’s 51-45 NFC Wildcard victory, and now the 28-year-old Alabama native plans to create similar memories in South Florida.
“I’m just eager, eager to get in,” Dansby told The Palm Beach Post. “These guys are hungry. That inspires me to come in and join on board. Let’s go, I’m ready.”
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound former Auburn University standout was a second-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2004 NFL Draft and racked up 563 tackles, 25.5 sacks, 25 passes defensed, 12 forced fumbles and 10 interceptions with Arizona. Dansby has recorded over 100 tackles in each of the past two seasons (109 in 2009 and 119 in 2008) and registered a career-high eight sacks in 2006.
As a rookie in 2004 he started 12 games and immediately made an impact with 68 tackles and three fumble recoveries, the second most for a rookie in team history. The following year Dansby became the first Cardinal linebacker to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a single season and of course in 2008 he helped Arizona reach its first Super Bowl, where they came up short in Tampa to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23.
Now Dansby will be reunited with two of his former college teammates at Auburn – Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown and fellow inside linebacker Reggie Torbor. He also is very familiar with left guard Justin Smiley, who played at archrival Alabama, but Torbor expects nothing but a smooth transition for Dansby when he steps into the locker room and onto the practice field at Miami’s training facility in Davie.
“My reaction I guess would be a happy one being as I have a history with him having played with him before,” said Torbor, who signed with Miami as a free agent himself in 2008 after winning Super Bowl XLII with the New York Giants. “I know what type of player he is and he’s a playmaker who can make big plays, game-changing plays, and that’s definitely something we can use on our team to win more football games.
“On the field Karlos is a vocal guy but he also leads by example and he’s going to work hard. You know what you’re going to get out of him and it won’t be up and down like you get from some guys. He’s going to work just like he worked back in college when he wasn’t making anything. In the room he’s a funny guy and not short on personality. He’s a good guy to be around, a fun guy but still a down-to-earth, approachable guy.”
Dansby is excited to work with new Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and to take on a pivotal role in Miami’s 3-4 defensive system. But his first priority is to find himself a house to buy so that he can move his family to the area. And the Atlantic Ocean should serve as the perfect backdrop for him to make his own big splash.
