Dolphins In Depth

Blog has moved so visit new blog for new posting

2008-05-12T10:35:00.000-04:00

My blog has moved as promised so please visit the new Dolphins in Depth at this URL: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/

I have a new posting up on that site already so leave your reactions there.

In the next day or so the blog will be moved by the Herald so all you'll have to do is come to The Herald site as, I assume, you've been doing and click on my face to get on the blog.

See you over there.

Salguero on the radio today 9-11 a.m.

2008-05-11T07:07:00.001-04:00

I'll be doing my weekend radio show today [Sunday] from 9-11 a.m. on 790 The Ticket.

You are invited to call in and discuss the Dolphins or any other topic on your mind. You can also call in and give a shout-out to your mom.

If you're in South Florida, you know the station can be heard on 790-AM. If you are in Siberia and all points south, you can listen live online at 790theticket.com.

If you want to call into the show, the toll free number is 1-888-790-3776.

Patriots cheated on Dolphins offense also

2008-05-08T20:48:00.004-04:00

[For all of you that consistently criticize me but nonetheless come to this blog more often than you sit down to eat, I am announcing this is my final blog entry. More on that later.]

Today we are going to discuss the fact that the Patriots, cheaters and champions that they are, have been further busted by the NFL.

As you know, they were fined $750,000 as an organization, had to forfeit a first-round pick this year, and coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for taping the defensive signals of other teams.

Seems they also stole opponents' offensive signals, too.

At least they stole the Dolphins offensive signals, according to a report by USA Today.

Among the tapes delivered by former New England video employee Matt Walsh to the NFL is a tape marked to indicate it contains the Miami Dolphins' offensive signals from an Oct. 7, 2001 game against the Patriots.

"One of the tapes is labeled that way. Until we review it, we don't know what's there," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the newspaper.

It remains to be seen if the NFL will further cite the Patriots for this latest example of how that team trampled league rules against taping opponents. When it originally spanked the Patriots last season, the league noted the punishment was for videotaping opponents' defensive signals, never mentioning offensive signals.

By the letter of Commissioner Roger Goodell's statement, the taping of offensive signals was not included in that punishment. So further punishment seems in order if the Patriots indeed gained a competitive advantage in that game and others as a result of taping offensive signals.

Taping of signals is considered to be an advantage in an ensuing game, generally after coaches have had time to study the signals. In the best case scenario, the Patriots could have gained an advantage in the second half, after studying Miami's offensive signals at halftime.

The problem is the Patriots lost the Oct. 7 game 30-10 so no amount of cheating could really have helped them. They did win the rematch on Dec. 22, 2001, 20-13, but the thing that killed the Dolphins that game was, well, the Dolphins.

Lamar Smith fumbled at the 2 yard line, ending Miami's hopes for one score. Jed Weaver caught a pass for 19 yards and fumbled, ending another drive. Both Pat Surtain and Sam Madison drew crucial penalties inside the Miami 25 yard line that led to New England points. And Ed Perry fumbled a kickoff that led to a field goal.

So did the Patriots (and their pictured cheerleaders) cheat? Probably.

But did the Dolphins lose because of it? Didn't look that way.

[I want to say good-bye as this will be my last post on blogger.com. My blogs will now move to typepad.com! What does that mean to me? It means The Herald is going to start making money off this blog because there will be ads about the site. For you, it means nothing. I remain in your lives! But I figured it was a chance to mess with your heads a little.]

The importance of the Parcells conditioning program

2008-05-08T11:20:00.002-04:00

The Josh McCown column that I told you about yesterday is up on the Herald's site so if you are interested in reading what McCown has to say about this coming season and his chances to win the starting quarterback job, take a quick jump here http://www.miamiherald.com/614/story/525218.html and then make your way back.

Something I didn't get into in the column that really fascinates me is the Dolphins' new training regimen that Bill Parcells brought to the team. One of the first things Parcells was surprised with and knew he had to change when he became Lord Dolphin was the number of injuries the team suffered last year.

There were a ton, and for a team with limited depth, they were fatal. No exaggeration. The injuries killed the Dolphins season.

I've written before on this blog what folks like Bill Belichick (the freaken, fracken cheater) and Sean Payton say about the Parcells offseason regimen. They swear by it. McCown, who has played for three other NFL teams before joining the Dolphins, also is impressed.

"Everybody has a different way of doing things," he said. "And I’m not the one to say what is right or wrong. For me this system as far as the offseason approach seems very, very detailed down to the way we stretch, the way we warm up, even how we cool down. And obviously the workout and the running in between seems very detailed and says how we’re going to approach this thing.

"Throwing is something I'm doing here. It’s very detailed on how they expect me to perform and it’s specific for the things I needed to do to get better whether it’s footwork or my release or whatever the case may be. It seems a very detailed approached. They don’t just say, ‘It’s OK for you to do things your way.’ It’s the way they think is the best way to get it done. That’s the way they want you to do it.

"And they really hammer that in. For me that’s a little different and it’s exciting. I hope its beneficial and I think it will be because I like the changes I’ve made as far as myself and the way I approach football and the way I approach a day in the offseason."

If you understand how quickly this offseason workout routine makes converts of guys coming from other teams, if you recognize that assistants in the Parcells coaching tree have taken the system with them to their new teams when they become head coaches, you should then see why Parcells thinks it is so important.

Agree or not with its effectiveness, but Parcells believes in it. He apparently swears by it. That is the reason I think he was so angry and disappointed that Jason Taylor isn't participating. I believe Parcells thinks Taylor is not maximizing his chances to have a great season in 2008.

That is the bottom line.

Taylor, always in shape, may disagree. He can argue it's a voluntary program and he ain't volunteering. But the debate is not the point.

The point is Parcells thinks Taylor would be better for this team after going through his conditioning program rather than the Edyta Sliwinska (pictured) offseason program. I am not saying Parcells is right or Taylor is right.

I am just trying to make you understand why Parcells is so torqued-off by the issue. It's like the offseason program is Parcells' baby and somebody just ignored his baby.

Anyway, it also is interesting to me that after McCown admits in my column that he is adjusting his footwork and release, that makes two Dolphins quarterbacks who have been trying to do that this offseason. Remember that coach Tony Sparano said earlier this offseason John Beck was adjusting his release.

How long before Chad Henne is adjusting his release, I wonder?

Josh McCown most likely candidate to start?

2008-05-07T14:35:00.001-04:00

Just had a very pleasant interview with Josh McCown, who is my early pick to be the Dolphins starting quarterback in the season-opener.

I lobbed the typical softballs for McCown, you know, how he's getting acclimated and stuff like that. But there were also some pointed questions during the interview that he handled well -- like a routine snap from center.

I asked him why we should believe he can be a success in Miami when he hasn't been in Oakland, Detroit or Arizona. I asked him if he believes he can be one of those late-blooming QBs such as Rich Gannon that become proficient later in his career. I asked him specifically what he believes will make him better in Miami?

So what did he say? If I tell you here, there is no need for you to read my column. I will post it here once it posts on The Herald site and update this post with more quotes.

I will tell you that McCown (pictured) isn't shy about the subject of the open quarterback competition.

"I don't feel like there's anything standing in my way that says, 'Hey, you can't be the starter,' " he told me.

Personally I believe his experience will be the over-riding factor in him earning the starting job at the beginning of the season. I think he has every bit the physical tools as John Beck or Chad Henne.

But McCown is, after all, entering his seventh season and has played in 44 NFL games. Henne is a rookie and Beck has played in only five NFL games.

Anyway, give me your breakdown of the Dolphins quarterback spot. Tell me if you agree that McCown is the guy -- at least early on -- and if you disagree, tell me why. Please have a better reason than, 'Because I'm smarter than you, Armando.'

Because you're not.

[ I wish to publicly thank Harvey Greene and his Dolphins media relations department for setting up the talk with McCown. I rip the Dolphins a lot when they act like the media is the enemy. So I want to be fair when they are cooperative on issues that don't involve competitive advantage.]

Paul Soliai under the microscope in Year Two

2008-05-06T10:38:00.001-04:00

One would think Paul Soliai has a great NFL future before him. He is 6-4. He weighs 344 pounds. The Dolphins thought enough of him to draft him in the fourth round last year.

But if the team knew then what it learned once he got to Miami, that fourth round pick would have been used on someone else.

For all his potential and upside, Soliai is becoming something of a disappointment. His size and bulk simply didn't translate last year as he started out the season in the defensive line rotation then regressed.

He played in nine games during his rookie year, but had only three tackles. This while he was playing right there in the middle, where every play begins and most of the running is done. Soliai played in six games in which he did not record a tackle.

Do the math: That means the most tackles he had in any one game was ... one.

It did not surprise anyone when he was inactive the final three games of the season even while lesser-known but more effective Steve Fifita got more playing time.

So what was the problem?

Well, part of it was a lack of experience and adjusting to the NFL. A lot of rookies go through that. But more troubling was Soliai's attitude and [lack of] work ethic. As one source put it to me, "He's just a big, lazy baby."

Soliai played poorly and made no substantive effort to get better. He didn't stay after practice. He didn't put more work in with the weights. He didn't do any extra tape work to study opposing linemen. He barely did enough to get by.

So now with the new Dolphins administration -- one that promises to have no tolerance for disinterested players -- Soliai will be under the microscope. His size and draft status have apparently bought him time on the roster, perhaps until July when they put on pads.

But at that time, his laid-back, minimum-effort style better disappear. Either that or Bill Parcells will make him disappear.

Where do the upgraded Dolphins rank now?

2008-05-05T13:46:00.000-04:00

I think no one will argue the Dolphins were the NFL's worst team last season. They had the worst record. They had the No. 1 overall pick this year. They fired their coach and general manager after only one season.

They were the worst.

But where are they today?

Although no one has played a game lately, there has been plenty of activity around the NFL since February when the Giants were crowned kings. Coaching changes, free agency, and the draft have changed things in a lot of places.

Well, the changes have been exceedingly kind to the Dolphins if one studies Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback at si.com today. In his NFL rankings, he's got Miami at No. 27. The Dolphins, per King, are better than San Francisco, St. Louis, Oakland, Kansas City, and Atlanta, which he ranks dead last.

I have to disagree.

While I do think the Dolphins have addressed some issues this offseason, I am also quite familiar with the warts. So I don't see how the addition of Jake Long, Chad Henne, Reggie Torbor, Bill Parcells, Phillip Merling and Josh McCown has helped the Dolphins vault past the Raiders.

If you remember the Raiders pretty much handed it to the Dolphins last season. The score was 35-17 but the game wasn't really that close as Oakland so dominated the line of scrimmage that the offense needed only five pass completions to turn the game into a route.

The Raiders have the best CB tandem in the NFL today with DeAngelo Hall and Nnamdi Asomugha. They have a supremely gifted QB about to embark on his first full season in JaMarcus Russell. They just improved their running game with this guy, you may have heard of him, Darren McFadden.

And with a $143 million payroll somehow tucked into the $104 million cap, the front office is not as bereft of imagination as everyone believes.

King has the the Rams rated behind the Dolphins also. Really? Tell me how many Pro Bowls the Miami starting quarterback has been to. For that matter, who is the Miami starting quarterback?

Rams QB Marc Bulger has been to two Pro Bowls. Torry Holt is better than any receiver Miami puts on the field. The defense last year was better than Miami's and it has added Chris Long. And Orlando Pace is said to be on track with his recovery from injury while the addition of guard Jacob Bell promises stability.

Oh yeah, Steven Jackson has been more productive and more durable than Ronnie Brown. So while I don't think the Rams are ready for any sort of playoff run, I don't see how the Dolphins passed them considering the two-game difference between at the end of 2007.

King has Miami ahead of San Francisco also. I guess he believes Miami has picked up five games on San Francisco this offseason. Maybe he thinks the unsettled quarterback situation in SF is a problem. I'm more worried by the unsettled quarterback situation in Miami.

And while I trust Parcells to eventually get that QB situation addressed in Miami, I can also appreciate Mike Martz and his ability to turn OK quarterbacks -- Kurt Warner, Jon Kitna and Bulger come to mind -- into very good quarterbacks.

I do agree the Dolphins have moved past Atlanta and Kansas City, as King notes. Atlanta was the lone team that had a worse season than Miami last year, what with the Mike Vick debacle and the Bobby Petrino in-season departure and the inability to land Parcells.

The Falcons believe they've found their new franchise quarterback in Matt Ryan, the guy the Dolphins passed over. But the Falcons have holes along the OL, DL and in the secondary and Ryan may not play right away. So this team looks worse than Miami.

So does KC. The Chiefs traded away their best player -- something the Dolphins have so far resisted doing with Jason Taylor. And although they got a king's ransom back from Minnesota for Jared Allen, the Chiefs aren't likely to see the fruits of that trade immediately. The rookies selected with the extra picks will have to grow into the NFL game as might first pick Glenn Dorsey.

And talk about quarterback problems. With Brodie Croyle as their answer, KC is one NFL team with a worse quarterback picture than Miami.

So by my reckoning, the Dolphins should be ranked 30th ahead of KC and Atlanta. It is not No. 27 where si.com has them. But at least it ain't last anymore.

Your thoughts?

Final rookie minicamp practice over

2008-05-04T12:57:00.001-04:00

The rookie minicamp is over and here is the update from today's work.

Chad Henne was terrible in practice today. He struggled with his accuracy and was seemingly tired because his sideline throws had very little gas on them.

"Today, I didn't have such a great practice," Henne said afterward. "I was inconsistent with my throws."

The conditioning of these players is a serious concern -- particularly considering that it wasn't very hot this weekend. Although players believed it to be blazing hot, as Jake Long noted, it was really mild.

Yet guys were clearly winded. Coach Tony Sparano told the players they needed to get in better shape on Saturday but that wasn't the only message the team sent about being well-conditioned. The message came from the Dolphins when they signed tryout player Anthony Toribio.

Notice that GM Jeff Ireland released a quote about signing Toribio: "Anthony was here on a tryout basis and really showed to everyone what can happen to a kid when he comes to camp in shape and works hard," said Ireland.

Remember that Ireland didn't release a quote when the Dolphins signed most of their veteran free agents. So yeah, it was a message.

Anyway, Jake Long is confident he improved during the three days of camp. "I got better," he said. He will return to South Florida May 16 and get settled, and hopefully start to get acclimated with the heat.

By the way, Marcel Reece continued his struggles of the weekend, dropping at least three passes today.

The Dolphins worked both the 3-4 and 4-3 set on defense.

On offense the team moved around some of the interior linemen. At one point I looked up and saw Shawn Murphy at tackle. It would not surprise if throughout training camp, coaches will move guys around so they can play alternate positions in a crunch.

Update following Saturday's morning practice

2008-05-03T13:25:00.001-04:00

Here's a quickie update from Saturday morning's camp practice:

It's interesting to see CB Will Bilingsley and WR Jayson Foster go against each other. These are probably the two fastest guys on the field so when Foster runs 9 routes it is all about going fast. Foster got behind Billingsley once this morning, but Chad Henne's pass was overthrown.

Coach Tony Sparano noted Billingsley has caught the eye of the coaching staff with that 4.29 speed but, "he needs a lot of work," he said, with his technique.

Davone Bess has been OK during the workouts but he seems to slow down as the practice wears on. "He has pretty good ball skills," Sparano said, "but he needs work from a conditioning standpoint."

The curious thing about that is Bess played at Hawaii and they threw the ball on practically every down. So he should be used to running route after route after route without losing his breath.

Second round pick Phillip Merling has shown "more strength," than Sparano thought he had. But the coach said practically all the rookies need to improve their strength.

Not to pick on the tryout players, but TE Khristopher Kasparek can't seem to keep his shorts from falling down. And QB Willie Copeland has a penchant for throwing balls all over the place, which makes judging the receivers very difficult.

One receiver that has caught the ball well is Marcel Reece, but at 231 pounds he's not exactly a burner.

By the way, the Dolphins conditioning program for vets is six weeks in. They have gone through 24 conditioning sessions, according to Sparano.

Finally, the Dolphins today signed defensive tackle Anthony Toribio from among the tryout players at the current minicamp. “Anthony was here on a tryout basis and really showed to everyone what can happen to a kid when he comes to camp in shape and works hard,” said Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland in a statement. “In addition, his signing will improve the depth at nose tackle and will help us get younger at that position.”

Toribio is from Central High School in South Florida. Miami represent.

Live blogging from morning practice Saturday...

2008-05-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

... OK, just kidding.

I'm sure you guys already know about the little web blog hiccup concerning live blogging from practice. Whatev. Less work for me. And more work being done throughout corporate America as guys now can't be online here rather than doing their jobs.

As you may know I wrote a column about Jake Long for today's paper. I was truly impressed by his work Friday. Now, I realize it is a rookie camp and he is facing rookies and free agents. I realize there is no contact. I realize he will have plenty of long, hard, bad days in the months ahead as he learns to be a pro.

But yesterday you could see he is special. He moves well. I'm not talking well for a man his size, I'm talking well for anybody. He is not a big, lumbering, slow Big 10 guy. He moves well! And once he gets his technique down, he'll be fine against Big Time pass rushers.

Chad Henne revealed Friday that he took injections after five games last season to numb the pain of a separated right (throwing) shoulder. That injury sapped his passing velocity and affected his play. But it also showed pro teams that he's gutsy.

Some things I'll be looking at today:

Can Jalen Parmale catch the ball cleanly? He was hit and miss Friday.

Can Jayson Foster follow a pretty good first day with a better second day? The trouble with a lot of rookies is they think they've arrived after one day. They haven't. Some think once they do something well, that's good enough. It isn't.

Coaches are looking for and demanding IMPROVEMENT. So Foster was good Friday. He needs to be better Saturday.

I want to concentrate on DE Kendall Langford today. GM Jeff Ireland said he runs a 4.9 at 287 pounds, which is something that caught a lot of teams' attention during the draft. Let's see if that flashes at some point today.

Finally, I'll be focusing on CB Will Billingsley also. Who is this guy? He wasn't drafted last year and sort of disappeared. But he supposedly runs a 4.3 in the 40 which makes him special already. We'll see if that speed is accompanied by some instincts and coverage ability.

See you after practice.

Early report from first Dolphins minicamp practice

2008-05-02T17:13:00.000-04:00

Here are some initial thoughts following the end of the first minicamp practice:

*The starting offensive line for this practice was LT Jake Long, LG Shawn Murphy, C Mike Byrne, RG Donald Thomas, RT Dan Gore.

*Chad Henne, as expected, took the first team snaps at QB while workout player Willie Copeland was second. Henne had an OK day. Copeland, predictably, struggled skipping a couple of passes and overthrowing three or four.

*Jayson Foster, playing exclusively at receiver, was impressive. He has great acceleration and catches the ball cleanly which is impressive because he played QB at Georgia Southern last year.

*Phillip Merling worked throughout the practice and said he felt "no pain," despite his hernia surgery a little while back.

*Partial owner Stephen Ross watched practice from the sideline. Wayne Huizenga was not present.

*Bill Parcells watched throughout. The only player I saw him talking to was Foster, which is great for Foster because Parcells obviously thinks enough of him to even know he exists.

*Foster was also used returning punts.

*Khristopher Kasparek and Davone Bess each dropped at least one easy pass.

[More later.}

Dolphins forbid live blogging at minicamp and all camps

2008-05-02T13:20:00.004-04:00

The Dolphins have just announced that they are not allowing any live blogging at their practices, including this minicamp.

You guys that defended the team's ridiculous new clamp down on the media, have fun. No live information for you on what is happening during today's practice -- or any practice, for that matter.

The reason the Dolphins say they are not allowing this to happen is that they've never allowed live accounts of practices before. Except they did allow live blogs last year so that is a lie. Media relations VP Harvey Greene says he conducted an unscientific survey of 15 other NFL teams and was told by 13 of them they do not allow live blogging. He did not say which teams he talked to nor did he say which teams allowed it.

Anyway, if you don't mind, so be it. If you are the least bit disturbed by the information blackout, say so. I guess we'll do it the old fashioned way -- I'll take notes and file a blog about practice, you know, after practice.

Here is the Dolphins minicamp roster:
1 Dan Carpenter K
7 Chad Henne QB
11 Justin Wynn WR
14 jayson Foster WR
15 Davone Bess WR
26 Lex Hilliard RB
27 Will Billinglsley CB
31 Jalen Parmale RB
35 Aaron Lane CB
48 Matthew Mulligan TE
49 Kelly Popinga LB
57 Titus Brown LB
60 Mike Byrne CB
61 Shawn Murphy G
63 Kory Robertson NT
66 Don Thomas G
67 Darren Heerspink T
70 Kendall Lnagford DE
71 Lionel Dotson DE
73 Dan Gore T
79 Jake Long LT
84 Selwyn Lymon WR
86 Marcel Reece, WR
97 Phillip Merling DE

The team also has 15 workout players trying to earn an invitation to training camp. They are:
6 Radamez Rubio Gaytan, K
8 Willie Copeland QB
36 Rolly Lumbala, FB
38 Tim Mixon CB
40 Roger Williams S
41 Scorpio Babers CB
42 Khristopher Kasparek TE
44 Aaron Weathers S
45 Sam Juckeba LB
50 Brandon Ogletree LB
53 Brandon Renkart LB
58 Keith Saunders LB
62 Anthony Toribio NT
78 Chris Capote, G
93 Brandon Jones DE

Live minicamp blogging starts at 2 p.m. Friday

2008-05-01T19:47:00.001-04:00

The Dolphins open a three-day rookie minicamp Friday but it is interesting to me that rather than two-a-days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Dolphins are working only once Friday and once Sunday.

Saturday will be the only day the rooks go through two workouts. Friday and Sunday offer only single practices.

Don Shula (pictured) typically worked the rookies twice a day all three days so they could get their vomitting out of the way early. But what did he know; he only won 347 games.

I will be blogging live Friday starting promptly at 2 p.m. so join me then. This minicamp is closed to the public but I will be your eyes and ears to tell you what is going on assuming the Wifi at Dolphins camp remains reliable.

Some things I will be looking for:

1. How involved will Bill Parcells be at practice, if at all.

2. Can LT Jake Long get through the entire weekend without passing out. Seriously, he is said to be in great shape, but the South Florida heat has worn out many a great player down through the years. The heat down here is going only half-speed right now. We'll see if Long, at 318 lean pounds, can keep up.

3. I will be gauging QB Chad Henne's arm and release time and comparing it to John Beck.

4. Will DE Phillip Merling participate? He said he was feeling no ill effects from the hernia surgery and he worked out for scouts earlier. Will he work this weekend?

For Miami it's about The Code, for us it's about a contest

2008-04-29T22:40:00.001-04:00

The Dolphins have a marketing problem and they know it. They haven't made the playoffs since 2002. They were the worst team in the NFL last year. And they didn't exactly go out this offseason and wow anybody -- either with mega-signings during free agency or a sexy first overall draft selection.

So the question is how to get people interested enough to buy tickets and fill seats.

I would suggest win games. I would also suggest the team play nice with the media instead of having one of the worst media policies in the NFL which effectively prevents fans from getting to know players, coaches or anyone else.

But, alas, the Dolphins haven't asked nor care for my opinion. Instead they have come out with a marketing campaign whose slogan is "Respect the Code."

In the coming weeks and months, potential ticket buyers will hear about what The Code means. To hear the Dolphins tell it, it means loyalty and sacrifice and honor and courage and commitment and hard work.

I will now resist the strong temptation to mock this as hooey. You, however, are free to tell me what you think of this coming marketing campaign.

Do you buy it? Do you even understand it? And can you do better?

Tell you what: Best alternative marketing campaign idea will receive from me the privilege of writing a blog entry about the Dolphins in this main space sometime in the next two weeks. Your picture will be included in the space and I will keep your entry up for at least 24 hours.

I will be judge and jury for this contest so here's a hint: I'm partial to comedy. But you are free to try what you will as long as you keep it free of profanity and bad taste. So show your imagination. You could become famous.

Gholston versus Long rivalry has gone pro

2008-04-29T16:42:00.001-04:00

Jake Long and Vernon Gholston know each other pretty well. They played against each other the past several years while Long was the left tackle for Michigan and Gholston played defensive end for Ohio State.

They are represented by the same sports agency. And now they'll be seeing each other twice a year in the AFC East games between the Dolphins, who picked Long No. 1 in the draft, and Jets, who took Gholston with the No. 6 pick.

Building rivalry? No doubt.

Blowout rivalry that Long's one sack allowed in 2007 suggest? Nope.

Long's one sack allowed came against, you guessed it, Gholston. And Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel told Newsday today the matchup was not as one-sided as the highlights shown during the draft suggested.

"You know, in all the highlights on Saturday, I never saw any of those plays where [Gholston] carried Jake Long into the quarterback's lap," Tressel told Newsday.

The article did not include from Tressel the answer to key followup questions: How many plays are you talking about specifically, and what exactly happened on those plays as a result?

It is universally acknowledged that Long was the more consistent college player. It is also universally acknowledged that Gholston is something of an athletic freak of nature. So what we have here is an opportunity to see those two guys go at it for years to come.

We'll see who comes out ahead in the NFL. And we'll see if Miami's pick of Long at No. 1 pays the dividends the team hopes.

[By the way folks: The Dolphins are soon expected to announce they have released nose tackle Steve Fifita and quarterback Matt Baker. Not big news but thought you'd like to know.]

Jason Taylor saga will become heated barring trade

2008-04-28T10:29:00.000-04:00

Late Sunday evening when I came to understand the full scope of the current relationship between Jason Taylor and Bill Parcells, I felt like the referee in the middle of a cable television wrestling match.

I wrote about that decaying relationship in my column Monday [read it here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/512073.html] and basically advocated that Taylor and Parcells should just forget their differences, call each other, and make nice.

I am told that is not going to happen.

What is more likely to happen is that as early as TODAY the Taylor camp will call the Dolphins and renew its request to be traded. Agent Gary Wichard is scheduled to call Parcells or general manager Jeff Ireland and once again remind the Dolphins that Taylor wants to play for a playoff-caliber team in 2008. He will also remind them the Dolphins are not a playoff-caliber team, no matter what they might want you to believe.

If that renewed request doesn't get results look for more drastic measures on the horizon. If Jason Taylor is still on Miami's roster at the start of training camp in July, do not be surprised if he declines to report.

And if he's on the roster at the start of the season in September, don't be surprised if he threatens to retire.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, would be retaliating with fines for every day Taylor misses in training camp and grow angrier that such a distraction is threatening to overshadow the building of a team. And knowing the antagonists involved, don't be surprised if it gets personal when folks become frustrated enough to start speaking on the issue publicly.

The point is this was once a win-win situation that now could turn lose-lose.

If the Dolphins did the logical thing and traded Taylor for a draft pick or picks, they would have added ammunition for building their team. Taylor, meanwhile, would have been happy to thank the team for 11 wonderful seasons and gone onto trying to win a championship for himself and new team. Win-win.

But the Dolphins put a ridiculous asking price on Taylor (a first round pick) that no one was willing to pay. So of course, no one made a trade offer. So Taylor is still on the team, but he may sit out while the team has a soap opera on its hands. Lose-lose.

If the Dolphins had strong leadership from managing partner Wayne Huizenga this would be over. The man who has employed Taylor for 11 years could easily step in and order Parcells and Ireland to trade Taylor. Case closed. He obviously hasn't done that for reasons only he understands.

So while these two trains build up steam and roll headlong at each other, we should realize there seems very little chance of the reconciliation I was calling for in my column. Either Taylor is traded or it's going to get ugly.

Live blogging starts right now ...

2008-04-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

....The Dolphins are on the clock.

For today, I say a WR, RB, NT, G/RT, and maybe a trade here and there.

Fact is the Dolphins and Detroit have made a trade, swapping picks in the third round.

The Dolphins move from 64 to 66 and pick up Detroit's sixth round pick, which is 176 overall.

Weeeee....

Bad news for Beck: You're not one of Bill's peeps

2008-04-26T23:52:00.001-04:00

One thing I think we all should have learned about Bill Parcells by now is that he knows who he likes and doesn't like and he is loyal to his peeps.

H fired Randy Mueller and Cam Cameron, in part, because he didn't know them. He hired Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano, in part, he knew them and felt comfortable with them. Parcells is big on familiarity and that's the reason he's got a corps of assistant coaches that follow him from place to place.

Picking his guys and sticking with them is HUGE for Parcells.

And that is the reason John Beck should be worried.

Beck is not a Parcells guy. Parcells didn't scout him, didn't draft him, didn't sign him. And that makes Beck the only one of Miami's three quarterbacks that Parcells did not pick or scout or sign.

