Would you take T.O. on the Dolphins?

Everyone knows Terrell Owens, the guy who did not attempt suicide although he took 35 pills or something like that, was a free agent in the offseason.

And if you've seen the Burger King commercials, you know that T.O.'s agent is Drew Rosenhaus, who resides in Miami Beach and has close connections to the Dolphins. I know that Rosenhaus would have loved to get Owens on the Dolphins.

I also know the Dolphins looked at the situation seriously before bowing out.

"We certainly evaluated him," coach Nick Saban said. "We think he’s an outstanding player, but the business decision part of it was not in the cards for us.”

Translation: T.O. cost too much money.

But it says here the Dallas Cowboys, following their experience with Owens this year, may part ways with the guy. At that point, Owens likely would not be sooo expensive because he would then be a three-time and three-team loser (SF, Philly, Dallas).

So would you, as Dolphins fans, like to see Owens on the Dolphins for cheap?

Please remember that your best option now if either Marty Booker or Chris Chambers get hurt is ... yikes. Inexperience in Derek Hagan. Unproven quality in Cliff Russell.

The Dolphins clearly are worried about the WR position. That is the reason they've worked out guys such as Tyrone Calico, Craphonso Thorpe, Charles Rogers and others.

So would you take T.O., knowing everything you know about him, if the price were right?

Personally, I'd take him. But I wish he was a complete left tackle more than a WR.

'Tis Tuesday a day for questions

You know that you can ask your questions today, but let me turn this around a little first.

On Monday -- the day after the Dolphins yielded 5 sacks to Tennessee -- coach Nick Saban said sack ratio is not really all that high on the list of critical factors needed to win a game.

Do you agree with that?

I'm wondering if it's not as important, why do teams pay so much money to defensive ends, pass-rushing linebackers and left tackles?

Anyway, tell me what you think and I'll answer anything you have for me.

Redemption or mirage

Well, what did you think? Was it the breakout performance the Dolphins needed or was it an uninspired victory against a weak, undermanned opponent.

I'm sorry, I want to be positive because I know you guys love for me to root for the team even though my job is to be unbiased. But if the Dolphins had played any of about 20 NFL teams today, they would have been buried.

Kerry Collins missed about five guys running wide open for looong gainers. Most solid NFL QBs would have made those throws.

That penalty on the punt return touchdown was way away from the play and was a gift from a rookie. And the Miami offensive line gave up five sacks to a team that had two sacks the previous two games.

The more I think about this game, the less optimistic I am about Miami when it plays legitimate playoff teams. Next week's game against a putrid Houston team isn't going to be a test either.

Of course, the Dolphins can still improve and use this victory as a stepping stone.

It says here they had better do exactly that because what we saw today wasn't playoff-caliber football.

Tell me what you thought?

Tell me your thoughts on Nick Saban

OK, I've noticed a little bit of dissatisfaction with coach Nick Saban in recents posts by you that I did not notice last year.

Sooo.

Let me know what you think about the job the head coach is doing. What is he doing well, what is he doing wrong, give me your overall impressions.

If you sign your full name and give me a hometown you're from, I may publish your comments in The Miami Herald later this week. If you go anonymous, you got no shot of having your comments published.

Tuesday questions on tap today

Questions here. Get you red hot questions here.

Free.

Just pass them up and I'll try to answer them.

I wonder how many Daunte Culpepper questions there are out there today?

I guess you guys figured the secondary problems are resolved ...

But I know you still don't appreciate the offensive line. And before anyone asks, the most effective offensive lineman on the team so far, according to Nick Saban is Vernon Carey.

Surprise.

The least consistent? L.J. Shelton.

You booed and I applaud you for that

I heard you in the press box and I'm hearing what you're saying in your emails. Tomorrow I'll listen to what you have to say on my radio show starting at 6 on 1360-AM and online at 1360WKAT.com

What you're saying is you are not too happy right now.

You booed at Dolphin Stadium. You threw things at your TV sets. You typed angry as you wrote your emails and posted on this blog.

I do not blame you one bit.

The Dolphins laid a tremendous egg. Is there anyone out there that believes the Buffalo Bills are more talented than Miami?

Anyone?

Please give me your name and number and I'll have my realtor calling you very soon offering that gorgeous Everglades plot.

The Bills are less talented and had three fewer days to prepare for this game than Miami, and yet, they looked fresher, better prepared and just more into this game.

