
Finhead83
Jan 19, 2010 May 31, 2012 212 13642
Contributing writer to the Phinsider, the #1 Dolphin blog on the web!
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Miami Dolphins Ceiling and Floor Player Analysis: Daniel Thomas
Last week I did a best case and worst case scenario for Miami's starting RB, Reggie Bush. I will continue these types of posts and will go with Miami's current #2 RB, Daniel Thomas. You can read last week's post about Bush here if you want to read about his best case and worst case scenarios.
It's rare to say a player's second season in the NFL could be his make or break season, but that could be the case for Thomas. His performance in 2012 could determine his future on the team. A breakout season could mean he enters 2013 as the starter. A poor year in 2012 could mean he's not even on the team in 2013 as Miami could look to re-sign Bush and use Miller as a #2 RB. Because of his rookie contract, I find it unlikely to see Thomas anywhere except Miami in 2013, but he'd have a heck of a hole to dig out of in 2013 if he enters that season as a #3 RB. This season means big things for the former Wildcat RB.
Miami Dolphins Ceiling and Floor Player Analysis: Reggie Bush
ESPN's James Walker gave me an idea earlier this week they they did a dream scenario and nightmare scenario for Miami's season, predicting that the Dolphins can finish at worst 2-14 and at best 9-7. Many people don't like it and while I'd probably say 5-11 is probably Miami's nightmare scenario and I can't see them finishing worse, I do think 9-7 or 10-6 is a good portrayal of Miami's ceiling in 2012. I keep 10-6 as a slight possibility because of an easy schedule, not because I think Miami is a team worthy of a 10-6 record.
Instead of getting into more analysis of the Dolphins as a team though, I am going to look at the worst and best case scenarios for individual players. I'm going to skip over the QB's here. Why? Because they all have a ceiling of being the starter and also have the floor of being the 3rd QB. That's why I'm going to fast forward to the RB's. Reggie Bush is up first!
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Payton: No Jenkins trade
UPDATE: Dallas Cowboys coach Sean Payton had a very blunt statement for Cowboys writer Nick Eatman today concerning cornerback Mike Jenkins, who is refusing to take part in team OTAs and is demanding a trade: "He's making a business decision. We're not going to trade him."
My services are no longer required and the Bucs will try to trade me.
Is dotting players just as bad as putting bounties on players?
In this article by Mike Florio, it highlights a paragraph from Rex Ryan's book in which he says the Jets "dot" players for their defense to knock out of games, but not by illegal methods.
Is that as bad as the Saints placing bounties? Gregg Williams never mentioned illegal hits either (you can make a case for testing their head) with New Orleans, but the Saints did put cash on the table. I'm sure many will have differing opinions. What are your thoughts?
The Miami Dolphins and Cameron Wake reached a 4-year/$49 million contract extension. The deal includes $20 million in guaranteed money. I am unsure of base salary numbers and how much guaranteed money comes in the form of signing bonuses, but I'll post it when I find out.
Post Draft Status of the Miami Dolphins
It's quite a relief the NFL Draft is over. There was so much anxiety this off-season for Dolphin fans. It started with Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn in February and early March. Since we realized neither of them would be a Dolphin, all the speculation was based on whether Ryan Tannehill or another QB prospect would be Miami's new QB. I'm just thankful all that speculation and anxiety is over. Now we can move forward filling up the roster and looking forward to the 2012 season. Except the draft didn't answer everything. Of course, Miami had enough needs that it'd be naive to think a single draft would answer all their questions. So what questions remain?
QB: It's unlikely Ryan Tannehill will be the starter, at least until late in the regular season if Miami finds themselves struggling. There will still be a QB competition, but it'll between Matt Moore and David Garrard. Moore did well enough last season to give some hope for competent QB play in 2012, but he will need to improve to fit in the West Coast Offense. Moore will need to improve his footwork and will need to cut down on his turnovers. Likewise, he will have to work on timing as that will be an important factor in running an efficient offense. He did well enough last year with some improv work on scrambles, but you can't run an effective West Coast Offense with a QB that holds on to the ball too long trying to make a play work. He will need to be in sync with his receivers and throw timely, accurate passes.
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Sorry ESPN, but Eddie George never played for the Texans.
Updated Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
Here is my second updated draft chart of the night. This will be the final one until tomorrow.
