Well the health of the o-line is already in question.  With Justin Smiley and Donald Thomas still recovering from injuries suffered last season - and Jake Grove rarely making it through a full season unscathed - another injury has been reported.  And it's to Donald Thomas.  Again.

Adam Caplan of Scout.com reports that OG Donald Thomas - the second year pro that was lost for the season in 2008 after a Lisfranc injury suffered in the season opener versus the Jets - has torn a pectoral muscle during a recent workout.

Pro Footbal Talk says he will miss all of training camp but could be back for the season opener.

Penn State held its Pro Day workout today for former Nittany Lions hoping to get a shot at playing in the NFL.  In all, 18 Penn State football players participated in a variety of drills similar to those run at the combine.  Two had a stellar day, according to the Allentown Morning Call.  WR Derrick Williams and DE/OLB Aaron Maybin were reportedly much more fluid in drills and improved on many of their combine results.

After the workout, Maybin had meetings with scouts and personnel from the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.  Maybin, whose stock was slipping after a poor showing in drills and a slow 40 time at the combine, most likely had the best workout of all 18 participants.  He ran his 40 in 4.53 seconds, more than 0.25 seconds faster than his performance in Indianapolis, and improved his vertical (from 38 to 40 inches) and broad (from 10' 4" to 10' 10") jumps.

"It was a good day," Maybin said outside Holuba Hall afterward. "I know my athletic ability and I know what I'm capable of. I put some numbers on the board that are indicative of the kind of player I am."

A lot of talk around this site has been who we should take at pick 25.  A young, pass rushing OLB would be a nice addition - though possibly a luxury we don't need at the moment.  However, Maybin seems to be improving and has solidifed himself as a first rounder.

If he is available at 25, do we take him over a CB or WR?  Thoughts?

You can read more about Maybin in a post by fellow Phinsider user GatorPhan here.

Spencer Hall of the Sporting Blog listed 3 blogs everyone should read this week in The Sporting News Today for Monday, September 22nd, 2008.  The first one listed is BSD.  Hall said this:

The standard-bearer for balancing pregame prep with punchy news streaming, Black Shoe Diaries is your custom-built wellspring for all things Paterno this season.  And that's precisely the point here: No other blog has handled the question of the aging coaching legend  with greater sensitivity, levity, and honesty than BSD.  It's skilled writing for tricky times in State College, and one of the best Big Ten blogs overall for the obsessed , bratwurst-devouring Midwestern football fan in us all.

When you click on the link above you'll have to maneuver your way to page 28 to see BSD mentioned.

According to Palm Beach Post writer Ben Volin, one of Arizona's dynamic WR duo would prefer to be on the opposite sideline come Sunday.  Veteran WR Anquan Boldin, 2003 2nd round pick out of Florida State and Offensive Rookie of the Year, would like to play for the Dolphins.  Drew Rosenhaus, Boldin's agent, has appeared on local radio saying Boldin wants to be a Dolphin.

“Clearly we have been pushing the team for a trade. … He’d look nice in a Dolphin uniform, huh?”

“We mentioned this last week, but there’s a guy that (the Dolphins are) playing against that wouldn’t mind being in a Dolphins uniform in Anquan Boldin. … It’s a shame that he’ll be wearing a Cardinals uniform against the Dolphins, than the other way around.”

So what say you, fellow Miami fans?  Is going after Boldin, at the expense of draft picks, worth it?  Arizona has flat out denied trading Boldin before so perhaps this is a moot question anyways.  But it is always fun to chat it up.

With cuts officially in here are a few people the Dolphins should consider signing, in my opinion...

ILB Victor Hobson - He started the past 3 seasons for the Jets and was given a tryout in New England.  he didn't cut it as a Patriot mostly because rookie Jerod Mayo has played quite well.  Hobson would be an ideal 4th ILB.  If I recall, we only have Crowder, Ayodele, and Torbor there.

