Miami Dolphins In Depth

Dolphins taking two-pronged approach to QB issue

The Dolphins are holding out hope, albeit slim at this point, that they can still land Peyton Manning. But they are not so naive as to do nothing else in case bad news comes.

That is why the club has today reached out to free agent quarterback Matt Flynn to discuss the basic parameters of a contract and seek permission to speak with the player himself. The club had coach Joe Philbin, who has coached Flynn in Green Bay, call his former pupil to express interest in him. The club obviously also talked to Flynn's agent.

And all this while everyone awaits a verdict from Manning.

Earlier today a Dolphins source described this as a "delicate" balance for handling the situation. No lie! The Dolphins don't want to offend Manning by making him believe they've moved on before they're actually told they are out. And they don't want to be so inactive as to lose out on Flynn who is now Plan B behind Manning.

It is obviously helping that Flynn wants to come to Miami. Yes, someone would like to come to Miami. It is also helping that the Flynn camp believes the Dolphins will help set the market for the free agent. And, of course, there's Flynn comfort level with Philbin and his system.

So we are waiting the final result of all this.

If you want me to speculate, I'd say the Dolphins end up with Flynn rather than Manning. Just a guess. Nothing more.

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Free agency has arrived! Bye-bye Brandon Marshall

The Dolphins have traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears for two third-round selections, according to Jay Glazer of Foxsports.com.

[Update: The Herald has confirmed this move.]

The move clears salary cap room and could signal a precursor to the Dolphins landing Peyton Manning as well as several of his former Indianapolis Colts teammates, including Reggie Wayne. That is my hope.

The more likely scenario?

This move does not show intent to get Manning and is instead a move to protect the next quarterback the Dolphins bring to town -- anyone that is, including a lesser player such as Matt Flynn -- because Marshall has had a history of feuding with his QBs in Miami. This move is a way for the Dolphins to begin what will be a total revamp of the offense under new coach Joe Philbin.

[Update: Club source says this trade is independent of Manning chase. Manning didn't request it or anything such as being speculated. Been in the works since the NFL Combine in Feb. But, I'm told, if Manning comes it would mean other moves would be necessary.]

The trade reunites Marshall with former quarterback Jay Cutler which is great for the Bears. But does this make the Dolphins better?

Only if Manning and another player is coming or the Dolphins are somehow adding a bigtime playmaking wide receiver in free agency or the draftis this a net plus. This much is certain: If the Dolphins are not working on or ready to pull the trigger on a follow-up move, this shows the Marshall move two years ago to have been a bad move.

The Dolphins yielded two second-round picks to Denver for Marshall. They are not getting the same value in return. Yes, Marshall was a Pro Bowl player in 2011, but he was also often a problem in that he feuded with Chad Henne and made no bones of the fact he wanted a franchise quarterback.

Oh, by the way, NFL free agency arrives ... now!

It is 4:01 p.m. on March 13, 2012 and so bracketology schmacketology. The news at this hour?

Say good-bye to nose tackle Paul Soliai. The Dolphins do not expect to re-sign their 2011 Franchise player. Not only have the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a long-term contract the past two years but the Dolphins, apparently intent on making a quarterback splash in free agency and knowing Soliai won't come cheaply, haven't made the nose tackle any contract offers in recent weeks.

There has been no movement on this front whatever. Barring a major MAJOR change, Soliai is gone. So where is he going? Soliai will have suitors. The teams expected to show the most interest in Soliai include Kansas City, Denver, Atlanta, Indianiapolis and perhaps San Francisco.

[Update: The Dolphins have in the last hour reached out to Soliai and are talking. So there's still a chance he stays.]

The Dolphins have another starter on the open market in defensive end Kendall Langford. The sides have been in relatively frequent contact the past week or so. The Dolphins want Langford back. Langford wants to return. But Langford wants the most amount of money possible. The Dolphins want to re-sign Langford at a number that shows they like him very much but don't necessarily love him.

What a shocker: It's a money thing.

On the chase front, the Dolphins are obviously still hoping to land Peyton Manning. But, as I reported earlier today, they will move on to Matt Flynn if the Manning chase fails. A source tells The Herald's Barry Jackson that Flynn will be patient in free agency unless someone throws a huge offer on the table for him immediately.

Yes, Seattle and Cleveland could have interest. But the Flynn camp understands the Dolphins being in the chase would drive up interest and potentially drive up Flynn's price. And since money is the thing, patience will be something Flynn shows.

He's looking to go deep on this contract rather than get a check-down deal.

I am not certain the Dolphins will be major players in free agency -- at least not early on. The club is approximately $11-$12 million under the NFL's $120.6 million salary cap before the Marshall trade. Obviously that is more now, but I have to figure out the ramifications.

Miami's needs include pass-rusher, right tackle, and cornerback. Of all those, the cornerback market seems expecially rich this free agency period. Yes, right tackle Eric Winston and outside linebacker/defensive end Mario Williams are the prizes on the market, but they will be so expensive I cannot see Miami chasing or landing either. (Wrote about it anyway because I'm a dreamer and anything is possible.)

[Update: I have confirmed that Eric Winston will visit with the Dolphins. This doesn't mean he's signing. A lot of teams are interested -- up to a dozen -- and he is not going to sign a bargain contract. But he is scheduled to visit at this time.]

