Week 10 In the NFL: Picks and predictions

Quiet week, huh?  I almost forgot that there's still actual football to be played this season.  In-fact, there's a whole lot of football left to be played, and the slate of games this weekend could provide a fun couple of hours.  Lets get to it.

Last week's record: 6-7

Overall record: 78-47


Cincinnati @ Baltimore:  Two teams coming off tough, tough losses.  In a game of who wants it more, I like the Ravens to stay in the playoff mix with a big time home win.

Detroit @ Chicago:  One of the marquee matchups this week, and I don't think it'll disappoint.  Jay Cutler is set to return, and I think he leads the Bears to a huge division win, but it's close.

Philadelphia @ Green Bay:  Hope Eddie Lacy's hungry tomorrow, because he'll be fed an awful lot with Seneca Wallace manning the ship for a while.  Meanwhile, Nick Foles' jersey is next to Peyton Manning's in Canton.  Yeah, we all saw that coming.  Give me the Eagles.

St. Louis @ Indianapolis:  That Rams defense will keep them in a lot of games, but, unfortunately, Kellen Clemons will put them right back out of them.  Give me the Colts.

Seattle @ Atlanta:  Two months ago this looked like a dandy.  Now, it looks like a snoozer.  I'll take the Seahawks.

Oakland @ N.Y. Giants:  This could be the game that New York offense breaks through, did you see the Oakland defense last week?  Yikes.  Giants win.

Jacksonville @ Tennessee:  Nope, I refuse.  Titans.

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh:  This one could be fun to watch, especially with the return of E.J. Manual.  The kid could have a big day against an awful Pittsburgh defense, but still, I like the Steelers at home.

Carolina @ San Francisco:  How about those Panthers, huh?  I liked them before the season started, and I really like them now.  However, going on the road against a San Francisco team off a bye will be a tall order, even for superman.  Give me the 49ers in a good one.

Houston @ Arizona:  Case!!!  The kid went out last week, torched the Indianapolis secondary, and reminded everyone that Andre Johnson is still a pretty good receiver. He'll struggle some this week against a strong Arizona defense, but my gut tells me he'll pull it out.  Give me the Texans.

Denver @ San Diego:  UPSET ALERT.  Yes, Denver is coming off a bye.  And yes, they still have Peyton Manning.  But something just tells me that Philip Rivers and that San Diego offense wants this one more.  I'll take the Chargers in a high scoring affair.

Dallas @ New Orleans:  Tony Romo and the Cowboys went into the Superdome a couple years ago and defeated the then unbeaten Saints.  I don't see them doing that here, especially with New Orleans coming off an ugly, ugly loss.  Give me the Saints.


Alright, that'll do it for tonight.  Check back tomorrow for any updates on the Miami Dolphins (hopefully only football related) as they get ready for a primetime battle against the winless Buccaneers.

And, as always, come back Monday for pre-game coverage, my prediction, and, of course, the live blog of the game.

Until then

GO FINS

Incognito On The Move: The Latest From Miami (with video); Locker Room United Or Divided?; Other Notes

As much as it pains me to continue reporting on this, it just won't go away.  And I don't expect it to for a long, long time.

Legal teams have been formed, finger pointing has begun, and the battle is, unfortunately, set to begin for the Miami Dolphins.

Here's the very latest:

- According to reports, Richie Incognito flew to Los Angelas today.  Why?  Nobody knows.  But, it should be mentioned, that Jonathan Martin is out there as well. Coincidence?  Reconciliation?  Revenge?  Who knows, but I'm sure we'll find out.

- As most of you know, Jonathan Martin's attorney, David Cornwell, released the following statement last night:


Jonathan Martin’s toughness is not at issue. Jonathan has started every game with the Miami Dolphins since he was drafted in 2012. At Stanford, he was the anchor for Jim Harbaugh’s “smash mouth” brand of football and he protected Andrew Luck’s blind side.

The issue is Jonathan’s treatment by his teammates.  Jonathan endured harassment that went far beyond the traditional locker room hazing.  For the entire season-and-a-half that he was with the Dolphins, he attempted to befriend the same teammates who subjected him to the abuse with the hope that doing so would end the harassment.  This is a textbook reaction of victims of bullying.  Despite these efforts, the taunting continued.  Beyond the well-publicized voice mail with its racial epithet, Jonathan endured a malicious physical attack on him by a teammate, and daily vulgar comments such as the quote at the bottom.  These facts are not in dispute.

