It's uncomprehendable as how most of these NFL reports and experts deem the dolphins fan base the most unloyal fans, when colts fans currently exist.  These guys went to the colts game, with Indy Jerseys and put the number 12 on them and "Luck" on the back.  How can they disrespect possibly the greatest qb ever after he devoted his entire career to turning around the colts and giving them 10 win seasons for a decade straight.  The guy didnt miss a game and when he finally does he has the whole fan base begging for a new qb?...Any single dolphins fan would beg for a qb half of Peyton's talent, and after he just signed a 5 year deal this offseason, they are already willing to let him go to get an unprovent college qb who hasn't put up half the numbers Peyton even did in Tennessee. 

Everyone liks to claim that Bill Polian is a great GM and bla bla bla, but no, his team was awful, they obviously had the 1st pick in the draft, and took the best player available, Peyton, and he single handedly turned that Franchise around.  Without him, they cant even win ONE game, not one.  Hell, they can't even be competitive.  A real GM would realize all his other weaknesses and not pray that his franchise qb bails him out season after season.  And now that he is finally hurt they are willing to say hell with Peyton rather than let the man heal and finish out his hall of fame career?

This to me is easily the must unloyal fan base out there and i'm embaressed that Miami gets thrown into the same sentence as them because we aren't even a tenth of what they are.  We had a bad team, and prayed for a Manning type player to come along but regardless if we wanted Luck or not, no one on this site was willing to go historically bad and end up 0-16 like the colts are.  I'll happily take Landry Jones if it means we have loyalty and still root for our team and stand by them through their wins and losses.  I will admit I wanted luck, but i was never able to be happy after a dolphins loss or root for the other team, ever.  I will always root for Miami to win every game they play and let the rest unfold the way it will.  We can still go 3-13 or 4-12 and get Luck or Landry by simply trading up...will it cost a lot, sure, but atleast it means our team has some pride in itself and the players care about the uniform they wear and play their tails off, rather then giving up week after week like the colts do.

I await the day the Colts get bashed on National TV like Miami has by ESPN and NFL Network for the embaressing team they are displaying every sunday and the lack of support the fans are giving.  Talk about being spoiled, they had a super bowl win not too long ago, another SB appearance and have been to the playoffs every freakin year for the past decade...pathetic

No secret by now its 99.9% likely we will have a new regime and a new QB next year.  But I think we can all agree that we have a lot of young talent on this team and are just missing a few pieces.  We have a great Center in Pouncey, a great LT, a nice promising young back in Daniel Thomas.  Good young wr's in Bess, Bmarsh and Hartline along with Wallace and Gates and a Defense that needs to find its identity but a year ago was top 10.  You can't tell me that had having the no. 1 pick in the draft and a new coach wouldnt change this whole franchise around instantly.  Ticket sales would sky rocket...nation wide interest and coverage would consume Miami.  And we would be set for the next decade at the most important position.  You watch the GB vs ATL game last night and you notice how Rodgers compensates for all their weaknesses.  Bad o-line, np he can scramble and make the amazing throw, defense doing poorly, np, he'll get a quick score and turn the momentum.  Luck can do this all and we are in a perfect position to turn our franchise around just like Detroit did with Stafford and Indy did way back when they drafted Peyton.  I'm sorry, but i've been a dolphins fan since i was 5 and i'll tell you right now I would take going 1-15 and yes, tank every game to get Luck, bc ultimately what is the difference between 5-11 or 1-15?  Either way your losing, the fans dont want to go to the games, and you are looking to rebuild.  Atleast this way we have the top pick and a guy who could potentially change things around by himself.  I'll take a half a year on purpose (the first half we tried and just lost) so that we could win for the next decade.  The other winless teams, STL and Indy could also be in the luck sweepstakes but STL won't considering how much Bradford is getting paid and Indy might considering Peyton could teach him for a year or 2...but I would sense they would trade back and take 5 more picks.  I know there are people who believe what I do, but honestly just think of what this offense could and team could be.  You see what Cam Newtown and Andy Dalton are doing, and then imagine Andrew Luck and his precesion, his skill, i mean heck, the guy hits like a linebacker and runs like a half back. 

Call me crazy but this will be the first week ever that if we lose to the jets, i won't be that mad and punch a whole through the wall because Andrew Luck can make Sundays for the next 10+ years that much better for all of us.

Alright, so as of now, I think Miami has done a very good job of retaining their talent and going after free agents and upgrading in other areas...but what happens when you develop the top talent...then other teams start salvating at the chance to sign them as free agents and we end up losing out...well this is exactly what might happen.

Currently, our main piece in our 3-4 Defense, the NT is on a franchise Tag for a whooping 12 million...and we have until Sept 20th to extend him or we let him hit the open market next year.  We all know how tough it is to find 3-4 NT's...especially good ones...and we don't have any1 grooming to come take over should Soliai leave...Miami is going to be forced to pay him atleast 9-10 million a year and that SOB David Canter is being as greedy as it gets with his client.  I personally feel Soliai also owes something to Mia for giving him 4 years to develop and 12 million this year, not to mention the highest paid Dolphin defender ever. 

Next is Dave Canter's other client, Sean Smith.  We currently have Vontae locked up until the end of 2013...and Smith is under contract until the end of next year.  But when they both hit the market, it is going to be one expensive payday.  It will be very difficult to retain both of them and again we find ourselves in a position of, do we have to choose between the two or pay a ton for both?  I dont see any easy way out of this bc both are bright young stars, but what I would do is extend both now while they are as cheap as they will ever be.  Lock them up, and then start drafting guys in the next few years to develop under them. 

Finally, D-line...Kendall Langford is turning into a stud of his own and is a free agent next year.  We need to extend him badly...we gave Tony Mcd 2 years which was good and we have Odrick under his rookie contract, but Merling is most likely going to be traded in the next few weeks and Langford is one of the best 3-4 DE's in the league.  I think 4 mil a year with some incentives would be worth it and probably get it done but who knows. 

Lastly, Cam Wake....this guy is playing for peanuts compared to his value...and he wanted an extension but we just don't have the money for it right now.  We have him for 2 more years and should give him a nice raise if we were able to afford it.  Keep in mind he is 29 years old and Miami isn't sure of how many years he has left of top tier effectiveness.  This is another decision where Miami will need to draft a youngster and hope they can develop and find the next cam wake/demarcus ware.

If you noticed I keep referring to the draft to find the answers, and why, because we can lock them up for 5 years...if you have a CB or OLB develop in his 2nd year...then you have 3 more years of cheap labor until they break the bank.  Currently, my guess is that Miami wont pay Soliai bc they can't afford him.  Our Offense is actually pretty cheap as it stands aside from bmarsh and Jake.  But Henne is a free agent next year and unless we draft a 1st RD qb, we need to pay him or someone else a few million.  Good thing is we saved a lot of money on Carey's contract but bad news is we need to fill that side of the line next year as well.  This cant all be fixed via draft. 

Personally, if I had to make the decisions, I'd wait on Henne or a QB till the offseason, find a RT or RG that's about mid tier like a Max Starks or Brian Waters for a year or two and pray we hit on some draft picks on the o line aside from the first rounders.  Then give Langford his 4 million, and Randy Starks will have to go in 2 years...give Wake his money as long as he's producing and unfortunately let Soliai walk because he's just not affordable at this rate.  I'd extend Smith and Vontae in the next year and give them the same contract.  Probably 5 year extensions...

At that point, your left looking for a NT who u hope you can find in the draft or a fill in like an Aubrayo Franklin for the next 2 years until you groom one of your own.  I think this is the best way of keeping the majority of your talent and having only 1 position to fill.  If both the DE's are very Solid then it might make the job easier on the NT so he can have time to develop.  This next draft needs to be focused back on O-line, D-line and OLB IFFFFFF we don't go QB and Henne performs as good as we "hope"

I know the cap is going up in the next few years but I don't know how much, but at some point you have to trust your scouting and recruiting guys and hope you can stay competitive.  Teams like GB and Pitt who have great scouts and GMs are able to do this without overpaying for there own talent, I'm hoping we can do the same because you cant give everyone 10 million a year...

you thoughts...

So for the past 12 hours or so, we barely heard any news about Orton except a small blurb from Michael Lombardi saying that the Broncos might be searching for a pick as high as the 2nd round for Orton.  I personally would say they are looking for a 2nd or 3rd and there were also rumors that they wanted Randy Starks and Phillip Merling.  If you ask me, we have to settle on a 3rd and Merling and maybe a 5th or something 2 years from now.  Orton means more to us than we think.  All offseason we heard from Omar and the front office along with every beat writer that we must and will get a QB to compete with Henne.  Orton seemed to be the best fit knowing that we have Marshall here, and Mike Nolan who went against him in practice every day and knows if he is what we actually need.  Not to mention Daboll to Mcdaniels connection (i'm sure they share info).  