Parcells inherited Beck from the previous regime while he went out and got Josh McCown as a free agent and drafted Chad Henne Saturday.

So that puts Beck at a disadvantage. Henne and McCown are not going to get a free ride by any means, but I do believe they rate higher than Beck in the mind of Parcells -- because they were picked by Parcells.

That means any tie on any matter goes to McCown and Henne. And not Beck. For Beck to win the coming quarterback competition -- assuming he's even in the competition, by the way -- he's going to have to outplay the other two.

Ties go to the other guys because they are Parcells guys.

One final thought: Yes, I said assuming he's in the competition. It is a big assumption, in my opinion. Given what I've seen of how Parcells has basically torn up the roster -- with the latest move being a trade of running back Lorenzo Booker -- I would not be surprised if Beck ends up traded or cut altogether by this time next year.

The only way he avoids that fate is by being waaay better than Henne and McCown. It's the only way he overcomes not being one of The Big Tuna's peeps.

[I will be blogging live starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. Yes, I'm missing church to be with you, so show up!]

Jags trade-up to get DE hurts Dolphins

2008-04-26T16:25:00.003-04:00

You can remove one of the teams that had shown the most interest in trading for Jason Taylor from the list of possibilities.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up from No. 26 to No. 8 today and used the pick on Florida DE Derrick Harvey. Harvey had all of 4.5 sacks last season and yet the Jags gave up their pick in the first round (No. 26 overall, along with their two third round picks) for the chance to move up.

So where does that leave the Dolphins as they try to trade Taylor?

Philadelphia, Washington, Dallas, and lately San Diego and Green Bay are showing as the biggest interest if a trade is to be made.

Frankly, I don't see anyone giving up a first round pick for Taylor, however. We'll see.

[I am blogging live now, commenting on picks and other stuff as it happens. Join me there and let me know what you think of what is going on.]

Dolphins make trade but not the one you think

2008-04-25T20:51:00.011-04:00

The Dolphins tonight acquired linebacker Akin Ayodele and tight end Anthony Fasano from the Cowboys for a fourth-round draft pick. The Dolphins are scheduled to have seven picks Saturday after giving selection No. 100 to Jerry Jones and Co.

Ayodele became expendable in Dallas when the Cowboys upgraded by signing, you got it, Zach Thomas. Fasano, a second round pick in 2006, had been lost behind Jason Witten. He will be able to compete with David Martin for a starting job in Miami which basically means he will be the starter in Miami.

It's a good deal as Ayodele is a pretty fair player with plenty of experience, yet young enough to get better. Fasano is merely so-so, having not yet lived up to his draft pedigree, but the Dolphins have very little at that position now anyway.

The trade was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Not the trade news you expected for Saturday, right?

Well, relax. There will be plenty of Jason Taylor trade drama Saturday. Much.

Travolta, I mean Taylor, has requested through his agent to be traded. Actually, a request is kind of soft. He pretty much has demanded a trade. That is the primary reason Miami general manager Jeff Irleand has been calling teams during the past week, shopping Taylor (pictured).

The most interested teams -- and thus most likely to make a trade for Taylor if one happens at all -- are Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Washington and Denver.

But there are problems: The Dolphins want a first-round pick for Taylor because they rightly argue that consistent right defensive ends -- the guys who go up against premier left tackles -- are in short supply.

They argue Taylor is one of only 15 players in the league that had double-digit sacks last year. They argue he has had no drop in production despite his advancing age.

And so they want a first round draft pick. Firm.

But as of this writing, no one is willing to make that deal, particularly considering Taylor is 33 years old and his desire to enter show business is not a secret around league circles. Remember that I reported Tuesday the Dolphins were firmly saying they are not trading Taylor? Don't take that necessarily as, "He's not on the market." He obviously is. Take it as, "We know what we want, we know what is being offered. It ain't happening."

It also isn't helping Miami's cause that Oakland is apparently shopping defensive end Derrick Burgess, who had eight sacks last season. Burgess is not as good as Taylor. But the Raiders aren't expecting a first round pick, either.

So we shall see what happens Saturday. But to assume this will pass into the night after Saturday is to forget my theory about the Dolphins: They are a circus.

The Dolphins don't lose if they don't trade Taylor this weekend. They can keep him for now and still can trade him before the October trade deadline for a 2009 first round pick. In fact, the market for a 2009 pick might be better than it is for a 2008 pick.

Also, if the Dolphins don't trade Taylor, they still win because they keep what is by all accounts a good player. And isn't stockpiling good players a goal in the NFL?

I would, nonetheless, tell you there is a definite drawback to keeping Taylor.

He definitely wants out. Very badly, in fact. And it remains unclear what he might resort to if he doesn't get his way.

If that sounds serious, it's because it is serious. It is more serious than those days when Taylor didn't like Nick Saban initially. It is more serious than when he didn't like Cam Cameron for not deferring to him.

Today Jason Taylor is a man who feels personally insulted by the Dolphins. That is a result of an incident last week when he visited the team while on break from his dancing. During that visit Taylor was treated coldly by both coach Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells. So now he apparently feels disrespected.

And that brush-off could lead to Taylor's send-off.

The Dolphins argue they're not thrilled about Taylor spending his spring dancing. They might say, "What did Taylor want us to do during his visit? Applaud that he has blown off the offseason work other players are doing?"

Taylor might counter he's always in shape and will remain that way regardless of whether he's dancing or lifting weights with the rest of his teammates. He might more vehmently and rightfully argue, "At least treat me like a man who has earned your respect over an 11-year career."

What there can be no argument about is that this is a broken situation.

And that means Taylor might have agent Gary Wichard turn up the public heat on Miami if a trade isn't made this weekend. It's not what Wichard, a classy agent, wants to do.

But it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we've not heard the last of this drama.

[I will be blogging live on Saturday once something important happens for the Dolphins. I figure I'll be on here around 5 p.m. So join me here then. Meanwhile, I'll be on 790 The Ticket from 1-3 p.m. if you need to insult me earlier than usual.]

Some players Miami will look at with the rest of the draft

2008-04-24T14:27:00.003-04:00

OK guys here are some names of players I have unearthed that the Dolphins are very, very, very interested in. This is not a complete list by any means but it includes names you might not have seen mentioned by other news sources.

We know Jake Long is a done deal. But the rumors about the Dolphins liking other Michigan players based on the friendship between Bill Parcells and Lloyd Carr are accurate. When Long visited the Dolphins a while back, receiver Mario Manningham and quarterback Chad Henne were also here.

The three had dinner with coach Tony Sparano, GM Jeff Ireland and offensive coordinator Dan Henning. Henne worked out for the Dolphins, by the way, but he also worked for the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Falcons.

Watch for Manningham as third round pick if he's around. He didn't run well (4.6) at the combine and had issues with marijuana but that might still make him a value in the third round or even the fourth round. Another Michigan player the Dolphins like on the second day is Michigan receiver Adrian Arrington.

Arrington is neither fast, explosive nor a great route runner. But he is has good hands, is a fine blocker, isn't afraid to go over the middle and, at nearly 6-3, has the body to get bigger and stronger.

We know the Dolphins love Auburn linebacker/defensive end Quentin Groves (pictured). He's the guy I believe the team will take with No. 32, if he is available. They also like Auburn DT Pat Sims as a second-round pick. Another possible second round pick is Penn State inside linebacker Dan Connor who is a little light for the 3-4 at 230 pounds, but could easily add some bulk.

Connor had character issues. He missed three games in 2005 after he got caught making harassing phone calls. But that is reportedly is something Connor addressed with the Dolphins during his visit with them.

Sims has good bulk and he is VERY explosive off the ball which typically makes him a disruptive force when he can disengage from the center. Keep your eyes on him when the Dolphins are picking in the second round.

The Dolphins still have not made a decision on Reagan Mauia following his arrest for punching somebody at an Ale House parking lot earlier this month. So look for them to hedge their bet by adding a fullback either in the draft or as an undrafted free agent. Miami likes Idaho fullback Rolly Lumbala, who worked out for them.

I realize the Dolphins are telling everyone Vernon Carey is going to right tackle. But the fact of the matter is the previous regime finished last season convinced Carey is best suited for a guard position. I don't know if this regime shares that idea but I do know the Dolphins really like Toledo offensive tackle John Greco.

Greco has drawn interest from numerous clubs over the past few months, including formal interviews at the Combine with San Diego, Miami, Dallas, Arizona, St. Louis, Detroit and Indianapolis. The Colts and Miami were also prominent among the teams that were looking at him recently.

Greco seems like a perfect right tackle candidate.

The Dolphins need a tight end because David Martin simply didn't get it done last year. Watch for Tennessee's Brad Cottam, who had personal workouts with the Miami, the Chiefs, Falcons, Browns and Jets. Cottom is a second-day player also. University of Miami linebacker Tavares Gooden showed great speed at the Combine. He visited the Dolphins during their chats with local players but he didn't work out for them then. He would be a good value in the third round. The Ravens love the kid, but they love many UM players.

Finally, watch for Purdue CB Terrell Vinson. Purdue's productive cornerback has received repeated inquiries from the Cleveland Browns, but he's also been in contact with the Dolphins, Panthers, Texans, Colts, Chiefs, and Vikings recently.

He is 5-9 and 183 pounds and, as you might guess at that size, he is quick, running the 40 in 4.47. But he is deceptively strong having done 16 reps of the 225 pound bench press at the Combine.

[Thursday evening update] I continue to be told that even though there is much fanfare about the possibility the Dolphins will take Joe Flacco, it just doesn't seem to be the thing the team will do. Flacco does indeed have a great arm and potential.

But he is erratic with his delivery and his footwork is atrocious. Part of the problem is he spent most of his career in a shotgun offense and that hurts because he not only has to straighten out the footwork, he has to correct the problem of taking snaps from center which he displayed at the Senior Bowl. Also, this guy didn't beat out Tyler Palko at Pitt!

The Dolphins haven't really been calling him or his agent, so I just don't see the connection to him. Another thing: He seems a value in the third round but not any earlier.

I will add more names as I come across them. I will also do a live chat on The Herald website from 1-2 p.m on Friday. Join me there. I will be on 790 The Ticket from 1-3 p.m. Saturday so you can listen locally or on the Internet at 790theticket.com. Feel free to call with your comments.

I will be blogging live from Dolphins camp once the draft begins. Join me here then.

Taylor wants to play in 2008 but 2009 another story

2008-04-23T09:07:00.002-04:00

On April 1, website profootballtalk.com celebrated the foolishness of the day by posting a spoof basically saying Jason Taylor was retiring from football because he had been bitten by the show business bug and wanted to devote his life to dance.

Within hours of the post, several Dolphins players, who apparently think everything the site posts is gospel, were either calling Taylor or sending text messages seeking confirmation of the so-called news.

Taylor eventually answered saying the “rumor mill” post was not true – what a shock – and he had every intention of playing in 2008.

BUT…

In those very responses Taylor also told his teammates and friends that he could not and would not guarantee playing in 2009, which is scheduled to be the final year of his current contract.

Taylor, you see, has every intention of going into show business very soon. He has been pleasantly surprised by his ongoing success on Dancing with the Stars. His cha-cha was rewarded with another week of life on the show Tuesday night. He believes he's gotten more attention and will have more business opportunities based on that show's run than he got all these past years as a Dolphin.

Taylor’s intentions to seek Hollywood movie or TV fame are not new. What is new is the shifting of his priorities between football and show business.

After the 2006 season, Taylor turned down a show business opportunity because the Dolphins had a new coach coming in – again – and he decided participating in the team’s voluntary offseason program and pleasing Cam Cameron was more important than pursuing the opportunity.

Taylor and his agent Gary Wichard, who along with Taylor dislikes Cam Cameron, regretted that decision.

So when Dancing was offered this offseason, Wichard worked to convince Taylor to take it even though it meant missing the offseason program instituted by Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano, regardless of how it made the new guys feel.

This is not to suggest football is no longer important to Taylor. But it should clearly show that show business is growing in importance for Taylor.

He has told teammates he will try for and audition, if he must, for every reality television and movie role that seems attainable. He hopes that won’t interfere with football. But if it does as the 2009 season draws close, show business may win out over football.

And that brings us to this weekend.

The Dolphins now have a player who will be 34 years old in September. He is on the roster but not on the field with his teammates during the current offseason program. Coach Tony Sparano has been publicly supportive of Taylor’s dancing.

But Bill Parcells has got to be seething privately.

How else would tough guy Parcells view that one player is skipping Miami’s workout program, lifting absolutely no free weights as Parcells wants his players to do, and is instead dancing six to eight hours a day?

Does that sound like a Parcells player to you?

For that reason and the short shelf life I have outlined above, I believe the Dolphins will not only listen to trade offers for Taylor this weekend, but actively seek them. I agree with NFL Network analyst Adam Schefter who today said he thinks it is better than 50-50 that Miami trades Taylor.

The price will not be cheap. After the Jared Allen trade set the market pretty high for a pass-rusher, I think the Dolphins would trade Taylor for a pick anywhere between No. 26 and No. 45ish. I know Parcells has vowed not to trade Taylor. But things change.

And based on the fact the player would rather play on a contender than the Dolphins -- which was reported by me March 10 -- and based on the fact Taylor is not certain about playing at all in 2009, trading him would certainly be the wise thing to do.

They've started something they still have to finish

2008-04-22T15:17:00.001-04:00

Now that Jake Long is penciled in as Miami's starting left tackle, I wish to remind you of one small detail that threatens to be lost following today's signing: The Dolphins are still on the freakin' clock.

The job is not finished. The team still has much work to do. And with eight more selections in the draft to finish what they have started, one hopes the Dolphins can turn this draft into a boon.

I remind you the team still needs a starting guard, an inside linebacker or two would be good, a quarterback, a cornerback, a 3-4 defensive end capable of playing the run, and possibly a fullback are needs.

I also like the idea of getting a 3-4 rush linebacker because I simply don't see Jason Taylor as being long for this team whether he is traded or not.

I will write about specific players the Dolphins may be looking at in tomorrow's Herald. Feel free to leave me players you like in picks 32 through 245.

Dolphins handle negotiations without gimmicks

2008-04-21T22:40:00.002-04:00

The much anticipated multi-front negotiation with potential first overall picks the Dolphins were said to be preparing has not happened and, by the most rudimentary uses of logic, will not happen because it is simply too late in the draft game to make it work.

The Dolphins talked to Jake Long's agent for the first time about two weeks ago and haven't talked to anyone else. Now, only five days from selection day, it is clear there will be no talks with Chris Long or Vernon Gholston or Matt Ryan or Glenn Dorsey.

Jake Long is Miami's man. And Jake Long will probably be drafted and agree to a contract with Miami, although not necessarily in that order.

So wha happen?

Why didn't the Dolphins open negotiations with another first pick candidate, if for no other reason than to use it as leverage against Jake Long? Why didn't the team try to ensure a discount for signing that first pick while at the same time hedging its bet against a holdout?

Let's count the reasons.

First, the Dolphins clearly decided Jake Long is their man. This was apparently decided as early as March when I first told you they had set their draft board. After this decision, the team apparently made the next logical decision -- rightly, I think -- to open negotiations in GOOD FAITH.

Tom Condon, who represents Jake Long, is a veteran agent who doesn't intimidate easily. He knows the game and knows how to play. And it was wise on the Dolphins part not to mess too much with what could be a good thing by explicitly imposing negotiation deadlines and threatening to go elsewhere if they didn't get their way.

By keeping this negotiation free of gimmicks, the Dolphins hoped to get, and apparently got, a clean negotiation free of unnecessary drama. Of course, they still held the card of moving on if the talks didn't move forward -- and that was the implicit deadline I told you about last week. But there has not been a written or spoken deadline by which Condon was forced to work.

Another reason the Dolphins haven't talked to other players thus far -- and likely will not barring a total collapse of these talks -- is that they really want Jake Long. He fills a need. He is likely to be a good player. He is a safe pick in that he has no questionable background. And if he falters as a left tackle, he can always play right tackle.

There is also the agent factor that worked against Miami. Although Long has been their choice for a while, it's not a blowout decision. The team likes Matt Ryan. The team likes Vernon Gholston. The team likes Chris Long.

But to play hardball with Jake Long's agent didn't serve a purpose because the Dolphins couldn't really turn and say, "We're going to open talks with Gholston and get a better deal." The reason is Condon's agency also represents Gholston. And Condon's agency also represents Matt Ryan.

Miami really had nowhere to turn other than to Chris Long and his agent Marvin Demoff if the talks with Condon became ugly. Guess what? Marvin Demoff is not the type of agent that gives discounts either. When he caught wind of the bogus Internet talk about the Dolphins passing on their pick then selecting his client fourth or fifth in order to pay less for the pick, Demoff told reporters that if Miami picked his client after pulling that prank, he would demand to be paid like the first overall pick.

So forget using Demoff as a legitimate foil against Condon.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I believe Condon is aware enough of the financial environment he's operating in with the Dolphins that he isn't going to try and steal the silverware after being invited to dinner. There is prestige in representing the first overall pick. Condon didn't want to screw that up.

For those many reasons, the negotiation with Jake Long seems pointed toward a successful conclusion by 3 p.m. Saturday. It is doubtful the Dolphins will get the huge discount everyone, including myself, predicted they would get out of this negotiation. But neither will they get fried like a plump chicken leg as the Raiders did last year in the JaMarcus Russell negotiations.

At the end of the day, the Dolphins should get their man. And their man will get a contract representative of his status as the first overall pick.

Ozzie Newsome: Dolphins not picking Jake Long

2008-04-20T16:48:00.000-04:00

Ozzie Newsome knows the Dolphins need an offensive tackle. He is aware the Dolphins are talking to Jake Long. But that doesn't make him believe the Dolphins are going to actually draft Jake Long.

No way, he says.

“I think one of the best parts of the draft is the intrigue that goes with it with what other teams are going to do," Newsome said. "Right now, probably half of you think Jake Long is going to be the No. 1 pick. I’d probably smile and say that’s not going to happen. And, [Miami is] negotiating with the kid right now, for whatever reason."

Newsome believes the Dolphins are still desperately trying to trade out of the top pick but would end up picking Chris Long if they have to stay at No. 1. Newsome's guess is as good as any because he bases how he handles the Baltimore draft, in part, on how Parcells has traditionally done things.

“I give Bill a lot of credit," Newsome said. "You probably can take eight to 10 teams in this draft that are byproducts of what Bill started with the New York Giants. You take New England, then you have Atlanta, the Jets, you have us, Jacksonville and Cleveland.

"A lot of what we do started in New York with Bill Parcells. Now, he has the first pick. But, I go to sleep every night – and this is what I learned from the first draft when we were picking fourth: If you’ve got four players, the other teams can’t get four. They can get three. So, I can go to sleep every night knowing that if we have eight players, we are going to get one of those eight. That’s the comfort level I have. I have spent a lot of time with Bill. But he is not going to tell me, and he’s definitely not going to tell you all."

Dolphins as a punchline is getting very old

2008-04-17T21:23:00.000-04:00

The guys on ESPN were really yukking it up this evening when they replayed the 52 seconds during which Jeff Ireland, Miami's general manager, suffered his "Freudian Slip" moment.

You know the instance, when Ireland said he wants the first overall selection to be "a pillar of the defense," for years to come when he really meant to say "a pillar of the team."

Saying a pillar of the defense suggests Ireland and the Dolphins are going to pick a defensive player even though they are only negotiating with offensive tackle Jake Long as of this writing. Ireland was unaware he said defense and, when told, corrected himself even as his face was turning red.

He then admitted saying defense was a "Freudian slip," and tried to move on. But the error is made. And it was an error. I was there, and believe me, he didn't say "defense" to throw the rest of the NFL off a scent. He simply misspoke and the gaff is already on youtube.com.

"I'm going to watch the next Jeff Ireland press conference," ESPN analyst and former Tennessee Titans GM Floyd Reese said on national TV. "I want to see if there are any Bill Parcells finger prints around his throat."

Ha ha. Very funny, Floyd.

But here's the problem with that humor: I personally am tired of the jokes.

I really wish the Dolphins could get to a place where they no longer are a joke. Their fans, rabid and mostly knowledgeable, deserve to root for a team that isn't a punchline. But, sadly, it's been a looong time since the Dolphins weren't Dave Letterman or Jay Leno fodder.

Last year they were not only bad, but they had Dr. Strangelove as the head coach saying things like, "Today we drafted the Ted Ginn family," or proclaiming he wanted the team to "fail forward fast," or "I want to see that thumb go this direction." The Dolphins were a joke and being 1-15 was only part of the reason.

Before that, Nick Saban was a cartoon character in headsets. Before that Dave Wannstedt and Rick Spielman were dumb and dumber. Before that Jimmy Johnson and Dan Marino played out a weekly soap opera -- as the Dolphins turn -- and the game pushed both out of the NFL was a 62-7 debacle.

And now, all of three press conferences into his career as Miami's GM, Ireland has already made his youtube debut and pundits are making fun of him and the team. Again.

Sure, it's great if you aren't a Dolphins fan and can use the Dolphins as an example of how bad things can get. It is moments like this and the others I've mentioned that cause fans in New York and Buffalo and New England to laugh at Miami.

But I, for one, am kind of sick of the pratfalls and pitfalls.

So here's a novel idea for the Dolphins: Be entertaining, sure. Have fun. But do it on the field. That is the proper stage for fun times.

Unfortunately, it's been a long time since that happened.

Ireland reveals (really little) nuggets of information

2008-04-17T13:00:00.003-04:00

Jeff Ireland just talked for 23 minutes and there were parts that were interesting. Here they are initially:

The Dolphins have fielded calls about trading for the first pick, according to Ireland. Nothing apparently is imminent if anything were to happen at all.

"People are interested," Ireland said. "People are always interested in the first pick. I'm not going to tell you what people are asking or offering. But I would think the talks would heat up next week."

Ireland slipped when he was talking about what he expects from the first overall pick. "This guy is going to be the pillar of your defense," Ireland said of the first pick.

Really? Defense?

"That was a Freudian slip," he said under his breath.

Someone then asked if it was a smokescreen. "I'll let you guys decide," he answered.

I've decided it was not an intentional attempt to mislead. The guy simply misspoke. Don't know if that means he was saying something he shouldn't or simply let words fall out of his mouth without really measuring them first.

I asked him about the speculation the Dolphins might pass on the first pick. He initially waved off the question, but when pressed whether he could put that rumor to rest, he said, "yes," as in that is not happening.

Finally there is clear indication that Reagan Mauia's status with the team will depend on what the team's internal investigation reveals about his recent arrest for battery at a local Ale House. Ireland said he needed all the details before making an "intelligent decision," which obviously means a decision is pending.

FYI: Ireland would not discuss what he called strategy, so there was no talk about Jake Long and negotiations and a deadline in those negotiations.

What are your questions for Jeff Ireland?

2008-04-16T14:06:00.000-04:00

General Manager Jeff Ireland will talk to the media about the draft Thursday.

This will be the last time the organization is scheduled to discuss draft matters publicly before the April 26-27 selections.

Soooo.

What do you want to know?

Tell me what questions you have for Ireland. I just might add the good ones to my list of questions.

Oh, by the way, don't bother asking, "Who are you going to pick?" I've already asked that and didn't get much of an answer.

Dolphins to play Bills in Canada

2008-04-15T14:03:00.006-04:00

The NFL schedule is coming out in a few minutes but one thing I can tell you will happen for sure is the Dolphins will continue their international travels.

The team will play the Buffalo Bills in Toronto Dec. 7th at 4:05 p.m.

The Bills are playing a couple of games in Toronto this season to expand their fan base. Last season the Dolphins played the New York Giants in London.

Interesting ay?

The Dolphins will open the season with the Jets at home on Sept. 7th and finish with the Jets on the road Dec. 28th.

Miami's schedule is the most unbalanced in the league. Starting Oct 5th and spanning through November 23rd, the team will play six of eight games at home. But ...

Starting November 30th, the Dolphins will play four of their final five games on the road. Note that there are no prime time games (Monday or Sunday night) scheduled now. That is typical for a team not expected to be among the premier teams. If the Dolphins surprise, the can be flexed, so to speak, into Sunday night games late in the season.

The schedule
2008 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Aug. 9 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEEERS DOLPHIN STADIUM 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 16 at Jacksonville Jaguars 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 23 KC CHIEFS 7:30p.m.
Aug. 28 at New Orleans Saints 8:00 p.m.

2008 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

Sept. 7 NEW YORK JETS 1 p.m.
Sept. 14 at Arizona Cardinals 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 21 at New England Patriots 1 p.m.
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 1 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Houston Texans 1 p.m.
Oct. 19 BALTIMORE RAVENS 1 p.m.
Oct. 26 BUFFALO BILLS 1 p.m.
Nov. 2 at Denver Broncos 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 9 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1 p.m.
Nov. 16 OAKLAND RAIDERS# 1 p.m.
Nov. 23 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS# 1 p.m.
Nov. 30 at St. Louis Rams# 1 p.m.
Dec. 7 at Buffalo Bills (Toronto)# 4:05 p.m.
Dec. 14 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS# 1 p.m.
Dec. 21 at Kansas City Chiefs# 1 p.m.
Dec. 28 at New York Jets# 1 p.m.

*All times are eastern.
#Games whose starting time can potentially be moved, including 8:15 p.m. Sunday on NBC-TV.

Dolphins trying to roll back cost of No. 1 pick

2008-04-14T14:34:00.002-04:00

In a post last week I suggested you stop thinking about which player the Dolphins will pick with the first overall selection and think more along the lines of which CONTRACT the Dolphins will offer their first overall selection.

That's because the team is more likely to pick a player that will agree to the contract it has in mind.

Well, the Dolphins have a contract on the table to Michigan's Jake Long and guess what? It is for less money than what last year's first overall pick got.

Last year the Raiders gave JaMarcus Russell a staggering six-year, $62 million deal that included $31 million in guaranteed money.

The Dolphins have no desire or intention of reaching the $30 million guaranteed money plateau. They are looking to roll back the guaranteed money closer to 2006 levels when Mario Williams signed a six-year contract worth $54 million.

Williams initially received $21.75 million in guarantees that was increased to $26.5 million after the Texans exercised an option a year later that added that sixth season to the deal.

So the Dolphins are looking to reel in either Jake Long, or Chris Long or Glenn Dorsey or Vernon Gholston for six years and about $55 million with about $25-$27 in guarantees.

How can they roll back the price of paying the first overall pick, you ask?

Well, they are going to ask for, and get, the non-quarterback discount. Because they aren't picking anyone playing the most expensive position on the field, they don't expect to pay like the Raiders did for a QB.

Secondly, they rolled out their offer to Long with the implicit understanding that they could go chase someone else if he doesn't complete a deal within a certain period of time -- a deadline, if you will. When Russell signed his deal in September of 2007, the Raiders had no such option of picking somebody else if he didn't agree to their terms.

Finally, the Dolphins are trying to roll back the contract cost for the first overall pick because, well, it makes sense to try.

And by the way, the team is NOT expected to offer a signing bonus. Ronnie Brown didn't get one in 2005 when he was Miami's No. 2 overall pick and teams have lately been avoiding signing bonuses for expensive rookie deals as a means of countering collective bargaining agreement restrictions while still achieving the maximum value for the deals.

The player will get guaranteed salary and roster bonuses instead.

None of this is to suggest the deal Miami offers will, you know, actually get signed immediately. Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who represent Jake Long and Vernon Gholston, along with Joel Segal (Glenn Dorsey) and Marvin Demoff (Chris Long) are veteran agents. They are not likely to simply roll over like a mutt at the Dolphins' command.

These agents want as much money for their clients -- and themselves -- as possible. And they are all accustomed to seeing salary scales go up not down from year to year.

So it shall be an interesting negotiation that Miami has already begun.

But if any think they're going to take a record bite out of Miami's salary cap based on the JaMarcus Russell contract of 2007, they are probably mistaken.

Dolphins asking questions about Groves' heart

2008-04-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

The Dolphins are seriously re-examining their initial opinion of Auburn LB/DE Quintin Groves following the news that he underwent heart surgery late last month.

Groves reportedly sent letters to all 32 NFL teams to inform them of the surgery and allay any fears that might result in him dropping like a boulder in water during the upcoming draft. Groves' letter explained that his surgery, which is considered a minor procedure, was conducted to correct his Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome means there's usually an extra conduction pathway in the heart that electrical signals use to reach the ventricles. The extra pathway often causes those electrical signals to arrive at the ventricles too soon. Symptoms or episodes of tachycardia (rapid heart rhythm) , dizziness, chest palpitations, fainting or cardiac arrest can be caused by this.

