Miami Dolphins In Depth

Dolphins undergo a power shift in one day

The Miami Dolphins on Tuesday underwent a significant and fundamental shift in approach that should interest every fan because while team sources were saying that nothing has changed, indeed, everything has changed.

The club announced in a three-sentence e-mailed statement that Bill Parcells was no longer the football czar, but now a consultant, and that Jeff Ireland was now assuming "full control over all aspects and decisions in regard to the Miami Dolphins football team and support staff."

Before that announcement the Dolphins were, in fact, a two-headed monster.

The Dolphins were a football team located in their Davie, Florida training facility and headed by Parcells as the executive vice president for football operations. And the Dolphins also were a business and marketing operation located at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens and headed by CEO Mike Dee.

Parcells answered only to owner Stephen Ross. Dee answered only to Ross, as well.

But even as these two men rarely crossed paths, even as they served entirely different purposes for the same organization, the power, the prestige and the pull undoubtedly belonged to Parcells and the football side of the operation.

Parcells, with a resume that includes two Super Bowl rings and a history for making winners out of losers, had done precisely that in 2008 when he authored an 11-5 rebirth for Miami out of the ashes of a 1-15 season in 2007. That meant that pretty much anything Parcells wanted, Parcells got.

So even as the Dolphins football side and marketing/business side could not be more opposite in their approach, most every decision that had to be made was almost always made in favor of the football side of the operation.

And the football and business side did clash at times because they are so dissimilar.

The football side loves anonymity and a lunch-pail approach. They hire men that work behind facemasks and they enjoy the reputation of being somewhat aloof and mysterious.

The marketing side is out there and Hollywood, if you will. The marketing side ipainted the stadium in some hideous color scheme, installed an orange carpet entrance and invited celebrities to come see the product and be seen enjoying the product. The marketing side is building a nightclub at the stadium.

The marketing side also spent approximately $3 million to build a radio network and new website to promote the team and, ultimately, sell tickets and make money.

But when the marketing side wanted the football side to help promote the product, the team, the whole organization, the football side could successfully balk by using the Parcells approach as cover. Parcells didn't want his name on billboards, didn't want players shooting Christmas videos for the stadium's big screen replay board during football season, didn't want any distractions that could in any fashion detract the focus from, well, football.

And again, whatever Parcells said was law.

But Parcells has stepped aside now. He's done so willingly, by all accounts, although he has given no explanation for doing so. Parcells did not take four phone calls from The Herald on Tuesday.

But willingly or not, planned or not, Parcells has put Ireland front and center of the football operation.

And while Mike Dee was not Bill Parcells' boss he will hold sway over Jeff Ireland that he never did over Parcells. So Jeff Ireland may not be able to shield the football operation from the business and marketing arm like Parcells did -- just because-I-say-so-style.

The power has shifted from the football side of the operation to the business and marketing side of the operation now. It may not be immediately obvious to outsiders. But eventually the signs of the shift that took place Tuesday will be obvious.

To everyone.

[Broadcast note: The Parcells move and its ramifications will be the primary topic on my radio show, Armando and the Amigo, on Wednesday. We'll have receiver Brian Hartline, Bills strong safety George Wilson, and others on air to discuss what this means for Sunday's season-opener. Former QB Art Schlichter will also be on the show to discuss the Ohio State versus University of Miami tilt.] 

Will Allen not happy to be on IR - understandably

Will Allen is on injured reserve. And he's not very happy about it.

Allen, out on injured reserve for the second consecutive season, has told multiple sources how unhappy and displeased he is with the fact the Dolphins decided to effectively shut him down for the 2010 season and not hold a roster spot open for him until he could return to full health.

That timetable for Allen returning to full health was initially reported as the first game of the season but the truth is Allen isn't ready now. Multiple sources are saying he would more likely be ready to contribute in the Miami secondary by the start of October or the Oct. 4 game against New England.

The Dolphins decided against holding a roster spot open for Allen, privately telling The Herald's Jeff Darlington there were too many uncertainties with that timetable. Publicly, the club has shown no desire to explain its thinking on placing Allen on injured reserve.

"I'm not going to get into the specific reasons why we did any of these things," Coach Tony Sparano said this week when asked the reason for Allen being shelved. "But it's something that had to be done right now."

Allen disagrees, according to those close to him. In the days following his Aug. 11 arthroscopic surgery, Allen felt like he had turned the corner on the injury that forced him to miss all of the 2009 season. Yes, he had passed his physical and was practicing at the start of training camp, but he didn't feel quite right.

He felt right following the latest surgery and all he wanted, I am told, was a couple of weeks to prove that on the field.

He will not get that chance.

So why is this even a topic?

Well, the Dolphins have had issues in the secondary, and particularly at cornerback, this preseason. Sean Smith struggled. Jason Allen, often dismissed as only a special teams player after being selected in the 2006 first round, showed more promise than in the past.

And although Jason Allen wasn't stellar, himself giving up scoring plays in the preseason, he displaced Smith as the starter for the regular-season opener at Buffalo on Sunday. Sparano confirmed that Monday.

"The decision hasn't been made all the way," Allen said Monday. "But I'm preparing like I'm the starter. That's how I always prepare and this week is no different."

There is nothing here that suggests benching Smith for Allen is the wrong decision. That is a coaching decision and Sparano and his staff know better than anyone, certainly better than me, which players they have confidence in starting.

But the question that lingers is why the rush to discard Will Allen? Sure, there is uncertainty about his return to health. But tell me what is guaranteed in today's NFL, anyway?

Why not hold the roster spot open for a week or two just in case the Allen prognosis turns from a question mark to an exclamation point? And if that question mark lingers, then the Dolphins could put Allen in IR and move on.

The Dolphins, silent on the matter, might argue that roster spots are precious and they cannot hold any spot open for Allen. Really?

So the waiver wire additions of Joe Reitz, Robert Rose, Jermey Parnell and Clifton Geathers were all that important? Do these unproven, untested guys come with no uncertainty?

Are they all more likely to contribute to the Dolphins this season than Will Allen would once he got fully healthy?

And, yes, I know it is uncertain Allen would reach 100 percent health regardless of what sources are saying. But one must admit it is uncertain the young untested guys taking up the roster spots will ever help the Dolphins in any way, either.

We'll see how it works out.

[Broadcast note: Tune in to Armando and the Amigo Tuesday morning 6-10 a.m., as our guests will include former Bills WR Steve Tasker, who is broadcasting Sunday's game, Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com, Dolphins Pro Bowl safety Yeremiah Bell, former Mets GM Steve Phillips, and Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe, fresh off his team's upset of Ole' Miss. If you're not in South Florida, listen live here.]

Long, Crowder not practicing as Bills week begins

The Dolphins are working this Labor Day morning but not everyone is on the field as the team begins preparation for Sunday's season-opener at Buffalo.

The Miami Herald's David J. Neal reports that neither Jake Long (knee) nor Channing Crowder (unknown injury) are working. Both are on the field and stretching but neither is in gear and seemingly ready to participate in today's work. Long is wearing a brace on his left knee.

Lydon Murtha is working as the first-team left tackle today.

Now, climb off the ledge.

This is not by any means a final indication that both will miss the season-opener. Every indication has been that both will be able to play against the Bills -- including Long saying he'd be fine, and coach Tony Sparano saying he wasn't concerned about Crowder missing the game.

But ...

Well, we won't know for sure until game time. The Dolphins must release an injury report on Wednesday so we'll get a clearer indication if today's time off is a cause for greater concern than we might currently be inclined to have. 

The Dolphins today announced their seven-man practice squad. Six of the seven were with the team in training camp. The members today are:

DB Jonathon Amaya, DE Ryan Baker, G Ray Feinga, LB Chris McCoy, WR Julius Pruitt, LB Austin Spitler and TE Nathan Overbay, who spent training camp with the Denver Broncos.

Battle for the starting C spot settled ... for now

The battle for the starting center spot was perhaps the most heated competition in training camp for the Dolphins.

And the winner is ... Joe Berger.

Didn't I tell you guys that on Aug. 18? Here it is right here in case you missed it the first time.

The interesting thing is that Berger has won the starting job for the regular-season opener. But this is a battle that may continue throughout the season.

The fact is Jake Grove doesn't seem 100 percent healthy as he nurses a shoulder injury. So Berger, who has played well and is healthy, gets the call versus the Bills.

But Berger must continue to play well even as Grove returns to health. Once Grove is 100 percent healthy, the Dolphins will re-evaluate the situation. At that point, it could be that Grove is the better call. At that point, it could be Berger is playing so well the Dolphins won't make a switch.

I cannot predict the future so I can't tell you what will happen then. I can tell you Berger is the Dolphins starting center against Buffalo. 

I'm off today (Sunday). Follow Jeff Darlington for all the latest Dolphins news today. I will be back to work Monday morning on my radio show, Armando and the Amigo, on 640-Sports in South Florida. If you're not in South Florida, you can listen here every weekday 6-10 a.m. 

The postgame analysis of Dolphins 27-26 victory

As I tell you in my column off of tonight's 27-26 preseason victory for the Miami Dolphins over the Jacksonville Jaguars, there is plenty of good to celebrate and some bad to be worried about.

But the bottom line is the Dolphins showed improvement from preseason game one to preseason game two. I saw it. You saw. Coach Tony Sparano saw it.

 "I feel like we got a little bit better this week during the course of practice and I think Chad [Henne] and Brandon [Marshall] played a little bit better," Sparano said. "Chad was efficient with the football ... And I thought Brandon made some plays. One of the things I really enjoyed was Brandon with the ball in his hands. He's exactly what I thought we might have when he gets the ball in his hands.

"We weren't very good a week ago so making improvement this week was critical. And we have a long ways to go and there's a lot of areas out there we can get better in. I'm fine right now where our team is but we got to make the same kind of jump this week in practice.

"We're nowhere near where we plan to be, but I do believe we made some progress tonight."

The biggest jump was made by Henne, which is important because he plays the most important position on the field. He completed 11 of 14 passes with two of those incompletions the results of drops -- one by Ricky Williams and one by Brandon Marshall.

