Tin Bits - Thursday, July 15th, 2010

I wish I had some great positive stories to discuss, but alas it is the off-season and most of the news is of the negative variety.

• Ronnie Brown's DUI case has been continued, i.e. postponed until September 2nd - I think the big news here is that the date in question is the same day as the final pre-season game.  This may not seem like a big deal since Brown is a starter and starter's don't play in game 4 of the PS.  However, coming off of an injury, Brown may not be ready to play until  He'll probably be going full speed before then based on his past history of recovery/work ethic, so that may be a moot point.  Another thing to think of - if Brown were convicted during the summer, he could be suspended for the 1st game of the season.  If the trial happens during the season (which officially starts for legal purposes during training camp), any suspension would have to be doled out the following season.  Sure, there is a chance the Brown camp just wants more time to work on a settlement, but ultimately, a 1st time DUI is not a big dent in an NFL player's wallet, and any repercussions would be far more harsh from the NFL than from the Judge.  

• This is sort of old news now, but last week, Channing Crowder and former Dolphin Tight-End, Ed Perry, took part in a Library/Summer Reading rally in Miami.  What's news about that?  Nothing really but I do have a question - Imagine you're organizing a Reading rally for kids at the Library and you want a celebrity to talk to the kids about education and 'book-learnin'.  Where on the list of potential Celebrity Guests would you rank Channing Crowder?  For me, even if the stipulation is that he needs to be a Miami Dolphin, he's probably dead last or close to it.  Although I suppose as long as they're just reading Children's books...

• I thought this article on PFT about Chad Pennington was interesting for two reasons.  First, PFT actually thinks they are the first to report Pennington's interest in coaching High School football - I think anyone who has ever followed Pennington's career already knows this - and the quote he used on Monday is verbatim what he said last year, and the year before, etc.  Secondly, does anyone else take offense to CP's obvious hatred of palm trees?  I mean, don't get me wrong, they are not my favorite tree either, but the comment implies that he's glad to be out of the South Florida atmosphere - should a guy being paid to represent South Florida really be bashing on its local flora?

• This latest spin from Andy Kent about the Dolphins starting Corners does what you expect from a Kent article - it's joyous, exuberant, full of homerism, and makes you scratch your head and think, "Ok....really?".  Don't get me wrong, the story itself was cute - the projection to the future was not off-base, but the line, "By season’s end, [Vontae] Davis and [Sean] Smith were being compared to Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain as far as dynamic cornerback tandems go, and that youthful exuberance that was on display during that interception return brought back more memories of how Madison and Surtain co-existed" did make me scratch my head.  Since I have this forum, I'd like to know which one of you it was that made this comparison.  I like both of these guys, but Sam Madison was the best cornerback in Dolphins history and Surtain is not far behind - but neither one had any impact in their rookie seasons, and they didn't play that well together - Madison had his hot streak, then when he started fading, Surtain took the mantle.  Much like JB Brown had a hot streak followed by Troy Vincent's hot streak.  I suppose you could compare the new duo to those stars of the past in that Vontae Davis had a hot year (for a rookie) and Sean Smith didn't and may have a hot one in a down year for Davis.  I'm not saying that they don't have the 'youthful exuberance' but I didn't get that from those former players - Surtain maybe, but the others seemed more business like to me.  In any event, all I could ask of Davis and Smith is that I still remember them in 10 - 15 years like I do these other guys, because I can barely remember names of the guys we've had in between.

Tin Bits - OTA Day 2

• Brandon Marshall is wearing no. 19.  Ted who Jr.? Still, BM says he will change it before training camp, but if anyone has a Ginn jersey they can write 'B.M.' in Sharpie over the top of it for now.

• Jason Ferguson has high blood pressure, but no steroids.  He's still a good guy, and if it's seriously something to treat a health issue, I can't see why an appeal wouldn't be successful in getting him back on the field sooner than his current 8-game suspension.

• Justin Smiley and Nate Garner were both absent -  Smiley for obvious reasons - as far as I know Garner is neither injured nor in the doghouse, so it's probably an excused absence.