OLB Roosevelt Colvin - He couldn't stick with the Texans mostly because they wanted to make him a DE.  He isn't nearly as explosive as he once was but he could contribute as a rushing specialist and he'd be good insurance if Joey Porter missed extended time.

OT Todd Wade - We only have 2 true tackles on the roster.  The former Dolphin would be an ideal back upm mostly at RT but he could play LT as well.  Could fill in at guard, too.

OG Kynan Forney - As I said in the Cut-down Day Open Thread, Forney is a former Falcon starter who played in 95 games the last 7 years.  He has the size and would be a veteran backup for Smiley and Thomas at OG.

There are a few more of intrigue, and plenty of Cowboys to swipe, but I think adding 1 or 2 of these men would be an added boost.  Thoughts?

Over on ESPN right now AFC East blogger Tim Graham is doing a live chat.  While I was perusing the questions and answers, I saw this

Pat (miami, fl): How many games will the dolphins win this season?

SportsNation Tim Graham: (12:16 PM ET ) I'm going with 6 or 7. The AFC East plays a week schedule.

Overlooking Graham's bad spelling/grammar (it's weak, Timmy), it is nice to see a supposedly unbiased writer buying into the organization.  Graham is a former Dolphins beat writer so maybe he still favors the "home team".  Nevertheless, most Dolphins fans around here seem to think this team is capable of at least 5 wins and more likely 6 or 7.  After the development over the last few weeks and a few key performances in the preseason games, I don't see why 6 or 7 wins would be a stretch.  We should take many teams - and their fans - by surprise this year.

Also, I think saying a teams schedule is "week" before the season begins is moot.  No one really knows how a specific team will perform.  What happens if the AFC East becomes as competitive as the NFC East or AFC South is believed to be?  I'm not saying that will happen.  But no one truly knows what team has the most difficult (or easiest) schedule until all the games are played.  Talked to me again in January.

Eagles veteran OG Shawn Andrews has not shown up for training camp yet.  The team says he isn't holding out but his absence is unexcused.  Pro Football Talk has posted a report from Philadelphia radio station WIP that the Eagles may consider trading Andrews, for whatever reason.  With only one position unclaimed along our offensive line and with Andrews being arguably one of the best interior linemen in the game, would you be willing to trade our recently acquired 2nd round pick from the Redskins and probably a 4th or 5th rounder to get Andrews?  This isn't a temporary fix.  Andrews is only 25 and the Dolphins were strongly considering him in the 2004 draft before the Eagles traded up to grab him.  We took Vernon Carey later.  A line of Long, Smiley, Satelel, Andrews, and Carey could end up being one of the best line sin the game...and together for the next 5 or 6 years.  His current contract runs through 2015.  Thoughts on this?  While it is unlikely, I don't think I'd hesitate to grab him for a 2nd and 4th rounder.

PFT article

Doug over at Pro Football Reference used his Approximate Value Method to determine Miami's (and, eventually, every NFL team) All-Franchise team.  You can view the AFC East's All-Franchise teams here.  Obviously Marino is the QB, and he actually ranks as the most prolific player in the current format of the AFC East with an AV score of 146.  Bruce Smith comes in 2nd in the East at 139.  Of the 4 divisions PFR has done (AFC North, NFC South, NFC West, AFC East), Marino ranks only behind Jerry Rice's 151.

Besides Marino, Miami had Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor rank over 100 AV.  Interestingly, Thomas accumulated a 111 AV to JT's 109.

In the comments you can see that it was basically a coin flip between Duper and Clayton.  Duper got the spot with a 76 but Clayton registered a 75.  It is also mentioned that former ILB Duhe came in at 51 and, if he were to shift to the outside, would make the team over Doug Swift (47).

Further down in the comments Doug answers a question about players breaking 100 AV and the Hall of Fame.  He basically says that any player that breaches the 100 mark deserves to be in the HoF... but it doesn't mean they will be selected.

