Dolphins In Depth

Dolphins sign rookie guard Shawn Murphy

The Dolphins will announce the signing of offensive guard Shawn Murphy in the coming hour or so. No financial terms are yet available.

Murphy, the team's foruth-round draft pick, is expected to compete for a starting job this year along with veteran Steve McKinney and darkhorse second-year player Ikechuku Ndukwe.

Props to anyone who can tell me where Ndukwe went to school. Murphy, the son of former Atlanta slugger Dale Murphy, attended Utah State.

The Dolphins have now signed six of their nine draft picks, with second-rounders Phillip Merling and Chad Henne and third-rounder Kendall Langford still not on board.

Lorenzo Booker wowing them in Philadelphia

There have been only two offseasons moves by these Dolphins that I have questioned.

As many of you know, I advocated chasing former Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca in free agency. I know, I know, he was very expensive and 32 years old, and not a good fit for a rebuilding team. That's bunk.

He's a great player, he filled a need, he would have shown Jake Long how to be a professional off the field and made him stellar on the field playing LG next to him. If he were on the Dolphins, who could have afforded him, he would not be across the line of scrimmage playing two games a year for the Jets.

Also, the Dolphins could have used the Faneca addition as proof to the Dancer whose name I will not utter that they weren't giving up on this year in trying to convince him not to give up on them.

The other move I hated was trading Lorenzo Booker.

The 2007 third round pick was traded to Philadelphia for a 2008 fourth-round pick. The reasoning GM Jeff Ireland gave for making the trade was that Booker simply didn't fit the mold of a back the Dolphins want. Guess the Dolphins don't want a blur coming out of the backfield on third down passing situations.

The Eagles jumped at the opportunity to get that kind of threat. 

This week, at the team minicamp for selected vets and rookies, Booker impressed coaches and teammates with his speed, agility and quick-strike potential. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Booker has been "even a little bit better" than what the Eagles expected.

"He's a huge pickup for us," backup quarterback Kevin Kolb said. "I was thrilled when it happened, and I'm even more thrilled now that I've been out there with him."

The Eagles have a history of taking undersized backs and tossing them short passes they can perhaps turn into longer gains. Typical of a West Coast offense, a seven-yard swing pass on first down is as good as a seven-yard run on first down -- and not much more dangerous.

And while Booker won't be a starter in Philly unless something goes terribly wrong, he gives the offense breakaway options out of the backfield.

"Getting a chance in games and showing them that I can handle the pressure and play with the best and not make mistakes was probably the biggest thing that I was able to do for myself last year," Booker told the newspaper. "Now my goal is to show everybody else that I can be a guy you can count on all the time, not just sometimes."

Discuss...

A crystal ball look at YOUR Dolphins offense

The torn Achilles tendon that receiver Tab Perry suffered during Miami's most recent minicamp underlined several issues that I want to share with you:

1. The Dolphins woeful lack of talent at wide receiver just got thinner. When Perry was signed to a one-year contract, former Cincinnati teammate T.J. Whoseyourmamma was disappointed. "That guy is talented," Whoseyourmamma said of Perry. "That's a loss for us." So I initially could see Perry, experienced and quick, giving the Dolphins receiver corps some of the lightning it definitely lacks beyond Ted Ginn. But now Perry is waived/injured and one must assume the team will seek other help at the position.
2. Speaking of other help at the position: Terry Glenn is not too thrilled with his situation in Dallas because according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram the team has kept him from participating in OTA work unless he signs a $500,000 injury waiver agreement. If Glenn gets hurt and must sit out the season, the team would then owe him much less than his scheduled $1.74 million salary. But Glenn hasn't agreed to sign the waiver. So even though he is apparently healthy, he isn't working and he isn't happy. Can you say trade to the Dolphins? Maybe Glenn and a third-round pick for the Dancer whose name I will not utter? Glenn does, after all, have a long history of playing for Bill Parcells, and the Cowboys almost certainly would love to add the Dancer to a front 7 that is already pretty darn good. [By the way, take the poll below on this issue.]
3. Don't be fooled by the lack of contact. Throughout the NFL guys are pulling up lame and otherwise being sidelined by offseason camps and OTAs.
4. Finally, you should take a close look at what the Miami offense promises to be: A gang of bullies. This won't be a quick-strike, down-the-field unit. They will be a bruising running team first and foremost. They will try to go through rather than over defenses. Given the added girth of Justin Smiley and Jake Long up front, the return (everyone hopes) of 232-pound Ronnie Brown and 225-pound Ricky Williams at RB, the addition of 265-pound TE Anthony Fasano and with 270-pound Reagan Mauia at FB, this team will RUN the ball. This will particularly be the strategy against modern defenses that have become smaller and quicker to keep up with passing offenses. So in a time the rest of the NFL wants to throw 65 percent of the time, the Dolphins will field a throwback offense that runs 60-65 percent of the time. The idea is that an offense like this will shorten the game, keep Miami's unproven quarterback from getting exposed, and also cover up for a receiver corps that is short on proven downfield ability. Smashball comes to Miami!
5. If everything I've written is true, and it is, there is a downside. That is the Dolphins had better hope not to get behind in games. Otherwise the smashball thing becomes a liability more than a dividend.