• Ronnie Brown was in attendance and practiced on a limited basis and reportedly looks to be running without pain.

• Patrick Cobbs, Chad Pennington and Will Allen practiced while Channing Crowder and Reggie Torbor both worked on the sidelines.

• Chris Clemons worked as the 1st FS with Reshad Jones the backup.  Tyrone Culver backed up Yeremiah Bell at SS.

• Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen, Taurus Johnson and Marlon Moore practiced returning punts.  Surprised that Kory Sheets and a couple of DBs weren't included, but maybe they are just starting with WRs and working through by position.

• LB line-up:  WOLB - Charlie Anderson, Cam Wake.  SOLB - Quentin Moses, Erik Walden, Koa Misi.  ILB - Karlos Dansby/Tim Dobbins, Channing Crowder/Reggie Torbor.

• LG - Donald Thomas.  RG - Richie Incognito. 

• Patrick Turner and Brandon Marshall will not practice until Training Camp.  Goodbye Patrick Turner.

 
 

Tin Bits - Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

• Funny, when I wrote the article about Brian Cushing's drug test, I didn't think it would elicit much debate or discussion, but it did, so here's an update - Cushing tested positive for elevated levels of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or HCG, the same compound Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games last year for.  It is commonly used as a post-steroid fix, primarily to restore testicle-size.  I really couldn't make this stuff up - Cushing literally was going through a sex change (he does kind of look like a transexual now that I think of it)  Keep in mind, there really is no reason to take this stuff unless you are taking steroids or
  by growing breasts and reducing his male gonads. heavy into the tea-bagging scene.  Since HCG is found in seminal fluid, Adam Schefter of ESPN has suggested that Cushing could have ejaculated before taking the urine test - leading to a false positive.  This would of course imply that Cushing was jacking off in the doctors office right before the test.  Pardon the imagery of the transexual supplemental meathead freak wanking off during a medical appointment.  I could go so much further....but I won't.  Let's just say there's no way Cushing comes out of this with his head held high.  Well, maybe one of his heads....

• The Dolphin vets returned to workouts today after a couple of weeks off.  The rookies will join them next Tuesday for the first of the OTAs, after checking into the facilities on Sunday.  It's unfortunate that the OTAs and mini-camps are not open to the public, though I understand why they are not - imagine the legal implications of someone in the stands getting hit in the eye by an errant Pat White throw...

• The 'official' preseason schedule has been released:

                   Aug. 14 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m.
                   Aug. 21 at Jacksonville Jaguars, 7:30 p.m.
                   Aug. 27 vs Atlanta Falcons, 7 p.m.
                    Sept. 2 at Dallas Cowboys, 8 p.m.

• It looks like Wes Welker really won't be ready to go on opening day.  Since the Dolphins don't play the Patriots until week 4, it may not have an effect on that game, but the Pats will likely start the season without their leading receiver and anything that could slow them down versus their 1st 3 opponents, the Bengals, Jets and Bills, could be beneficial to Miami in the long-run.

• Now that the Dolphins have a #1 WR in Brandon Marshall, it's hard to remember all the names we've tried to improve our WR corps under the current regime.  But two of the more memorable guys are currently getting another shot in the NFL - Anthony Armstrong, one of the coolest, most grounded WRs out there, is currently in camp with the Redskins, while Brandon London, the braggart who couldn't catch a fly with a glue trap, is still bragging his way around the league claiming no one in the league works harder than him on his 'quest to be better than Jerry Rice' and is currently in camp with the Steelers.  You may recall London had 3 catches for 30 yards in 14 games as a Miami Dolphin and then spent more time in the VIP room than on the practice field in 2009 before being released.  Perhaps London should 'amend' his goals a little or realize that you have to get on a roster first, then get in the game, then perform when you get your chance.  Instead of looking at Jerry Rice as 'the guy you gotta beat', look to yourself and try to beat your own limitations first. 