Some notable exceptions from the Miami team include Mercury Morris and Bill Stanfill, as pointed out by Tom Gillispie.

The Jets were the only team in the AFC East to not have a player rank above 100.  Their best player, Mo Lewis, was an 88.

ESPN polled the NFL coaches on some superlatives of NFL players.  Rodney Harrison was voted "Dirtiest Player".  Former Dolphin Zach Thomas beat out Ray Lewis for smartest defensive player.  See the article here.  I always thought ESPN, the non-local media, and casual football fans overlooked Zach .  I am glad he is being noticed and recognized.  Too bad he isn't a Dolphin anymore.  Congratulations Zach!

These words added to meet the obligatory 75 word minimum.  Wow I hate that requirement.

[Editor's Note by Matty I] Just to add to this, below is a quote from the Herald:

All the noise left the Dolphins' ''organized team activity'' practice for several minutes Wednesday when cornerback Michael Lehan suffered what appeared to be a right knee or ankle injury bad enough that when he was helped off the field, Lehan held the leg at almost a 90-degree angle.

It sure doesn't sound good at all, but we'll wait for official word before we panic too much. [end update]

According to the Miami Herald , CB Michael Lehan was injured during today's OTA.  Though the exact injury is unknown at the time, the Herald believes it to be a right knee or right ankle injury.  The article says Lehan was clearly in a lot of pain and needed help to get off the field.

Well this is clearly not good.  CB depth is poor, in terms of talent and experience.  If Lehan is out for an extended period the team will have to sign someone.  This is an unfortunate loss.  Hopefully it isn't as serious as it sounds.

[UPDATE 12:41pm by Matty I] Armando Salguero has a little more on the injury to Lehan.  He says that "the area" was wrapped in ice.  It seems like less of a knee injury and more of an ankle or Achilles injury.  Sparano is scheduled to meet the media at 1:30 today, so we should know more by then. [end update]

[Editors Note by Matty I] This was originally posted by "JMFlyer" as a fanpost, but I bumped it up to the front page.  Also, here's the official story from MiamiDolphins.com. [end note]

Miami signed rookie 6th round pick Donald Thomas to a 4 year contract according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Thomas is expected to compete for a starting guard spot this season.  Thomas was a former walk on at Connecticut.  He is the 5th of the Dolphins 9 picks to sign.  Only Phillip Merling, Chad Henne, Kendall Langford, and Shawn Murphy remain unsigned.  No other NFL team has more than 1 player signed.  Nice work by the front office!

Dolphins sign Thomas

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Dolphins have announced the signing of late round draft picks Jalen Parmele, Lex Hilliard, and Lionel Dotson.  RBs Parmele and Hilliard were 6th round picks while Dotson was selected in the 7th.  Length and terms of the contract were not disclosed (but are most likely no more than 3 or 4 years).  The Dolphins now have 4 of their 9 picks under contract.  With Long signing early I doubt there will be any training camp holdouts though Merling and Henne could make things interesting.  However I expect everyone to be in camp.  Things are moving along nicely.

Chris Long will be doing a chat through ESPN today (Thursday) at 3:30pm.  To send in a question early or to take part (starts in an hour) go here: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20209&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2

Get your questions in!  Maybe we can find out how excited he'd be to be a Dolphin?

A new artcile on Pro Football Talk likes what Parcells and Co. are trying to do with the first pick, in terms of bartering with guys they like.  It's a nice, quick read and echoes some of the same sentiment we have expressed here.  Check it out: http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/04/14/parcells-is-simply-being-parcells/

Dolphins FB Reagan Mauia has been arrested and charged with simple battery after punching a man in the face outside the Carolina Ale House.  Article from Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-dolarrest041108,0,2448157.story

Pro Football Talk has already mentioned this as well.

With Parcells not wanting any "thugs" on the team, will Mauia be kept around, now that Boomer Grigsby is on the team?

