Dolphins snooping around for guards

Something is going on with John Jerry.

The former third-round draft pick is not exactly starting his second NFL season with a bang. Expected to compete for the starting right guard job, Jerry is not working at all with the starting unit. Instead the Dolphins have turned to Rey Feinga as their possible starting right guard.

Feinga, signed to the practice squad last November, caught the eye of coaches late last season, according to coach Tony Sparano. He was signed to the active roster December 8 and played the final three games in a reserve role.

And now Feinga is getting practically all if not all the first-team repetitions.

But the Dolphins are apparently hedging their bet on Feinga and Jerry and anyone else who might contend for the job.

The team has reached out to former Giants guards Rich Seubert to check on his availability. It is safe to assume the club also inquired about Shaun O'Hara. Nothing is happening with either right now. Miami promised nothing in terms of a free agent visits. But that the Dolphins are actively studying at least one available free agent guard suggests the club might allow the current players to prove themselves in the coming days.

[3:45 Update: O'Hara is in town and visiting with the Dolphins today and Monday. He has a history (don't they all?) with some folks in the Dolphins organization. The idea is for him to meet with everyone and see if there is both a comfort level and a financial fit. If O'Hara signs, it is possible he works at center, which moves rookie Mike Pouncey to guard, or the veteran tries to work at guard. Either way, the idea is to improve the guard spot.]

And if there is not sufficient proof that gives the club confidence?

Well, that's why the Dolphins are looking around.

Now, please do not misplace your news sense here. The news is not that the Dolphins are looking around to upgrade the offensive line. They have been doing that since, ahem, the current administration arrived in 2008.

The news, and it is troubling right now, is that a promising player that was picked relatively high in the draft -- Jerry -- is not at the point where he can be considered a viable starter.

Compare that to Pouncey, this year's first round pick, who signed on Saturday and took every first-team snap in practice at center on Sunday. That's what you want to hear. Not that the draft pick has been passed by a guy signed to last year's practice squad.

I realize Pouncey was slotted in the first round and Jerry in the third. But come on!

Sunday morning reads and live practice blog here

Allow me to begin this morning by serving you up some reading material as we await the 11 a.m. start to open practice and a live blog of that event:

First, I want to share with you the fact Dolfans are staying away from camp the first two days as I've never seen before in all my years covering the team.

At a time when interest in football is spiking -- NFL Network reports a 288 percent veiwership increase and this blog's page view and unique visitor numbers seem to be on a steroid and HGH cocktail -- local Dolfans are seemingly either disinterested or wary about checking out their team despite the fact the practices are free.

We'll see what the attendance is today and tomorrow night.

Secondly, here are words from the mouth of players or coaches:

Tony Sparano on what he saw in Daniel Thomas his first practice with the Dolphins:  “The biggest thing is the amount of times the guy carried the ball in college and the level of production.  I mean this guy was a big producer in college and really carried it a bunch of times.  I think for a big guy this guy has really soft hands.  He catches the ball well.  In college you didn’t really see Daniel block a whole lot, wasn’t really what he was asked to.  That’s something that we got to get to the bottom of here a little bit fast.  But you did see flashes of physicalness there in the blocking and the things.  But this guys a physical, get your shoulders square runner and I think that’s what we seen.  He has, it’s funny, they talk about home run speed and top gun speed but this guys finished some runs.  So he’s got pretty good speed.  I was excited today, just on a couple of, from early carries to see some of the bounce that he had in his legs for a big man.”

Thomas on whether knowing his assignments is his greatest obstacle in practice so far:  “Not really, the coaches do a really good job of going over our assignments, like I said the toughest thing is just going out here in the heat , and the heat just messes you all up.”

I am not a conspiracy theorist. If someone tells me something, I do my best to tell you, assuming it doesn't break trust with my source. As you know, I've been told that, as of yesterday, the Dolphins were still not giving up on the idea of Kyle Orton. (Or at least adding a legit QB to compete with Chad Henne.)

Other media have reported the team is giving that role to Matt Moore, which if you really think about it, is simply moronic.

Well, Moore was asked if he has been told he was in town to compete for the starting job with Henne:

“You know what … I am going to come in and compete. That’s how it’s going to be. That’s how it is everywhere. As of right now like I said, I am learning. I am going to come in and make all of the throws and make all of the right reads and we will see what happens."

Obviously, Moore has not been told he'll be competing for a starting job. Yet, I have faith the Dolphins will do their best to find that player to do exactly that. Maybe they try Mark Bulger. Maybe they beg the Bengals to trade Carson Palmer one more time. Maybe they cave to Bulger's salary demands.

Point is the quarterback issue is absolutely not resolved.

Talk to you in the comments section for the start of practice.

First round pick Pouncey's contract done

Mike Pouncey, the Dolphins first-round pick and the last draft pick without a contact, has agreed to his first NFL deal.

A league source tells me Pouncey has agreed to a four-year deal with an option that is worth around $9.3 million with all the maximum guarantees allowed by the new collective bargaining agreement.

Pouncey is expected to sign the deal by Sunday, perhaps in time to practice with the Dolphins when they take the field at 11 a.m. [Update: The Dolphins have announced the signing. Pouncey will be practicing Sunday.]

Pouncey needs to get to work. He missed the club's first two practices and days of training camp meetings.

The Dolphins are hoping he can win the starting center job and will give him a chance to do that, but I doubt they simply throw him into the first-team repetitions ahead of Joe Berger, who was the starter most of last year and is the starter so far this camp. 

Zach Miller not on Dolphins radar right now

The Dolphins are apparently not trying to sign tight end Zach Miller at this hour.

The Miami Herald's David J. Neal is reporting the Dolphins haven't had any discussions with Miller's agent. The team hasn't called him and he hasn't called them.

That doesn't necessarily dismiss vaguely worded tweet from ESPN's John Clayton that kinda sorta linked the Dolphins and Miller. But it does definitely quash the possibility that something is going on now.

Yes, I know. You would love the Dolphins to chase Miller. He is a stellar. He is fast. He threatens the middle of the field like no current Dolphins tight end has proven to do.

But the Dolphins have other priorities right now.

Quarterback.

Mike Pouncey.

Miller is not currently a priority.

 

Live practice blog and Orton may still hear Miami's who

First things first: Please check out my column from the pages of the Miami Herald this morning. It discusses how ugly the Dolphins looked as a football team at their first training camp practice Friday and why. It also tells you why there is good news on the way.

It also tells you that there still could be great news on the way. And the great news is that, contrary to many reports, the Dolphins have not completely closed the door on Kyle Orton.

Once you get done with that, head back here to the comments section because I will be live blogging the Dolphins 11 a.m. practice -- as I did yesterday.

See you in the comments section.

Dolphins agee to terms with Kevin Burnett

The Dolphins have replaced Channing Crowder.

The Miami Herald's Jeff Darlington is reporting the Dolphins have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with unrestricted free agent Kevin Burnett.

Burnett, 28, was drafted in 2005 by the Dallas Cowboys. He spent the last two seasons with the Chargers, where he started all 16 games.

The deal for Burnett is for four years. Other terms are not yet available.

Miami Dolphins cut Channing Crowder

The Dolphins have cut linebacker Channing Crowder, I reported on my twitter minutes ago.

Crowder, 27, was in the final year of his contract and was scheduled to make $5 million. Crowder participated in the Dolphins practice this morning and was a starting inside linebacker along with Karlos Dansby.

The Dolphins save all $5 million of Crowder's salary against the salary cap.

The Dolphins have options at inside linebacker. First-year player A.J. Edds practiced Friday for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury last year during training camp. He seemed completely healthy. The club also has veteran Tim Dobbins as a backup.

Crowder will have suitors to be sure. He is talented, young and very good in coverage. But he has never been a big-play better, having only one career interception, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. He also struggled to stay healthy, playing only 11 games last year, and 16 games only twice in six years -- his first two with the team.

I do not know Miami's plan beyond the Crowder dismissal. I don't know if they're planning a monster move and had to clear cap space. I don't know if they were just done nursing Crowder's injury.

One league source is telling me the Dolphins are interested in San Diego free agent middle linebacker Stephen Cooper as a possible replacement. Cooper is 32 years old. Nick Barnett is also out there, but now I'm just speculating.

 

Dolphins practice live blog here

I'm at the facility and expect to live blog practice so head on over to the comments section starting around 11:05 to check out what's going on.

I can say this early on:

I cannot believe what I've already heard this morning. No, not about the Kyle Orton trade or Reggie Bush or Mike Pouncey's contract status.

