Offensive
Tackle, Miami Dolphins
Age: 23
College: Texas
A & M
Height: 6’6” Weight: 291
Prelude:
Although
recruited out of high school to play defense, Webb was shifted to offensive
tackle and was an All-Southwest Conference selection in 1989. He was chosen by
the Dolphins in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1990 NFL draft. The team
needed to retool the offensive line and Webb stepped directly into the starting
lineup, not missing an offensive down during the regular season.
1990 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 16 games
Postseason: 2
G
Awards &
Honors:
NFL Rookie of
the Year: Sporting News
AFC Rookie of
the Year: UPI
2nd
team All-AFC: UPI
Pro Bowl
Dolphins went
12-4 to finish second in the AFC East and qualify as a Wild Card team in the
postseason while giving up the fewest sacks in the NFL (16). Won AFC Wild Card
playoff over Kansas City Chiefs (17-16). Lost AFC Divisional playoff to Buffalo
Bills (44-34).
Aftermath:
Webb was
named to seven straight Pro Bowls and was also a consensus first-team All-NFL
selection in 1992 and ’94, receiving first- or second-team recognition in two
other seasons. While it was argued that he lacked the consistency of his rookie
season, he was an outstanding pass blocker who protected star QB Dan Marino’s
blind side from the left tackle position and had notable success against division-rival
Buffalo’s star DE Bruce Smith. After missing two games due to injury in 1991,
he didn’t miss another until seven years later, in 1998. With his skills
declining from a Pro Bowl level, Webb still was a capable starter and played
his last two seasons with the Bengals in 2001 and ’02. An abortive attempt to
return to the Dolphins in 2003 ended with his eventual retirement. Overall,
Webb played 13 seasons that included a total of 184 regular season games, all
but one of which he started.
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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL (including NFC/AFC), AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by
a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the
league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
