Number 51 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 51 days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

The countdown to the start of the 2022 regular season has begun now that we're under 100 days away, so we'll honor every day the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Dolphins.

Today, we're at number 51.

As a reminder about the ground rules, the top three will be determined only by what the players did while wearing that uniform for the Dolphins.

The top players at each number so far have been:

99. DE/LB Jason Taylor; 98. DL Jared Odrick; 97. DT Jordan Phillips; 96. DT Paul Soliai; 95. DT Tim Bowens; 94. DT Randy Starks; 93. DE Trace Armstrong; 92. LS John Denney; 91. DE/LB Cameron Wake; 90. DE/LB Marco Coleman

89. WR Nat Moore; 88. TE Keith Jackson; 87. TE Andre Tillman; 86. WR Oronde Gadsden; 85. LB Nick Buoniconti; 84. DE Bill Stanfill; 83. WR Mark Clayton; 82. WR Brian Hartline; 81. WR O.J. McDuffie; 80. WR Irving Fryar

79. T Jon Giesler; 78. T Richmond Webb; 77. DE/LB A.J. Duhe; 76. T Branden Albert; 75. DT Manny Fernandez; 74. T Mark Dennis; 73. DT Bob Baumhower; 72. DT Bob Heinz; 71. T Todd Wade; 70. DE Kendall Langford

69. G Keith Sims; 68. T Eric Laakso; 67. G/T Bob Kuechenberg; 66. G Larry Little; 65. OL Jeff Dellenbach; 64. G Ed Newman; 63. G/T Mark Dixon; 62. C Jim Langer; 61. C Tim Ruddy; 60. G Bert Weidner

59. LB Doug Swift; 58. DE-LB Kim Bokamper; 57. C Dwight Stephenson; 56. LB John Offerdahl; 55. Earnie Rhone; 54. Zach Thomas; 53. LB Bob Matheson; 52. LB Channing Crowder

Players who wore 51 for at least one regular season game:

LB Jerry Hopkins (1967), LB Ed Weisacosky (1968-70), LB Larry Ball (1972-74), LB Rodrigo Barnes (1975), LB Andy Selfridge (1976), LB Mike Dennery (1976), LB Rusty Chambers (1976-80), LB Mark Brown (1983-88), LB Greg Clark (1989), LB Bryan Cox (1991-95), LB Anthony Harris (1996-99), LB Tommy Hendricks (2000-03), LB Tony Bua (2004), LB Jason Glenn (2005), LB Mark Washington (2007), LB Akin Ayodele (2008-09), LB Tim Dobbins (2010), C-G Mike Pouncey (2011-17), LB Jams Crawford (2019); LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (2020)

The breakdown of 51 with the Dolphins

About halfway through this project, we have perhaps the greatest battle for top player at a number so far. This one is between a pair of three-time Pro Bowl selections, Bryan Cox and Mike Pouncey. Cox was a fifth-round pick out of Western Illinois in 1991 and he made the Pro Bowl three times in his five seasons in Miami before he left as a free agent. Cox was a fiery leader who also was very productive — he had more than 100 tackles his last four seasons with the Dolphins, including a career-high 127 in 1992 when he also led the team in sacks with 14. Pouncey was a first-round pick in 2011 and he became an immediate starter at center. After making the Pro Bowl at center in 2013, he repeated the honor but this time at right guard in 2014 before being a Pro Bowl center again in 2015. Pouncey started all 93 games he played for the Dolphins before being released in 2018. Among others worthy of top three consideration for number 51 is Rusty Chambers, a three-year starter who led the Dolphins in tackles in 1978 and 1979 before his life tragically was cut short in July 1981 when he was killed in a car accident at the age of 27. Mark Brown started 60 games at linebacker in six seasons with the Dolphins after being a ninth-round draft pick in 1983; he had five sacks in 1986 and two interceptions in 1988. Akin Ayodele started 28 games in two seasons with Miami after coming over in a trade with Dallas, and helped the Dolphins win the 2008 AFC East title by finishing with 75 tackles and two interceptions.

Worth noting:

Weisacosky started all 14 games in 1969 and had three interceptions that season. ... Ball, who wore 51 for the Dolphins from 1972-74 and then 52 in 1977-78, had the distinction of being the only player who was a part of a perfect season (1972 Dolphins) and winless season (1976 Bucs). ... Barnes' five-game stint in Miami was part of a four-year NFL career that saw him play for four teams. ... Greg Clark made four starts during a five-year NFL career that consisted of 70 games and six teams, and all of them came with Miami in 1989. ... Anthony Harris appeared in 32 games in four seasons with the Dolphins, starting all 16 games in 1997. ... After making the team as a rookie free agent in 2000, Tommy Hendricks played in 56 games with three starts for the Dolphins over four seasons. ... Tony Bua was a fifth-round pick in 2004 but he never played in the NFL after appearing in seven games as a rookie. ... Jason Glenn, who was a backup for all but one game in his six-year NFL career, is the brother of longtime Jets cornerback Aaron Glenn. ... James Crawford played three games for the Dolphins last season before landing on IR and remains on the roster.

The top three Dolphins players with number 51

1. LB Bryan Cox

2. C-G Mike Pouncey

3. LB Rusty Chambers