It's the words of owner Stephen Ross. This is what he said, in part, during his meeting with the media moments ago:

""There's a fine line between winning and losing. There's three games we could have won for sure and then there's Pittsburgh, which we all think we won and then look at what our record is. The Jets squeezed by and got a few lucky wins as well. The thing is winning and knowing how to win at the end of the game. That's what's important. Our record doesn't show that's what we do. But you can't say these are teams that are much better than we are and we're really a lagger to them ... You can't draw a fine line and say this team is that much better because they're not. There's a lot of parity in the NFL and we have a lot of great young players. Look how far we've come in a short period of time."

Um, note to Mr. Ross:

The Patriots were 14-2 last year.

The Jets went to the AFC championship game for the second year in a row.

And the Dolphins didn't lag behind?

Crazy.

"

Reggie plus Thomas leaves little room for much else

Let us clear some things up early this A.M. as we await the opening to the Dolphins 2011 training camp practice -- with the first workout scheduled for 11 a.m.

Reggie Bush is NOT Miami's featured back.

OK?

He has not been promised 25 carries a game. He doesn't want 25 carries a game. He isn't going to get 25 carries a game for 16 games.

I spoke with a source close to Bush on Thursday evening. The source asked my opinion: "Do you think the Dolphins can give Reggie 10-15 touches a game? That's what he's hoping for."

The question shows, in part, no demand for more work was made. And no promise of more work was given.

Simply, the plan is to make 6-1 and 228-pound rookie Daniel Thomas the workhorse. If he averages 18 carries a game that should be perfect. That would leave maybe an average of 10 carries a game for Bush.

Voila!

You have about 288 carries for Thomas and maybe 160 for Bush. That's a whopping 448 rushes for the season going to those two.

Where do you guys see a need to add Ricky Williams or Ronnie Brown unless the Dolphins are not passing in 2011 and running the wishbone?

Last year, it should be noted, Brown led the team with 200 carries. Williams followed with 159 carries. The next highest rusher was Tyler Thigpen with 13 rushes. See what I mean?

No need for another alpha-type running back. Oh sure, the Dolphins will  indeed carry backup running backs. But I doubt either Ricky or Ronnie want to sit at the end of the bench filling that role. Plus, that player must be a special teams contributor, which neither Ricky nor Ronnie are.

So this is a simple math formula: Reggie + Daniel Thomas = neither Ricky nor Ronnie.

By the way, I've been doing this for a while so I know the reaction (crapstorm) about to ensue in the comments section: "But Mando, Daniel Thomas is unproven ... But Mando, what if someone gets injured ... But Mando, ....)

Guys, the Dolphins love Thomas. They trade into the second round to take him because they believe in him and knew if they didn't get into the round, he'd be gone. He has prototype size and good quicks. He hasn't taken on NFL snap, but will get plenty of work in the preseason and that will ready him (the Dolphins hope) for the regular season. It does not matter that he is unproven. Arian Foster was unproven before the season opener last year and all he did was lead the league in rushing. I'm not saying Thomas will lead the league but everyone in the NFL that explodes onto the scene is an overnight success about a decade in the making. Also, who was Peyton Hillis before last season? Oh, someone few folks heard of. And offensive coordinator Brian Daboll worked him pretty well. 

[BLOG NOTE; First practice is this morning so kindly come back here and I will be blogging the doings live from start to finish! It all starts at 11 a.m.]

Orton trade situation might last until Aug. 4

The Kyle Orton trade situation is a stare-down.

The Dolphins and the Denver Broncos both want to complete a trade involving the quarterback but have been unable to do so for reasons that apparently include compensation. There are reports the Broncos and Dolphins have not been able to get together on trade compensation, with the Broncos obviously asking higher compensation than the Dolphins are willing to pay. There is at least one report saying the Dolphins and the Orton camp has not been able to agree to a restructured contract.

Stare. Down.

And the in the meantime, Orton was on the field and took first-team reps with the Broncos today as their training camp got underway.

"He's under contract with us. I can't speak to the future," Denver coach John Fox said when asked of Orton's status. "At this point Kyle Orton's on our team. He's under contract and you watched practice, you saw where he was."

As I tweeted earlier, that has to feel awkward!

It would also feel awkward if Friday comes around, the Dolphins are on the field the first time for their opening of 2011 camp, and quarterback Chad Henne is taking first-team snaps while everyone knows the Dolphins are aggressively trying to replace him.

But, if the NFL calendar is to be believed, awkward might be the order of the day in this stare down at least until Aug. 4 -- a full week from today. The official calendar is here.

According to the NFL calendar, teams don't have to be at or below the 2011 salary cap until 4:01 p.m. (east coast time). That is the first day of the new league year.

That is also midnight in the Kyle Orton saga.

Why?

Well, one of the reasons the Broncos have put Orton on the trade block is to clear cap space. The Denver Post has reported the Broncos have nearly $128 million in salary cap commitments for 2011. That's bad considering the cap is $120.3 million. Orton counts a whopping $8.9 million of that.

That's not a problem today because the Broncos don't have to be under the cap right now. That is a problem starting Aug. 4 when the team must be at or under the cap.

The problem would be solved if the Broncos intended to keep Orton as their so-called quarterback of the future. They would simply give him a new multi-year contract that is more cap friendly. But they are clearly not doing that. They are not going to add years to the final year of his contract.

So they have to trade him or simply cut him by Aug. 4.

The Dolphins know this. So they are doing the wise thing. They are being patient. It is the wise thing to do in order not to mortgage the future by giving up a higher draft pick, assuming that's the holdup.

And if that makes the situation feel awkward in the meantime? So be it.

Kindly follow me on twitter.

Reggie Bush is about more than statistics

If you are a pure stats geek, you're not too impressed by Reggie Bush as an NFL player. You're not too fired up by the Dolphins nailing down the acquisition of Bush this morning.

He's a 4.0-yard per carry running back. Any season he's carried the ball more than 100 times, his average has dropped to 3.7 yards per rush. He only scored one TD last season. He's never averaged over 10 yards per catch. His most explosive running play last season was a 23-yard run. His most explosive reception last season went for 20 yards.

And all those number, dear stat geek, misses the football point.

Reggie Bush is a defensive coordinator's nightmare. Period.

Anytime he comes onto the field, the defense must account for him. Adding him means the Miami offense has doubled the number of players the defense must account for from one a year ago -- Brandon Marshall -- to two this coming year.

Bush is also a matchup pain in the posterior for defenders. How many linebackers can actually run with this guy? That would be maybe ... a handful? So many times use either a safety or a nickel cornerback to cover Bush.

But here's the problem: What does the defense do when the offense isn't in its pass personnel package? That means the defense has to play with base personnel and that means, either you're praying your linebacker suddenly runs like he swallowed a dozen Red Bulls or you're using a DB on the kid, which is just crazy as matchups go.

In a nutshell, Bush in the game means the offense is now dictating to the defense instead of the other way around. When was the last time a Miami offense was able to do that? It's been a while.

And that makes Bush more valuable than just the mere statistics he posts.

Why Reggie Bush? Here are the handful reasons

What? You think the Dolphins are just sittin' around picking their snouts?

It's work time, fellas, and on a day the team lost out on DeAngelo Williams and basically got priced out on Ahmad Bradshaw, the Dolphins turned to the possibility of adding Reggie Bush. The Miami Herald is reporting general manager Jeff Ireland was in contact Wednesday and early Thursday morning with both the New Orleans Saints and agent Joel Segal in order to make the deal for Bush happen. Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer, close to New Orleans coach Sean Payton, broke the story early Thursday.

There are several working parts here so the deal is certainly not completed at this hour. But perhaps during daylight hours we can resume business and get stuff finalized.

So why Bush?

Well, desperation is one reason. Speed is another reason. Necessity is another reason. Fate is another reason.

Desperation sets in, I suppose, when the Dolphins look past DeAngelo, who returned to Carolina, and Bradshaw, who seems very expensive, and see themselves either returning to the days of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown or adding a retread like Willis McGahee.

None of those inspire.

The Dolphins plan is to return to Ronnie or Ricky if all else fails. Again, only if all else fails. By definition that means a return to Ricky or Ronnie is a failure! Remember what owner Stephen Ross said last January: Doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity.

The Dolphins, wanting, craving, needing speed, see Bush as a home run hitter. That's enticing for a team that mostly hit triples by Dan Carpenter last season.