Two former Dolphins have new teams.  The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported that former RG Rex Hadnot has signed a 2 year, $7.5 million deal with the Browns.  The Dolphins showed little interest in retaining him despite the obvious need along the offensive line.

Trent Green has been reunited with offensive coordinator Al Saunders in St. Louis, his former stomping ground.  Green's deal is worth $8.9 million over three years.  Green is expected to back up Marc Bulger.

The Rams had hoped to snag Alan Faneca but settled for the younger Jacob Bell, a LG that many Dolphin fans wanted to see land in Miami.  Even though he is small for the Sparano/Parcells system, he is an experienced, young starter (a la Justin Smiley).  He would have been a sound addition to our ever changing o-line.

PFT: http://beta.profootballtalk.com/2008/03/03/bell-tolls-for-tennessee/

Good lord how much are they going to spend!?!?  Pro Football Talk says that New York has grabbed Damien Woody the former Patriot and, most recently, Detroit Lion.  He signed for 5 years and $25.5 million, $11 million of which is guaranteed.  I guess the Jets have a 'win now' mentality.  Will they be any better if they are flipping between Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington?  The Jets are obviously improved but is it enough to challenge the Patriots?  Thoughts???

PFT: http://beta.profootballtalk.com/2008/03/03/woody-gets-woody/

Sorry if this was posted before.  ESPN's John Clayton has declared a few team winners so far in free agency.  And the Dolphins are one of them.  He also believes the Browns, Jaguars, Eagles, and Vikings have done well too.

Here is the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=3274514&lpos=s potlight&lid=tab2pos1

From NFL.com:

"It didn't take long for Trent Green, who has received medical clearance to resume his career, to draw interest. He has scheduled visits next week with his former team, the St. Louis Rams, and the New Orleans Saints."

I'm guessing he doesn't want to come back to Miami at a reduced rate.  Maybe we'll land McCown, Volek, or Gray soon.

With it looking less and less likely that the Dolphins will snag Alan Faneca, why don't the Dolphins focus on another guard that may be flying under the radar.  Jacob Bell, formerly of the Titans, would be a great fit at LG.  While he isn't as distinguished as Faneca, he is a solid guard.  He has the size that the new front office is looking for (6-5, 300) and is younger than Faneca (30).  Bell turns 27 on March 2.  Bell has started 55 games in his 4 year career with the Titans.  Signing Bell, although maybe not the huge move that grabbing Faneca would be, is an alternative that could pay huge dividends.  Like Smiley, Bell is now in his prime and will be for the next 4-6 years.  If we give him a contract like Smiley we could secure our o-line even more while saving a few million.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to sign Faneca, but this is one alternative that I hope Parcells and Co. are looking into.

So much for getting a nose tackle through free agency.  According to Pro Football Talk, Adam Schefter of the NFL Network says Isaac Sopoaga has resigned with the 49ers for 5 years.  Are there any true nose tackles about to hit the free agent market? I can't think of anyone.  Sopoaga could have filled the huge void a nose tackle.  It looks more and more likely that Miami will have to find a nose tackle in the 2nd or 3rd rounds in the draft.

RotoWorld.com's Gregg Rosenthal is predicting that former Falcon and Jaguar Byron Leftwich will sign with Miami.  We all know that Parcells will bring in a veteran QB to some degree, but Leftwich?  Here is the full excerpt:

2. Byron Leftwich, Falcons - Joining the Falcons in-season was a disaster waiting to happen; it did. But Leftwich is still a 28-year-old former top-ten pick with 45 career starts and a 52/38 TD/INT ratio. He's a huge injury risk, but he's going to come cheaply and has upside. Teammates see him as a leader. Let's not put him on Joey Harrington's career path yet.

Baltimore and Miami make sense because they will build around a vertical passing game. Leftwich should stay away from West Coast systems because his strength is getting the ball down the field.

Prediction: Miami, $6 million guaranteed

I've seen this brought up in the comments before.  More thoughts on this?  If not Leftwich, what veteran QB would you try to sign?