SB Nation - David Martin

Dolphins release David Martin

Matty I — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:13:00 -0000

Here's a surprising move that is breaking now as we speak. It's being reported by Scout.com and the Sun-Sentinel that the Dolphins have reached an injury settlement with TE David Martin and will release him. This obviously is a major explanation as to why the Dolphins were so intent on keeping both Joey Haynos and John Nalbone on their 53 man roster.

The settlement doesn't stem from his sports hernia surgery, though. It's being reported that he's actually having knee problems.

Meanwhile, it's being reported that the Dolphins have signed another tight end - Davon Drew. Drew was a fifth round pick of the Ravens this year and was waived yesterday as part of their final cuts.

Drew played his college ball at East Carolina and measured in at 6'4, 256 at the Combine. As a senior at ECU, Drew caught 43 balls for 695 yards and 3 touchdowns and was regarded by many during the draft process as a late-round sleeper.

With all that said, though, you can't help but wonder why the Dolphins signed another tight end to replace Martin.

Final Roster Predictions

Matty I — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:30:35 -0000

After a long, grueling training camp and preseason, some players will no longer be Miami Dolphins as of 4 pm eastern on Saturday. The Dolphins went into Thursday's preseason finale with 66 players on their roster. They must be down to 53 players by the 4 pm deadline.

Below is my final roster prediction. I've included some explanations after my prediction. Check it out and then tell us your final predictions.

	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
QB	Chad Pennington	Chad Henne	Pat White
RB	Ronnie Brown	Ricky Williams	Patrick Cobbs
FB	Lousaka Polite
WR	Ted Ginn	Greg Camarillo	Brandon London
WR	Davone Bess	Brian Hartline	Patrick Turner
TE	Anthony Fasano	David Martin	John Nalbone
LT	Jake Long	Andrew Gardner
LG	Justin Smiley	Brandon Frye
C	Jake Grove	Joe Berger
RG	Donald Thomas	Shawn Murphy
RT	Vernon Carey
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
DE	Kendall Langford	Tony McDaniel
NT	Jason Ferguson	Paul Soliai
DE	Randy Starks	Phillip Merling	Lionel Dotson
SOLB	Jason Taylor	Charlie Anderson	Quentin Moses
ILB	Channing Crowder	Reggie Torbor
ILB	Akin Ayodele
WOLB	Joey Porter	Cameron Wake	Erik Walden
CB	Will Allen	Vontae Davis	Jason Allen
CB	Sean Smith	Nathan Jones
S	Yeremiah Bell	Chris Clemons
S	Gibril Wilson	Tyrone Culver
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
K	Dan Carpenter
P	Brandon Fields
LS	John Denney

PUP: Matt Roth
Last 5 On: Brandon London, Erik Walden, John Nalbone, Brandon Frye, Quentin Moses
First 5 Off: Lex Hilliard, William Kershaw, Joey Haynos, Courtney Bryan, Nate Garner

Quick explanations:

The final roster spot, for me, came down to Brandon London, Lex Hilliard, and William Kershaw. But I think Kershaw could still make the team if the Dolphins decide to only keep five outside linebackers as opposed to six - possibly in place of Erik Walden or Quentin Moses. I think they'll try to sneak Hilliard onto the practice squad. The bottom line is that London is more valuable in terms of the number of plays he sees on gameday because of special teams. Although, truth be told, regardless of if it's London or Hilliard, I'm not sure either is a lock to be active on gameday.
I'm confident that the Dolphins will keep three tight ends. Some think David Martin could be a surprise cut, but he's still head and shoulders better than either John Nalbone or Joey Haynos. With the number of two TE sets Dan Henning uses, I don't see why the Dolphins would need to cut Martin. You could see the Dolphins keep Haynos over Nalbone, though - which would mean Nalbone is a prime practice squad candidate. But I also wouldn't be shocked to see another team (Kansas City or Cincinnati, for example) poach Nalbone off wiavers. Both teams have a need at tight end. I wouldn't even take the risk, if I were the Dolphins - which is why Nalbone is on my final 53.
I think Dotson has shown enough to earn a roster spot. But barring injury, he's likely going to be inactive on most gamedays.
I wouldn't be shocked if the Dolphins decided to waive Andrew Gardner in favor of Nate Garner. If that's the case, the Dolphins would obviously hope to get Gardner on the practice squad.
If I had to come up with a list of possible practice squad candidates based on my 53-man roster prediction above, I'd say J.D. Folsom and Lex Hilliard would be locks. Mark Lewis and James Robinson would be other possibilities. And I'd expect the Dolphins to go outside the organization for other potential guys.

Mining your way to fantasy gold - AFC East WR/TEs Edition

Andrew Davidson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Browse more photos »

Apologies if this seems rushed, or if it doesn't get up until a bit after 5 PM Pacific. I recently started a new job (switching careers) and lolly-gagged my way home completely forgetting I had something to do. Kind of like the way the 49ers failed to address RT in the draft. Anyway, today it's the AFC East wide receivers and tight ends edition, and I'll probably be here for quite some time forecasting the numerous options that the Patriots and Bills have to offer (at WR its much more than the Jets and Dolphins). Let's get to the rankings.

AFC East WRs

Randy Moss NE
Terrell Owens BUF
Wes Welker NE
Lee Evans BUF
Jerricho Cotchery NYJ
Ted Ginn MIA

After the jump I rank the TEs and forecast the entire bunch of fantasy ballers, apologies to any WR not good enough to make the top 7 of the East...