"The first series was a slow start but overall we're seeing things clearly out there and trying to be more effective and efficient in our offense," Henne said. 

Henne had a 55 yard TD pass to Anthony Fasano and an 11 yard TD to Fasano. Both showed how Brandon Marshall helps even when he's not catching the football. On the first, Marshall blew up two defenders with the block that sprung Fasano for the score. On the second, Marshall's presence opened things up for Fasano.

"They split the safety and tried to double-cover Brandon out there so Anthony came open with a linebacker and I threw it because the linebacker wasn't looking," Henne said.

All in all, the outing was a confidence-building experience for Henne.

"Coming out here and performing well definitely builds it up and helps you going into the next preseason game and going into the season," he said. 

The Dolphins went into the game thinking Chad Pennington would play only if Henne got his work in the first half. If that happened early enough, Pennington would get his preseason opportunity. That's how it played out as Pennington completed 3 of 4 passes and led a touchdown drive.

"I thought Chad did fine," Sparano said. "First of all it was tough duty. He knew going into the game that depending on what the situation was like at the end of the half, he may or may not play. So it's tough being in that kind of situation and as I've been saying all along, he gets it. He wanted to underthrow Brandon just a little bit on the deep throw and Brandon did a good job of working back to the ball ... He even ran one there so that was pretty nice."

Although much about this night came in a good-new package, there were the sour moments, too.

Pass protection was good early. Later it was bad. The team gave up five sacks. One of those sacks was yielded by the starting offensive line, the rest by the reserves.

The special teams were troubling.

"We had another kick blocked tonight which, to be honest, was a flat-out concentration error," Sparano said. "And they have some good returners. I thought it was up, it was down, It was inconsistent. Nolan [Carroll] had a couple of decent returns. It was up and down, a little inconsistent."

To be fair, the kick coverage team has been a mish-mash of personnel as coaches try to find the right combos. Sparano promised that will be resolved in the coming week.

While Henne looked good against the Jacksonville defense, David Garrard performed surgery on the Dolphins secondary. He completed 6 of 8 passes for 79 yards with one touchdown. His passer rating was 145.3.

"We had things there in man coverage that we didn't take care of," Sparano said. "That concerns me because it's two weeks in a row where the ball is completed down the field on us a few times. We had a couple of chunk plays. They're a good group, but we have to be able to clean some of that up."

I asked Sparano his thoughts about getting or not getting Pat White in the game. He said, "It's circumstance right now. I can't get four guys in the game every week. So I didn't get him in the game this week and that's the way it went."

My guess is that was only the thought he felt he could share. He probably really thought that White is the team's No. 4 QBs and getting No. 4 QBs in games is not really a big priority. After the game, White said he was told he would not be playing.

As you have read here already, he's on his way out, which is surprising because he was a second-round pick, but not surprising when the second-round pick is the No. 4 QB. Right now, it seems only a matter of when, not if, the Dolphins will jettison White.

Maybe they can get something for him in trade.

What can I say? I'm an optimistic kind of guy.

Funnyman Brandon Marshall regales media

Brandon Marshall can be a funny guy. Yeah, that's it. He has a sense of humor.

He did his third press conference since coming to the Dolphins. Before he began to address the local hacks, he asked a Miami Dolphins staffer for a football, got it, and punted it to begin the press conference.

"Any questions," he said laughing.

Like I said, funny guy. Anyway, below you can find the full transcript of his talk with the reporters:

(On explaining what just happened) -- "Well, you guys aren't really good journalists because you reported it wrong. It didn't make it over the fence; it stayed in the facility (referring to his punting a ball in practice the other day after a drop, laughing)."

(On what emotions the punt expressed) -- "I don't think it's a secret; I'm the type of guy where I want to compete and I want to compete at the highest level on a consistent basis. When you struggle at times, well when I struggle at times, I'm not going to be happy, and it's not going to be a secret, and I will never let it be a secret. When I'm frustrated in practice, I'm going to be frustrated. Now in the game it's a different story; I think in the game you don't want to give your opponent that edge so you try to control your emotions but in practice you want to compete and you want to get better. That's exactly what we're trying to do here."

(On his showing of emotion in the past) -- "Well I think that's exactly what it is. I'm not going to compare a situation in the past to my situation now. This is the first time in, in four years that I've went into a season or a training camp where I was completely happy. Now am I happy every day, no because we compete every day, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and that ultimate competitor in me, I'm not going to be happy. I think we're doing a great job as a team competing every day and trying to get each other better. A lot of great competition going on you know on the field, which I think is going to help our team in the long run."

(On whether his new contract puts any additional pressure on him) -- "Not at all, I mean the pressure to do what, catch a football? I've been doing that since I was six years old. The only thing I can do is what I can do; I'm going to be the same guy. Whatever made me great is what's going to be on the field throughout this season. I'm excited about this opportunity that we have as a team, our goals, and working to achieve that."

(On if he enjoys the spotlight) -- "I love it. I embrace it. I think this is an organization where there's going to be a lot of lights on us. I think we have a special team here. It's a special organization, and I think we have a chance to do some special things."

(On him seeing his charisma wearing off on his teammates) -- "Well like I said, it's good when you take the positive from it like Vontae (Davis). Every day we're going out there and competing. Every day he wants to prove to me and to our teammates that he can shut me down. There's, what's the word…I guess I'm supposed to be a good receiver. It gives him an edge on other receivers. It gives him a confidence when he does great against me. Every day he's out to prove one thing, that he can shut me down and our other receivers in our room. So it's exciting to see that our young corners are getting better and they're taking advantage of this opportunity."

(On his reaction to Vontae's punt after breaking up a pass in practice) -- "Yesterday? I didn't like it at all. I went back to the sideline and I told coach, I can't believe I let him get the opportunity to kick the ball because he made a great play. It's a play I think I should have had and he knocked the ball away, and he got up and punted the ball, and I didn't like that at all."

(On his relationship with Vontae) -- "Oh I care, oh I care. It makes me mad (when he punts the ball) just like if I make a good play and I say some words to him, it's not good for TV but he's going to come back out and he's going to compete that much harder."

(On the competition aspect of his relationship with Vontae) -- "Yeah I mean me and Vontae, we went out to lunch today and we just sat down and tried to pick each other's brains' about what we're seeing on the practice field, how we can make each other better, and it's exciting. Sean (Smith) the same. Sean's a corner who like I said before is physically gifted and the way he's been applying himself in this camp is amazing, and I think those two are going to have a great year."

(On how this camp is different for him considering he is happy and healthy) -- "Yeah, definitely healthy, definitely happy, the only thing is I'm hot. Add another H to that, the three H's: happy, healthy, hot."

(On how things are coming along with Chad Henne) -- "You know what; we got off to a slow start last week. We let the conditions get the best of us. I went out there and had two drops; you definitely don't want to start off that way. But hey, we got three more preseason games left, a bunch of practices before Buffalo, 24 days till Buffalo. We got time to get things better; we're not where we want to be, but we'll work to get there."

(On whether getting off to a slow start makes this weekend's game a big game) -- "Every practice, every game is a big game. Not just because how things went for our first team last week. Every time we step on the field, and every time, whether it's practice or game day, we want to take advantage of it. That's exactly what we do every day."

(On whether his being out during OTA's has slowed his progression with Chad Henne) -- "No, not at all. That was a time where I was able to get mental reps and pick his brain every play. That helped a lot, and like I said, we have a bunch of practices before Buffalo and that's all we need. We'll be fine."

(On his reaction to people saying he should change his number away from #19) -- "I think this is kind of played out, but it's just practice. I'm not going to go over there with A.I. (Allen Iverson) (laughing). Like I said, that's why I get frustrated because the way you play is how you practice. If you're dropping the ball in practice, you got a chance that you'll drop the ball in the game. It's something that we definitely, I definitely need to correct, so there it is."

(On him having all the attention) -- "I've always had a bullseye on my back and a spotlight on me. Not always for the positive, but it's been there before. It's nothing that's unique to me, and I embrace it."

(On the quarterback group as a whole) -- "Well I'm excited because we get a chance to grow together. We have a leader in Chad Pennington who has a lot of wisdom, who's played a lot of games. He helps not only the quarterbacks but he helps us receivers in the segment room. I'm going into my fifth year, I don't know it all. I may be one the oldest in my room, but I still have a lot of learning to do. How to approach the game in a professional way on and off the field, and that's what Chad Pennington brings to us, so we're excited to have him, and I hope he stays around for a long time."

(On how the offense compares to the offense he played in for Denver) -- "Well actually, it's similar. The formations, personnel calls, it's kind of from the same (coaching) tree. The transition for me is pretty easy and pretty similar."

(On his relationship with Mike Sims-Walker) -- "Well that was my college roommate, one of the best men in my wedding, more like a brother. So that's my buddy."

(On whether there are ever any wagers between the two) -- "Definitely. Every time we match, man we got wagers on everything. We're always betting but it ain't about cash though, (it's a) gentlemen's bet, gentlemen's bet."

(On whether he wants Darrelle Revis to settle his contract dispute with the New York Jets so he can go up against him) -- "Well of course because I mean in order to be the best, you got to go against the best and you would love to compete against someone of his caliber and make plays on him. It kind of gives you that confidence; kind of solidify yourself, so I would love to see him out there. I think it will get done; I don't think it's a matter of if, but when."

(On how he expresses his emotion even while he's in the spotlight) -- "Well I think down here, it's new to you guys because I'm a new guy, but a year from now you guys will be  able to say oh that's just Brandon. That's how he performs, that's how he practices, he plays with a lot of emotions, he approaches the game with a lot of passion. You don't want to do that in the game but it's practice. Like I said, I'm a guy that wants to compete, and compete at a high level. Hopefully things will work out for us where we get things rolling in the right direction."

(On how he channels his emotion to make sure it's positive) -- "Well I mean I honestly believe you're supposed to be, you should be harder on yourself than anyone else. I honestly believe that. If you don't push yourself, then how can someone else push you? So that's what I believe in, and that's how I approach the game."