Eventually, Jonathan made a difficult choice. Despite his love for football, Jonathan left the Dolphins. Jonathan looks forward to getting back to playing football. In the meantime, he will cooperate fully with the NFL investigation.

Quote from teammate: “We are going to run train on your sister. . . . She loves me. I am going to f–k her without a condom and c– in her c—.”

Obviously, that last sentence is the one everyone is talking about today, and, if true, could be a devastating blow to the Miami Dolphins.  As I've said before, coaches will be fired when this is all said and done.  Players will be fired when this is all said and done. GM's could very well be fired when this is all said and done.  That quote may just be the beginning.

- This from NFL.com:

NFL Media columnist Michael Silver has been told Incognito's camp has evidence that suggests a "back-and-forth communication between the two men that would paint them more as friends who said things to each other." Silver called the exchange "mutually explosive."

"(Martin's) days with the Dolphins clearly are over," Silver said. "This is the point of no return. Richie Incognito's camp believes they have some material to release that will cast this in a different context. ... All kinds of Dolphins offensive linemen and players are freaking out. This is war."

Clearly, there is a lot of evidence from both sides here, and we haven't even seen most of it yet.  Don't be surprised to see this end in court, with a bang.  As I've said, this is just getting started.

- Here is exclusive video of Channel 10's Ross Palombo following Incognito through LAX (I apologize for the size, that's the best we could get):

LOCKER ROOM UNITED

Many of you have seen the various interviews given by players following Wednesday's practice.  The notable ones included Brian Hartline, Tyson Clabo, and Ryan Tannehill.  Here's a little of what they had to say:

"This is the same guy that was laughing about this voice mail at one point in time, first of all," Hartline said of Martin. "Second of all, I believe that if you look through the whole voice mail, there's some things said that you probably shouldn't say in general, friends or not friends. But I know for a fact, that I've said things to my friends that I kind of wish I've never said to, either." -Brian Hartline

"I don't know why he's doing this ... this is ridiculous. What's (being) perceived is that Richie is this psychopath, racist maniac, right? And the reality is that Richie was a pretty good teammate, and that Richie and Jonathan Martin were friends, or appeared to be friends." -Tyson Clabo

"If you asked Jonathan Martin who his best friend is on this team two weeks ago, he'd say Richie Incognito.  (The) first guy to stand up for Jonathan when anything went down on the field -- any kind of tussle -- Richie was the first guy there. When they wanted to hang out outside of football, who was together? Richie and Jonathan. I'm not in those guys' shoes. I can't explain what's going on." -Ryan Tannehill

Now, many reports are out there calling this a revolt against Philbin.  That's wrong.  In-fact, NFL Network's Jeff Darlington has reported that Philbin told the team to speak up, and "stick up" for themselves when questioned.

To me, this is a DIRECT sign of things to come.  Watching this locker room over the past week, and listening to them talk, you can sense a newfound urgency in their voices that hasn't been there all season long.  Players are mad, fed up with the spotlight, and I expect them to use this as a rally cry going forward.

I won't give my prediction for Monday night yet, but I'll say this:  Expect a fired up group of guys for 60 minutes, and expect an "us against the world" mentality that you haven't seen from this team in a long, long time.  Bank on it.


OTHER NOTES

Now, to the actual football side of things.

- Former Fins WR Marlon Moore rejoined the team this week after a brief stint with the 49ers.  Moore reclaimed his old #14 jersey.  There is no word on whether he will be active on Monday night or not.

- And finally, the final injury report was released today:


OUT
T Jonathan Martin (illness)

DID NOT PRACTICE
LB Jelani Jenkins (foot)
LB Koa Misi (knee)

LIMITED
CB Dimitri Patterson (groin)
TE Dion Sims (toe)
K Caleb Sturgis (right groin)

FULL
CB Nolan Carroll (concussion)
S Chris Clemons (hamstring)
LB Dannell Ellerbe (calf)
G Nate Garner (knee)


Three Days.

Careers, Reputations On The Line In Latest South Beach Saga

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

This stuff happens to the Jets, and Patriots, Saints and Cowboys.  They're the ones who you're supposed to see on TV, hear on the radio, and read on the front page.  Not the Miami Dolphins.

Not these Miami Dolphins.

This is why Jeff Ireland traded Brandon Marshall and Vontae Davis, isnt it?

This is why Joe Philbin cut Chad Johnson in one of the most infamous ways to date, isn't it?

