Dolphins officially interested in Wallace, but ...

The Miami Dolphins have done what everyone expected them to do during this free agency signing period and have officially shown interest in prospective Pittsburgh Steelers free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. (That is now fact).

So, as I write in my column in Sunday's Miami Herald, the question is no longer whether the Dolphins actually want Mike Wallace. We're past that.

The question now is whether the Dolphins can land Mike Wallace?

I have no tangible information what it will take. Presumably a deal for Wallace is going to hit at least $12 million a year. And presumably, it will be done sometime next week. (That part is speculation).

More facts, you say?

Well, check the column because it discusses how the Dolphins have shifted their approach this free agency -- at least somewhat. Let's just say that their interest in 36-year-old Charles Woodson is significant because it shows the team is more willing to expand its search for talent.

Older guys are not out of bounds any more as long as they offer significant talent.

By the way, because it will take a good amount of money to sign Wallace and eventually a good amount of the salary cap you should know the Dolphins are at approximately $30.5 million in available cap space.

And, as many of you come to this blog or follow me on twitter to ask my opinion, I tell you exactly what I think of Miami's chances of getting Wallace ... in the column.

 

Comments

[MIADOLFAN207]

GREG JENNINGS IS MORE VALUABLE THAN MIKE WALLACE.

[Darkoak]

But Wallace is younger with less health concerns. He's the one people are after.

[dolfandave]

Wallace strikes fear into the defense, he is by far our No 1 priority. Think Paul Warfield on our 70's Dolphins if you were around then.

[Jeffrey]

Armando used a sentence in his column just to draw extra attention to a metaphor he used. It was a good metaphor, but he ruined it with the line pointing back to it. I guess if I were a crap writer I'd get excited for producing one creative line too. I hope I wouldn't ruin it like that, though.

[Tim from England]

There is no debate Wallace is a great player, but I think signing any receiver, who has not played in your system MORE then 10 million a year is wrong, especially if he is coming for the money.

Wallace does not go across the middle, he does not necessarily run great routes and he is a little worry in the attitude department ( production decline because of contract dispute). I would rather have Jennings, who knows the system, is a great route runner and a model citizen to teach my draft picks (Any two K. Allen, Q. Patton R, Swope or C. Patterson but probably in that order). And I would love to see the Dolphins trade down to get another pick or two so long as the can get 2 WR and 2 DB.

Having said that, I am sick of all the ridiculous expectations fans place on the team (mine included). Most people fail to remember that 50 percent of all free agents FAIL and it can take two years to gain chemistry with the new team. I would rather team make sound decisions and not handicap themselves for the future. They should address some needs in free agency just not this one, not at this price.

Sorry I just don't think any receiver is worth more than 10 million a year!

[Tim from England]

Besides this draft is full of legitimate WR with track like speed in this draft that that consideration should now be moot.

[fishbowl]

dolfandave

Wallace strikes fear into the defense, he is by far our No 1 priority. Think Paul Warfield on our 70's Dolphins if you were around then.

_________________________________________________________dd,

Please do not blaspheme.

[Mike Wallace]

Tim is a wanker.

[Scott Hollingsworth]

Dolphin's Ownership & Top Management better dominate brick and mortar issues like the Sun Life Stadium up grade for attracting "anyone elses Super Bowl" rather than building a Super Bowl Team that plays in 2013! Dolphin fans are very pious, religious and blindly hopeful followers! The Miami Lemmings!

[Tim from England]

Thanks m
mike but point is still valid! Much love

[Tim from England]

Dolphin Dave

I was around then. I grew up in south Florida and had season ticket at Sunlife for 10 years! (Or as I like to still call it Joe Robbie Stadium) but Warfield was the last piece of the puzzle not the building block. Free agency is playing with your money and is to easy to lose the house when the odds are still this long ( no jake long pun intended)

[TGH]

Still need a QB.

[Derek of Jupiter]

You are all bitchy old lesbians here.

[oscar canosa]

There seems to be a Major House Cleaning going on. Sure, if they have the $ now for it, go ahead; it might not be there in the Future.

[Dave]

This is what Mike Wallace is saying, "SHOW ME THE $$$$"

We will over pay for him and not pay Sean Smith because we fear if he gets paid he will not be worth it. OK....Makes sense

Go after Jennings, and draft a burner.....Austin!!

[oscar canosa]

Sure, Armando, about the change in Philosophy signing FAs. Like the interest in Charles Woodson might mean 2 things. First, it might mean they(including Philbin) are not willing to have Players that they are not fully satisfied with for their System(see SS, Bush). Second, it might mean that they are making a serious push to win the Division, THIS year. Or both. We'll see.

[Hayden Fox]

I still want Brandon Graham.

[oscar canosa]

He fits your Scheme, you bring him in, Hayden Fox. That seems to be the thinking around here, lately.

[Tim from England]

Dave not sure is a fit for Fins given size, but I sure a shell hope he doesn't end up with the Patsies . . . He'd be Welker but more dangerous in that system.