AFC East TEs

Dustin Keller NYJ
Anthony Fasano MIA
David Martin MIA
Ben Watson NE

The Patriots

Randy Moss is hands down the best receiver on this team, and quite possibly the most dangerous fantasy WR now that Tom Brady has returne from injury (we all know what happened the last time those two played 16 games together). Last season Moss put up respectable numbers with Matt Cassel at the helm, so I expect bigger numbers now that Brady is back. Perhaps not 23 TDs, but Moss is still worth considering as the first WR off the board on draft day. Fantasy Forecast: 1300 total yards, 16 total TDs

Wes Welker is a beast in PPR leagues, but in most standard scoring leagues, he's still a servicable WR2. In 2008 Welker didn't score as many TDs with Cassel leading the charge, but still managed 111 catches. It doesn't matter if Kevin Faulk is playing QB for the Patriots, Wes Welker getting a lot of catches is going to happen. Since joining the Patriots, Welker has 223 receptions (that's just two seasons). Bonus points for those who can tell me what school Welker went to, and what category he set records in for career totals. Fantasy Forecast: 100 catches, 1050 total yards, 6 total TDs

Ben Watson isn't much in terms of fantasy production, but with Brady (like everyone else) he stands to score more TDs than he did in 2008 (he had just 2). Chris Baker really makes the New England TE stituation sticky, especially with everyone's favourite Alex Smith (the one that isn't a 49er QB) also in the mix. I can't recommend any TE from New England, let alone Watson. Fantasy Forecast: 400 total yards, 4 total TDs

The Bills

I've said it more often than I need to, but the addition of Terrell Owens makes the Bills offensive dangerous in 2009. Owens is aging, like Moss, but is still productive, although not as much as Moss. Two of the greatest wide receivers finally go head to head in two divisional games in 2009, and it should be very interesting indeed. While the Bills offensive line isn't the greatest unit in the world, the presence of Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch will help Owens find open spaces to make grabs and YAC it up. He's definitely a WR1, although not qutie as valuable as the top tier WR1. Fantasy Forecast: 1100 total yards, 9 total TDs

Lee Evans has four 100-yard games in 2008, and is a very explosive playmaker. T.O. should provide Evans with plenty of single-coverage opportunities, and Evans should be able to capitalize. The speedster from Ohio State has scored 32 career TDs in five seasons, and I expect him to keep that average up in 2009. Evans value will be greater depending on how late you can catch him in your draft, but he's definitely worth considering as a fantasy WR2. Fantasy Forecast: 1000 total yards, 6 total TDs

The Jets

Jerricho Cotchery, to me at least, is overrated; I still cannot believe the guy has a 1000-yard season under his belt. He seems slow, he looks smaller than he is, yet he still finds ways to make catches. Mark Sanchez leading the Jets hurts Cotchery's fantasy value, and I don't think he'll get 1000 yards. The WR corps in New York is pretty weak, and the team will be relying heavily on its run game and defense than it will Sanchez' arm. Cotchery has some decent value as a WR3, so a pick in the 90s or 100s isn't ridiculous. I still advise against Cotchery, however. Fantasy Forecast: 800 total yards, 3 total TDs

Dustin Keller, on the other hand, should benefit from having a rookie QB taking snaps. In his rookie season, Keller totalled 535 yards and 3 TDs; not terrible for a first year tight end. When I was doing my mock drafts, Keller was popping up in the mid 120s to early 130s, but I expect he's gone up since then. If you miss out on the big name TEs, and need to spend a late round pick on Keller, he's worth consideration. Fantasy Forecast: 650 total yards, 5 total TDs

The Dolphins

Ted Ginn Jr. makes this list by default because he sits atop the Dolphins depth chart. Drafting him thinking he'll be more value than a WR3 is not very bright. He'll serve his purpose as a spot start, but won't put up fantasy numbers week after week to warrant a permanent place in your starting lineup. Ginn showed much improvement last season, but I expect the entire Dolphins offense to take a few step backs this year, even with the Big Tuna running the front office. Fantasy Forecast: 700 total yards, 5 total TDs

Anthony Fasano and David Martin put up fairly similar numbers in 2008. Fasano finished with 34 catches for 454 yards, Martin had 31 catches for 450. The big difference was Fasano's 7 TDs compared to Martin's 3. So, if I had to pick a Dolphin TE to draft, it would be the former Cowboy (Fasano). While they may end up with a similar amount of catches and yards, TDs make all the difference for TEs. Fasano is extremely borderline as your number one TE, but both make servicable fantasy back-ups. Fantasy Forecast: 500 total yards each, 6 TDs for Fasano, 4 for Martin

Weekend Roundup: Talking camp competition, unsigned draft picks & much more

Matty I — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:15:08 -0000

As you can see from the countdown located in the left sidebar of the front page, we've reached single digits in the countdown to the opening of training camp for the Miami Dolphins. We're less than a week away. In fact, this time next week, we will have real practice reports to discuss. Can I get an "amen" to that?

Of course, this means that the local papers are firing up their Dolphins coverage after a few very slow news weeks. So let's get to some of what was written or discussed this past weekend. Also, our own preparation for camp will continue this week with more "training camp primers." So be sure to check back a lot this week to discuss some more hot topics as camp nears.

THE COMPETITION FOR ROSTER SPOTS WILL HEAT UP
In Barry Jackson's latest "sports buzz" article, he discusses some of the "chatter" about the more competitive roster battles that we'll be focusing on for the next month or so. Some of the highlights are below:

One official close to the Dolphins front office said Wake has been ordinary, and is no cinch to make the roster. Don't misunderstand: The Dolphins still have hopes Wake -- a highly skilled athlete -- can be good, but he must show it in camp.

One Dolphins person warned not to underestimate Walden's value as a core special-teams player. If Miami keeps nine linebackers, that would leave room, hypothetically, for Wake, Walden and Anderson. Otherwise, one of those three probably would not make the team.