Offense:
QB: Matt Moore, David Garrard, Ryan Tannehill, Pat Devlin
RB: Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas, Steve Slaton
FB: Jerome Messam, Charles Clay
WR: Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, Legedu Naanee, Marlon Moore, Roberto Wallace
TE: Anthony Fasano, Michael Egnew, Charles Clay, Jeron Mastrud
LT: Jake Long, Will Barker
LG: Richie Incognito, Nate Garner, Ray Feinga
RG: Artis Hicks, John Jerry
RT: Jonathan Martin, Lydon Murtha
Updated Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
Here is my second updated draft chart to reflect the selection of Jonathan Martin,
Offense:
QB: Matt Moore, David Garrard, Ryan Tannehill, Pat Devlin
RB: Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas, Steve Slaton
FB: Jerome Messam
WR: Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, Legedu Naanee, Marlon Moore, Roberto Wallace
TE: Anthony Fasano, Charles Clay, Jeron Mastrud
LT: Jake Long, Will Barker
LG: Richie Incognito, Nate Garner, Ray Feinga
RG: Artis Hicks, John Jerry
RT: Jonathan Martin, Lydon Murtha
Miami Dolphins Updated Depth Chart
After each pick, I'm going to give an updated depth chart for the Dolphins for how I see them lining up for now. Here is the first one.
Offense:
QB: Matt Moore, David Garrard, Ryan Tannehill, Pat Devlin
RB: Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas, Steve Slaton
FB: Jerome Messam
WR: Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, Legedu Naanee, Marlon Moore, Roberto Wallace
TE: Anthony Fasano, Charles Clay, Jeron Mastrud
LT: Jake Long, Will Barker
LG: Richie Incognito, Ray Feinga
RG: John Jerry, Nate Garner
RT: Artis Hicks, Lydon Murtha
Finhead's Musings: Which prospects can unexpectedly climb or fall
I am through with my mock drafts. I promise you will see no more of them. At least for another 330 days or so. As one final piece prior to the NFL Draft, I will provide my opinions on which players may slide or climb quite a bit in the draft.
Potential Fallers:
Andre Branch, DE/OLB: This is a bit of a mystery to me because I don't know exactly why Branch has been falling. He's a versatile player that has played on both the right and left side of the field and he can play either DE in a 4-man scheme or an OLB in the 3-4. I still think he has the potential to go as early as San Diego at #18 overall, but he could slide into the early half of the second round.
Janoris Jenkins, CB: There is no doubt Jenkins is one of the most talented CB's in the draft. I have said for months the kid would be challenging Morris Claiborne as the top CB in the draft class if he didn't have character issues. Unfortunately, he has quite a few character issues he has had to answer for. Teams will be afraid of another Adam "Pacman" Jones pick and that could be exactly the type of player Jenkins turns out to be. His talent alone could have him going in the middle of the first round, but his character issues could cause him to slip into the early second round.
Mike Adams, OT: He was a potential late first round pick, but then things took a bad turn. It was later discovered Adams failed a drug test at the combine for marijuana. You may think it was a simple marijuana fail and teams won't weigh that too heavily. Beyond putting him directly into the NFL's substance abuse program as a stage one offender, teams recognize how foolish Adams must have been in the first place. It's not like Adams failed a random drug test. He knew he was going to be tested at the combine and still failed it, showing a great lack of maturity on his part. That will also be a major concern that can drop Adams down to the late second round, possibly third round.
Ryan Tannehill, QB: Surprising? Maybe. The rumored interest of the Dolphins have been all over the place. If the Dolphins do pass on Tannehill, there remains a fairly good chance both the Seahawks, Chiefs, and Cardinals won't select him. The next team on the board that may seriously consider him could be the Cleveland Browns at #22. Still, the Browns may feel a QB like Brandon Weeden is the better QB. Simply put, some teams may prefer Weeden, not Tannehill, as the third highest ranking QB in the draft. That could cause Tannehill to slide into the late first round and potentially, but less likely, the early part of the second round. If that happens, expect a lot of teams to be calling the Colts for the first pick of the second round before the second day of the draft ever starts.
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Even the Jet cheerleaders are getting in on the Tebow action.
I wonder if they'll actually make it part of the routine in games.