As Philbin says, and has said since day one, the Miami Dolphins will be filled with "high character guys."

So for this to happen under his watch, under his leadership, under his dictatorship, is nothing short of unfathomable.

And, unfortunately, I don't even think we've reached the meat of the story yet.

Every day you wake up and new, horrific tidbits filter in, like a plague that's spreading more and more by the hour.  In what began with a lunchtime prank in South Florida, has manifested into a full blown PR nightmare for the Miami Dolphins.

Reputations are at stake.  Jobs are on the line.  And yet, we still have so many more questions than answers.

Who knew what?  When?  For how long?

Who said what?  To who?  In what context?

One minute you think you know something.  You think you know who to blame, and whose side to choose.

And then, just like that, everything changes.

On Monday, Joe Philbin looked America in the eye and repeated, multiple times, that he absolutely did not know about the alleged bullying in his own locker room.

Then, a day later, reports surfaced that Miami coaches actually told Incognito to "toughen up" Martin after missing two voluntary practices in April.

I want to believe Philbin.  You want to believe Philbin.  But the sad truth is, the way this story is unfolding, you can't help but raise an eye brow to the suddenly beleaguered head coach.

And now the NFL, under the plea from owner Stephen Ross, has launched a full on investigation into the culture of the Dolphins locker room.

My God, after seeing what's been unearthed in just a few days, imagine the skeletons Roger Goodell will find in the dark, dirty closet nestled in Dolphins headquarters.

As messy as this thing is today, I don't even think we've tipped the iceberg (palm tree?) yet.

Scandals like this divide a team.

Coaches get divided.  Ownership gets divided.  Locker rooms get divided.

In-fact, it's already started.

Players like Mike Wallace and Cameron Wake have already voiced their support for Incognito.  Wallace even went as far to say that he "wished [Incognito] was still here."

Center Mike Pouncey, who was seen with Incognito in the TMZ video in which Incognito used racial slurs, told ESPN's Cris Carter that no players consider him a racist.

You now have these players, most, if not all, who have publicly supported Incognito, playing for a head coach who suspended him not three days ago.

All of this going on SMACK DAB in the middle of a heated playoff race.

Oh yeah, you almost forgot, didn't you?  There's still actual football to be played here, and the Miami Dolphins are coming off a season saving win that moved them to within a half game of the sixth and final playoff spot.

Unfortunately, for now, what happens on the field will be taking a distant back seat to what happens off the field for the Miami Dolphins.  And for a team that clearly lacks any leadership, that could be a demoralizing blow to a season that started with such optimism, and such excitement.

Joe Philbin is now under a national microscope.  His days could very well be numbered in South Florida.  But he's not alone.

Other players and coaches will surely be indicted along with him, depending on what the NFL digs up. Everybody in the organization, from Stephen Ross, down to the 53rd man, will be questioned, and interrogated, until answers are found for all those questions this disgusting ordeal has raised.

It's funny.  A week ago you would have looked at this game with the winless Buccaneers and said "hey, could be worse, we could be them right now."

After the week that was for the Miami Dolphins, and the weeks that are sure to come, that doesn't look half bad right about now, does it?

What a mess.  What an ordeal.

What a sad twist to a franchise that so badly wants to make national headlines for the good they do on the field.

Not the bad they do off of it.

ALERT: Philbin about to speak to media

Head coach Joe Philbin is about to speak with the media.

Follow it live here:

http://www.miamidolphins.com/index-live.html

What We KNOW Regarding Martin, Incognito Story

As some of you may have noticed, I have been quiet thus far in regards to the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin situation going on in Miami right now.

Why?

Well, I don't like to report something or give my opinion on something without the facts, or, at least most of the facts.

Well, the facts continue to pour in today, and with every Adam Schefter tweet, this story gets worse and worse for the Miami Dolphins.

Here's what we KNOW as of right now:

- Last week, Jonathan Martin abruptly left the Miami Dolphins after a lunch time prank gone wrong.  News then began to come out of alleged bullying against Martin inside the Dolphins locker room.

- A few days later, following the Dolphins 22-20 OT win, starting LG Richie Incognito's name first popped up in the alleged bullying scandal.  It was said that Martin feared to return to the Dolphins because of what Incognito would do to him.

- Then the Las Vegas story came out.  This from ESPN:

"Sources told ESPN that one of the significant allegations being reviewed is that Incognito got Martin to contribute $15,000 to help finance a trip to Las Vegas by some teammates last summer, even though Martin preferred not to travel with the group.