[Tim from England]

Not sure Austin is a fit. . . Is what I meant

[gman]

who are people who arent spending the money to determine how much is too much? And when did this all of a sudden start bothering people?

Its Jeff Ireland bashing season once again!

[dadsmithwest]

There is a change in the FA philosophy because it wasn't exactly a success and Irelands job is on the line. Parcells filled his head with ideas that may have worked in a different era but no longer apply in todays NFL. I'm no fan of the Tuna making decisions in the FO.

These guys here bash Ireland and Ross for being cheap and then when he does pay for players they paid too much. Unbelievable...There's no winning with these unreasonable factually challenged "fans".

[benz]

I'm ok if we also pursue Welker, but, uh, didnt we have that guy already?......back, you know, in his prime?.......sure, why not.

[jpao]

tick, tick, tick, only two more days to go.....the doors of free agency truly open at 4:00 on Tuesday.

The team has $30m left to spend in Free Agency and on it's draft picks. There are some really solid WR's, TE's and CB's in the FA pool that would upgrade our current squad. I see us getting some solid young talent in the draft with the 5 picks in the first 3 rounds.

Interesting week ahead...it sets the course for what will be a fun draft.

Go Fins!

[benz]

have seen a few articles/comments about the concern over our shrinking cap money but we can also restructure a contract or two, or cut a player or two (as many teams have)--they still have plenty of flexibility/money

[dadsmithwest]

BTW..if I had the Cardinals lousy RB's I would consider Reggie an upgrade as well. That team is in an awful QB situation as well. Suggestion...Reggie you may want to consider Detroit and stay out of that mess and blistering hot desert. Don't listen to that dry heat non sense. 110 degrees is damn hot dry or not.

Yeah that's a scary team on paper with no QB and potentially Reggie as the #1 RB (deep sarcasm).

[dusty bottoms]

we still have 30 mill, thats plenty

[billcale]

You had mentioned Peyton Manning as a failed Dolphin adventure LAST YEAR. However ...they were enthralled to the point of embarrassment over the 36 y/o QB who didn't want to be in Miami; was coming off injuries and surgeries; wanting megabucks while the team had little in the way of cap space.

But it's a "paradigm shift" this year? Over a 36 y/o CB named Charles Woodson in which the cap-rich Dolphins have only "modest interest?" Previously, FAs "...had to be younger, had to come at seemingly perfect price, had to have right makeup"...?

Doesn't sound like a big change to me. Sounds like Jeff Ireland is still following the "suggestions" of his boss- chasing big names- which has proven in the past to have negative repercussions, at the very least.

So if they don't land Wallace- even though a "paradigm shift" has occurred- what then? The team is cheap? Ireland doesn't know what he's doing? Fire Ireland? We are doomed? Yep.

[Legume]

Wallace is a mistake. He is worth no more than half his asking price. Pitt is letting him walk for a reason.

[Legume]

Can someone tell me how many times in the last 30 years a star WR free agent helped a team win the SB?

[Tim from England]

Do people actually read the posts or are they just trying to write clever one-liners together with irrational people who write shite, making the chances for a reasonable discussion pointless! Is this really how you spend your days?

No advocated signing Welker, they compared Austin to a more Dangerous Welker, no bitched about Ireland Spending money they said spend it wisely and finally no said they didn't have money they do and should use it again. . . Wisely. You know wisdom something which seems to be lacking from som of your posts.

Lastly, I am not saying I am right and love to hear alternative points of view, but get your facts straight first you know by actually reading something correctly instead of twisting it into something pithy and pointless...

[dusty bottoms]

billcale wake up, so far this has been a solid off season. smart moves and more to come

[Legume]

Welker would be a huge mistake. In NE he is the favorite target of the best QB with the best offense in the NFL. He will be invisible here.

[Legume]

I don't get it. The draft is loaded with WR. We have a ton of picks. Welker??? Wallace at 12 mil???

[dusty bottoms]

no need for welker, we have 2 of him in hart and bess. now we need the guy to stretch the field, wallace

[corners]

"Besides this draft is full of legitimate WR with track like speed in this draft that that consideration should now be moot.

"

Like Ginn or Gates?

[Craig M]

Tim,

Welcome to the blog. Happens many times, every day on here. That's life on the Herald blog. Some good bloggers but most frustrating.

[Tim from England]

Legume,

Randy Moss, but again he went to a team with a solid foundation in place.

[Legume]

TIm

Wrong.

Randy Moss never won a SB.

[dusty bottoms]

moss has never won a super bowl.

[Tim from England]

Thanks Craig but wow is this really how people get their jollies? Glad I have a job!

I do read it from time to time, living in England I miss South Florida and the Dolphins, and the chance to talk sense with people who are passionate about the team!

[Legume]

I do agree with Moss though, best ever. Freak talent. He just didn't apply himself. It didn't help he got stuck in Oakland for several years.

[jpao]

To try and fail is better than not trying at all.

Wallace is worth the gamble in my mind. Proven #1 WR's who produce the stats Wallace produces cost money. Will he be as good without Big Ben? WIll he play well in the Fin's system? I don't know but it's worth trying to land him.