My point is, Miami is why too hush hush and secretive to ever know what they are trully thinking, plotting, negotiating on, but we didnt come that close to getting Orton just to be shown the door and end all negotiations.  Vince Young gave us some leverage, but now it seems that he is Philly Bound.  So, my guess and this is a well educated guess, is that we are in the midst of negotiating as we speak and hopefully will pull something together in the next 24 hours.  Remember, new players can't report to camp until August 2nd I believe, so its not like he's missing any practice time, in fact he's getting reps in at Denver which is better than nothing.  

Think about the Bush deal, we didnt hear ANYTHING about that until it was pretty much done, literally within an hour or 2 of the agreement.  Ireland is not a push over or some scrub, he thinks rationally and knows our weaknesses better than we do.  We need a qb better than Henne, and Orton happens to be the only one available, and happens to be on a team that doesn't need him and would prefer to get some compensation for him rather than having him released.  The only problem is we don't know how stubborn John Elway really is so hopefully he realizes that he has no other place to ship Orton except to us.  

Orton put up very good numbers last year and almost pro bowl like numbers before he got hurt in week 12 and tried to play through it for a few weeks.  He was on a team with no defense, no rushing attack, and a average o-line at best.  I think if he would come here, with our WR core, and Bush, and reunited with the Beast, there is no telling what stats he could put up.  Remember he was actualy on pace to break Marino's yardage record at one point...the guy is smart and continues to get better every year in the NFL...with a top 5 defense and a top 10 rushing attack, we are a 10-11 win team.

Heres to hoping Orton takes his talents to South Beach, and that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get him here, because this season pretty much could be made or broken before it even starts.

I can't be the only one thinking WTF is going on.  Before all this we were amongst the top suitors for Deangelo Williams and Ahmad Bradshaw.  Now it seems, according to Omar that Deangelo is too expensive for us, and we aren't even being mentioned to Bradshaw.  And to make matters worse, Adam Shefter says we are interested in Marion Barber.  You have to be kidding me...Marion freaking Barber...he was good maybe 3-4 years ago, but then ago so was LT.  Can someone explain what the hell is going on?

Every report we heard during the lockout was Miami was definitely going to add a RB and a QB and our first calls would be to Williams and Bradshaw.  The only positive side is that we are still linked to Kyle Orton, but even that seems far from a sure thing.  We need to be reminded that we finished 7-9 last year and a couple of rookies is not going to turn this team around along with player development.  We need to bring in a QB and a starting RB that has gas left in the tank.  Not Marion Freaking Barber...hell I would 100% rather Ronnie or Ricky then Marion "i pull my hamstring when I walk down the stairs" Barber.  

Maybe its too early for me to panic, and it probably is, but I can't help to remember that everyone said that there is no time to sit and wait during this year's free agency period bc of the timing and schedule.  Teams are already locking up their starters and we are apparently sitting on the sidelines.  And you know if Miami spoke to Bradshaw and offered him something, Drew Rosenhaus would leak that info in a heartbeat to bring up the price on the Giants, but he hasn't.  

We are about 15 million under the cap, and i swear if we end up with Marion Barber and Vince Young instead of Orton and Bradshaw, i might just jump of the George Washington Bridge....so i'm looking for any info that anyone has that might be able to turn our fortune around...

P.S. the Pat Devlin signing was pretty cool

It's been brought up in a couple of recent fanposts including one of my own, so im curious to know what many of you think Colby Rasmus is worth.  Some people made some very good points about the main asset Colby has is that he is cost controlled.  A young, very talented CF with power and plays above average defense should be able to net us a lot in return, but im not sure if there is anything that we could realistically get back that would make it worth wild. 

I trully feel that given Jon Jay's development, his consistency, his defense, and his ability to hit left handed pitching, that  he makes more sense for this lineup if we could net some top prospects or very solid pitching.  I threw out the ideas of going after Reyes or Kemp but people have argued that we wouldn't be able to sign them to long term contracts.  I definitely agree with that statement regarding Reyes, but Kemp is under contract for another year for only 5.5 million and then, in 2013 ( assuming berk comes back next year), Berkman's 8-10 million will surely be gone and we could compensate that money towards Kemp's salary.  I might be dreaming since he is the Dodgers best player but if they don't believe they can sign him, will they honestly risk getting no immediate assets in return?  Given a team with financial issues, I think Rasmus is exactly what they do need.  But then again they don't have to really consider trading Kemp until next season since he is under contract so maybe talks about things like that would wait until the offseason. 

Also, i head Buster Olney says yesterday that people write up trade proposals all the time on the interenet and many of them seem like they would work, but that no one takes into account the relationships between the GM's of those two clubs.  Now aside from the A's, who Jocketty seemed to do all his big trades with, do any of you know who Mozeliak has a good relationship with/is more likely to do a trade with?

So, I'm trying to see what you guys think?  Is it worth seeing what we could get for Colby, and what do you think he real worth is to other ball clubs. 

Also, on a different note, im fairly new to twitter and was wondering if you guys had any people you would recommend following in regards to news/updates on the Cardinals?

Alright, I first want to start off by asking, what does our rotation look like next year?

I think its a given we must give Wainwright an extension when the time comes because the guy is a straight out stud and with his surgery healing, and given the success rate these days, there is little doubt he doesn't return to his old self if not better.  I think we need to give him a 5 year deal, have him be in a cardinals uniform the rest of his career. 

As for Carp, I would not pick up his option but resign him for 2 more years at about 8-9 million a year.  We have Westbrook and Jaime coming back...Loshe will be in his last year and we should not resign him and we should resign K-Mac given his young age and potential to be a solid 4th starter.  My main question is, do you think Carp would be open to that kind of deal rather then picking up his really expensive team option? 

Also, when we can realistically expect Shelby Miller to crack the rotation?  I know he's doing very well in the minors but how long will it take for him to be called up and start making an impact?

Next, trade rumors...I heard something that the Mets asked for Colby in return for Jose....I would do it in a heartbeat...move Theriot to second and move Jon Jay to center.  Jay is probably equal defensively and the bat that he and Jose bring over Colby is not comparable.  Only question is, how do we resign Jose and try and obviously resign Albert?  Albert needs to be priority no questions asked and he will be.  Also, what will it take to get a guy like Mike Adams or Heath Bell?  Im also curious to know is it possible to trade Colby and maybe a minor leaguer for Matt Kemp?  I heard he could be available given the dodgers current state and he is only 2 years older than Colby and having an absolute rediculous year.  When he would be due to be a free agent, Berkman would probably be gone at that point and we would be able to afford to give him 12-15 mil a year.  Would like to hear your thoughts on that.

Finally, I keep hearing that there is some sort of news conference coming up, and I read an article today that someone posted here on VEB that Albert could almost be ready before the all-star break.  That would be amazing news and the main thing I'm most concerened for him aside for his health is that he has a chance to continue his streak of .300 30 and 100.  His Hr and Avg are definitely obtainable and if he can left his rbi's a little I would love for him to have that streak going to 11 years as it is something that I don't think will ever be accomplished in the next 50 years or so.  The fact that you can produce those numbers in your rookie year and continue to do it for the next decade is unfathomable.  I just hope he can continue to do so.  I think he'll get atleast one more MVP before his time is done and that will really put him in the top 5 greats considering he should've had  5 mvps if it wasn't for juice head Barry.

Anyways, hope everyone has a great holiday and heres to hoping Albert comes back healthy, produces and signs a contract this offseason to keep him in a Cardinal uniform for his career.  Also, I wouldn't mind a Reyes or Kemp in there as well but I promise I won't get greedy.

We all know magic fans have been dying for Chris Paul to join Dwight Howard since this rumor started  a while back.  I honestly think now is the most likely time for this trade to realistically go down.  When I say now I mean this offseason. 

Lets look at the facts...David West opted out of his contract and is most likely not coming back and will receive a nice offer from teams like the Nets who need more scorers.  Carl Landry is a free agent and also will be pretty heavily coveted, also Aaron Gray, who is not a big name but was a big part of New Orleans tying up the series 2-2 vs the Lakers, opted out of his contract as well.  He plays well enough that teams like the Knicks and Heat will definitely try and go after him as he is a big body who eats up a lot of space in the paint.