Smith guarantees he won't be shut out in 2010

As you may already know, my column in The Herald today shares the feelings the Dolphins have about all the moves and boasts the New York Jets have made this offseason. I talked with cornerback Sean Smith to gather information for the column and I wish to share here some of the material about Smith I didn't use in the column.

Smith, who started all 16 games at cornerback as a rookie, is locked in a competition with Will Allen and Vontae Davis -- three men wanting two starting jobs. My opinion is Davis is going to win one of those jobs and it will fall to Allen or Smith to decide the other.

So what does Smith think of how he did in his rookie season with hindsight giving him clearer vision of 2009?

"I think I did some real good things out there," he said. "I don't think there was a game where I was getting my butt whipped all game. I would say there wasn't any receiver that had my number for a whole game. I think my coverage was solid for the most part. Even though I didn't have any interceptions, I'd say my play was above average for a rookie."

The zero interception statistic is obviously one Smith isn't thrilled about. He says, indeed, guarantees that number will change in 2010.

"I guarantee that will change this year," he said. "Guaranteed. No way I will go another year without an interception. It's impossible."

Smith might have thought he was going to be an interception machine after collecting two in the 2009 preseason. But the real games are different and the higher stakes obviously affected Smith's coverage plans.

"The first year I moved to corner from wide receiver, I had four [interceptions]," Smith said. "So I was like, 'It's not really that hard, I don't see how guys struggle.' Next year I had five. Then I had two in the preseason and I thought, 'We'll keep rolling.' But then you get in the game when it really counts and you don't want to be that guy that messes up.

"At times I was being a little bit too hesitant. And we were in some close, close games and if I gamble one time and I get beat, I'm like, 'No way. I'm not bearing that on my shoulder.' You can't play like that."

So how far does Smith believe he's come one year into his career?

"I'm a lot more comfortable," he said. "I'm talking out there. I'm more vocal. I'm able to disguise things. I'm able to feel like a real vet, you know what I mean? I got the rookies asking me things. It's good to give advice instead of asking all the time."

Smith is also being smarter about his body and training regimen. Last year, he'd eat fast food and not concern himself with massages or icing down. Now he's eating more vegetables and fruits and staying away from fast food.

He hopes that will help him avoid the letdown he felt the final five or six games of last year when he felt somewhat worn down.

"I seen guys getting ice the first couple of weeks and I figured, 'I'm fresh I'm good,' " Smith said. "But after a while I had to take their advice. It was tough but I got through it.

"As the year went on I started to get the feel for body language of the receivers, learning how he lifts when he's going to break down. When you're watching things from the side you can tell when he's going to stop but when you're watching things from dead on its harder to tell when he's going to (drop) the hips."

It should be an interesting competition at cornerback.

[Check back throughout the day Saturday for updates from Day 2 of minicamp.]

Big doings for Miami Dolphins in next few days

A quick glance at the calendar tells you a couple of notable things about the Dolphins.

Today is May 28 so the team's mandatory three-day minicamp begins in earnest with a 10 a.m. practice. You should be here throughout the day for updates and also follow me on my twitter account for quickie 140-character updates, including some as practice is happening.

Secondly, June 1st is approaching and everyone is expecting a decision from the St. Louis Rams on what to do with free safety O.J. Atogwe. As the Herald first reported months ago, Atogwe will become a free agent unless the Rams sign him to a long-term contract, offer him a one-year tender at 110 percent of his 2009 salary (it was $6.3 million so the tender would be $6,993,000), or trade him.

I cannot see the Rams simply letting Atogwe go without getting something for him. That would be personnel malpractice. If a trade is in the works, Atogwe will sign his tender no later than Monday and then be dealt. Atogwe will not sign his current tender and stay with St. Louis.

Will the Dolphins be interested? Again, as The Herald reported months ago, Miami will be a player if Atogwe is out there.

The question is to what degree?

The Dolphins set a budget for what they believed two free safeties were worth this offseason when they chased Antrel Rolle and Ryan Clark. They landed neither. I believe the Dolphins will set a price for Atogwe internally and if they can get him for that, then so be it.

(It must be noted the Dolphins just saved themselves $3.05 million by cutting Reggie Torbor on Thursday so they have dollars in the 2010 budget to work with.)

But it's not a certainty the Dolphins would be able to land Atogwe if he becomes available because in a best-case scenario it could require a bigger contract Miami is willing to offer, as other teams will also be interested. In a worst-case, it could even require trade compensation and a big contract to land Atogwe.

One has to wonder how desperate the team is to make this move ...

Are the Dolphins desperate enough to offer a draft pick or player to the Rams in trade? Are they only desperate enough to jump into a bidding war? Is Miami's interest limited to a signing that would be big, but not fiscally irresponsible?

Or are the Dolphins out of this derby because they are truly happy with second-year player Chris Clemons at free safety?

Logically, I believe you can rule out the latter choice because the Dolphins already showed they want to upgrade the position beyond Clemons. Sorry, Chris.

The other questions that will tell us the extent of Miami's interest will be answered soon enough.

This much is certain, Atogwe will have suitors -- perhaps in Dallas, perhaps Chicago.

Or maybe, just maybe, the Rams step up and pay him.

We should know in the next several days.

Wake "wants more" in second year in Miami

Let's be honest, the stars of the 3-4 defense are usually the outside linebackers and more specifically, the weakside outside linebacker.

Yes, the defense needs great play at cornerback, nose tackle and safety but if the pass-rush is not getting to the quarterback, it is simply going to be a long day for any 3-4 defense. The weakside backer has to be the player collecting the sacks, ending drives, causing fumbles on strip-sacks, sometimes recovering those fumbles, maybe even running for touchdowns off those.

The guy has to be a game-changer.

Think Lawrence Taylor years ago, and more recently Elvis Dumervil, DeMarcus Ware, and for one year at least in 2008, Joey Porter.

As the Dolphins play a 3-4 defense, the men slotted to play outside linebacker must produce in 2010 for the defense to get off the field. And no spotlight is brighter than one currently on Cameron Wake.

Wake seemingly must have a big year in 2010 for the Miami defense to climb from its No. 22 overall rank of a year ago. He must have a monster year if the unit is to be feared.

Why Wake?

Well, he was the up-and-coming pass-rusher that seemed to give the Dolphins the confidence to cut Porter and not re-sign Jason Taylor. After collecting an outstanding 39 sacks in two CFL seasons in 2007 and 2008, Wake had 5 1/2 sacks for Miami in 2009 -- his first year in the NFL.

The NFL numbers came with limited snaps so everyone figures more snaps as a starter this year would translate to more more production. The problem -- admittedly temporary at the moment because it is still only May -- is that Wake isn't currently a first-teamer on the Miami defense.

To the surprise of some, Wake was second-team during the recent OTA session witnessed by the media and it has apparently been that way all offseason. Charlie Anderson and Quentin Moses were the first-team outside backers at that last OTA day. Both Anderson and Moses switched off working strong and weak sides.

Was Wake disappointed he's not running with the starters?

"The coach said right before we went on the field, 'It's a starting point. It's not the finish line,' " he said. "So guys are out there playing and I'm going out there to show what I can do."

But make no mistake, Wake doesn't see himself in the same situational pass-rusher role he filled last year. It is important for him to win a starting job.

"I would say so," he said. "I'm always hungry for more. Everybody wants to do that. But I'm always hungry for more. That's what got me in the situation I am now. It's about not being satisfied. I wasn't satisfied with Canada. I wasn't satisfied where I was last year. I'm not satisfied where I am here. Every day I want more."

To want more, Wake has to show more on run-downs because last year coaches weren't comfortable enough with his run-defense to put him in there on those downs. That, in part, is what Wake has been working on during team OTA periods and should continue working on during the club's minicamp that begins Friday.

 "Like I said last year, I'm trying to be a good all-around football player," Wake said. "Obviously I'm working on my pass rush, but there are other things also. We have a new scheme, new coordinator, new coach, so I've been picking their brains."

Wake says he's also been working on his body.

"Bigger, faster, stronger," he said. "That's always the goal. And I've been here all offseason. I didn't go anywhere. I'm working on power and explosion, putting on good body weight and finding out where they want me to be."

One assumes coaches want him to be in a starting job by the time the regular-season rolls around. But for now, Wake has more work to do if he aims to become the playmaker on Miami's 3-4 defense.

Next chapter for Thomas: Fatherhood, coaching?

It is a logical next step for Zach Thomas and he has obviously considered it: Coaching.

But the perfect opportunities aren't necessarily there right now and he doesn't need the money and has a new four-month-old son, Christian Zachery Thomas, he'd like to spend some time with first.

So Thomas probably won't be jumping right into coaching immediately. But would Thomas eventually like to be reconnected with football, perhaps as a coach or scout or something?

“I do," he said. "Right now because of my time commitment I am doing a lot of other things, but I have to stay involved somehow. But I know if I was a coach somewhere, maybe I should start at a high school level or something because I think that I would be even more extreme. When it comes to watching tape, never thinking I got enough, getting everybody prepared. I think I might give too much information, you know, when you get out there with players and they have too much information they can’t even think.

"I love the game, I want to stay involved, but I want to be a better husband because I wouldn’t come home much and that’s just the truth, and [wife] Maritza knows that. I thought about radio, but sometimes I am an emotional guy and I don’t have [PR vice president] Harvey Greene right next to me to give me a cool down period right after a game, because you all came rushing to me after we lose and you all knew you were going to get a quote. So I feel like Harvey and them would box out and try to give me a cool down period, because that sometimes gets me in trouble, letting emotions get into it and then you look back and go, ‘Man I shouldn’t have said those type of things’.

"That is probably why I won’t do radio but I want to stay involved with something I am good at. You only have to be good at one thing and (football) is one thing I am good at, and now I am going to move on and see if there is anything else I am good at."

Thomas had an audition to work for the Dolphins new flagship radio station but the same team-employed genius who didn't want me on because I wasn't enough of a homer for his taste -- truth is apparently not a virtue for some folks -- also passed on Thomas because, well, some people simply don't get it.

