Tuesday, March 9, 2010

New Dolphin, Again - Chad Pennington, QB

Since I started this blog after the 2008 season, I never got to welcome Pennington to the fold officially.  When he was signed in 2008, it took me at least 2 months to get over him being a NY Jet.  But his apparent desire to stay in Miami as a back-up has cemented his status as a loyal Dolphin in my mind, or at least a loyal Trifectanite, which is the same thing for now.  

And ultimately the news today that Pennington will be the 3rd string QB behind Tyler Thigpen has made my heart all a flutter.  Henne #1, Thigpen #2 - the way it should have been all along.  And as harsh as it may sound, goodbye to Pat White as a QB.  Originally I thought that Thigpen was going to be traded (and he still might), but for now it looks like White is the one on the chopping block, at least as a quarterback.

Many of us, myself included, thought that the Trifecta would never admit failure on the infamous 2009 2nd round draft pick, but in a move that clearly shows a lack of confidence in White's ability, and possibly indicates that Parcells won't allow his man-crush-itis too seep into the 2010 draft, the Dolphins management have righted the track again.  

After 2009's early going, and the subsequent injury and surgery, I'm not going to lie to you - I don't want Pennington to play in 2010.  But his locker room presence, his maturity, and his cheerleading/mentoring on the sidelines could be worth the couple of million dollars he's been awarded.

81 comments:

  1. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 8:10 AM

    From Tim Graham

    "The Miami Dolphins had the division's worst tackling tandem. Sean Smith slotted 82nd with a TIR of 18.60 (35 solos, eight misses), while fellow rookie Vontae Davis was tied for 54th with a TIR of 11.76 (45 solos, six misses)."

    Our tackling HAS to be addressed this offseason & by hiring Mike Nolan I know it will be. This is proof that it wasn't just G. Wilson or our other Safeties or our LB's but the rookie CB's need to improve their tackling.  I don't see this being a problem for Vontae since he definitely likes contact but Smith does concern me.

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  2. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 8:13 AM

    Yeah I brought up the QB news at the SS this morning. I hope we stick with that plan, or rumored plan. I'm hoping Pat White will be utilized more for his legs and running ability then his passing skills or lack there of at this level. Now let's get White bulked up a bit and get him out there on punt returns and as a scat-back. His deceptive speed and smooth running style is perfect for punt returns. Maybe a little Wildcat, reverses, end-arounds, draws and some dump off passes out of the backfield.

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  3. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 8:30 AM

    They were rookies. That's a tough task to have two rookie corners starting.

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  4. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 8:30 AM

    Tins,

    I think it says volumes about Parcells that he's not afraid to admit his mistakes like so many other VP's & GM's when it comes to personnel.  Remember Wade Smith or Eddie Moore, etc.  I love that he cut bait with Wilford & Wilson.  As for White, I honestly believe that they felt they he could be a dangerous weapon for us when they drafted him & I believe they know they missed with that pick.  However that is the nature draft.  It's a crap shoot.  However, if you can hit on 3 quality players a year then your draft was a HUGE success & so far it appears that our last two drafts were pretty damn good overall.

    I like Pennington.  I disapproved of the move when we initially signed him two years ago b/c I hate the Jets so much BUT I was wrong.  All he did was win 11 games as a starter & win the division.  And while I was calling for Henne (needed to see what we had) after the first couple of games this year, I respect Pennington as a competitor & more importantly as a human being.  Do I want him to be our starter?  Hell no but I think Pennington is a great & extremely intelligent teacher for Henne to learn from.

    BTW--I like Pennington even more after looking at the picture you posted but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit jealous. LOL!

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  5. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 8:31 AM

    Knight,

    Of course.

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  6. Hey Tin, WHP, and Knight,
    I agree that Henne starting, with Thigpen as the #2, while Penne rehabs is pretty ideal. Penne will be the consumate mentor/coach for the other QB's and provides excellent depth.

    White on the other hand, has to realize (mind set) that he may excell in other positions. Like Knight says, as a Scat-Back type player. Speed kills. Speaking of that, what is White's speed? Is he faster than Ginn, and if he can catch the ball...you get the drift here?

    I agree with WHP that with Nolan onboard tackling discipline should drastically improve. I also look for the young safeties and DL-men to start maturing and play better.

    Just trying to see more positives.