Afterward, the team with five rookies on defense was whooping it up in the locker room while the team with the veteran offense was talking about being out of synch, out of sorts, and simply out of it.

That is frustrating.

I stood next to Zach Thomas when he talked about the defense not playing with energy, when he said he had nothing when he stepped on the field. I asked him, how does that happen in a home opener when you lost the first game and need to win?

He did not have an answer.

The Buffalo game plan was to win without asking JP Losman to do anything special. So the Dolphins should have piled nine men in the tackle box, preventing Buffalo from running and forcing, no, daring Losman to throw.

That did not happen. The Bills dictated the pace and the tone of the game even though the Dolphins were at home. The Bills seemed to have a plan and Miami seemed to be rudderless even though one team is building for the future and Miami has (had?) playoffs expectations this year.

I can understand that you booed. You showed the Dolphins that this kind of effort is not OK. I hope they listened.

NFL to fine Zach Thomas

The NFL will levy a $5,000 fine on linebacker Zach Thomas this week for a hit he delivered to Charlie Batch during the Sept. 7 loss to Pittsburgh.

Thomas can appeal and it says here he should.

Thomas contacted Batch three times during the game and not once was he flagged for an illegal or unsportsmanlike hit. I realize that is not the total measure the NFL goes goes by. But having seen the game again, I didn't see any helmet to the head hits although my replay was off television and not from coaches' tape.

It is amazing to me that Thomas gets fined but the guy that KNOCKED OUT Trent Green isn't being fined.

Let me know if you saw any contact that might have been worth five large for Thomas.

Rogers looks bad in workout

As you all know, Charles Rogers came in for a workout Tuesday with much promise, great credentials, and lots of optimism.

Then he laid an egg.

My source tells me the guy looked, well, not good.

The Dolphins were willing to give him a contract offer on the spot if Rogers had looked impressive. There was a lot of hope Rogers would use the opportunity to show off his once-awesome promise that made him the second player taken in the 2003 draft.

But right there in front of Nick Saban, who recruited Rogers out of high school, Bobby Williams, who coached Rogers at Michigan State, and Charlie Baggett, who was the receivers coach at Michigan State early in Rogers career, there was nothing but disappointment among the onlookers.

All were hoping to see a spark of the talent Rogers showed for the Spartans. But it simply wasn't there.

"We have not made a decision on whether to sign Charles Rogers at this time," coach Nick Saban said on his radio show, which had me as a guest host tonight.

What he didn't say is that with several collarbone injuries, a questionable work ethic, and a four-game drug suspension on his resume, an impressive workout was last thing Rogers needed. If he had looked good, the Dolphins would have signed him on the spot.

Instead they told Rogers to work at getting better, get in great shape, work on his game, and they would call him if they needed him. They won't call unless there is some dire need.

If it's Tuesday, here come your questions

OK folks, my calendar says it is Tuesday. So my job today is to answer your questions as quickly and as accurately as I can.

So bring them on.

I'm also conducting an unscientific survey: Which is the most significant problem the Dolphins face the remainder of the season?


A. The offensive line.

B. The poor communication and play in the secondary.

C. The lack of a proven running back at either the starting RB spot or in the reserve RB spot.

D. Inconsistent play at QB.

Also, if you think one of the above categories is not an issue, say so.

The reasons the Dolphins lost

It is 6:30 am and I am sitting at the Pittsburgh airport taking inventory on why the Dolphins lost this frustratingly winnable game.

As Shakespeare would say, let me count the ways:

1. The Dolphins lost because the defense doesn't seem to understand the English language. After the game Zach Thomas admitted there was as many communication problems out there as any game he's played in.

Those communication problems led to several of Miami's breakdowns, especially in the secondary. It surely led to Heath Miller's 87-yard completion and non touchdown touchdown.

2. Ah, the Miller TD. Sorry, but Nick Saban and his coaching staff blew it on that one. It took them seemingly a minute to do what everyone expected them to do right away -- ask for a review.

Sitting in the press box, getting the same feed the coaches get, I could tell almost right away Miller stepped out of bounds before he crossed the goal line. Yet ... no challenge from Saban.

The Steelers celebrated the score ... no challenge.

The teams ran their extra point teams on the field ... no challenge.

I had a hamburger and coke ... still no challenge.

Finally, Saban got around to challenging and even this was an abortion. He double-pumped the throw of the challenge flag. And when he threw it, the former high school quarterback fired underhanded.