Cameron Wake has been severely hyped up by numerous Dolphin fans. And in less than a week, the pads will go on and Wake will have to prove himself to this coaching staff. Despite how many Dolphin fans feel, Wake is far from a lock to make the roster. And what very well could keep his roster spot safe will be Wake's contributions on special teams. The South Florida media raved about Wake's ability to beat down defensive backs in kick coverage during non-contact OTAs and minicamps. If Wake can show that he's as impressive when the hitting goes live, he should have a good shot at making the roster as a special teamer/developmental pass rusher. But again - it's far from a lock.

Erik Walden's special teams contributios cannot be understated here, too. The coverage units instantly improved once Walden was signed by the Dolphins. Hopefully he'll also find a roster spot on the team's 53-man roster.

I'll have much more on the linebacker position battles this week in another "training camp primer" that should help spark some debate/discussion on how the unit will shape up in camp.

General manager Jeff Ireland said he expects McDaniel to make ``a nice splash,'' and former Jaguars teammate Fred Taylor (now with New England) raved about McDaniel, saying he was shocked Jacksonville gave him up for so little (a seventh-rounder). But word is he was inconsistent in the offseason program as he adjusted to Miami's 3-4 defense.

We talked last week about the defensive line. What's interesting is to hear how highly thought of Tony McDaniel was within the Jaguar organization. He's got the ideal size to become a very good 3-4 defensive end (and occassional nose tackle if necessary). But we'll have to wait to see how McDaniel continues to adapt to the 3-4 after spending his career in Jacksonville's 4-3 defense.

Receiver: The Dolphins generally kept five last year, and often had only four active for games. Sparano said Miami might keep six, but a case could be made for keeping a ninth linebacker instead. If a sixth receiver is kept, that opens a roster spot for speedy Anthony Armstrong (an offseason hit) or incumbent Brandon London.

Here Jackson highlights a key point we touched on last week. The number of players kept at several positions will depend on and affect how other positions shape up. We know that this regime seems to value linebackers and doesn't necessarily believe in keeping a ton of receivers. After Greg Camarillo's season-ending injury last year, the Dolphins usually only kept three receivers active on gameday. So it could be a reach to expect the Dolphins to carry six receivers on their 53-man roster. In my opinion, the receiver battle is going to be one of the most important - if not the most important - to monitor in camp and the preseason.

OMAR KELLY PROVIDES SOME MORE INSIGHT INTO MIAMI'S LOCKER ROOM
Last week, Joey Porter gave the NFL Total Access cameras a tour inside the Dolphins' facility in Davie, Florida. That video is right here if you missed it. But Omar Kelly provides some more "locker room info" that Porter didn't discuss on camera.

There are some bits of information Porter left out, like the fact he WAS the only player inside the locker room who has two lockers. His second locker usually holds his mail and Reebok gear. It's decorated with a doctored picture of him shirtless with a gut wearing Pittsburgh gear Some fan (or hater) sent it to him and he uses it as motivation (he loves negative motivation).

If you thought professional athletes don't use these kinds of external factors as motivation, you're wrong. Just like how the Dolphins seemed to thrive last year when they continually got disrespected in the media, Porter uses negative "fan mail" to stoke his interior fire some more - which is awesome, by the way. Any way "Peezy" can get more fired up is fine by me. I just hope, for that "fan's" sake that he didn't include a return address on the envelope. I can just imagine Porter knocking on that guy's door, holding the doctored photo - and the guy just absolutely crapping himself.

Right where Porter found Chad Pennington, the quarterbacks film room (every position has a film room), is Pennington's usual spot. I have yet to meet a player who watches more film at the team facility. Most players take it home because the team now provides breakdowns on CD they can study at home.

Also, Pennington will RARELY ever caught on film without a hat. He's got the worst head of hair in the locker room, and it's usually funny to watch him battle with it after his shower. He must run a brush or comb through it 50 to 60 times before he's satisfied. Then he puts on a hat.

Somebody needs to tell CP that it doesn't matter at all what the hell his hair looks like after a game - as long as he wins, of course.

Oh - and by the way - if you wonder why I remain firmly in the "CP as my starter" corner while a number of you want Chad Henne to be handed the job, the first paragraph above is among my top reasons. And you just know that Pennington's preparation habits have got to be rubbing off on Henne - which is just another reason why I want to thank Brett Favre and the NY Jets.

DAYS WINDING DOWN TO GET REMAINING ROOKIES SIGNED
Players must report to camp on Saturday - with the first practice scheduled for Sunday. And the Dolphins still have three unsigned rookies - including first-round pick Vontae Davis. Pat White and Chris Clemons are the other two.

But only four first-round picks in the entire league are signed. One of them is Alex Mack - the 21st pick in the draft. Davis was the 25th. Also signed was the final pick in round one - Ziggy Hood. Mack and Hood both signed 5 year deals worth $11.3 million. The difference between the two is the guaranteed money. Mack is getting $2.8 million more in guarantees. That should help set a baseline for discussions between the Dolphins and Vontae Davis. I expect Davis to get signed just before camp opens. Don't worry about a holdout.

Because Pat White is a quarterback, his deal could be the toughest. Last year, Chad Henne - a second-round QB - missed one training camp practice while his deal was completed. That highlights how it's tough to get a QB signed no matter what round they were drafted in. But the player drafted just before White, DE Everette Brown, just signed his deal. That should help provide the grounds to an eventual deal between White and the Dolphins. Hopefully it's before camp starts.

As for Chris Clemons, only four 5th round picks remain unsigned. Unfortunately, two of them surround Clemons in the round. Punter Thomas Morstead - picked right in front of Clemons - and safety Michael Hamlin - picked right after Clemons - are yet to come to terms. Another interesting nugget is that Clemons and Hamlin were the starting safety tandem at Clemson. What does that have to do with getting Chris signed? Probably nothing - I don't know. But you can't help but wonder what is taking so long to get this 5th round pick signed.

QUICK HITS
-David Martin's agent has told the Herald that Martin is "healthy and ready to go" after recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery. Good news for sure.