The Dolphins know they need a runner to pair with rookie Daniel Thomas. They may not need someone to carry the ball 25 times a game, but they definitely need someone to take it 10-15 times a game. Bush, more thoroughbred than plow horse, fits that mold. A source close to him that was, believe it or not, up at this late hour working, tells me Bush would welcome the idea of having the ball in his hands 10-15 times a game and also get some punt return duty in as well.

In a nutshell, Bush was not a fit when the team was thinking of adding a proven running back upgrade who coud lead the charge carrying the ball 20 times a game and have Thomas as the sidekick. DeAngelo fit that plan.

But when that plan ran its course back to Carolina, Bush became the best option in a plan that has Thomas doing the heavier lifting and someone else providing the complimentary work.

The idea is solid on the imagination front.

So does it get done?

It is up to Bush, really.

The Dolphins and the Saints have a deal in place, although the exact compensation is not known. No, it isn't a first-round pick, which is what the Saints invested in Bush originally. I doubt it is even a second round pick. It is probably a Saturday pick -- meaning back of the draft, which will seem like a bargain to many fans. Face it, the Saints were going to whack Bush from the roster if he didn't agree to a pay cut so they're getting something rather than nothing. Bush was scheduled to get $11.8 million in base salary and cost $16 million against the cap.

Bush will want to earn at least that much and likely much more in base salary and signing bonus from the Dolphins for this year. Kid ain't about pay cuts.

Why would the Dolphins give up a pick for Bush? Again, it isn't a premium pick. Secondly, it puts them in certain position to get him rather than be among the teams sifted by his agent in free agent. There was also the possibility the Saints might not get rid of Bush if he agreed to a pay cut. So the trade guarantees the acquisition in the part of the deal that involves the two teams.

As far as Bush is concerned, his motivation for doing this is the Dolphins will pay him much more than the Saints would to keep him. He wants to and expects to sign what is a free agent contract or one that would be comparable to what he thinks he could get on the open market.

I suppose he could play hardball and force the Saints to cut him so he actually becomes a free agent, but I'm told by my source Bush likes the idea of playing in South Florida (he's been to South Beach a time or 50) and likes the fact the Dolphins are being so aggressive to add his services.

But remember: It is still not completely done.

It could be by the time this day is over, however.

FYI: None of this really affects the chase of Kyle Orton. The Dolphins know they also need a QB to, you know, hand the ball to a guy such as Bush. They still can compensate Denver. They still are working on paying Orton.

It was never either-or. They fully intended to add both a QB and RB in free agency.

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DeAngelo Williams returns to Carolina :(

The Carolina Panthers will announce in the next 24 hours that they have retained running back DeAngelo Williams.

Why am I reporting this?

You have to ask?

The Dolphins were interested in Williams and were one of three teams that made offers to perhaps the best running back available in free agency.

The offer was considered no more than a flirtation by Williams, however, once it became clear the steep price it would take to pry him loose from the Panthers or keep him from going to Denver. ESPN.com is reporting Williams has agreed to a 5-year, $43 million contract that includes a whopping $21 million in guaranteed money.

The Dolphins were shopping for a running back and continue that search. But they were looking around at Sears and Williams was hanging out at Sak's.

So what does this mean?

Miami still needs a running back to pair with rookie Daniel Thomas. Ahmad Bradshaw is still a possibility, although the Giants are considered the heavy favorites to retain him. He could be considered the next-best available runner. He also would not come cheaply as it would require outbidding New York.

The Dolphins have talked to agent Drew Rosenhaus about Bradshaw and Rosenhaus has given the team the appropriate parameters for making that work.

Then we head to the clearance aisle. Miami can still go back to Ronnie Brown, who is offering himself to the highest bidder. Miami can look at Cedric Benson, assuming he's not in jail today. Miami can go very cheap for Atlanta's Jason Snelling.

I suppose there's also Ricky Williams.

The pray-for-it-to-happen solution is that Reggie Bush gets cut by the Saints because he has a cap value north of $11 million. Then Miami swoops in and add him for the sake of giving him the football 15 times a game or so.

Don't bank on that working out perfectly.

Other running backs that are available include Willis McGahee, Joseph Addai, Marion Barber, Carnell Williams, Darren Sproles, or ...

Nevermind.

Tyler Thigpen gone, message sent to Chad Henne

[First off, thank you for a record day on the blog yesterday. Incredible how a little actual football news turns this blog into a monster. GRRRRR! Anyway, continue to stay here or return here often throughout the day as the Dolphins continue to operate in stealthy fashion while folks like me chase what's going on from other less-than-perfect, agenda-driven angles. What can I say? You get shut out, you do what you have to do.]

Now to the news and analysis:

Tyler Thigpen is a Buffalo Bill. He has agreed to join that team in return for a three-year contract that gives him a chance to compete for a starting job against Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick will win that competition. The deal sends Thigpen packing after a year and a half in Miami and reunites him with Buffalo coach Chan Gailey, who was Thigpen's offensive coordinator in Kansas City in 2008 when Thigpen enjoyed his best NFL season.

Even though the Dolphins showed casual interest in keeping Thigpen, I do not see this as a big loss, folks.

I know many of you thought Thigpen had potential to chase a starting job. Me? I shared that thinking until he got on the field in 2009 against Pittsburgh and last year against Chicago and was ineffective both times. Thigpen has the gift of adding spark. You see it when he enters a game and the pace picks up.

But Thigpen also is cursed with inconsistency. He'll lead an energy-lifting touchdown drive on one possession. And throw an interception and go three-and-out on the next two possessions.

Thigpen lovers will say that inconsistency in Miami was a result of his little opportunity to work with the first-team offense. Great, so explain his similar inconsistency in Kansas City when he was the starter for 11 games.

So the Dolphins will have a new backup quarterback for 2011.

They're also trying to add a new starting quarterback for 2011.

Hear that, Chad Henne? Hear that Henne supporters?

I have confirmed that Miami is heavily involved in trying to add Kyle Orton while various reports which I've not been able to independently confirm have linked the Dolphins to Matt Hasselbeck. I can see the Orton thing. I don't understand the Hasselbeck fling one bit.

[7:45 AM update: The Hasselbeck fling is not a thing in Miami after all. He is going to the Tennesse Titans. That obviously limits the Dolphins to a focus on Orton with a possible fallback being Marc Bulger or Vince Young.]

Orton is better than Chad Henne, or at least has been the past two years. Is he the man? Is he a franchise quarterback? No. Does he have a superstar arm? Can he escape the rush and turn disaster into dynamics? No.

But he's better than Chad Henne.

And right now, that seems to be good enough for the Dolphins who at last check were hopeful of adding Orton in trade from the Denver Broncos. Problem right now is the Broncos apparently have at least one other team on their line and are trying to reel in the highest draft pick compensation possible.

I do not know the specifics of what the Dolphins have offered (if anything, officially) but I understand the Broncos were asking for a first-round pick initially and are seeded in the second-round asking price of late. Really, Denver? A second for Kyle Orton?

The Dolphins aren't quite ready to do that, apparently. I hope they don't have to at that price. I would more comfortably understand yielding a conditional pick in which Miami gives up a fourth-rounder that could be a third if Orton takes the team to the playoffs, and maybe a second if he advances them to the AFC title game perhaps. (Yes, improbable, but I'm a dreamer.)

Bottom line: Be it either Orton or Hasselbeck, the point is clear the Dolphins are trying to add a veteran quarterback whose resume is superior to Chad Henne's because, well, they are trying to replace Chad Henne even if it's on a short-term basis.

Good for Miami.

Henne is young. He is talented. He has potential. But he has not earned the right to go into training camp unchallenged. He was benched in the 2010 season-finale, if you remember, the second time in the season he suffered that fate. That does not translate to, as some of you have suggested, "sticking with Henne to see if he develops."

The Dolphins are not afforded the luxury of seeing if Henne develops. Both Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland want to, have to, win now to secure the footing underneath themselves. Banking on Henne to either develop or flop for a third consecutive season is not the most certain way to secure one's footing.

Henne should be watching this and understanding. He must realize he still has a chance to win the job if he, well, wins the job. But he must realize this isn't 2010 when the job was simply handed to him without a competition.

The hope here is this itself makes Henne better. Nothing like a realistic view of the situation to sober the spirit and steel the mind. Would be nice if it improves the decision-making and long-range accuracy, also.

