The most asked questions I'm getting on twitter lately are 1. When will the Dolphins new logo be announced and 2. Will the Dolphins be interested in trading for Percy Harvin?
Well, we know the answer to one of those questions.
The Dolphins have said they will unveil their new logo in April.
As to the second? I don't know. And the Dolphins probably don't know. And that is the point of this post.
The truth is that my years of covering the Dolphins and NFL have taught me that fans and media often move a whole lot faster on things than many NFL teams. And some NFL teams move even slower than others to the pace of, well, a snail.
So let's just say the Dolphins don't move super fast.
Only recently I shared with you the fact that while one side of the organization had already approved letting the stadium modernization plan go to a county referendum, there had been no discussion internally with the football side about what it might do to help matters by being more aggressive in free agency or trades. I don't know if that conversation has since happened. I don't know if it will happen. But I know that an organization that reacts quickly to things would have had the talk as part of the decision to take the issue to voters.
Let me share something else.
Last year, as Mike Wallace was holding out in Pittsburgh and the discussion here, on fan boards, on talk radio and on twitter was about whether the Steelers would possibly trade Wallace, I asked one Dolphins personnel official about the possibility.
"I don't know that he's even available," he told me.
It wasn't ignorance. It was just that this person expects to find out something from the source before not only acting but even thinking about the topic. Fans have the luxury of speculating, of dreaming out loud even.
Many personnel guys don't afford themselves that luxury. They act on facts. Thus they wait for those facts to become reality before considering them.
Another example?
Last year the Dolphins were among the first teams to work out Braylon Edwards. The team liked him. The team considered signing him. But as that consideration was happening, the Seattle Seahawks brought the guy in and signed him.
Now, the thoughtful approach ultimately worked for the Dolphins. Edwards was not a big factor for anyone in 2012. But the point I'm making is the Dolphins didn't really move fast on the issue.
They are systematic, it seems to me.
I was told (true or not) that I actually wrote about the Vontae Davis trade possibility to Indianapolis before the Dolphins started giving it strong consideration and the thing heated up. That's one reason, I was told, the possibility of such a deal was initially denied by the team. Apparently the media and fans were speculating on the idea before it became a serious negotiation.
It's not just the Dolphins and it's not just this organizational set of people. Dave Wannstedt's organization was slow. Don Shula's was extremely fast and aggressive.
So there are different reaction times for different front offices.
And that brings me to Harvin. I don't know this for a fact, but I would not be surprised if he hasn't been discussed yet by the Dolphins based on their recent history. If and when he actually is put on the trade market, I suppose the club will consider its options.
But with the combine, their own player signings and unrestricted free agency looming, I'm not betting that Miami personnel people are sitting around mulling Percy Harvin trade scenarios these days. That's not a bad thing. Indeed, if that's what the front office is doing, then something is amiss.
No, unless I miss my guess, there will be a systematic, calculated, slow approach to the idea of a Percy Harvin trade. And that scrutiny will come only if the player in truth is made available, which would be weeks or even months after the first mention of the possibility by fans and media.
So slow down.
