DAVIE, Fla. -- Each year, the list shrinks.
Last season, there were nine. It's now down to four.
Defensive tackles Randy Starks and Paul Soliai, punter Brandon Fields and long snapper John Denney are the only Miami Dolphins players who remain from the team's last playoff season of 2008.
At least one feels it's been long enough.
"We have expectations to get to the playoffs, and that's what we plan on doing and it starts this Sunday (in the opener at Cleveland)," Starks said.
The retooled Dolphins are determined to return to the postseason and gain back at least a semblance of prestige to a franchise that used to be among the NFL's best.
The 1972 perfect team was back in the news two weeks ago when it was invited to the White House. Meanwhile, the Dolphins of this century haven't won a playoff game since 2000 and have been to the postseason just once since the start of the 2002 season. They've had losing marks six of the past seven years.
"Since I've been here, we've been middle of the pack," said Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake, who arrived in 2009. "We haven't been terrible. We haven't been great. You look at this organization and the history of this franchise, the history is top tier. ... We've got to get back to that."
As for making the playoffs this season, Wake says, "Why not us?"
That's because the Dolphins added several key free agents to a team that went 7-9. New guys include wide receiver Mike Wallace, the most coveted free agent in all of football, wide receiver Brandon Gibson and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who played on Baltimore's Super Bowl champions last season.
The Dolphins did suffer a blow when tight end Dustin Keller, signed as a free agent, was recently lost for the season due to a knee injury.
But the defense looks again to be solid, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill should be better in his second season. So plenty of other Dolphins are saying, "Why not us."
"This is obviously the best team since I've been (with Miami)," said wide receiver Brian Hartline, who arrived in 2009.
Safety Reshad Jones said this is the most excited before a season he's been since showing up in 2010. But if the Dolphins don't make the postseason, it would be a major downer.
"For us to not make the playoffs, it's a letdown for our season," Jones said. "It's a letdown for us."
When they last made the postseason in 2008, the Dolphins took advantage of New England quarterback Tom Brady having been lost for the season in the opener due to a knee injury and won the AFC East.
But Brady is looking as good as ever now and his Patriots, despite some defections, are still the class of the division. They've won at least a share of the past 12 AFC East crowns.
But there's always a wild-card berth. The Dolphins don't care how they get to the postseason, they just want to play a game in January.
"If we do what we do week in and week out, the playoffs should be easy for us to get in," center Mike Pouncey said.
Yes, the Dolphins have improved. But it still won't be easy.
The schedule is difficult at the start. After playing at Cleveland, the Dolphins are at Indianapolis, home to Atlanta, at New Orleans and home to Baltimore, all games against playoff-caliber foes.
Then again, the 2008 team made the playoffs despite starting 0-2 and 2-4. They then were bounced out by the Ravens 27-9 in the wild-card round.
Four guys left from that team really want to get another taste of the postseason.
"It's even more so now because we had such a good offseason," Denney said of optimism he has now compared to the start of some recent seasons.
In other words, "Why not us?"
Chris
Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com
or
on Twitter @christomasson