Bottom line, there is no chance the way the Hornets are set to enter next season that CP3 will even consider resigning with them.  The team knows this, i mean its clear as day.  They are in a complete rebuild mode at this point considering even CP3 won't be able to get them to .500 or respectively in the playoff hunt. 

Now, they won't let a LBJ situation happen, and it will most likely turn into Melo 2.0 with the exception of Paul talking about how he wants to leave to the media because the guy is a class act. 

What Orlando Must do...

We need to throw the kitchen sink at New Orleans and give whatever it takes to get him.  I mean seriously consider giving Jameer Nelson, Brandon Bass, Orton, and 2 future draft picks.  They might want JJ as well and I would say take him as much as I would try and keep him. 

I wouldnt be totally surprised if Orlando included Hedo or New Orleans wanted him as he could help a team like that score which it obviously would have trouble doing.  Also, given the fact that they are losing, Gray, West, and Landry is why I feel they would want all of our young Big Men to develop. 

This would leave us with

Dwight

Ryno/Earl Clark (if we resign)

Hedo/Harper

Q-Rich/Liggins

CP3/Gil/Duhon

Crazier things have happened...but if we ever are to trade for CP3, it would be this offseason once the new CBA is agreed on so New Orleans would realize none of their free agents are resigning and they must rebuild.

Listen, I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't the biggest supporter of Gilbert Arenas when we were struggling...but in light of some events that occured this morning, I realized that there is something behind Dwight's comments about SVG not using Gilbert the right way. 

What could be the reason for a player being able to score 20 pts coming off the bench some games and others just completely losing his self-esteem and stinking it up.  You can't say he's washed up when he is producing those 20 off the bench in limited minutes, bottom line he wasn't consistent bc his minutes weren't consistent and he lost his confidence.  From what I was told by a source on the Orlando roster, he tore it up in practice, but because he didn't fit in SVG's offense, he didnt get his time. 

Did we not win 9 in a row in the beginning of all those trades?  And wasn't Gil a pretty big part of that getting a normal amount of minutes and producing?...The chatter about him getting into the starting lineup got a little too loud and then Stan had to keep him on the bench because of his loyalty to Jameer.  Bottom line, Stan didn't know how to adjust to what was best for the team.  I mean look at Rick Carlisle, the guy adjusts his starting lineup in the 4th game of the Finals and then what?  His team goes from down 2-1 to winning 4-2.  That's how a coach is supposed to adjust. 

Orlando has been dominat the past 4 years, but you want to tell me that's all because of Stan or is that a coincidence that Dwight just happened to be the best Center in the NBA during that time also?  Tell me, what other players has Stan developed on Defense and made lock down defenders, aside from Dwight who could've had Mike D'antoni coach him and still be defensive player of the year.  Stan is not adapting nor developing his players.  He does his homework on teams and has good defensive schemes but aside from Dwight lets be real, who is a good defender on our team that wasn't one before he arrived to Orlando?

Gilbert destroyed the league for 4 straight years for a reason, because he is that good.  Granted he might've lost a step but so has Kobe, does that mean he isn't good anymore and can't score 20 on a regular basis?  We need to learn how to utilize the talent we have, and Stan didn't do that.  When he experimented during that 9 game winning streak, Gil showed what he could do, and thats why Otis was saying he could be in the starting lineup.  Now you have Otis, Dwight, and most of the locker room vouching for Gil's playing time...there is a reason behind all that.  Those are the guys in there everyday in the practice room seeing what's going on. 

I rather have Lawrence Frank in there than Stan if it meant using our players to their fullest.  I agree with Defense winning championships, but when  you have the talent, and still don't get it done, and then finally put a guy in in a playoff series we lose and he scores 20...there has to be a wake up call that you messed up and didn't play the guys correctly. 

We need to get rid of Jameer, Hedo, and Bass and see what that can package us.  Bottom line, Stan doesn't have this locker room as much as we thought.  Call me crazy but you have to agree there has to be more than "inconsistency" when Gil comes off our bench, scores 20, and then goes back to getting 12 mins a game and puts up 5 pts...If you can score 20 you can score 20...the rest is just being able to have the opportunity.  If he gets his Defense together and limits the turnovers which I feel would happen naturally with him playing more, he would be a viable asset to this team.

Don't believe me?  Just as Dwight what he thinks, as you all already know.  After the third and 4th person start saying something, there might be a little truth to it....

So now that its pretty certain we'll be losing K-Mac to the DL for atleast 2-3 starts, I was wondering if anyone can fill me in on Lance Lynn, or whoever would be the new 5th starter. 

Also, there have been more and more rumors that we would be in the runnings to make a trade for Jose Reyes or Heath Bell and I'm wondering, A) what would it take to get either of those two, and B) I can agree for the need for Reyes as he is one of the top SS's in the majors when healthy, but do we need Bell with Salas performing and the optimism of Franklin changing things around/the development of Sanchez and Motte?

I think Bell can definitely add value in the next several seasons but I mean he is 33, and realistically would probably be at this level for another 2-3 seasons Tops.  Reyes on the other hand, is going to cost a boat load, and don't get me wrong, its been a long time since we had a solid lead off man and a great shortstop (i'm thinking renteria) but Theriot is doing well especially for what he's cost us.  He could cut down on the errors but he hasn't played shortstop full time in a while and I think he's definitely an upgrade over Ryan.  I mean he's batting about 13 percentage points higher than Theriot, has better defense and more speed, but if we sign him I don't think we can realistically keep Albert and bring back Berk for another year or 2. 

Just want to know your thoughts on these issues and can we please get Zack Cox in the majors already!

hey guys,

Looking for some help in finding a way where I can watch these cardinal games via internet.  Is there a website that I can go to, or somewhere I can pay or anything like that that exists out there.  I end up following every game on either espn gamecast or mlb gamecast and its pretty awful.  

Just to throw my two cents in about this team, the lineup is really much better than anyone could've imagined considering Pujols hasn't done his yearly ritual of shitting on the entire MLB yet, but I will admit, i was the first to wonder if this season might be a drop, but I just have too much confidence in his work ethic and skills to think he can be slumping for an entire year with an injury affecting him.  He'll be back and when he is, its going to be scary bc Matty and Puma are killing it any time he and Colby are on base.  Just need Freese back sooner than later and Skip as well at this point (didnt think i'd ever say that).  I hope we can make a trade for Heath Bell because we need a guy we can rely on to get 3 straight outs down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Anyway, heres to stay in first place and hopefully someone can help me find a way to watch this team kick ass.  Also, where can I find these condensed games also?

THanks for the help

I wont go into the crazy stats that Mike can pull up, but it was very clear the difference between this game and the first four, aside from our shots going down, was on the offensive side.  The pick and rolls destroyed the Hawks time and time again.  They simply didn't know how to defend it and since we didn't have to go to dwight inside play after play, our turnovers were very limited. 

Heres a crazy equation...less turnovers + made shots= more points.

Now aside, from us drilling 3's and running the pick and rolls, last night we played with a solid 9 man rotation.  It actually reminded me slightly of the Denver nuggets but with a little less skill.  SVG did a good job of bringing in Q-Rich and JJ in the right times to score/defend and bring energy to this team.  We can't keep leaving Turk-J-Rich out there when they aren't playing well.  Q-rich gives us a much better defensive match up and we all saw the difference between JJ and J-Rich on offense.  JJ can actually somewhat create his own shot of the pick and rolls rather than taking spot up jumpers.  He puts the ball on the ground and then gets some separation, and he also doesn't just chuck 3's, but rather solid mid range jumpers which I think should taken much more often.  This is a big reason why I hope he starts next year, he is a smarter player, plays hard, and has a great mid range jumper along with the ability to hit the three.

But having that solid 9 man rotation and playing them pretty equally in the first half really dictated the pace as we were able to play with a lot of energy on both sides of the court.  Our defense was swarming, and like it was the others games as well, but this time the Hawks didn't shoot lights out from the field.

I honestly think, regardless if we play in Atl, Orl, or London, if we come out with that game plan rather than pound dwight down low time and time again, we should have no problem winning the next 2.  I will admit, we should have a little more balance as Chris Webber was saying at half time, as this will get Atlanta in more foul trouble and put them over the limit earlier, but I certainly don't miss the turnovers and unfortunately, thats a big part of dwights game at this point of his career.  In the playoffs, we lost Game 3 and 4 by such close of margins that had we had lets say 3 less turnovers, the outcome could've been different. 

Its crazy how one day I feel that this magic team doesn't have enough talent, and the next they light it up like they did yesterday.  Just hope SVG uses his bench again like he did yesterday to provide an even balance of energy throughout our rotation.