I know a lot about WPW because I was diagnosed with it in 1996. I am among the blessed ones that have no symptoms nor suffer from any episodes. But all Wolffies, as doctors call us, live with the knowledge that sudden death due to heart failure is possible in 0.6 percent of us.

Furthermore, people who do have episodes or symptoms require either medication or, in more serious cases, surgery. And that apparently includes Groves.

People with episodes of tachycardia can often be treated with medication. But sometimes such treatment doesn't work. That's when surgery is necessary. The point is surgery isn't necessary unless the condition is serious and does not respond to medication. Groves apparently was in this group of people.

The good news is if surgery is deemed successful, and it usually is given advanced medical science, the patient is considered cured. I hope Quintin Groves is cured.

I also hope the Dolphins do their research.

Dolphins may offer several No. 1 deals

2008-04-10T11:03:00.004-04:00

The news the Dolphins have entered preliminary contract talks with Jake Long's agent sent ripples throughout the NFL. And there may be more ripples coming.

By next week, the team could talk to the agents for Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, and possibly even Glenn Dorsey. That has not happened yet. But it would be the smart thing to do.

Rather than getting caught up with which player the Dolphins prefer, think of it in terms of which CONTRACT the Dolphins prefer.

It is smart for the Dolphins to offer all the players contracts that are advantageous to the team. By working several players at once, the team can play one against the other and the supply of options can somewhat lower the worth of the deal. At least that's what Miami hopes.

The reason an agent would enter into such a negotiation is because it allows him to judge the contract the Dolphins put before him to sign at No. 1 versus the possibility of his player dropping to, say, No. 3 or below. Gholston, in particular, might not go in the top 3 if he doesn't go to the Dolphins.

So him considering a cheap No. 1 contract that pays $25-$29 million in guarantees is better than the risk of going, say, No. 4 or No. 5 which would bring around $16-$18 million in guarantees.

This strategy also speaks to Miami's intention not to repeat the Raiders' mistake of a season ago. The Dolphins want their No. 1 pick signed on draft day. They have no desire to pick a player that might then entrench himself in a prolonged negotiation as JaMarcus Russell did last year.

Russell missed all of training camp with Oakland while his agent negotiated his mega-deal. The Dolphins can't afford that kind of setback.

Dolphins may be telegraphing their intentions

2008-04-09T15:38:00.001-04:00

The experts are reading the signs as if they were tea leaves and, pieced together like a vast puzzle, they are forming a picture one cannot mistake.

The Dolphins seem to be leaning toward picking Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long No. 1 in the draft, adding help at the 3-4 rush linebacker second, and maybe, only maybe, getting a quarterback sometime after that.

How do I know? Read the signs.

The Dolphins have had initial contact with Long's agent Tom Condon, colleague Jeff Darlington is reporting on The Herald's website. Condon, who also represents Matt Ryan, did not talk to the Dolphins about the Boston College quarterback. The talks centered on a contract for Jake Long exclusively.

What does this mean? It means Ryan is not the guy and how many times have I written that on here? Anyway, before we jump to conclusions about Jake Long, understand these preliminary negotiations do not preclude the Dolphins from also talking to Chris Long's agent.

But maybe the Dolphins don't give a hoot about pretenses.

They may just legitimately want Jake Long. That is what I believe. And I believe this, not just because of the Condon meeting. At the USC pro day last week, a handful of scouts were asked what the Dolphins were likely to do and all said Jake Long was the team's choice based on what they'd heard through the NFL grapevine.

The same week, coach Tony Sparano was asked to run down his lineup along the offensive and defensive fronts. He had no body at right tackle, or no body at left tackle if, as has been suggested, the Dolphins move Vernon Carey back to right tackle. I don't mean to say the Dolphins didn't have anybody as a slight. It is a fact. There was not a body on the roster the team had at the position.

So that pretty much paints a clear picture of how big Miami's need is there. All told these circumstances point to Jake Long first and everything to follow after that. And there is more.

What if Bill Parcells really was telling the truth when he said he has no intention to trade Jason Taylor? That would again suggest the team can hold off picking Chris Long No. 1 and instead take a player that might require a little more polishing later in the draft and plug him in a year or two from now when Taylor is gone. A player like Quentin Groves comes to mind. Lo and behold, the Dolphins are hosting Groves today as part of their Top 30 visits.

And there is more ... Remember I have told you how Sparano sees John Beck as a guy that will be part of the team's nucleus the next few years? That suggests the QB situation is not so dire in his eyes as to demand reaching for Ryan. Again, the Longs seem like Miami's focus, particularly Jake Long.

Dolphins looking at LBs not named Long fairly early

2008-04-08T09:05:00.002-04:00

It has been assumed that after signing Reggie Torbor and with the possibility of adding Chris Long with the first overall pick, the Dolphins might be looking somewhere other than linebacker during the early parts of the draft.

Wrong draftface.

The Dolphins, in fact, are seriously considering two highly coveted linebackers as possible first day additions as Auburn's Quentin Groves and Miami's Tavares Gooden will be among the players the team hosts this week.

Groves will be among the 30 out-of-town players that will visit the team Wednesday and Thursday. Gooden will be among the local players that will visit Friday. Team typically set up visits and private workouts with players they have focused on and because visits are limited in number, teams don't typically waste them by using them as a smokescreen.

So Miami's interest in these two guys is legit.

Miami's interest in Groves shows that Chris Long at No. 1 is not a certainty as both are considered linebacker/defensive ends in the 3-4 set. Groves is not as highly rated as Long. But he was productive in college and is very fast for his size.

Groves has been timed at 4.57 in the 40 since leaving Auburn. The Dolphins aren't the only team interested in him as he is also scheduled to visit Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, San Francisco, New Orleans, New York Giants, New York Jets and New England Patriots.

Gooden, whose worth seems to be rising since he ran a 4.48 time at Miami's pro day, may be a high second-round pick, although his there is at least one scout I've spoken to that has a first-round grade on the kid. Although not the edge-rushing type of linebacker, he is suited to both the strongside job or as an interior LB. He will visit the Saints, Titans, Giants and Dolphins and workout privately for the Colts and Ravens.

The Dolphins have also set up visits with Michigan State receiver Devin Thomas, who caught 79 passes for 1,260 yards last season with eight touchdowns. He is coming out as a junior.

The team also has set a visit with Texas El Paso free safety Quintin Demps. This guy ran a 4.39 40 in various timings and had 16 career interceptions.

What planting of the Parcells tree means in Miami

2008-04-03T10:03:00.000-04:00

The Bill Parcells coaching tree is flourishing. It spans the NFL from New England to New Orleans, Cleveland, and with both the Jets and Giants. Now it is taking root in Miami and I thought one way to give you insight into what to expect with the Dolphins is to let the coaches from those other places tell you.

In brief, the Parcells way includes ideas about what kind of players you need, what kind of schemes you run, how and when one trains those players both during the season and the offseason, and how you handle both players and the press.

The Dolphins will run the 3-4 defense. It may take Parcells some time to get the right players for it. But that defense is simply the Parcells way, according to Bill Belichick.

"You have more linebackers on the field and less defensive linemen," Belichick said. "You need to have some flexibility there. Since there is some flexibility, that creates more learning and adjustments. Theoretically, you should be faster because you have a more athletic linebacker over a defensive lineman on the field, so you might not be quite as big, depending on how big your linebackers are.

"There are a lot of different ways to play a 3-4, just like there are a lot of different ways to play a 4-3.The thing about it, what Bill does, he's experienced with it, he knows what he's looking for, he'll get people to fit his system. I think we've all seen his system be productive in every place he's coached. I would think, eventually, in time, his system in conjunction with the coach and all that - he's not the coach - but I think that combination of things, certainly, there's no reason why it won't be successful again, based on, historically, the way it's gone."

Saints coach Sean Payton says the Parcells way includes a philosophy on how to prepare a team in the offseason so that, unlike the Dolphins of last year, it isn't overcome by a plague of injuries. So what is Miami's new offseason conditioning program built on?

“It’s not built on machine weights, it’s built on free weights. It’s built on cleans, it’s built on inclines, squats, it’s built on running," Payton said. "And I think it’s built on an environment where these guys have three or four lifting sessions per week and there’s a set number of goals we’re looking for by the end of this spring.

"He pushed minicamps back to the latter part of the offrseason and focuses more on the strength and conditioning aspect of it and didn’t intertwine football during that time. He wanted them to feel like it was just strength and conditioning and football would be later in May. It allows us with injured guys to get them healed up more before you get to the minicamp where you’re not maybe losing some of them.”

To that end, the Dolphins won't have a veteran minicamp until the latter part of May and another in June. The rookies will have a minicamp in early May. Also, the philosophy should help you understand why Parcells is not happy Jason Taylor is missing the current conditioning program. It's not just about being in shape, as Taylor obviously is. It's about getting stronger by lifting dead weights and gaining endurance from running.

The Parcells way is also about how you handle people. I believe the short way to explain it is no B.S.

“He’s someone that really taught you all the dynamics inside the building and how to be successful," Payton says of Parcells. "In other words, it wasn’t so much the football scheme on offense or defense, but what we’re looking for in players, how he wants the training room to function, what he thinks the offseason program should consist of, what’s important in his coaching staff makeup. Things that are a little bit broader than the football game itself.

"He was very detailed that way and held everyone accountable. He’s very good with personnel and is very good at what he’s looking for with players, size wise, speed wise. Those are all things you couldn’t get enough of. Being around him on a daily basis, without seeking out or asking, you heard these things repeated over and over again about personnel, about philosophies on offense and defense, about lifting, the offseason program under him, I thought, just watching it as an assistant, our players really benefited from that."

Parcells coming to Miami means he is now a rival of old friends and confidants like Romeo Crennel and Belichick and even Eric Mangini and Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum. They all know what Parcells being in Miami means.

"You know that with Bill there, they are going to keep getting better as long as he’s a part of them for years," Mangini said. "He was great as far as Mike and I calling him, getting advice. I’ve always respected him as a talent evaluator. There’s a lot of familiarity."

Not anymore, Eric.

Jags indeed interested in Taylor, but is he long for the NFL?

2008-04-01T22:43:00.003-04:00

[UPDATED FOLLOWING THE WEDNESDAY MORNING NFC COACHES' BREAKFAST]

Last week I told you in this forum that Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio was interested in the idea of trading for Jason Taylor, according to two league sources. I told you I would try to flush the issue out further at the NFL annual meetings.

Mission accomplished.

Although Del Rio has deflected several attempts to pin him down on the matter publicly, I've confirmed that the coach not only likes the idea of trading for Taylor, but also for Carolina's Julius Peppers -- whichever might be the best deal in his mind.

Realizing there are folks thinking about Peppers, Carolina coach John Fox on Wednesday morning basically told them to look elsewhere: "I love Julius Peppers," Fox said. "We are not looking to trade Julius Peppers. We want him with us for some years to come. He did not have his best season a year ago. I won't argue that. He won't argue that. But we're ready to move on."

If Del Rio can't find a way to add one of those two premier pass-rushers, he'll continue his search through other means because he figures his team is a fine pass-rusher from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Del Rio has declined to speak on the record about either Taylor or Peppers. But he's made no secret of the Jags' need to find a defensive end.

"We're going to do the best we can with the people we have but we’re not done collecting the people we’re going to have in 2008," Del Rio said Tuesday. "There are always a combination of ways that you can disrupt the quarterback. And the number of sacks is not the most important thing, disruption of the quarterback is the most important thing whether we’re bringing blitzes, whether we’re using waves of people, whether we end up with a player or two who can legitimately get after the quarterback.

"We're going to find a way and we’re very open minded in terms of how we’re going to go about it and going to find a way to make sure we disrupt the quarterback and the timing of what they want to do offensively."

The Jaguars have no intention of giving up a first round pick for that pass rusher if he comes in trade. They also don't want to give up their second round pick. They seem open to the idea of giving up a third rounder.

Obviously Carolina seems intent on keeping Peppers, if one believes Fox. The Dolphins also have expressed their desire to keep Taylor, as both Bill Parcells and coach Tony Sparano have made that point.

But the situation is simply different for Miami so it might be more inclined to settle for a second round pick for Taylor.

Unlike Peppers, who is 28, Taylor will be 34 next season. It is simply logical that a team in rebuilding mode, a team that wants to acquire draft picks, would consider moving a 34-year-old player. Not to do that is stubborn.

Also, based on what I've been told about Taylor's future goals -- which today are to play in 2008 then really, really seriously consider retirement thereafter to enter show business -- it would seem to be a grave mistake to hang on to him.

Let's hope the Dolphins don't outsmart themselves because this is the first significant test of the personnel prowess for the new Bill Parcells regime - ahead of the upcoming draft even. How the regime handles this matter will determine the initial grade it receives as it tries to rebuild.

It should be interesting.

Nuggets from breakfast with Sparano [UPDATED]

2008-04-01T09:47:00.002-04:00

Tony Sparano talked with the media for 64 minutes today. Interestingly, the Dolphins rookie coach had a small mob of reporters around him even as established coaches like Mike Tomlin and Jack Del Rio had only a couple of guys around them.

Some nuggets:

Ronnie Brown, recovering from a torn ACL, is expected back by training camp.

On if Ronnie will be ready for training camp:

"We'll see how the thing goes right now but I think in our minds Ronnie should be ready for training camp," Sparano said.

Sparano admitted the team has no starting RT right now. He said the team has Vernon Carey penciled in at LT and Drew Mormino at LG. Yikes!

His front seven on defense were LE Matt Roth, NT Jason Ferguson, RE Randy Starks, OLBS Jason Taylor and Joey Porter and ILBS Channing Crowder and Reggie Torbor. When asked about Vonnie Holliday, Sparano corrected himself and put the vet in the starting lineup.

Starks is having a bad day, having been benched in favor of Holliday in the span of one hour.

Sparano said he still isn't certain whether the team will run a 3-4 or 4-3, although its obvious they want to run a 3-4.

He said no one other than Jason Taylor has missed the conditioning program that began last week.

He said Lorenzo Booker "jumps off the film," when he studies the player. He said Ted Ginn and Derek Hagan are having a great offseason and added that Ginn "has great ability," and is improving his route-running.

And he insisted the Dolphins want to keep Jason Taylor rather than trade him because he's a good player.

On specific players:

Nate Jones -- “Honestly, one of the things that we did when we came here and watched all this film is we saw a lot of young players back there that we were really excited about. When we watched them, that they had a lot of upside and they got us curious. So we thought when we were watching these guys, that maybe there were a few more pieces back there than we thought. So we’re interested and excited to get them out on the field. Now Nate is a guy that has played for us and again, he’s one of those that people think you signed a special teams player but for us, he’s a guy who’s going to compete to be a corner. And one thing I know about Nate Jones is that he competes and he competes hard every single day.”

S Keith Davis and S Chris Crocker -- “Keith Davis honestly is one of the toughest players that we’ve had the opportunity to coach. This is tough and he brings toughness to your team. And Crocker is a guy I’ve played against several times in our league and we think he’s outstanding safety, cover guy. He always gets some hands on some balls and it’s no secret there’s guys hurt in our secondary right now. And that can’t be an area where we have guys hurt and have success in our league.”

On LB Charlie Anderson -- “Charlie Anderson we’ve had the opportunity in Dallas to play against an awful lot. We played him in the preseason, we played him once or twice in the regular season. And we get out on the field and he just jumps out at you because he’s this big, good looking guy that can run and he presents some problems that way. He’s a young player, like a few of these guys we’ve signed that’s looking for an opportunity. But he gives you that big linebacker we need in our league to be durable that maybe can help in some pass rush but can still play in coverage and do some things that way.”

Is he outside or inside?
“Charlie has the ability to play in two spots for us and we’re not sure where we’re going to be with him, but we’re going to start him outside.”

On WR Ernest Wilford -- “Our history has been that we have those kind of receivers – Keyshawn, Terrell – those big physical receivers. But Ernest, honestly, he’s a guy that jumped out at us as a guy that could really make a difference for us and complement some of the players we have right now. So he’s coming in and he knows he has a great opportunity to compete as well.”

Is Travis Daniels a CB or S -- “Right now we’re going to look at him as a corner, with the safeties we brought in. We know he has the ability to play two positions back there and on game day that’s important. On game day you’re looking for guys that can do more and Travis is a young player we feel can do a few things back there. He’s one of those young guys we’re excited about watching, but we’re going to start him right now at corner.”

Where to play Jason Allen -- “He’s played both and that’s a luxury for us. Right now as the process goes on we’ll look at him at a safety spot and then we’ll see where we go from there. But the more things you can do back there, the better off we’re going to be.”on Jason Allen --

The strange continue to be, well, strange

2008-03-31T22:43:00.001-04:00

The Miami Dolphins are really an interesting team to cover. It's not so much that they win so much (as they did when I covered them under Don Shula), or that they lose so much (as they have been lately), it's just that they find new and innovative ways of being weird.

The team that brought you the perfect season also brought you the buying out of the coach who engineered the perfect season.

The team hired Jimmy Johnson and before his four seasons were over, he quit twice, cried after loses, and feuded with future Hall of Famer Dan Marino.

Then after Johnson failed in his mission to accomplish what he promised -- to win a Super Bowl -- somebody had the brilliant idea to let him name his successor! Remember that Don Shula didn't get that privilege. And, by the way, that successor was an oaf.

Then that oaf lost the respect of the players after three years and his coaching staff went into mutiny his final year with the team. Then Ricky Williams "retired." Then Ricky Williams was suspended.

Then the team replaced the oaf with Nick Saban, who had a Napoleonic Complex and was something of a social misfit with anyone not wearing a football uniform. Then Saban trusted the doctors over the coaches and scouts and picked Daunte Culpepper over Drew Brees. And yes, he lied about Alabama, too.

Then Ricky was suspended again.

Then the Cam Cameron experience with his million mistake march toward 1-15. And now?

Well, today the team has not one, but two owners. It has a rookie coach. It has a rookie general manager. And the guy running the entire operation is a ghost.

Everyone knows Bill Parcells is calling the shots with the Dolphins, but he and the team feel compelled to put on this facade like he's not really calling the shots. The entire freakin' NFL knows Bill Parcells is in charge, but Parcells thinks by not being out in public on Dolphins business, he can fool everyone into forgetting the truth.

So in a year the team has the No. 1 pick in the universe, Parcells has not attended the Senior Bowl, the Indianapolis Combine, any of the pro day workouts for the top players and definitely not the current NFL annual meeting where, you know, his charisma might move some unsuspecting GM like Rick Spielman to trade the farm for the first pick Miami desperately wants to jettison.

Meanwhile, we have NO EARTHLY IDEA how long Huizenga will remain as the Dolphins owner because even Monday when the sale to Stephen Ross was finalized, the two men would not reveal the outside date by which the transfer of power has to happen -- something that was negotiated among the reams of legalese that is their agreement.

Because we don't know how long Huizenga will remain, we have no certainty how long Parcells will remain. Sure, the Tuna told me he knew of the ownership shift and had no problems with it. But that is easy to say two or three years out. What if Huizenga, 70, decides to get out after next season?

Where will that leave Parcells and Ross?

It all speaks of a strange team that continues to be, well, strange. And notice I didn't even mention that the team's best player is dancing with the stars while his teammates are in their offseason conditioning program.

Amaaaazing.

Miami gets extra picks at NFL meetings, more updates

2008-03-31T15:00:00.002-04:00

The Dolphins have been awarded two compensatory draft picks for the upcoming draft.

The NFL just announced 32 compensatory picks to 15 clubs and Miami gets an extra sixth-round pick (204 overall) and a seventh-round pick (245 overall).

Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

Last year the Dolphins lost David Bowens, Damion McIntosh, Sammy Morris and Jeff Zgonina and signed only Jay Feely and David Martin.

Other stuff:

*Speaking of draft picks, the Dolphins have come to the realization they're pretty much stuck with the first overall pick. We've known that for a while, but the organization is pretty much operating under the assumption no other team will step up to trade for Miami's first overall pick.

"People aren't moving up," Dolphins managing general partner Wayne Huizenga said. "The top four or five picks -- a lot of teams aren't willing to spend the money to move up. In some years they would move up in other years they won't. This is one of those off years where no team really wants to move up.

"There's two things: What's available in the first four or five picks and what do teams need. So you get those things working for you or against you and that makes the decision whether teams are going to step or not."

*By the way, as you can read elsewhere on The Herald website since around noon, Huizenga's sale of the team to real estate mogul Stephen Ross was approved today. Huizenga called it, "bittersweet."

*Finally, I just talked to agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Ricky Williams. He tells me Williams is still recovering from his torn pectoral muscle he suffered in his only game of last season.

Steinberg says Williams is not 100 percent yet and was told it would take "six to nine months," for the recovery to be complete. He suffered the injury in November so that means May at the earliest and possibly as late as August.

Things I know before today's start of the NFL meetings

2008-03-31T09:39:00.002-04:00

Clearing out the notebook before I refill at the NFL's Annual Meeting starting today in Palm Beach:

1. The Dolphins definitely have plans for John Beck. When coach Tony Sparano talks with his coaches and confidants about Miami's need to get leadership from younger players, he mentions the second-year quarterback. Sparano thinks great teams are ones with leaders that are in their third, fourth and fifth seasons -- guys in their prime. Sparano has been mentioning Ronnie Brown, Ted Ginn Jr. and Beck as guys that will be the nucleus of the team in the next couple of years. So don't write the QB off.

2. The Dolphins draft board is set. It was set last week. That means the Dolphins already know who they are going to draft if they cannot trade out of that No. 1 overall pick. They desperately want to trade out of that pick. By the way, don't ask me who they would pick because I've asked and the person I asked laughed at me.

3. New GM Jeff Ireland is a big believer in production. Like everyone else, he appreciates when an athlete runs a great time at the combine or at his pro day, but he appreciates more when a player performs and produces on the field. Given the choice of one or the other, Ireland will lean toward the player.

4. Ireland also isn't inclined to draft for need early in the selection process. He's more likely going to want the player with the best grade on the board. He does believe, however, that you can begin addressing specific needs later in the draft to fill out the roster.

5. The rumored trade that would send the Cowboys' two first-round picks to Miami for the right to pick Darren McFadden is dead, according to Dallas owner Jerry Jones (pictured with wife Gene and daughter Charlotte). Speaking to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Jones said "I have no intent at all of moving into the top five. A team can get crippled, and I mean seriously crippled, from a financial standpoint by being up there in the top five or six. It's a real negative."

6. Read the last quote and understand two things: Jerry Jones can be saying this as a way to lower the price of getting into the top of the first round. So take it with a proverbial grain of salt. But also understand the rising cost of drafting a player so high -- at least $30 million guaranteed for the first pick -- is becoming something of a negative considering that player has never played in an NFL game. It is the reason there have been no trades involving the top five selections in years.

Anyway, I'm off to the Owners' meetings now. I'll keep you updated if stuff happens so check back here throughout the day.

Live blog Thursday 1-2 p.m.

2008-03-26T22:29:00.000-04:00

Hey, I got nothing to do between 1 and 2 p.m. Thursday so why not spend it with Dolphins fans?

I will be on here for those 60 minutes so come aboard -- ask questions, make comments, insult my writing -- and we'll see if we can't have some fun.

By the way, if you leave your questions or comments early because your boss will be looking over your shoulder between 1-2 p.m., I'll answer those also.

Jaguars interested in Jason Taylor?

2008-03-25T13:12:00.001-04:00

This is a post about Jason Taylor but, sorry dance fans, it will not delve into his mambo.

I will delve into his future. And that possibly could lead him to Jacksonville.

I have been told by one NFL scout and one NFL assistant coach that Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio (pictured) likes the idea of trading for Taylor. I am not sure exactly how far Del Rio has gone with this -- be it considering it and discarding the idea or actually pursuing the issue.

But I do know the scenario of adding Taylor has been on the coach's mind. I will continue snooping around with some league sources and ask Del Rio about it directly at the NFL's annual meeting in Palm Beach next week. We'll soon find out if there is fire associated with this smoke.

Anyway, the whispers have not risen to the level of actually writing about it in The Herald yet. But they are credible enough to be on this blog.

Here is the scenario: The Jaguars are a pretty good team, good enough that they won 11 games last season and gave the Patriots a tough game in the playoffs. But the Jaguars realize there is a gap between good and great and they need more explosive players to be great.

They tried to address that on offense this year by acquiring deep-threat receiver Jerry Porter in free agency. They need to address that on defense by either adding a game-changing defensive end or a safety that can collect turnovers.

The bottom line is the Jacksonville defense will beat up an opponent but won't win a game. It needs a safety that can return an interception for a TD or an end that can sack the QB, cause a fumble, scoop it up, and run for the score.

Taylor is the latter.

Here's the issue: The Jaguars have the No. 26 pick in the draft and they definitely don't want to give that to Miami for Taylor. Their second rounder is No. 58 and while they might think this is still too much to give away, the Dolphins will probably think it too low a pick for Taylor.

So if this is to happen, Del Rio and the Jags would have to convince themselves No. 58 is doable and perhaps give up a second day pick as well.

This while the Dolphins would, first of all, have to decide trading Taylor is right -- remember that Bill Parcells said it wouldn't happen -- and then accept the fact a low second-rounder is the best they could do for the soon-to-be 34-year-old player.

This is not imminent. But are the Jaguars one of the teams interested in Taylor?

You bet.

Ryan's wonderlic score suggests he's really bright

2008-03-23T15:07:00.000-04:00

Bill Parcells wants to trade out of the first overall pick. That is not a secret because, as general manager Jeff Ireland said at the Senior Bowl when asked about trading the pick, "We're open for business."

But if the Dolphins must pick, one of the critical factors they will weigh is intelligence. Parcells wants tough guys, intelligent guys, guys that aren't a concern off the field.

In that regard several of the top overall pick candidates helped themselves in the Wonderlic test which teams use to measure smarts.

According to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan added to his long list of intangibles when he scored a 32 on the test. A person of average intelligence is supposed to score around 20.

But Ryan wasn't alone in showing the Dolphins and other teams he's got brains. Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long scored a 26. No word on what Chris Long and other potential first overall picks scored.

Among the other top quarterbacks, Pompei writes that Brian Brohm also scored a 32, Joe Flacco had a 27 and Chad Henne had a 22.

Of course, a high Wonderlic doesn't guarantee NFL success as as low one doesn't promise NFL failure. Remember that Vince Young allegedly scored a six in 2006. It hasn't exactly ruined his career.

Trade the Dolphins 53 for Tom Brady?

2008-03-20T14:54:00.000-04:00

Quickie here to go along with the loooong post I put up earlier: As one of my faithful blog readers gave me a heads up, Jason Taylor did make an interesting comment on the Dan Patrick radio show earlier this week.

While talking about what he would do if he were making the picks on draft day, Taylor went in an interesting direction when he said he would trade the Dolphins for Tom Brady.

That's not trade playing for the Dolphins for playing with Brady. That's a heads-up trade.

"I would trade our 53 for Tom Brady," Taylor said. "I would trade our entire roster for Tom Brady."

QUESTIONS:

1. Do you take that as an insult when the team's star player says publicly he would trade all of his other teammates for one player, particularly a player on a division rival?

2. If you had the option, would you make that trade?

Have at it....

Miami's 2005 draft unlucky, or simply inefficient?

2008-03-20T12:33:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago, during a one-on-one interview with Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, the billionaire expressed frustration about his team based on a fact he said no one could overcome.

He said his team was "unlucky."

Specifically he was talking about the 2005 draft when, according to Huizenga, the Dolphins had a great chance to stock the team with talent because it was picking second overall but couldn't do so because, the owner lamented, "Talent was down. That draft didn't have the same caliber of talent as other years."

This sentiment was echoed by then-coach Nick Saban, who in the days leading up to the draft, said: "There's no Julius Peppers out there to pick at No. 2."

Sure enough, the Dolphins picked Ronnie Brown in the first round and he was the first of 26 running backs taken that day. Although he showed flashes of stardom last year, questions linger about his consistency and health as he's never finished a season he started and is now recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

In the second round the Dolphins took defensive end Matt Roth, who failed as a starter last season.

In the third round they took linebacker Channing Crowder who had a stellar rookie season but whose production has not continued to climb off that hopeful rookie showing.

In the fourth round the Dolphins got cornerback Travis Daniels, who fell out of favor last season when he lost his starting job.