By the way, regardless of whom the Dolphins add -- and it will not be Donovan McNabb as some of you lobbied for -- the idea is not simply to hand over the job. Sure, Orton or Hasselbeck come with reputations. But the Dolphins can still sell the competition idea to the public and Henne.

That can only make everyone better.

Follow me on twitta, as they say in Boston.

Brandon Marshall reports to Dolphins -- early

Brandon Marshall's, um, drama-filled offseason has led to much speculation about his status with the Miami Dolphins.

Let's clear some of that up. Again.

In April, following Marshall's alleged stabbing which police said was at the hands of his wife, I reported the wide receiver's status with the team was not in danger. The Dolphins did not intend to get rid of Marshall. Made sense since, despite his history for domestic violence, this incident cast Marshall as the victim.

I've not heard anything that would change Marshall's status with Miami since then so I'm assuming he'll be with the Dolphins.

Apparently Marshall was assuming the same because he showed up at Dolphins training camp today ready to work out. In fact, he showed up around 8:30 in the morning and wasn't allowed to immediately enter the facility.

The NFL mandated club training facilities were not to open from their lockout state until 10 a.m. And so Marshall apparently waited in his car for 90 minutes until he was finally allowed in the facility at the allowable time.

Interesting right?

Speaks to the kid's diligence.

Follow me on twitter y'all.

Dolphins to sign Delaware's Pat Devlin

He was on the radar after the draft and now a source close to Delaware's Pat Devlin has confirmed the quarterback is expected to land with the Dolphins.

Bad news for FAU's Jeff Van Camp.

Devlin, 6-4 and 222 pounds, was considered the most talented undrafted free agent quarterback available. (If he was so talented, I cannot help wondering why he didn't get drafted.)

[Update: Devlin's arm strength is apparently questionable. He played in a dink and dunk offense and wasn't a great workout warrior, either. Now you know.]

Anyhoo ...

Devlin followed in the footsteps of Joe Flacco at Delaware and has a similar history. Flacco went to the Fightin' Blue Hens after washing out at Pittsburgh. Devlin was originally at Penn State after setting a Pennsylvania high school career passing record with 8,162 yards. Devlin spent two years at Penn State.

Devlin was the first overall selection in the UFL draft after being passed by the NFL but he declined to sign a contract. Good call!

The Dolphins apparently beat out several other teams in trying to get Devlin, including the Indianapolis Colts.

this is bad for Van Camp whose agent was supposedly speaking to the Dolphins Monday. I doubt the club would bring both Van Camp and Devlin to camp so Devlin gets the nod. Obviously, we're talking practice squad or No. 3 QBs here, folks.

Interesting anyway.

[Noon Update: The Dolphins have come to terms with undrafted free agent kick return specialist Phillip Livas from Louisiana Tech. He's 5-7 and 179 pound and has run a 40-yard best of 4.37. He's on his way to South Florida today, I'm told.]

Follow me on twitter. I'm posting in real time over there and eventually get back over here. I reported at 8:40 this morning the Dolphins will be holding a practice open free to the public on Monday night at Sun Life Stadium. Mike Dee, who was on my radio show Armando and the Amigo, said the practice was meant to reward Dolphins fans and get them acquainted with their 2011 club.

Signings already in pipeline, more to come today

The Dolphins began rounding up undrafted free agents on Monday. Wow, I'm reporting on football today!

The Dolphins can not sign any undrafted free agent until 10 a.m. today so any report of these guys being signed is incorrect. But under the new collective bargaining rules ratified Monday by both the league and the players union, teams could begin negotiating or agree to terms with undrafted free agents.

And Miami did exactly that, agreeing to terms with at least seven and probably 10-12 undrafted free agents at this hour. No, these will not be top of the roster guys. None were drafted. I see a couple already who will merely be camp bodies.

But out of this group a new Dan Carpenter or Davone Bess might thrust himself onto the roster. So the list of players on Miami's undrafted free agent radar, meaning they've agreed or are negotiating with the team so far:

Praire View A&M OLB Quinton Spears. He's classic 3-4 OLB type. 6-4 and 240 pounds now. Could use a little bulk. He ran a 4.69 at his Pro Day.

Rutgers DE Jonathan Freeney. He projects as an OLB. He ran a 4.72 in the 40 at his Pro Day. He's a Florida kid coming home.

South Carolina G Garrett Chisholm: Had a tough year personally last year. He lost both his mom and dad to cancer and then suffered an ACL knee injury. He's still not 100 percent but he's reportedly close enough to work with.

San Diego State CB Jose Perez. This one isn't exactly done yet, but WR Roberto Wallace, a former San Diego State star, welcomed Perez to the Dolphins on twitter on Monday. Kid's a 5-11 (good size) guy with decent speed (4.47 in the 40).

FAU QB Jeff Van Camp. Um, interesting delivery. He's got something of a hitch. He reminds of Bernie Kosar. Played for the same coach, too, in Howard Schnellenberger. Bernie Kosar was awesome! Maybe Van Camp can surprise.

Arizona TB Nic Grigsby. He's been injured. A lot. As in two consecutive seasons. But he has a 45-inch vertical leap, meaning he can basically jump over cars or short people. He had 2,957 career yards and 28 rushing TDs in his college career.

Penn State TE Brett Brackett. Excellent team leader for Joe Pa. He's 6-5 and 250 and runs a 4.6. Has the immediate smell of a practice squader but who knows?

Serious, big-dollar free agency begins at 10 a.m. today. That's when teams are allowed to begin negotiating with them. I expect the Dolphins will be on the phone with the Denver Broncos to check on the availability of Kyle Orton. He is on the trade block and I expect the interest in him will be keen.

I know some of you have dismissed my affinity for Orton, but he is simply the best fit for Miami. I also expect them to be talking to DeAngelo Williams as a free agent.

Better be!

Reggie Bush? Hasn't been released yet. He might not be a today thing, if at all.

This is a today thing: I remind you here why you should expect big "exciting" things from the Miami Dolphins this free agency and trade period. Please check it out.

Furthermore, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee will be on my radio show, Armando and the Amigo this morning. Yeah, I'll ask him about those Jets shirts. Tune in at 640-AM in South Florida or 640sports.com streaming live on the web. We'll be talking Dolphins and NFL the entire show.

Finally, check back here throughout the day. Stuff should be happening today. I'll try to keep you informed.

And follow me on twitter. I often post there quicker than here because I can do it from my phone.

 

The actual, confirmed, true free agency situation

The NFL announced this evening team will be able to begin negotiations with free agents of all sorts and fashions at exactly 10 a.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday.

Please note there are six categories of free agents: 

1.    Restricted Free Agents who received Qualifying Offers from their Old Clubs and are subject to the First Refusal/Compensation system of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement:

 

