Live blog chat starts Friday at 8 p.m.

[UPDATE: Folks, I had planned to be with you at 3 p.m. today but something has come up so the live blog is moved to 8 p.m. instead. Yeah, you and me  together on a Friday nighte. I'm sure you cannot wait. The fact of the matter is I will be on 790 The Ticket from 3-7 p.m. today so, actually, you can chat with me live anyway. Just call toll free 1-888-790-3776. You can listen live at 790theticket.com if you are not in South Florida. Otherwise, talk to you at 8 p.m.]

Today is a special day. It is Friday!

And it marks the first love blog chat (non-game) we've had here in a long time. We had one or two earlier this season but it frayed some nerves over at Mother Herald because we had too much traffic and it took away traffic from another chat.

But there is no chat going on at 3 p.m. elsewhere at the paper. So that means the cyberspace is open for us.

There are issues to discuss, you know.

Bill Parcells.

Chad Pennington.

The offensive line.

The defensive line.

The coming free agency period.

The re-signing of Miami's own free agents.

Chad Henne.

Chad Johnson. Oh, never mind on that one. But wide receiver upgrades is a fair topic. And so is Ted Ginn Jr.

Tons of stuff is available for discussion. You leave a question or comment and I will be happy to respond live. Depending on how many folks are on here at the time, we might chat for an hour, or all the way to 5 p.m., when you weasels can stop stealing your company's work time and actually go home.

If you can't be here at 3 p.m. or soon thereafter, leave your question or comment now, and it'll be first in line for my response. Then come back at your convenience to see what was said about your post.

OK, have fun. See you at 3 p.m.

Comments

[AK]

Something to look forward to on this fine Friday afternoon in January....

[McLovin]

Mando,

I do not see Parcells and Co. trading for a top notch receiver, so that eliminates Anquan Boldin or Chad Ocho Cinco, so remember Boldin is not a free agent. So what do you think are the real chances for Miami pursuing T.J Houshyomamma?

I believe he fits the Parcells mold and if we get him we can draft another receiver in the later rounds of the draft.

Who do you believe is up for trade on the current Miami roster? I believe Parcells would love get some more pick and give up one or two players on our team

[mike]

Armando,
Are you aware of anybody in particular that the staff will be targeting in this year's free agent class?

Also, do you think there is any chance that Wayne does not sell the team this year to ross?

[Finsfan in CT]

Here's a question for you:

Over the last two years, Satele has received tremendous praise from both coaching staffs. However, it seems like he keeps getting manhandled.

Do the Dolphins pursue another center and, if so, what happens to Satele (RG?)

[Finsfan]

What are the chances that the fins trade, Jason Allen and Ted Ginnn Jr. I think they can get a number 2 for Ginn and maybe a 3 or 4 for Allen.

Also, who you think they will draft in the first round? I say either LB Brabdon Spikes or LB Brain Cushing.

What you think?

[Finsfan]

What are the chances that the fins trade,
Mando,

Jason Allen and Ted Ginnn Jr. I think they can get a number 2 for Ginn and maybe a 3 or 4 for Allen.

Also, who you think they will draft in the first round? I say either LB Brabdon Spikes or LB Brain Cushing.

What you think?

[Finsfan in CT]

Forget my question! I just saw it on your other blog entry.

[David]

When looking at the needs of the Dolphins it is crazy to think they won the AFC East.
Where do the Dolphins go with the first pick? Being that it is late first round probably best available since they can still use help everywhere, but will the draft focus on Defense or Offense...I say go defense and use the FA for offense, (interior OL and WR).

[ukfinfan]

Mando,

It's early for predictions yet with Free Agency and the draft still to come, but how do you see next year panning out? My guess is we get better talent to upgrade the roster but we stand still on record or improve by +1 on W/L at best. The AFC East should be between us and the Pats and the winner might be decided by the speed of Brady's rehab, but I don't see us doing more than splitting head-to-head again. Do you see us retaining our divisional crown? If not, we should at least hope for a W-C and to meet Sparano's target of "winning one of those W-C games".

[Ronnie]

Back to Satele, he's a better guard prospect than center... wht happened to the talk about Al Johnson? With Satele getting manhandled by big Ngata, did our coaches think about putting in Johnson and moving Satele to guard? And how does this bode for next season?

[harricane]

i'd take Spikes or Ray Maualuga, but don't think either will be there, do u Mando? hate to see Crowder go, but he will want over what 50 mil? Thats a huge risk. then i'd clone devon bess.

[Grey]

Mando, What is our salary cap position? last year we were 20+ million under the cap going int free agency. What is the cap situation this year?

[Joseph]

Armando,

With the Parcells guys historically being very hush-hush on future plans, what do you think would be the best use of money if they were going to go the high priced free agent route? Seems to me with Pennington's game and considering we have Ginn Jr, TJ Houz would be a good addition since he is a proven possession guy. Clearly Albert haynesworth would be great for any defense as well. Cheers.