I understand he will cost $12m per year but it's not all guaranteed. The team has the money now to get a top rated WR...so do all you can to land him. Fill the big NEED position with a proven VET who still has plenty of years ahead of him. Pay him to get him here. The team has plenty of draft picks to fill other needs. So go for it!

If it doesn't work out you cut him. Yes, you lose bonus money paid up front and year or two salary but it's not like it will break Ross' bank.

[JJ]

Just draft 2 or 3 of the top receivers available. Wallace would not be worth all that money, and would probably cause problems. Miami needs a red-zone target! There are plenty of fast receivers in the draft who can run deep post and fly routes...get a big-bodied, physical target with reliable hands! Boldin would be a good fit.

[Tim from England]

Crap forgot Moss was on the team that went 18 - 1! My bad on that but it actually is my point why Wallace is not worth 10, 11 or 12 million dollars.

[PB Fin Fan]

I think Jackson would have been better at 11.5 million then Wallace for 12.5 million

[Tim from England]

Jpao you also loose all the guaranteed money and Wallace is looking for a huge chunk of it as he knows he is not likely to see the end of any contract he signs.

[dusty bottoms]

go finsssssssssssss great start to off season, cant wait for tuesday

[Craig M]

Guys, Randy Moss wasn't a FA and he didn't win a SB in NE. Moss was traded for a 4th round pick.

Best FA WR in recent times I think (at least so far) was VJax last year.

I think there's two plans here. One is to let Ireland draft WRs only in the draft. How's that worked out so far? So is that really the plan we want to go with? I think we need to get a proven commodity AND add via the draft. One guy isn't going to win us a SB but we need to get some talent. Best way, I believe....and yes, we're going to overpay for it. So be it.

[Kris]

billcale wake up, so far this has been a solid off season. smart moves and more to come

Posted by: dusty bottoms | March 10, 2013 at 09:09 AM
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Lol...hilarious.....

[jpao]

WR, CB, TE and T are the positions I am most concerned with at this point. I want to see Ireland address at least two of these positions in FA. Veterans who have solid track records who get paid the $ they are really worth. That is what I want to see.

If that includes:

Wallace $12-13m per year
Long, Volmer, Bushrod, Cook - Tackles at $6-8m per year
Jennings, Amandola, Welker - WR's at $7-8m per year
Keller, Cook, or Bennett - TE's at $3-5m per year
Houston, DRC, or other CB's at $4-6m per year

I am totally fine as they would all help to improve our current situation and add salaries that fit with the value they provide to the team.

[dusty bottoms]

jpao,lol we dont need welker,dola,jennings if we get wallace. we need the deep threat now. cook is all but a fin already if he agrees to what they are offering him. agree, we need 2 legit starting corners

[PB Fin Fan]

We need to land Wallace, and not make the same mistake as last year.

[Tim from England]

In a perfect world I would rather get a veteran TE in free agency, if Not Jennings and try to trade down in round one then as I mentioned earlier double down on WR and DB - I think Allen would be a good fit here more so then Patterson who by all reports is not an intelligent receiver.

There are some rather deep positions in free agency but why splash out on high profile guys wanting to break the bank. It is a proven way to losing. The 49ers did and lost ( yes they are back now!), the Jets did it and look at them now, Dallas, Philly and even the Dolphins in the 90's. it is not a way to win. Besides we have too many needs at the present time to afford a luxury like Wallace.

[promichael]

I think the Dolphins are being more flexible with a free agent (Mike Wallace) who is the right age and they have a dire position need for. Moreover they can afford it with the cap space so go for it. It's still better for an NFL team to find their own stars with the draft. The Jets got burnt going after to many free agents. However it's great to see a flexible mind set to bringing in the talent needed to win. I will believe the Dolphins are really interested in signing Woodson when they sign him. Great player but at 37 that can not be more than a one year rental at the right price.

[jpao]

DE is another position I'd like to see upgraded either through the draft or through FA. I am starting to think a Veteran pass rush specialist (similar to what JT played in his last 4 years) would be worth considering. Adding such a player will make Wake better and make our new S and CB's better.

I am warming to the idea of spending money on such a player:

Freeney, OSI, Abraham, Avril...all would fit the role well.

[dusty bottoms]

jets didnt really get burnt when ryan took over they went on a spending spree. it got them to 2 afc title games. didnt really fail just didnt quite get to the peak

[Tim from England]

You have a good point about Fins being more flexible, presumably offensively, with Wallace and that could help Tannehill to develope, but I can't get past the cost at this time.

[Anthony]

2013 may well be the year that Irelands age passes his IQ.

[Craig M]

Tim,

YOu and I aren't paying it, so who cares. We have $30mil + to spend in Fa. THIS is the time to do it, if we're going to do it at all. This is why he traded Marshall and Davis, besides their bad attitudes. It's time...now or never. I'm not a fan of adding in FA, much prefer the draft too....but there's a HUGE need on this team and we have to get Tannehill help, rather than 'maybes' in the draft. No choice really.