Here's to backing Dwight's comments and saying if we win game 5, the series is ours!!!

P.S. I still hope we find a way to get rid of Hedo this offseason

After watching most of this season and the first playoff game, its clear what this team needs, and that is a serious change at three major positions, ....SF, SG and back up PG.

We obviously know Gilbert isn't a back up PG, and more suited for a SG role...When Jameer takes a breather, we have no1 on this team that can really run this offense, i mean Jason Williams looks like a stud compared to what we have now going on.

Secondly, Turk is past his prime.  He is too slow and too inconsistent.  He can't guard the more athletic Fowards like Pierce, Lebron, Melo, Joe Johnson/Josh Smith by any means and at the same time, doesn't provide enough on offense besides decent spot up shooting and the occasional good pass.  I just don't see enough production from him as a whole...the IDEAL person this team needs is a Gerald Wallace at that position or Luol Deng.  Fortunately, one of those will be available this summer.  Both can score 15 -20 a night no problem, and play great defense.  Both can hit spot up threes...defense is the difference between this year and last, given Barnes shut down most players 3 and vince did decent on there 2's and if he didnt Pietrus did fine.  We didn't realize that our isolation defense went way down with that trade, and we have no toughness at that position.

Thirdly, Jason Richardson....I love his late game three's and he does play decent defense, and maybe I wouldn't even mention his name had he hit some open shots but Joe Johnson did what he wanted with him Saturday.  I don't know if its just a bad match up but these guys need to be able to create their OWN shots and take someone off the dribble.  When his three's aren't falling he just doesn't have that much value and unfortunately, Reddick can't guard Joe Johnson either. 

Ultimately, I pray for a new CBA, and being able to release players and have a cap.  I would get rid of Gilbert, probably have to sign richardson or ray allen two a 2 year deal or so, and then give everythign I can to Wallace for a 3 year deal.  Howard literally couldnt be stopped and did everything he could but the rest of the players aside from Jameer just refused to show up.  All season long we hear about this "switch" well apparently only two players found it and as a result our defense just stunk.  Granted they hit a lot of shots, they had too many open looks and I think we can all agree we have been getting killed by opponents shooting guards all year, Saturday was no exception just that Smith had his way with Hedo as well.  This constantly forced Bass to have to help leaving Horford open for those jumpers that he kept hitting.

I'll leave it saying this, if Otis doesn't fix his mess that he created, Dwight SHOULD LEAVE.  This group of players don't deserve to play with someone of his level who gives all his effort every game just to have his teammates sh*t the bed. 

Granted im very frustrated, but that performance was just awful and makes you wonder, with Donnie Walsh a free agent, i'd bring him in to Orlando in a heartbeat and find a way to get rid of all the fat on this team.  If the new CBA, whenever that is, doesn't include the ability to release players, Otis would've just set this team back a good 2-3 years.

Lets hope this team minus Jameer and Dwight find their balls in the next 24 hrs and take game 2 on Tuesday.

This is my second post ever on this site, and after this first game, my two worries from my first post seem to be true.... after the first game. 

First, the bullpen.  I was definitely concerned with our ben and with a 3-2 lead in the 9th we give up a game tying home run and some other hard hit balls and barely make it to extra innings.  I don't feel comfortable with Franklin closing games by any means and we don't really have anyone better than him.  This is going to be a problem as we need someone to step up in a big way.  I think it was 2 years ago that we lost a ton of game on blown saves and it seems like the trend might start again without any real replacement for Franklin.  Lets hope i'm wrong in the worst kind of way. 

Secondly....Pujols....His 3 GIDP are no fluke.  He was tied for 6 most GIDP last year and I wish I knew more about the mechanics of his swing and why it happens but its definitely not something that happens once in a blue moon.  Something in his swing is making him continuously hit ground balls as opposed to line drives in the past and i'm sure it was a big reason for his dip in BA last year, and im telling you, unless he manages to change something, i'm not really encouraged to say that he'll have one of his epic seasons again.  I might be crazy, and again, no1 would be happier to find out that I am then me, but I feel that his best days are behind him unless something severly changes in his swing.  I just don't have the same confidence when he comes to the plate like I did in the past and hopefully he'll find a way to turn things around, or Big Mac can find the kink in his swing to get his swing to where its supposed to be.

Hears to the optimists that swear I'm wrong and that Loshe, Westbrook, Garcia, and Kmac getting us through 2011!

On, and I was right about Rasmus so far having a big year too lol.  Gotta love the hype after the first game.  But if he and Holliday can get it going, maybe just maybe we move Matt to the 3 spot and avoid all these double plays.  Who knows...i just hope its not a long year, bc football is nowhere in site and basketball is nearing its end. 

So I joined this site about 6 months ago and I must say, of all the teams I follow on SB NATION, this is by far the most entertaining and comical.  Whoever it was that posted the line regarding Carpenter and Brenday Ryan with a parody of "A Few Good Men" was absolutely hysterical.  Even the captions and comments on just normal fanposts/fanshots have me cracking up at my desk at work. 

But aside from that, there is also a good portion of legit baseball analysis and a while back someone posted a motion screenshot of El Hombre's Swing and a great description of what he's actually doing for those who never played organized baseball before or know any of the mechanics that go into a proper swing. 

I'm sure the history of the Cardinals is a big reason why we have such a large fan base on this site, but its refreshing to see this many fans interacting daily. 

Just to throw my two cents in regardng this upcoming season...

I believe Rasmus will have a good year as he's still very young and developing quite nicely.  IF Berkman can stay healthy and hit at least 280 I think we'd all be more than happy with that considering he is capable of walking often.  And hopefully Holliday can add a littler on his average from last year and produce similiar power numbers with a 28 and 110 total. 

Freese is the wild card as he needs to stay healthy obviously, but I think when he is healthy this lineup is really underrated.  Schumaker needs a serious bounce back year and i'm glad he realizes it bc he would have to be def and blind not to.  Theriot isn't much of a total upgrade but his bat potential is def greated than Boog's so of that I'm happy and as for Albert, I just want the same Albert we've been used to and hopefully back to his 330 avg as opposed to 310...(p.s I know its spring training but this slow start isn't encouraging).  Yadi can hit 150 and I'd still love him for what he does, but a 270 would be more appreciated and more likely. 

Pitching...

Carp, Jaime, and Westbrook need to hold down our 1 2 and 3 with Loshe playing for his next contract starting this year so I expect more out of him and Mac Daddy McClellan will hold down our 5th spot but we will miss him in the pen.  My main concern is to see how Motte, Franklin, Miller, and Salas will hold up now that Reyes is gone and i'm not sold on Batista.  Also, we need to get Shelby Miller up to speed ASAP as Carp has maybe 2 years left in him, but the future rotation of Wainwright, Garcia, and Miller sure does look promising.

So, here's to another NL Central title, and hopefully add to our list of 2nd most World Series Titles!

First off, to all those claiming we need to draft Ingram or Julio Jones or anyone else not a QB or OL in the first round, GROW A BRAIN.  With the current CBA, we actually will be having the draft before Free Agency this year and you have to be blind not to realize that no matter who you have at RB with the exception of maybe Barry Sanders and AP, they are not going anywhere behind our O-line.  That and QB are the most important positions on the offensive side of the ball and we have to fix that up before we start trying to find a RB to hand the ball off to.  What good does it do when he is being hit 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage.  So enough, very very good chance that we trade down like we did last year and pick up a 2nd rounder and end up with a late first rounder.  Expect atleast 2 picks to be devoted to O-line this year. 

Secondly, I spoke with Jason Ferguson, and he told me that the whole team believes in Tony Sparano.  He also said that the problems on the offensive side of the ball were BOTH Henne and Hennings fault and just as we are awaiting a new OC, we should definitely expect a new QB at some point in the offseason but that rebuilding the O-line is just as much of a priority.

Finally, STOP! thinking and saying we should sign Vince Young!  The guy has zero work ethic and Tennesse actually has one of the best RB's in the NFL and a good O-line and he still couldn't get it done.  Not considering their OC is one of the best i the league.  Vince will not be with Miami because we need a pocket passer, plain and simple. 

This team will be improved, a lot of crap went down but Tony will learn from his mistakes.  This will all be a big wake up call to him and just like others said, when a player isnt cutting it, we look for a replacement.  No different with a head coach.  We benched Sean Smith and when he came back he was our best cover corner. 