Club	Player	Pos.	College	First Refusal/ Compensation
Arizona	Doucet, Early	WR	Louisiana State	3rd
	Hightower, Tim	RB	Richmond	2nd
	Keith, Brandon	T	Northern Iowa	2nd
Atlanta	Grimes, Brent	DB	Shippensburg	1st
	Weems, Eric	WR	Bethune-Cookman	2nd
Baltimore	Cousins, Oniel	T	Texas-El Paso	3rd
	Gooden, Tavares	LB	Miami	3rd
	McClain, Jameel	LB	Syracuse	2nd
	Nakamura, Haruki	DB	Cincinnati	6th
	Parmele, Jalen	RB	Toledo	6th
	Smith, Marcus	WR	New Mexico	4th
	Talavou, Kelly	NT	Utah	ROFR
	Zbikowski, Tom	DB	Notre Dame	3rd
Buffalo	Chandler, Scott	TE	Iowa	4th
Carolina	Clowney, David	WR	Virginia Tech	5th
	Jansen, J.J.	LS	Notre Dame	ROFR
	Senn, Jordan	LB	Portland State	ROFR
Chicago	Hanie, Caleb	QB	Colorado State	ROFR
Cincinnati	Cook, Kyle	C	Michigan State	2nd
	Livings, Nate	G	Louisiana State	ROFR
	Palmer, Jordan	QB	Texas-El Paso	6th
	Roland, Dennis	T	Georgia	ROFR
Cleveland	Moore, Evan	TE	Stanford	2nd
Dallas	Ball, Alan	DB	Illinois	7th
Denver	Prater, Matt	K	Central Florida	2nd
	Woodyard, Wesley	LB	Kentucky	2nd
Detroit	Avril, Cliff	DE	Purdue	1st
	Felton, Jerome	RB	Furman	5th
	Fluellen, Andre	DT	Florida State	3rd
Houston	Brisiel, Mike	G	Colorado State	2nd
Indianapolis	Foster, Eric	DE	Rutgers	2nd
Kansas City	Carr, Brandon	DB	Grand Valley State	1st
	Cox, Mike	RB	Georgia Tech	ROFR
	Gilberry, Wallace	DE	Alabama	2nd
	Richardson, Barry	T	Clemson	2nd
Miami	Garner, Nate	T	Arkansas	2nd
Minnesota	Abdullah, Husain	DB	Washington State	2nd
	Henderson, Erin	LB	Maryland	ROFR
New England	Green-Ellis, BenJarvus	RB	Mississippi	2nd
New Orleans	Nicks, Carl	G	Nebraska	1st
N.Y. Jets	Turner, Robert	C	New Mexico	ROFR
Oakland	Bush, Michael	RB	Louisville	1st
Pittsburgh	Dixon, Dennis	QB	Oregon	5th
	Hills, Tony	T	Texas	4th
St. Louis	Chamberlain, Chris	LB	Tulsa	7th
	Foster, Renardo	T	Louisville	ROFR
	Greco, John	G	Toledo	3rd
	Vobora, David	LB	Idaho	7th
San Diego	Applewhite, Antwan	LB	San Diego State	2nd
	Tolbert, Mike	RB	Coastal Carolina	2nd
Seattle	Polumbus, Tyler	T	Colorado	ROFR
Tampa Bay	Barth, Connor	K	North Carolina	2nd
	Lee, James	T	South Carolina State	2nd
	Lynch, Corey	DB	Appalachian State	6th
	Mack, Elbert	DB	Troy	ROFR
	Okam, Frank	NT	Texas	5th
	Spurlock, Micheal	WR	Mississippi	ROFR
Tennessee	Bailey, Patrick	LB	Duke	ROFR
	Otto, Mike	T	Purdue	7th
	Shaw, Tim	LB	Penn State	5th

 

The Old Club has a Right of First Refusal to all players listed above.  Compensation is as listed in the column on the right.  If the Old Club has only a Right of First Refusal but is not entitled to any compensation, the designation "ROFR" appears in the column.  In order to submit an Offer Sheet, a New Club must have available the required choice, defined as its own or better choice in the applicable rounds, in the 2012 NFL Draft.

 Offer Sheets may be submitted to an Old Club until 11:59 p.m., New York time, on Saturday, August 20.

 

 

2.    Players with three or more accrued seasons who have been designated as Franchise players:

 

Club	Player	Pos.	College
Cleveland	Dawson, Phil	K	Texas
Kansas City	Hali, Tamba	LB	Penn State
New England	Mankins, Logan	G	Fresno State
San Diego	Jackson, Vincent	WR	Northern Colorado

 

The Old Club has a Right of First Refusal to the players listed above and compensation of two No. 1 Draft Choices.  In order to submit an Offer Sheet, a New Club must have available the required choices, defined as its own or better choices in the First Round in the 2012 and 2013 NFL Drafts.  Offer Sheets may be submitted to an Old Club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10^th regular season weekend.

3.    Players with three or more accrued seasons who have been designated as Transition Players:

                        None

 

4.    Players with four or more accrued seasons who negotiated Rights of First Refusal with their Old Clubs:

 

Club	Player	Pos.	College
Kansas City	Curtis, Kevin	WR	Utah State

 

Please see procedures in Category No. 1.

 

5.    Unrestricted Free Agents with four or more accrued seasons:

 