-Vonnie Holliday's agent tells the Palm Beach Post that Holliday could eventually return to Miami as camp progresses. If injuries to Miami's defensive line occur - or if the young guys under-perform, Holliday is just a phone call away. Not a bad insurance policy, if you ask me.

-The Dolphins have modified their training camp schedule just a bit. Now camp will open with just one practice, scheduled for 2 pm, on Sunday.

-Ethan Skolnick wrote more about the disrespect that the defending division champs are getting this year - focusing on Las Vegas' low over/under for Dolphins' wins. Just more fuel for the fire, my friends.

Miami Dolphins Training Camp Primer: The tight race at tight end

Matty I — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:15:08 -0000

Yesterday we focused on the battle that the Miami Dolphins will have in training camp at the wide receiver position. But there's a chance that what happens at the receiver position could impact how the tight end depth chart shapes up heading into the regular season. So it only makes sense that we turn our attention to the tight end race today.

There are a lot of different storylines within this position - just as there was within the receiver battle - to make the usually uneventful tight end training camp battle quite interesting. You got contract issues, injuries, rookies, and a converted wide receiver. What more could you want?

THE QUICK BREAKDOWN

Virtual locks to make roster: Anthony Fasano
On the bubble: David Martin, Joey Haynos, John Nalbone, Ernest Wilford
Long shots: Jared Bronson

THE QUESTIONS

Right off the bat, the first issue that arises is the long-term plans for the position. As it stands now, all three tight ends from the 2008 season are in contract years. Anthony Fasano and David Martin are both scheduled to be free agents following the 2009 season. Joey Haynos is as well, though he'd be an "exclusive rights free agent" - meaning if the Dolphins want him back after the season, they can get him cheaply and easily. Will the team's thoughts on the young tight ends influence which veterans make the team this season?

Further complicating matters is David Martin's recovery from offseason sports hernia surgery. Will he be ready when camp begins in less than two weeks? If not, will the Dolphins consider stashing Martin on the PUP list to begin the season?

THE NUMBERS GAME

So how many tight ends will the Dolphins keep? Most teams keep three - and odds are that's how many Miami will keep. However, with Ernest Wilford working at the tight end position a lot this offseason in an attempt to revive his career, it's conceivable that the Dolphins keep two tight ends - and Wilford, the "quasi-tight end," as the third. He would double as the fifth or sixth receiver as well - possibly freeing up a roster spot for somebody else to make the team at another position.

Like I said above, David Martin's health is a question mark. We don't really know how far along Martin is in his recovery from sports hernia surgery. We do know that he didn't participate in most, if not all, offseason practices. But he was an underrated asset to this offense last year. He made a number of key plays. His 440 yards receiving last year was the fifth on the team and his three touchdown catches were the second most in '08. He's also a versatile tight end. You'll remember that Martin lined up a lot at receiver following Greg Camarillo's season-ending injury last year. Simply releasing him outright probably isn't something the Dolphins are in a rush to do because the young receivers on the roster are basically unknown assets at this point. Putting Martin on the PUP to start the season would give the Dolphins some time to see what they have in the young guys while David gets 100% healthy.

WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US?

Anthony Fasano is a lock to make the team and start. I love the way he plays and I expect him to get even better following his first career season as a starter. His acquisition last offseason was highway robbery at its finest courtesy of Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland.

Joey Haynos is an intriguing guy. He had just two catches last year - one for a touchdown. But he's 6'8 and provides the quarterback with a huge target. The Dolphins are believed to be high on the kid. He'll be entering his second season now with one full year of NFL experience under his belt. It'll be very interesting to see how he comes along in camp and how the Dolphins use him.

John Nalbone was a fifth round pick out of Monmouth this year but is far from a sure thing to make the team. But there's a reason he was drafted as high as he was. He's got good size (6'4, 255) and speed (ran his 40 in the 4.6s) and produced as a pass catcher and run blocker at Monmouth. But he was uncharacteristically inconsistent catching the football during OTAs and minicamps this past offseason. And he's the kind of player you can slip through waivers and place on the practice squad for the year - giving him time to work with the team, learn the offense, and improve his game.

The undrafted rookie out of Central Washington, Jared Bronson, is said to be a very good athlete and was labeled a "sleeper" heading into the draft as a pass-catching receiver. But he'll be a long shot to stick around with two proven vets, a second-year player who the team likes, a rookie drafted earlier, and a former receiver who has NFL experience.

THE KEY BATTLE

The key battle here is really between all four "bubble" tight ends. But if I had to pick one, I'd say it's Haynos against Nalbone. Both are practice squad eligible. And I think that one of these two will indeed be placed on Miami's practice squad - assuming no team claims him off waivers. But the kicker here is that the winner of this position battle could actually be the player placed on the practice squad. Theoretically, the Dolphins could keep Fasano and Martin as their top two tight ends and then keep Wilford around as a WR/TE "swingman" - in which case the winner of this battle ends up on the practice squad. On the other hand, the Wilford experiment could fail and the Dolphins could keep Fasano, Martin, and the winner of this battle - meaning the loser winds up on the practice squad. Lots of possibilities here to consider.

THE PREDICTION

If I had to guess right now, I'd say that Anthony Fasano and David Martin (provided he's healthy) both make the team again. I'd say that Joey Haynos has the inside track to the final tight end spot - meaning Monmouth's John Nalbone lands on Miami's practice squad.

Return to Glory: Wil(ford) or won't we

silencecs — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:17:12 -0000

Might we see a return to teal for our man Wilford?

As some of you know, Ernest Wilford is on the hot seat in Miami. He's struggled ever since leaving Jacksonville and signing a relatively big contract with the dolphins. Well, last season was a debacle for Wilford, seeing him slip to the bottom of the depth chart. The only reason he stayed around last year was his HUGE first year cap number. Well, apparently, the Phins' patients is wearing thin. They are trying Wilford out at TE, but it seems the competition may be too stiff for him there even. Here's what PFT had to say via reports from our southernmost neighbors.