Oh, and incase you guys still don't realize how important fixing our O-line is, look at what the Jets did last night.  Sanchez was awful and couldn't throw an accurate pass to anyone.  So what do they do, they run and run and run and completely take Manning out of the game and control the line of scrimmage without any sort of problem.  When you have that kind of ability, Defenses have no choice but to single up on the Wr's and then what do you know, Braylon and Holmes are 1 on 1 and are making plays.  EVERYTHING STARTS WITH THE O-LINE and it shows that even with a QB struggling, the O-LINE saves his ass by letting the offense run the ball at will.  This is why Sanchez wins and Henne doesn't because they don't ask Sanchez to win them game after game, they ask Mangold, Woody, Ferguson, and Brandon Moore too. 

So I just happened to be bored at work and thought to myself, with all the picks the Pats have this year and had last year, they must be drafting amazing and doing so well, Right?  Well not exactly.  This past year I will admit they hit very well on their first two picks, Mccortney and Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but thats 3 out of 12 and its way too early to evaluate rookies.  So I looked at their picks since 2006, and lets just say these supposed "masterminds" really aren't all that impressive.

Of their 10 picks in 2006, only 1 is either still on the team or starting.  Stephen Gostkoswki (Kicker)

Of there their 9 picks in 2007, only 1 is either still on the team or starting, Brandon Meriweather (Safety) who was benched a few times this year and he was their first round pick.

Of their 7 2008 picks only 1 is currently on their team or starting. Jerod Mayo (ILB) who was their first pick and I believe went in the top 15.

Of their 12 picks in 2009 they have 4 starters.  Patrick Chung (Safety) Darius Butler (CB who I think lost his starting job) Sebation Vollmer ( OT who filled in for injured players but played well) Brandon Tate (WR) and Julian Edleman (WR). 

Now for those who haven't done the math, in the past 4 years (not including last years draft because its too soon to evaluate) this team has had 38 picks and has pretty much wiffed on 30 of them.  I'm sure some are sitting on the bench or practice squad and have some talent, but this just goes to show you that everyone is very critical of the Dolphins picks but don't realize how many other teams miss on their picks as well, especially the Holy New England Patriots who are the masterminds of the NFL. 

Sure they got lucky with Brady and even Edleman turned out to be a great find but we signed the best slot WR in the NFL undrafted!  Found Cam Wake for the CFL!  And actually drafted very well the past few years.  On Defense alone, we have Soliai, Langford, Misi,  Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Chris Clemons all home grown on the past 4 years and on a defense who finished in the top 10.  On offense, we weren't so lucky but regardless of the coaching our team has a ton of talent and the only two major players I could think of that we actually paid top dollar for and signed that were already established were Karlos Dansby and Brandon Marshall. 

The rest of the players that we have we either drafted, or signed them when they were no body's and developed them like Polite, Bell, and Fasano.  My point is people want to harp on the Pat White's and Patrick Turner misses and I agree it sucks to pass up other players that are now doing well, but lets look at all the guys we did find that are now turning into really good football players. 

We still have 2 rookies from last year that got hurt but potentially can help our defense even more.  Honestly, with a new OC and a new OL we aren't too far away from turning things around.  I focus on those two things because QB and RB are very dependent on O-line and OC.  We saw what an offense can look like when those two are in shambles.  And I keep harping on the Bears.  Look at them last year and even the beginning of this year!  O-line in shambles and OC and QB weren't on the same page.  Now all of the sudden Cutler is killing it and the team is doing very well.  Just goes to show you what a difference those two positions can make. 

Lets hope we hit on this year's draft and have Tony reclaim his credibility.  I would love to see him pull a Tom Coughlin when they went 8-8 the year before they won the Super Bowl because he learned to change his coaching style.  Now I don't expect it to happen but I do expect them to focus a ton on the Offense in FA and Draft and expect a drastic improvement given the talent we have on this team.

Just trying to stay optimistic...Your thoughts?

Let me start off by saying, if Brandon Marshall never said it, no one would have.  None of us outside the Dolphin locker room aside from some of the beat writers knows whats going on.  Brandon finally opened our eyes and ears and let us in on why Henne stunk this year and why the offense did so poorly ASIDE from the o-line issues.  I'm happy he spoke up and he has earned the right to given his play.  We gave up 2 2nd rounders and a ton of money to use this guy, and the QB is too scared to bc the coach micro manages everything. 

I couldn't figure it out for the life of me why Henne was playing so poorly and then I realized for certain its the coaches.  I mean just last year he led us to a couple of game winning drives and I couldn't figure out where the difference and change came from and its that as a 1st yr starter, he wasn't scared to make mistakes because not a lot was asked of him.  Now with all the pressure from the coaches, any incomplete pass he has David Lee and TS yelling down his throat.  Jason Taylor said it best, when someone on the Jets makes a mistake, they tell him what he did wrong, how to fix it, and pat him on the back and tell him to go out there.  Here, we harp on the mistakes so much that TS has his players very tight on the field, just as the Niners have claimed that Singletary does. 

Now, can TS learn and change, sure.  But will he and how soon?  And is Henne already too programmed to be a robot or can he be reprogrammed at such a young age?  I blame this mostly on David Lee, TS, and Henning and a little on Henne for not saying, F*k you this isn't getting it done, and do things a little different.  I keep thinking of the movie "Any Given Sunday" where Jamie Foxx found ways to get it done and go against the coach and eventually they praised him for it because it worked! 

Now, we all know by now we don't really have a chance with Cowher, Harbaugh is most likely going to SF, and no one really wants Gruden.  But what about JEFF FISHER.  Just like last year, we didn't have a DC until Nolan miraculously fell in our laps.  Maybe we can get another lucky break and have Fisher come in and bring
his OC with him.  I know it sounds crazy, but I think had we been able to get a guy like Harbaugh, he would've been able to fix Henne given he was a former QB and how well he has developed Luck.

Personally, now I see why teams under Tony Sparano fail come december bc they are so scared to screw up, they stop having fun and playing football.  Can't play scared or else you will defiitely make mistakes.  I never once wanted Sparano gone until I heard the players come out and say what they have.  This should open all our eyes and realize that this guy either needs to change his coaching style or needs to find a new job.

I might be one of a few Henne supporters left, but I will say give this guy one shot under a new OC and QB coach because just about any QB in his 2nd and 3rd year in the NFL would've screwed up under this coaching style and especially with this O-line.  Not saying he has earned a second chance, but I think we have to admit that the difference between Thigpen and Henne is Thigpen was coached at KC and other teams and isn't soooo scared to make mistakes like Henne is.  Hell, bring back Marino to be our QB coach!.  Who else better to learn from then the best QB ever!

So after a lot of research and thought, we basically have no choice but to trade down in the first round UNLESS a stud QB like Mallet or MAYBE Jake Locker falls to us.  I'm not that high on Locker but he does have some great tools and intangibles.  The obvious need for this team is QB, OL, and Speed. 

Now I think with Incognito devoting a whole offseason and all his practices at center, he can develop into a nice gem for us there.  He provides that push that we need and did so against a very talented Detroit Lions defensive lion and N. Suh.  If thats the case and we get Nate Garner back at Guard, we really just need one more guard position and like we all are doing, im praying we can get a guy like Logan Mankins, but i doubt it'll be that easy.  That being said, if we don't land one of the top QB's in the first round, we have to trade back and get a 2nd rounder. 

We can still target guys like Blaine Garret QB Mizz and Landry Jones QB Oklahoma who are both very impressive but have been flying a little under the radar.  I do not expect Luck will declare for the draft with the uncertainty of the CBA and he's devotion to his studies.  So we either can go QB with the 1st, or trade back and still maybe snatch a good one up, but we have to devote 2 out of our 2nd to 4th round picks (assuming we trade back down) for a center and guard and im thinking about guys like Stefen Wisnewski G/C from Penn State and Jake Kirkpatrick C from TCU.  Both are beasts and are hard nose guys that would really turn around this o-line.  Now depending on what we do in free agency, we need to still target, a RB, TE, and a Speedster.  This is where it gets tricky. 

We can def find some RB help in free agency, but if we don't, there are guys like Michael Leshoure and Daniel Thomas that are studs and probably will be gone by round 2, I personally like Demarco Murray RB Oklahoma in round 3-4. 

For tight ends, there are two in particular that stand out like sore thumbs, Michael Egnew, Mizz and Lance Kendricks Wisconsin.  Both could really be put in as rookies and run our 2 tight end sets that we have been missing.  And both have good speed for that position. 

Finally, speedster that I think would really compliment KR and just random plays on offense is Jeffery Demps. 

He is hands down the fastest player in college football and is currently a RB/KR for the Gators.  Now unless Kory Sheets comes back and proves he has that speed that we need, I think we need to go after a guy like this in the later rounds in the draft. 