Club	Player	Pos.	College
Arizona	Abdullah, Hamza	DB	Washington State
	Batiste, D'Anthony	T	Louisiana-Lafayette
	Branch, Alan	DT	Michigan
	Breaston, Steve	WR	Michigan
	Claxton, Ben	C	Mississippi
	Faneca, Alan	G	Louisiana State
	Graham, Ben	P	No College
	Lutui, Deuce	G	Southern California
	McBride, Trumaine	DB	Mississippi
	Patrick, Ben	TE	Delaware
	Robinson, Bryan	NT	Fresno State
	Sendlein, Lyle	C	Texas
	Spach, Stephen	TE	Fresno State
	Ware, Matt	DB	UCLA
	Watson, Gabe	NT	Michigan
	Wright, Jason	RB	Northwestern
Atlanta	Blalock, Justin	G	Texas
	Bryant, Matt	K	Baylor
	Clabo, Tyson	T	Wake Forest
	Dahl, Harvey	G	Nevada
	Finneran, Brian	WR	Villanova
	Johnson, Thomas	NT	Middle Tennessee
	Koenen, Michael	P	Western Washington
	Nicholas, Stephen	LB	South Florida
	Norwood, Jerious	RB	Mississippi State
	Peterson, Mike	LB	Florida
	Snelling, Jason	RB	Virginia
	Williams, Brian	DB	North Carolina State
Baltimore	Bulger, Marc	QB	West Virginia
	Burgess, Prescott	LB	Michigan
	Carr, Chris	DB	Boise State
	Chester, Chris	G	Oklahoma
	Gaither, Jared	T	Maryland
	Houser, Kevin	LS	Ohio State
	Houshmandzadeh, T.J.	WR	Oregon State
	Landry, Dawan	DB	Georgia Tech
	McClain, Le'Ron	RB	Alabama
	Moll, Tony	T	Nevada
	Stallworth, Donte'	WR	Tennessee
	Washington, Fabian	DB	Nebraska
	Wilson, Josh	DB	Maryland
	Yanda, Marshal	G	Iowa
Buffalo	Ayodele, Akin	LB	Purdue
	Ellison, Keith	LB	Oregon State
	Florence, Drayton	DB	Tuskegee
	McCargo, John	DE	North Carolina State
	Posluszny, Paul	LB	Penn State
	Whitner, Donte	DB	Ohio State
	Youboty, Ashton	DB	Ohio State
Carolina	Alexander, Gerald	DB	Boise State
	Anderson, James	LB	Virginia Tech
	Hodge, Abdul	LB	Iowa
	Hudson, Marcus	DB	North Carolina State
	Johnson, Charles	DE	Georgia
	King, Jeff	TE	Virginia Tech
	Landri, Derek	DT	Notre Dame
	Lloyd, Rhys	K	Minnesota
	Marshall, Richard	DB	Fresno State
	Moore, Matt	QB	Oregon State
	Morris, Chris	C	Michigan State
	Petitti, Rob	T	Pittsburgh
	Rosario, Dante	TE	Oregon
	St. Pierre, Brian	QB	Boston College
	Williams, DeAngelo	RB	Memphis
	Williams, Jamar	LB	Arizona State
	Wilson, C.J.	DB	Baylor
Chicago	Adams, Anthony	NT	Penn State
	Bullocks, Josh	DB	Nebraska
	Clark, Desmond	TE	Wake Forest
	Collins, Todd	QB	Michigan
	Davis, Rashied	WR	San Jose State
	Graham, Corey	DB	New Hampshire
	Iwuh, Brian	LB	Colorado
	Kreutz, Olin	C	Washington
	Manning, Danieal	DB	Abilene Christian
	Maynard, Brad	P	Ball State
	Roach, Nick	LB	Northwestern
	Tinoisamoa, Pisa	LB	Hawaii
	Wilson, Rod	LB	South Carolina
	Wolfe, Garrett	RB	Northern Illinois
Cincinnati	Benson, Cedric	RB	Texas
	Chambers, Kirk	T	Stanford
	Fanene, Jonathan	DE	Utah
	Johnson, Brandon	LB	Louisville
	Jones, Dhani	LB	Michigan
	Joseph, Johnathan	DB	South Carolina
	Kelly, Reggie	TE	Mississippi State
	Leonard, Brian	RB	Rutgers
	Mathis, Evan	G	Alabama
	Ndukwe, Chinedum	DB	Notre Dame
	Owens, Terrell	WR	Tenn.-Chattanooga
	Ratliff, Keiwan	DB	Florida
	Williams, Roy	DB	Oklahoma
	Wilson, Gibril	DB	Tennessee
Cleveland	Bell, Mike	RB	Arizona
	Elam, Abram	DB	Kent State
	Estandia, Greg	TE	Nevada-Las Vegas
	Mitchell, Jayme	DE	Mississippi
	Piscitelli, Sabby	DB	Oregon State
	Robinson, Derreck	DE	Iowa
	Roth, Matt	LB	Iowa
	Smith, Robaire	DE	Michigan State
	Sorensen, Nick	DB	Virginia Tech
	Stuckey, Chansi	WR	Clemson
	Trusnik, Jason	LB	Ohio Northern
	Vickers, Lawrence	RB	Colorado
	Womack, Floyd	G	Mississippi State
	Wright, Eric	DB	Nevada-Las Vegas
	Yates, Billy	G	Texas A&M
Dallas	Barron, Alex	T	Florida State
	Bowen, Stephen	DE	Hofstra
	Free, Doug	T	Northern Illinois
	Hatcher, Jason	DE	Grambling
	Hurd, Sam	WR	Northern Illinois
	Kosier, Kyle	G	Arizona State
	Sensabaugh, Gerald	DB	North Carolina
	Spears, Marcus	DE	Louisiana State
	Williams, Leon	LB	Miami
Denver	Eckel, Kyle	RB	Navy
	Fields, Ronald	NT	Mississippi State
	Harris, Ryan	T	Notre Dame
	Maroney, Laurence	RB	Minnesota
	Thomas, Marcus	DE	Florida
Detroit	Brown, C.C.	DB	Louisiana-Lafayette
	Carpenter, Bobby	LB	Ohio State
	Ciurciu, Vinny	LB	Boston College
	Clark, Brian	WR	North Carolina State
	DeVries, Jared	DE	Iowa
	Gandy, Dylan	C	Texas Tech
	Hill, Tye	DB	Clemson
	Houston, Chris	DB	Arkansas
	Johnson, Landon	LB	Purdue
	McBride, Turk	DE	Tennessee
	McDonald, Brandon	DB	Memphis
	Rayner, Dave	K	Michigan State
	Stanton, Drew	QB	Michigan State
	Wendling, John	DB	Wyoming
Green Bay	Bigby, Atari	DB	Central Florida
	Colledge, Daryn	G	Boise State
	Crosby, Mason	K	Colorado
	Hall, Korey	RB	Boise State
	Jackson, Brandon	RB	Nebraska
	Jenkins, Cullen	DE	Central Michigan
	Jones, James	WR	San Jose State
	Kuhn, John	RB	Shippensburg, Pa.
	Smith, Anthony	DB	Syracuse
	Spitz, Jason	C	Louisville
	Wilhelm, Matt	LB	Ohio State
Houston	Anderson, Mark	DE	Alabama
	Bentley, Kevin	LB	Northwestern
	Bulman, Tim	DE	Boston College
	Butler, Rashad	T	Miami
	Diles, Zach	LB	Kansas State
	Green, Jarvis	DE	Louisiana State
	Jones, Jacoby	WR	Lane
	Leach, Vonta	RB	East Carolina
	Leinart, Matt	QB	Southern California
	Lewis, Damione	DT	Miami
	Paymah, Karl	DB	Washington State
	Pollard, Bernard	DB	Purdue
	Studdard, Kasey	G	Texas
	Turk, Matt	P	Wisconsin-Whitewater
Indianapolis	Addai, Joseph	RB	Louisiana State
	Bullitt, Melvin	DB	Texas A&M
	Dawson, Keyunta	DE	Texas Tech
	Francisco, Aaron	DB	Brigham Young
	Hagler, Tyjuan	LB	Cincinnati
	Hamlin, Ken	DB	Arkansas
	Johnson, Antonio	DT	Mississippi State
	Johnson, Charlie	T	Oklahoma State
	Muir, Daniel	DT	Kent State
	Rhodes, Dominic	RB	Midwestern State
	Session, Clint	LB	Pittsburgh
	Vinatieri, Adam	K	South Dakota State
Jacksonville	Bouman, Todd	QB	St. Cloud State
	Considine, Sean	DB	Iowa
	Durant, Justin	LB	Hampton
	Edwards, Trent	QB	Stanford
	Morrison, Kirk	LB	San Diego State
	Podlesh, Adam	P	Maryland
	Sims-Walker, Mike	WR	Central Florida
Kansas City	Anderson, Charlie	LB	Mississippi
	Battle, Jackie	RB	Houston
	Castille, Tim	RB	Alabama
	Copper, Terrance	WR	East Carolina
	Croyle, Brodie	QB	Alabama
	Daniels, Travis	DB	Louisiana State
	Edwards, Ron	NT	Texas A&M
	Mays, Corey	LB	Notre Dame
	McGraw, Jon	DB	Kansas State
	Niswanger, Rudy	C	Louisiana State
	O'Callaghan, Ryan	T	California
	Pope, Leonard	TE	Georgia
	Smith, Shaun	DE	South Carolina
	Vrabel, Mike	LB	Ohio State
	Wiegmann, Casey	C	Iowa
Miami	Brown, Ronnie	RB	Auburn
	Cobbs, Patrick	RB	North Texas
	McDaniel, Tony	DE	Tennessee
	McQuistan, Pat	T	Weber State
	Moses, Quentin	LB	Georgia
	Pennington, Chad	QB	Marshall
	Procter, Cory	G	Montana
	Thigpen, Tyler	QB	Coastal Carolina
	Williams, Ricky	RB	Texas
Minnesota	Baskett, Hank	WR	New Mexico
	Cook, Ryan	G	New Mexico
	Edwards, Ray	DE	Purdue
	Evans, Fred	NT	Texas State
	Favre, Brett	QB	Southern Mississippi
	Frampton, Eric	DB	Washington State
	Jackson, Tarvaris	QB	Alabama State
	Leber, Ben	LB	Kansas State
	Lewis, Greg	WR	Illinois
	Longwell, Ryan	K	California
	Ramsey, Patrick	QB	Tulane
	Rice, Sidney	WR	South Carolina
	Sheppard, Lito	DB	Florida