The Dolphins do have a linebacker coach vacancy they could fill if they wished. But that's appartently not a possibility right now.

Would be sweet though, wouldn't it?

Just sayin'. 

[BLOG NOTE: Come back later today because I'll have an offensive line related post up.]

A Miami Dolphins ode to Zach Thomas done right

My first conversation with Zach Thomas happened in the summer of 1996, days after Jimmy Johnson recognized remarkable ability in a pretty unremarkable looking player. Johnson graded Thomas in his first preseason game and promptly cut veteran Jack Del Rio because the coach simply knew Thomas was the Miami Dolphins future at middle linebacker.

That move prompted my initial 20 minute talk with the rookie. When it was over I still had no clue whether Thomas would become a great player or not, whether he'd reward Johnson's confidence or not. I had no clue if Thomas would become a  starter or a special teamer.

But I realized Thomas was a special guy.

During that first talk, Thomas told me he was still getting used to South Florida and that he had finally found a barber he liked. "I got to talking with the guy and told him I'm a football player," Thomas said. "He asked me what high school I played for."

Thomas then made a couple of other jokes about "having no neck," that made me laugh and then we got serious and I asked what his days were like.

He basically recounted how he was showing up at the training facility around 6 a.m. and leaving around 9 or 10 p.m. "Football is a job for me now," he said, "and if it takes me coming to work earlier and leaving later to be a success, that's what I'm going to do every day of my career."

Special.

Special work ethic. Special personality. Special view of reality.

Thomas was just being himself. But eventually he would be inexorably tied to NFL excellence for the next 14 years.

Despite a promising future, it wasn't until the regular-season opener in 1996 that Thomas finally believed he had arrived.

"We were singing the national anthem," Thomas said. "It was the best feeling in the world. I remember it like it was yesterday, playing the Patriots, Bill Parcells was on the other sidelines and it was a good win. Just knowing that I made it, it’s all kind of like a fog to me now, but I enjoyed the whole ride and what is special to me is really the relationships that I made and like I said and I know that I am repetitive but, to play a game and get paid for it I was grateful."

Thomas knew within himself he had arrived during the national anthem. He announced that arrival to everyone else by knocking wide receiver Shawn Jefferson out cold on a bone-jarring hit that reverberates through time in franchise history.

"I think I gave a concussion that day, and I am not trying to brag, because I got my own, but I gave some too," Thomas said, the old competitor peeking through his business suit. "I am not trying to boast over that, because you never like to see anyone hurt and you never try to hurt anybody, but I felt like that was making a statement saying, ‘Hey here is 54.' "

Fifty-four won't necessarily be retired by the Dolphins. Doesn't matter. We don't need a number to go away for the exploits of the player who wore the digits to live on.

I'll remember that hit on Jefferson. And that goal-line stop of Jerome Bettis. And the day he stole the signals from the New England Patriots and caused Tom Brady to complain.

I'll also remember the Zachisms.

He would talk of his defensive unit "getting rattled," on certain downs during certain games. He would hate to lose because losing could, "contaminate your mind." He would get cold sores on his lips because he worried so much about upcoming games.

And there were the eccentricities, too.

He got in the habit of taking tapes home before other Miami players did. He bought a Hyperbaric chamber and slept in it because he swore it made him recover faster. He wore magnets because he was told they drew blood to certain parts of the body and that made that part heal faster. He went on diets that were matched to his particular blood type.

It was all done to get an edge, to be the best he could be.

"I don’t think that I ever viewed myself as having God-given ability, but I knew I would get that edge somehow," Thomas said. "I have seen a lot of talent come in to this team and out real fast because maybe of work ethic or being lazy -- things like that. It doesn’t really matter, talent if you are on the field, even if you run a 4.2 forty, if you can’t read or recognize a play, or if you are a receiver and can’t catch the ball, it’s a whole different game on that field.

"And that is the one thing that, when I was on that field, I felt fast. When I got out there on the forty sprints, man, the D-lineman were out-running me most of them were. At the combine, I mean it was, I just knew that wasn’t the game of football. The combine, I didn’t even touch the opening height on the vertical jump. There were so many things that upset me because of all the hard work that I put in at college, but those don’t really measure up to what you can do on the field. It has nothing to do with it. But that is why I feel like they always put me as an overachiever.

"But when I was on the field, I didn’t feel it, I felt confident on the field. I might have been insecure for sure during the week, but on game day I was confident.”

Thomas often made fun of his own speech pattern. He said it got slower over the years because of all the hits to the head he endured.

Nonsense.

This guy was sly as well as wise. When he negotiated his first big contract -- a five-year, $22.5 million deal that included a $4.5 million signing bonus and made him the highest-paid Miami player ahead of Dan Marino -- Thomas told me he made sure the deal wasn't backloaded.

Tim Bowens had signed a backloaded deal and was at that time in danger of not collecting that last big year of pay because he was injured and his play had declined. Thomas made sure his deal paid well up front as well as at its end.

And Thomas delivered at both those ends. He made his first Pro Bowl in 1999 and his last in 2006.

"I remember when Zach first showed up as a rookie, I thought he and Larry Izzo would make pretty good special teams players," Dan Marino said. "I was right about Larry, but wrong about Zach. He wound up being much beter than that. He used his determination, grit, and love for the game to become one of the best players on our team.

"He was a great teammate. He never took a play off, not even at practice. and his enthusiasm for the sport was contagious throughout the locker room. I'm glad I got a chance to play with him, and I'm happy that he's able to retire as a member of the team he cared so much about."

Thomas kidded that whenever he intercepted a Marino pass in practice, he would call friends to tell him about that thrill. Typical Zach.

In his final minutes as a Miami Dolphins before retiring Thursday, Thomas thanked his family, his coaches, former teammates, trainers, equipment manager Tony Egues, and current and former club media relations people. He also thanked the media.

But mostly Thomas thanked you, the fans, for cheering him on, for wearing his jersey, for being in his corner.

"As for the fans, it has been a great ride," Thomas said. "We have had our ups and downs, but I really feel like you have showed unconditional love for me for the whole time I was here. I am sorry we couldn’t bring you a Super Bowl ring.

"Now that I am fan like you guys, I know that I am excited -- not just because they let me come here and retire, but I know they are on the right track and it is a process and I like what they are doing. I feel like they are going to bring us a Super Bowl ring. Even if I am not involved with the team, I will be a fan and I will be celebrating with these guys. I'd like to thank you for all of your loyalty over the years to me. If I had a bad game or a good game, you always had my back. So I want to thank everyone for coming out today. I appreciate you and go Dolphins." 

Karlos Dansby finally gets some attention

It is rare when a star free agent signs a $43 million contract with $22 million guaranteed, is asked to come to his new team and assume a leadership position, and that player is somehow overshadowed much of the offseason.

And yet that is what has happened with Karlos Dansby.

He was the big offseason acquisition ... until the Dolphins acquired Brandon Marshall.

Unlike Marshall, Dansby didn't get a press conference -- either one approved by the Dolphins or simply attended by Dolphins staffers offsite at a hotel the team uses to house players during training camp.

Unlike Marshall, there was no grand fascination with what his number would be.

Wednesday's OTA day was supposed to be the day Dansby got the attention because it would be his first official press conference with the South Florida media and his debut as the leader of the Miami defense. But the attention was still on a million other things:

Marshall's number.

Marshall's hip.

Marshall's other hip.

Jason Ferguson's excuse for a positive performance enhancing drug test.

Ronnie Brown's health.

The rest of the team's lack of health.

Chris Clemons as the first-team safety.

The outside linebackers.

Can we give Karlos Dansby his moment, please?

We found out Dansby is playing the Moe exclusively while Channing Crowder is expected to continue at the Mike. Tim Dobbins, acquired from the San Diego Chargers on draft day, will likely be asked to learn both but he's playing primarily the Mike right now with Crowder still rehabilitating his lisfranc surgery.

"It’s a lot different, a lot different," Dansby said comparing the system he played in Arizona and the one defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has installed in Miami. "A lot of different responsibilities...I’m looking forward to it. They want me to be a leader. You got to do that by actions. You can’t do that by words. I am out there right now trying to prove myself.

"You got to earn that. That’s everywhere you go. You got a responsibility, I’m just trying to do my job and put my best foot forward.

"We are having a good time. I’m meshing well. You know, all the guys, we’re taking to each other. We are doing a lot of stuff off the field and on the field, so I’d say we’re meshing real well right now."

Dansby has been upstaged by Marshall but he nonetheless carries the weight of improving the run defense that ranked No. 18 last season.

"I wouldn’t call it a weight," he said. "I’d just call it an opportunity to be great, and that’s what I’m trying to be right now. I’m taking all major steps to try to be great."

Dansby is still feeling his way around. That's perhaps one reason he is not certain he's going to be on the field all three downs. (It would be a shock if he's not because he's getting paid like a three-down linebacker.) But that assurance must wait. If it comes, Dansby may get the opportunity to call the defensive plays.

“I’m not sure yet," he said. "We still have changes to do. If I’m an every down backer, I might have the opportunity to call the calls. If not, it really doesn’t matter, as long as I’m on the field."

Regardless of whether he's calling plays or not, Dansby must somehow earn a spot as one of this new defense's leaders in 2010. It is on him because the young unit doesn't really have many veterans more accomplished than him.

But Dansby seems to know what is required to lead.

"It’s being disciplined," he said. "Being disciplined, taking care of your body and going on the field, being in front of the guys, and like I said, and making all the plays that we’re supposed to make, and that’s how you become a leader."

Salguero NFL pre-camp rankings No. 32 to No. 1

For some reason, this morning when I woke up I got this wild hair idea to give you my NFL ranking of teams from 32-1. Six hours later, I'm done writing.

So with no further delay, the Salguero NFL 2010 pre-training camp rankings:

32. Tampa Bay: Gerald McCoy is an upgrade for the defensive line, but folks in Tampa will soon see he's not in Warren Sapp's league -- good not great. The quarterbacking is suspect, they've exchanged experienced WR talent for inexperienced and untried WR talent, the running game is pedestrian, and there is nothing about the coaching staff or front office that induces confidence.