Ultimately, if we draft a rookie QB and put him in over Henne, we can't honestly expect that he will be able to run this offense the way we all invision right off the bat.  I'm actually all for having Henne in for one more year under a new OC, rebuilt o-line, and a speedster added.  We take that load off him and add a Jacoby Jones, trade back in the first round, get a 2nd rounder, draft 2 interior o-lineman, and some RB and tight end help and we have our offense back.

Lets be realistic, do you honestly expect with the front office's job on the line, they will draft a QB in the first rd?  Won't happen, they will give Henne another shot and maybe look into trading/signing a stop gap qb like Orton incase Henne doesn't prove them wrong.  They will invest heavily in the O-line just like the Patriots did all those years.  Now look at Brady, one main reason he does so well is because he literally has all day to throw.  The least sacked QB and has the least Int's because he doesn't have to rush his throws.  Now I know we don't have Tom Brady, but with our receivers, i'm sure giving Henne some time and you'll see a world difference.  Hell, look at Jay Cutler.  Last year lead the leage in INT's, this year he's supposedly a top QB.  What changed?  A new OC and the o-line started giving him time.  The blueprint is as clear as day!!!

So to summarize what i'm saying, don't expect us to draft a QB first round.  We will fix our O-line for sure, whether its 2 picks in the top 4 rounds, which I personally expect, or a big free agent signing like Mankins.  Either way, with that getting fixed, I see us drafting O-line, RB, and Tight End in the first 4 rounds.  And just like this Front Office always does, they will double up on one position.  2009 Sean Smith Vontae Davis, Hartline and Turner...2010 Misi Aj Edds and Spitler. 

Honestly, if any of you have doubts, please youtube or research Stefen Wisnewski, i've seen him play several times and they guy is an all american at both Center and Guard.  You know how this regime likes their players to play multiple positions, well he is the main star, and when they coach the Senior Bowl, they'll see just how good he is, but hopefully this time they won't whiff like they did on John Jerry and I don't expect them too. 

RB's are too easy to find in the later rounds so their is no need to draft one higher than round 3.  Thats where I expect us to start looking at RB's, Tight Ends, and speedsters. 

Oh, BTW, Please remember this when free agency starts, WE WILL SIGN Shawn Merriman.  He and Misi will be opposite Wake next season.  2 reasons, one we put in a claim for him this year, and two, he wants to come here, and third, there is a need for him considering he still is only 26 and 2 years removed from his surgery and Misi can definitely turn into a serious pass rusher but he hasn't yet and they might bring in someone else since Misi has done exceptionall well lately in Run support and dropping in coverage. 

Let me know your thoughts, either way there will be a new OC, and just like Mike Nolan turned our D around, hopefully this guy will turn our O around...

I was thinking about this during work today and it made a lot of sense to me.  It really isn't fair to compare Henne to Flacco, Ryan or even Sanchez and here's why... 

First off, with Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, both these players have an extra year of being a starter in the NFL.  For Matt Ryan, I will admit he is clearly a better quarterback, but look what he has to work with.  He has one of the top 8 Running backs in the league in Michael Turner, one of the top tight ends in NFL history in Tony Gonzalez and one of the top 5 wr's in Roddy White.  Any defense can't just say I want to stop the run, or stop Roddy White and be able to get away with it.  For us, when teams double or triple cover Brandon Marshall, it leaves basically Bess as a serious option and thats it.  Defenses can't put 8 in the box or drop 8 in coverage because either way the Falcons are in a position to beat them and that takes a ton of pressure off of Ryan and helps him execute even better. 

As for Joe Flacco, he has one of the best 1-2 punches at running back in Ray Rice and Willis Mcgahee.  They both have the ability to run the ball and catch passes out of the backfield.  And if thats not enough, he has 3 wide receivers who have totaled over 600 catches in their career so whenever the defense decides to single cover one of them, its pretty much a given catch not to mention if they blitz or have Ray Rice one on one with a LB, he wins that battle every time like he beat us.  We don't have RB's that can win those one on one battles in the passing game vs lbs like ray rice can.  Again, a team can't just take away the raven's running game because of their dynamic receivers and ray rice who catches more passes then most the wr's in the nfl.

Finally Sanchez, i'll be the first to say I HATE Mark Sanchez, with a passion.  This guy is such a b*tch and every time he throws a pick or screws up he runs to the sidelines with his tail between his legs and acts like someone just stole his girlfriend (or boyfriend, who knows with him).  But lets be honest, the Jets have the best offensive line in the NFL and the best Center in the NFL.  He isn't asked to win games for the team week in and week out for 4 quarters.  Yes, he's won some games for them but its not like he made some miraculous throws, he throws slants and his receivers do the rest.  Not to mention his team can actually RUN the ball effectively and have LT to check down to and gain 5-8 yards on plays when he can't make the right throw because the o-line is good enough to pick up blitzes and doesn't need the RB to stay in on every pass play. 

My point is every one of these teams has an effective run game and that can be a quarterbacks best friend.  Last year we had that and even with less weapons Henne was able to be effective because teams usually had 8 in the box.  Now with Marshall, we somehow managed to lose that element of the offense and put ourselves in a situation where we ask a 2nd year starter and young QB to win games for us.  He still has a ton to learn, but not having an effective o-line or running game is really hindering his growth and we all agree Dan Henning isn't helping him much lately either.  I trully think that if you put Henne on the Falcons or the Ravens that he COULD put up numbers like Ryan and Flacco are.  Do i think they do things that he can't, absolutely!...but there have been tons of QB's who have had great careers in the past that have had a sophmore slump and even Flacco and Ryan didn't have that great of sophmore years as everyone expected them to but showed maturity in their third year.  I'm not saying Henne is definitely going to turn it around next year but I will say that having a good running game again will help him and take some of the pressure off his shoulders.  Luckily we have a team that knows and realizes their weaknesses and I fully expect Miami to make serious changes in their o-line and possibly RB group and get that fixed, just like they fixed the defense last year with a new coordinator, new LB, new OLB, and new SS. 

Just trying to give us more reasons to be optimistic....let me know your thoughts.

http://www.miamidolphins.com/video?bcpid=585645507001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAPLps31k~,TJzr-TEF9ZDBr32E7bGQERjsyfeFVgGP&bclid=260803762001&bctid=709314195001

Please check this link I posted above, and if it doesn't work go to www.miamidolphins.com and see the featured video of coach Sparano giving his post game speech to the guys in the locker.  I know this is usually a fanshot but this post is in reference to what you can take from just watching this brief clip.

These guys trust Sparano and respect the hell out of him.  You can tell they play for him and when he speaks he's just as passionate as if he was the one on that field making the plays himself.  When looking at this clip you can tell that this team is a very close group and that is one of the most important jobs as a head coach, to get your team to play as one, a single unit.  They might not be the best or the most prepared team each week, but they are getting there, but one thing they are, is that they play their hearts out week in and week out.  To me that was never more evident then in the bears game when the Defense was still playing their balls off in the fourth quarter, it showed me a sense of pride and respect that they had for one another. 

Most people looked down at the idea of having a team go to watch a play together on a friday before a Sunday game, but the whole team loved it and it brings them closer and that's what really makes a great team.  I dont care what happens the rest of this year, I don't want any coach aside from Tony Sparano to coach this team because no other coach will have his players play as hard as they do for him on this team.  It takes time to earn that respect and he has it from this miami dolphins team. 

Onto Crowder, when you see Coach praise the Defense, the first person the players turn to was Channing Crowder.  This guy is not the most talented player on our team, or even the most talented linebacker, but he is a leader and he inspires our guys, and they respect the shit out of him.  Yes he runs his mouth, but these players feed off of it, and these attributes that he has cannot be taught or seen in a 40 yard dash, this is something that often gets overlooked when teams construct their personnel, leaders are very hard to come by and I honestly don't think we would have the defense we do without him.  This guy loves what he does and its contagious throughout the whole locker room. The main problem the Jets have with all their players is there is no spoken leader on that team.  I head Trent Dilfer say when he was on the Ravens that Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson, Tony Siragusa and Rod Burnett were the ones that controlled that team, not the coaches.  It just shows you how important it is for a team to have that leadership within its players and not just solely on the coaching staff, and thats what Channing does for THIS team. 

The longer this team players together the better they will be.  You see why teams like the Pats and Colts and Steelers always do well is because of their leaders and the cohesiveness of the team playing together for all those years. 