In the fifth they took offensive tackle Anthony Alabi who was waived this offseason. In the seventh round Miami took defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson, who could not stick with the team despite his size.

So what is the point? That the Dolphins, seemingly unlucky to have high picks in a year talent was down, were not the victims of bad luck at all. They were simply victims of bad drafting.

Compare Miami's haul to the New York Giants, who were drafting in the middle of every round except the first because they had given up that pick in the Eli Manning deal the year before.

In the second round the Giants got cornerback Corey Webster, who is a starter now. In the third round, four picks after Miami got Crowder, the Giants picked defensive tackle Justin Tuck. Tuck was unspectacular his first season and was injured in 2006, but he simply burst onto the scene last year, collecting 10 sacks and two forced fumbles. He also had two sacks and a forced fumble against New England in the Super Bowl. The Giants would like Michael Strahan to return for 2008, but if he doesn't, the team is confident Tuck will be an excellent replacement.

In round four the Giants drafted running back Brandon Jacobs. He's the 6-4, 265-pound plow horse who can also run like a thoroughbred, doing the 40 in 4.54. Jacobs was sparingly used his first two seasons because Tiki Barber was the starter. But when he was finally pressed into action last year he averaged 5 yards per carry while gaining 1,009 yards. Not bad considering his signing bonus as a fourth-round pick was about $300,000. Brown's guaranteed money was $19 million.

By the way, Pro Bowl running back Marion Barber was also picked in the fourth round and Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore was picked in the third round. But I digress.]

Anyway, the Giants didn't have a pick in Round 5 or 7. But their haul on a day they lacked a first, fifth and seventh rounder included a starting cornerback, a starting running back and a starting-caliber defensive end -- all outstanding players who played key roles New York's Super Bowl run.

The Dolphins plucked two starters whose careers are at a crossroads and each one came at a much higher price.

As we draw closer to this draft, I am hearing the same sort of complaints as the Dolphins made about the 2005 draft. I hear people complaining there is no clear-cut top pick, I hear people saying there is no Peyton Manning or Julius Peppers. Nonsense.

I ask you keep these facts in mind:

The Dolphins are NOT unlucky to have the first pick. They can pick the draft's best player if they identify the right guy.

The Dolphins would nonetheless LOVE to trade that first pick because there will be good players available later at a much lower cost and risk.

And, finally, the pressure is on Miami to finally stop making excuses.

Matt Ryan 'pressed' at his pro day

2008-03-18T20:14:00.002-04:00

Both Chris Long at Virginia and Matt Ryan at Boston College had their pro days Tuesday.

There were 39 NFL representatives in attendance with Director of college scouting Chris Grier and quarterback coach David Lee representing the Dolphins at Ryan's pro day. There were 42 NFL reps present for the Long pro day at Virginia. For more info on Long's day go to colleague Barry Jackson's Buzz column in The Herald Wednesday.

Anyway, back to Boston College. Ryan threw 52 passes and completed 48, as three were reported dropped and one was simply overthrown. But despite this high completion percentage several coach and GM types came away with mixed reviews.

Kansas City coach Herm Edwards, whose club has the fifth pick in the draft said Ryan, "pressed a couple of times, trying to throw the ball a little too hard. That's generally what happens with quarterbacks, when you get the media there. Again, he pressed some throws, but the thing this guy has is his ability to win."

Vikings personnel man Rick Spielman ('memba him?) also agreed Ryan was pressing.

Question: So some quarterbacks, including Ryan, throw too hard when the media is watching? I have news for the kid and that is the media watches practices, scrimmages and games. So he better get over it.

Bottom line is I would not draw too many conclusions from what happened Tuesday because Ryan, along with the Longs and possibly others will be scrutinized some more by the Dolphins. And as to what the Dolphins will do, nobody knows.

That's because even if you know Bill Parcells won't tell you. I refer to this item by Peter King at si.com:

"I'll never forget the 1986 draft, when I was covering the Giants for Newsday. I'd heard Parcells had sent a coach to Columbus to work out Ohio State linebacker Pepper Johnson a few days before the draft. On the eve of the draft I called Parcells. "Sounds like you're interested in Pepper Johnson,'' I said. The noise that came out of his mouth was something beyond, Are you kidding me? "Pepper Johnson? Pssssshhhhhhawwwww.''

For those of you not familiar with NFL history, the Giants drafted Johnson the next day.

Do you suspend reality or believe the truth?

2008-03-17T12:15:00.001-04:00

To celebrate Jason Taylor's debut tonight on Dancing with the Stars we're going to suspend reality now.

Why? Well, because that's exactly what we have to do to believe everything that is being said by Taylor and Bill Parcells relative to the defensive end's future with the Dolphins.

To recap: Parcells told me for print in this blog and The Miami Herald that Taylor is not going to be traded or released. He said the only way Taylor doesn't play for the Dolphins in 2008 is if he retires. Fine.

Taylor, in an interview with Sirius Satellite radio, said over the weekend he intends to play in 2008, is under contract with the Dolphins and, "That's where I want to be."

OK, so if we accept everything these two men are saying we have to accept the following:

1. That Bill Parcells is rebuilding the Dolphins in every area, cutting players younger than Taylor, showing no interest in star free agents that are younger than Taylor, bringing in a potential free agent signee (Calvin Pace) who plays the same position as Taylor, but that he intends to keep Taylor.

2. That even if the Dolphins get calls inquiring about a Taylor trade, which a source tells me has already happened from at least two teams, the Dolphins will ignore those calls and the chance to add more high draft picks so they can keep Taylor, as Parcells said. This even though Taylor has maybe two more years left with the Miami.

3. You would have to accept from Taylor that even though he hates losing and has been extremely hurt by the steady decline of the team, he is fine with simply going along with the current plan even as vets are getting cut and no stars are being signed in free agency.

4. That Taylor, contrary to human nature, would not welcome a chance to jump off Miami's sinking ship and get on one apparently sailing toward playoff contention.

Can all of you believe these four things are all true? Do they make sense?

Absolutely not.

Taylor, as I wrote in a column that I sourced for seven days, would love a chance to play for another team that has a chance to compete. In fact, he prefers that.

And Parcells, a master of building a winner, cannot truly believe he's going to gut a team but do it in an incomplete manner.

You cannot rebuild halfway as Nick Saban and the CamRandy regimes proved. You either go with young players or you don't. You either acquire as many draft picks as you can or you don't. And you don't turn down the opportunity to add early picks on a team going nowhere just so you keep a soon-to-be 34-year-old player whose market value will decline rather than increase as years pass.

I don't believe Parcells is making that error. I believe he will trade Taylor once he gets an offer he's comfortable with -- a low first-rounder or high second rounder. And as for Taylor, I believe he will be excited to death about that trade if it involves a team with playoff possibilities.

If you don't believe those things, then you have to continue suspending reality.

Deck the (DeAngelo) Hall for the Raiders

2008-03-16T09:16:00.001-04:00

If you guys participated in last Monday's live blog, you got the idea this was coming down the pike but ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting DeAngelo Hall is apparently bound for Oakland.

The Raiders reportedly will give up a second-round pick for Hall and then sign him to a lucrative contract that could equal or surpass the deal Asante Samuel signed with Philadelphia.

The Dolphins? They're going with Will Allen and a re-signed Michael Lehan. Happy about that considering Miami could have gotten Hall because their (own) No. 2 is higher than anyone else's including Oakland's? Remember Miami has two No. 2s.

Anyway, it's just a question. And I don't want to hear how Hall is a bad character guy because he is not.

Finally, since I know it torques some folks when I tell you I told you so, I'm going to tell you I told you so because getting a rise out of you delights me.

This is what I said on here March 10 when someone asked for a Hall trade update in the live blogging session: "Mr. Anonymous, I am told the teams most interested in DeAngelo Hall now are Washington and Oakland. I wish the Dolphins were more involved but they apparently are not."

Almost forgot: Since I have noticed it also bugs some of you when I pimp my radio show on here, here goes: I'll be on the air today from noon to 2 p.m. on 790 The Ticket and 790theticket.com. Join me there.

Dolphins don't attend Long pro day in droves

2008-03-14T20:11:00.003-04:00

Just got off the phone with a source who was at Jake Long's pro day today in Michigan.

For those of you excited about him being the possible first overall pick to the Dolphins ... I would chill on that idea for the moment.

The Dolphins had one representative at the workout today. The St. Louis Rams, who pick second in the draft and believe they have to find someone to replace Orlando Pace, had about a dozen pairs of eyes on Long's work.

[SATURDAY UPDATE: As has been the talk on this thread, Long will work for the Dolphins in a private screening, so to speak. So will Matt Ryan, so will Chris Long and perhaps others. That of itself is not an indication Miami will pick him.]

Long did not run Friday. He simply did position-related drills. If you're a Dolphins fan, it shouldn't matter what he did. He is not the pick.

Look, this is a good draft for offensive tackles. The Dolphins have a huge need in that they don't have a right tackle. If you believe they're moving Vernon Carey back to right tackle, something the Dolphins have not confirmed, they don't have a left tackle.

But the fact is even if they don't pick Long, they can still draft a tackle with the first pick of the second round and fill the position. The fact is they can live with Carey at LT and let the rookie play RT. The fact is this deep tackle class might offer a LT in the second round. The fact is Bill Parcells has not traditionally spent high picks on offensive linemen.

The fact is if Tony Sparano is as good a line coach as everyone says, they can find a diamond in the rough after the first pick and turn him into a diamond on the line. The fact is Jake Long, for all his gifts, is not a No. 1 overall pick type of talent.

By the way, Long is still an outstanding player. He was penalized for a holding once as a redshirt freshman and had one false start as a senior. But that didn't mean he didn't cheat a little.

“Absolutely. I’ll admit that I hold,” Long said with a laugh at the first day of the NFL scouting combine last month. “I’ll get my hands inside and hide it that I’m holding.”

The Rams will be thrilled. Your thoughts?

Mark these dates on your Dolphins calendar

2008-03-12T16:04:00.003-04:00

You know the Dolphins cheerleader calendar you bought when your wife or girlfriend wasn't looking? The one you keep hidden in the drawer underneath copies of your old tax returns?

Get that out and bring a Sharpie with you.

These dates are important to the Dolphins, and to you also, because you are a big Dolphins head fan: March 14 and March 18.

On March 14, which is Friday, Michigan will hold its pro day. And the Dolphins will have a full contingent of scouts and coaches and likely even general manager Jeff Ireland on hand to watch Jake Long do his thing in front of EVERYONE for the final time.

Long is expected to lift and go through pass blocking drills at the Wolverines' pro day in hopes of improving his draft stock.

Four days later on March 18, both Boston College and Virginia will conduct their pro days. And a split squad (baseball term) of Miami folks will be at both places to focus on BC quarterback Matt Ryan and Virginia defensive lineman Chris Long.

The pro day event will be particularly important for Ryan because, well, he hasn't really shown much so far in leading up to the draft. He passed on playing in the Senior Bowl and didn't provide a complete workout at the scouting combine. So he'll have to go through all the paces at BC to show scouts he's worthy of being mentioned as a top 5 selection and possibly THE top pick.

Now I don't think he'll be the top pick because, call it instincts, I don't see the Dolphins making that investment on a quarterback with so many question marks about him -- such as decision-making and mobility for starters. But again, Ryan is being thoroughly scrutinized by Miami.

At Virginia, Long is considered the most likely No. 1 overall pick. He's good, he's got a great motor, he comes from Pro Football Hall of Fame stock being Howie Long's kid, and his college coach is Al Groh, who is very, very, very tight with Bill Parcells.

So every sign is pointing to Long as the guy if Miami keeps its No. 1 overall pick. But ...

Long has to show he's getting better physically as the draft draws closer because many of the other guys certainly are. Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, for example, improved his combine 40-yard dash time from 4.67 to 4.6 and even 4.59 on some stopwatches. His vertical jump at his workout was a winged 42 inches.

Considering Gholston and Long had pretty much the same production and project to play the same position in the NFL, Long has to show he is in the same physical league even though at the combine he was not as fast (4.75) and not quite as impressive on the bench press. Long seemed more fluid in coverage drills, but that's more objective.

So there is a lot at stake in the next few days.

Of course, if you ask me, the Dolphins should also be marking March 25 on their calendar. That's when Darren McFadden will have his pro day in Fayetteville. We'll see then if he stands pat on his unofficial combine timing of 4.33 in the 40 or if he's a competitor and tries to do better.

Dolphins agree with Davis, reach $100 million in salaries

2008-03-11T12:11:00.002-04:00

The Dolphins have agreed to a two-year contract with former Dallas special teams player Keith Davis.

Davis, the special teams captain for Dallas last season, comes to Miami primarily to help turn around what was a putrid special teams corps last season. If you remember, the special teams was so awful early on, the Dolphins had to bench several players and replace them with offensive and defensive starters.

Even then the improvement was marginal.

Anyway, the Davis signing will put the Dolphins over the $100 million mark in salary cap expenditures. As of the latest figures I had before the Davis contract, the Dolphins were $21 million under their adjusted cap.

Miami's adjusted cap, by the way, is $120 million because it got a $4 million cap credit from last year. Miami had accounted for $99.6 million of that $120 million prior to getting Davis on board. That contract, by the way, has not yet been signed as of this writing.

I would estimate the Dolphins will be about $20 million under the cap once the Davis contract is reported.

Live blog Monday from 1-3 p.m.

2008-03-09T23:29:00.000-04:00

In the interest of remaining interactive with you I will be here from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday to talk with you and answer any of your questions.

We can discuss free agency, the draft or my Jason Taylor column which will be posting to the Miami Herald website in the coming hours.

Just post your question or comment in the comment section and that's where I'll answer it. Depending on the demand, we might start doing this more often.

Hope to hear from you then.

Pacman Jones IS NOT on the Dolphins radar

2008-03-09T13:54:00.000-04:00

Pacman Jones, the suspended strip club enthusiast, is apparently on the radar of several teams interested in trading for him.

Want to hear something really funny? According to the Tennesseean newspaper in Nashville, the Dolphins are among the teams interested.

With all due respect to the fine work that newspaper does, the Dolphins ARE NOT interested in Jones for a myriad reasons.

First, Jones is suspended and there is no certainty his lawyer will be able to convince the NFL to allow Jones back on the field for 2008 after he missed all of 2007 when six arrests and various legal issues caused commissioner Roger Goodell to take punitive action against him.

Secondly, Bill Parcells, who is running the Dolphins, has stated he doesn't want "thugs or hoodlums," on his team. He said this at his introductory press conference:

"I’m interested in good character people. I don’t want thugs and hoodlums on the team. I really don’t. I don’t want bad character guys. I don’t want problem children. I’m more willing to let someone else try to address those things with other people. I want to get a good base of good character people that are dependable, reliable employees and come to work with the idea of trying to win football games for the Miami Dolphins.”

I know for a fact that Parcells told Miami players the exact same thing in private during a team meeting. If the Dolphins add Jones, who at the time of his suspension was the personification of, shall we say, a soul run afoul of laws, Parcells will not only lose face publicly (which is important) but also within the Dolphins locker room (which is more important).

Finally, how much sense would it make for the Dolphins to show no interest in DeAngelo Hall, who is not a character problem, but make a play for Jones, who isn't as good, has an uncertain future, and does raise red flags with his character?

As a Dolphins person told me, "Don't believe everything you read."

Salguero on the radio tonight 10-midnight

2008-03-07T11:06:00.002-05:00

Not a ton going on right now with the Fins other than they continue preparing for the most important draft perhaps of their history.

Still think it'll be either Chris Long or Jake Long with the Matt Ryan rumors simply a smoke screen. On the free agency front I am puzzled why receiver D.J. Hackett hasn't been on Miami's radar.

I doubt Hackett would be a high-priced acquisition. More like a $3 million guaranteed money type of guy. And even at 6-2 and 208 pounds he has deep threat ability, having turned 10 percent of his catches the past three years into plays averaging 31.5 yards. I know the guy had some injury issues, but didn't Justin Smiley and Jason Ferguson miss most of parts of last season on injured reserve? And the Dolphins went after them.

Anyway, we can talk about all of that and more on my radio show this evening.

I will be on 790 The Ticket from 10 to midnight and will be happy to talk with you if you call in. If you're not in South Florida you can listen via the computer by going to 790theticket.com and listening live there.

If you want to call and discuss something, it's a toll-free call at 1-888-790-3776.

Wow, the world is indeed shrinking isn't it?

How does free agency look to you now that it is over?

2008-03-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

Excited about Tab Perry? Maybe the addition of special teams ace Boomer "Don't call me Otis" Grigsby has you aflutter.

If not, too bad. That because free agency has pretty much come and gone for much of the NFL, including the Dolphins.

Sure there was that initial, hopeful surge that first weekend when the Dolphins signed eight players in two days and traded for Jason Ferguson. But if you thought that was going to be the start of something big, you were a little off.

It was pretty much the start ... and the finish.

The Dolphins may add a player or two more before June 1 and might even look at a guy cut after June 1 (assuming he's young). But if you're waiting for guys that will significantly improve the team, you had better look toward the draft.

Because those guys aren't coming in what remains of free agency. Fact is, it could be argued, those guys may not have come in what the Dolphins got at the start of free agency.

Yes, Justin Smiley should be a starter -- if he's healthy, which he wasn't last year. Yes, Josh McCown looks the part of a starting quarterback and will get a chance to compete for the job, but he's failed with three other teams.

And Randy Starks shows a lot of promise for the future ... but we were told the same thing about Manny Wright and Fred Evans and Matt Roth once upon a time.

The point is free agency for the Dolphins has, at best, filled in around the margins of the roster. For the impressive narrative, you will have to wait until the 2008 draft. And the 2009 draft. And the 2010 draft.

It's going to be a while, folks. It's going to be a while.

Where does Brett Favre rank relative to Marino?

2008-03-04T11:50:00.001-05:00

As you might have heard Brett Favre is retiring.

So why is that news on a Dolphins blog? Well, because Favre belongs on the Mount Rushmore of NFL quarterbacks and he's got to share that space with guys like Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and eventually Peyton Manning when he's done playing.

The question that remains is Favre leaving the game ahead of Marino in the minds of NFL fans? I know asking that question here is like asking the hen house to vote for either the rooster or the fox. But I am, just this once, going to trust you guys can bring objective insight into the matter.

Before we do that let me throw some records with the next closest mark behind it:

Career TD passes -- Favre 442. Marino 420.
Career passing yards -- Favre 61,655. Marino 61,361.
Career passing attempts -- Favre 8,758. Marino 8,358
Career completions -- Favre 5,377. Marino 4,967.
Most 3,000 yard seasons -- Favre 16. Marino 13.
Most win by a QB -- Favre 160. John Elway 148.
Consecutive starts by any player: Jim Marshall 270. Favre 253.

OK, your thoughts?

Calvin Pace going with the J-E-T-S

2008-03-03T15:32:00.000-05:00

The Dolphins have lost out on linebacker Calvin Pace who minutes ago agreed to a contract with the New York Jets.

The Jets stepped up this afternoon, increasing the amount of guaranteed money they were prepared to give Pace from about $19.5 million to $22 million. I am told the Dolphins also reached the $20 million mark but were unwilling to go as high as New York.

Pace's total contract is believed to be a six-year deal with the total worth between $42-$45 million depending on wether he reaches some incentives. Pace is going to make $26 million his first three years which merely means he's picking up an extra $4 million in base salary during that time.

This for a player who only has had one good year -- that in 2007 when he had 6.5 sacks.

The fact Pace is not coming now causes the Dolphins pause. Joey Porter, whose future would be uncertain had Pace signed, may have to remain in Miami's plans.

Quickie update on free agent Calvin Pace

2008-03-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

OK people this is what I've come up with so far this morning on Calvin Pace.

He is still searching, hoping, waiting for that magic $20 million guaranteed money figure from either the Jets or Dolphins and apparently NEITHER team is there yet.

Amazing that a guy who's had one good year can expect, and perhaps get, that kind of money. But I digress.

Because the money isn't quite where Pace hoped yet, his agent is trying to play one team against the other and including the possibility of adding another team in the mix: The Cincinnati Bengals. But don't worry about the Bengals because they don't traditionally overpay.

Pace is also said to be mulling lifestyle issues. He loved South Florida's weather and was impressed when he met Bill Parcells. He's a Detroit native but lives in Atlanta so he also likes the idea of being closer to home.

On the other hand, I'm told Pace doesn't shy away from attention so playing in the spotlight otherwise known as New York is attractive. But that is all secondary.

It's about the money, people. When either the Jets or Dolphins reach that $20 million guaranteed figure, or surpass it, then that's when Pace will jump. That has not happened yet.

Parcells: Taylor will have to retire to leave Dolphins

2008-03-02T11:56:00.001-05:00

The Miami Dolphins are not going to trade Jason Taylor. The only way he does not play for the Dolphins in 2008 is if he retires.

This from Dolphins football czar Bill Parcells.

"There is nothing to it," Parcells said of the Yahoo.com report that said the Dolphins and Taylor are parting ways. "That is journalistic irresponsibility. There's a lot of that going around these days."

Parcells is concerned such a story could hurt the Dolphins.

"Free agency is going on and we are trying to put a team together and this kind of thing is very harmful," he said. "And it is not true. The only way Jason Taylor doesn't play for the Dolphins is if he retires. The team is not going to trade him."

Of course, it is entirely possible Taylor might retire. He has spoken about retirement in the past, specifically after the 2005 season. And it's not like the guy needs the money or work. He has made over $100 million in salary and endorsements throughout his 11-year career.

But Hollywood beckons and, according to one of Taylor's confidants, he could easily make $4-$10 million a year making movies and doing other projects.

So now apparently the ball is in Taylor's court. He might not play for the Dolphins in 2008, as reported. But he's not playing for anyone else if he doesn't.

Reasons to watch Calvin Pace's decision

2008-02-29T23:57:00.002-05:00

During the 2005 offseason Jason Taylor was watching very closely when new coach Nick Saban added free agent defensive end Vonnie Holliday. Then the coach added free agent defensive end Kevin Carter. Then the coach drafted defensive end Matt Roth in the second round.

At that point Taylor texted several friends wondering, "What are we doing?" because he was concerned about his future with Miami.

Turns out Taylor had nothing to worry about then. But he, along with Joey Porter should be watching over the next couple of days to see if Arizona free agent Calvin Pace decides to take a sizeable deal from the Dolphins.

The Dolphins, you see, already have signed strong side linebacker Reggie Torbor and could add Pace, another strong side linebacker, if he accepts Miami's deal. That will create something of a logjam among Miami front seven players.

And somebody will either have to take a seat on the bench. Or go elsewhere altogether.

If the Dolphins project Pace as a linebacker rather than an undersized defensive end, which is likely, that means they will have him, Taylor, Torbor and Porter competing for two outside linebacker jobs.

If, and this is a huge if, all four go to training camp, it will signal an epic competition. But I am skeptical that all four would go to camp. I simply don't see how the new regime cannot be committed to either Torbor or Pace after having just signed them.

That raises the question how committed they are to either Porter or Taylor. Here's a guess: One of those two guys will not be with Miami in September if Pace signs.

It is no secret the new regime was unimpressed with Porter after studying his play during parts of last season, and Bill Parcells is aware of reports of Porter's disrespect for previous coach Cam Cameron. So the strongest reason to keep Porter if Pace signs is because cutting him would do considerable damage to Miami's cap.

Now teams make cap sacrifices all the time to go in a direction they want to so it is possible the Dolphins will try to trade Porter, which still will have a cap cost, for the sake of having the chemistry they want. We'll see.

Or there is the Taylor option. Trading him is much easier. There are no serious cap ramifications and his worth on the market is likely much higher than Porter's.

And why get rid of him? Draft pick compensation is one reason. But it is no secret the Dolphins new leadership is not thrilled with Taylor's Dancing with the Stars gig. It comes at a time his teammates will be involved in offseason training. Taylor's offseason absence could even extend into a minicamp if he is a good dancer and survives the weekly eliminations.

And the fact Taylor will not be in South Florida, but will be living in Los Angeles during the gig also cannot be going over well. Taylor, understandably, is taking care of his interests because his post-NFL career promises to be a lot longer and just as profitable as his football days. And Dancing is a stepping stone to that career. So his focus is on that now.

But the Dolphins, understandably, want Taylor's focus on football and little more. He's arguably the leader in the locker room and what team wants that kind of example on a young team from its leader?

So it should not surprise if he or Porter is moved -- especially if Calvin Pace signs with the Dolphins.

[Reminder: My radio show this weekend is Saturday from 4-7 p.m. on 790 The Ticket. Please join me.]

Ernest Wilford, Josh McCown sign (excited?)

2008-02-29T15:59:00.002-05:00

Receiver Ernest Wilford was expendable in Jacksonville because the Jaguars wanted someone with more speed and dash even though Wilford led the team with 45 receptions last season.

Josh McCown (pictured) has been expendable in Arizona, and Detroit, and Oakland.

The Dolphins have signed both today.

Wilford has signed a four-year deal worth $13 million with a whopping $6 million signing bonus considering he is not assured of being a starter. The Miami Herald's Jeff Darlington is reporting McCown has signed a two-year deal worth $6.25 million.

"Ernest has great respect for coach Parcells even though he's not the coach," said agent Drew Rosenhaus, who negotiated the deal but declined to give contract specifics. "It's a great fit for Ernest and I think for the Dolphins. Now it's up to him to come in and work hard and compete."

Wilford is a bigger more accomplished Derek Hagan. He is 6-4 and 218 pounds. He caught 45 passes for 518 yards last season with 3 touchdowns. He started 14 of 16 games.

Dolphins make early splash into free agent pool

2008-02-29T01:12:00.011-05:00

Three things: It is late. I am working. And the Dolphins didn't take long to kick off free agency.

San Francisco guard Justin Smiley will soon become the newest member of the Dolphins as he agreed to a free agent contract just minutes ago, according to a Dolphins club source.

Smiley, a 26-year-old former second round pick out of Alabama, is getting a five-year contract worth $25 million. The deal includes $9 million in guaranteed money.

The Dolphins have penciled Smiley in as their starting right guard but I remind you that is in pencil. First of all he has to pass a physical. Second, that is not an easy accomplishment for him.

Smiley is still recovering from surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder he suffered on Nov. 4, 2007. Even if he passes, Smiley likely will be limited in offseason minicamps. It is unknown at what stage in training camp Smiley will be ready, but one assumes the Dolphins have a sense he'll be good to go early enough to make a difference. Otherwise why give the guy $9 million guaranteed?

Anyway, the move pretty much signals the end of Rex Hadnot's days with the Dolphins unless he accepts a minimum-salary deal and he wasn't inclined to do that as an unrestricted free agent, last I heard. Hadnot started all 16 games at right guard for the Dolphins in 2007.

That is the big headline so far. Here are others:

A report in The Dallas Morning News says the Dolphins and Cowboys are close to completing a trade for defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, who has played for Bill Parcells dating back to his days with the Jets. Can't get too excited about this exchange for an 11-year veteran especially when Shaun Rogers was available in trade. Of course, trading for Ferguson will likely cost a seventh-round or conditional pick.

Another soon-to-be former Dolphin is quarterback Cleo Lemon who is scheduled to visit Jacksonville Friday morning and could be David Garrard's backup before the day is over.

I am still hoping, indeed, praying the Dolphins continue to revamp the offensive line by chasing Alan Faneca to play left guard, but that now looks unlikely. The Jets and St. Louis are about to offer perhaps the richest guard contract ever to the perennial Pro Bowl player.

Forget about Flozell Adams reuniting with former line coach Tony Sparano to play left tackle here. He has agreed to re-sign with the Cowboys for a whopping $43 million over six years with approximately $15 million guaranteed. Wow.

The NFL calendar year begins today (Friday) and the Dolphins open the new year second among NFL teams with the most salary cap room behind only Tampa Bay. Last week the team had the most space at $44 million according to figures acquired from the NFLPA and other sources.

Miami had $39.5 million at the official opening of free agency with the difference coming in the signing of Mike Lehan, Greg Camarillo, David Kircus and other minor bookkeeping matters don't merit writing about. If and when the Smiley signing and Ferguson trade ($4 million base for 2008) happen, it obviously will cut into that figure.

[Check back often on Friday, like during the day when normal people are awake, to catch up on the latest happenings.]

Dolphins talking trade for Shaun Rogers

2008-02-28T12:09:00.003-05:00

The Dolphins have joined a group of about five AFC teams actively talking to the Lions about trading for nose tackle Shaun Rodgers, according to a report out of Booth Newspapers in Michigan.