31. St. Louis Rams: Improvement! They were the NFL's worst team last year but the truth is until and unless the Sam Bradford pick takes hold, this team will be struggling near the bottom of the pack. Sorry, Lou, but A.J. Feeley can be a lockerroom killer. And, yes the offensive line will be somewhat better with Rodger Saffold, but the DL, 27th versus the run last year, is a leaky dike.

30. Buffalo: Very few folks with other options want to go to Buffalo -- not bigtime coaches nor players. It's the reason the franchise has struggled since the start of free agency in the mid-1990s. The quarterback situation is unresolved, the defense is transitioning to the 3-4, they dismissed one of their more effective playmakers in Terrell Owens, and everyone else in the division is good. That is no formula for success.

29. Jacksonville: The big free agent signings were, wait for it, a special teams player (Kassim Osgood) and a defender (Aaron Kampman) that had 3.5 sacks last year. They reached in the first round on Tyson Alualu, nobody is showing up to games, this is a train headed in the wrong direction.

28. Detroit: The Lions scored core players in the draft's first round (Suh and Best) while continuing to shore up the secondary in the third round (Amari Spievey). Kyle Vanden Bosch will bring veteran professionalism to the locker room and some solid production to the field. But look out for the biggest jump to come from the quarterback (Matt Stafford) and wide receiver (Calvin Johnson) positions. This team has stopped declining.

27. Oakland: They actually had a good draft! Cryptkeeper Al Davis didn't over-reach or make any head-scratching gambles -- those have backfired in recent history. But this team is still overcoming the mistakes of its recent past (JaMarcus Russell) and the coaching is simply not stellar outside of passing game coordinator Ted Tollner.

26. Cleveland: The Browns have straightened out their front office -- largely by raiding the Dolphins front office -- and are well on their way to returning to, um, mediocrity for the short term. Mike Holmgren and Tommy Heckert Jr. have done fine work turning the CB spot from a weakness to a strength by trading for Sheldon Brown and drafting Joe Haden. If T.J. Ward can stay healthy, the deep secondary is also taken care of. But the Cleveland offense, No. 32 last year, still reeks. Jake Delhomme is highly paid but highly inconsistent. And that will be this offense's story in 2010.

25. Arizona: To recap, they've lost Kurt Warner, Antrel Rolle, Karlos Dansby, Bertrand Berry, Bryant McFadden, and Anquan Boldin. And while I love Dan Williams and Daryl Washington as their first two draft picks, adding aging vets Joey Porter and Alan Faneca is not about getting better but plugging leaks poorly. The Cards, a Super Bowl team in 2008 and division winners in 2009, will be fighting Seattle for third place in the NFC West.

24. Seattle: Leon Washington (if healthy), LenDale White (if motivated) and Russell Okung (if he lives up to his draft status) should help the running game improve on last year's terrible (26th overall) rating. That should also take pressure of Matt Hasselbeck and perhaps help him stay healthy. Simply, if the QB is healthy, the Hawks can vie for mediocrity. If the job falls to Charlie Whitehurst, a talented but inexperienced career backup, it's going to be a looong season. 

23. Washington: They were perhaps the most active team this offseason, hiring an outstanding new coach, trading for a future Hall of Fame quarterback, and adding more horses at running back than a stable at the Kentucky Derby. All that is well and good, but the quarterback is not everything. Donovan McNabb can't do it all. The offensive line, and secondary are question marks. The drafting of Trent Williams will solve some of the OL problems once he gets over his rookie growing pains. 

22. Carolina: One does not get better by losing Julius Peppers, having a coach enter a season as a lame duck, having no first round draft pick, and using the second-round pick on a player (Jimmy Clausen) who probably will not play as he learns the NFL game. As horrible offseasons go, Carolina is right up there. Their best move might have been picking Brandon LaFell in the third round because at least he might start in 2010.

21. Denver: Josh McDaniels acts like he knows things no one else does. So he's traded away a franchise quarterback, a franchise wide receiver, gotten rid of a fine defensive coordinator, reached for Tim Tebow in the first round, traded away his starting TE, and pieced together an offensive line with a ton of question marks and one major injury -- the patellar tendon tear to left tackle Ryan Clady's left knee. McDaniels will also learn that there is a reason Akin Ayodele was cut.

20. Kansas City: New England Midwest got significantly stronger in the defensive backfield this offseason with the drafting of Eric Berry and Javier Arenas, who will be a fine nickel player. The rest of the defense, putrid against the run last year, is still a work-in-progress. The offense should be better with the addition of running back Thomas Jones and center Casey Wiegmann. Both are in the twilight of their careers, but serve as upgrades for this team nonetheless. It'll be interesting to see what new OC Charlie Weis can do for QB Matt Cassell.

19. New York Giants: Yes, this is a surprise but this team is starting to age and not very well. Despite an emphasis on the defensive line, opponents were able to run the ball quite well last season. Adding rookie Linval Joseph will probably only make up for the loss of Fred Robbins. Jason Pierre-Paul is a project player who as a rookie has the feel of a wonderful athlete but only an average football player. He needs much work. The Giants have no backup quarterback, having replaced David Carr with Jim Sorgi. If Eli Manning breaks down, this is a cellar-dwelling team. Otherwise, welcome to third place in the NFC East. Again.

18. Chicago: They were 7-9 despite the fact Jay Cutler threw 26 interceptions. Twenty-six interceptions! If new OC Mike Martz can get Cutler to cut that number in half, the Bears win 10 games this year. The expensive addition of Julius Peppers will work only if the player feels he has to live up to his salary -- something that hasn't always been the case. The return of linebacker Brian Urlacher will help but the release of Alex Brown remains a head-scratcher. Former Dolphins seventh-round pick Devin Aromashodu seems on the verge of stardom.

17. San Francisco: They added a future Pro Bowl player in Mike Iupati but reached badly for Anthony Davis. Safety Taylor Mays will remind the Bay Area of Ronnie Lott in the manner he hits, but definitely not in the manner he covers. The team also improved its return game by getting Ted Ginn for a fifth-round pick -- a good trade for them. But let's face it, the 49'ers look set at most of their positions save quarterback. If Alex Smith can finally become a solid NFL starter, this team wins its division. If Smith continues his roller coaster career, this team once again struggles to win eight games.

16. Pittsburgh: They want to go back to their old pounding running game personality because quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won't be around for at least four games and possibly up to six games. The addition of Maurkice Pouncey to the offensive line will help that. Santonio Holmes is gone so the air around his former hotel room on the road has cleared. But that means second year player Mike Wallace needs to become the star his rookie campaign suggested he could be. The defensive front and linebackers are solid but the cornerback play is still a concern despite the re-aquisition of Bryant McFadden.

15. Houston: Signing a kicker and former Dolphins offensive tackle Wade Smith in free agency, while losing standout cornerback Dunta Robinson is not the way to improve a team. The Texans seem to be forever treading water around the 8-8 mark and this year bodes no differently as the defense seems weakened by the loss of Robinson and coming suspension of Brian Cushing. The offense has made no significant improvement. Matt Schaub will once again have to throw for nearly 5,000 yards to keep the Texans above .500

14. Tennessee: They are counting on this draft to help immediately and last year's draft to finally help because it certainly didn't contribute much in 2009. The Titans are obviously also banking on Chris Johnson being able to continue his torrid rushing pace which could be a reach because he simply doesn't have the size to carry 720 times in two years -- particularly not if he sits out most of the offseason and preseason in a contract squabble. The picking of Derrick Morgan should deaden the pain of losing Kyle Vanden Bosch.

13. New England: I'm sure there will be angry e-mails from Massachusetts. Too bad. Tom Brady is still great, but honestly, he's not working as hard these days as he once did. Wes Welker probably will not be around early in the season and it might take a while before he's 100 percent. The team doesn't have an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator and that's just weird. The cornerback spot is still a weakness despite the selection of Devin McCourty in the first round. And the running game ... well, what running game?

12. Philadelphia: The good news: Brandon Graham will be 2010's defensive rookie of the year and he will not fail any drug tests. Nate Allen will be solid in the deep secondary and Ricky Sapp will seem like a bargain if the Eagles let him rush the passer on a situational basis. The bad news: One does not improve by getting rid of a great quarterback and sending him to a division rival. The bet here is Kevin Kolb will not have a better season in 2010 than McNabb had in 2009. And trading away Sheldon Brown will not result in a net gain.

11: Cincinnati: If Antonio Bryant stays healthy and tight end Jermaine Gresham, a tight end with deer speed, is recovered from his knee injury, the Bengals slow-developing offense will finally give quarterback Carson Palmer weapons to work with. The prediction here is that Jordan Shipley will also become a favorite of the veteran quarterback. Cincy's defense is intact and actually improved the depth at corner with the addition of Brandon Ghee. Adam "Pacman" Jones? Special teams help. Nothing more.

10: Miami: They've come a looong way this offseason. Seriously. The addition of Brandon Marshall means the Dolphins finally have a consistent playmaker in the passing game. Adding inside linebacker Karlos Dansby and moving Randy Starks to nose tackle will help solidify the run-defense that fell from No. 10 in 2008 to No. 18 last year. The secondary remains a major question mark with the free safety spot a huge concern. If Chad Henne develops into a top-tier quarterback, this team should be back in the playoffs. If he doesn't, 8-8 here we come.

9: New York Jets: Yeah, they're making Super Bowl noises but that's just what it is -- noise. The Jets didn't improve by switching out Thomas Jones and Leon Washington for Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. They took a step back which isn't the best way for a running game to go. Their pass-rush, nearly non-existent last year, will be better with the addition of Jason Taylor, and Antonio Cromartie improves the secondary. But left guard is a concern as is at least one defensive end spot.