Take the poll and then add your comments.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Another in the endless line of Jason Taylor posts

Sorry to do this to you guys, especially those of you officially numb to the Jason Taylor updates. But in the interest of telling you the latest about the Dolphins most recognizable player, I must pass this along.

Again, I apologize.

Taylor today was in West Des Moines, Iowa, which culturally is about as distant from Los Angeles and South Florida as Mars, to play a round of charity golf. After the event he was asked about his situation with the Dolphins.

"I'm under contract with the Dolphins," he said. "So again, I'm looking forward to playing some golf. Football doesn't start until July and training camp, so I'll be all right. I've been in L.A. and so far removed from it. Like I said, I'll deal with that when I get there."

According to the Associated Press report, Taylor avoided questions about whether he plans to meet with Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells when he gets back. (Remember their last encounter didn't go so well with Parcells ignoring Taylor.)

Taylor said his immediate plans are to work out, play golf and relax at home.

"We'll work with football here in the near future," Taylor said.

Personally, I'm not counting on that. I don't see a resolution to this, this, this relationship until just before the regular season beckons. At that point, some desperate team will trade for Taylor, or Taylor will report so he can get paid, or he'll simply stay away and possibly retire.

My best guess of what eventually happens: He reports.

Don't toss your No. 99 jerseys yet.

Did I tell you I'm sorry? Please forgive me.

Can John Beck overcome his rookie struggles?

John Beck has the chance to become the Dolphins starting quarterback as he will compete with Josh McCown for the job. Rookie Chad Henne, in my opinion, won't be a big factor in the race for the starting job early on because he has so much catching up to do.

For Beck, this quarterback competition is an opportunity to erase a bad rookie season. I wrote a column about that in Wednesday's Miami Herald -- it is required reading.

The point of the column, in which Beck discusses his 2007 season, is to draw attention to the fact Beck must do what other capable rookie quarterbacks who suffered terrible seasons apparently couldn't: He must overcome that terrible rookie year.

Other quarterbacks I name in the column were pretty much defined by bad rookie seasons and never really recovered. There is a sense among some NFL people that starting a rookie quarterback is a recipe for ruining a player.

And while there are a couple of rookies who started right away and grew to be outstanding quarterbacks -- Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger come to mind -- it is apparent a majority of quarterback who started as rookies continued to struggle later.

So my questions to you:

Do you think Beck can put last year behind him? Do you think he can learn from his difficult experience without being ruined by it?

Or do you think that what we saw last year is the beginning of a bad nightmare for Beck, and us? Do you think he will fall in line with Joey Harrington and Akili Smith and David Carr, who had troubles as rookie starters and eventually became either gun shy or unsure or simply unable to improve beyond their rookie struggles?

Discuss...

Live chat with Salguero 6-7 p.m. today

In the spirit of not posting another Jason Taylor update, I figured it is time for some good old fashioned back and forth with you guys.

So let's do a live chat.

I will be here this evening from 6-7 and answer any questions and discuss any topics you guys deem worthy. We're doing it at this hour because I am told the blog does some of its biggest traffic around this time. I guess the folks on the east coast are home and the folks on the west coast don't mind surfing this site from work as much as others.

So meet me back here at 6 p.m. If, however, you can't be here then, post a question or comment anytime today and I'll answer at the appointed time. You can check back for your answer afterward.