I have been unable to confirm this report locally so understand this could be akin to reports about Miami liking Minnesota receiver Troy Williamson, who is going to end up in Jacksonville, or reports saying Trent Green was going to come back to the Dolphins even though he only recently has been cleared to play after two concussions in two seasons.

But several reasons to believe Miami's interest in Rogers is legitimate do exist. First, Bill Parcells, who is running the Dolphins these days, has in the past waxed glowing praise on Rogers -- this coming when Parcells was the Dallas coach and the Cowboys were preparing to play the Lions.

Secondly, have you noticed the Dolphins roster? It doesn't have a viable starting-caliber nose tackle on it. Keith Traylor is gone and there really is no free agent option out there to fill the large void. A rookie could do that but the Dolphins are apparently not willing to spend their first round pick on USC's Sedrick Ellis. The second round pick would do no good as Ellis is a top 10 player.

So the idea could be to get in on the Rogers talk and see if the Dolphins can climb over the four other teams that have been dealing with Detroit GM Matt Millen for over two weeks now. It is fair to believe Millen wants a second round pick for Rogers.

It is also fair to believe no team will want to give higher than a third-round pick. The Dolphins could easily use the lower of their two second round picks (coming from San Diego in the Chris Chambers trade) to get this thing done.

Now why is Rogers on the trade block? Well, he's a fine player when he's engaged and interested and in shape. The problem is he's not always engaged and interested. And he's definitely not always in shape.

Rogers is listed at 340 pounds but was pushing 360 at times last season -- like during the season, when players typically lose weight. The Lions were bitterly disappointed in Rogers when he seemed to slow down the final eight games of the season. As the team was 1-7 in those games and dropped from playoff contention, Rogers pretty much struggled during that time with the exception of a 2.5-sack showing against KC.

Not surprisingly, that was the only game the Lions won down the stretch.

Regardless of that roller-coaster season, Rogers is still considered a dominant player when he's "into it," so to speak. And at 28 years old he could be at the top of his game for another four or five years, assuming he starts taking care of his body better.

Rogers, by the way, is not the only defensive tackle on the trade market. Jacksonville's Marcus Stroud, New York's Dewayne Robertson, and Carolina's Kris Jenkins are also available for various reasons. Robertson, is notable in that he is the one with the most experience playing in a 3-4 but is also the least accomplished of the group. I find it hard to believe anything can happen with him considering his team, like the Dolphins, is in the AFC East.

No trade can happen until after midnight tonight, meaning there will be a handful of trades made tomorrow and Saturday.

Some observations coming out of the combine

2008-02-26T11:40:00.002-05:00

The frustration of this year's draft is that there is no Carson Palmer or Peyton Manning or Orlando Pace or Bo Jackson who screams, "I am better than everyone else in this draft so pick me."

In that regard the Dolphins are reliving the misfortune of 2005 when Nick Saban, armed with the second overall pick, complained to his staff that there was really no one worth using the pick on. The Dolphins eventually picked Ronnie Brown.

Now don't get me wrong, there is talent in this draft. But there is not one clear-cut, can't miss guy out there. Jake Long is a monster, having benched 225 pounds a combine-high 37 times in recent days. But most scouts agree he's not as suited for instant success in the NFL as what Joe Thomas was last year. And Thomas did not go No. 1.

Chris Long? Great pedigree, great production and he was coached by Bill Parcells disciple Al Groh at Virginia -- which is perhaps the biggest reason I believe Long will be Miami's choice if they keep the first pick. Parcells trusts Groh's opinion and Groh loves Long, so Parcells will love Long.

The problem is if the Dolphins are going to run a 3-4 defense, that means Long will have to play standing up a lot. And he's never done that. Yes, he might turn into Willie McGinest, who Parcells turned into a stand-up player after he played mostly down at USC years ago, but just because one guy made the transition doesn't mean the other will.

Personally, I think Ohio State's Vernon Gholston has greater potential than Long. He's quicker, faster and is still learning so his potential to become better is greater than Long's. Long has been immersed in football all his life and isn't likely to improve exponentially. Gholston started playing as a sophomore in high school and is still very raw. I love this guy, but I doubt the Dolphins would pick him No. 1. Too unorthodox.

You know of Miami's need at quarterback. After nearly a decade of trying to find the next great Dolphins quarterback, the Dolphins are still searching for the next great Dolphins quarterback. They will select a quarterback in this draft, no question about it. They cannot be convinced John Beck is the future and it is simply good stewardship to have multiple quarterbacks in the pipeline.

But Matt Ryan with the first overall pick? That is hard to fathom. Although Mel Kiper insists that's the pick, the truth is Ryan simply will not be the highest-rated player on Miami's board at No. 1. Yes the guy has great intangibles, but neither from a physical nor production standpoint can he be ahead of Darren McFadden, the two Longs and --here's a surprise -- even USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. All of them are more likely to succeed in the NFL than Ryan, who threw a bunch of interceptions and has unimpressive mobility.

Glenn Dorsey of LSU? He has undisputed first overall pick written all over him if not for a ton of buts. He's great BUT he's probably better suited for the 4-3. He's great BUT he didn't work at all at the combine. He's great BUT he's been injured a lot. He's great and plays hurt BUT that left tibia fracture he had in 2006 still is not completely healed and that is a concern.

So what does that make Dorsey? A prospect haunted by a bunch of questions. Just like most of the other guys.

The trade market is open for business

2008-02-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

Before everyone gets all excited about a trade the Dolphins are about to make, there needs to be a calming disclaimer here that trades in the NFL are not all that common, they are less common when it involves big-salaried players and they don't usually happen until just prior to the draft or on draft days.

Having said all that there certainly is a lot of available talent out there to be acquired through a trade. Think about it, cornerback DeAngelo Hall is available, safety Michael Huff is available, linebacker Jonathan Vilma is available and receiver Troy Williamson is available.

Vilma and Williamson have been given permission by their teams to shop themselves around and they were doing just that at the Indianapolis Scouting Combine the past few days. Hall is being shopped by the Falcons and has said the chances of his returning to Atlanta are, "slim and none."

So should any of these guys interest the Dolphins?

Well, absolutely. Let's talk about Hall. [The fact is all the players mentioned here have issues that make them less attractive to their current teams and not necessarily attractive to Miami, but of these Hall is clearly the most talented and accomplished player.]

Hall is unhappy in Atlanta because he found out the new regime doesn't think that highly of him. The new GM and coach apparently realize Hall comes with some warts and most of those involve attitude and locker room leadership issues. So the guy probably needs a change of scenery.

And that is where the Giants are becoming involved. They are quite interested in Hall. But that is also where the Dolphins should at least test the waters. Please! As has been posted earlier here, the Falcons have the third overall pick in the coming draft and have a strong desire to add a franchise quarterback.

Matt Ryan of Boston College is really the only so-called franchise QB that will be drafted in the top 5-10 slots. It would make sense for the Dolphins, who are eager to trade out of the top pick, to act like they love Ryan and convince the Falcons he's their guy.

That might cajole the Falcons to make a trade with Miami for the first overall selection and guarantee them Ryan. Obviously, however, the Falcons would have to give up something more to get that first pick.

How about Hall?

The positives are numerous: Hall is a play-making cornerback and the Dolphins don't have any of those. He's a proven player that doesn't come with the questions that rookies come with. It would bring the Dolphins two players for the price of one because the Dolphins still get Atlanta's first pick and that pick would bring a player that is still a difference-maker because the No. 3 pick is still supposed to provide that.

The negatives? Well, Hall has that attitude issue. And he is unsigned beyond 2008 so the Dolphins would have to assure themselves of being able to sign the guy for the long term because who wants to trade for a guy and have him only one season, or two if they use a franchise tag on him? And by the way, signing Hall wouldn't be easy because the guy would likely want to be among the highest paid corners in the NFL which right now means a salary of no less than $9 million per season and probably as high as $12.2 million per season, which is what Nate Clements got last year.

Sorry, but that's what it costs to get a guy with 17 interceptions in four seasons.

It is a lot for any player and there is risk, but you know what? Hall is 24 years old and it is about time the Dolphins do something audacious, like bringing a difference-maker to the locker room.

Join me on the radio today from 4-6:30 p.m.

2008-02-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

I'll be doing my regular Sunday after radio gig today on 790 The Ticket.

If you want to call and be part of the show, feel free to call at 1-888-790-3776. I'll be on the air from 4-6:30 p.m.

We'll be talking about the Heat, the Marlins, the latest NFL trade rumors, the NFL combine, and of course, the Dolphins -- the sale of the team, the first overall pick, the signing of Zach Thomas in Dallas, and the coming of free agency.

You can listen even if you're not in South Florida. You can listen live online at 790theticket.com

Zach Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys

2008-02-23T12:26:00.003-05:00

Zach Thomas is going back to his home state of Texas as The Herald's David J. Neal, who is at the Indianapolis Combine, is reporting the former Dolphins linebacker is signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

Thomas has agreed to a one-year deal worth $3 million, including bonus, base salary and incentives. At that price it is clear the Cowboys expect Thomas to be a starter.

"It's a dream come true for a man from Pampa, Tex. and Texas Tech University," agent Drew Rosenhaus told Neal.

The Cowboys are the most recent team to meet with Thomas. He also had contract offers on the table from the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.

The reason Thomas is headed to Dallas is the Cowboys came with the best combination of solid contract offer plus the opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl. The Patriots, frankly, didn't offer a competitive deal to Thomas while New Orleans was in the ballpark, but its chances of competing for a Super Bowl are more uncertain.

Thomas, 35 in September, had his contract terminated by the Dolphins nine days ago after he played 12 seasons here. He had been scheduled to make $5.65 million in the final year of his Miami contract.

Half of Dolphins sold to Stephen Ross

2008-02-22T15:26:00.001-05:00

Wayne Huizegna has effectively sold 50 percent of the Dolphins and Dolphin Stadium and the land surrounding the stadium.

Dolphins fans, meet your future owner Stephen M. Ross of New York and Palm Beach.

You should recognize the name. Several months ago The Herald identified Ross as the man about to buy the Dolphins. That was before Huizenga blew out his coaching staff and personnel department and hired Bill Parcells. Part of that Parcells hiring came with a promise from Huizenga that he would not sell a controlling interest in the Dolphins.

Well, he's been true to his word. He only sold half the interest to Ross who is chairman of the Related Companies, an international real estate development company. Huizenga will keep hold of the power of the franchise as he remains, "the Managing General Partner of the franchise," while Ross will be an active partner and has the opportunity to become the Managing General Partner in the future.

Translation: Huizenga will call the shots for now, but at some point, he will turn over the team to Ross who will then be able to exercise an option to buy the whole caboodle.

This from Huizenga in a statement: “I have always said that I wanted to bring in a partner, and I can’t think of anyone more appropriate than Steve. He has unbridled enthusiasm and I couldn’t feel better about the future than I do with Steve as my partner and Bill Parcells running football operations.”

From Ross: “Having grown up in South Florida, Dolphins football has been a lifetime passion for me. I am energized by this opportunity and look forward to being able to once again watch the Dolphins win a Super Bowl alongside all the other loyal Dolphin fans.”

The transaction requires the approval of the National Football League and that is almost certain to come as anything Huizenga recommends concerning his team typically gets approved.

The question is whether this sours Parcells at all. As long as Huizenga is in charge, there probably won't be a problem. But Parcells has a four-year contract and wanted assurances that Huizenga would be the only one he answered to during that tenure.

The questions now are does Huizenga hold onto the power of the team throughout those four years? Does Ross, as rightful part owner, exert say-so over Parcells? And does Parcells rethink his tenure in Miami based on the promises he got and what happened today?

Dolphins rule the roost on salary cap space

2008-02-21T15:28:00.002-05:00

I know a lot of you have been wondering about what the Dolphins are likely to do in free agency when it begins Feb. 29.

Well, I can report they can do just about anything they want.

That's because the Dolphins have the most cap space of any NFL team, according to figures acquired from the NFL Players Association and other sources. The Dolphins are a whopping $44 million under the salary cap as of this writing. The salary cap is set at $116 when the new league year starts Feb. 29.

Only one other team -- Jacksonville -- is even close. The Jaguars are $41.995 million under the cap.

Obviously, the Dolphins have been helped by the fact they cleared between $13-$15 million in cap space last week. And some of that space will be eaten up when the team starts re-signing its own free agents.

For example the signing of cornerback Michael Lehan on Wednesday will take a nibble out of that $44 million once the contract is reported to the NFLPA. But the biggest item the Dolphins must budget for their cap is the signing of their first overall draft pick.

The first overall selection, if the Dolphins keep the pick, will get a contract anywhere in the neighborhood of $33-$35 guaranteed. Of course, it will be less if the Dolphins trade the pick, which they will try to do. And whatever they do the first pick will be expensive because it's doubtful the Dolphins will drop out of the top 10 even if they do trade.

But the fact Miami has more room than anyone else is interesting. Do the Dolphins go out and spend to the cap? Do they sign a bunch of veterans? They do have to spend pretty close to the cap because the collective bargaining agreement stipulates teams can no longer spend just 60 or 70 percent of the cap as happened in the past.

So you heard it here first (actually I wrote this months ago and am going to repeat it): The Dolphins will very likely chase Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca. Faneca is a Pro Bowl player and a winner. He is also the guy Bill Parcells told the New York Jets they should sign when he talked to that team's braintrust at times during the 2007 season.

Parcells told the Jets that taking Faneca would bring stability to their offensive line and help turn young tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and young center Nick Mangold into better players. So now I think Parcells will take his own advice because the Dolphins need a fine guard to bring stability to their young center Samson Satele and their left tackle (whoever that will be).

So Alan Faneca is on Miami's radar for sure.

The Buffalo Bills (39.4 million), Tennessee Titans (39.24 million), and New Orleans Saints (39.2 million), round out the top five teams with the most cap space.

By the way, this is my second post today. Check back often because this is a busy time of year around the league and I will try to bring you the latest, which sometimes means multiple updates on the same day. Yeah, it also helps increase the number of hits on the blog, which I know you guys hate when I mention it.

Mel Kiper lets loose on the Dolphins, the draft

2008-02-21T11:45:00.007-05:00

The latest rumor? That the Atlanta Falcons are so in love with Matt Ryan of Boston College that they would swap the No. 3 overall pick and other considerations with the Dolphins to take him.

By the way, the Falcons won a coin toss Friday morning to win the No. 3 pick. Oakland and KC,, which also finished with 4-12 records are slotted No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

The trade with Atlanta nonethelss has merit as I've heard mild rumblings from NFL people that Atlanta badly wants a franchise quarterback and Ryan is the only certain guy at that position in this draft. So if that supposed love by the Falcons is true enough that the they would give up this year's second-round pick and maybe another pick next year, I would say the trade will happen.

That's because Miami likes Ryan. But the Dolphins have not yet fallen in LOVE with Ryan as the first overall pick. Anyway, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper did a conference call earlier this week in which he discussed that topic and others concerning the Dolphins.

What follows is a partial transcript of the call:

On the decision facing Bill Parcells concerning the first overall pick: “He has a decision to make initially about John Beck and if they don’t feel like John Beck’s the right guy moving forward with, then you look at Matt Ryan. I think Matt Ryan is the kind of quarterback that would fit what Bill wants. … You look at what Drew Bledsoe had coming out and you see some similarities there. I think the first question is, if John Beck’s not their guy, the first pick overall - where do you go? Had they drafted Brady Quinn last year -- the previous organization -- instead of Ted Ginn, then they wouldn’t be drafting Matt Ryan. Brady Quinn would’ve been their guy moving forward. But, the fact that they went Ted Ginn and then John Beck obviously puts them in a position that instead of utilizing that pick for another position, now they’re pretty much forced to take Matt Ryan.”

On the elite players in this draft: “If (John) Beck’s not the guy, (Miami) has to take Matt Ryan, but there are guys with equally as good a grade. Glenn Dorsey, (Darren) McFadden, Chris Long, Sedrick Ellis, Jake Long all have grades right in there with Matt Ryan. There are six guys that are a cut above the rest and those are the six.”

On what it will take the Falcons to move into the No. 1 spot: “Atlanta is going to have to give up pretty much everything they’ve got to get Matt Ryan. He means as much to Miami as he does to Atlanta.”

On LSU’s Glenn Dorsey: “When Dorsey is at full strength, he is a dominator. What I like about Dorsey is that he gives you that Ray Lewis mentality. He is so energized and football is all that matters. Everybody around him becomes better when he’s on the field. You saw him play through injuries when very few would have been out there playing. He went out there when most guys would have been in street clothes watching on the field. Dorsey is special in that sense – in his approach and attitude.”

On Arkansas Running Backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones: “McFadden, I like his skill level. I like his talent. I like how he did against elite teams. I like his versatility. The question I have is that he had some fumbling issues this year. Ball security is critical in the NFL. That’s something he’s going to have to work on and something that showed up this year. He’s not the violent, aggressive runner that Adrian Peterson is, but not many running backs are. He’s not a tackle-breaker like Peterson – well, that’s not his forte. When you look at his all-around capabilities, he’s certainly worthy of being a top-five pick.”

“Felix Jones, same thing. He gives you the game-breaking capability. He’s not a guy who will carry the ball 25 times a game. Teams that want a feature back will not look at Felix Jones. They’ll look at McFadden or Mike Hart. He’s not a feature back. For Felix Jones, I think Tampa Bay would be a possibility because there he would be a compliment to what they have.”

On picking a running back high in the draft: “I would not move up to get a running back unless it was a case where you saw a guy drop significantly. Adrian Peterson was either the first, second or third guy on everybody’s board and he dropped down to seven. He dropped down to five and nobody did anything. He dropped down to six and nobody traded up to get him. He fell right to Minnesota who had a debate. When you see a Peterson drop to seven to trade up for a running back … you can find a running back in the fourth round as good as in the first. You can pick and choose other positions, but consistently in the NFL you can do that at running back."

On Michigan Offensive Tackle Jake Long: “He became a complete player this year. He was a great run-blocker, destructive run-blocker, a better run-blocker than Joe Thomas of Wisconsin was last year. The consensus opinion this year was, ‘Will he be the pass-blocker he needs to be to become a quality left-tackle in this league?’ He proved this year to be that. With his ability and aggressiveness, the team that would want him the most is Kansas City.”

On Potential NFL Starting Quarterbacks in this year’s Draft: “There are at least 12 quarterbacks that are going to have the chance to be starting quarterbacks at some point in their careers. Josh Johnson (University of San Diego) is one of them. He’s got to fill out a little bit, but he’s got talent. I think he’s the kind of guy in the fourth or fifth round you take a look at. (Andre) Woodson (University of Kentucky), I think that hitch at the top of his delivery, that slow release, causes concern. He’s got ideal size. He powers the ball to any point on the field. He works hard. That delivery is going to cause concern, but he didn’t finish strong either. I started dropping his grade in November. He’s in that second or third round mix. Other quarterbacks that are interesting are Caleb Hanie out of Colorado State … Joe Flacco out of Delaware is a second-round pick at worst.”

On Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco: “He’s very confident and he has that inner-competitiveness. When you talk to him, you can sense that he competes. With his physical tools, you look at him going in the late first or worst second round. Teams that are going to be thinking quarterback -- I think the Chicago Bears would be a perfect opportunity and a great spot for him. In Chicago you need someone who can cut through wind and play in those conditions. He flicks that wrist and the ball jumps off his hand. To me he’s got the best arm of any quarterback in this draft.”

On Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan: “That Sugar Bowl showed that he’s got to put on some weight. He’s got to get a little stronger and all that, maintain that weight right around 200 pounds, not be at 185-190. That’s the big thing, and the delivery is all over the place. The arm strength is decent. He’s borderline arm strength, but he’s okay, and he doesn’t have the great arm – good enough arm. He’s a guy you would say is definitely good enough. … He competes hard and there’s an awful lot to like about Colt Brennan. In the fifth or sixth round he’ll be a nice choice for somebody, but I think the days of thinking second or third round pretty much ended at the Sugar Bowl.”

A player to watch in this year’s draft: “Another kid that kind of gets lost in the shuffle is Chris Johnson at East Carolina. Keep an eye out for him in the second round. He can return kicks very effectively. He catches the ball downfield exceptionally well. … He moved from a fifth or sixth-rounder in the beginning of the season to second round. He’s a versatile kid with a lot of ability and someone you have to take a good hard look at.”

Pretty good stuff, huh? Your thoughts...

Marty Booker next to meet with Patriots

2008-02-19T13:26:00.002-05:00

First it was Larry Izzo and Damon Huard all those years ago and that was a little annoying, especially when Izzo and Huard sent their former Dolphins teammates a picture of themselves holding their Super Bowl rings.

Then it was Heath Evans. Then it was Wes Welker. And Sammy Morris. Then yesterday the Patriots offer Zach Thomas a contract. And today the team is hosting Marty Booker on a free agent visit.

What is it with the Patriots and their apparent Dolphins infatuation?

Booker, who was cut eight days ago by the Dolphins, is visiting Foxboro this afternoon as that team sees whether he fits. The Chicago Bears are also apparently interested in Booker.

Booker, who caught 50 passes for 556 yards, didn't have a very good season in 2007. Who on the Dolphins did? But he does have a history of playing very well against the Patriots and that is perhaps one reason they are interested.

Booker has had three games in which he gained 100 yards against New England. he caught seven passes for 123 yards against the Pats on Oct. 10, 2004. He caught five passes for 102 yards on Nov. 13, 2005 and he had eight reception for 103 yards against New England on Dec. 10, 2006.

The Patriots have interest in receivers because they may soon cut Donte' Stallworth. Stallworth is due a $6 million bonus next week and another $2 million only days after that. It is very, very, very unlikely the Pats will pay those bonuses to keep Stallworth.

So the Patriots obviously want to see if Booker is a fit, particularly since catching passes from Tom Brady will make him a much better receiver than he ever was catching passes from Cleo Lemon or Trent Green or Sage Rosenfels, or Brian Griese or Daunte Culpepper or Gus Frerotte in Miami.

Bigtime news on Jason Taylor (sort of)

2008-02-18T20:52:00.004-05:00

In keeping with the cutting-edge sports journalism that this blog offers on a consistent basis, I am now going to break a national story BEFORE it is on national television.

Jason Taylor. Remember him?

Informed sources tell me that Taylor, whose career with the Dolphins is teetering on the decision to keep him or trade him, will make national news in the coming months as a new member of Dancing with the Stars on ABC.

I cannot believe I just wrote this.

But it is true and the announcement will be made on ABC before tonight's Dance War show is over at 10 p.m.

So what do you think? Does JT do the Soulja Boy? Does he mambo or samba? Does he breakdance? Or does the man of the long, lanky legs simply flop like Jerry Rice, Clyde Drexler, and Emmitt Smith did?

The new season of Dancing with the Stars starts March 17. Interesting offseason conditioning program.

Oh, and by the way, tune into the announcement to see if Taylor finally comments on brother-in-law and longtime teammate Zach Thomas being cut by the Dolphins -- something that happened, you know, last week.

The Zach Thomas blog offers the latest on Zach

2008-02-18T18:35:00.005-05:00

OK, here's the scoop on Zach Thomas and his visit to New England today:

It was a "great" visit according to agent Drew Rosenhaus and that must be the case considering the Patriots offered the linebacker a contract.

Thomas has not taken the deal and will visit the New Orleans Saints tomorrow as scheduled.

Meanwhile, the more I think about this, the harder it is to get my brain around the fact that the 1-15 Dolphins can simply discard Thomas but half a dozen other teams think enough of the player to try to sign him.

And ALL of those teams -- particularly New England -- have been a lot more proficient at making personnel decisions in recent years than the Dolphins. So what did the Dolphins know that New England, Buffalo, the New York Jets, New Orleans and Dallas not know?

I would say nothing.

Zach Thomas free agent tour starts in New England

2008-02-18T12:11:00.001-05:00

Ready for the nightmare? Well, close your eyes and imagine Zach Thomas in a Patriots uniform.

Now open your eyes. Voila!!! Your nightmare is close to coming true.

Thomas will be in New England today to visit with the Patriots brass. The meeting will take place at Gillette Stadium.

It is no secret that Thomas has cast his eyes on playing for a winner and I can tell you that former Dolphins linebacker Larry Izzo, who is friends with Thomas and has played for the Patriots since 2001, has often told Thomas how great it is to be in Boston.

Thomas will probably have a physical and if that goes well -- meaning Thomas is indeed as healthy as he states -- I would not be suprised if this signing happens before the visit is over. The Patriots have a history of acting quickly on such matters and the fact they have moved ahead of New Orleans and Dallas on Thomas's itinerary speaks volumes.

Thomas was to meet with New Orleans on Tuesday and his agent was to speak with the Cowboys on Wednesday.

Zach Thomas says he's been preparing for this move

2008-02-15T09:24:00.004-05:00

Just got off the phone with Zach Thomas who called to say good-bye and ask if I had any final questions for him.

He said the Dolphins didn't ask him to take a pay cut to stay so he had no choice but to accept his departure. He tells me he isn't exactly thrilled that he has to leave the Dolphins. "Anytime you're cut it's not great," he admitted.

But in the same breath, he is clearly excited about the new possibilities his career is about to offer. And, true to form, he's been preparing for the likelihood he would be playing somewhere else.

"Ever since the last game of the season, you know me, I've been breaking down the defenses on a bunch of teams to see which one fits me," Thomas said. "I broke down nine teams, all 16 of their games. I've had a lot of time on my hands, I guess, so I've been looking at three or four games a day. I've been seeing which defenses have needs to fill and I've got them all saved up on the computer."

Thomas said his agent Drew Rosenhaus has indeed been fielding phone calls from interested teams. Rosenhaus has mentioned New England, Indianapolis, San Diego and Dallas as teams that make sense for Thomas.

"There are a couple of others, too," Thomas said before declining to name them.

He said he's compiled a list of requisites for the teams he will look at: "It has to be a winning team first," he said. "I've got to fit the scheme. I'm looking at a team with group of good guys. I'm looking at the place because I will be living there. And I'm looking to see what their quarterback situation is because you need a good quarterback and a good offense to win."

Thomas had been considering retirement since the end of the season, but that is out of the question now given what he calls "being totally healthy."

"I'm not waking up with anchy joints," Thomas said. "Look, if my play had dropped last year and I was feeling wrong, I'd stop. But why do that when I can still play? I've been doing this since I was in third grade. It's been an important part of my life and I still feel I can play. So that's what I'm going to do. I know when to turn the page, but it's not time to turn the page yet."

Thomas wants to play but it won't be about money or being a star on his next team.

"I want to go somewhere and fit in," he said. "I want to go to a team that doesn't need me as much as I need them."

Jason Taylor trade should be next

2008-02-14T23:01:00.000-05:00

Now that the Dolphins have cut ties with Zach Thomas, it is time for the other shoe to drop.

It is time to trade Jason Taylor.

If the Dolphins can justify getting rid of Thoma because he will be 35 in September and his physical status is too uncertain and his trade value is practically non-existent, then they have to trade Taylor.

Why?

Because one move flows with the other. If you're cutting your losses of aging vets and building a younger team, you don't keep another aging vet especially if the possibility exists you can get something in return for him. That simply does not make sense.

That doesn't mean Taylor is in the same situation as Thomas. He has value where Thomas apparently had very little. But the Dolphins can't wait too long on this matter.

At 34 years old in September Taylor still has trade value now but may not next year. And Taylor's physical status is not in question now but may be a year from now.

Let's face it, even if all of Miami's offseason moves work as planned, the Dolphins will not be a Super Bowl or even playoff-caliber team in 2008. As one Dolphins official told me today, 10 years of ineptitude cannot be erased by one offseason of aptitude.

So even if everything goes well for the Dolphins in the next 12 months, Jason Taylor is still not going to help the team win a championship in 2008. So Miami has to take a wider view of this situation. The view has to include a year from now when Taylor is readying for his final contract season.

The market for a soon-to-be 35-year-old defensive end might not be very good -- certainly not as good as it might be this year for a soon-to-be-34-year-old. So why hold on to Taylor?

Please, somebody give a compelling reason to keep him.

Taylor would be happier elsewhere away from yet another Miami rebuilding project. The Dolphins will likely be better off without him dying a little bit every Sunday as the team continues to lose. And, again, getting something for a player is always better than getting NOTHING. And the Dolphins got NOTHING for Thomas and will get NOTHING for Taylor if they hold on to him too long.