I'll be the first to say, not everything this coach or this team does is 100% right or the best decision, but we live and learn and eventually we'll get there.  There is a lot to be optimistic about and having meaningful games and a chance, a slight one at that, to make the playoffs is reason enough to keep your head up.  Not to mention we beat the Jets at their stadium, or should i say Giants Stadium.

I know, the season isn't over but many of us have realize this team isn't winning the super bowl this year, so its tough to not think how we can add some much needed pieces this offseason.  Aside from the draft, where too much goes on before hand to know what certain teams will do, we can look at Free Agency and think of some players that will be available as things currently stand for us. 

We all know that we need a tight end to compliment Fasano and stretch the field and I think there is one in Owen Daniels.  I know he has a history of ACL injuries but the guy is a serious talent when healthy and he seems to be recovered from his surgery that happened last season.  Houston's offense is pretty legit and they have Joel Dressen who has been producing for them in his absence, so I don't think Houston will go crazy in trying to sign him when their clear problem is Defense.  To go along with Daniels, is Jacoby Jones.  A serious deep threat with very good speed who returns kicks and compliments andre johnson real well.  I mean i know its hard not to compliment the best WR in the NFL but he def has better hands then Ginn ever did, i know its not saying much but hes a pretty good WR and has good return ability.  Im sure i'm not the only one who remembered him returning a KO for a touchdown against us (i think it was last year but not 100% sure).

Lastly, my personal favorite free agent who I think we have a realistic chance of signing, Tim Hightower.  Now before you jump, here me out.  This guy is averaging 5 yards per carry this year with a bad o-line and an awful QB...sound familiar?  He runs very hard and has great burst to compliment his 6'0 220 frame.  All this and he has great hands out of the backfield and caught 63 passes last year.  The best part is, he is only 3 years in the leage and 24 years old.  I think with Beanie Wells and that team focusing on getting a new QB, there is a good chance we might be able to go after him.  To be honest, i much rather throw a few extra dollars at a proven back who is so young then waste a draft pick on an unsure player when that pick can go to a more dire need like O-line.  I honestly hope we use our first two picks on 0-line unless our first pick is Mallet or Luck.  With a dominating o-line, you don't need the tight end to block as much or the RB to pass protect and can have more weapons out there and take some of the double team off Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess.  Either Ricky or Ronnie, or both are gone after this year and although I like Hilliard, I think if we kept one of them for a year or two more and had hightower, then drafted a RB late or next year and let him develop, we can really set ourselves in that position for the future. 

I know we all can dream and hope we sign Woodley and Mankins but lets be honest, we spent a lot of money last offseason and getting those players just might be too difficult especially since we NEEEEEEEDDDDD!  to sign Soliai to a long term extension!

Let me know your thoughts and if you feel there are other players we should potentially target....

First off, let me start out by saying Ronnie and Ricky are not the problems, the O-line is.  Look at the actual games and tell me you see any kind of wholes for them to run through.  If you watched the Pats game last night, that team created canyons for Green Ellis to run through against a Jets Defense.  We have no guards that can pull or get any kind of push off the line.  Against Oakland, Ronnie was hit maybe 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage, did a rediculous spin, kept his balance and gained 4 yards instead of losing 2.  If we had our o-line fixed, these running backs would be easily averaging above 4 yards a carry.  That should be our main focus, not finding a new RB.

Also, without Ronnie there is no Wildcat at all.  I know it hasnt been effective this year but again, its not because of execution from the RB's, its because of the blocking, no effective pulling guards...Ronnie is also currently our best pass catching back and really doesn't have that many miles on him considering his injuries.  He has turned into one of the leaders on this team and that is something that really gets overlooked.  The front office realized this mid way through this year that although they are going towards thier YOUTH movement, you need some leaders to help develop and teach the younger players.  We brought in Al Harris to do just that.  Even Brandon Marshall said it was weird that he was the oldest WR we have at the age of 26!.  Ronnie is well liked and respected throughout this whole team.  If he was on the pats right now he'd easily be at 1200 yards I don't care what any of you say.  He runs hard and has patience, and lets his blocks (whenever he has them) develop.  I agree that our running game needs to be fixed, but its not bc of Ronnie.  Ricky is effective but he just doesn't break any tackles anymore, and as much as I'd like him, I'd rather we drafted someone in the LATER rounds, like after round 3, then sign him.  Sheets is also a speedy back that can compliment Ronnie well. 

Bottom line is we have seen our players leave prematurely bc of contract disputes like Matt Roth and JT and both could've been valuable at this stage on this team in both leadership and their level of play.  Ronnie is no different, I don't care if we had anyone in the league other than AP, we would not have an effective running game.  With a new OC and hopefully a fixed up O-line we could get back to a being an effective run first team, but Ronnie and maybe sheets, or hilliard or a rookie to come in would do the job given good play calling and a dominat o-line. 

Part of being an effective running team is not just having the best runnings backs, but clearly a good 0-line, play calling, and picking and choosing your spots as far as when to run.  Dan Henning's play calling is as predictable as Chad Henne.  We Need Ronnie Brown and I promise if we don't sign him we will 100% see him go off to the Patriots and he'll make us pay for the next 3 years.  Age isn't that big of a deal these days, look at Mcgahee, he's over 30 and still an effective RB when he gets his touches.  Ronnie has had a light workload the past few years bc of injuries, and splitting carries, his body is fine and he's three years over his ACL injury, the guy is ready to run, but our Offense isn't.  We need to realize that he isn't the problem but our schemes and 0-line are. 

We all should be lucky we have a RB like him and hope that the front office realizes our real weakness and gives Ronnie an extension. 

Let me start off by saying this, Dan Marino is the reason why I am a football fan and the reason I love the dolphins.  First football game I ever saw it was Marino slinging passes like it was nobody's business.  But there is one reason and one reason only why we have never been able to find a franchise QB after Dan Marino, BECAUSE HE WAS THE LAST QB WE DRAFTED IN THE FIRST ROUND! 

Now I know that there are tons of QB's that turn out to be great that aren't first round picks, and there are a ton of busts as well, but look at the league right now and tell me how many are first round picks, look at all the top qbs and tell me how many are first round picks...Manning, Manning, Rivers, Mcnabb, Big Ben, Palmer, Bradford, Ryan, Flacco, Sanchez, Vince Young, Vick, and more...the only ones I can think of that turned out to be great were Brees, Romo, Rodgers, Schuab and Brady...I mean its not every day that players turn out to be that good...but my point is, all these other teams took chances and invested their top picks for QB's, and why not????  Its arguably the most important position on a football team. 

We had Marino for so long that we forgot what it was like to take a chance on a QB and take the time to develop him.  Yes Henne was a high second but its not the same as trading up a few spots and taking a QB in the top 10.  We need to take a gamble and invest our top pick and some money into a franchise qb and not hope to get lucky by finding one late in the draft and hope he's the next Romo or Brady. 

This year the QB class is stacked with Locker, Luck, Mallet and a lot more that I didn't even name because I don't follow College Football enough.  We need to do what the Jets, Ravens, Rams, and Falcons have all done to turn their franchises around and thats investing in a top qb.  Take a look at those four teams record in 2007, all were garbage..and since all have drafted a top QB and are turning things around.  We have a good team around him that wouldn't make him think he had to win games on his own.  He would come in like Flacco and Ryan did on good teams with good weapons and develop with a winning and confident attitude.  Lets hope the front office finally makes the move, but this is all if and only if Thigpen is not the answer, and im not saying he is or isn't, he has the rest of the season to prove his case. 

P.S.  The last time a QB LEEDDDD us to the Playoffs, was Chad Pennington, the 13THHHH QB the Dolphins had start since Dan Marino...I mean come on isn't this a little creepy?.  I feel like we have the curse of the great bambino and we are the red soxs but just that we can't find a QB after the Marino era.

As we all know, yesterday's win came with a heavy price tag.  But I think we all have seen flashes of Thiggy performing very well including yesterday and his ability to scramble and extend plays is something that can really help this offense.  Now arguably our two best players got hurt yesterday but don't for one second count them out.  Both finished the game eventhough their injuries happened during the 3rd quarter I believe.  Wake came out and said he's fine and Long is probably the toughest SOB we have.  If we can somehow manage to get through this Thursday game we have 10 days off to heal everyone and have our new QB's learn the offense. 

Now we all know what Cutler is able to do but he also is the master of turnovers whether it be INTs or Fumbles.  Chicago's O-line is awful, and even without Wake, we would be able to get constant pressure but i'll bet my life that he starts Thursday night and on top of it gets a few sacks.  Had it been so serious he wouldn't have played the entire 4th quarter.  Clemons was simply getting banged up a tad but had a rediculous hit on Moss that caused him to fumble (ruled a drop) so I expect him or Reshad Jones to be fine but I'm still hoping this team is grooming Jones as Yerehmiah Bell's replacement instead of competing with Clemons bc Clemons has really come into his own and started to develop into a good safety. 