[Update: Eric Winston said on Sirius radio that he will fly to South Florida tonight and visit the Dolphins Wednesday.]

The Dolphins today did some minor contract laundry with their restricted and exclusive rights players. The club tendered RT Lydon Murtha with a second-round tender. The club tendered defensive end Phillip Merling to an original round tender. Both have signed their tenders, costing the Dolphins a total of $3.1 million.

The club did not tender either running back Lex Hilliard or defensive lineman Ryan Baker.

What's most important to Manning? Relationship

It has been argued that because Peyton Manning is so thorough in his approach to football, he is going to approach his search for a new team the same way. He's going to analyze a team's talent, salary cap, offensive line, relative strength within its division, all that before deciding where he'll land.

And that is probably correct. But none of those are the most important aspect of his search for a landing spot where he'll continue his career.

So what is that No. 1 variable that he's judging in the teams he's considering?

Relationship.

The Dolphins, who spent five hours with Manning Monday afternoon and evening, came away from their visit believing Manning is looking for a comfort zone, a group of people he can be at peace with and find a bond with. The club representatives that met with Manning during their meeting in Indianapolis did the best they could to make Manning feel like he'd be at home with the club.

They do not know if they succeeded. Nobody but Manning really knows, regardless of how plugged in any pundit (including me) tries to convince you they are on the matter.

Peyton Manning will probably decide which team he'll go to based on his comfort level with the people he expects he'll be working with, including coaches, general managers, assistants and perhaps teammates.

That is why Manning probably took his trips to Denver and Arizona first. That is where he feels the greatest sense of relationship going into the process. He is friends and respect Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt based on a bond forged years ago at the Pro Bowl.

He feels a kinship to Denver's John Elway based on their mutual experiences. He also knows coach John Fox.

Today he was reportedly meeting with the Tennesee Titans. He's quite familiar with the state, having played for the University of Tennessee Volunteers once upon a time. He's heard stories about coach Mike Munchak from father Archie Manning because they were teammates once.

And this: The Titans Monday confirmed the hiring of Dennis Polian, the son of former Colts General Manager Bill Polian, to serve as a personal assistant to Munchak. Polian is very familiar with Manning and vice versa and it is possible he will be present in the meeting between Manning and Munchak.

Relationship.

So what did the Dolphins offer in this regard? I do not know. The Dolphins aren't saying. It's a state secret. But my guess is it probably couldn't have been very compelling.

The truth is Miami's coaching staff doesn't have any strong bonds to Manning. Yes, offensive coordinator Mike Sherman reportedly recruited Manning to Texas A&M in the 1990s. But that seems to be it.

Unless the Dolphins got Dan Marino (a Manning friend) or Bill Parcells (a Manning confidant) or yesterday hired Cooper (the QB'solder brother) or Tom Moore (Manning's offensive coordinator in Indy) to come along on the trip, the ties the bind Manning to the Dolphins seem flimsy.

No, the Dolphins Monday were actually trying to build a relationship rather than rekindle one. On his other meetings Manning seems to be rekindling with people in Arizona, Denver and perhaps even Tennessee.

Does this mean the Dolphins have no shot at Manning? Not necessarily. Obviously Manning took this meeting because on some level he thinks it might work in Miami. Former teammate Reggie Wayne has been in Manning's ear about joining the Dolphins and making things work there. Wayne is a former University of Miami standout.

Manning also likes South Florida. He lives here part of the year and his wife is said to love it here.

But can the Dolphins consider themselves leaders with Manning on the relationship front? Even one member of the organization admits that isn't so.

In that regard, Denver is probably the leader, followed by Arizona, then Tennessee, then the Dolphins. So yes, the Dolphins have a lot of ground to make up on this all important issue. Does it kill their cause and chances?

No. But it definitely isn't helping.

If Dolphins don't get Manning they'll chase Flynn

The Dolphins returned from their five-hour meeting with Peyton Manning late last night content they had done their best to land the biggest prize on the free agent market. But they are prepared, if necessary, to move on from Manning if/when they hear they're no longer in contention for the perennial Pro Bowl quarterback.

And that next move is trying to sign Matt Flynn.

The club has determined Flynn would be the next best answer to their quarterback problem. And for the record, this problem has gone on for a looooong time. The Dolphins have not had a Pro Bowl quarterback since Don Shula left in January of 1996. The Dolphins are the only AFC team that has not had a Pro Bowl quarterback in that entire time.

And you wonder why fans are desperate?

In a quarterback league?

Anyway, the idea of moving on from Manning to Flynn if Manning isn't of the mind to pick Miami is not new. But I was told by a club source that the way in which the club does this is a "delicate matter" for several reasons:

You don't want to offend Manning by publicly moving on before he makes a decision.

You don't want to offend Flynn by making it obvious to him that you're interested, but only as a fallback position, if Manning doesn't come.

It is a tough balance, especially since other teams aren't going to be waiting on Manning's decision to chase Flynn. The Seattle Seahawks and possibly the Cleveland Browns may move on Flynn quickly to fulfill their QB issues.

So how do the Dolphins get in that chase, again, without hurting themselves, hurting Manning or hurting Flynn?

The answer: Delicately.