[harricane]

ronnie,

i'd rather have big donald thomas back at LG rather than samson. it was not a strength issue that got him injured, he got sandwitched.

[Mark]

Mando,

Is it true theres no salary cap the year after next? If so,how does that affect the upcoming free agent signings?

[Ron]

Do you think Henne is a legitimate NFL QB? If yes, is it reasonable for him to play back up for a couple of more years?

FYI - I think Pennington was outstanding for us and if we can improve the O Line, then he should be our starter.

[Fernando]

Hey Mando, this year we had the ronnie ricky tag team work good but not great for eithr one of them

Do you think either one of them is a good bargaining chip for a great reciever? Might it go through?

On Chad Henne, what do you think is the position of the team given that he wont start in 09 at all...

[Finsfan in CT]

Finsfan-you might get a 2nd for Ginn but why trade him? You have invested 2 years and money into him. Next year he will have more "polish" to his routes and when Henne comes in he will be able to use his speed.

As for Allen, a THIRD/FOURTH pick?! You couldn't give him away! How do you get a good pick for a guy that can't get on the field for the Dolphins except due to injury?

[phinsfanfromoutof town]

Mando:
The Lions just lost a great receiver in Roy Williams, leaving them with just one good receiver. They probably going to draft a QB with 1st pick, do you think they could trade a late 1st pick for Ted Ginn to us?? and do you think someone might give something for Wilford (6 or 7 pick)??

[Nathaniel Dodsworth]

To Armando, my longtime friend and confidant. Regretfully I will not be able to participate in your discussion, as I will be too busy at work. Let me wish you well in your dialogue with the unwashed masses who frequent this board. They are to the English language what Bea Arthur is to estrogen.

While my presence will be sorely missed, fear not, for like General MacArthur, I shall return.

Permit me just one question. Since Messrs. Parcells and Sparano place a premium on discipline, then why is it impossible for these corpulent behemoths to exert the most minimal self-denial, push the second pie away from the table, and lose a little weight?

You know, you don't hear much about Shannen Doherty these days. She was one fine babe. I don't care that one eye is higher than the other.

[phinsfanfromoutof town]

Also Mando:
What players do you think are going to get Franchised by the teams, meaning Tj Houz, Namdi A., Alberte Hayn.?? What are the payers we might target??

[Bill Parcells]

David is right. We will upgrade the talent level on defense in the draft and using free agency to upgrade the offense with reasonably priced younger free agents.

We will not trade for any high priced wide receivers.

Ricky and Ronnie will both be back.

Tedd Ginn is going nowhere. We need to acquire talent at our weak spots, not upgrade talent marginally at positions we are comfortable with.

I've only been doing this for 25 years, you think you would see the way I operate by now.

[DC Finatic]

Mando, where is Brandon Fields in his contract? I know Parcells loves him, and there are more critical positions to fill, but I don't think he's all that and a bag of chips. That Ravens punter KILLED us in that playoff game. All those punts downed inside the 10 pinned us back. Then you have those punters like in Buffalo, who are great directional punters, and there's usually no returns of those punts. Since our Special Teams wasn't up to par league-wide, I think an upgrade somewhere on this squad would be a big help to winning more games (even a playoff game).

[phinsfanfromoutof town]

Mando:
Give us your Draft Board, who do you think are the players that we´re going to get (not the players that we want)? What players might be available when we pick in each round? Take a guess!!

I hear Ted Ginn will be Traded For Second Draft Pick.Also Draft A New Punter IS a Must,
by monalizzzzzzzzzzza

[Marc]

Mandy, it seems like coaching staffs don't trust Ronnie Brown. At least Cam learned to give the beast 20 plus carries a game after the first few weeks last year. Why did you think Sparano chose to use Brown so sparingly? Was it injury concerns? The line we had at the end of the year was still superior to what we had last year and was ever better in the beginning of the season. Maybe this is just a rhetorical question then, because, I don't think you could give me a good answer...

[Steve]

To the dude who thinks we will get a 2nd round pick out of Ted Ginn, Let me go ahead & answer that one for you Mando, HA!!!, HA!!!!, & HA!!!! Never happen

It Will Happen Ted Ginn will Be Traded For sure .The Record of 11-5 PB Knows It Is Misleading.A New QP draft Is Also Coming Near You.
by monalizzzzzzzzzzzzzzza

[Kiper Sr.]

You guys are dumb..Forget about Ted Ginn.. hes here to stay. What we need is another WR maybe Crabtree or Dez Bryant at least one of them will be available or even Jeremy Maclin. We need somebody BIG though..
But the most important think is a shutdown corner, we need one bad, maybe micheal jenkins or Vontae Davis, Alphonso Smith from wake forest, or my second favorite Victor Harris for Virginia tech, i prefer Jenkins though, he could have played last year.