	Tahi, Naufahu	RB	Brigham Young
	Walker, Frank	DB	Tuskegee
	Williams, Pat	NT	Texas A&M
New England	Faulk, Kevin	RB	Louisiana State
	Graham, Shayne	K	Virginia Tech
	Light, Matt	T	Purdue
	McGowan, Brandon	DB	Maine
	Morris, Sammy	RB	Texas Tech
	Ojinnaka, Quinn	G	Syracuse
	Page, Jarrad	DB	UCLA
	Taylor, Fred	RB	Florida
	Warren, Gerard	DE	Florida
	White, Tracy	LB	Howard
New Orleans	Ayodele, Remi	NT	Oklahoma
	Betts, Ladell	RB	Iowa
	Bushrod, Jermon	T	Towson
	Charleston, Jeff	DE	Idaho State
	Clark, Danny	LB	Illinois
	Evans, Heath	RB	Auburn
	Giordano, Matt	DB	California
	Goodwin, Jonathan	C	Michigan
	Hargrove, Tony	DT	Georgia Tech
	Harper, Roman	DB	Alabama
	Humphrey, Tory	TE	Central Michigan
	Jones, Julius	RB	Notre Dame
	Mitchell, Kawika	LB	South Florida
	Mitchell, Marvin	LB	Tennessee
	Moore, Lance	WR	Toledo
	Prioleau, Pierson	DB	Virginia Tech
	Reis, Chris	DB	Georgia Tech
	Roby, Courtney	WR	Indiana
	Shanle, Scott	LB	Nebraska
	Sharper, Darren	DB	William & Mary
	Strief, Zach	T	Northwestern
	Thomas, David	TE	Texas
	Torrence, Leigh	DB	Stanford
	Wilkerson, Jimmy	NT	Oklahoma
	Wynn, DeShawn	RB	Florida
	Young, Usama	DB	Kent State
N.Y. Giants	Blackburn, Chase	LB	Akron
	Boothe, Kevin	G	Cornell
	Boss, Kevin	TE	Western Oregon
	Bradshaw, Ahmad	RB	Marshall
	Bulluck, Keith	LB	Syracuse
	Clayton, Michael	WR	Louisiana State
	Cofield, Barry	DT	Northwestern
	Grant, Deon	DB	Tennessee
	Hagan, Derek	WR	Arizona State
	Johnson, Michael	DB	Arizona
	Kiwanuka, Mathias	DE	Boston College
	Smith, Steve	WR	Southern California
	Sorgi, Jim	QB	Wisconsin
	Tollefson, Dave	DE	Northwest Missouri State
	Wilkinson, Gerris	LB	Georgia Tech
N.Y. Jets	Clemens, Kellen	QB	Oregon
	Coleman, Drew	DB	Texas Christian
	Cromartie, Antonio	DB	Florida State
	Edwards, Braylon	WR	Michigan
	Ellis, Shaun	DE	Tennessee
	Folk, Nick	K	Arizona
	Holmes, Santonio	WR	Ohio State
	Hunter, Wayne	T	Hawaii
	Ihedigbo, James	DB	Massachusetts
	Laury, Lance	LB	South Carolina
	Pool, Brodney	DB	Oklahoma
	Pryce, Trevor	DE	Clemson
	Richardson, Tony	RB	Auburn
	Smith, Brad	WR	Missouri
	Smith, Eric	DB	Michigan State
	Weatherford, Steve	P	Illinois
Oakland	Asomugha, Nnamdi	DB	California
	Barnes, Khalif	T	Washington
	Brown, Ricky	LB	Boston College
	Condo, Jon	LS	Maryland
	Frye, Charlie	QB	Akron
	Gallery, Robert	G	Iowa
	Gradkowski, Bruce	QB	Toledo
	Henderson, Mario	T	Florida State
	Higgins, Johnnie Lee	WR	Texas-El Paso
	Howard, Thomas	LB	Texas-El Paso
	Huff, Michael	DB	Texas
	Miller, Zach	TE	Arizona State
	Moss, Jarvis	LB	Florida
	O'Sullivan, J.T.	QB	California-Davis
	Satele, Samson	C	Hawaii
	Walker, Langston	T	California
	Williams, Sam	LB	Fresno State
Philadelphia	Akers, David	K	Louisville
	Bradley, Stewart	LB	Nebraska
	Cole, Nick	G	New Mexico State
	Gaither, Omar	LB	Tennessee
	Harris, Antoine	DB	Louisville
	Harrison, Jerome	RB	Washington State
	Hobbs, Ellis	DB	Iowa State
	Jean-Gilles, Max	G	Georgia
	Jordan, Akeem	LB	James Madison
	McCray, Bobby	DE	Florida
	Mikell, Quintin	DB	Boise State
	Patterson, Dimitri	DB	Tuskegee
	Rocca, Saverio	P	No College
	Sims, Ernie	LB	Florida State
	Wells, Reggie	G	Clarion
Pittsburgh	Colon, Willie	T	Hofstra
	Eason, Nick	DE	Clemson
	Essex, Trai	G	Northwestern
	Fox, Keyaron	LB	Georgia Tech
	Gay, William	DB	Louisville
	Hoke, Chris	NT	Brigham Young
	Madison, Anthony	DB	Alabama
	Moore, Mewelde	RB	Tulane
	Scott, Jonathan	T	Texas
	Sepulveda, Daniel	P	Baylor
	Spaeth, Matt	TE	Minnesota
	Suisham, Shaun	K	Bowling Green
	Taylor, Ivan	DB	Louisiana-Lafayette
	Warren, Greg	LS	North Carolina
St. Louis	Clayton, Mark	WR	Oklahoma
	Dockery, Kevin	DB	Mississippi State
	Fells, Daniel	TE	California-Davis
	Gibson, Gary	DT	Rutgers
	Goldberg, Adam	G	Wyoming
	Hovan, Chris	DT	Boston College
	Johnson, Darcy	TE	Central Florida
	Lewis, Michael	DB	Colorado
	Robinson, Laurent	WR	Illinois State
	Ryan, Clifton	DT	Michigan State
	Schouman, Derek	TE	Boise State
San Diego	Barnes, Antwan	DE	Florida International
	Burnett, Kevin	LB	Tennessee
	Carter, Tyrone	DB	Minnesota
	Cesaire, Jacques	DE	Southern Connecticut
	Clary, Jeromey	T	Kansas State
	Cooper, Stephen	LB	Maine
	Dearth, James	LS	Tarleton State
	Floyd, Malcom	WR	Wyoming
	Hughes, Dante	DB	California
	Johnson, Travis	DE	Florida State
	McMichael, Randy	TE	Georgia
	Moore, Brandon	LB	Oklahoma
	Mruczkowski, Scott	C	Bowling Green
	Naanee, Legedu	WR	Boise State
	Neill, Ryan	LS	Rutgers
	Oliver, Paul	DB	Georgia
	Siler, Brandon	LB	Florida
	Sproles, Darren	RB	Kansas State
	Volek, Billy	QB	Fresno State
	Washington, Kelley	WR	Tennessee
	Watkins, Pat	DB	Florida State
	Weddle, Eric	DB	Utah
San Francisco	Baas, David	C	Michigan
	Evans, Demetric	DE	Georgia
	Franklin, Aubrayo	NT	Tennessee
	Goldson, Dashon	DB	Washington
	James, William	DB	Western Illinois
	LaBoy, Travis	LB	Hawaii
	Lawson, Manny	LB	North Carolina State
	McDonald, Ray	DE	Florida
	Reed, Jeff	K	North Carolina
	Sims, Barry	T	Utah
	Smith, Alex	QB	Utah
	Smith, Troy	QB	Ohio State
	Spikes, Takeo	LB	Auburn
	Westbrook, Brian	RB	Villanova
	Wragge, Tony	C	New Mexico State
Seattle	Babineaux, Jordan	DB	Southern Arkansas
	Brock, Raheem	DE	Temple
	Gordon, Amon	DT	Stanford
	Hasselbeck, Matt	QB	Boston College
	Herring, Will	LB	Auburn
	Hill, LeRoy	LB	Clemson
	Jennings, Kelly	DB	Miami
	Locklear, Sean	T	North Carolina State
	Losman, J.P.	QB	Tulane
	Mare, Olindo	K	Syracuse
	Martin, Ruvell	WR	Saginaw Valley
	McCoy, Matt	LB	San Diego State
	Mebane, Brandon	DT	California
	Milloy, Lawyer	DB	Washington
	Pitts, Chester	T	San Diego State
	Richardson, Jay	DE	Ohio State
	Robinson, Michael	RB	Penn State
	Siavii, Junior	DT	Oregon
	Spencer, Chris	C	Mississippi
	Stokley, Brandon	WR	Louisiana-Lafayette
	Terrill, Craig	DT	Purdue
	Willis, Ray	T	Florida State
Tampa Bay	Black, Quincy	LB	New Mexico
	Crowder, Tim	DE	Texas
	Gilmore, John	TE	Penn State
	Hayward, Adam	LB	Portland State
	Joseph, Davin	G	Oklahoma
	Koutouvides, Niko	LB	Purdue
	Ruud, Barrett	LB	Nebraska
	Stovall, Maurice	WR	Notre Dame
	Trueblood, Jeremy	T	Boston College
	White, Stylez G	DE	Minnesota
	Williams, Carnell	RB	Auburn
Tennessee	Babin, Jason	DE	Western Michigan
	Ball, Dave	DE	UCLA
	Collins, Kerry	QB	Penn State
	Douglas, Marques	DT	Howard
	Ford, Jacob	DE	Central Arkansas
	Hall, Ahmard	RB	Texas
	Harris, Leroy	G	North Carolina State
	Hood, Roderick	DB	Auburn
	Moss, Randy	WR	Marshall
	Nickey, Donnie	DB	Ohio State
	Scaife, Bo	TE	Texas
	Simms, Chris	QB	Texas
	Thornton, David	LB	North Carolina
	Tulloch, Stephen	LB	North Carolina State
	Winborn, Jamie	LB	Vanderbilt
Washington	Blades, H.B.	LB	Pittsburgh
	Brown, Jammal	T	Oklahoma
	Buchanon, Phillip	DB	Miami
	Doughty, Reed	DB	Northern Colorado
	Furrey, Mike	WR	Northern Iowa
	Golston, Kedric	DE	Georgia
	Grossman, Rex	QB	Florida
	Heyer, Stephon	T	Maryland
	McIntosh, Rocky	LB	Miami
	Moss, Santana	WR	Miami
	Rogers, Carlos	DB	Auburn
	Wilson, Chris	LB	Northwood, Mich.