• Dolphins' running back, Kory Sheets, confirmed to me that he is going to be competing as kick returner this off-season, as they try to replace Ted Ginn.  Personally, I think Sheets is the best option - I read somewhere a couple of weeks ago that Sheets hasn't returned kicks before - whoever wrote that didn't watch any Purdue games where he returned 38 kicks and his lone punt return was for a TD.  Ultimately the only thing that keeps Patrick Cobbs above Sheets on the depth chart is his tackling ability on special teams and possibly his blocking ability - Sheets could make the push this year to unseat Cobbs.

 

Tin Bits - Rookie Camp Edition

I wasn't planning on doing a Tin Bits today, but some of the one-liners coming out today are too good to pass on, so here goes:

• There are 37 rookies attending the Dolphins rookie camp today.

• John Jerry is working at LG.

• The Primitive Tool with the initials BF, is now a BBF, as in a 'Broken' BF. He apparently needs surgery to repair an ankle that got damaged whilst trying to put on a too-tight pair of Wrangler jeans. This could well spell the end of the Primitive Tool, though obviously not the end of the media coverage wank-off.

• I never pass up an opportunity to belittle the Jets, and it seems their rookie, RB, Joe McKnight is having a rough time getting acclimated to the NFL and the lovely New Jersey air! (J/K Jersey folks!)

• Aren't you glad that we traded for classy WR Brandon Marshall? Look at what the 'other' big WR trade has gotten the...oh look its the sorry Jets again!

• The Dolphins have removed the rookie jersey numbers from their website, resetting everyone back to 0. This comes in the wake of mild controversy of giving the number 54 to rookie LB Aj Edds. UPDATE: Edds has been switched to #49 - all other numbers remain the same.

• PFT's Mike Florio has waged an all-out war on the character of Dolphins, GM, Jeff Ireland. Florio has penned no less than 6 articles plus several more twitter posts full of negative spin in the last 24 hours directed at Jeff Ireland and the Dolphins front office. This latest one shows the context of the question asked of Dez Bryant, and includes an over the top Ireland bashing that seems personal in nature.

• Dolphins LB, Channing Crowder is recovering from surgery on his broken foot from the end of the 2009 season. Tim Dobbins or AJ Edds could start on Day 1 if Crowder isn't ready to go.

• I'm not making this up, but 5 minutes after I wrote the PFT blurb above, Florio is at it again.

• It's getting comical now - Florio has written 5 blogs today on the subject, and over 20 since the story broke. Meanwhile, he missed this story altogether.

Tin Bits - Contest Results

• Well, it took me long enough, but I've finally managed to finish grading the papers of the Tin's Fins 2010 Draft Contest.  From the 1st entry to about the 26th entry, not a single person had correctly guessed a single Dolphins' draftee.  Out of about 50 entries, only about 6 even got one right - so I don't feel so bad about getting none right myself.  Results are at the bottom of this blog post.

• A couple of lagging news items following the Draft.  Former Elon star WR, Terrell Hudgins, a player I described in the live chat as being a sort of 'poor man's Dez Bryant', has signed a rookie free agent contract with the same team that drafted Bryant - the Dallas Cowboys.  As if they didn't have enough receivers already, the Cowboys also got 'retired-before-hired' rookie free agent TE, Scott Sicko to sign on the dotted line.  As of now, the Cowboys have at WR - Roy Williams, Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Dez Bryant, Terrell Hudgins, along with a slew of young unproven no-names.