Now, you might ask, what is the market for Jason Taylor? I have no idea. Last year an NFC North personnel man told me he could see some team giving up a third-round pick for Taylor. Some team might even give up a second-round pick. After all, the Chargers gave up a second for Chris Chambers.

If the Dolphins can pick up a second- or third-round pick for Taylor, that would give them five picks in the first three rounds of the coming draft. And that's one more player that should become a starter within two or three years in exchange for one player who will likely be out of the league in two or three years.

Do it!!!!

What's the other side of that coin? Well, maybe the Dolphins want to keep their best player so they can put a better product on the field. Sorry, that argument no longer has merit based on the fact they just cast out another one of their better players for NOTHING. [By the way, even the Chiefs got a fifth-round pick from Miami for Trent Green, who was 37 and coming off a concussion-shortened 2006.]

The point is it makes no sense for the Dolphins to simply cut Zach Thomas but keep Jason Taylor. Not when everyone knows the Dolphins aren't playoff-ready for 2008. Not when they can still get something for Taylor this year, but might not get anything in return for him next year.

Not when the first shoe dropped already.

Statement from Zach Thomas

2008-02-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

The Dolphins have just released this statement from a very content Zach Thomas.

Why is he content? Let's see, he's escaping a team that was 1-15 last year and in rebuilding mode. He's going to play for a good team next year.

Why not be happy?

“I want to thank the entire organization, especially Mr. [Wayne] Huizenga, for making my 12 seasons with the Dolphins as memorable as they were,” Thomas said. “I also want to thank all the coaches and teammates that I’ve had during my career for helping me to grow both on and off the field. I have a tremendous appreciation and admiration not only for the Dolphins organization, but for the fans as well, for all of the support that they have given me. I can’t thank Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and the rest of Dolphins management enough for handling this situation in a first-class manner. I am healthy and look forward to playing in 2008, but will always consider myself a Miami Dolphin.”

Good luck Zach, just don't go to New England

2008-02-14T13:23:00.001-05:00

I want to wish Zach Thomas all the best as he turns the final corner and heads for the wire of his NFL career.

The report from Foxsports.com is true. He will be cut later today. As we speak the Dolphins are in meetings trying to figure out how to break this news to their fans without causing a general revolt.

Regardless of how the public relations part of this is handled -- and I believe it will be by no one actually making themselves available to answer questions because, you see, that's the Dolphins way now. It's called hiding behind a dictated and vague statement even when you're whacking one of the team's most popular and highly decorated players.

But I digress.

Here is my concern: I am told by a source close to Thomas that he is healthy and can and would like to play in 2008. But he wants to play for a Super Bowl caliber team. So what's the concern?

That he'll end up playing for New England.

Personally, I am sick and tired of watching players the Dolphins discard winding their way to New England and ballin' like there is no tomorrow. You saw it with Heath Evans, Wes Welker, Junior Seau and others. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, you might see it with Thomas also.

As you know the Patriots have uncertain linebacker issues, particularly with their inside linebackers. Seau is older than the moon and unsigned for the 2008 season. Tedy Bruschi is a couple of years younger than Seau, but similarly is unsigned. Thomas is better than either one of them.

Thomas is familiar to the Patriots because they've suffered at his hand for quite some time. That was Zach that knocked out a Patriots wide receiver in his first game in 1996. That was Thomas who studied Bruschi and then played better than Bruschi in 2005 when the Dolphins started running a 3-4 similar to the one the Pats run. And that is Zach who will get a big endorsement from Nick Saban when Bill Belichick asks his friend about the former linebacker.

So the pegs are in place for Thomas to leave South Florida. He will go only to a Super Bowl-caliber team. Unfortunately, it may be the team that has embarrassed the Dolphins in the past by picking up Miami discards and making them look like treasure.

Shockey and Johnson don't make sense for Dolphins

2008-02-13T11:37:00.001-05:00

Google the names Chad Johnson and Jeremy Shockey and you get a lot of results involving those good players being involved in, or wanting, a trade. And while I might not doubt that Johnson wants out of Cincinnati and Shockey may eventually be headed out of New York, I have to stop Dolphins fans right there.

Because either of those two in South Florida in 2008 doesn't make a lot of sense. Maybe none.

Johnson has been rumored coming to the Dolphins ever since he made his desire to leave the Bengals pretty evident. I say that desire is evident because the front page of Johnson's personal website has a link to an NFL.com story about Johnson being dealt. And I, being a serious investigative reporter, can read the tea leaves.

Johnson embraces the idea of being traded.

The fact Johnson is from Miami and was caught on camera apparently gesturing to Bill Parcells to phone him only fueled the Dolphins rumors.

But wait a minute here. Is Johnson a fit for the Dolphins?

If he wants to get out of Cincy because he wants to win, you think he's going to be happy in Miami? If he often complains that Carson Palmer doesn't always get him the ball enough, you think he'll be a fit with Miami's uncertain quarterback situation? If the Dolphins are rebuilding, you think the way to do it is giving up a valuable draft pick or draft picks for a 30-year-old player?

Tell me, please, which one of those ill-formed pieces fits a trade scenario to Miami? I would say none.

Then there is Shockey, who was last seen drinking in a University of Phoenix suite while the Giants won Super Bowl XLII. There is Shockey, who was noticeably absent from the Giants victory parade back in NY.

There are grumblings the Giants are willing to deal him because, frankly, qaurterback Eli Manning seemed more comfortable without the tight end in the huddle demanding the football during New York's playoff run. And one of the Giants' big plays of the Super Bowl was a 45-yard pass from Manning to Shockey standin Kevin Boss.

The Dolphins, in dire need of a solid tight end because David Martin was a flop last season, seem to be a fit right? After all, Shockey played at The U and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is from South Florida and Shockey loves the area.

But wait a second, trade breath. The rebuilding Dolphins are going to give up what exactly for a Shockey? You think the Giants will give him up for a third round pick? Doubtful. You think the Dolphins will pay a second? Not for a player coming off a significant leg injury and perhaps his second least productive season, not for a player who has had two good seasons out of his six and those came in 2002 when he was a rookie and in 2005.

And certainly not for a player who once upon a time referred to Dolphins vice president of everything football Bill Parcells as a, "the homo," in a 2003 New York Magazine article. In that article, Shockey said, "Parcells is not my kinda guy."

Well, if one looks dispassionately at both Shockey and Johnson, and understands the Dolphins are not in the best position to make either fit right now, it should cool the talk about landing the two players.

Axe drops on four former starting players today

2008-02-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

In case anyone forgot how drastic a change the Dolphins are undergoing following the worst season in franchise history, the point was made anew Monday when the team cut nine players, including four veteran starters.

The Dolphins have just terminated the contracts of wide receiver Marty Booker, quarterback Trent Green, tackle L.J. Shelton and defensive tackle Keith Traylor. All were starters during the 2007 season.

The team also waived tackle Anthony Alabi, defensive tackle Anthony Bryant, tackle Marion Dukes, defensive tackle Marquay Love and offensive tackle Joe Toledo. All of those players were backups, in Alabi’s case, or project players who had yet to establish themselves.

“This is never easy, especially since all of these players worked hard during their tenure here,” Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said in a statement. “In particular, in the case of each of the veterans, it’s especially difficult to release players who have been productive and valued members of the organization. However, we feel these decisions are in the best interest of the team.

“I want to thank all of them for their contributions to the Dolphins and wish them good luck.”

By some quick math, today's moves slice around $13.07 million off the books in scheduled 2008 base salary alone, but because there will be proration charges on bonuses paid to Green, Shelton, Traylor, Toledo, Alabi and Booker that will accelarate to this year, the actual savings to the cap will be more in the neighborhood of $9 million.

On the Green contract alone, the Dolphins are saving good money. Green was to make $2.8 million in base salary this season. He was scheduled to collect a $500,000 roster bonus by the end of this month and a $100,000 workout bonus later this offseason. His cap charge was to be $3.73 million.

Well, the base salary goes away, as does the roster and workout bonus. The Dolphins are on the hook for $667,000 in prorated signing bonus charge. So they save $3.063 million on Green alone.

Marty Booker signed a 7-year, $28 million contract in 2002. The contract's last year was to be 2008 when Booker was due $4.3 million in base salary. He doesn't get that now but the final year of proration for the signing bonus is still on the books. So the Dolphins save approximately $3.5 million on Booker.

For Shelton, the savings is not quite so spectacular because he still had two years remaining on his four year contract. Shelton signed that four-year, $15 million deal in 2006. Although the Dolphins don't have to pay him the $3 million due in base salary this year, they have to pay approximately $1.75 million as the accelarated proration for the $3.5 million signing bonus Shelton collected. That means a savings of $3 million but the proration charge of $1.75 million equals a savings of about $1.25 million for Shelton.

By the way, I asked the Dolphins to help with these important numbers because, after all, accuracy is important and the entire NFL sees them anyway so there is no competitive advantage or disadvantage involved. But I haven't heard back on that as of this writing.

Former assistants' migration to Dallas continues

2008-02-11T11:58:00.000-05:00

The Dallas Cowboys and former Dolphins secondary coach Brett Maxie are close to finalizing a deal that will continue the migration of fired Miami coaches to Dallas.

Maxie was with the Dolphins only one season. He was fired along with practically every other coach on Cam Cameron's staff following the 2007 season. Maxie coached in Atlanta prior to coming to Miami.

The Cowboys already hired former Dolphins offensive line coach Hudson Houck and recently were talking to former Dolphins defensive coordinator Dom Capers.

Todd Archer and Calvin Watkins, of the Dallas Morning News, reported this morning that Capers is not going to end up in Dallas when it is all said and done.

So for the time being, Capers and his hefty salary of approximately $2.2 million per year will remain on the Dolphins' books.

Interesting that when he was fired as Houston's head coach, Capers held out hope he could land a head coach job elsewhere. He didn't. Now that he was coordinator of a defense that went from No. 4 in the NFL to No. 23 overall and No. 30 in points allowed, he is still trying to land an defensive coordinator role.

The Cowboys were apparently unwilling to displace Brian Stewart from the defensive coordinator job in Dallas.

Let's talk on radio Sunday 3-5:30 p.m.

2008-02-10T00:32:00.000-05:00

Because you knuckleheads always accuse me of making it all about me, let me feed the machine a little bit.

I'll be on the radio between 3-5:30 Sunday afternoon on 790 The Ticket here in South Florida. Feel free to tune in either on the radio or online at 790theticket.com. You can also call in to the toll free line at 1-888-790-3776 and we can talk or you can leave questions or comments in the comments section below and, if they're not filled with expletives, I'll read them on the air and answer.

If on the other hand you think I suck, feel free to listen and call in anyway because it apparently doesn't keep anyone from visiting this blog.

It'll be all in fun folks.

Hey, did I happen to mention this blog got a record 153,377 visitors last month?

Sparano availability short on news

2008-02-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

My apologies for not getting new stuff up sooner, but I've been under the weather since getting back to South Florida from Phoenix.

Anyway, you guys should know that Tony Sparano talked to the media Thursday and basically, didn't say a whole lot that was interesting. I must say that, with all due respect for my media peers, they didn't seem to ask some of the important questions.

No one apparantly asked for a health update on Ronnie Brown or Yeremiah Bell or Ricky Williams.

No one apparently asked Sparano if he wants to keep Williams on the roster. No one asked what happened that Giants quarterback coach Chris Palmer was not included in the offensive coordinator search.

No one apparently asked if Zach Thomas has overcome his post-concussion headaches yet. No one apparently asked what philosophy the team will use for rebuillding -- to rebuild with youth and stay away from high-priced, older free agents, or to dive right in and try to get things rebuilt ASAP by signing 31-, 32-, and 33-year-old vets as well as drafting rookies.

And if the answer to the last question is the Dolphins are going young, someone should have asked the reason the Dolphins have reportedly reached out to 37-year-old Trent Greent?

Oh well.

Below is the complete transcript of the Sparano availability. I'm sorry I missed it.

(Opening statement) – “I just wanted to get a chance to visit with you a little bit and talk about our staff. I’m really excited about the group of people that we’ve put together here. We finally completed the staff early in this week here when we hired Dan Henning. It’s completed and we’re excited about it. We have some great teachers here for these guys and I think something that will really help us to be a lot better football team here as we get on. There wasn’t one guy when we got into this process that we weren’t excited about and tickled to death to have. We’re really happy that they’re here and we’ve hit the ground running and we’re moving right now with meetings and all those things, personnel-wise. It’s been really positive for us that way. That’s what we’re talking about.”

(On why he chose Paul Pasqualoni as defensive coordinator) – “Obviously, Paul Pasqualoni, my defensive coordinator, is someone that I’m very familiar with. He has a great deal of experience, but, more importantly, I really respect what Paul stands for and I know the strengths that he’ll bring to our football team, and that will be the discipline end of things. There won’t be any detail that will go undone that way with Paul and those are all really positives for us. He had a great group of guys in Dallas that he got to play really well for him. His players like playing for him and they like that relationship because he’s straight-forward and he’s been honest with them all along the way. I think that’s been really positive, to get Paul and to get his experience.”

(On why he chose Dan Henning as offensive coordinator) – “Dan Henning is on a different side of this thing. His experience that he brings to the table – not only for the team and the players, offensively, but even for me – this guy has been a head coach a few times and it gives me a great opportunity, a sounding board to kind of bounce things off of a little bit too. It’s been helpful that way. Getting a coach like Dan, and Paul (Pasqualoni), two coaches that way, to be able to come into this building to help our players, with the experience they have and the way that they form relationships with the players along the way, I think are really positives. That way there, you’re not trying to coach the coach, so-to-speak. These guys have done it. They’ve been in some of these battles before, and it will be a little bit easier for us.”

(On Dan Henning’s reputation for being able to turn around struggling offenses) – “I think, obviously, you’re exactly right. He’s been in some of these situations before. When you look at where they were with the Jets, or when they went into Carolina, that situation wasn’t a great situation when he went into Carolina, and there was a lot that had to be done. We’re in that situation right now. We know the amount of work that has to be done right now. We know that. We know the challenges. I think the great thing about Dan Henning, where he is in his career, is that he’s excited about the challenge. He’s ready to dive in.

One of the things he said to me is he said, ‘Tony, I can’t feel my feet hitting the floor right now. I’m walking on air. This is great.’ To see that kind of enthusiasm and excitement come out of somebody that’s in our program and our family right now excites me. I think he does have a reputation of fixing things and helping quarterbacks and those types of things. He is very knowledgeable that way. The receiver end of things right now, he sees the wide receiver position a lot different than most and can be really critical of that position and help the players in that position. We have young players in some of those situations, so that’s going to be helpful for us, to bring that kind of experience to the younger players.”

(On if Dan Henning will call the team’s plays) – “Yeah, Dan is going to call the plays.”

(On what Mike Maser brings to the position of offensive line coach) – “He brings an intensity to the staff and to the group that I think is important. What I love about Mike Maser is his expectation is to be an offensive line coach, to be the best offensive line coach he can be. That’s what I love about him. I didn’t want to hire me as the offensive line coach. What I mean by that is I didn’t want to hire this guy that wanted to be the head coach or wants to be the coordinator. I felt like our offensive line needed to have a coach that would just put himself in a room and want to coach five guys and have a little bit of tunnel vision that way, and Mike Maser is that kind of guy. He wants to coach the five guys he has. That’s really what he wants to do and help them to be better in any way we can. I think that’s critical, right now, to our success.”

(On how similar what he looks for from an offensive line is to what Mike Maser looks for from an offensive line) – “Very similar in that way; Maze (Mike Maser) is his own guy and he’s been doing this, in some situations, even a lot longer than I have with the offensive line. I’ve been in a room with Maze before in Jacksonville. We coached together. He and I have a great relationship that way, so I know exactly what he brings to the table. He really does look for a lot of the same things that I look for. That’s one of the reasons that he’s here. Make no mistake about it, myself, Jeff Ireland, Bill Parcells, Brian Gaine, we all have pretty good ideas of what it is that we’re looking for and for the people that we hired we felt like that would be important, and Mike (Maser) is one of those pieces. He knows exactly what we’re looking for that way and shares my philosophy.”

(On what else he has done other than the hire of assistant coaches) – “Honestly, what we did is once we got the staff together, and really waiting for Dan (Henning) was the last piece, getting Dan in here, but prior to that we really spent a lot of time just watching our players and watching what we do. I’m really not concerned about the other things right now. Bill (Parcells), Jeff (Ireland), they can handle that part of this right now, meaning the draft and free agency and all those things. Right now the most important thing to me was to see what we had in house and evaluate our personnel as we go along doing that. We’re still in the process of doing that right now. With Dan on board, we’re still in the process of getting in there and watching our guys, watching all the tape to make sure that we do a thorough evaluation of each area.”

(On what he has learned from viewing film from last season) – “Just that there were a lot of young players and injuries last year that had a lot to do with what happened to this football team, obviously. Whenever you have as many guys as they had, as we had, I should say, on the injury list that takes its toll. As an example, I sat here at 10 o’clock at night watching six or seven special teams games. At times running down the field there is a different number every game. Almost every other play there is different people running down there. It’s hard to grab one or two guys and say ‘This guy played 15 games and he did this really well.’ We’re having to go back even to the preseason to watch some of this tape. That’s kind of what I see. I see a young football team in a lot of situations out there because of injuries and those types of things. Right now, that’s what we see.”

(On how he interacts with Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland on a daily basis) – “Because of the relationship it’s walking into each other’s offices at different times. That’s the way it is. Jeff will come into my office anytime. I can go into Jeff’s office. I can go to Bill and Bill can come to me; any of those kind of situations. It’s really very open that way, and it’s been great. Everything that I expected when I came here I know that I’m getting right now. I enjoy both of them. I enjoy working with both of them, and I think they feel the same way. We have an open relationship that way so it’s good for us to be able to talk and communicate every day, and that’s important.”

(On if he has had an opportunity to speak with players) – “I’ve spoken to a lot of players. I had sit-downs with several of them. Not so much direction or any of those things, it was more me getting to know them and them getting to know me, and a little bit about what I expect and what I’m looking for that way, and me kind of hearing them a little bit, too. I’m not going to go into detail about that. That is between me and our players right now. More importantly, they were positive meetings that took place.

I met with Jason (Taylor). In fact, Jason Taylor was the first person to come up and visit with me right after the press conference, which told me an awful lot. It told me how much he cares about the Miami Dolphins, and it sent a really good message to me. I thought that was important. I’ve met with Jason, I’ve met with Zach (Thomas) and I’ve met with several of the players right now. My coaches have reached out to them as well. I thought it was important that we contacted them and we had visits with them on the phone and had a chance to introduce ourselves and say, ‘This is what I am, and this is what I’m all about,’ and hear from them as well. That is done, or is being done, as we speak.”

(On why there was a delay in hiring an offensive coordinator) – “What it was was just me really having the opportunity to get a chance to think about where we needed to go with that position. I’m an offensive guy, but at the same time, I know that the responsibility from my end needs to be to see the big picture of this football team. I’m not going to stick myself in the room and be an offensive coach or go over and be a defensive coach. I need to be able to touch Jason Taylor, to be able to touch Will Allen, and yet, at the same time, to be able to get over there on the offensive end and help Ted Ginn out if I need to. That is important for me that way. I needed to find the right piece, so it took me a little longer, because it was an offensive position. I knew Paul Pasqualoni was a guy I thought an awful lot about. I knew of Dan Henning, but didn’t know Dan Henning, personally, that way. When Dan came in, we visited and we had great talks. Dan and I visited for about eight or nine hours and sat down and talked about a lot of things. It was so positive that at the end of it, I knew this was the guy that we want. That’s why it took so long.”

(On if Pete Carmichael, Jr. was offered the offensive coordinator job) – “No, there were no job offers that way at all. Dan Henning was offered the job.”

(On the process used to pursue Pete Carmichael, Jr.) – “There was no process. At the end of the day, Dan Henning was the guy that got the job.”

(On Karl Dorrell choosing to accept the position of wide receivers coach) – “What’s interesting is that Karl Dorrell, our relationship started in Oxnard, Calif. We were practicing out there when I was with the Cowboys and, quite honestly, Karl came out with his staff to practice. He really met Bill (Parcells) at the time and kind of visited with Bill a little bit. Then Karl was around and we got a chance to visit, ourselves. We were right in the middle of camp, but we spent a little bit of time that way. More importantly with Karl, and this was a big factor, he’s seen how things were done. What he wanted to be a part of was the way that we do things, and the way that we’ve gone about doing things. I think that from practice to the evaluation of players – all the things that he’s heard about or he got a chance to see when he was out there on the practice field. Our interaction with our players, the way we practice and all of those things are kind of what, I think, excited him about this opportunity. You’re right, he did have a lot of opportunities and we’re lucky to have him. He’s a good coach.”

(On if he can shed light regarding Zach Thomas’ future with the team) – “Right now, we haven’t evaluated any of those situations. Every player that is here is on our team, and we’re doing what we have to do that way. We’re still in the evaluation process right now of going through any of this. We have not sat down and talked about that at all.”

(On the dangers associated with having everyone on the coaching staff familiar with his method) – “At the end of this whole process, when I look at our staff, George Edwards is really not part of that process. He’s just a good football coach that we all know is a good football coach, and we retained him. For us, it’s a win. James Saxon is not part of the process from Kansas City, but what I know is that he’s had some great running backs out there and has done an outstanding job with a lot of those players. Karl Dorrell is not really part of the process. When I say this to you, I mean that he was out at practice for two days. He just got a chance to see what we were all about that way. Jim Reid is not really part of the process. We were able to hire four or five guys. Luckily, a couple guys I worked with in Dallas and, at the same time, some coaches that I’ve been familiar with myself, like Mike Maser that I’ve been in a room with, and that starts a little bit of the core of the staff, which is important. You have to be in there able to talk the same language. But these coaches have all been out with other people, and I think that’s important. They’ve been out with other people, seen other things and they bring great ideas to the table – James from Kansas City, Karl from his background and being with Denver, and that type of situation, and Jim Reid. I used to go watch George DeLeone clinic as a coach, as a young coach, and listen to him clinic. Now I have this guy as a piece in my room coaching the tight ends. I know that tight end is getting coached. I know it. It’s been good to get those ideas. We wanted idea people. What we didn’t want to hire is guys who are just “yes men” that shake their head “yes” in the room. We wanted to bring idea people into the room. We have idea people. I feel like our staff is full of knowledge right now to be able to help these players.”

(On hiring coaches who understand his method) – “I think that’s important. I think that if they understand the method, at the end of this we have a vision and we know where we want to head, and that’s important. In most cases, I think there are several of them there that also have to understand that.”

(On if it is more important for him to be liked or respected by the players) – “It’s more important to me to be respected. It doesn’t have anything to do with liked. That doesn’t really matter to me one way or another. At the end of this, I know that if I do my job, and I do my job well, that our players will respect what I do. They’ll respect it as long as I do my job well. I’ve got to hold up my end of the bargain, and I will.”

(On if he can provide a thumbnail of how he envisions his offense and defense) – “This is as honest as I can be with this question. Right now, we really don’t have an idea one way or the other of what direction we’re heading. What I told you in the press conference, and I believe this, is that our system needs to fit our players. Our players don’t have to fit our system, so that’s important right now. We need to make the system fit the players. In this evaluation that is taking place right – and this isn’t a one-day thing, so I can’t give you the answer that you’re looking for right now – we’re watching 16 games of film, all sides of the ball, going back to possibly last year on some guys and also watching preseason tape. That is how thorough that we’re doing this. When we finish that process, we’ll know the answer. We’ll know this is what we can be because of the people that we have right now. That’s the best way I can answer that question. That is where we are.”

(On how he would handle having a team suited for playing 4-3 defense when he ideally wants to play 3-4 defense) – “I don’t, ideally, rather play either/or right now. I want to play what it is that our personnel dictates us to be able to play. When I look at our personnel and we get a clear evaluation of that at the end, we’ll figure out what it is that we’re going to play. Obviously, we have exposure in both systems right now, and so do the players here, from that standpoint. They’ve been involved in 3-4, and they’ve been involved in 4-3. We really need to identify the pieces that are in place right now that way. As far as my philosophy goes, my philosophy is one thing. It is something that you wish for and something that you hope for maybe. At the end of this, we have to do what’s best for our people here and for the Miami Dolphins. That is going to be predicated on the rest of this evaluation as it goes on.”

(On the types of players he is looking for) – “Smart, tough, disciplined players. Smart, tough, disciplined players, with ‘discipline’ being the key word probably.”

Henning named Dolphins offensive coordinator

2008-02-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

Dan Henning, a veteran of 28 seasons as an NFL coach, is the Dolphins new offensive coordinator beating out a group of three other experienced and well qualified candidates.

Henning, most recently the offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers from 2002-06, gets the job ahead of New Orleans quarterback coach Pete Carmichael, Giants quarterback coach Chris Palmer and former Atlanta offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

I told you last week that neither Palmer nor Carmichael were getting the job.

Instead it will be Henning, who embarks on his second stint with the Dolphins, having served as the team’s quarterbacks and receivers coach from 1979-80 under Don Shula.

In Henning’s five-year stay with the Panthers, the team advanced to the NFC Championship game twice, including one year in which they went on to play in the Super Bowl (2003). Quarterback Jake Delhomme, who entered the league as an undrafted college free agent in 1997, became a full-time starter for the first time in 2003.

Under Henning’s guidance he gradually became one of the NFL’s top signal callers, having been selected to the NFC Pro Bowl squad in 2005. In addition, from 2003-06 Delhomme tossed 89 touchdown passes, the fifth-highest total in the NFL over this time. Overall in Henning’s five seasons leading the Panthers’ offense, six different offensive players made a total of eight Pro Bowl appearances, including four skilled position players in RB Stephen Davis (2003), WR Muhsin Muhammad (2004), Delhomme (2005) and WR Steve Smith (2005, 2006) The 2005 squad scored 391 points, the third-highest total in the NFC that year and the second-highest figure in the 13-year history of the Panthers franchise.

This season finally gives Dolphins something to be proud of

2008-02-04T03:11:00.000-05:00

I know most of you are Dolphins fans, which makes sense because this is a Dolphins blog. But I haven't understood how lately, as the Patriots have been making their run toward 19-0 and I have written about the 1972 Dolphins, some of you have expressed sentiments against the geezers.

A lot of you joined the chorus of folks calling them grumpy old men. A lot of you wanted them to simply go away. A lot of you wanted the Pats to win them all so you wouldn't have to hear or read about the '72 Dolphins anymore.

I hope that feeling was fleeting. I hope that feeling is gone.

During tonight's Super Bowl I found myself rooting for the Giants simply because I wanted the Pats to lose and, in doing, keeping unique the Dolphins' claim on perfection.

I found myself rooting for the 1972 Dolphins even though they weren't playing. I found myself appreciating what those guys did 35 years ago. And it made me proud that I'm from South Florida and, regardless of how troubled today's Dolphins are, I feel proud that we still have the team from yesteryear to represent us.

Congratulations to the Giants, yes. But we should extend a hearty congratulations to the 1972 Dolphins also.

There will be a ticker tape parade in New York. How about a party for the '72 guys at Dolphin Stadium? And yes, how about popping one bottle of champagne at the affair?

Anyway, here are some of the comments from those members of the 1972 team that represented South Florida so well years ago and continue to do so now:

Mercury Morris: "When this kid scored, a tear came into my eye ... I'm very humbled at what the Giants were able to do as underdogs, realizing that on any given Sunday, anybody can beat anybody else -- except in 1972."

Don Shula: "The Patriots had a great season, but it shows just how difficult it is to go undefeated. Our players and our fans feel that much more proud of our accomplishment. Look at how good New England is -- 18-0. And they had the lead late in the fourth quarter in this game and that could have been 19-0, surpassing our 17-0 season. But New York hung in there and you really have to give that football team and that coaching staff credit and I know their fans are very proud."

Jim Kiick: "Obviously, we're proud to still be the only undefeated team in the history of the National Football League. We're proud of it. Why shouldn't we be? We never were against the New England Patriots. We have our accomplishments. We're not comparing ourselves to anyone else from other generations. We're happy with our own accomplishments. The Patriots are a great football team. Unfortunately, they didn't win the Super Bowl."

Jim Mandich: "The drive Eli [Manning] put together at the end of the game will go down in Super Bowl history as one of the great drives ever. As for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, I don't take joy in the fact the Patriots lost. Period. But I do relish and savor the fact that there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Of that, I am extremely proud."

And he shouldn't be alone Dolphins nation. Not at all.