Finhead's Mock Draft: The Final Version
The NFL Draft will be held this week in Radio City Music Hall this week in New York City. All I can say is that it's about time. The NFL Draft won't address all of our questions or ease all the concerns, but it'll at least change the direction of conversation we've had over the past month. I'm also a bit relieved this is the final mock draft. Of all that I have done, I think it's entirely safe to say that none of them will be accurate. I'd settle if I got 40% of the picks correct even. There will be surprise moves and trades. Regardless of who Miami selects, there will be plenty of people that don't agree with the pick. That just shows how many holes Miami has on their roster. Now to the final mock...
1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: I don't think this pick will be one of those surprising moves I mentioned... This is a free pick towards my 40% mark.
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR and it would not be surprising to see them go with Justin Blackmon. There should be a few impact tackles available early in the second, but there should also be a few good WR's available as well.
4) Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR: The Browns could go RB or WR here, but I give Blackmon the edge.Colt McCoy lacks talent all around him and the Browns are not blind to the fact. Blackmon may be the first of many prospects to face scrutiny over his value, in part because of the combine performances of other WR prospects, but he is still the top WR prospect in the draft.
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Trent Richardson, RB: Greg Schiano will be looking to run the ball a lot and Richardson gives him a tremendous RB prospect to do it with. Richardson is a more versatile weapon than LeGarrette Blount and will help form a very good RB duo. It may be surprising to many to see a RB picked in the top 5, but Richardson is the best RB prospect in the NFL Draft since Adrian Peterson.
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Marc Colombo signs a deal with the Cowboys and then retires.
He wasn't successful with Miami, but congratulations to Colombo for a long career in which he did enjoy success in Dallas.
Weekly Free Agency Recap
It has been another quiet week in free agency as the draft moves closer. Here is a quick recap of this week's signings.
Redskins re-signed LB London Fletcher.
Steelers re-signed QB Charlie Batch to a one-year deal.
Raiders re-signed S Matt Giordano.
Jets signed DE Jay Richardson and S DeAngelo Smith. Aaron Maybin also signed his RFA tender.
Giants signed CB Antwuan Molden.
The NFL has changed the start time of Miami's home opener against the Raiders. The game, originally slated to start at 4:15 p.m., will now start at 1 p.m. due to Rosh Hashanah. This means both of Miami's home games in September will have 1 p.m. start times. Good news for fans wanting the heat advantage.
2012 Miami Dolphins Schedule: The Best Case Scenario
I got this idea from a writer at Gang Green Nation. The schedule will be released for the Miami Dolphins, along with 31 NFL teams we don't care about, later tonight. There are a few things that could be used as an advantage or a disadvantage with the scheduled based on how it goes. For one, it wouldn't be in Miami's best interest to go to SF on a Monday night and ruin a week of preparation for their next game. How would I choose to set up Miami's schedule if I had the power to do so? Here's how:
First let's take a look at who Miami hosts and visits. Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, St. Louis, and Seattle will visit Miami. The Dolphins will travel to San Francisco, Houston, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Arizona. They also have their home and away games against Buffalo, NY Jets, and New England. As part of the rules for the schedule, teams may not play in more than three consecutive road games and Week 17 will be played against a division opponent.
Finhead's Musings: Removing the kickoff would end careers.
I'm going to keep this one simple and get straight to the point. John Mara, owner of the New York Giants and a member of the Competition Committee, announced the NFL has held preliminary discussions to remove the kickoff from the game. Why would they do this? Because it would further reduce the chances of a concussion.
Why do I think this is a bad idea? Is it because it would eliminate excitement from the game? It would, but that isn't the only reason. Is it because it would have a negative impact on the Miami Dolphins since they are so great returning kickoffs? You know that can't be the case. Why? Because it would end careers. I already know what people are thinking. They believe that I would be wrong because less concussions would preserve careers. In some instances, you're right. In some scenarios, that'd be wrong?
Finhead's Mock Draft: Version 14
April has been flying by and that is awfully good. I generally consider late March and April to be among the slowest times in the year for the NFL along with May. I'd throw in the short time between February and the start of free agency in March, but the Dolphins generally do a pretty good job of keeping that time intriguing for fans as they look for a new Head Coach. Now to the mock!
1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: The Colts would be crazy if they truly believe they're considered Robert Griffin III at this spot instead of Luck.