 

In accordance with the signing periods stated above, the players in category No. 5 may be signed by any club in the League until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on Saturday, September 3, with no rights of any character held by the Old Club.

 

6.    Players with fewer than four accrued seasons who received no Qualifying Offer or no minimum tender from their Old Club:

 

Club	Player	Pos.	College
Arizona	Adams, Michael	DB	Louisiana-Lafayette
	Broughton, Nehemiah	RB	Citadel
	Dykes, Keilen	DT	West Virginia
	Iwebema, Kenny	DE	Iowa
	Maui'a, Reagan	RB	Hawaii
Baltimore	Sanders, Daniel	C	Colorado
Buffalo	Brohm, Brian	QB	Louisville
	Ganther, Quinton	RB	Utah
	Stupar, Jonathan	TE	Virginia
Chicago	Aromashodu, Devin	WR	Auburn
Cincinnati	White, Marvin	DB	Texas Christian
Cleveland	Adams, Titus	DE	Nebraska
	Costanzo, Blake	LB	Lafayette
Dallas	Greisen, Chris	QB	Northwest Missouri State
Detroit	Nordin, Jake	TE	Northern Illinois
	Smith, Kevin	RB	Central Florida
Green Bay	Bell, Josh	DB	Baylor
Indianapolis	Hart, Mike	RB	Michigan
	Richardson, Mike	DB	Notre Dame
	Robinson, Gijon	TE	Missouri Western
	Santi, Tom	TE	Virginia
	Silva, Jamie	DB	Boston College
Jacksonville	Smith, Bryan	DE	McNeese State
Kansas City	Leggett, Maurice	DB	Valdosta State
Miami	Haynos, Joey	TE	Maryland
Minnesota	Young, Albert	RB	Iowa
New Orleans	Dunbar, Jo-Lonn	LB	Boston College
	Waters, Anthony	LB	Clemson
N.Y. Giants	Brown, Courtney	DB	Cal Poly
Pittsburgh	Harris, Tuff	DB	Montana
St. Louis	Butler, Quincy	DB	Texas Christian
	Darby, Kenneth	RB	Alabama
	Johnson, Curtis	LB	Clark Atlanta
San Diego	Beckwith, Darry	LB	Louisiana State
	Latsko, Billy	RB	Florida
San Francisco	Patrick, Chris	T	Nebraska
Tampa Bay	Huggins, Kareem	RB	Hofstra
Tennessee	Allred, Colin	LB	Baylor

   

The players in category No. 6 may be signed with no rights of any character held by the Old Club.  There is no signing deadline applicable to these players.

Dolphins: Thank you (the fans) for not jumping ship

The NFL has officially restored labor peace by all intents and purposes. Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith just held a joint press conference to announce a new labor agreement. And Patriots owner Rober Kraft, in what is a classy move, apologized to fans for what has been an offseason of bickering and negotiating instead of free agency and trades.

The Dolphins have gotten into the picture.

"The Dolphins would like to take a moment to send a sincere THANK YOU to all of our fans for hanging with us during this very difficult time," the club tweeted moments ago.

"Another thank you to our wonderful season ticket members; we can't wait to see you all at Sun Life Stadium! Now...BACK TO FOOTBALL!"

Nice gesture. But it's only words by a team tentatively scheduled to open training camp Thursday.

Deeds speak louder.

So here are some tangible ways the Dolphins can thank folks like you for continuing to follow your team and, as is the case with some of you, continue to attend games at home and on the road while rooting on the aqua and orange.

1. Show the fans you mean it: Don't just dabble in the coming free agency and trade period and try to argue with  uathat this team is close and needs only minor tweaks. You go 7-9 in back to back years and finish third in a four-team division both times, the only thing you're close to is the division cellar. The coming few days must, must, must improve this team signficantly because the gap between Miami's 7-9 and New England's 14-2 is wide. The gap between Miami missing the playoffs the last two years and the Jets making the AFC title game over the same span is huge. Time to close the gap.

2. Get a legit QB. At the very least find someone who can legitimately challenge Chad Henne for the starting job. We will know if your QB acquisition is real or a fraud. And we will know if the competition that follows is equally legitimate or not. If you don't offer up a legit competition, you are not showing us you intend to be a legit playoff contender. The quarterback position is the most important one on the field. Treat it that way, please.

3. Make the home field the ... home field. Last year Miammi had a 1-7 record at home. Then, last week we find out the team doesn't really take its home field advantage seriously even from the business side because they were selling "Home of the Jets" T-shirs at the team store. I was promised those Ts would be permanently off the shelves last Wednesday. Wrong. They were on the racks this weekend. The "Home of the Jets" shirts, which one Dolphins staffer called "offensive," were indeed still on the racks over the weekend. Want to thank the fans? Don't lie to them.

4. Speaking of merchandise at the team store: The Dolphins reduced the price of their Jets shirts by 50 percent to clear them out. This obviously was meant to cause a run of New Yorkers on the shirts. Nice move to serve the New Yorkers. How about they reduce the price of Dolphins gear to serve Miamians? To serve Dolphins fans?

5. Much offseason talk has centered around running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Both are free agents. The truth is both are OK. Neither is a star anymore. Williams is aging. Brown seemed slowed last year following several years of recovering from foot and knee surgeries. Maybe it is time to go in a different direction. One cannot expect to significantly upgrade to the running game by using the same running backs behind an offensive line that is seemingly unchanged with maybe only Mike Pouncey as the difference. You gotta do something different to get different results.

6. Get Cameron Wake some help. Speaks for itself. He can't do it all by himself.

7. Speaking of getting Wake help, do not fall for the failed thinking that the defense doesn't need improving. Yes, the problem last year was primarily on offense. The draft was largely meant to address that. But a team is offense, defense and special teams. Improve the defense, too, if there is a worhty stud out there.

8. Make the special teams, well, special. Can we get a returner that does not merely makes the first tackler miss, heads up field and gets tackled after 7 yards by the second guy? One word to cure this: Speed. Add speed at the return position, please.

You guys got any more?

Sometimes expensive now is cheaper later

Today's pages of the Miami Herald include my first column since returning from vacation. It's about good news and bad news. It's about the Dolphins being lucky and yet unlucky. It's mostly about money.

My column is about the dilemma Paul Soliai will present the team when the lockout ends.

Soliai, you see, is now considered an outstanding and valuable player. No wonder he's Miami's franchise player, a designation that carries with it a $12.476 million guaranteed salary.

That's wonderful because it means somehow Soliai's value has climbed so far that he is no longer the immature kid that was probably on the roster's margins a couple of years back. He's no longer considered a player with big potential that also had brought big disappointment.

Soliai is a starting nose tackle and a behemoth of a man that would get bigtime money in free agency if he were available. I guarantee you if Soliai hit free agency the Washington Redskins would be in line to sign him. I think the Denver Broncos would be also interested because GM Brian Xanders thinks very highly of Soliai.

So the Dolphins move to put the franchise tag on their good player was wise.

But ...

It would have been more wise to simply sign Soliai to a multi-year deal. Like, back in October or November.

So why didn't that happen?

The Dolphins apparently didn't believe their own evaluations. Even as Soliai was playing well once he was thrust into the starting role, the club was apparently wary that it was a mirage. The club was not certain that Soliai's level of performance could last until the end of the season and obviously into 2011 and beyond.

So the club proceeded cautiously in negotiations. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, agents do not proceed cautiously. Soliai's price was rising quickly with each passing week. And the price that hovered around $4 million a year in early November kept rising and rising.

But the Dolphins, perhaps cautious that Soliai was on a contract push and could not be trusted long-term, didn't keep pace with an impressive contract offer that could have enticed the player to sign a long-term deal.

That cautious approach protects the team's interest if the player is indeed a one-year wonder or suddenly falls off the performance table at the end of the year. But Soliai played better as the season progressed. And he rejects the idea he's a one-year wonder. He believes the light bulb has come on and this is the player he'll be going forward, maybe even better.

And now his price tag, the neighborhood of which is mentioned in my column, is seriously expensive. What the Dolphins could have bought at a bargain in October and early November is now up to three times pricier.

The Dolphins allowed Soliai's value to outgain their offers instead of getting even or just ahead of that value. So they had to catch up with a burdensome franchise tag tender that accounts for 10 percent of their salary cap.

And, as the column says, negotiations for a multi-year deal will not be easy.

So is all this hindsight?

Of course it is! As an outsider, that's all I can offer. But the Dolphins should be better than dealing with hindsight. They had their own internal evaluations of Soliai's play. They should have known what they were seeing happen on the field.

If their evaluations were saying Soliai was playing at a very high level, their contract offers should have improved dramatically. If their evaluations were saying Soliai wasn't play at the kind of level his agent was selling, the team should have stuck to its negotiating guns.

It is obvious the former is the correct scenario because, again, the Dolphins felt Soliai was so valuable, they tagged him as their franchise player. So if he was so valuable, why didn't they just get ahead of the process and pay him in November?

He would have been much cheaper to sign then.

Please follow me on twitter. And check me out on radio M-F from 6-10 am on 640-AM in South Florida or 640sports.com streaming live on the web.