• Speaking of the Cowboys and Dez Bryant - news has surfaced that Dolphins' GM Jeff Ireland asked Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute.  This yahoo reporter took it very personally. I thought it was hilarious.  It really trumps any of the other weird combine interview questions we've heard this year.  Ultimately, it sounds as if Dez passed the test, though whether or not he was ever a Dolphins' target is unknown.  If my theory is correct that certain NFL teams work together in the pre-draft evaluations, as I have suggested goes on between Dallas and Miami, then it makes sense that a team that wasn't going to draft Bryant would ask the question on behalf of the team that was.  Whatever you want to think of Dez Bryant and his future, he has, in my opinion, handled himself really well as a 20 year old in the spotlight and with all the criticism he's faced the past few months.  As for the question - yes it's class-less and brutish - it was meant to be - so that yahoo reporter should lay off the Yoo-hoo and stop comparing a 1st round NFL draft pick with someone who works in an office for $40k a year.  Those people also don't have to strip to their underwear, get prodded and medically investigated, interviewed four or five times, have their families and backgrounds checked, their internet history investigated, their twitter followed, and be in 'evaluation mode' for 4 months straight.  Then after they are drafted they are still under evaluation every minute they are at work.  There's really no comparison between an NFL player and a regular person when it comes to what is an appropriate question.  They obviously want to know how he reacts to confrontation, what his temper is like, etc.  This is a physical game, people are hitting each other, adrenalin is pumping.  So, Michael Silver, YOU need a reality check.

• Hooked up with new Miami Dolphin CB, Nolan Carroll, via the internet and verified that Dolphins rookie camp runs from Thursday morning through Sunday evening.  It will be interesting to see who the Dolphins call-in to fill in the missing holes (they essentially need enough players to run a 7-on-7 drill.

And now, drumroll please, the WINNERS of the 2010 TIN's FINS DRAFT CONTEST:

1. Dahlia305 - 52 points
2. 13kvFINS - 51 points
3. NcDolfan  - 44 points

NcDolfan managed to join us in the live chat from Bahrain (if memory serves) as he was deployed by the US Navy to fight pirates aboard the USS Farragut.  He was the only entrant to guess we would draft Austin Spitler and he even got the number pick right.  NcDolfan, as if you couldn't find any better motivation to be safe over there, there is a $15 Gift Certificate waiting for you when you get back!  

13kvFINS had the hardest to read entry, with the most additional narrative added - imagine a contestant on Wheel of Fortune asking if there are any 'R's and then while the Rs are being turned over, that contestant then stating his reasoning behind why he chose R and what other letters he thought of choosing, and you'll get the picture.  He was the only contestant to pick Koa Misi with our 2nd pick - but it didn't count as it was in his 'alternate answer', not the official one. which had zero correct.  Had he submitted the alternate instead, he would have edged out Dahlia305  for the win. 13kvFINS' entry was the only one out of over 50 entries that picked DE as the answer to #10, though his reason for picking that position was wrong, he did type out 'DE' s he gets the points and the $25.

Dahlia305 had some key scores on her entry.  First, she somehow knew/guessed that we would draft John Jerry.  She knew we would trade down.  She was the ONLY entrant to get full points for #1 (maybe she was smart enough to copy from my mock draft - as I also had Trent Williams going 4th overall).  And thus, she's the only one walking away with the $50 first prize.

Congratulations to all the winners.  Prizes will be sent out to Dahlia305 and 13kvFINS on Thursday.  NcDolfan - I will hold yours until you return unless you tell me otherwise.  A couple of honorable mentions:  Elias P. got 43 points and had the best score on #8 (WRs);  Fin_Fan_in_Japan scored 39;  Rob H. scored 38.  Twenty-four contestants scored a 37.  The lowest score was a 24.  There were a total of 112 possible points. 

Tin Bits Pre-Draft Edition

• I'm getting pretty excited about the draft.  If we take a player I covet at the 12th spot, I just might have to have a raucous party to celebrate.  Right now the buzz is starting to develop for Jerry Hughes at the 12-spot.  Personally I don't see it because I haven't seen him ranked in the top 15 at all.  Dallas has been spending a LOT of time with Hughes during the process.  Someone is going to fall for us because it looks like both Oakland and Denver may be making surprise picks and there's a strong chance San Francisco is going to trade up as well.  I still think Brandon Graham is the best choice because he could start from Day 1 and rotate with Cam Wake from SOLB to WOLB, allowing Wake to improve his all-around game on the fly.