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR and it would not be surprising to see them go with Justin Blackmon. There should be a few impact tackles available early in the second, but there should also be a few good WR's available as well.
4) Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR: The Browns could go RB or WR here, but I give Blackmon the edge. Colt McCoy lacks talent all around him and the Browns are not blind to the fact. Blackmon may be the first of many prospects to face scrutiny over his value, in part because of the combine performances of other WR prospects, but he is still the top WR prospect in the draft.
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Trent Richardson, RB: Greg Schiano will be looking to run the ball a lot and Richardson gives him a tremendous RB prospect to do it with. Richardson is a more versatile weapon than LeGarrette Blount and will help form a very good RB duo. It may be surprising to many to see a RB picked in the top 5, but Richardson is the best RB prospect in the NFL Draft since Adrian Peterson.
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Finhead's Mock Draft: Version 13
Free agency is still in a lull as teams look towards the NFL Draft. There isn't much change in this mock draft.
1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: This is about as much of a lock as you can get. We already know the Colts are drafting a QB with this pick. It'd be a complete shock if they went with any other QB not named Luck.
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR, but help keeping Christian Ponder upright will help him just as much.
4) Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR: The Browns could go RB or WR here, but I give Blackmon the edge. No matter who they have at QB, the Browns will have to give them a receiving weapon. Blackmon may be the first of many prospects to face scrutiny over his value, in part because of the combine performances of other WR prospects, but he is still the top WR prospect in the draft.
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Trent Richardson, RB: Greg Schiano will be looking to run the ball a lot and Richardson gives him a tremendous RB prospect to do it with. Richardson is a more versatile weapon than LeGarrette Blount and will help form a very good RB duo.
Weekly Free Agency Recap
This week has gone by fast and quiet. So fast in fact I thought today was Thursday. For the second straight week, the NFL has stayed relatively quiet as teams prepare for the NFL Draft later this month. The biggest football news has been the released tape of Gregg Williams giving a pre-game speech to the Saints before they took on the 49ers. Williams will not look back and think 2012 was a good year for him. We'll take a quick look at Miami's only move of the week.
Signed S Tyrell Johnson, Contract Details Unknown: Johnson was a reserve safety for the Vikings and has 123 tackles, 2 INTs, and 2 fumble recoveries in 49 games played. He was drafted by the Vikings in 2008 in the second round when Minnesota traded up to select him. He was moving up the boards quickly. Being able to run a 40 in 4.4 seconds will do that to a prospect. Johnson is a solid tackler, but only when he's working in closed spaces. He's had issues in Minnesota trying to bring down a player in the open field and that is a liability when you're the last resort on defense. When he's playing up close to the line of scrimmage though, he's a very good player against the run. He's been solid on special teams and may be able to unseat Nolan Carroll as a gunner on the punt units. It's likely Johnson won't be the first in line to claim the SS position, but he's not a bad signing. My grade for this move would depend on his salary, but I don't believe Miami spent much to acquire him. He's a good signing for potential, depth, and special teams. Grade: C+
Finhead's 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Version 12
Free agency has settled down a bit as teams look more towards the draft. Not a ton of free agency moves will be made over the few weeks so some of the mock drafts may start to see less changes.
1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: This is about as much of a lock as you can get. We already know the Colts are drafting a QB with this pick. It'd be a complete shock if they went with any other QB not named Luck.
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR, but help keeping Christian Ponder upright will help him just as much.
4) Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR: The Browns could go RB or WR here, but I give Blackmon the edge. No matter who they have at QB, the Browns will have to give them a receiving weapon. Blackmon may be the first of many prospects to face scrutiny over his value, in part because of the combine performances of other WR prospects, but he is still the top WR prospect in the draft.
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Trent Richardson, RB: Greg Schiano will be looking to run the ball a lot and Richardson gives him a tremendous RB prospect to do it with. Richardson is a more versatile weapon than LeGarrette Blount and will help form a very good RB duo.
Finhead's Mock Draft: Version 11
Free agency is here and over the next few weeks, the mock drafts will change based on what players each team signs. There are some changes after only a week of free agency. Let the fun begin.
1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: This is about as much of a lock as you can get. We already know the Colts are drafting a QB with this pick. It'd be a complete shock if they went with any other QB not named Luck.