Even With New Position, Wilford Might Not Make It In Miami

Posted by Mike Florio on July 5, 2009 2:28 PM

On the same day that Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald takes a look at the progress of receiver Ernest Wilford in making the transition to tight end, Armando Salguero of the Herald points out that a switch to a new position might not be enough for Wilford to save his job.

Per Salguero, Wilford won't make it into the final 53-man roster, absent injuries to or ineffectiveness of others who are expected to earn spots on the depth chart.

Specifically, Wilford needs tight end David Martin to struggle in his return from hernia surgery and/or rookie tight end John Nalbone to continue to display hands like, well, Wilford's. Alternatively, Wilford needs rookie receivers Patrick Turner and/or Brian Hartline to rupture multiple knee ligaments.

Absent one or more of such developments, Wilford will find himself looking for a new team come the next three-day weekend of the summer of 2009.

When I read this, I immediately became excited. I know Jacksonville is in a youth movement, but Wilford is still on the right side of 30, and he's a proven commodity in Jacksonville. He's got a rapport with David, and he's got great hands and route running ability. I'm still astonished he hasn't caught on in Miami, but it looks like he won't make the cut this season.

This raises the question as to whether or not the Jags should bring Wilford back for another season with the team. He could sign a one or two year "prove-it" contract, enabling both sides to reap the benefits of such a deal. Wilford could prove he can still play in the league, and potentially secure another FA payday in the future, and the Jags would have a proven commodity who isn't injury riddled (ahem, Mike Walker) to go along with Holt. I think it's a good idea on the surface, and Dirk Koetter was the offensive coordinator when Wilford was here last, so picking the offense up shouldn't be much of a problem for him.

One of our WR's will get injured and miss multiple games... I guarantee it. Holt is over 30, and has an iffy knee. Granted, he hasn't missed many games over his career, but the older a player gets, the more likely he is to get injured. Our rookies aren't acclimated to an NFL season yet, and often times their bodies can't take the punishment of a 20 game schedule, so look for one of them to bite the dust for a period of time this season as well. Then there's Troy (Patron') Williamson, who picks up soft tissue injuries like he's stopping to buy groceries. I'm sorry, but he's not a guy I would count on throughout a season. Let's not forget about Mike Walker and his amazing bionic knees, which give out if he's bumped by a large enough dog, or if he bangs them against a table. We have NO security at the WR position, which is why I think we should grab Wilford if he's dumped by the Dolphins, which it appears he will be.

I think it is imperitive the Jaguars have more than 1 player who's completed a full 20 game season, and right now, Torry Holt is the only one. Wilford would bring stability, leadership, good hands, and reliability. Not to mention a decent red-zone target at 6'4"

Will we or won't we?

-Collin Streetman

By the way, if you haven't read this site's best article of the offseason... click here... It didn't get near enough exposure for being such a great piece of work. Read it and comment if you haven't already... Recommend it too.

Poll

Would you bring back Wilford if it meant cutting one of our current WR's?

YES!!! He's a proven commodity who can immediately provide assurance at the position

53 votes

NO!! Rebuilding means we're moving on... No more mediocre WR's...

223 votes

Yes, but only if we keep 6 WR's on the squad... I'm too excited about our rookies to let one go.

116 votes

392 votes | Poll has closed

Weekend Roundup: Talking Ernest Wilford, running backs & more

Matty I — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:15:08 -0000

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend - though it was saddened by the tragic killing of Steve McNair.

We're now less than four weeks away from the Dolphins' first training camp practice on August 2 down in Davie. And while it's going to be a very slow few weeks, I'll do my best to keep things interesting as we near the kickoff of camp.

As for now, let's see what made news this past weekend.

THE ERNEST WILFORD EXPERIMENT
As you all know, Ernest Wilford - last season's major free agent bust - has been working to make the transition from wide receiver to tight end this year. And Wilford seems excited about the move:

"It's been interesting. Defenses don't know if they're going to play me at receiver or tight end. It will create mismatches. I've got to know what I'm doing in protections and the running game. That's the biggest transition. Anything that will help me be a value to this team, I'm willing to do. I'm very confident."

Media reports from OTAs indicate that Wilford has been successful doing just that - creating mismatches. I can't recall right now which beat writer said it, but he said Wilford being on the field working as a tight end has confused the defense at times - either creating an opportunity for himself or for one of his teammates.

But Wilford will have to prove he can block linebackers for this to really work. He has gained some weight - currently tipping the scales at 240 pounds. But that's still 10 to 15 pounds lighter than Miami's other tight ends. And if he can't be at least a marginal blocker, defenses won't have to respect the possibility that the Dolphins will run the ball when he comes in at tight end.

Wilford could also lose his roster spot simply thanks to the numbers crunch. The Dolphins currently have four legitimate tight ends on the roster. Anthony Fasano is a lock to start. David Martin was a key contributor last year - but he's currently recovering from a hernia and didn't practice at all during OTAs and minicamp. The Dolphins spent a 5th round pick on Monmouth TE John Nalbone. And it's believed that this regime is very high on Joey Haynos - a 6'7, 266 pound young, athletic tight end with good hands.

Where does this leave Wilford? His best chance to make the team is to probably prove he can play two roles - the team's third tight end and their sixth wide receiver. This regime does love players who can do multiple things. However, Wilford isn't a special teams contributor at all - which hurts his case. And they have far more talented and promising receivers on the roster. Perhaps if David Martin lands on the PUP list, Wilford would have a better chance. Then he could just beat out either Haynos or Nalbone - and the Dolphins could then attempt to stash one of those two on their practice squad.