• The Schedule is out - I'm going to do a write-up on this during the doldrums that are the post-draft months, but something to watch out for - Miami hosts the Steelers in the 6th game of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended for a conditional 4 to 6 games.  There's an outside possibility that the suspension will still be in effect.  There's a stronger possibility that the helmet-less one will be traded by then anyway.

• Jason Taylor's exit interview last night showed that he was not happy with the way the Dolphins front office dealt with him and that they made no offer to him since the one they made in November and that they hadn't informed him of their plans all off-season.  Personally I don't believe a word of it, since Ireland said on two separate occasions that they informed JT that they would not make a decision or an offer until after the draft.  Even if they didn't talk to JT directly, this was all over the press, and any agent worth his wage would have made a quick phone call to clarify things with the Dolphins.  Come to think of it, didn't the agent say one week before JTs visit to the Jets that the Dolphins did inform them that they would not make a decision until after the draft?  Then less than 2 weeks later he said they had never talked?  Ultimately, the Dolphins did make an offer in November for $1.5 million.  JT declined.  JT says now he would've played for $1 million in Miami.  The end result is that 1. JT declined an extension offer during the 2009 season, 2. JT sided with Joey Porter during the JP radio debacle, 3. JT dissed both the coaching staff and a team-mate in Cameron Wake whilst doing so, 4. JT refused to wait until after the draft to talk to other teams, 5. JT chose to be wined and dined by the Jets, the most-hated rivals of the Dolphins, 6. JT's agent went on every radio show he could get himself booked on and leaked all kinds of information that was detrimental to the team, including secret meetings and potential draft direction, and 7. despite JT and his agent's insistence that the Dolphins had not reached out to him, after 1 thru 6 occurred, they still made an appointment before the draft to talk to him, thus showing they were interested in communicating with him.  So while the fans will ultimately buy JT's side that this is all the Dolphins fault, keep in mind that players are employees, nothing else, and they don't set the rules.  The second the Trifecta gets soft, the whole thing will start to crumble.  We pay them to make the tough decisions and to keep things under control.  They may come across as the bad guys from time to time, but that is what we want them to be as long as it benefits the TEAM.

• Back to the draft, I was wondering if I should do a live chat on the site for the draft but I just found out this morning the chances of me even being at home for the first few picks is in jeopardy as I have been sucked into a late afternoon meeting at work.  It's unlikely that I'll be able to sneak out halfway through the meeting.  I will however, still post a live chatbox for those of you who aren't stuck at work and watching from home. 

•  Last chance folks, who are we taking with our 1st round pick?

 

Tin Bits - Monday, 4/19/10

• The live mock draft on Friday was a lot of fun.  It was a bit awkward at times because there was about a 2 second delay on the phone (which I didn't know about until I was on the air) but other than that it went well, and it was funny how many teams I pissed off by taking Brandon Graham with the 12th pick.  He seemed to be the top choice for several teams behind me including the Pats and the Jets.  It's always a bonus pissing them off.  If you'd like to listen to the show, click HERE and then you can either play it straight through your browser or get from iTunes, etc.

• The dead-line passed for the entrance into the Tins Fins Draft Contest.  This one saw a drop in total entries (there were a lot of complaints about it being too hard but it was virtually identical to the one from 2009 - I did employ a lot of cut and  paste).  In any event. for those that entered you have a better chance of winning now.  Results will be posted next Monday morning after the draft.

• The Brandon Marshall contract was apparently (according to profootballtalk.com) significantly leaner in the guaranteed money area than was originally reported.  It looks like the Dolphins really got a good deal in the end.

• LB Channing Crowder on Marshall: "I worked out with him yesterday and he's strong as hell, fast as hell, so he's going to help us."

• Jason Taylor is due back from his mini-vacation today, and since the Dolphins canceled their 'leaked' meeting with him last week, and the Jets are still ga-ga over him, I wouldn't be surprised if he signs with them by the end of the day.  Then again, since it's JT, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't sign anything until August, either. 

