Happy New Year! The Latest As 4 PM Approaches

Well, it's a start.

We've made it to the first big landmark, folks.  The first checkpoint.  For the first time in over a month, the NFL is at the forefront of the news today.

In less then 6 hours, when the clock strikes 4 pm, the new NFL league year will officially commence. That means we can finally start calling the 2014 season "this season."

That means the debacle that was December 30, 2013 is officially behind us.  In 6 hours, that will forever be known as "last season."

But, more importantly, the new league year signals the beginning of free agency, where, for the second year in a row, your Miami Dolphins are expected to be huge players.  Why?  Well, to begin with, they have $40 million to spend, fourth most in the NFL.  They also have MAJOR holes to fill, notably on the offensive line, defensive line, backfield, and secondary.

You may be saying hey, Zach, if free agency doesn't start until today then how did the Fins sign FS Louis Delmas yesterday?

Delmas was cut by the Lions.  Players who are cut can be signed at any time.  Plain and simple.

Speaking of that signing, I like it.  Delmas is an aggressive safety.  He's a hard-hitting safety.  He's a young, athletic, ballhawking safety.  However, the knock on him is his health.  He was on the injury report nearly every week last season, and even though he played, it's still a red flag.

That's why Miami gave Delmas a Brent Grimes like one-year contract.  It's a prove it contract.  Grimes proved it and got rewarded.  If Delmas can follow in the same footsteps expect more of the same for him.

Delmas had three interceptions, two sacks and 48 total tackles last season.

What else does this signing mean?  Two things:

Number one, don't expect Chris Clemons to return to the team this season.  He was resigned last year to a one year contract, had a solid year, but the team is going in a different direction.  IF Delmas can stay healthy, then this is an upgrade at the position.

Number two, you can put those Jarius Byrd to Miami rumors to bed.  Yes, the Dolphins did inquire about the Bills safety.  BUT, the asking price was WAY to high ($9 million a year), and the Fins have much bigger holes to fill.

One more bit of news about yesterday before moving on to today.  The Fins cut expensive CB Dimitri Patterson yesterday afternoon.  Patterson only played in a handful of games LAST season due to a groin injury, and in cutting him the Fins cleared over $5 million in cap space.  Now, Patterson can return to the team for less money, but I wouldn't hold your breathe on that one.  If he can stay healthy he's an above average corner in this league (just look at what he did in limited time last season), and my guess is a team will be willing to take a chance on him.

While this did free up cap space it did leave another glaring hole in the secondary, especially with CB Nolan Carroll almost definitely headed elsewhere judging by the interest he's drawn from multiple teams around the league.  Right now, second year CB's Jamar Taylor and Will Davis are the CB's opposite Brent Grimes.  Those two were barely active a year ago, and are still very raw.

Expect the Dolphins to add another CB either through free agency or the draft.

Now to today.

First things first, expect LT Branden Albert to officially be a Miami Dolphin by 4:05 today. He's already in Miami and a deal is already unofficially done.  This match has also been a year in the making.

If you remember, former GM Jeff Ireland tried to trade for Albert during the 2013 draft, but couldn't work out a deal.  Head coach Joe Philbin has wanted Albert since last March.  Albert lives in Miami during the offseason.  The Dolphins desperately need a LT.

You can connect those dots.

Albert will be a Dolphin by days end.  It's more of a guarantee then the Wallace deal was last season, and that one was pretty set in stone as well.

Now to the other players to keep an eye on:

- RB Maurice Jones Drew.  The Dolphins need an experienced, strong, downhill, pass blocking running back who can be a leader in the locker room.

Does MJD not fit that mold?  Yes, he has injury concerns.  And yes, he'll be 29 next year. But if Im GM Dennis Hickey I'm going after MJD hard today.  It just makes too much sense.

- DT Earl Mitchell.  Don't know this name?  Well, you will soon, because I expect this guy to be highly sought after today.  He's already been in contact with the Dolphins, along with the Bucs, Seahawks, Bears, Chargers, and Cowboys.  Mitchell is young, aggressive, high-octane, and high-energy.  He also fills a major void that will be left behind by Paul Soliai and Randy Starks.

- RT Austin Howard.  There aren't a lot of options out there at RT, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Miami upgrade here through the draft.  BUT, Howard is a solid option who's also a New York Jet.  Any chance to weaken a rival is a plus.  However, the Jets just cleared up a lot of room by cutting Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie, so don't be surprised to see Howard possibly resign.


Rapid fire:

- G Zane Beadles

- G Chad Rinehart

- G Geoff Schwartz

- RB Justin Forsett

- RB Darren McFadden

- DT Jason Hatcher

- DT Linval Joseph

- MLB Jon Beason

- MLB Brandon Spikes


Loooooong shots:

- CB Darrell Revis.  He'll most likely be cut by the Buccaneers.  GM Dennis Hickey has obvious Tampa Bay connections.  Just sayin.

- RB Chris Johnson.  He'll be shopped around by the Titans.  He's electric, a game-changer, a huge upgrade out in the passing game for Ryan Tannehill.  Don't be surprised if the Fins take a look.