But when all is said and done, I'm not really expecting Wilford to stick around. It's expected that David Martin will be back for training camp and I don't see the Dolphins releasing two young players with potential to keep a 30 year old converted tight end on the roster.

FOX SPORTS: DOLPHINS HAVE BEST RBs IN AFC EAST
You'll remember that a week ago, each of the four AFC East bloggers had to rank the division's running back stables. Obviously, I ranked the Dolphins at the top. Of course, the other 3 blogs disagreed. But at least I found someone who agrees with me.

FOX Sports' Adrian Hasenmayer has ranked the running back packages of all 32 teams. He placed the Dolphins at #9 - one spot ahead of the Jets, six ahead of the Patriots, and eight ahead of the Bills. And this is even with Hasenmayer selling Patrick Cobbs short. He says of him, "Cobbs is listed as the current third-stringer, but he's more important as a return threat. Miami could use a better No. 3 piece, but as long as the Ronnie-Ricky combo stays healthy, the Dolphins should be set in the backfield."

I obviously disagree about Cobbs. He doesn't get the credit he deserves, but he'd be a very capable #2 running back for a number of NFL teams. Being behind the likes of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams means he doesn't get enough carries to show off his skills. His versatility, however, as a runner, receiver, blocker, and return man make him a very valuable part of the Dolphins.

QUICK HITS
-The Miami Herald is reporting that the Dolphins are interested in extending the contract of Matt Roth, who is a free agent following the 2009 season. But his agent says the two sides aren't close yet.

-AOL Fanhouse ranks "Pennington vs Henne" as the number 10 QB competition heading into training camp. But let's get real - there isn't a QB competition in Miami right now.

3 Up and 3 Down

Matty I — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:15:09 -0000

It's time to once again go "three up and three down" with the Miami Dolphins. This is our weekly offseason Thursday feature, where I'll simply ask a question about the Dolphins, give three positive answers and three negative answers of some sort, and then open up the floor to all of you for your thoughts.

This week, I want to touch on players who might break out and players who might take a step back.

THREE BREAKOUT PLAYERS IN 2009

1. Ted Ginn Jr - Yesterday I wrote an in-depth piece about Ted Ginn and what we hope to see from him in 2009. In a nut shell, this will be Teddy's 3rd season in the league and it's now time for him to step his game up and become a "go-to" receiver. He has the physical tools to do it. He just needed to catch up to the mental aspects of playing receiver in the NFL. Perhaps Ginn's learning disability has slowed Ted's development as an NFL receiver. And if that is the case, we shouldn't be at all concerned considering he's overcome that in school to post terrific grades as a student. Tony Sparano has also made it a point to talk about how much Ginn has improved this offseason, referring to Ginn as "dominant" at times in practice. Let's hope this translates to "dominance" in actual games.

2. Matt Roth - Roth will be entering his second season as a strongside outside linebacker for the Dolphins after converting from the defensive end position. He developed very well last year as the season progressed, becoming the Dolphins' top run-defending linebacker. And that was despite playing the year with an injured groin. But he's had that taken care of and feels fully healthy. He's also more confident entering year two as a linebacker and has veterans like Joey Porter and Jason Taylor to lean on for advice. While I don't think Roth's sack numbers will dramatically improve from the five he recorded last year (because he won't be asked to rush the passer as much this year), I think we'll see a better Roth in terms of coverage and there's no reason to expect anything but improvement as a run-stopper - something he was already effective at last year.

3. Channing Crowder - It's rare that a player who was drafted in the 3rd round of the draft but has already recorded two 100 tackle seasons in his first four years gets as scrutinized as Channing has been. But despite his solid play, Crowder hasn't produced many of those critical "game-changing" plays that fans want to see from their star inside linebacker. Through his first four years, Crowder has recorded just 1.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. He also still has a tendency to run himself out of plays by taking bad angles - though that wasn't as much of a problem last year. But I don't think it's a coincidence that the one game Crowder missed in 2008, the Chiefs ran for 180 yards on just 21 carries and scored 31 points. In that game, Miami's inside linebackers combined for just 4 tackles. I'm looking for Crowder to have a very big 2009 season - making those plays that he historically hasn't made too often in the past.

THREE PLAYERS WHO MIGHT TAKE A STEP BACK IN 2009

1. Joey Porter - It's not common for a linebacker to have a career year at the age of 31. But that's exactly what Porter did in 2008 - setting a career high in sacks with 17.5. But Porter wore down as the season dragged on and he only picked up 1 sack and 4 tackles in the final 3 regular season games. With the return of Jason Taylor to Miami and the signing of Cameron Wake, Porter won't be asked to do as much as he had to last year. While I think Porter will be more effective in terms of efficiency in 2008, I don't think Joey will put up the kind of numbers he put up last season.

2. Greg Camarillo - This one is really a no-brainer. Camarillo was having a career year last season before going down with that torn ACL in November against the Pats. He was on pace for an 80 reception, 900 yard season. Though his rehab seems to be going as well as can be right now, I just think it's too much to ask for Greg to come back and instantly be his old self on the field in 2009. Ronnie Brown was good last year following his torn ACL - but was far from the player we saw in 2007 before his injury. I expect a similar step back from Camarillo in '09.

3. David Martin - In 2008, Martin quietly had a very solid season as Miami's #2 tight end. He posted a career high in receiving yards (450) and tied his career mark for touchdowns (3). But numbers don't tell the whole story for Martin's 2008 season. He made a number of big catches as the season wore on and looked like a completely different player than we saw in 2007. However, Martin has not been participating in OTAs while he recovers from a sports hernia. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are said to be high on Joey Haynos and spent a 5th round draft pick on Monmouth TE John Nalbone. Martin is also a free agent following the year (one of three free agent TEs the Dolphins will have). So I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Fins slowly fazed Martin out of the offense - especially of Haynos and Nalbone show that they can be solid compliments to starter Anthony Fasano.

