Larry Izzo never started for Dolphins, but he’s a legend

Izzo a Dolphins legend despite no starts

Larry Izzo didn’t start a single game in his four seasons with the Dolphins, yet he has forever earned a spot as a legendary figure of sorts.

Izzo, a linebacker, was a special teams ace (he made three Pro Bowls that way) whom the Dolphins lost to New England via free agency in 2001. Izzo was buddies with Zach Thomas, so after Izzo won a ring with the Patriots, he sent Zach a photo of himself wearing the ring — on his middle finger.

Obnoxious? No, it’s just Izzo. He once earned a game ball from coach Bill Belichick for going to the bathroom without, well, actually going into the bathroom. He pulled it off on the sideline and nobody noticed. The tale, first revealed by Thomas, was confirmed by Wes Welker on Dan LeBatard’s radio show.

“This is 100 percent true,” Welker said. “And Larry would be so mad at me if I said that this didn’t happen, because he takes ultimate pride in this whole deal. Of all the special teams tackles and Pro Bowls he’s made, I guarantee you that game ball is probably a more prized item for him than his Super Bowl rings.”

What’s Izzo up to at age 41? He helps coach the New York Giants’ special teams and gets positive reviews from coach Tom Coughlin.

“He brings the same intensity, Larry does, to his coaching style,” Coughlin said. “He’s very much up front with the players. He’s very direct. I think the players respond well to it. … You watch him work on the field, to see him run around, you’d think he was still a player.”

Darr raising bar, profile in rookie season

With a 5-7 record, the Dolphins can’t expect to land many in the Pro Bowl. Certainly safety Reshad Jones comes to mind, but there’s also a darkhorse candidate paving the way for a future candidacy.

Rookie punter Matt Darr ranks sixth in the NFL with a net average of 47.6 yards, including a 70-yarder, is 15th in net average (39.8) and has 22 punts inside the 20.

“I don’t even know if a rookie would be eligible,” said Darr, adding he hadn’t thought of the possibility.

He is eligible and, if selectors are looking more at gross average than net (which obviously factors in the effectiveness of his coverage team), Darr is working his way into the discussion. He’s 10th in fans’ voting.

Darr acknowledged he has surpassed his expectations but added, “I’m satisfied, but at the same time I know that there’s more out there and I can definitely keep raising my bar.”

JPP has Dolphins’ respect

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has reclaimed his starting position this past month after missing the first half of the season following a July 4 accident in South Florida that cost him part of his right hand.

Tonight, he’ll be back near the site of the incident, but also having earned respect from the men on the opposite sideline.

“Man, credit to him, as far as him being able to still play and do his thing,” Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon said. “I know it’s an adjustment. He’s still got to get through it, but I feel like he’s going to be all right.”

Added defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh: “That’s a tough situation, I don’t wish that upon anybody, but I’ve got a lot of respect for him going back out there.”

Landry breathes fire as offense misfires

You score 15 points, you manage 82 passing yards, it’s a frustrating day.

And that’s exactly what receiver Jarvis Landry thought last weekend against Baltimore, when his temper flared on the sideline.

“I know he was frustrated at a certain point in the game and that’s understandable,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “He was frustrated, I was frustrated, and we were all frustrated that it was 0-0 in the second quarter.”

Landry explained it this way: “It got to the point where we went five drives without really moving the ball, having any production, and (I was) just fired up about it. Just trying to get the guys to kind of rally the passion and energy. I wouldn’t say I really was angry at one particular person or anything like that.”

Is there a fine line between showing emotion and going too far?

“A lot of people do things in different ways,” he said. ”A lot of people handle it a certain way. It gets to the point where what’s the difference between slamming a helmet and an offensive lineman cursing the guys out just trying to get them pumped up, you know what I mean? It’s definitely the perspective of who’s looking at it, to me.”