8: Minnesota: Will he? Won't he? And how is his ankle? All the questions about the Vikings revolve around Brett Favre and whether he'll play his 20th season or not. I believe he'll play. I also believe age will begin catching up to him. Simply, it is hard to expect another 33-TD, 4,200-yard season from a soon-to-be 41-year-old. The Vikings still have an excellent offensive line and running game and can bring pressure on defense, but they don't scare the elite teams with a diminished Favre or Tarvaris Jackson at QB.

7. San Diego: The Chargers upgraded by adding rookie running back Ryan Mathews, who will retrun dowhill running to the San Diego offense. But there is no visible upgrade in trading out Antonio Cromartie for Nathan Vashar and Donald Strickland, who are nothing more than backup players at this point. The idea of eliminating a player that's motivated only 75 percent of the time is a good one, but only when he's replaced by someone as talented and more motivated. The Chargers failed in that regard. This is still a highly talented roster, led by perhaps the NFL's best quarterback.

6. Dallas: The Cowboys have plenty of talent at all positions with the possible exceptions of left tackle and safety. Yes, Alex Barron is now in town and will compete with Doug Free to protect Tony Romo's blind side, but can he stay onside? The team cut Ken Hamlin, who is still on the market, but hasn't really replaced him. Owner Jerry Jones took a huge gamble in drafting Dez Bryant, who is clearly still out of shape after missing most of 2009 at Oklahoma State. But the kid has great potential and seems to be in the right place because he'll get advice from Michael Irvin.

5. Green Bay: The Packers needed to keep their talent early this offseason and did exactly that by re-signing offensive tackle Chad Clifton and rewarding playmaking safety Nick Collins. The other major assignment was shoring up the offensive line and GM Ted Thompson did that by selecting tackle workmanlike Bryan Bulaga with the first overall selection. The rookie might play at guard initially. The Packers are so solid they used their second and third round picks to address possible future needs. 

4. Atlanta: They have the franchise quarterback. Matt Ryan reminds of a young Tom Brady. The passing game and running game are in great hands. The secondary is better with the addition of Dunta Robinson. First round pick Sean Weatherspoon is going to be a star in the NFL someday and will be in sub packages as a rookie. The Falcons will also get an added punch by the return of 2009 first-round pick Peria Jerry to the lineup, after he missed all but two games with a knee injury. This team has the feel of a comer. 

3. Indianapolis: The left guard question remains and there are questions about the return to health of safety Bob Sanders and receiver Anthony Gonzalez. But the Colts don't seem to be sweating the Gonzalez injury based on the expected improvement of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. On defense, Colts fans are going to love Jerry Hughes and Pat Angerer, who might become core players on the defense for the next decade. Oh yeah, Peyton Manning is pretty good.

2. New Orleans: Charles Grant is gone, but younger, better Alex Brown replaced him. Running back Mike Bell also left via free agency but the bad news is the Saints might have to pass more. Let's face it, the only things that can derail this team are complacency or a wave of injuries. Quarterback Drew Brees is likely to work toward preventing the former. That latter is a matter of fate. 

1. Baltimore: Anquan Boldin gives them an answer for third-down and crunch passing situations. Donte Stallworth comes with a new view of life after spending the past year on suspension. They drafted talented tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson to offer yet more large targets for quarterback Joe Flacco to hit -- assuming Todd Heap isn't on the field, of course. Derrick Mason is back. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed haven't slowed down. Terrell Suggs is healthy again. And while house-sized defensive tackle Haloti Ngata recovers from pectoral surgery, the Ravens will give lots of training camp snaps to condo-sized Cory Redding and mansion-sized Terrence Cody at defensive tackle. Oh, almost forgot, if Suggs and Jarret Johnson and Antwan Barnes aren't getting to the QB enough, the Ravens will probably throw top draft pick Sergio Kindle in the mix as well. They're loaded!

[BLOG NOTE: I'll be off until next Wednesday, so I'll post again then. You have plenty to chew on until then, I'm sure. And remember to read my Sunday column in The Herald or online at on the Herald site because it will explain why I ranked the Jets and Dolphins practically together.]

Which players will things 'click' for in 2010?

A dividend of having a young team, as the Dolphins inarguably have, is that players can take significant leaps from their rookie or second seasons, thus helping to raise the team to a much higher level almost overnight.

Sure, some players fail to take that big step or they don't meet the expectations and potential their gifts suggest. (Such players get traded to the San Francisco 49'ers for a fifth-round pick.)

But many up-and-comers make their biggest move in their second or third years.

I was discussing this in part with former wide receiver Nat Moore on our recent day-trip to Haiti when he recounted the story of Mark Duper and Mark Clayton. Moore told of how as a rookie year, Clayton often benefitted from the fact defenses typically doubled Mark Duper on the outside or himself on the inside. Clayton was still learning and really didn't contribute much as a rookie -- six catches for 114 yards.

"But the next year when the light bulb went on for him, there was no stopping him," Moore said of Clayton. "He beat single coverage and then he figured out the game so well, he could beat double-coverage. With his talent, he just took off."

Took off like a rocket, actually. Clayton caught 73 passes for 1,389 yards and a whopping 18 touchdowns in 1984. Duper, who didn't catch a pass as a rookie in 1982, climbed to 51 in 1983 and 71 for 1,36 yards in 1984. Apparently things clicked for him as well.

Well, we should expect the 2010 Miami Dolphins to sound like a field of crickets because I expect there to be a lot of clicking going on for that young roster.

The Dolphins have players that everyone in the organization hopes are on the cusp of being big-time contributors if not outright stars.

Chief on that list is quarterback Chad Henne.

In his third season and second as the starter, Henne must have a breakthrough season for the Dolphins to make a legitimate run at the playoffs. This is the year he has to solve the accuracy and timing issues he had at times in 2009 as a first-year starter. Those were understandable then. There's a next step to take now.

I think Henne will take that step. He's too gifted, too confident, and too hard-working not to take the step. I'm not expecting him to lead the league in passing. That's not what Miami's system is initially going to ask of him.

But 24-25 touchdowns? Why not?

And as long as he keeps the mistakes to maybe 10-12 interceptions, things will be very, very good in Miami.

Of course, Henne will need help. And there's a good chance he'll get it. Here is a list of other players I believe can have a breakout year in 2010. You'll notice some folks are missing. I'm being conservative here. I'm sure you will add the missing names in the comments section.

This is my list:

Brian Hartline: I predict he will win the starting job opposite Brandon Marshall. He is bigger than Davone Bess, faster than Greg Camarillo and he can play all three WR positions. He's a smart guy. He's mature. He gets it. He has shown reliable hands. No, he is not a burner. But he did run track in high school and I believe he's fast enough to hurt defenses when their focus is on Marshall.

Vontae Davis: It took him a while to find his NFL niche. He was raw and a little wide-eyed at first. But he is tough, he is as athletic as they come, he's fearless and there's no quit in him -- as evidence by that TD-saving tackle from behind on a kickoff last year. Davis suffered something of a setback with a wrist injury earlier this offseason. But there has been no mention of that lately and if he continues to rise at the rate he did after the midpoint of 2009, he'll be the second-best cornerback in the AFC East by the end of 2010.

I wanted to include Cameron Wake. I even had his paragraph written up. But I just need to see more. The fact is he was very explosive as a pass-rusher, but still had only one sack the final four games of the season when he was getting his most playing time. Wake might bust out with 14 sacks in 2010 and that would surprise no one. But he also might have six sacks in 2010 and, well, that would surprise no one. It will all depend on whether things clicked for him.

The revote on Defensive Rookie of the Year

The Defensive Rookie of the Year award handed out annually by the Associated Press has been in the news lately because its recipient Brian Cushing was just suspended after failing a test for performance enhancing drugs, and then losing his appeal.

The test, reportedly taken last September, suggests Cushing played 2009 while benefitting from a cycle of PEDs that are banned by the NFL.

So the AP yesterday decided to have a revote. The 50 people who vote annually on the AP All-Pro team and post-season awards got an e-mail ballot that is due Wednesday. I am one of those voters. I had no trouble re-submitting my ballot.

I orginally picked Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd as my DROY choice and was only one of six people to do so. Cushing got 39 votes. I simply stuck with my original vote.

The AP also took a revote on the outside linebacker position. In that one, I had to make a change. I had originally voted for Cushing and Elvis Dumervil. In my new ballot I changed out Cushing for DeMarcus Ware, who was an All-Pro selection even without my original vote.

So here is the question: Do you, as fans, believe a positive drug test can rightfully cost a player a post-season award because his performance was enhanced by a drug?

I obviously do think the award deserved a revote. And I'll live with the results of the majority. But I have a bad taste about giving any award to someone who gains it by cheating.

The reason I'm blogging this is that someone following me on twitter wanted me to vote for Vontae Davis or Sean Smith for DROY. Now, I have no problem voting for local guys. In fact, I feel I know them best as I've watched all their games.

That's the reason I voted for Tony Sparano as coach of the year in 2008 (he didn't win) and voted for Jake Long for All-Pro last year (he got it).

But Vontae Davis or Sean Smith for DROY?

I believe both played well at times. I believe both made strides. I believe both will continue to improve and become better players. But both also had moments in which they struggled.

Davis was beaten deep a handful of times. Smith's coverage was not always as tight as one would want and he didn't have any interceptions. In defending Gibril Wilson at the Indianapolis Combine, general manager Jeff Ireland laid some of the blame for the lapses in the secondary on the rookies.

Byrd, meanwhile, had nine interceptions. No, he wasn't Ronnie Lott in run-support. But which one of you wouldn't have taken nine interceptions from your free safety last year?

So I cast my vote. I'm sticking with it.

Discuss ...

Rebuilding can frustrate when it's done over & over

There is building a franchise. Don Shula did that and it resulted in a couple of Super Bowl titles.

There is rebuilding a franchise. Jimmy Johnson did that and the nucleus of players he brought in were flawed on offense, very good on defense, and ultimately good enough overall to contend for playoffs spots from 1997 through 2003.

What we have now, however, is something much different. What we are seeing with the Miami Dolphins now is in some respects rebuilding position that we though had already been rebuilt. Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland are in the midst of doing that and so far the results are mixed.