Now we definitely need Long this game as we are going up against one of the best DE's in Julius Peppers but last year Long held Peppers quiet the entire game and I expect the same to happen if he's in there.  From everythign I read separated Shoulders can heal pretty much fully in 2 days for the average person and Long is not an avg person.  Ochocinco had his shoulder popped into place during yesterdays game and was fine to finish it.  Long is the toughest guy we have, period!

If we can pull out this game with a W...we have some very winnable games coming up vs Oakland and Clev at home.  We win those and believe it or not but we are 8-4.  Can't look ahead of Thursday but all I'm saying is if we can pull out a team effort and get a W, things will only get easier.  This team is very mentally tough and won yesterday's game as a team on both sides of the ball for the first time all season.

With all that has been going on I can't help but think about the draft and who we might need/could get.  When you look at this team, there really aren't that many glaring needs.  Honestly I think all we really need is a RB when Ronnie or Ricky or Both leave, a TE, and maybe a new Center since Berger is good but not great and I personally think Center is the most important O-lineman to an effective running game. 

On Defense we are pretty well stacked on DL when Merling and Odrick come back...D backs we have VD, SS, CC, and Reshad Jones to take over for Y Bell with Nolan Carrol and Benny Sapp at slots.  LB with Wake and Misi, Dansby and Crowder and Francis and Spitler and Micah Johnson there we have enough depth to groom all these young players. 

I think our needs lie in RB, TE, and O-line and currently after looking at the top prospects I would hope we could target either Demarco Murray RB from Oklahoma or Stefen Wisniewski C from Penn State.

Murray is 6'1 215 and runs a 4.48 forty.  This guy has speed, hands and great size to be a future RB in the league and hopefully just hopefully he can come close to resembling another RB from Oklahoma by the name of AP. 

Stefen Wisniewski is 6'3 300 lbs and runs a 5.1 40 and is hands down the best center in College Football.  Everything I read tells me he's a smart center (3.87 GPA).  Nephew to the Oakland great Steve Wisniewski, I think this guy can also team up with Jerry and Long for years to come to really take on some of those big NT.  We all have noticed Cleveland and Pitt's young centers stand out in only the first couple of seasons and you can tell the difference in the Browns running game aside from the fact they have HIllis but he has huge holes to run through. 

Either way i'd be happy with either of these players and I know its wayyyyy to early to think about it but I cant help but always look toward the future.  I think if Henne isnt the answer, this regime will give Tyler Thigpen a try before they invest a high draft pick on a QB. 

Please CP10, beat the Titans!  We need a home win and some optimism around this team.

I'll tell  you what is stopping Henne right now from being that good to great QB.  Aside from the lack of emotions which great qbs should portray, and the questionable OC in Dan Henning, or staring down one receiver...none of these are really the reason Henne is what they call predictable. 

Henne's main problem is that he doesn't throw the ball to where the receiver should be but rather to where they are.  Instead of anticipating the route, he waits for the receiver to be there basically finishing his route before releasing the ball and that is the one thing that you cannot do in this league. 

I was watching the NFL Network today and they showed highlights of both Matt Ryan and Colt Mccoy, two very young quarterbacks and even when Roddy White is double teamed Ryan is still able to hit him numerous times each game because the second Roddy breaks on his route the ball is right in his face.  Anticipation is what is Henne's biggest problem and I think it goes back to him being scared to make a mistake/turnover but you have to trust your wr and your time in practice to get that timing down so when that ball is thrown, the wr and only the wr is able to make a play on it bc only he knows where it will be.  Ultimately the QB needs to be throwing into an area rather than a person and trust his WR enough to be there when the ball arrives.  Henne is putting too much into thinking his strong arm will get it there but when you go against some of this ball hawking safeys and corners none of that is good enough. 

And one last thought, why the HELL do you never see the dolphins run slant routes.  I mean I see the Colts, Jets and Packers especially make a living off these slant routes to their top wr's and if they manage to break that one tackle from the corner then they end up with a ton of YAC.  I honestly can't remember the last time we executed a productive slant during a game this whole season.  I remember BMarsh ran one vs the Jets that got broken up in the end zone vs Cromartie  but that is it to be honest.

I want to leave off with one last comment.  Dan Henning you suck and I pray we get a new OC that will allow our QB, whoever it is, to be the best player he can be.  Had we of drafted Matt Ryan, he would've been in the same situation except he would've been sacked more bc he wouldn't have Jake Long protecting his ass.  Henning is stopping Henne's growth and development.  But this move to Pennington is the only way Tony S can know if its the OC or the QB's fault for the lackluster first half of the season on offense.

I know we just came off a bad loss to Baltimore, but we have no reason to panic now.  First off, yes we are 4-4 but we lost to arguably the 4 best teams in the NFL, two of those games we easily could've won and one of those games, had our special teams not collapsed, i think we walk out of there with a win considering how dominate our Offense and Defense were playing during the first half. 

Regardless, no one here honestly thought that this is the year we would be contending for a championship.  I'll admit I did, and still do, think we could make the playoffs but look at our team and see how well we positioned ourselves for the future. 

Offensive line...we have maybe the best LT in all of Football in his Third NFL season, a great RT in Vernon Carey who is under 30, and a promising guard in John Jerry who is only a rookie.  Plug in a center in next year's draft and you have a line that can be there for the next decade. 

WR's...Brandon Marshall is 26 and we just signed him to a 5 yr extension...Davone Bess is one of the best slot receivers and he just got a 3 year extension...Wallace has shown a ton of promise in his rookie year and Hartline has definitely stepped it up in the last few weeks with big plays over 20 yards.  Yea we could always use that speedster but from what I'm hearing, Wallace has some serious speed, just not that great route running.  I really hope we keep this unit in tack as I think they will only get better and better considering how young they are. 

D-line...Starks is as close to a pro bowler as there is who hasn't been to one...Langford is playing above everyones expectations...Solai is finally having a breakout season and is playing consistent as a NT and we still have Odrick and Merling who in my opinion have yet to really develop. 

D-backs...Vontae...Sean Smith...Chris Clemons...all in their second year!!!...tell me who honestly doesn't think this unit can be dominat in another year or two and for years to come.  Clemons has taken a big step this year as VD has obvi...and I think Smith will be good.  Considering Terrel Owens even gave him praise and he really kept him quiet vs Cincy once he got in and he stayed with TO the whole time...we all know TO is still playing at a very high level. 

Henne...its his first full year as a starter...Does anyone remember Eli as a starter or Drew Brees (as someone mentioned in a different post)...Both these qb are super bowl winning QB's and were definitely not that good in their second full year as starters but eventually found their role.  Give him time, having Bess and Marshall will only make him better. 

So what is their to panic about?  We have a great pass rusher in Wake, good inside LB'ers in Dansby and Crowder and a promising OLB in Misi who i personally think reminds me a lot of Clay Matthews his first year with a crazy motor and look at Clay now after he learned a couple of pass rush moves. 

People have said this time and time again but where were we 2 season ago...1-15...we are close, and we are veryyyy young.  As this team develops we will only get better.  I was thinking about the draft today bc I was bored at work and honestly I couldnt think of more than two positions that we really "needed'.  I agree, we need a field stretching Tight End and we will need a RB after Ronnie or Ricky move on.  Ronnie played very tough last week and was I the only one that saw him run AT Ray Lewis numerous times and fall forward not backwards...he still has a few years left in the tank and doesn't have that many miles on him considering the injuries. 

Finally, yes we are 4-4 but again look at the teams we played.  I dont care what anyone says but the Raiders, Browns, Lions, and Bears don't compare to the Ravens, Steelers, Packers, and Pats and Jets.  We played the TOP teams and thats what you need to do in order to get over that hump.  Playing soft teams all year and have a nice record only to get smacked in the face first rd of the playoffs is the worst wake up call you can have and we had that in 2008.  Had Sean Smith taken that pick for 6 it would've been a 20-17 game in the third quarter and all the momentum would be in our favor.  It didn't happen and yes it sucks but just realize how close we are. 

Eventually, these ALMOST plays turn into game changing plays and it might not be this week or this year, but before you know it this young core will develop into a ton of pro bowlers. 

All i'm trying to say is we have a ton to be optimistic about given the caliber of players this team has and the ones they are developing.