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  7. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 8:47 AM

    You know....I used to hate Armando but I actually kind of like him now.  He's right on the money with his last blog.  We probably have too many needs to fill in one draft but I'd be surprised if they throw money at a guy just to have a guy at NT, FS, or WR.  I wanted Boldin & I wanted Clark & I defintely thought we'd go after Fujita but that train has left the station.  Now what???  There are no other starting FS's available so we can forget that & I don't like the WR's either.  Maybe Mason?  I think we trade Ginn &/or Fasano & a 2nd for Greg Olsen or we just trade Ginn & Fasano for more picks. 

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  8. They could still bring back Wilson, especially after Clark dissed them, so
    don't count the chickens yet.
    In other news, I just found out that Miami is going to get a 6th or 7th
    round compensatory pick for Renaldo Hill. We've got to trade some of these
    low-round picks to get into the middle rounds.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 9:01 AM

    Tins,

    I guess they COULD bring back Wilson but I think it's interesting how fast Nate Jones got signed by someone else (the Broncos really LOVE our secondary) & I haven't heard a peep about anyone having interest in Wilson.

    As for the compensatory pick for Hill, is that the only one that we'll be getting???

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  10. Honestly, I think they published these stories with Thigpen as #2 and Pennington as #3 QB with the intention to drive up Thigpen's trade value. The Bills really seem to be interested in him. You can get a bit more for a backup QB than you'd get for your #3 (who probably won't see any action at all).

    I'd say trade Thigpen for a 4th or 5th rounder!

    As for Bam Bam's question regarding Pat White's speed: He's really quick for a QB but WRs are in another league and he's nowhere near the speed of Ginn (pretty sure about it, although I don't have any numbers to prove that).

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  11. Greg Olsen is one of the worst blockers (or non-blockers) in the league - I
    don't see Miami even thinking about it. He's a good big target, but we have
    guys like that in Sperry, Haynos, Turner, etc.
    And with guys like Dennis Pitta and Dorin Dickerson in the draft, if Miami
    wants a pure pass catching TE there are cheaper options available.
    I just found out Ginn is working out in Cleveland, not at Dolphins facility.

    ReplyDelete
  12. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 9:05 AM

    Bam-Bam,

    Hopefully we see Merling fully break out this year BUT Starks was outstanding last year & I thought McDaniel came on as the season progressed.  As for FS, I have no idea what we'll do.

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  13. Ultimately I think if they can bring back Wilson at a much more reasonable
    price, they will, but only as someone to compete in camp.
    Yes to the compensatory pick.

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  14. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 9:19 AM

    Here's the thing. I'm not sure they're admitting they made a mistake with Pat White. You can't throw a rookie QB out there for a handful of plays here and there and expect him to do a whole lot. Everyone was annoyed when we pulled Henne for White saying that messed up his rhythm. Well what about White coming in cold? He was 0-5 passing. What was the breakdown? 0-1, 0-1, 0-1 and 0-2 in 4 games? Not much chance for a rhythm there either. The trifecta did a lot of experimenting whether we liked it or not. They wanted to get a look at some things.

    I've always had this thought in the back of my mind since we drafted Pat White, that we were honest with him before we drafted him, telling him that we'd play him at QB first because that's what he wanted to be given a shot at first in the NFL. Pat was aware that many teams thought of him for other positions. Now he might have to accept that he's going to have to do some other things because the QB position is kind of full at the moment and he's behind the other guys. Welcome to the NFL! It's time to be a team player.

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  15. Ginn ran in the 4.3 range and White was in the 4.6 range.
    Trading Thigpen would leave us with Pat White as the backup again with
    Pennington coming off surgery - you're clearly either insane or trying to
    make me depressed. (or both)

    ReplyDelete
  16. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 9:24 AM

    <span>Tins,</span>

    <span>You said the same thing about Dallas Clark & all he does is kill other teams including us last year.  It's about the mismatches that Olsen can create & the ability to stretch the field to produce the "chunk yards" that Ireland has talked about.  I don't recall David Martin being a good blocker but he made a big difference in our passing game.  And even if you dismiss that every NFL QB needs a security blanket & Olsen would be that. 
    </span>

    <span>BTW--Sperry, Haynos, & Turner are hardly in the class of a Greg Olsen yet. If Olsen was in this draft he'd be a first round pick so I disagree.  And as for Dorin Dickerson who have practically every scout confused as to what he is or will be  I think I'd rather have Ed Dickson from Oregon instead
    </span>

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  17. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 9:24 AM

    Tins,

    Is that uncommon for Ginn to work out in Cleveland???  I'd love if we were able to get something for him.

