The Dolphins promise they will be involved in chasing star players as long as those star players are actually available. Unfortunately, there is no certainty of that.

While most fans believe Miami can awaken its comatose offense by simply signing free agents Mike Wallace and Greg Jennings this offseason, they overlook the possibility that players of that caliber might be staying with their current teams.

If that happens, then the Dolphins are basically, um, out of luck.

But I remind the club there is more to free agency than Mike Wallace or Greg Jennings. And there’s more to acquiring talent than just free agency.

I know the Dolphins scoffed years ago when the Falcons traded for unhappy and “aging” tight end Tony Gonzalez. All Gonzalez has done is play at a Pro Bowl level for five seasons.

I know the Dolphins last year showed no interest in Pierre Garcon or even Reggie Wayne — Garcon because he was too expensive and Wayne because he was 33 years old at the time.

How much would either of those two have helped rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill succeed in Miami? About as much as they helped the rookie quarterbacks in Washington and Indianapolis succeed — a lot.

The point is the Dolphins have been missing opportunities to do major things since 2010 when the trade for Brandon Marshall and the signing of Karlos Dansby didn’t deliver quite as hoped.

The team has taken a different free agency approach since that offseason, apparently staying clear off the NFL’s hot stove so as not to get burned.

Well, the past couple of years of being conservative in the offseason haven’t really worked, either. As Philbin concluded, “We have a lot of work to do.”

And if the Dolphins are tempted to forget that at any point this offseason, they should listen to the scoreboard from Sunday’s finale. It screamed the Patriots are 28 points better.