Jason Taylor to win Walter Payton award

2008-02-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Defensive end Jason Taylor will be named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year by halftime of today's game, The Miami Herald has learned.

Taylor, who has spent countless hours of work on his Jason Taylor Foundation, will win the award named for the legendary Chicago Bears running back, who died in 1999. Taylor beat out Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, Kansas City Chiefs guard Brian Waters and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the only league award that recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.

Taylor joins Dan Marino (1998) and Dwight Stephenson (1985) as former Dolphins players to win the award.

What Bill Parcells is telling his peeps

2008-02-02T13:47:00.000-05:00

PHOENIX -- Super Bowl week is a great time for meeting and greeting and I have been blessed to bump into several respected NFL people this week that invariably start talking about Bill Parcells.

Miami's football czar is trying to play Houdini -- not talking to guys like me about Dolphins issues and acting like he has nothing to do with what's going on with the Dolphins -- but the entire NFL knows this rebuilding job isn't Jeff Ireland's or Tony Sparano's but, rather, belongs to Bill Parcells.

A couple of men have told me they talk to Parcells at least once, sometimes twice every couple of weeks and this is the message he's giving them: "You know he always plays poor man," said one longtime NFL man. "He's always moaning about his teams. But the difference lately is you really believe him because of the situation with the Dolphins."

So Parcells is telling folks the Dolphins are bad. That is not a revelation. But this is:

"I talked to him a week or two ago and he was telling me he has only three or four players down there," another NFL legend said. "He believes he's got a punter [Brandon Fields], he's got a center [Samson Satele], he's got Ted Ginn, and maybe he's got a running back if Ronnie Brown gets back to being the guy he was early last year. But even Brown he's not really counting on."

Is that it? No Jason Taylor, no Zach Thomas, no John Beck, no Yeremiah Bell, no Vernon Carey, no Paul Soliai, no Channing Crowder nor Joey Porter?

"Nope," the man said. "That's it. He doesn't mention those other guys."

Understand I am not telling you these men's names because that would be bad for all of us. If I identify them, Parcells won't tell them anything anymore, then they won't have anything to tell me, and I won't be telling you.

But I believe this is interesting insight into several things:

First, Parcells now has a complete grasp of how desperate and dire the situation is in Miami. Nick Saban didn't come to grips with that until his second season in Miami, which I believe is one of several reasons he bugged out. Sure, his wife didn't like South Florida and he didn't enjoy coaching professionals as much as college players. But if Saban had looked around and seen a rosy future for his Dolphins, a light at the end of the tunnel, I think he would have stuck it out.

Parcells is seeing already exactly how dark that Dolphins tunnel.

Secondly, Parcells is obviously not counting on vets such as Taylor, Thomas or even the 31-year-old Porter as being part of the Dolphins when, and if, they become a good team again.

Finally, the comments tell me Parcells thinks the past regime did OK in acquiring Ginn and Satele and, amazingly, even Fields. But he apparently wasn't encouraged by what he saw out of Beck, which I guess is understandable.

And that tells me the Dolphins will be quarterback shopping bigtime this offseason.

Ultimately, fans will pay for management's mistakes

2008-02-01T13:32:00.000-05:00

The Dolphins have recently undergone some cost-cutting measures and even had a hiring freeze not too long ago, but costs of operating the team still have gone up substantially.

The fact is Wayne Huizenga has had to dig deeper into his pockets than ever to pay for what amounts to his own mistakes. In the last month alone, he has had to swallow the cost of hiring Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, Tony Sparano and a new coaching staff even as he's had to accept paying off the contracts of Cam Cameron, Randy Mueller, and the old coaching staff that included a high-priced and underperforming Dom Capers.

Some of the costs of paying off those fired people will be subsidized when the folks that were fired get new jobs. This already happened with Cameron. But the Dolphins still have to make up the difference between what those men were scheduled to make in Miami and what they are actually making at their new jobs.

So Huizenga and his leadership staff have cost the Dolphins money by hiring people they eventually had to fire -- in other words the wrong people, the people that didn't get the job done.

And why should you care that the billionaire owner's cost of doing business is higher?

Because some of the higher costs the Dolphins have heaped upon themselves by making bad decisions will almost certainly be passed along to ticket buyers.

The Dolphins today announced that 2008 season ticket prices will remain the same as 2007 for current season ticket holders. But that is only for now.

Season ticket holders will receive a renewal package in the coming weeks informing them that their ticket prices will not be increasing for the 2008 season if they purchase their renewals prior to May. New season ticket purchasers will also benefit from the price freeze.

But fans that purchase season tickets after May 9th will likely pay higher prices than in 2007 despite the fact the Dolphins last year were the worst team in the NFL.

Why? Well, because the cost of doing business is going up every year and ticket prices have to rise to meet at least part of those rising costs. But also, unfortunately for Miami fans, because Miami's burden is greater than most teams based on the substantial debt it incurred by hiring people that didn't work out.

What ever happened to a new offensive coordinator?

2008-01-31T15:02:00.000-05:00

It's been over two weeks since Tony Sparano was hired and still the new head coach hasn't hired a new offensive coordinator.

Problem?

You bet.

Sparano has been trying to hire his coaches and has pretty much completed his staff, with the offensive coordinator's job as the notable exception. And it hasn't been for lack of trying.

He tried to hire New Orleans coach Pete Carmichael but was thwarted in that effort when the Saints convinced Carmichael to stay. So that effort failed.

There have also been suggestions Sparano is waiting until after the Super Bowl to hire Giants quarterback coach Chris Palmer, who was something of a mentor for Sparano years ago. But ESPN.com NFL reporter Len Pasquarelli, a friend who has outstanding sources on all things NFL, tells me Palmer will not be headed to Miami.

I've not been able to figure out why Palmer would not be the guy -- considering he's done well in similar positions in the past and has a good history with Sparano -- but he is apparently out of contention for the job.

So where does that leave us? Well, I could give you a list of possible candidates that are available, but frankly, it would all be speculation so I'm not going to do it.

Instead we'll just have to wait for Sparano to come up with another solution.

Stay tuned.

The class of Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson

2008-01-30T12:16:00.000-05:00

PHOENIX -- The Super Bowl always brings together people from all parts of country and this one has done something I didn't know was possible.

It brought Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson together.

That's right, the two men who spent much of the 1999 Dolphins season feuding in a match of huge egos and huge reputations, are at least cordial these days.

If you think back to the 1999 season, that's when Johnson wanted and, indeed, threatened to bench Marino. Marino's answer to one such threat from the coach during a meeting in Johnson's office was basically, "(Expletive) you. It's your team. Do whatever the (expletive) you want."

And with that Marino got up and walked out.

Well Johnson never followed through with his threats and there were even some indications that he thrust Marino back into the lineup prematurely following a hip injury with the idea that Marino would fail. He didn't. Marino led the Dolphins to the second round of the AFC playoffs where Miami lost 62-7 to Jacksonville.

That would be the final game Johnson coached and Marino played.

Months later when the Dolphins held a Marino farewell at then-Pro Player Stadium, Johnson was not invited to attend by the quarterback. I don't know if the two talked since that January 2000 day when each went off into retirement.

But on Monday evening, there they were, sitting in the first class section of American Airlines flight 1007. When they were boarding, Johnson greeted Marino with a "There he is," and both shook hands.

They sat across the aisle from one another and, although they didn't converse at length during the flight, they did chat for a couple of minutes. Johnson even offered Marino an adapter so he could plug in a computer on which he was watching a movie.

After the flight, Johnson, who works for FOX, told the story of covering the NFC championship game in Green Bay and pouring water into a cup of water and watching it freeze by halftime. Marino, who was in town briefly to tape his HBO show, chuckled at the story and actually called Johnson, "coach."

Anyway, I relate this story because it warmed my soul that what was a bitter professional relationship in the end has not festered over the years. Are these giants of Dolphins history buddies?

No.

But they are both classy guys and being cordial with one another and not holding a grudge was a perfect example of that class.

Trading the first pick to the Cowboys? Not so fast

2008-01-29T01:06:00.000-05:00

On November 30th I told you of the practical certainty that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would contact the Dolphins about trading for the first overall pick because, well, he already knew which player he would select.

Darren McFadden.

Here is the post from nearly two months ago: http://dolphinsindepth.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

Well, now ESPN in recent days has reported that Jones would love McFadden. And there are Internet reports stating Jones has already contacted the Dolphins about that first overall pick.

The truth: Jones would love McFadden. More truth: There have been no substantive talks between the teams about trading picks as far as I have been able to confirm.

Sorry.

Now is simply not the time for such talk. It's too early and Jones would have to be a fool to approach the Dolphins this early because he would tip his hand as to exactly how desperate he is to have his fellow Arkansas Razorback on his roster.

And Jerry Jones is many things but a fool is not one of them.

Jones knows the Dolphins will be trying desperately to get out of that No. 1 overall pick. He knows they're going to hold that pick as long as they think they can continue to drive up the price of the compensation for that pick. And he knows no one other than him is really all fired eager to trade with the Dolphins right now.

So this is going to take a while, people.

If it happens at all, and that is a big if, it will likely not happen until well after the Indianapolis Scouting Combine in February and probably not until after the NFL league meetings in March. By then, Jones will have seen McFadden run and jump and pump and shuttle with all the other draft eligible players at the combine. And the Dolphins will have gotten a better idea of what might be available to them further down the draft board.

Another reason this might take a while is because it's going to take some massaging. The Dolphins would be dumb to give up the first pick for Dallas's two first round picks which are 22nd and 28th. That two-for-one is simply not equitable for Miami. So negotiations are going to be required.

The Cowboys would have to throw in another pick and perhaps a player also. Otherwise the Dolphins will be getting the extreme short end of the trade.

One more thing: You'll be hearing a lot about the draft value chart in the coming weeks and months as it relates to any Dolphins trade-down scenario. Please forget about the stupid chart for the time being.

The chart only measures the value of the first player taken in the draft in comparison with players in other slots throughout the draft board. It was fabricated in large part by Jimmy Johnson way back in the 1990s when the salary cap was not in play and bonuses had not grown to today's gargantuan sizes.

With those two newer factors in play, the value of the first overall pick is somewhat mitigated because of the grand risk the first pick poses along with the obvious potential for reward. Said another way, the first overall pick gives the Dolphins the chance to pick the draft's best player. But is also gives the Dolphins a chance to blow it in unprecedented fashion.

If they pick the wrong player they can cost themselves in excess of $31-$35 million in guaranteed money and years of damage to their salary cap.

That risk must be weighed against the grand possibilities of picking first. Put those on a scale and the value of that pick decreases -- particularly in a year like this one when there is no undisputed, clear-cut stud can't-miss player available at No. 1.

''72 Dolphins talk about Pats pursuit of perfection

2008-01-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

The Patriots are trying to match the '72 Dolphins feat of playing a perfect season and so everyone wants to know what the players and coaches on that perfect team think of New England's attempt.

Well, on Friday DICK ANDERSON, BOB GRIESE, JIM KIICK, LARRY CSONKA, MERCURY MORRIS and coach DON SHULA talked at length about the subject on a conference call.

This is the transcript from that call with national media:

Q. I was hoping to ask this of anyone who is on the conference call, given the parity in the NFL with the salary cap and how maybe the team is a little more equal than when you guys played, just talk about what the Patriots have done up to now and how impressed you guys are.
JIM KIICK: I don't believe ‑‑ I think there was more parity in our era because all of the teams were decent. Every team had a great quarterback. I think today after the first seven quarterbacks, there's a big drop off. So I think there was more parity with the teams back then. Right now, it's New England and it's possibly Indianapolis, and everybody else is mediocrity.

Q. Does that speak to the parity or does that speak to how good Indianapolis and New England are?
JIM KIICK: No, I think it's a combination of both. I think they are excellent football teams, yes, but I think the caliber of the other ones, like I said, not only are they mediocre; some are even very poor, like, unfortunately, the Dolphins.

Q. Do you think in the salary cap era that that adds something to what they have accomplished?
DICK ANDERSON: I definitely think it does. It just shows you how important the general manager is and the personnel director, as well as the coaches. The thing I am impressed with with New England is that their coaches are just like Bill Arnsbarger was. Our goal was not to ever make a mental error, and this is the only team in the NFL today, I think, that just doesn't make errors. They are so very, very well coached.

Q. Dick, from a passing game standpoint, Brady and that receiving corps, how would you rate that passing game compared to the passing games that you faced as a secondary guy?
DICK ANDERSON: You can't rate it because the rules are different. We could hit a receiver any place on the field as long as the ball was not in the air and they were between the quarterback and the defensive back.
LARRY CSONKA: I saw you hit them clear behind the bench, what are you talking about?
DICK ANDERSON: We made our living taking down receivers and disrupting their routes and today the receivers have a great ability, after five yards. They are free.
So it's a totally different game today than it was when we played defense.

Q. Was going undefeated a week‑to‑week talk among you guys and among the media back then or did you just kind of, okay, let's win the next one?
BOB GRIESE: There was never any talk about going undefeated. The only problem ‑‑ the only thing that we ever talked about was winning the next ballgame, and I think that's what we've heard all year from the Patriots.
And I think that's a credit to Belichick that he's got these guys thinking about the right thing at the right time. And I think that's where Coach Shula was so good mentally. Each week, there was always something that would come up each week; we've never beaten this team on the road, we had never done this, we had never done that, no team had ever gone undefeated.
Injuries, after one injury, it was like, okay, so what, Griese gets hurt, the next man in, and Earl (Morrall) steps in and does a good job.
So I think Belichick has done a real good job and I think that's one of the keys to Coach Shula back in '72 that nothing really fazed him. He just accepted it, never talked about going undefeated. Only talked about trying to get back and winning the Super Bowl.

Q. If I could ask one of you, where do you think this places the Patriots in history if they do finish this out and go 19‑0? Obviously they have passed your team's record for an undefeated streak, but where do you think this places them historically?
DICK ANDERSON: If Mercury were here, he would say that we're compared initially to the 1934 and 1942 Bears because they were the first team to go undefeated during the regular season, but then they lost in the playoff games.
From our standpoint, we went undefeated all the games that were thrown against us, we played the Championship Game in Pittsburgh, and we were just fortunate to be the only team in the history of the NFL in 88 years to go undefeated. If New England does it, they will be the second team to go undefeated and I think they have a real good chance to do so.

Q. Usually when you have a season like you guys did, and certainly a great season, it always comes from adversity, and I want to talk you back to that Super Bowl against Dallas, January 15, 1972. How much of what you did came from that game, and I guess to Bob, as well, how sick are you of seeing that highlight of you being chased around the field in New Orleans by Bob Lilly on that play?
BOB GRIESE: I think that we'll all tell you that that was the seed that was planted by Coach Shula right after we lost to Dallas in that Super Bowl was that was the seed that was planted for our season the following year, and he never let us forget that we lost an opportunity to win the championship and we'd have to come back the next year and then all of these games just to get back and have an opportunity to do what we were trying to do three or four hours before.
So Coach Shula was always telling us and motivating us in that way. I couldn't hear your second question; you were breaking up.

Q. The second part of the question was, how tired are you of looking at that highlight of Bob Lilly chasing you all over that field in New Orleans for the 26‑yard loss?
BOB GRIESE: It wasn't just Bob Lilly. I saw Bob Lilly over the weekend, as a matter of fact. I was talking to him about that and he said, yeah, there were a couple other guys. When I would try to go to the right, the defensive end was there, and when I reversed the other way and tried to go back to the left, there was another defensive end there. So there were three guys there, not one. You sound like Coach Shula, razzing me about this.

Q. Rightly or wrongly, you guys have been portrayed as a bunch of players 35 years in the making desperately trying to hold on to this undefeated record. If the Patriots do go 19‑0, would you be upset, maybe don't care if they join you as the only undefeated team in really the modern era?
MERCURY MORRIS: You mentioned the word desperately trying to hold onto. Let me set you straight. First of all, there's nothing for us to hold on to because there's nothing for us that belongs to us. It only belongs to the history of the National Football League. It's been 35 years. This record is old enough to be president and nobody has done anything except almost make it.
These guys are the first guys who have actually come close for real, and I take my hat off to them. So there's no way that we could have stopped it. It could have happened in '73, 74, '75, 76. It's been 1,290 tries.

Q. I'm curious, the Patriots are the favorite; do you guys remember, were you even favorites against the Redskins?
LARRY CSONKA: As I recall, we were underdogs in the Super Bowl. We were underdogs pretty much the whole season. That's why we beat the spread so much. I think that comes back to what Griese was talking about.
MERCURY MORRIS: The Washington Redskins, the three teams they lost to that year were the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots. We ironically beat the New England Patriots.

Q. Did you guys think at the time you were getting the respect you were deserved? The Patriots seem to be getting respect right and left as the greatest this, and greatest that.
MERCURY MORRIS: It had not been done before, so there was no criteria for you to make a judgment as to whether or not a team is going to try to go undefeated. This was new territory. In fact, the term perfect season only showed up on the scoreboard out in Los Angeles when after we won the games, it said, "The Dolphins are perfect, 17‑0."

Q. I've been looking into and comparing Super Bowl weeks from what you guys went through to what it's like today, and there was a couple of themes from back then and if anybody wants to jump in on this is more than welcome to. One of them back then, there was a lot of talk about spying on the part of George Allen and how you guys changed practice fields to prevent that. Another theme was Shula trying to win the big one after losing a couple of times, and I also came across a couple references early in the week to when you guys had no curfew, you took full advantage of that. Anyone want to jump in on any of those?
DICK ANDERSON: I'll answer the last question first. I was with (Larry) Csonka and Jim Kiick and (Jake) Scott and Jim Mandich the night that we did not have any curfew. I was the designated driver. We just had fun in L.A. and got back in the wee hours of the morning.

Q. I've got a totally different perspective, so many people I know are really in support, they feel that there was something magical about the '72 Dolphins team and they don't want to see anybody else do it. There's another perspective here, there's not just the Dolphins, players and Dolphins fans; there's a lot of people outside of Miami who would like to see somebody do it. Would any of you like to pick up on that? Did other people realize there was something special about the legacy besides some of the players?
DICK ANDERSON: I think there's certainly Dolphin fans that would like to see that record sustained. But you know, records are made to be broken and eventually it is going to happen and it has not happened yet, and they have a very good chance to do so. But we can't do anything about it. All we can do is if they are undefeated through the season, congratulate them and say they are the second team to do it.

Q. Some people have made a lot of the Patriots stealing signals, and somebody thinks even an asterisk should go next to this. How do you guys look at that and do you think it besmirches their season at all?
MERCURY MORRIS: I don't think it really does anything to them. It was one game, an event and I don't think their season should be defined out of that mishap. Obviously if you got caught cheating, you got caught cheating.
I think the intent was there to steal signals rather than to put themselves in a position where they would have an advantage as far as games are concerned as they soon realized they are so good they didn't have to have that small advantage they tried to do get and eventually cost them a first round draft pick and it eventually did that.

Q. Does it take on even added significance when most of your record was achieved with Earl Morrall as your quarterback?
DICK ANDERSON: What it says is that we had a great team and each week somebody else stepped up and got the job done. And it so happened that the rest of the team picked their belts up a little bit and played a little bit harder. When Bob got healthy and we were struggling against Pittsburgh, he came in and ignited us. So it's still a team effort, it was a team effort the whole year, and that's how we looked at it.

Q. Is there any resentment when among you guys, the '72 Dolphins were portrayed as grumpy old men that no other teams could be as great as them; that you have a bottle of champagne waiting when teams lose; is all of that stuff overblown and are you a little tired of hearing that stuff?
JIM KIICK: No. 1, I prefer Jack Daniels, I don't like champagne, so we don't sit around waiting with a bottle of champagne waiting for that last team to lose the game, and most importantly, what we are celebrating is our accomplishments, not the loss of the team.
We are proud and obviously football is the ultimate team sport and as Dick alluded to, we were more concerned about winning football games than individual statistics.
So that's what we are celebrating, our accomplishment that has not been done in 35 years and really has not been done prior to that. So we certainly are not celebrating the loss of any team but our accomplishments.

Q. Looking ahead to next Sunday's game, the Giants and Patriots met four weeks ago, how difficult is it going to be for the Patriots to beat the Giants a second time?
MERCURY MORRIS: If I'm not mistaken, didn't we play them (Redskins) in the preseason?
DICK ANDERSON: Preseason game, 27‑24 loss. (Sonny) Jorgensen was the quarterback.
MERCURY MORRIS I think it's different in that respect, because when you lose to a team, that gives you a momentum or impetus to play a little better or play with more tenacity because you know that what's at stake is something that's already happened once, and you don't want that to happen again.
We actually lost in 1973 to the Oakland Raiders which knocked our streak off at 18 games in a row, but then we came back and beat them in the AFC Championship Game.
So I think that part of that is the fact that any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team. So you just never know.

Q. The Redskins, you had lost in the preseason to them; what was the main concern going into that Super Bowl game against the Redskins, and were you bummed out that it wasn't the Cowboys who had beaten you in that Super Bowl the year before?
DICK ANDERSON: I don't think we thought about the Cowboys because they weren't there and again, one game at a time. As a defensive player, the best thing the Redskins did was try to block Manny Fernandez one‑on‑one and he made 17 tackles. George Allen made a mistake and I think it cost him. Larry Brown had been hit so many times in that first half, that you know, he didn't come out with the same tenacity in the second half.
You know, our offense, I can't speak about, but again it was the team ‑‑ we were an underdog and we had got beat the year before and we just were not going to be beat again.

Q. Bob, you had an injury; did you ever have photographers chasing you down to see if you had a boot on your foot or anything like that?
BOB GRIESE: That's one of the ways things have changed in the 35 years, the paparazzi are chasing down athletes all over the place.
I don't know who the hot chicks were back then, the move‑stars and the move‑actresses were back then we were supposed to be running around with. I had a boot on my leg but no paparazzi came around for me.

Q. You guys have seen a lot of teams come close and fall short of this perfect season so to speak. In this modern era where parity ceases to be kind of the normal with free agency and all that, did you think that a team eventually would do it?
BOB GRIESE: Free agency can run both ways. I think it can run away and spread throughout the teams and make them all equal, but then again, like New England this year, you can go out and get guys like a Stallworth, a Moss, a Wes Welker, or an Adalius Thomas, they were a good team without these guys.
Then you can go out and it's almost like an all‑star team if the management, like Dick was saying a little bit earlier, if your general manager and player personnel guy can go out and pick up some free agents, and the right ones and get them for a fourth round pick, get them for a second round pick, and pick up a free agent, you know, it's not ‑‑ I would say it's not surprising but you can certainly see why New England has gone undefeated with all of their additions offensively and their defense from the years past.

Q. What are your specific plans for Super Bowl Sunday? I'm sure you'll all watch the game, but will you be in parts of the country where you won't be able to watch it together?
DICK ANDERSON: We've never watched a game together.
MERCURY MORRIS: Never.
BOB GRIESE: We've never watched it together and there's never any champagne. I don't think any champagne or any champagne glasses have ever been clicked by any Dolphins. I think that was something that was mentioned in jest and I think the media ‑‑
DICK ANDERSON: You were home when you started it, Bob.
MERCURY MORRIS: If you look back at my [pictures] You had Dick Anderson, Mercury Morris, Larry Little, Jim Kiick, Nick Buoniconti and Don Shula. Nick is spreading the champagne all over the place and Shula is sitting there with a toast and he looks at a picture and goes, "Hey, I said I don't do that. But unfortunately, it’s there. We just had fun with it."
DICK ANDERSON: That happened a month later. (Laughter).

Q. Many of your teammates, many of you guys outside of football had great careers, and I'm just curious, since there's a correlation between what you guys did on the field and what came after, can some of you talk about what you've done after football, because here we are talking about something that happened decades ago.
MERCURY MORRIS: I think Shula gave everybody a different kind of direction and purpose being coached by this guy. We were middle‑class people and middle‑class fans, and Shula was a blue‑collar worker; and he had kind of a work ethic that really allowed you to see that if you work hard and you do what you're supposed to do, then things are going to turn out for you, and not all the time but you adjust to that and do what's necessary to try to do as best you can.
And I think that a lot of us learned a great deal from Don's work ethic, and learned that we came from adversity ‑‑ because we were a rag‑tag team in 1969. And when he came, the team was transformed and we became a playoff team in '70, a Super Bowl team in '71 and then undefeated and back‑to‑back.
So we had a great run with guys who were assembled there, not for the purpose of being that successful that quick. Keep in mind, the Dolphins came into existence in 1966. By 1972, we had produced an undefeated season. That part was real special and that principally came because of Don Shula.
LARRY CSONKA: I'd like to just interject one thing, because I've got to get off the phone. But when you alluded to in your question about going on to other things, getting away from Shula provided me with a great motivation to go all the way to Alaska in a cool stream in July instead of doing grass grills and having Shula stepping over my stomach, saying, "you don't like me," he had no idea how much I didn't like him. (Laughter).
The only reason I didn't get put in jail for committing murder was I wanted to be able to go away and stand in a stream in Alaska, and that's what I now do. And every July, every July, gentlemen, I think about the fact that I'm not in Miami, I don't have grass and sweat running down my neck and him standing on my stomach. (Laughter).
So if you were looking for motivation, that's the most motivation I've ever had in my life from anyone.

Q. I just want to know off the subject a little bit, if Larry thinks the gladiators he hosted are better than the ones on TV now?
LARRY CSONKA: I don't know, but the commentators were a hell of a lot better when I was there.

Q. Did you ever think you would see the day when a team was one win from doing what your Dolphins did in '72?
DON SHULA: You know, it's hard to say because there were some teams that went 13‑0 one year, and I guess 11‑0, but to see somebody now 18‑0, you've got to feel that this is a great football team that's got a chance to do something no other team has done; that's go 19‑0 and have a perfect season.
So it's interesting and it should be a great Super Bowl.

Q. Do you think it's more difficult these days with the salary cap and free agency to do that?
DON SHULA: You know, you talk about the salary cap and free agency, but you know, when we did it, we had to beat the best that was out there. And the Patriots, if they do it, they have got to beat the best that's out there.
The thing that happened to us, if we would have had free agency, we would have been better off, after the perfect season, Csonka, Kiick and (Paul) Warfield took off and we couldn't sign anybody to come in and take their place. It's a situation where you deal with what you're confronted with, and if you win, you're the best.

Q. Who on your '72 team would you compare to Wes Welker on this year's Patriots?
DON SHULA: You know, Paul Warfield was our deep threat and probably one of the greatest athletes that ever played the game. And we had Howard Twilley, more of a possession type of receiver on the other side, and we had Jim Kiick, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris for the situation substitutions that we used.
The thing people don't realize is that in '72, Bob Griese got hurt in the fifth game of the season and our backup quarterback took us to the Championship Game. Then Bob Griese came back in the second half and helped us win the Super Bowl.
So we went through that perfect season, the majority of it, with a backup quarterback.

Q. Can you put into words just how incredibly difficult it is to make it through an entire NFL season without losing a game?
DON SHULA: Well, when you think about the 50 years before we did it in '72, and the 35 years since we've done it, that tells you how difficult it is to do because, you know, the league is so highly competitive, and all of the rules in the league are designed for competitive balance.
And it's tougher to stay on top than the struggle to get to the top because the team that finishes last gets the best draft pick, they get the first place on the waivers. Everything is done to keep the team from having a dynasty and staying on top, and that's why it's so remarkable when a team does stay on top for a period of time.
New England, winning three out of the last six Super Bowls, I think that's remarkable.

Q. Do you think that this is a dynasty, the Patriots?
DON SHULA: Yeah, I think they are on the verge right now. As I mentioned, three out of the last six Super Bowls, and if they win this one, you have to consider them a team that would be a dynasty like the Yankees were in baseball over a long period of time.
You know, we had those two great years, '72 and ‘73, 17‑0 and 15‑2; 32‑2 in a two‑year period; that doesn't qualify as a dynasty, but that's a record we are pretty proud of.

Q. Given the liberal passing rules, more teams pass, you can't bump‑and‑run the receivers down the field and that today's players are bigger and faster, etc., etc., can you really compare the two eras?
DON SHULA: The rules certainly are different now. It's opened up the passing game. And I spent 20 years on the competition committee and our whole emphasis on the competition committee was to open up the game up, more scoring, make more big plays in the game, make the game as safe as you possibly could make it injury‑wise. So all of these things have been designed to make the game more appealing to the fan. You know, the high‑scoring games and more big plays.