Miami's dynamic and enigmatic personnel duo corrected a lot of wrongs their first season, turning a 1-15 disaster into a division winner and playoff team. But last year was a step-back season as the Dolphins dropped to third place in the AFC East with a 7-9 record. (Some of you may not accept it was a step-back year, but the facts are impossible to ignore.)

Now, after two years of building the team as they would want it, the Dolphins find themselves in the curious position of rebuilding the same team. 

After two years on the job, Parcells and Ireland got about the business this offseason of rebuilding practically the entire defense. The defensive coordinator is new. At least three of the four opening-day starters at LB will be new. The starting nose tackle will be different in the 2010 regular-season opener than he was in 2008 and 2009. The starting free safety will be new for the third time in three regular-season openers. Miami's right defensive end will be new -- again -- as the Dolphins will start Jared Odrick or Phillip Merling or Tony McDaniel as the fourth person to fill that starting job in three years.

All these are facts. And all the facts speak of the Dolphins having to cover ground in rebuilding that they already supposedly addressed in their initial rebuilding of this team the past two years.

Let's face it, the club has failed to properly address the free safety spot -- first giving the job to Jason Allen, then Chris Crocker, then Renaldo Hill, then Gibril Wilson, and now another player to be named at a later time.

Let's face it, the Dolphins invested two years, a modest draft pick, and millions of dollars in ILB Akin Ayodele only to find out he wasn't very good at stopping the run or in coverage.

Let's face it, the nose tackle position was an issue before last season began. Everyone knew Jason Ferguson was a stopgap measure and I remember Ireland being asked why he didn't address the position in the 2009 draft. He basically answered there are only so many big bodies to go around and one of them didn't fall to the Dolphins.

So Miami went into 2009 with Ferguson and he broke down. The Dolphins finally addressed the issue this offseason by moving Randy Starks to nose tackle.

The greater point here is Miami has reached a stage where the fixes need to finally take. The club cannot keep addressing the defensive line time and again. The club cannot keep addressing the free safety spot year after year.

And this rebuilding upon a rebuilt position also affects the offense. For all the money and resources the Dolphins have invested on the offensive line, the unit is still not completely resolved. In 2008, the right guard spot was an issue. In 2009, the right guard and left guard spots were issues.

Can we get the guards addressed once and for all, please?

The Dolphins believe they have done that at right guard where Richie Incognito is expected to compete for a starting job with Donald Thomas and perhaps Nate Garner.

The left guard spot is much less certain. Garner and rookie John Jerry seem the most likely challengers for the job. Justin Smiley, who Miami signed to a 5-year, $25 million contract in 2008, lasted only two years. He is now on the trade block because of shoulder injuries that one might have seen on the horizon when he was with San Francisco and was forced to miss the latter part of 2007 with a shoulder issue.

So three years into rebuilding their offensive line ... the Dolphins are still rebuilding the offensive line.

My greater point is this: Everyone accepts the Dolphins needed a thorough rebuilding. Everyone accepts it was going to take time to do. But it is hard to accept that the Dolphins are already in Year 3 and still rebuilding what they already supposedly rebuilt. They are having to double-back, so to speak, to address issues they supposedly already addressed.

That slows things down.

And it cannot continue because, as with all teams, new issues pop up every year. Next offseason the Dolphins could be looking for help at running back or tight end, and perhaps wide receive. Next year the Dolphins could be looking for more backup quarterback help. Anyone looking off into distance can see that.

The last thing the team needs is to have those concerns, while also needing to address OLB (again) or FS (again) or CB (again) or OL (again).

Therre is still a lot of building being done around the construction site that is the Dolphins roster. Here's hoping the work currently being done won't soon require that it be redone. Again.

The Cowboys draft board (the real McCoy) here

The days and weeks leading to the NFL draft see a glut of draft boards or mock drafts from experts and non-experts alike, but we never really see an actual NFL draft board.

Until now.

The picture above is Dallas owner-president-general manager Jerry Jones standing in front of his team's draft board on Saturday, April 24 -- the third day of the draft. Many of the names on the board are clearly visible. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

The Cowboys have confirmed this is their actual board. Apparently the team's in-house television department mistakenly put a video clip of Jones in front of the board up on the Internet somewhere. A loyal reader of mine in Iowa passed the picture along to me. I then confirmed its authenticity.

The picture speaks for itself, but in case you are having trouble deciphering all the names, the list of those that are legible are found below.

Here's how it works: The Cowboys graded the players on their board and put their names on computer readout tags. As players are drafted, the Cowboys replace the tag with the player's name, the team and spot where he was actually taken. The original Dallas order remains intact.

So Sam Bradford was the top-rated player by the Cowboys and he was selected by the Rams No. 1. In that the two teams agree.

But, for example, the Cowboys had Gerald McCoy rated ahead of Ndamakong Suh. So McCoy remains at No. 2 on their board while Suh is No. 3. The team simply removed McCoy's tag when he came off the board and added the team selecting him and the actual spot he was picked.

So why is this interesting to you?

Well, it is interesting to me the Cowboys had Dolphins first round pick Jared Odrick rated No. 15 on their board. The Dolphins got him with the No. 28 overall selection. So according to the Cowboys' grade, the Dolphins got a bargain.

Same thing with Koa Misi, who the Cowboys rated No. 35 overall, but the Dolphins got with the No. 40 overall selection.

It works the other way also, by the way. The Dolphins drafted guard John Jerry in the third round with the 73rd overall selection. The Cowboys had a fourth-round grade on Jerry -- 110th overall. So according to the Cowboys' grades, the Dolphins reached on Jerry.

The teams more or less agreed on a fifth-round grade for safety Reshad Jones.

Obviously this is all opinion. Not every team is going to agree on the grades and worth of players. One assumes the Dolphins don't believe they reached for Jerry.

Anyway, take a look at the Cowboys player rankings below. The round, overall selection and team that actually selected each player is in parenthesis. Some names were illegible. I could not find A.J. Edds and other Dolphins picks on the board. Perhaps you can. 

Round 1
1. Sam Bradford (1st round, No. 1 overall, St. Louis)
2. Gerald McCoy (1st, No. 3, Tampa Bay)
3. Ndamakong Suh (1st, No. 2, Detroit)
4. Russell Okung (1st, No. 6, Seattle)
5. Trent Williams (1st, No. 4, Wash.)
6. Eric Berry (1st, No. 5, KC)
7. Rolando McClain (1st, No. 8, Oak.)
8. Joe Haden (1st, No. 7, Cleve.)
9. CJ Spiller (1st, No. 9, Buff.)
10. Mike Iupati (1st, No. 17, S.F.)
11. Dez Bryant (1st, No. 24, Dallas)
12. Earl Thomas (1st, No. 14, Seattle)
13. Bryan Bulaga (1st, No. 23, GB)
14. Sean Lee (2nd round, No. 55, Dallas)
15. Jared Odrick (1st, No. 28, Miami)
16. Jason Pierre-Paul (1st, No. 15, NYG)
17. Derrick Morgan (1st, No. 16, Tenn.)
18. Kyle Wilson (1st, No. 29, NYJ)
19. Maurkice Pouncey (1st, No. 18, Pitt.)
20. Navorro Bowman (3rd, No. 91, S.F.)
21. Jahvid Best (1st, No. 30, Det.)
22. Tyson Alualu (1st, No. 10, Jax.)
23. Jermaine Greham (1st, No. 21, Cincy)

Round 2
1. Devin McCourty (1st, No. 27, N.E.)
2. Demaryius Thomas (1st, No. 22, Den.)
3. Koa Misi (2nd, No. 40, Miami)
4. Jerry Hughes (1st, No. 31, Indy)
5. Brandon Graham (1st, No. 13, Phila.)
6. Nate Allen (2nd, No. 37, Phila.)
7. Morgan Burnett (3rd, No. 71, G.B)
8. Taylor Mays (2nd, No. 49, S.F.)
9. (covered name)
10. Dan Williams (1st, No. 26, Ariz.)
11. Kareem Jackson (1st, No. 20, Hou.)
12. Ryan Matthews (1st, No. 12, S.D.)
13. Brian Price (2nd, No. 35, TB)
14. Rob Gronkowski (2nd, No. 42, NE)
15. Brandon Ghee (3rd, No. 96, Cincy)
16. Jimmy Clausen (2nd, No. 48, Car.)

Round 3
1. Sergio Kindle (2nd, No. 43, Balt.)
2. Anthony Davis (1st, No. 11, S.F.)
3. Corey Wooton (4th, No. 109, Chic.)
4. Patrick Robinson (1st, No. 32, N.O.)
5. Dexter McCluster (2nd, No. 36, K.C.)
6. Joe McKnight (4th, No. 112, NYJ)
7. (covered name)
8. - Chad Jones (3rd, No. 76, NYG)
9. - illegible
10. Colt McCoy (3rd, No. 85, Cleve.)
11. Taylor Price (3rd, No. 90, N.E.)
12. Lamarr Houston (2nd, No. 44, Oak.)
13. D’Anthony Smith (3rd, No. 74, Jax.)
14. Damian Williams (3rd, No. 77, Tenn.)
15. Eric Decker (3rd, No. 87, Den.)
16. Thaddeus Gibson (4th, No. 116, Pitt.)
17. Corey Peters (3rd, No. 83, Atl.)
18. Rodger Saffold (2nd, No. 33, StL.)
19. Toby Gerhardt (2nd, No. 51, Minn.)
20. Golden Tate (2nd, No. 60, Sea.)
21. Brandon LeFell (3rd, No. 78, Car.)
22. Amari Spievey (3rd, No. 66, Det.)
23. Mike Neal (2nd, No. 56, G.B.)