See you at 4 pm.

Happy New Year!!



 

Philbin Speaks (video); Hickey On Deck

Once again, the Miami Dolphins were at the forefront of the NFL news this morning, as head coach Joe Philbin spoke to the media for around 15 minutes at the Combine in Indianapolis.  This coming off the heels of the firings of O-line coach Jim Turner and strength and conditioning coach Kevin O'Neil.

Here are the takeaways (with the full video at the bottom):


- "I want everybody to know,  I was responsible for the workplace environment at the Miami Dolphins facility. I'm the one that sets the schedule, I decide when the practices are, I decide when players eat, how the practices are, how they lift, everything they do in the facility."

- "It's unacceptable. And I'm the one who is charge of the work place. And I can tell you ... we're going to do things about it. We're going to make it better."

-  "The team, the performance of the team, the 8-8 record, that falls on my shoulders. I'm going to be more vigilant. I'm going to be more diligent. I'm going to be more visible. I'm going to have a better pulse."

- "We haven't made any decision on anybody's future."

- "We're going to look at everything. The way we educate, the way we communicate, the way we talk to one another. I'm going to look at every avenue. I have to make sure we create a better atmosphere and better environment."

- "I didn't necessarily name him [Richie Incognito] a leader.  There's a leadership council that we have in place. The process is the players elect the people they want to be on the leadership council. Out of respect to the process that's how the votes came in and he was on the leadership council."

- "I don't have the benefit to look back.  I would have hoped that I noticed some of these things. I can tell you I never turned my back. If I had heard this type of language or these type of acts, I would have intervened immediately."

- "I certainly wish I would have seen some of it. I would have intervened quicker and perhaps it would not have grown to this proportion it has grown to. But it's easy to look back. That's how it happened. That's how it unfolded. I have to focus on the future and correct the problems."

-  On whether he feels lucky he still has a job:  "Steve Ross is the one that does the hiring for the Miami Dolphins.  That's a question you should ask him."


Philbin took full responsibility for not having a "pulse" of the his locker room, which he needed to do.  That's a good first step.  Other than that, he didn't provide anything new.  It was a typical Joe Philbin interview, with the only noticeable difference, to someone who follows the team and watches every interview throughout the season, being his voice. Philbin, who is usually very low key and monotone in his local interviews, had a very strict, loud voice throughout the interview today.

I guess that's what happens when you go from the local media to the national spotlight?

Anyway, new GM Dennis Hickey is up next.  He is scheduled to speak with the media at 2:15.

I'll be back with the notes on that later on.

Gotta love the offseason.

Link To FULL Ted Wells Report HERE

First of all, does anyone else find it ironic that this report came out on Valentines Day?  Weird timing, no?

Anyway, here it is.  The report everybody has been waiting for for months now.  I'm about 20 pages in as we speak, and I will not have any opinions until I finish.  I suggest you do the same.  Read the 144 pages, THEN form an opinion.  Don't just go off what your twitter says, or what certain articles say.  Just read it yourself, and see what you think.

I'll be back in the coming days to give you my thoughts.  HOWEVER, after reading 20 pages and knowing what lies ahead, I can tell you this:

- Mike Pouncey and Jon Jerry were just as bad Richie Incognito, according to this report.

- O-Line coach Jim Turner's days will be numbered.  He comes off looking really bad in this thing.

- Joe Philbin is made out to look like the good guy, but still comes off as having little to no control of his own locker room, mainly because, according to the report, he was not aware of what was going on.

- Jeff Ireland should consider himself lucky he's no longer with the team.

- A surprise name, to me, was Nate Garner, who came off as just as bad of a victim, if not worse, as Martin. I hadn't heard Garner's name once in the past 6 months linked to any of this.


Okay, back to reading.  I'll have a more thorough analysis and opinion soon.

Here's the link to the entire report.  Enjoy, although some of it's a tough read.

Back for more soon.

Report: 2014 Will Be Make Or Break For Tannehill

This report hit the internet this morning, courtesy of CBS.com's Jason La Canfora.

And yes, it forced me to come out of my offseason hibernation about 3 weeks earlier then I had intended to (free agency).

Here are the bullet points:


- The big take away from reading this was the state of QB Ryan Tannehill and head coach Joe Philbin. An excerpt:

"He definitely wants to push Tannehill more," said one source who has spoken to Philbin about the quarterbacks, "and if he doesn't see improvement he said he might go to Moore at some point. He definitely has a lot of faith in Moore, and they're paying him a lot of money."

Now, I absolutely do not know whether this is accurate or not.  Nobody follows the Miami Dolphins more than I do, and I can tell you right now that not one time during the season was there even an inkling that Moore could replace Tannehill.  However, after struggling down the stretch, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case now.

Personally, I have no problem with competition for Tannehill.  Competition is good.  Competition gets you the most out of your players.  BUT, Matt Moore is going on 30 years old this August.  How much good would it really do the organization to have Moore replace Tannehill?  IF this were to happen, my guess is that Philbin would be fired, Moore and Tannehill would be gone, and a new regime would start over with a new, rookie QB in the 2015 draft.