[Ted Ginn]

I would be glad to leave this team as soon as possible,it would better my career. Im a deep threat guy who can throw farther than my quarterback. Maybe trade me to Indianapolis, or maybe to New Orleans. I dont understand why the fans want to disrespect me, in my 2 years in Miami i havent had a quarterback with a good enough arm to capitalize on my great speed, no body blocks on kick returns, and i getting tired of coming back for a badly thrown ball. I know im a great player and you florida people know it too..remember the national championship game? yeah you people know im a beast when i get blocking.Im the best wide reciever on this team, im constantly getting doubled, i ran right past Ed Reed and had i had a good QB i would have had to look back i'd be looking for the ball in from of me instead of tripping.

PB Plans Are To Build For The Future a Dolphin Team That Have a Steady Strong Reacord For Next 5-6 years.So Any Player Can Go To Reach That GOAL.
by monlalizzzzzzza

[Kiper Sr.]

You guys are dumb..Forget about Ted Ginn.. hes here to stay. What we need is another WR maybe Crabtree or Dez Bryant at least one of them will be available or even Jeremy Maclin. We need somebody BIG though..
But the most important think is a shutdown corner, we need one bad, maybe micheal jenkins or Vontae Davis, Alphonso Smith from wake forest, or my second favorite Victor Harris for Virginia tech, i prefer Jenkins though, he could have played last year.

[Marc]

Man...the draft is 4 mos away. Free agency hasn't even started yet. How many guesses of Mandy's last year were right? 'et me rephrase. How many blind guesses without knowing a player was working out for us...How many of you guys were right? It's so fun to play the guessing game and all, but why don't you people concentrate on things that aren't out of our control?

[Strummer's Army]

Hi, Mando!
I think LB can be addressed in FA.

Do you think they'll draft a center and/or trade Satele?

Does Beck, Porter, and Holiday get traded?

Do you feel the Dolphins need at least one shut down corner and safety?

[George]

Who are some likely Dolphin FA targets?

[Foy]

Here is a senerio Ronnies contract is up this comming season now do you guys think the Cards are set with their running game Edge wants out,Arrington is small and Tim is well.So how bout Brown for Boldin straight up.I dont know if Brown will get a new deal so we should at least get something for him instead of nothing at all.Also if we dont trade I do think Brown should get the bulk of the carries next year since it is a contract year and he has played in every game this year so his acl should be fine.

[Eric]

I have to be in bed by 8:30, so please don't be late Armando.

[Joey]

What are the chances of Miami getting Julius Peppers?

[Marc]

Brown for Boldin? and who's gonnato run the ball? 32 yo Ricky? Brown's still only 27...Boldin's a year older as well...

[Master]

HENNE for a Lions 1st Rounder

[go phins]

guys check out foxsports.com mock draft its a good one.it has miami taking nt-b.j.raji since most of the good lbs will be of the board

[go phins]

master are you insane? penny goes down who is your qb beck? are you kidding me.parcell's loves henne

[Mark]

I agree with you, "go phins". Parcells loves Henne and believes he will the Qb. Remember, Pennington sat for a year under Testaverde and Romo sat behind Drew Bledsoe.

Raji is a likely candidate for the Dolphins 1st round pick. If he can be as good as Casey Hampton or haloti Ngata, that would be a best case scenario for this draft. A pash rushing OLB like George Selvie in the second is also in the cards.

Don't know what else they would get in the first three rounds but I think another CB, S, G would take precedence over WR as would a TE like Chase Coffman of Mizz if he's on the board in the end of the second round.

[Mark]

Not sure if Peppers is the best fit for Miami's D. He's too big to be an OLB and he is probably not stout enough to play DE in a 3-4. DE's in Miami's system are supposed to be hybrid NT DE's from a conventional 4-3. Guys like Holliday, Langford, Merling, and Randy Starks fit the bill very well so they may be set there at least for next year and not bother with an inconsistent, highly paid guy like Peppers.

Probably the perfect 3-4 DE in the NFL is Aaron Smith of Pittsburgh. 8 sacks or so a year, mean, tough, and hold the line of scrimmage. That is the type of player the Dolphins look for in that position and the Dolphins have two young ones that can be that good.

I Hear That Lions Talked About Chad.Henne With BOWLES In His Interview W/Them.So If Bowles Get Hired By Loins C.Henne Is Gone Plus T.Ginn Also Gone And Do Not Forget Crowder For Sure Will Be Traded. It Is Only Business Sonny. Only business.
by monalizzzzzzza -----god father

go.fins ....can not spell BACK plus henne is going to be traded.
by monalizzzzzzzzzza

[mark]

Are the Loins your favourite team?

And how much pull does Bowles have that he can bring Parcells favoruite Henne with him? Henne was the only sure thing on the Dolphin radar during the draft prcess last year. They were smitten from day one.

hey retard i spelled beck the correct way its not "back" your mommy is calling you your milk bottle is ready . by the way you spell"reacord" record idiot can you say e-bonics

[Steve]

Not sure if you know it or not, Kiper Sr., but Crabtree will be gone in 1st 5 picks, no use talking about him.

[Steve]

Don't expect Parcells to take A WR in the 1st round. Not going to happen.