Rather than go, Martin simply gave Incognito the $15,000, sources told ESPN, fearing the consequences if he did not hand over the money."

- Yesterday morning, Incognito went to twitter in regards to these allegations:


@AdamSchefter Enough is enough 
If you or any of the agents you sound off for have a problem with me, you know where to find me #BRINGIT

- Late last night, news broke that Incognito had been suspended by the Miami Dolphins indefinitely:

"We believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time. As we noted earlier, we reached out to the NFL to conduct an objective and thorough review. We will continue to work with the league on this matter."

- And now today, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news that voicemail's left by Incognito to Martin last April had been obtained by the NFL.  Here's what Incognito said:

"Hey, wassup, you half n----- piece of s---. I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. [I want to] s--- in your f---ing mouth. [I'm going to] slap your f---ing mouth. [I'm going to] slap your real mother across the face [laughter]. F--- you, you're still a rookie. I'll kill you."

ESPN also reported that these were not isolated incidents, and that Martin "received a series of texts that include derogatory terms referring to the female anatomy and sexual orientation."


This is what we know RIGHT NOW.  The Dolphins did return to practice today, and Joe Philbin will speak to the media shortly.  Check back for a full recap.

More to come.

Week 9 In the NFL: Picks and Predictions

Dolphin's have today off, and so do I.  That means we'll have a lightning round edition of picks and predictions today.  Let's do it.

Last week's record: 10-2

Overall record:  72-40


Carolina

Dallas

New Orleans

Tennessee

Kansas City

Washington

Oakland

Seattle

Baltimore

Pittsburgh

Houston

Green Bay


I suggest CLOSELY monitoring the San Diego/Washington game, New Orleans/Jets game, K.C./Buffalo game, Baltimore/Cleveland game, AND the New England game.

Bucs week starts tomorrow!

[UPDATE: The Jonathan Martin situation remains a strange one.  I've chosen not to report on it yet because there are SO many different sides to this story.  I will say, don't expect Martin back anytime soon.]

Cam Wake, Dolphins Save Season with 22-20 OT Win

With all the Thursday night duds this season, this Halloween night special was anything but that.

22-20.

Miami Dolphins get the win, save the season, and enter the midway point at 4-4.  But it wasn't easy.

After a three and out to start overtime, Miami punted it away to Cincinnati, who would mount a drive into Dolphins territory.  However, the defense would stiffen up, forcing a punt after Marvin Lewis chose to forgo a 57 YD field goal.

Ryan Tannehill would take over, and heave one deep to a streaking Mike Wallace who got behind Terrence Newman.  A sure fire TD was saved by Newman, who tackled Wallace for the pass interference.

Miami would end up punting, but it was the change of field position that would prove to be key, as Dalton and the Bengals took over at their own 8 yard line.

And that's where Cameron Wake, who I told you HAD to step up tonight, made the play of the year for Miami.

Wake would sack Dalton on a bull rush right up the middle, sending the Bengals QB into his own end zone.  The referees would immediately signal safety, but the play would be reviewed.  It was certainly close, but it DID appear that part of the ball was on the goal line when Wake made initial contact.

The play was confirmed, and the Fins would get their first win since September 22nd.

Ryan Tannehill finished the night 20-28, 208 yards, and a rushing TD.  But it was the key late game drive that defined Tannehill's night.

The sophomore would hit Brian Hartline twice on the drive, including a 21 yard strike that put Miami at the Cincinnati 32.  At first sight it appeared Hartline did not get two feet down, but replay's show that he did get a second foot down... maybe.  It was a difficult call, and probably could have gone either way, but, for once, Miami got a call.

Caleb Sturgis would hit a 44 YD field goal soon after to send the game to OT.  Sturgis missed one earlier, and, at the time of the game tying FG, had only made 2 of his last 7 attempts.

Lamar Miller recorded his first 100 yard game of his career as the Fins ran the ball for 157 yards.

The stat of the game, however, would be the turnovers.  Cincinnati turned it over 4 times.  Miami turned it over only once- the Lamar Miller fumble.

Cameron Wake finished with 3 sacks on the night.

Miami now has 10 days off before their Monday night matchup next week with Tampa Bay.

Happy Halloween indeed for the Miami Dolphins.

On a night with their season on the line, the reeling Fins delivered.

Whew.