Also, I will be on 790 The Ticket this afternoon 12-3 so feel free to call me there if you like. The number is 1-888-790-3776. If you're not in South Florida, you can listen on 790theticket.com

At least 1 Taylor trade option out there [Update]

The San Diego Chargers have called the Dolphins to show interest in trading for Jason Taylor.

There is no deal that is right-now imminent, but the Chargers are obviously kicking the tires on the possibility of adding a Pro Bowl pass-rusher to twin with Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman.

The Chargers are denying they have interest through sources that are talking to the San Diego Union-Tribune. But I KNOW they have called about Taylor.

The Chargers are aware their championship window of opportunity is closing. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson said as much recently. The team also is very familiar with Taylor because former Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller joined that team as an assistant to general manager A.J. Smith about three weeks ago.

Mueller's two years in Miami gives him a solid foundation of knowledge on Taylor. Mueller respected Taylor as an outstanding pass-rusher, but also knew the player was often times a less than stellar run-stopper.

Anyway, I believe if the Chargers offer a third-round pick for Taylor, Bill Parcells will deal him. The Dolphins, as I reported in my column two days ago, are actively trying to trade Taylor as we speak.

The problem is Taylor plans to play only one more season (for sure) and teams are unwilling to invest such a high pick for a one-year player.

But because San Diego is so close to Los Angeles and the show business jobs Taylor now covets, perhaps he can be convinced to play the two years remaining on his contract while commuting to his acting gigs.

My guess is that if Taylor is traded, he goes for a third-round pick.

One final thing: There has been a lot of media barking that Miami's announcement Taylor is not reporting to training camp diminishes his trade value. This is ridiculous.

If I am a playoff-caliber team interested in Jason Taylor, I know he will report to my training camp. His value is not diminished to me. The teams know that, which is why they're calling. The Dolphins know that, which is why they're taking at least this call. That he won't report to the Dolphins is peripheral noise that one hears but shouldn't listen to.

A team might make that argument in trade talks and it would go something like this:

Interested team: We want to lower the price for getting Taylor because you've said he won't report to your training camp.

Dolphins: No.

Interested team: But, but, you said.

Dolphins: No.

Interested team: He won't report to you.

Dolphins: He'll report once the checks start flowing or he'll retire. Or we'll trade him to you for a second-round pick (Miami's starting point in negotiations) and he'll report.

Interested team: How about a fourth-round pick?

Dolphins: How about a conditional second-rounder based on whether he goes to the Pro Bowl or you go to the Super Bowl?

Interested team: ????

We'll see what happens.

By the way, this is the second posting of the day. Check my post on Wayne Huizenga below. Also, register and leave your comments. And thanks for visiting my blog.

How much does Wayne Huizenga really know?

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga puzzles me.

I know he has a brilliant business mind because he is the only person in America to be responsible for six companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and to have three make the Fortune 500 list. Everything he touches makes money and the Dolphins are no different as his investment in the team will eventually bring him 10 times what he paid.

But ...

The man apparently does not know what is going on with his most recognized company. On Wednesday morning you might have read that Huizenga told my colleague Barry Jackson in an exclusive interview that he would not tell Bill Parcells what to do on the Jason Taylor matter.

No problem. The hands off owner is being, well, hands off.

But Huizenga also said in the article that, "as far as I'm concerned, [Taylor's] happy [here]." He went on to tell Jackson that he's read accounts of Taylor being disgruntled and asking to be traded but simply didn't believe the stories in the press.

To which I respond: Amaaaaazing!

So let's break this down because, frankly, I cannot fathom this stuff. [Huizenga, by the way, will be a chapter in my Dolphins book someday.] On the same day the owner of the Dolphins tells the biggest media outlet that regularly covers the team he believes Taylor is happy in Miami, the head coach holds a press conference to announce Taylor ain't showing up for OTAs, ain't showing up for voluntary and mandatory minicamps and ain't showing up for TRAINING CAMP.

Sound like a happy player to you?

That leaves me only two possible explanations. Either Mr. H was lying stretching the truth when he talked to Jackson or he is simply out of the loop, unaware and uninformed. I don't believe Huizenga said something he didn't believe to be the case.

So I have to conclude that he is just ignorant to some things that are going on, even some significant things such as this.

