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Randy Starks was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his keen ball-hawking, as the Miami Dolphin recorded three tackles, half a sack, two pass defenses and recorded his third interception in two years. That's not much of a stat for defensive backs, but Starks is a defensive lineman, and with his third pick now has more in a two-season span than anyone other DL in the NFL.
He's the first Dolphins lineman to get the honor since Jason Taylor way back in 2006, and Starks is anchoring a Dolphins defense that's quietly become impressive. Miami has a league best rushing defense (61 yards allowed per game).
The honor didn't surprise Jeff Fisher. The Rams head coach, who will face off against Miami this week, noted that Starks has always been a breakout player, going back to his days when he played for Fisher's Tennessee Titans:
"We thought Randy had a great deal of potential. We drafted him fairly high and Randy did a nice job for us,’’ said Fisher, who coached the Titans and Starks for the first four years of his nine-year career.