Via his tweet, Omar Kelly said the following: 

IF Dolphins don't sign a veteran WR or TE this week we shall conclude they'll address those 2 positions in the draft, & who could blame them

http://twitter.com/OmarKelly 

Few things to consider: 

1. The draft is very deep at TE. I love Pitta, and he could fall to the 4th, but we'll likely have to snag him in RD 3. So, I like the idea of drafting a TE. 

2. We shouldn't sign just any WR. If we can't grab a significant upgrade, it's probably not worth. But, A. Bryant would be an upgrade. 

3. The draft is not deep at WR. After D. Bryant, there's not one I'd take before the late 2nd/early 3rd. A. Benn has the physical talent to be a faster Boldin but there's little to suggest he has Boldin's makeup; Tate plays the ball well, but despite his 40, he struggled to achieve separation; D. Thomas is the most intriguing prospect, but he's said to run anywhere from a 4.3 to a 4.6, and because of the GTech system, there's no telling how he'd run pro routes. 

My point: I could blame them. We can't go into the draft without adding a WR. 

So, I've spent the last few hours studying up on the top OLB prospects. In no particular order:

Ricky Sapp 

Brandon Graham

Sergio Kindle

Jerry Hughes

. . .

I've been considering who would fit best in our system; who has the most physical talent; and who was most productive in college. 

Right away, rule out Sapp. He's small for a WSOLB; he's tiny for SSOLB. Also, look at his production last season: 13 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. He played 4 games against ranked opponents and 9 against unranked teams. Against ranked opponents he had 3.5 tackles for loss (about on pace with his non-ranked numbers), but he only had 1 sack in the games he played against ranked teams. He's fast, but he's undersized, and his production doesn't jump out at all.

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/147/1000767/tackleforloss/split.html 

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/147/1000767/sack/split.html 

. . .

Then, there's Sergio Kindle - the highest rated player in the bunch, according to Todd McShay. Kindle has decent size at 255, but you'd want him to add about 10 lbs to play SSOLB. Watching tape on him, he's plenty athletic, but he doesn't seem to know how to penetrate. Most of his plays come from running the ball down - as opposed to beating his blocker for quick penetration. Looking at his production: 12.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks. Those sack numbers right away are no better than pathetic for a 3-4 OLB projected to be a 1st RD pick. More concerning: 11.5 of his 12.5 tackles for loss came against unranked teams. Granted, he only played two ranked teams, but he only managed 1 tackle for loss in those two games. He also had no sacks against ranked competition. I'll pass.

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/703/1003760/tackleforloss/split.html 

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/703/1003760/sack/split.html 

. . . 

Jerry Hughes is more my speed. He weighs in at 257 - not huge, but getting there, and he plays with the kind of explosion you want from 1st or 2nd RD prospect. His stats: 15 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks (that's more like it). Like Kindle, he only played against 2 ranked teams, but he was more productive in those games. Against ranked competition, he totaled 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks (only one less sack than Kindle had on the entire season). Also, his consistency is a bonus he had at least one tackle for loss and one sack in each of his games against ranked competition.  

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/698/1007635/tackleforloss/split.html 

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/698/1007635/sack/split.html 

. . . 

Getting to my favorite: Brandon Graham. He's the biggest at 263, and he plays with real explosion, and once he gets the edge, he's getting to the QB - or RB. I posted a couple of his highlight clips on another thread. He's also the only true SSOLB I see in the bunch. To the stats: 25 tackles for loss (10 more than the next player here), 9.5 sacks. Here's what I love: He played 4 times against ranked teams and 8 times against unranked teams. In those 4 games against ranked teams, he had 15 (!!!) tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He comes up big against the best. I fear that he won't be there when we draft, but if he is, I think he might be our guy.  

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/418/1002051/tackleforloss/split.html 

http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/player/418/1002051/sack/split.html 

(Note: you can also check out each players game log stats on cfbstats.com)

Obviously, we're still a long way from making the playoffs. If we win out - three tough games - I think we'll get in at the 6 spot, assuming the Pats don't collapse. 

Now, if we do get in at the 6 spot, we'll probably be playing Cinci. Is anyone here especially afraid of the Bengals? 

Before the season, I predicted that the Titans and Ravens would both miss the playoffs, and I predicted that if we made the playoffs - with our difficult schedule - that we would make the 2nd round. 

So far, I'm standing by all those picks. 

Also, if we do make the 2nd RD, we're looking at a rematch with the Colts. Fun times. 

Anyone else notice that whenever we blitz, our rushers get stoned or clogged up with our D-line? In these situations, the QB has time and less people in coverage, so the throwing lanes are wide open. 

Solution? 

I'm not saying that we neglect the blitz altogether, but as along as we have PP as our DC, we should consider what we have. On obvious passing situations, I think a 3-man rush with Wake, Starks, and Taylor/Porter/or Merling should be implemented more often. Whenever he's been given the opportunity, Wake has done big things. The play he made on Brady is an apt example. We rushed 3 men, and he got to Brady right away. Of course, with immediate pressure and 8 men in coverage, the opposing Offense has just about no chance. I'm not saying that we'll always get immediate pressure with 3 players, but Wake and Starks especially have excelled in rushing the QB in 3 and 4 man rush situations. 

Part of our problem stems from our resident idiot's (PP) insistence on underplaying Wake. But, every DC's dream is the ability to apply pressure with 3 and 4 man rushes. In Wake and Starks, we have that ability. Wake should also play more on 1st and 2nd down.

I recently purchased the PS3 Bundle from Walmart (got the last one in my city). I'm still waiting on Madden 10 (purchased it on Amazon - should arrive Tuesday), and I'm geeking out at the prospect of playing (used to play Madden on PC - finally broke down and bought the PS3). I have bee searching the net for our detailed player ratings, but I could only find the pre-season ratings. 

Will someone please post the detailed updated Madden ratings for the following players?: 

Cameron Wake 

Chad Henne 

Ricky Williams

Thanks in advance. 

I have been extremely critical of PP this season. I think he's done the least with the talent afforded him of any DC in the entire NFL. We've given up more points than the Bills. 

I do think, though, that last week (vs. the Panthers) was his best complete game this season (he had an outstanding first half - for example - against the Saints).

I'm interested in your thoughts on the issue.

By the way, I'm new here. From what I've read, you all seem like good folk.

And, I still want Romeo as our DC next season.