And that lack of awareness comes despite the fact Huizenga was at the team facility during draft weekend -- while the Dolphins were trying to trade Taylor. It comes despite the fact he visited during the rookie minicamp and had ample opportunity to speak to Bill Parcells or Jeff Ireland or Sparano or anybody else he wanted because he's the friggan' owner.

So what we have here is another example of why the Dolphins got so putrid the past decade. In many respects, their problem started at the top.

An update about this blog: Yesterday was significant in that Dolphins In Depth surpassed 1 million page views for the year. We're at 1,005,543 and the season isn't even here yet. I thank you for visiting. And tell other Dolfans about it.

Taylor drama not as bad as I thought it would be

After discussing Wednesday's statement by Tony Sparano about Jason Taylor with representatives for BOTH sides, I asked myself this question: Why don't I get a real job?

No, actually I asked myself, 'What has changed?'

The answer is very little. I wrote a column for Mother Herald about the matter. Read it, dammit! We now know beyond a shadow of doubt that there is a rift between Jason Taylor and the Dolphins. Big deal. Been saying that since March. There's a fracture, people.

The bottom line is the Dolphins, I am told, are actively trying to trade Taylor. Good for the team because it is trying to get more draft picks for next year. Taylor, I am told, is actively seeking roles and opportunities in Hollywood. Good for him. Chances are pretty solid Taylor will not play for the Dolphins in 2008. Great for fans tired of off-field drama.

But that is not absolute. Taylor still has not publicly ripped the Dolphins and the team source that I spoke with about this noted that Taylor "hasn't been a pain at all."

Meanwhile, Miami's announcement -- contrary to the crazy pundits crying that it is a slam and signals the end -- did not publicly rip Taylor. Sparano's statement simply stated a fact the Taylor's camp had made known to the Dolphins.

So this is simply business being played out in the public light. I got (blog writing) no problems with it because, frankly, I expected much, much worse. Notice no one is PUBLICLY ripping the other side. If that happens, then we can say it has gotten ugly. But not until then.

Anyway, what do you think should happen next ...

Opinion Polls & Market Research

... One more thought: I am told Taylor paid very careful attention to how Michael Strahan conducted himself last offseason. He was impressed that Strahan didn't have to get beat up in training camp, but still rejoined his team in time to get paid and play the season. And, it should be noted, Strahan's season ended with a Super Bowl trophy.

So missing training camp is not a crisis in Taylor's mind. Fact is, he does not cherish getting beat up for a month facing rookie Jake Long in two-a-days. He would do that for a week or 10 days. But not a month.

The bottom line is this will get resolved. And that resolution -- be it a trade, retirement or Taylor's return to the team -- should happen by the middle to late part of training camp. I predict late August the latest.

Discuss ...

Sparano: Taylor not attending training camp

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano just dropped something of a bombshell although we preall saw coming.

"What I know and I'm glad we know this," Sparano said. "We gotten the information and that's important. I know that Jason is not going to be at any OTAs [Organized Team Activities]. I know that Jason is not going to be at any minicamps. And I know right now Jason is not going to be at training camp.

"Jason is a player under contract with the Miami Dolphins. He knows that. Both parties are well aware of the information. That's all I'm going to say about it. I'm going to talk about our players now."

And that's all he said.

Taylor, through his agent, has requested a trade on several occasions. And the agent, Gary Wichard, has told the Dolphins that Taylor will not report for training camp unless he is traded ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

Although Sparano portrayed this like it's somehow new information it really is not.

Taylor's thinking is simple: He wants to play for a winner and he doesn't think the Dolphins are that team. The Dolphins, Taylor believes, are in a rebuilding mode and that doesn't fit his agenda, which at 33 years old, is to win a championship.

So Taylor ain't showing. He wants out. And he wants out now. He wants to play football, just not for the Dolphins.

As I've been stating to a chorus of accusations that I sensationalize, the situation promises to get uglier later. Not yet, though.

If Taylor isn't traded before the season in September, don't be surprised if he threatens to retire.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, can't really do anything about this matter right now other than continue efforts to trade him. So far Taylor has missed only voluntary workouts. Starting with the June 6-8 mandatory minicamp, Taylor becomes subject to team fines.

And the team will fine Taylor for every day he 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.

What was once a win-win situation is now looking like something else.

If the Dolphins had done the logical thing and traded Taylor for a draft pick or picks around draft time, 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 on to trying to win a championship for himself and new team.

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 is not going to be at training camp, at least not at the start.