Q. When you were in the booth for the Patriots game in Baltimore, were you rooting for the Ravens?
DON SHULA: You know, I spent a lot of years in Baltimore. I spent four years as a player and seven years as a coach in Baltimore. So I would have to say that I was rooting for the Ravens, yes.

Q. Was too much made about your comment of an asterisk and do you stand behind that?
DON SHULA: You know, I'm probably not the guy that should have said it, and I think a lot of people, when I said it, received it as being, you know, just helping yourself.
I think that the fact that ‑‑ as I mentioned, I didn't fine them, I didn't take away the draft choice, I wasn't the one that coined the term "Spygate." All of those things happened and all I did was refer to them.
Now, somebody else probably should have done it instead of me, because people thought it was self‑serving when I did it.

Q. What do you think about the Super Bowl. Is it going to be close?
DON SHULA: The way I feel about it is the Giants have done a great job. They were 0‑2 to start the year and everybody counted them out and everybody wanted to fire the coach. And all of a sudden at the end of the year they get it together, Eli Manning comes on strong and the coach then becomes a genius again.
And so this team is really on the rise and you really ‑‑ I mean, you shouldn't count them out because they keep bouncing back. You know, Dallas beat them twice during the regular season and then they beat Dallas in the playoffs.
Eli Manning just keeps getting better. So I think that this is a team that's capable of giving New England a good game. And what I want to see more than anything else is a good, hard‑fought Super Bowl, and then let the best team win.
You know, if New England doesn't lose, you know, you just give them credit for 19‑0 and something nobody else has ever done.

Q. Did you guys ever talk about going undefeated or a perfect season during the ’72 season?
DON SHULA: No. When we had the 17‑0 record, we got beat the year before in the Super Bowl. Our whole emphasis was not to get to the Super Bowl, but to get to the Super Bowl and win it. And if somewhere along the line we would have lost a game or two games and won the Super Bowl, it would have been a great success. But if we would have gone 16‑0 and then lost the Super Bowl, that season would have been a complete failure as far as we were concerned.
So I think that's where New England is right now. They are 18‑0, and the thing that's really going to make their season is if they can win that last game and do something else nobody has done, 19‑0.

Q. How much pressure was there to win that last game going into Los Angeles when you were 16‑0 standing on the precipice?
DON SHULA: There was a lot of pressure. People just didn't believe us that we were actually 15‑0. I think we were underdogs going into the game. You know, the Redskins were favored and people just didn't ‑‑ I don't think they gave us the credit that our team deserved. You know, we had the no‑name defense and we were very ball‑controlled offense and didn't throw the ball a lot and relied a lot on ball control and time of possession.
In the Super Bowl, you know, the score was 14‑0 when I decided to go for the field goal and when Garo (Yepremian) messed it up, they scored a touchdown and all of a sudden, the Redskins are back in game, a game that we had dominated.

Q. That field goal would have made it 17‑0, 17‑0 season, did you want to ring his neck? He didn't even try to make a tackle.
DON SHULA: I would have loved that ‑‑ could have been 17‑0, that would have been a great way to remember that game. But when Garo went in there and messed up the play, you know, he used to come over and high‑five me when he kicked a field goal. Well, when that happened, he went off the end line of the end zone and I haven't seen him since.

Q. If you were coaching, how would you go about trying to beat the Patriots?
DON SHULA: Well, what you've got to do ‑‑ you mentioned earlier that I was at the game up in Baltimore, the Ravens game, and I thought the Ravens had a great game plan against them where they got the running game going and they made some first downs and had some long drives. That's what you've got to do.
Anything that you can do to keep the ball away from (Tom) Brady for any period of time, you've got to try to do, because Brady is so dynamic, and the guy is just a great football player. He just finds a way to score no matter what the score is. The Patriots always believe that they can pull it out and win at the end.
So anything that you can do when you're setting up a game plan is try to control the ball and keep it out of Brady's hand.

Q. Were you drained at the end of your undefeated season? Were you glad you didn't have another game at the end, or did you feel like you wanted to play more?
DON SHULA: Yeah, you always feel like you want to play more. When you have it going like that, it's just magical and when you do something that nobody else has ever done; it just makes it that much more significant and you just feel that much more proud of your accomplishments. You want to keep playing and you want to keep winning.

Q. A lot of the guys on the ’72 team have gone on to bigger and better things; in that sense, do you think the perfect season helped them along the way with their confidence?
DON SHULA: Yeah, when you look at what our players have done from that perfect season team, they have gone out and made great lives for themselves, great careers. They have been pretty successful in whatever they have set out to do.
The thing I have always said when I talk about that football team is the thing that set them apart was their intelligence and their competitiveness. They have really worked hard. They wanted to win and they were very smart. We made very few mental errors. We never beat ourselves. We were the least penalized team in the league, and we made very few mental errors and we were a team that just never beat ourselves.

Q. I think I heard you say on NFL Films, that the team that beat the Vikings the next year in the Super Bowl was even better than ‑‑
DON SHULA: I don't think I said that because I think it's hard to beat 17‑0 and 15‑2 was the next year and we dominated the Super Bowl.
I probably was referring more to that game (Super Bowl VIII) the way we took off and kept the ball out of (Fran) Tarkenton's hands and controlled the football, probably 40 minutes to 20 minutes in the ballgame which was pretty characteristic of that team with Larry Csonka and his great ability to convert short yardage and goal‑line plays into first downs and touchdowns.

Q. Has there ever been champagne consumed from the last undefeated team the following season? Griese said no; Anderson said yes. Clear that up for us. Has champagne ever been consumed in the name of the last undefeated team falling?
DON SHULA: You know we've been accused of getting together, that bunch of angry old men as you guys portray us as being, that's not really true.
We're a bunch of guys that if ‑‑ and I've said this many, many times, if somebody goes undefeated, I'm going to be the first guy to call that coach and congratulate him, and I'll do that to Bill Belichick if they go undefeated. And our players, I'm sure, will do the same for their players.
But until somebody does it, you know, we're very, very proud of our accomplishment, and that's all there is to it.

Q. Do you feel like the '72 team has gotten the respect overall it deserves? And also, last year, when NFL Films did the America's game countdown, that group ranked your team No. 1. Do you think that finally gave your team the respect it deserved?
DON SHULA: Well, I think that went a long way toward giving our team that respect, because you know, that was I think a countdown that had people voting on it, and there was a lot of thought that was put into that determination that we were the best team of all‑time.
And I think that our players earned that, because how else do you judge? I mean, you can't say a team that's lost two or three ballgames in a year is better than a team that goes 17‑0. And there were some people early that said that about other teams, and you've still got to go by the record. I mean, that's why you keep score, to see who wins the game. At the end of the year, the team with the best record is the team that should be thought of as the best team.

Q. You mentioned going into the Super Bowl being underdogs; how do you think it's different for the Patriots being the favorites with the weight of history kind of looming around them?
DON SHULA: I think the way that Bill Belichick handles things, and how all his players talk the same way; they sound like they are Bill Belichick talking when they say the only thing that's important is the next game. And I think Bill has done a done a great job of selling that to his team.
They don't care about what's happened in the past and they don't care about what's going to happen two or three weeks down the road. They put all of their energy and emphasis on preparing for the next game, and that's prepared beautifully for them and they have all bought into what Bill teaches, and I think that's why they have been so successful.

Q. What similarities do you see between your '72 Dolphins and this season's Patriots?
DON SHULA: I think the similarities are we were a team that just didn't make many mistakes, as I said earlier, and we didn't beat ourselves. When you look at the Patriots, they are a team that just doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I don't think they ever have been accused of beating themselves or not being prepared. They do a great job.
I think they are a much more wide‑open football team with (Tom) Brady as the quarterback than we were with Griese and (Earl) Morrall. We played more of a ball‑control style of offense, and they are wide open. Brady will just let it fly. Against Jacksonville, he was 26 out of 28 with one dropped ball. A lot of them were just short passes, but that's what Jacksonville was giving him and Brady had the intelligence and the patience to sit back there and just take what they were giving him and methodically move down the field and to not make any mistakes.

Q. Were there any games during the regular season, close games, where you felt fortunate to get out of there with a win?
DON SHULA: The game that I remember the most was the game at Minnesota, and we were down, we needed two scores in the last few minutes to win the game. And I went for the field goal first and Garo (Yepremian) came through for us and kicked a field goal.
Then we had to get the ball back and we got the ball back and moved it down the field and I think on the last play we had a play‑action pass to (Jim) Mandich in the end zone. I think that's what pulled us out, Griese to Mandich. That was probably our hardest‑fought game that went down to the wire.

Q. You've coached against some of the great quarterbacks and coached some of the greatest quarterbacks; how good is Brady in terms of history of the game?
DON SHULA: Well, you look at what he's done, you know, they have won three out of the last five Super Bowls, and they are on the verge of winning another Super Bowl. And Brady this year, he's broken all the passing records and he's just been unbelievable as far as what he's been able to do.
You know, when you think about what the Patriots have done, they went out and got (Donte) Stallworth and Randy Moss and got (Wes) Welker, three new receivers for Brady that they didn't have the year before; and that's a real credit to their scouting department and coaching staff for bringing in new receivers and then putting them on the same page with Brady, and then going out and accomplishing what they have accomplished.

Q. You mentioned the fact that earlier, you said that one of the motivations to the season was the Dallas game and the Super Bowl. How much did you put that loss into the next season. How much was it, not browbeating to death, but how much was that a motivation?
DON SHULA: It was a tremendous motivation for us because after we got beat in the Super Bowl by Dallas, we realized and I realized that before that game, the two teams that are preparing for the Super Bowl are both treated the same. They are given an equal amount of time, publicity, player interviews, the coaching interviews, everything that goes on, it's the same for both teams.
When the game is over, they only go to one locker room, and that's the winning locker room where they are hoisting the trophy and everybody is happy and celebrating. And the losing coach gets a token interview outside the dressing room with one camera there and you feel so sorry for them. I told our team after that loss, I said, "We don't ever want to feel that way again. So our objective is not going to be to get to the Super Bowl, it's going to be to get to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl, because we want to be in that winning locker room."

Q. I know in '73 you guys were under pressure to win the big game, and there was talk how upbeat you were during the whole week, even though you were sick. How were you able to pull that off, and how was it able to set the tone for the players seeing the coach acting so upbeat when you were under so much pressure?
DON SHULA: You know, I took a lot of heat because I was 0‑2 in the Super Bowl, and when you're 0‑2 in Super Bowls, people don't say kind things about you. The worst thing that can be said about a coach is that he can't win the big one. That was planted in the minds of the media by Carol Rosenbloom after I left, and that was brought up all week long.
You know, that's the thing I hated to hear and you know, I certainly didn't want to be 0‑3 in Super Bowls because then they would really nail the “you can't win the big one label on you.”
So that was a real motivation for me and then to be able to win the big game finally in my coaching career and make that the end of a perfect season just made it all the more rewarding.

Q. What do you miss most about coaching?
DON SHULA: The thing I miss most about coaching is game day. You know, the excitement, the adrenaline, the decision‑making on game day and the emotional highs and lows that you're on and above all, that feeling of satisfaction if and when you win the game.
And especially what I liked more than anything in my coaching career was having a lot of respect for the coach that I was coaching against and the team that we are playing against; and then to end up being the winner in that game, because it made you feel that much better about your accomplishment, because you knew that you were beating a good coach and you knew that you were beating a good team.

Q. How elated will you be if you're sitting in your living room Super Bowl Sunday and the Giants do pull the upset and the Patriots don't draw even with you.
DON SHULA: I'm going to be at the game. I'll be jumping up and down. (Laughter).

Q. How has the game changed coaching‑wise, the philosophy itself.
DON SHULA: Well, the big thing that's happened in the years that I've played and my early years of coaching was that football was a six‑month sport. When it was over with, the players would go to their respective homes and get an off‑season job, and then about a week before training camp, they would start working out to get in shape for the preseason.
And now, you know, when the season is over, you get a couple of weeks off and players are encouraged to stay in town and get into the off‑season programs, you know, lift weights and go to film study and then go out on to the field for drills on the field. So it's become a 11‑, 11‑and‑a‑half month game now, a job, compared to five or six months back in those early days.
I think that's why the game has picked up the way that it has. It's just gotten so much better as far as players' conditioning and the size of the players, and then the sophistication of the game because everybody has worked at it so much harder and so much longer.

Q. How much of what you do is an element of luck, too, in that particular season? How much if you put a percentage on it was luck?
DON SHULA: Well, I don't know how much luck. You know, luck works both ways. The winning team is not always the only team that has luck during the course of a ballgame. I mean, the ball bounces, you know, for the team that might lose the ballgame, too. They might have some lucky plays or lucky bounces during the course of that game.
But when it's all over with, you know, both teams are playing with the same ball, you have the same rules and regulations that over a period of time, it evens out. The best teams win.

Q. I'm trying to get a handle on just how special a group of people ‑‑ when did you start recognizing that you had a dynamic group of people around you to do anything you wanted?
DON SHULA: You know, when I got there, as you know, in 1970, the year before, they were 3‑10‑1 and when I got there, I had all of these plans for practices and the players went on strike and I had nobody to coach.
So when the strike was settled and they came back, then, as you know, I worked them four times a day to try to get the new game plan in and get them ready to go. And at that time, I realized, you know, the intelligence of these players, the dedication of these players. They complained about the long practices and meetings and workouts.
But at the end of the year, when we won, they were asked, you know, how did you turn it around, and invariably they always said: We worked harder in the classroom, we studied harder, we practiced harder and it helped on game day. So that's what helped was the extra work and intelligence and preparation and the hard work and dedication and competitiveness of those players on those two teams, 17‑0, 15‑2.

Jeff Ireland's curious comment about Zach

2008-01-24T10:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of things: I am on vacation this week before gearing up for next week's Super Bowl. I have caught much of the Senior Bowl week practices on the NFL Network, which apparently is the way Bill Parcells is keeping abreast of things in Mobile as well.

I know Parcells will eventually get tape of every single practice snap, but isn't the realtime, in person view always better than tape?

Anyway, that is not the point.

This is: During his short talk with the media Wednesday, general manager Jeff Ireland said he's a big fan of Zach Thomas, but admitted he has not contacted Zach to make a commitment about having the linebacker be on the team in 2008.

This despite the fact Thomas is under contract in 2008.

Then this out of today's story in The Miami Herald: Asked whether Thomas was in the Dolphins' plans for 2008, Ireland said, ``Right now, he's on our roster, so we certainly have plans for him. In terms of tomorrow, the next day or six months down the line, we're still in the process of analyzing who's going to be a part of the future.''

What the heck does that mean? Tomorrow or in six months when training camp begins the Dolphins don't know whether they want Thomas back? This from a team that, if you believe published quotes from Trent Green's agent, has reached out to Green about playing in 2008.

So let me get this right. The team would like to see Green, who will be 38 years old, back on the roster despite the fact he missed most of the last two seasons with a concussion. But the team has not made up its mind about wanting the 35-year-old Thomas, who missed all but five starts in 2007 because of a concussion?

Where's the tough decision?

I take Zach every single time and twice on Sunday.

I hope Ireland knows something we don't. Maybe the GM knows Zach is pondering retirement or has been told by his doctor that he may not be better from the post-concussion headaches that kept him sidelined. Or maybe Ireland is setting up some sort of advantage in contract negotiations with Thomas because the team might want to lower the player's cap number and increase its cap room.

Then, and only then, would the lack of commitment about Zach's future be understandable. Of course, it is impossible to know for sure since Ireland didn't clarify his statement and Parcells hasn't returned phone calls.

But if there isn't an unstated reason for Ireland's vagueness, if there are not extenuating circumstances behind the distant approach to the Zach issue, something is wrong. If these guys simply are not certain whether Zach is worthy of bringing back because they don't know if he's still a good player when healthy, then something is definitely wrong.

Not with Zach. With the Dolphins.

Your thoughts?

Jason Taylor a finalist for Walter Payton award

2008-01-19T23:54:00.000-05:00

Jason Taylor is one of four finalists for the NFL's Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, the NFL announced Sunday.

Joining Taylor as top candidates for this year’s award, named for the legendary Chicago Bears running back, who died in 1999, are Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, Kansas City Chiefs guard Brian Waters and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the only league award that recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence. Taylor is hoping to join Hall of Famers Dwight Stephenson (1985) and Dan Marino (1998) as Dolphins to receive this honor.

"Walter Payton represented everything that is great about our game, so to be considered for an award bearing his name is truly an honor,” Taylor said in a statement released through the Dolphins. “The list of individuals who have won this award in the past is an impressive one, especially those from the Dolphins organization in Dwight Stephenson and Dan Marino.

"They are all outstanding people both on the field and in their communities. We have hundreds of players in the NFL that are doing amazing things in their communities every day, so it means a lot to me and our Foundation to be recognized among that group."

The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will be announced live before Super Bowl XLII, on February 3.

Here is what's next on the Dolphins agenda

2008-01-16T23:30:00.000-05:00

Now that the Dolphins have their football czar, general manager, and head coach, it's time to find some actual players that can make a difference from here on out, right?

Nope. Not yet.

Next up on the agenda after the Dolphins hired Tony Sparano Wednesday is filling out the coaching staff and that is already underway.

Everybody is reporting that Dallas assistant Todd Bowles could join the Miami staff as an assistant head coach in charge of the secondary while Dallas assistant and former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni also is likely coming as the defensive coordinator or linebackers coach or both.

But I am now told both coaches have been offered contract extensions by the Cowboys, and as Jason Garrett proved, it is hard to leave Jerry Jones when he REALLY wants to retain a coach. So this isn't necessarily a done deal.

Beyond that look for former Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Maser to get the offensive line job. Maser coached with Sparano in Jacksonville in 2002.

Former offensive line coach Hudson Houck is headed to Dallas to coach their offensive line.

And don't be surprised if the offensive coordinator job is not filled immediately or at least until the New York Giants are eliminated from the playoffs. That's because Giants quarterback coach Chris Palmer may be headed to the Dolphins as their offensive coordinator.

Palmer, the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, hired Sparano at Boston University and took him in tow when he became head coach in Cleveland. Palmer also worked under Bill Parcells in 2006 and is from that familiar coach tree, having also worked for Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville as well as New York.

Kacy Rodgers, whose contract with the Dallas Cowboys expires, is a possibility as a defensive line coach while Cleveland defensive assistant Bob Trott is also a candidate somewhere on defense. I also wouldn't be surprised if former Dolphins assistant Clarence Brooks, who coached with Sparano in Cleveland in 1999 and was fired when Baltimore cleaned house this year, calls the Miami coach about a job.

Remember all the rumors that Maurice Carthon would be a candidate to join the Dolphins based on his long-standing relationship with Parcells as a player as well as a coach? Well, come to find out Carthon fell out of favor with Parcells in 2005 when he left the Big Tuna to join Romeo Crennel's staff in Cleveland.

So Carthon, now in Arizona, isn't likely to be joining the Dolphins.

A note: I know a lot of you have complained that whatever staff Sparano and Parcells compile won't have the experience of many other NFL staffs.

Well, last season the Dolphins had four, count 'em four, current or former NFL head coaches on the staff including Dom Capers, Cameron, Mike Mularkey and Terry Robiskie. How'd all that experience work out for them?

Tony Sparano hired as Miami's new coach

2008-01-16T07:38:00.000-05:00

It is official. Tony Sparano will be the Dolphins fifth head coach in five years.

The Dolphins have offered Sparano the job left vacant when Cam Cameron was fired. The sides have ironed out details of a contract whose terms are still unavailable. A noon press conference has been called to present Sparano.

Club owner Wayne Huizenga, who officially offered Sparano the job, left the team's practice facility at 9:40 a.m.

How's that for anti-climax?

Sparano endured a breakneck day Tuesday. He finished up some Cowboys business at the team's Valley Ranch facility early in the day, rushed home to change and pick up his wife, then met Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, got on one of Huizenga's jets to South Florida, boarded an Aventura Limosine Denali upon touchdown, was escorted to dinner at Grille 66 on the Fort Lauderdale intracoastal, met Huizenga and other Miami brass for the first time, was escorted back to a local Renaissance Hotel where he is staying, and got tucked in by Bill Parcells himself.

Just kidding on the last one there.

But while Parcells didn't tuck in Sparano, he will pretty much be one of the first faces the coach sees every morning. Parcells typically gets to work around 7ish. And if he's starting around that time, everyone, including Sparano, is also.

Today Sparano and Ireland arrived at the team facility around 8 a.m. Parcells was already at work. Huizenga arrived at 8:45 -- he's allowed to show up whenever he freakin' wants because he owns the joint.

One of the items on the agenda today is Sparano meeting with Ireland and Parcells about the formation of a coaching staff. Dallas assistants Paul Pasqualoni (linebackers in Dallas, possible defensive coordinator in Miami), Todd Bowles (secondary coach in Dallas and possibly handling the same duties in Miami with assistant head coach title) and Kacy Rodgers (defensive line in Dallas) are no longer under contract to the Cowboys. So Sparano must share his feelings about working with those guys and others.

Sparano also has to get caught up on Miami's current sad talent state and give his take on the subject -- based presumably on his study of the Dolphins from afar.

As I reported yesterday, agent Jimmy Sexton, who represents Parcells as well as Sparano, has been doing his homework. He has gotten a feel for the contracts signed last year by first-time NFL coach Lane Kiffin, Mike Tomlin and even Cameron and will negotiate based on those deals for his client who is also a first time NFL head coach.

Sparano likely has signed a four-year deal based on the fact that is a typical length in the NFL these days and it parallels the four-year deal Parcells signed. Sparano is, in all likelihood, getting a deal worth between $2-2.7 million per season.

It has been widely reported that the Dolphins were close to signing Sparano and there was even one report a few weeks ago that he had been offered the job. That was not the case. While Sparano was always the undisputed front-runner, with no real candidate coming close, the Dolphins have pretty much played this one by the book.

This team is, shall we say, obsessive about doing things according to NFL guidelines. And the guidelines demand several things: Under NFL mandate, the team owner must be a significant part of the process to pick a coach and the Dolphins had not met that requirement until Tuesday when Huizenga met Sparano for the first time.

Also the team would not break NFL rules prohibiting the hiring of a coach before his team was eliminated from the playoffs and requiring that a minority candidate be interviewed, known as Rooney Rule.

Anyway, all of those benchmarks have been passed now. The next sound you hear will be Tony Sparano being introduced at that noon press conference.

Ireland on way to Dallas to pick up Sparano

2008-01-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland is on his way to Dallas to pick up Cowboys assistant and future Dolphins coach Tony Sparano.

Ireland a few minutes ago boarded one of Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga's private jets -- one of the smaller ones, not the 737 -- with his wife. Educated guess here: Ireland's wife is going back to Dallas to tie up some family loose ends and will stay.

Back to facts: Ireland is expected to return with Sparano this evening. It takes approximately three hours to fly to Dallas and a little less than three to get back. That would put the return touchdown around 6-7ish when you add in time to taxi the aircraft, pick up Sparano etc...

If I know the Dolphins, the team will likely wine and dine Sparano this evening, maybe even have him meet Huizenga over dinner. Then everyone can get about the business of finalizing this hiring Wednesday morning -- assuming EVERYTHING goes smoothly.

I know that Sparano's agent -- yes, it is Jimmy Sexton -- is already prepared with a preliminary contract he would expect for his client. That contract includes something of a raise from the contracts first-year head coaches such as Mike Tomlin, Lane Kiffin, Gary Kubiak, and yes, Cam Cameron signed last year.

These negotiations are rarely a problem when they don't involve Raiders owner Al Davis, and this one doesn't.

So unless something goes unexpectedly off course, the Dolphins are navigating toward having a new coach in place by sometime Wednesday. And the latest step in the process just happened when that jet carrying Ireland took off.

Hoping for a surprise in the coaching search

2008-01-14T23:38:00.000-05:00

I am seriously hoping the Dolphins hire someone other than Tony Sparano as their head coach.

It's not that I have anything against Sparano. I do not. Truth be told, I didn't know that much about the man until mid December. And I'm sure he is a fine coach and solid citizen etc ... etc ... etc ...

But it's just that I'm expecting, indeed hoping, for big things from the new Dolphins. I'm hoping the Dolphins of Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland can surprise folks -- most of all the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.

I'm hoping they can truly keep things as hush-hush as the Patriots and Jets because, although it will be a challenge for me as a reporter, it will be beneficial to the organization.

I'm hoping the new guys have trick cards up their sleeves because they're going to need them if they want to convince some team to give up a king's ransom for the first overall pick. I'm hoping they can cast smokescreens with the best of them if they're going to convince free agents to come to Miami rather than say, to the Patriots. The Dolphins, you should remember, failed at that assignment last offseason and the product of that failure was New England signing Donte' Stallworth and Kelly Washington.

I am, in short, hoping these guys got game.

But I don't see that yet. The general manager search, with all due respect to Joey Clinkscales, was a farce. Parcells hired the top and only guy on his list after interviewing that guy and a minority candidate that satisfied the NFL's Rooney Rule. Period.

The coaching search? It has also been poorly veiled as a thorough process.

I mean, come on, is anyone truly convinced Sparano won't be the new coach? Does anyone doubt the guy Parcells told Atlanta owner Arthur Blank he wanted to hire before he joined the Dolphins won't follow him to Miami?

What's that saying? If it looks like a duck? If it walks like a duck? It's a duck.

Sure, the Dolphins interviewed other candidates, but these new Dolphins guys must think everyone is dumb. Frazier was the Rooney Rule guy. The only one. What happened to Mike Singletary? What happened to Ron Rivera? Or Green Bay assistant head coach Winston Moss, who happens to be from Miami?

The other candidates were Rex Ryan and Jim Schwartz. Schwartz is kind of hot right now because before he came to Miami he interviewed in Washington and Atlanta. The Dolphins, on the face of it, were interested in a bright guy with a bright future even though he had no connection to Parcells or Ireland. The Dolphins were being thorough, right?

Except that the agent who represents Schwartz -- Jimmy Sexton -- also represents Parcells. So how hard is it to suppose that this interview was just to keep Schwartz's name in the loop of hot interviews while also serving the Dolphins by making it seem they're being thorough? Not hard.

I hope this is not the best web the new Dolphins can weave. Otherwise it hearkens back to the days when the team conducted a grand and complex nationwide GM search that included Ted Thompson, Phil Savage and Tim Ruskell -- all of whom went on to build fine teams in Green Bay, Cleveland and Seattle -- and having such brilliance in front of them, the Dolphins predictably promoted Rick Spielman, whose decisions we are still suffering today.

The new Dolphins must do better.

So hopefully they pull a surprise no one expects. I would love it and commend them for it. It would be eye-popping. It would also command respect if Sparano is their guy and they just stand on that, not looking elsewhere, showing confidence in him and thus giving him a credibility he frankly lacks in South Florida.

But if Sparano is their guy and they're still going through the hokus pokus interviews to fool somebody then it's time to worry. Because nobody is fooled.

Update on coach, correction on Traylor argument

2008-01-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

First let me tell you that Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has left town following his head coaching interview today.

Reached at the airport on his way back to Nashville, Schwartz declined to discuss his interview or talk about the fact he has virtually no chance to land this job. Also, there was a local published report headlined, "Head-coaching interviews with Tice, Schwartz scheduled," that said Tice was scheduled to visit today or Tuesday. I told you in this space last night I had not been able to confirm any such scheduled interview with Tice.

That is because it ain't happening.

Must I remind you Tony Sparano is the heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy favorite to be hired? Have I not made the point often enough?

Anyway, Jay Feely and I were on 790 The Ticket's Jorge Sedano show earlier discussing the whole end-of-year meltdown that was sandwiched between the New England road game Dec. 23 and the season-finale Dec. 30.

I had reported in my last post on the subject that the argument on the plane between Keith Traylor and Rex Hadnot and Vernon Carey was a result of a heated card or dominoes game between the players. I was wrong.

Feely corrected me, saying the argument was over the quality of play of the offensive linemen. Traylor apparently criticized the offensive linemen's play and that apparently escalated. Feely, one of the few Miami players who performed very well this season, also blamed the argument on the way the seating on the plane is arranged -- with veterans from both the offense and defense sitting up front.

Anyway, just want to keep the record straight. The argument did not boil over because the players were involved in a card or dominoes game. It boiled over because Traylor apparently didn't appreciate the way the offensive linemen performed. Thanks for the correction, Jay.

One thing Feely and I were both agreed on is that episodes like this happen, but they are magnified when a team is 1-15 and the coach and GM get fired.