Decision 2009: Which impending free agents should the Dolphins re-sign?

Matty I — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:41:48 -0000

Here's a sight the Patriots better prepare for - Ronnie Brown running right by them all. (Photo courtesy of Jim Davis / Boston Globe)

View full size photo »

The Dolphins re-signed CB Will Allen on Tuesday to a deal that will keep the veteran cornerback in Miami through 2011. But Allen was just one of a number of key free agents the Dolphins will have next offseason. It's unlikely that the Dolphins could re-sign all of them. So the question becomes which to re-sign at all? In particular, which ones should the front office make a priority now before the 2009 season even begins?

Let's discuss some of the key impending 2010 free agents:

Ronnie Brown
Without question, the key decision that this front office will have to make at some point is whether or not to give Brown the long-term deal that he is probably hoping for. Brown, who is 27, is now fully recovered from his 2007 ACL tear and says he feels better than he ever has. Before his injury in '07, Brown was having his best career season and perhaps was the best running back in the NFL - leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage and having a real shot at breaking the NFL record for yards from scrimmage in a single season. Last year, Brown bounced back from his ACL injury to reach his first career Pro Bowl. But he admittedly wasn't 100% yet. Now the Dolphins must decide if they should extend Ronnie's contract now - or at all.

Making things even more difficult is the impending CBA negotiations. As it stands now, with no new CBA, the 2010 season is an uncapped year. One of the changes that occurs during such a year is that it would take six accrued NFL season to reach unrestricted free agency - meaning Ronnie would only be a restricted free agent. The Dolphins could put the highest tender offer on Brown and make any team that signs him surrender two 1st round picks.

Of course, if the front office decides to take the "want and see" approach, there could be a new CBA agreed upon prior to the start of the new "league year" next offseason - which would male Brown an unrestricted free agent. So banking on an uncapped year is a very risky proposition.

Regardless of all that CBA talk, though, the question I'm posing now is if the Dolphins should sign Brown to an extension prior to the '09 season. Those in favor would argue that signing Brown now locks up our "franchise running back." So if Brown has a career year, the Dolphins wouldn't have to give in to his increased demands next offseason. And we also know how hard it is to find a good running back. Remember all those seasons during the Marino era and the "post-Marino, pre-Ricky" era?

Those in favor of waiting on extending Brown - or not extending Ronnie at all - would tell you that running backs are easily found. They'd tell you that Brown will be 28 in December and doesn't have too many years left as a first string tailback. And they'd tell you Brown will be too expensive and eat up too much cap space.

So how much would it cost to luck up Brown? That's obviously a key part of all this. I think that two recent running back deals take center stage here. Last offseason, Michael Turner signed a 6 year, $34.5 million deal that included $15 million in guarantees. This offseason, Maurice Jones-Drew signed a 5 year, $31 million deal that included $17.5 million guaranteed. If Will Allen is worth over $5 million per year over the next 3 years, isn't Brown worth just as much - if not more?

In my opinion, I'd lock him up right now to a 5 year extension - paying him $30 million and keeping him in Miami for the foreseeable future. He's this team's #1 offensive weapon and I strongly believe he's in for a big 2009 season - one that would probably increase his value if he reached the open market. Let's get Ronnie locked up now!

Chad Pennington
Pennington's 2 year deal with the Dolphins expires following the '09 season and I don't think the front office has any plans to extend Pennington's deal in Miami prior to the 2010 offseason. I think that Pennington's play in 2009, the Dolphins' 2009 success, and the development of Chad Henne and Pat White will go a long way towards Pennington's future. Pennington's willingness to become a backup at some point will likely also play a big role in if he returns in 2010.

But as far as we're concerned here, I wouldn't expect an extension for Pennington this offseason.

Matt Roth
Roth's rookie contract expires following the 2009 season. But Roth revived his career last year in year one of the "outside linebacker experiment" - setting career highs in tackles and sacks while become a very good run-stopping linebacker. He did a terrific job setting the edge. As he enters year two, should the Dolphins make it a priority to re-sign Roth before the season?

This is one that I'd wait on - if you ask me. I don't think teams will be clamoring to sign him next offseason - though he has become good at what he does. I'd just want to make sure he doesn't take a step back as a linebacker in 2009. I'm not opposed to an in-season extension if he's playing well - but I'd be in no rush to give Roth an extension.

Anthony Fasano and David Martin and Joey Haynos
We know that Bill Parcells loves him some tight ends - which is why I bet the Big Tuna is losing sleep every night thinking about the impending free agencies of these three. The Fins are said to be high on Joey Haynos and they did draft Monmouth TE John Nalbone - a personal favorite of mine. So this makes for an interesting situation to watch.

I would definitely wait in extending any of these three - especially David Martin's. Martin played well last year in his role as #2 tight end. But he wasn't very good in 2007. So you have to make sure '08 wasn't an anomoly.

Like I said, right now isn't the time to extend these guys. But if Fasano plays as well as he did last year, I'll be the first one clamoring for the Fins to re-sign the big guy.

Ricky Williams
The Dolphins extended Williams last offseason and Ricky will make $3.4 million in 2009. Williams has publicly said he plans on playing for just two more years - meaning 2010 could be his last. He's also made it a point to talk about how much he loves playing for the Dolphins and how he fits in well here. I'd expect Ricky to return to Miami in 2010 - whether they extend his contract now, during the season, or next offseason.

Davone Bess
Bess is coming off of the second best rookie season in NFL history for an undrafted free agent receiver and is entering the final year of a two year deal. But Bess would be an exclusive rights free agent next offseason - meaning if the Dolphins tender him a deal, Bess must take it. So don't count on Bess seeing an extension here in 2009.

