"The final stat line says that Channing Crowder made 476 tackles during his six seasons with the Miami Dolphins. That he made 2.5 sacks. That he forced four fumbles. Numbers, though, were never the best way to measure Crowder's contribution to the Dolphins.

Miami waived him on Thursday then went out and signed Kevin Burnett, formerly of San Diego and, before that, Dallas. Burnett will give the Dolphins more flexibility in their defense and, particularly, more flexibility in their linebacker corps than Crowder provided in recent seasons.

Still, Crowder's value came in his intangibles. Karlos Dansby might have described it best on Friday.

Asked what intangible he'd miss most about Crowder, Dansby said this:

"I want to say just his football IQ. You know what I'm saying, being able to recognize plays. He's been in this conference for so long, he's seen some of the same plays over and over and over again. So he's jumping much quicker, much faster."

Crowder missed the first four games of the 2010 season while recovering from a groin injury. When he returned, he didn't put up great numbers. He made just 39 tackles – a career low. Even so, it was clear the Dolphins defense was better with him on the field, playing."