    ReplyDelete
  18. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 9:27 AM

    Burnum,

    Why???  I Thigpen is a pretty good back-up QB & that's not so easy to come by. Look at Pat White. You trade Thigpen for a 4th or 5th & what does that do???

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  19. I keep Thigpen. Way too much upside to him. An elusive runner with a pretty strong arm. Much more dimension if you want him to run the Wildcat.  Actually, with some decent coaching, he could start.

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  20. As far as TE goes...
    I think that we used our TEs most of the time as blockers to help out the OL when injuries weakened them and to put more hat-on-hat when trying to run the ball with 8 men in the box.

    No wonder their numbers were at the least pedestrian.

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  21. WHP, that's not saying much since Olsen WAS a 1st round pick 3 years ago,
    and he's not a stretch the field guy, he averages 10 yards a catch over his
    career. Martin averaged 14.5 ypc in 2008. Whats worse about Olsen is that
    he's not a red-zone threat. The guy has been pretty good in the last season
    and a half but he only scored 6 times in college, and 15 times in 3 years as
    a starting NFL tight-end.
    I'm not saying he's not a good player - he is, but he's no Dallas Clark, and
    he's not worth a 1st round draft pick to the Dolphins.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 9:45 AM

    I thought I heard we'd get a comp pick.

    ReplyDelete
  23. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 9:47 AM

    Pat White ran a 4.51 at the combine last year.

    Ginn ran a 4.2 at Ohio State in his freshman or sophomore year.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I thought he worked out in Davie at this time last year. Obviously he's
    from Cleveland and he likes working out with his buddies there, some of whom
    are not the highest of character - in fact one thing I've noticed recently
    is that Ginn himself isn't the nicest most innocent guy he comes off as when
    in Dolphins land. I don't know if its the influence of his friends
    (remember there was an incident at his birthday party last year, and his
    people said he wasn't there (yeah, he left his own bday party early...right)
    or maybe he's a little bit of a thug and he's done well to hide it all this
    time.

    ReplyDelete
  25. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:11 AM

    I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that trading Thigpen is not such a great idea.  LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  26. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:21 AM

    Tins,

    Of course he's not Dallas Clark & I wouldn't trade a first for him either but for a second & throw in Ginn &/or Fasano???  I would.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hey Tin,
    What restaurant is Penne posing with the bikini clad waitresses at?
    If the food is good...or not...I think that I will grab a bite there.

    ReplyDelete
  28. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:25 AM

    Bam-Bam,

    That's actually a very good point about the use of our TE's last year.  However, it was fumbles & the numerous drops by Fasano that I find unacceptable.  I'm okay with Haynos & he definitely showed improvement last season but he's not a starter.

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  29. I could see that scenario....They also might have felt that starting at the QB position would give him a better understanding of the offense as a whole, then allowing him to move on to other positions.  Maybe they never intended to make him an actual QB, it's just part of his development as a multiple-weapon guy....

    ReplyDelete
  30. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:27 AM

    Ginn can run a 4.0 for all I care.  If you can't consistently make catches then you have no buisness playing WR.

    ReplyDelete
  31. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:29 AM

    This is definitely the worst class of UFA I have seen maybe ever.  Boring..........Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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  32. Don't know White's 40, but he is not as fast as Ginn.....Ginn has elite speed, but it does seem to be straight line speed, whereas White is shifty. 

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  33. WHP,
    I'm with you.
    With fair speed, I would start using White as a WR/PR/KR and package Ginn with some other loser for some future consideration...LOL

    ReplyDelete
  34. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    Mayocks's Top 5 TE



    1



    Jermaine Gresham*




    Oklahoma 2 Rob Gronkowski* Arizona 3 Dorin Dickerson Pittsburgh 4 Dennis Pitta BYU 5 Ed Dickson Oregon

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  35. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:34 AM

    Mayock doesn't have Price in his top 5 DE's or DT's???  That's silly.

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  36. Yeah, He doesn't even have the UM TE Graham listed at all, but these other talking heads have him climbing the draft charts. WTF.  Not a homer, but this kid has tons of RAW talent.