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR, but help keeping Christian Ponder upright will help him just as much.
Miami Dolphins Free Agency Weekly Recap and Analysis
Here is the weekly recap of the moves made by the Miami Dolphins and some other teams around the NFL. I'll start with the Dolphins.
Current Free Agents:
Chad Henne: Signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ryan Baker: Re-signed with Miami.
Ikaika Alama-Francis: Remains unsigned.
Will Allen: Signed with New England Patriots.
Ray Feinga: Re-signed with Miami.
Will Barker: Re-signed with Miami.
Vernon Carey: Remains unsigned.
Marc Colombo: Remains unsigned.
Austin Spitler (RFA): Received no offers by other teams.
Saints Sean Payton suspended for season.
This is a huge blow to the New Orleans Saints as Payton will be out for all of 2012. Current Rams Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely and current Saints GM Mickey Loomis has been suspended for the first eight games of 2012.
Finhead's Musings: Overreaction Edition
Watch out South Florida! In case you haven't heard by now, the sky is falling and the reported impact site will be the Miami Dolphins facility in Davie. Word on the streets is that Jeff Ireland is the primary target and Stephen Ross is Plan B. Never mind that Ireland disappearing would completely wreck any immediate plans in Miami's future and that there is nobody available to adequately replace him. After all, nobody thinks Ireland's plan will work and everyone on this site is just as capable as running a franchise as he is.
Now what caused this recent outburst that will even lead to a protest at the Dolphin facility this afternoon? Well, you have Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn to thank for that. Why? Because it is what many people wanted. It's strange to think that a month ago many people didn't want Manning or Flynn. Manning was old and damaged goods. Flynn was a former 7th round pick with only two good games and was about to be another overpaid QB like Kevin Kolb of the Arizona Cardinals.
The fact that Manning chose not to meet with Miami official at their facility was damning evidence he didn't want to go to Miami. He went to Denver and it is Ireland's failure. Never mind that Manning has been to Miami's facility before, but not the facilities in Tennessee, Denver, or San Francisco. Never mind that if Manning was truly uninterested in Miami, he'd turn them down outright like he did for Seattle. After all, the Seahawks even flew to Denver to visit Manning while he was there and he still refused to meet them. Never mind that most believed if Manning avoided the Dolphins it was likely because of Ross' style of running the organization. Never mind that Manning even said he enjoyed talking to the Dolphins.
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Finhead's Mock Draft: Version 10
Free agency is here and over the next few weeks, the mock drafts will change based on what players each team signs. There are some changes after only a week of free agency. Let the fun begin.
1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: This is about as much of a lock as you can get. We already know the Colts are drafting a QB with this pick. It'd be a complete shock if they went with any other QB not named Luck.
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR, but help keeping Christian Ponder upright will help him just as much.
2012 NFL Free Agency Weekly Recap: How did the Miami Dolphins do?
Free agency started only three days ago and the drama is already starting to wind down. It started with a move that took everyone's breath away; Brandon Marshall was traded to the Chicago Bears for third round picks in 2012 and 2013. It was like a punch to the gut, but the move was later justified by news of Marshall allegedly hitting a woman in a New York City nightclub over the weekend. The Dolphins moved forward in free agency and news of Marshall took a backseat as other free agents signed huge deals. Peyton Manning is the only player left that could keep fans glued to the news as they seek updates.
To start the recap, I am going to focus on the moves the Dolphins have made during free agency. Let's take a look at how they've do so far.
Current Free Agents:
Chad Henne: Signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ryan Baker: Remains unsigned.
Ikaika Alama-Francis: Remains unsigned.
Thursday Random Daytime Thread: Overflow Edition
REGULAR DAILY STATEMENT-This is one of our daytime random live threads. I will post one each non holiday Monday through Friday. Feel free to stop in during your work day and chat about whatever. There are never any set subject's but as always we prefer that you stay as far away from politics and religion. Also as this is a day time thread and not a nighttime CKC please keep the conversation as close to a PG as possible.
Also I do not care if you post picks during these threads but try and keep them to a minimum of one or two per person with something in the subject line so that they may be closed. In the past we have had issues with the same person posting several and that only serves to slow down the whole thread for everyone. Also please refrain from placing GIF's in to live threads as they severely slow down the load time of the thread.
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