New Dolphins LB Karlos Dansby hopes to live up to the hype in Miami.
Miami’s newly acquired LB Karlos Dansby knows Dolphins fans have huge expectations for him in the 2010 season. His response: bring it on.
“[Coach Sparano] is expecting more, I’m expecting more, my family’s expecting more, shoot, everybody’s expecting more,” Dansby told the Sun Sentinel. “I’m so anxious, so anxious to get this thing rolling.”
In March, Dansby signed a 5-year, $43 million deal with the Dolphins in the offseason, making him the richest inside linebacker in the NFL at the time. (49ers LB Patrick Willis signed a 5-year, $50 million in May) He’s recorded 228 tackles over the past 2 seasons in Arizona: a stat he is quick to point out.
“However you want to look at it,” he said. “I’m the most versatile, most productive linebacker in the league by far. Especially over the last six years. I haven’t seen anybody with the stats, nor the production, nor the big-play capability that I have. And the versatility to move from the outside to the inside, and still be more productive on the inside than I was on the outside. I haven’t seen it. Have you seen it?”
The 28-year-old former Auburn product was put on the national radar last January when he returned a fumble for a game-winning touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the highest-scoring game in NFL playoff history. With the recognition he’s been longing for, he decided to bring his talents to the AFC East to try and run in a harder, faster, more publicized division than the struggling NFC West.
“It was already there,” he said of the bullseye on his back that comes with the added attention. “It was already there, man. And I know it’s there. And I will accept that challenge. I’m not scared, not scared at all. I’m not going to back down. I’m ready to roll.”
Dansby and the Dolphins have one final test in Dallas before kicking off the regular season in Buffalo against their division rival Bills on Sept. 12.