Round 4
1. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (4th, 126th, Dall.)
2. Javier Arenas (2nd, 50th, K.C.)
3. Vladimir Ducasse (2nd, 61, NYJ)
4. Ed Dickson (3rd, 70, Balt.)
5. Tag illegible
6. Clay Harbor (4th, 125, Phila.)
7. Perry Riley (4th, 103, Wash.)
8. (plate removed)
9. Torell Troup (2nd, 41, Buff.)
10. Carlton Mitchell (6th, 177, Cleve.)
11. Mike Johnson (3rd, 98, Atl.)
12. John Jerry (3rd, 73, Miami)
13. Linval Joseph (2nd, 46, NYG)
14. Major Wright (3rd, 75, Chic.)
15. Dominique Franks (5th, 135, Atl.)
16. Larry Asante (5th, 160, Cleve.)
17. Tony Moeaki (3rd, 93, K.C.)
18. Mitch Petrus (5th, 144th,  NYG)
19. Ben Tate (2nd, 58, Hou.)
20. Kam Chancellor (5th, 133, Sea.)
21. Andre Roberts (3rd, 88, Ariz.)
22. Myron Lewis (3rd, 67, TB)
23. Tag illegible

Round 5

1. Shawn Lauvao (3rd, 92, Cleve.)
2. Jacoby Ford (4th, 108, Oak.)
3. Danny Batten (6th, 192, Buff.)
4. Sam Young (6th, 179, Dall.)
5. Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (3rd, 86, Phil.)
6. Kevin Thomas (3rd, 94, Indy)
7. Tag illegible
8. Dennis Pitta (4th, 114, Balt.)
9. Darrell Stuckey (4th, 110, San Diego)
10. Alterraun Verner (4th, 104, Tenn.)
11. Alric Arnett (undrafted)
12. Tag illegible
13. Garrett Graham (4th, 118, Hou.)
14. Reshad Jones (5th, 163, Miami)
15. Tag illegible
16. Tag illegible
17. Tag illegible
18. Tag illegible

Round 6
1. Jared Veldheer (3rd, 69th, Oak.)
2. Tag illegible
3. Tag illegible
4. Tag illegible
5. Tag illegible
6. Tag illegible
7. Tag illegible
8. Tag illegible
9. Tag illegible

Round 7
1. Walter Thurmond (4th, 111, Sea.)
2. Marcus Easley (4th, 107, Buff.)
3. Mike Kafka (4th, 122, Phila.)
4. Tag illegible
5. Tag illegible
6. Tag illegible
7. Tag illegible

Dolphins alumni (and me) head to Haiti today

A handful of Dolphins alumni are flying to Haiti today to help in relief efforts for the earthquake-savaged nation. I will be going with them.

The Dolphins contingent is scheduled to include former receiver and current vice president and senior advisor Nat Moore, and former safeties Bobby Harden, Sean Hill and Bryant Salter.

Our group is scheduled to arrive in Port-au-Prince at 2 p.m. and will take a tour of Project Medishare’s Hospital in Haiti. The Dolphins, Sun Life Financial and Project Medishare will present 13 ShelterBox tents to the 13 families that participated in the Haiti Connect Project that began on April 4.

Quarterback Chad Henne got the ball rolling on the project in April as he donated the first ShelterBox tent while participating in the video conference with one of the families that took part in the program. The additional 12 tents and Saturday’s trip to deliver the tents to Port-au-Prince were soon to follow through The Miami Dolphins/Sun Life Stadium Haiti Relief Fund. Included with the tents are aid and survival items that assist victims of natural disasters and other catastrophic events.

I obviously believe this to be a good cause. I also believe it will be a good column that I'll share with you in Monday's paper.

I've never been to Haiti before. And even though we are only going for the day, more than one person has recommended I pass on the trip. One person told me the story of one of Bill Clinton's Secret Service agents who was bitten by a tick and contracted lyme disease. He's been out of circulation for two months as a result.

I don't believe that will be my fate. I'm well prayed over. Check for the column from Haiti Monday.

Owens sets off Dolfan frenzy with tweet

At 8:36 a.m. today, Terrell Owens tweeted the following:

"Miami bound..."

And about 10 seconds later I got a bunch of twitter followers asking if this meant Owens is going to sign with the Dolphins. From what I can see, many of Owens' own followers recognized the same possibility and asked him if he's coming to sign.

Ah, the Internet.

Anyway, I cannot confirm for you the specific reason Owens is coming to Miami. He has a place here, I know that. He often trains down here.

But I can confirm for you that T.O. is not coming to join the Dolphins, according to a club source. I think the Dolphins generally like their receiver corps now that Brandon Marshall is part of the group. And I do not see them currently adding anyone who is 36 years old and will be 37 during the season, regardless of whether he has gas in the tank or not.

Simply, I think the Dolphins don't need someone to take catches away from Marshall and Owens might either do that or be unhappy that he's not seeing enough passes his way.

Having said that, I do think Owens still can be a solid contributor for some team in the right situation.

But do I think he's "miami bound," to make the Dolphins that team and that situation?

Nope.

[Update: Owens was asked by one of his followers if he meant he's headed for Miami or the team and he replied, "city." So that should be that.]

Time to open the Salguero mailbag

As this blog has been inconsistent in posting your comments the past couple of weeks days and I'm told the problem might not be totally fixed until May 6th, I figured I would share some comments readers have e-mailed me recently.

I try to answer as many e-mails as I can, even the unkind ones, but I obviously cannot get to all of them. Here are a handful of the hundreds I get daily.

The mailbag:

Armando!

What a name on that Utah kid. But dude you missed an awesome opportunity to make funny reference to that volcano in Iceland. Something like, Dolfans better hope Nawa'akoa Lisiate Foti Analeseanoa Misi is just as explosive as Eyjafjallajokull lol. Go ahead dude, you can use it lol.

John Sternal

John!

You you got quite a sense of humor there, buddy.

Armando Salguero

------------------------------------------------

Orlando:

I think this is the Big News of 2010 Draft. Our conference is going passing happy. This is the Drew Brees Legacy.

That is the reason the Tuna had to buy into bringing in Marshall. Forget about no rest when Dolphins are planning, working.

Carlos Muina

Egbert:

I've been writing for years that the NFL is a pass-happy league. Thanks for reading my work so closely -- particularly my byline.

Armando

------------------------------------------------

Why can't miami ever take a solid touted player and have him live up to his potential as well? As a Dolphin fan that goes back to 1971 i must say i am not impressed by the Parcells regime so far. I must say that on paper are moves this year appear to be correct (Offensive playmaker was a no brainer). But look below (from the ESPN website) typical Miami drafting:

Odrick is a unique prospect who does not have a great fit anywhere....

Misi is going to make the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker....

He doesn't have elite measurables....

Edds is a bit of a reach here...He is a bit limited as far as overall athleticism and range ...

Troy

T-

Is it fair to think you don't like Miami's draft? I think one thing Bill Parcells does pretty well is draft defensive linemen and linebackers. Having said that, I will give him the benefit of the doubt on Odrick, Misi and Edds -- a defensive end and two LBs -- until they prove Parcells wrong.

Armando

-----------------------------------------------------

First, I have to say I read your articles religiously.  You are right on the money in my opinion, but that may be because I happen to agree with you the majority of the time.

I started to email you yesterday to say that I think the team is going to have Will Allen, Smith and Davis on the field at the same time.  I am not sure who is going to move to safety but I think it is going to happen and then you write the same thing.

I like the first and third pick and think they will both contribute in a major way this year.  Pretty happy with the draft overall.  Thanks for all your hard work.

John

I appreciate you reading my stuff. We won't always agree, but two individuals rarely do. We do agree that the if the Dolphins don't find an "acorn" on the market the next couple of months, it cannot hurt to consider moving either Will Allen or Jason Allen to free safety. Why not? Obviously, Jeff Ireland said he wouldn't bet on it happening -- which, of course, means it might happen at any time.

Armando

---------------------------------------------------

I am a lifetime Miami Dolphins fan and avid supporter of the franchise. So it was deeply troubling when it was reported and later confirmed that GM Jeff Ireland asked a potential recruit, Dez Bryant, if his mother had ever been a prostitute. This type of question is demeaning, offensive and shows a general lack of class on the part of Mr. Ireland and the entire franchise. It is further upsetting that a question such as this may indeed have been asked based on the color of the recruit's skin. It in fact forces me to ask if Mr. Ireland feels that African-Americans deserve some level of diminished respect? I understand that posing a question of racism is serious but I am left to wonder about Mr. Ireland's commitment to diversity. Finally, Mr. Ireland's apology was only issued after he was publicly named on certain television networks and websites. It appears that Mr. Ireland does not mind treating young African-American players with disrespect and contempt. What he does mind is his actions being publicly disclosed. Thus, I believe his apology is hollow and without merit.

Jason Yoepp

I am certain the Dolphins appreciate your lifetime of support. There is no doubt the question to Bryant was off base, probably in any context. I would assume such a question will never be asked by Jeff Ireland again. Having said that, I do not believe this question had anything to do with race or racial profiling. If Dez Bryant was a white kid with a similar background as Bryant's, I believe Ireland would have asked the same question. Furthermore, if you wonder about Ireland's commitment to diversity, don't bother. The NFL is about 70 percent black and 100 percent green. Teams, including the Dolphins, don't judge players based on skin color, but rather on talent. And they do it in a color blind manner to get the best players which will bring championships, more success and thus more money to the franchise and its employees. Finally, if you question the timing of Ireland's apology, you should also question the timing of Bryant's accusation. He did not complain to anyone on the team about the question when it was asked. And it was not revealed the Dolphins were the team that asked the question, conveniently, until after the draft -- when Bryant was assured the Dolphins hadn't selected him. That was not coincidental.

Armando Salguero

-----------------------------------------------

Armando,

Just wanted to write in about your blog. I live in NJ (same town where former Dolphins FB Darian Barnes played his high school ball) and well, all I get is crap from the hated Jets fans. Love reading your articles, but hate seeing comments that bring a negative light to you. Keep up the good work and keep informing us here in NJ like always. Great work!

Mike Dacenko

Toms River, N.J.

Mike,

Thanks for the kind note. One thing that will drive your Jets fan tormentors nuts: Last year, the Dolphins swept New York. They have no comeback to that. None. Also, I didn't realize there were any comments on this blog that bring a negative light to me. All the folks who post on here love me!

Armando