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  37. Yeah Red Dog. As in shifty enough to get separation from DB's maybe. Then all he would have to do to be the anti-Ginn is to catch the ball!

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  38. I love the idea of keeping Thigpen and having White take on more of a wr/rb role with a trick play (passing) dimension.  But if trading Thigpen yeilds favorable picks, I'd consider it.  

    With Pennington as a backup I don't have to huddle with my beer in the corner if Henne goes down.

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  39. i wonder if henne ran any of those flags up the pole ......... oh wait, sorry wrong qb, that is the idiot from pittsburg  LOL

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  40. Bam-Bam, they're not waitresses, lol.

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  41. sorry, meant to say penne, but no matter the point was more making fun of big ben.  i guess one thing we know, he isnt called big ben cause of the size of his brain

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  42. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:45 AM

    Red Dog,

    Seriously...How many surgeries has Pennington had on his shoulder?  He's not 100% healthy & let's face it his playing days may very well be behind him.  I see the signing of him like hiring a QB coach that wears a uniform.

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  43. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:53 AM

    Bam-Bam,

    Graham is a phenomenal athlete.  He could be like Antonio Gates--a former basketball player who played some football in JC & was great right out of the gate or he could be like Matt Jones--a great athlete who went in the first round that took a few years to develop into a good player.  The coke-head thing is not relevant to my comparisons here.

    ReplyDelete
  44. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:54 AM

    Maybe we could make a deal with the Raiders.  How about Ted Ginn for Zack Miller straight up???  LOL!!!  Hey, he's got the speed that Davis creams over.

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  45. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 10:57 AM

    Tins,

    LOL!!!  I thought they must have been Olympic athletes but if they're waitresses business should be okay there.

    ReplyDelete
  46. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 11:03 AM

    Rob,

    What's so wrong with riding a motorcycle without a helmet & almost killing yourself???  LOL!

    If he truly is a "target", which he may very well be, he needs to excercise better judgement & discretion when it comes to women.  If he's truly innocent, my advice is for Ben to get a girlfriend.  Or get married like Tiger...LMAO!!!

    ReplyDelete
  47. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 11:07 AM

    Tins,

    A thug???  At 5'11" & 175 at the most, seems more like a bitch to me.  Chambers is from the same neighborhood & he stays out of trouble.  I hate to say it but I wish there was a way we could have gotten him back.

    ReplyDelete
  48. whp,

    he doesnt need a girlfriend of even a wife, he needs better judgement.  nothing wrong with going out and finding some strange,  lots wrong with taking her in the bathroom of a nightclub. 

    lets see of ole roger doger will be just as fair in his punishment of ben the dim and suspend him as he is in other athletes

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  49. What did we trade him for again?
    Oh yeah, Chad Henne.
    Forget Chambers.

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  50. You know, I can't figure out who they are but 3 of them look very familiar
    to me, so they must be olympic athletes.

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  51. If I were Rothlisberger, I'd videotape every sexual encounter I had....

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  52. hell, i am not rothlisluter and i videotape every sexual encounter i have LMAO

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  53. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 11:47 AM

    Exactly and I've said that many times. Learning the offense as a QB is a pretty good way to learn what everyone is doing.

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  54. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 11:47 AM

    Rob,

    Lots of room still left on that videotape eh???  LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  55. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 11:54 AM

    Rob,

    I think Roger will go light on him.  It's a case of he said, she said & Roethlisberger's lawyer (who got Ray Lewis off for murder) will paint him as the victim.

    ReplyDelete
  56. We Have PlaymakersMarch 9, 2010 at 11:58 AM

    Tins,

    BTW--Who are those girls posing with Pennington???  Are they Olympic swimmers or are they just proud Americans in bikinis???  LOL!!!

    ReplyDelete
  57. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 12:10 PM

    Even the ones with the dwarfs? LOL

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  58. Pat White's Combine 40 was 4.48-4.54 range.

    ReplyDelete
  59. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 12:19 PM

    I'm just saying.  :-P

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  60. "Lots of room still left on that videotape eh???  LOL!"

    let me put it this way, i am still using my Beta videotape recorder.  LOL



    I know it as of now it is a he said she said, but this is the second time.  didnt roger suspend some dude in chi town for a dui and he was later let off the charges cause he was impaired

    ReplyDelete
  61. son of a son of a shulaMarch 9, 2010 at 12:22 PM

    Back to Thigpen, if Buffalo is the only suitor I would tax the hell out of them, a division rival wanting a QB, come on those talks start with a second round pick or nothing. We have no need to move him besides so he may as well be pricey. If you like him--pay.