Brandon London
London will be a restricted free agent following the 2009 season. I wouldn't expect a 2009 extension but it will be very interesting to see how London is used, if he steps up, and if the Dolphins tender him next offseason.

Jason Ferguson
Miami's big 34 year old nose tackle will be a free agent next offseason. But I wouldn't be too worried about him leaving Miami. Assuming he still wants to play, I don't think Jason would leave Miami. He likes this coaching staff. He likes Bill Parcells. And I'd imagine there wouldn't be too many teams trying to sign a 35 year old nose tackle. So I wouldn't worry about Jason's impending free agency at all.

Dan Carpenter
That's right - our second year kicker (affectionately known as "DC$") will be an exclusive rights free agent following the season. If he builds off of his very good rookie season - hitting 21 of 25 field goals, including 10 of 14 from 40+ yards - I'd expect DC to be tendered next offseason.

Dolphins vs Ravens: 4 Burning Questions

Matty I — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:00:08 -0000

Happy New Year, everybody! Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2009!

But there's business to tend to now. Like Tony Sparano, holidays don't ruin our focus here, either. So let's get right to the burning questions for this Sunday's Wild Card game between the Dolphins and Ravens.

How effective can the 'Wildcat' and the Dolphins' ground game be?
This is one of the key questions for Sunday's game. Back in week 17, Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Patrick Cobbs combined for just 46 yards rushing on 18 carries. That's not acceptable. This was also the first game that really saw the Wildcat formation get shut down - gaining just 4 yards on 5 attempts. So on Miami's 13 other running plays, the Fins gained 42 yards - 3.2 yards per carry.

The problem last time, though, was that the Dolphins were trying to run - especially with the Wildcat - to the outside of Baltimore's defense. That's not how you attack this Baltimore defense - a smart, aggressive, and most importantly, fast defense. They can cover track down ball carriers sideline to sideline as good as or better than any defense I've watched in the last 10 years. So running those Wildcat handoffs to Ricky Williams and having him run "east and west" rather than "north and south" is a bad idea.

Instead, the Dolphins need to use a power running game. They need to pound Ronnie, Ricky, Patrick, and Lousaka between the tackles. Yes, this Raven defense is damn good against the run. But you can't abandon the run altogether. Keep it simple and run right at them. Challenge them. Don't play to their strength and try to get the edge on the outside. That won't work.

Also - it'll be interesting to see if the Wildcat gets used at all. I think using it as a way to get Ronnie the ball quicker and find a hole between the tackles is not a bad idea. If nothing else, it'll force the Ravens to respect the run up the middle out of that Wildcat - possibly setting them up for some trickery out of the formation. After all, they could be susceptible to biting and falling for a pass out of the Wildcat. The Ravens are fast and aggressive and could get caught out of position if they over-pursue.

Can the Dolphins contain Baltimore's ground attack?
It's no secret that running the ball is what the Ravens want to do. Their 37 rush attempts per game average was tops in the entire league this year and their 148.5 yards per game average was good for 4th in the league.

What makes Baltimore so good at what they do is that they have 3 running backs who are good at what they do - each with their own style. Le'Ron McClain, Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice each ran for over 450 yards this year. Back in week 7, it was McGahee who did the majority of Baltimore's damage on the ground, running for 105 yards on just 19 carries.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, have been up and down against the run this year. Just last week against the Jets, the Fins held the AFC's leading rusher, Thomas Jones, to just 23 yards on 10 carries. But just the week before, the Dolphins surrendered 180 rushing yards to the Chiefs on just 21 carries. Of course, they were without Channing Crowder that game.

On the season, the Dolphins ranked 10th in the league, allowing 101.2 yards per game on the ground. But here are a couple interesting numbers. When the Dolphins hold opponents under 100 yards rushing, they are 6-1 this year. When they hold them under 120 yards, they are 8-3. On the flip side, the Ravens are 1-3 when being held under 120 yards on the ground - but were only held under 100 yards once (a loss to Indianapolis).

So as you can see, the Dolphins' defensive success will depend on how well they stop the run.

Which Dolphin will step up in the passing game?
Trivia question: which team was able to gain the most yards through the air on the Ravens' defense? The Miami Dolphins, of course.

That's right - the Dolphins' 288 net passing yards was the most Baltimore surrendered all season; and it was over 100 yards more than their 2008 per game average. But the Dolphins two leading receivers in that game were Greg Camarillo and David Martin, who combined for 10 catches and 145 yards receiving. Camarillo has since been placed on IR and Martin's status for Sunday is in question after leaving last week's game early with what appeared to be a concussion.

Luckily for the Dolphins, it seems like a different player has stepped up in the passing game all year long on any given Sunday. Last week, Ted Ginn led the team in receiving yards. The week before was Davone Bess. And the week before that was David Martin.

Even in game, different players have arisen to make critical plays. Anthony Fasano has a knack for doing so. As do all 3 running backs. And even Brandon London was getting in the act last week, making a key lunging 3rd down grab.

So who's it going to be this week?

Will home field truly be an advantage?
So here's what I know. The last time the Dolphins made the playoffs, they hosted the Ravens. That was back in 2001. As we all know, the Dolphins lost by 17 that day.

But more importantly, that game didn't even sell out - if I recall correctly. And if it did, the sellout occurred very close to gameday. Now I know that Sunday's game is technically "sold out." But tickets still remain both on the "club level" as well as through various ticket brokers and outlets. That means seats are still going to be empty if these tickets aren't bought.

That can't happen! The Dolphins need your help. They need that stadium to be rocking. They need your energy; your passion.

And if you think the noise doesn't make a difference, you're wrong. The last time the Dolphins took the field at Dolphin Stadium, 49ers QB Shaun Hill was unable to hear the play being called into his helmet from the offensive coordinator. That's how loud it was; and that makes a difference.

That's all I got for now.

Tell us all what you think. What questions are you pondering as we approach Sunday's game?