It just doesn't make sense to start over with a 30 year old QB.  

Another thing to consider:  New GM Dennis Hickey is pro-Tannehill.  No, he hasn't said it.  But he's showed it.  Remember, the first thing Hickey did when he got the job was buy his son a Ryan Tannehill jersey.  Subtle, yes.  But very, very telling.

There's no doubt that Tannehill is your starter going into this season.  He threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 24 TD's last year, behind an historically bad offensive line and with little to no running game.  He earned a third year.

BUT, make no mistake about it:  2014 will absolutely be make or break for him.

- According to La Canfora, CB Brent Grimes is a "top priority" this offseason, and he's either going to be signed to a long term deal or franchise tagged.  Either way, he'll be back this season.

- The team, according to the report, also will rebuild the entire offensive line with the exception of center Mike Pouncey.  An earlier report this week also said that Joe Philbin wants to go after Chiefs LT Branden Albert.  Remember, Miami went after him last season and a deal could not be reached.

- The final take away from the report is this:  Both Paul Soliai and Randy Starks will be free agents next month, and only one will most likely be back with the team, not both.  This is nothing new, and my best guess is it'll be Soliai.  He wants to be in Miami, and has showed in years past that he'll do it for a lesser price.

Okay, back to the offseason.  The blog will make a brief return for a few weeks once free agency opens up.  Until then, I leave you with this depressing thought:

Only 7 months until the season opener.

Dolphins nab Lazor as next OC

According to multiple sources, including ESPN's Chris Mortenson and NFL Network's Jeff Darlington, the Miami Dolphins have hired Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor as their next offensive coordinator.

These reports are coming off the heels of yesterday's reports, saying Lazor was bound for Detroit.

Jeff Darlington also tweeted this just moments ago:

"Text from member of Miami's staff on Lazor: Good coach. Smart family man who works well with others. Been with great mentors. We're excited."

More to come.

Ireland OUT as Dolphins GM; List Of Candidates Growing

Obviously, this is no longer breaking news like it was last night.  I wanted to wait a bit before I posted something so I could give you something other than just the fact that Jeff Ireland would no longer be with the Miami Dolphins.

Well, today I've got something for you.  A list.  A list of possible replacements for Ireland.

These names have been circulating around the internet all morning, and have been put out there by respected Dolphin beat writers, so I trust that it is accurate.

The leading name on the list right now is Tom Gamble, the vice president of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Before re-joing the Eagles this season, Gamble spent the previous 8 years with the 49ers, most recently as the team’s director of player personnel. Gamble began his NFL career in the Eagles front office, where he worked in several different capacities during his seven-year stint with the team from 1988-94.

Gamble is a good talent evaluator, respected around the league, and, during his time in the league, has helped produce 11 playoff teams, including five with Indianapolis, four with Philadelphia and two with San Francisco.

Gamble has worked closely at both the college and pro level over his career.

Right now, this is the big name for the Miami Dolphins.  

However, there are others.  Including:

-Alonzo Highsmith:  Green Bay senior personnel executive

-Scott Pioli: Former Chiefs GM

-Mike Tannenbaum:  Former Jets GM

-Eliot Wolf:  Green Bay director of pro personnel

-Brian Gaine:  Dolphins assistant GM

-Omar Khan:  Pittsburgh director of football administration

-Carl Peterson:  Former Chiefs GM

-Eric Mangini:  San Franciso offensive senior consultant

-Bill Polian:  Former Colts GM


Don't look for anything big to happen today.  Stephen Ross will take his time with this decision.

One more hold up for the Miami Dolphins, and it's a big one, will be what this new GM will be walking in to.

He will NOT have the power to hire his own head coach.  Joe Philbin is SAFE this season.  He will return in 2014.  So when the Dolphins interview a possible replacement, and he wants to hire his own coach, then the interview will end right there.

That could cut this list down considerably.

Stay posted.

BREAKING: Dolphins fire OC Mike Sherman

Did I plan to be back this early? No.

But, the Miami Dolphins collapsed. That means dominos HAD to fall.

The first one has.

Earlier this hour, news broke that OC Mike Sherman was fired. The Dolphins offense finished 27th in the NFL this season, and my guess is owner Stephen Ross told Joe Philbin he was to either fire Sherman, or leave himself.

Philbin obviously chose the former.

Moments ago, he released the following statement:

“I would like to thank Mike for his contributions to the Miami Dolphins. Mike has been a mentor to me throughout my coaching career, dating back to 1979. He is a man of great integrity, dedicated to his family, his team, his players and his profession. On behalf of the entire Miami Dolphins organization I want to wish Mike and his family the very best in the future.”

I believe this move HAD to happen. You don't finish near the bottom of the league offensively and only put up 7 points in the final two games and survive. You just don't.

Whether or not this is the only domino to fall is still up in the air. Obviously the situation is ongoing.

As for the blog, I have a couple things in the works right now, and will have them up soon. But, this is the beginning of the offseason, so the activity will slow down for the next few months.

We'll keep you posted.