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  62. Son,
    I think it would be a big mistake to get rid of Thigpen.  Just think...If the Tuna covets his draft picks so zealously, why would he give up one for a QB if he was just a stop gap?

    A high draft pick would be tempting. However, who would take Thigpens place on the roster.....Oh..I know...White. LOL.  Then what would be the percentage chance of the pick we use working out.

    The only...and I mean ONLY way I would part with Thigpen is if we traded him to the Rams in a package for their #1 spot so we could get Suh!

    How about that?

    ReplyDelete
  63. son of a son of a shulaMarch 9, 2010 at 12:45 PM

    Now you're talkin my language- * We Want Suh Too *

    I agree about holding onto Thig otherwise, and I damn sure wouldn't let Buffalo get him for a 4th or 5th. No

    ReplyDelete
  64. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 12:47 PM

    You were one of those who bought the Beta huh? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  65. son of a son of a shulaMarch 9, 2010 at 12:48 PM

    Someone on the SS gave him the name Roughsexinberger the other day. It's perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  66. one of those?  hell i think i am the one

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  67. roughsexinberger .....LOL

    i try to avoid the ss now.  that new format sucks and they have done nothing to get rid of the 2,428 hourly post from home and his multiple names. 

    ReplyDelete
  68. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 1:07 PM

    Saying Davis as in Al Davis, and then suggesting what he creams over just made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.  >:o

    ReplyDelete
  69. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 1:11 PM

    Well they were superior in technology compared to the VHS. We used one at a multi-media company I once worked for back in the 90s to record all sorts of stuff and then transfer it digitally into the computer. This was before digital video was up to par and not extremely expensive.

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  70. Of course if he's cleared to play, I think he's a great backup, if he backs up in the intended sense, maybe pop in for a series if Henne gets shaken up, etc........He wouldn't be in for many snaps, and he wouldn't get the pounding or throwing stress, keeping him fresh.  I do agree with you that he is injured often and as a starter he's got it all except for the wear and tear.......

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  71. I could handle a third for Thiggy, but keeping him signals to me that White will take on a new role (hopefully). 

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  72. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 1:42 PM

    No they haven't and I should have a new blog and mock draft up shortly. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  73. LMAO   'shortly'  yeah funny how that 'shortly' has been going on for about 6 months now.


    what needs to happen is the 'mob' needs to just leave and come here to tins site.  send O and mikie an email telling them, when they get rid of that 'reply' button and come up with some sort of sign in to limit the trolls we will be back

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  74. Wasn't he brought here to run the wildcat with the threat of passing in the first place ?  That seems to me to have been a complete failure so why continue down that road, when Thigpen is the QB that CAN do those things....  White needs to find himself a new position on the team as you suggest.  If he is unable to do that this year then consider him a bust and move on.  Why waste anymore time or effort in a mistake.

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  75. The Knight who says Ni!March 9, 2010 at 2:27 PM

    It's too bad that the SS can't be controlled so the majority of bloggers can discuss the Dolphins and other topics without heated battles. There are only a few bloggers I ever have gotten into it with heavily, and it's the same ones over and over. I can disagree with someone and they can disagree with me, no big deal. But some get personal then accuse me of getting personal. I don't have time or the desire for that.

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  76. I think the Trifecta need to see the potential of the young uns turn into being players of impact.  If not then the Trifecta will turn into the Byefecta in short order.. =-O

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  77. WHP dude cmon !!  Bring back Chambers ?  What about McMicheals, Hadnot, Culpepper ?  Look I'm not saying these guys can't play or don't have talent.  But they all have something in common none of them won many games when they were here.  Why would we want any of them back..

    Is it me or did I forget to take my meds today ?  I have an idea lets bring back Paul Warfield, I'd like that .. :)

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  78. The guy is player I hope we keep him.

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  79. I hate when that happens :-D

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  80. It's not he said she said this time I don't think.  Reports are she went to the hospital right after the incident.  They did a rape check (or what ever they call it).  If something illegal happened such as forced entry more or less they will know it.
    I think he is trouble this time, but we shall see.

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