And he underthrew it! It didn't reach the closest official. Not even close. It was a half-hearted effort to say the least. No wonder the official didn't see it.

3. Daunte Culpepper, the franchise quarterback didn't exactly play up to expectations. I'm sorry, I understand the guy is being courageous playing although he is not 100 percent. But the final 5 minutes were Feeleylike.

He threw the interception to Troy Palomalu. Then he came back with the interception by Joey Porter that was returned for a TD. Game over.

Hate to say it, but Culpepper didn't have a reputation for being a big-game QB before the game. And he still doesn't.

4. The running game. Or lack thereof. Don't know how much of it is Ronnie Brown, how much is the offensive line, and how much is the excellence of Pittsburgh's defense. But the three conspired to shut down Miami's run.

Yuk.

One point: You will hear from coach Saban or players in the next few days that the Steelers have one of the strongest defenses in the NFL and it is no dishonor to struggle to run against them.

But don't the Dolphins have a fine defense, too? And Willie Parker got 100-plus yards anyway. So don't buy that lame excuse.

OK, my flight is getting ready to board. With the way things have gone in the last 12 hours, I just hope it doesn't go down.

Ask your questions now

OK ladies and germs, the weekly ask your most interesting questions feature is on the blog.

Ask and I will do my best to answer as quickly as possible. Also, give me a prediction on the game Thursday. Interested to know what you folks think.

By the way, I'm picking the Dolphins, but only because Ben Roethlisberger is not playing. Otherwise I would have picked Pittsburgh.

Dolphins now better than Steelers?

It took Ben Roethlisberger about 12 hours to feel sick at home Saturday night, come to work Sunday morning, complain about the illness, get examined, and have an emergency appendectomy.

And that's how long it took the Dolphins to go from underdogs to can't-miss favorites against the Steelers.

It's true. The Dolphins now seem to overmatch the Steelers -- at least on paper.

Miami has a healthy team and a star quarterback. Pittsburgh is without emotional leader and retired running back Jerome Bettis, without a starting caliber quarterback, and with Hines Ward limited by a hamstring that can go at any moment.

Which team would you rather be?

Even though the Steelers are home, the Dolphins now seem to be superior and a safer bet to win. I don't see how anyone can disagree.

Dolphins make moves, more to come

The Dolphins signed guard/center Kendyl Jacox, cut tight end Jason Rader and placed Joe Toledo on injured reserve Sunday.

The Dolphins also put in a waiver claim on Cleveland running back Lee Suggs, but have yet to be awarded the player, according to a club source.

With 51 players now on the roster, the team is setting up room for Suggs and another player to claim off waivers.

The Dolphins reached the 53-man roster limit by adding Jacox to the roster before Sunday's practice. Jacox played the past four years with New Orleans after playing four seasons in San Diego.

The reason Miami added Jacox is that neither Toledo (sprained knee) nor Joe Berger (midfoot sprain) are healthy enough to play against Pittsburgh.

But after the practice, the team cut Rader and put Toledo on IR, leaving Miami with 51 players on the roster. Toledo's season is effectively over.

Claiming Suggs is no sure bet. He was traded to the New York Jets earlier in the preseason and failed their physical. He is due to arrive in South Florida today and take a physical.

The Dolphins also added eight players they had previously cut to their practice squad.

The team added receivers Marcus Vick and Fred Gibson, running back Gerald Riggs Jr. and Kay-Jay Harris, offensive tackle Orrin Thompson, tight end Keith Heinrich, cornerback Shirdonya Mitchell and linebacker Matt Sinclair.

Thoughts on Sammy Morris's suspension

Attorney David Cornwell confirmed last night that Sammy Morris will serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's steriods policy because, of all things, the running back took Sudafed.

The over-the-counter medicine contains ephedrine and psuedo-ephedrine which are banned by the NFL steroid policy.

Morris appealed the positive test on July 21 and lost.

So, knowing Morris was in danger of being out the first month of the season, why haven't the Dolphins been more active in their search for a backup RB?

T.J. Duckett was available and the Dolphins didn't even sniff into the possibility of getting him.

Stephen Davis has been out there.

The Jets made not one, but two, trades for a RB.

It worries that Miami is waiting to see who gets cut in the coming two days to find an experienced backup. That thinking relies on another team doing what the Dolphins hope will happen.

What are your thoughts?