• Ricky Williams recently shared this - "I woke up this morning knowing I had to study most of the day. I was feeling overwhelmed by all I have to do, & on top of that I couldn't find my cellphone. Funny, several hours later we found it in my massage chair.. definitely not somewhere I would have expected it to be..."  I thought that was interesting because it made me think...if you were on a vibrating chair and your phone was on vibrate, would you be able to feel it, and if it dropped out of your pocket and you had a friend call your number, would you be able to hear it vibrating against the chair?  Yes, these are the kinds of thoughts I have before I get half a cup of coffee down.

• And finally, I just wanted to share this video because it captures exactly what I was doing over the weekend as one of the most exciting things imaginable occurred in the sporting world.  And it just goes with what I've said many times in the past - that the Dolphins need to take a page out of the world of soccer, specifically the English Premier League, and specifically the Manchester United Red Devils.  It ain't over till it's over, so play on and never stop trying to win!  Cheers!
  
  
  
  
  
  

Tin Bits - Tuesday, April 13th 2010

• Tin's Fins suffered a brain fart yesterday as I wrote an article for the blog and then forgot to click 'publish' and didn't realize it until this morning.  Since it was only relevant yesterday we'll just have to move on without it.

• A reminder to everyone that you have until Friday night to get in your entry for the Draft contest.  The reason I'm closing out the deadline a bit early is because while teams with the 1st pick generally sign the #1 choice before the draft, I could see as many as the top 3 signing their players before draft day if the dominoes start falling.  However, I read an article today that suggests Bradford may still not want to sign with the Rams, and that they would draft him anyway (without a signing, the Rams have to wait until draft day to pick him up, and even then they could change their minds completely by then).  This could make the first question in the contest a lot trickier than it seems at first glance. 

• Reports have come out stating that WR Dez Bryant is 'off the Jaguars board' and may be off several others as well due to character concerns.  We hear these kinds of reports every year at this time in the run up to the Draft.  Last year it was Vontae Davis.  What are the odds that the Dolphins, specifically the Trifecta, are the ones who are starting these character assaults?  Hard to say, because the Dolphins had the 1st overall pick in 2008, so we really only have 2009 to go by for evidence.  Still, I've always suspected the Trifecta of playing these kinds of games, haven't you?  Maybe someone who has more knowledge of previous Parcells' run drafts can look to see if there is a pattern of this kind of thing.

• Pat White's hilariously ill-timed Twitter post yesterday that he would be better off going back to baseball rather than play wide-receiver got the newspapers in a total orgy of ineptitude.  I printed the 'Tweet' here yesterday about 1 minute after it was posted on Twitter, with a speculation that maybe the Dolphins had brought it up - because I'm sure White wouldn't bring it up to them.  The interesting part of this is that White claimed he was just trying to 'stir the pot'.  Whatever he wants to say, the reality is that he was thinking about it, he did write about it, and it took him a considerable amount of time to retract it.  Also the timing of it - that same day the Dolphins front office was going around getting information from all the players on what their social networking accounts were and presumably reminding them not to leak any information or discuss anything detrimental to the team.  Now, whether or not this tweet happened before or after the Dolphins' Head of Internet-Lockdownedness got to White is unknown.  If it was after, then the only pot that was stirred was that of the Dolphins' F.O.

• Apparently Jason Taylor and Coach Sparano are meeting this week.  Boooooring.

• 
  
  I'm sure most of you already saw the Roethlisberger press conference yesterday but I just have to throw this quote out there, "I understand that the opportunities I have been blessed with are a privilege ... I absolutely want to be the leader this team deserves, valued in the community and a role model to kids." Would you want this motorcycle crashing, misogynistic, overweight, alcoholic, date-rapist to be a role-model to your kid?  Of course you would, he is a Super Bowl champion after all...
  
  
  
  

Tin Bits Again! (Monday April 5th, 2010)

I have a lot of quick hit items, so I'm going to do a back to back Tin Bits to clear the slate because things are going to get hectic in the next 2 weeks before the draft.

• To start, yes, I had to use the ban-hammer this morning.  I don't like doing it, especially on someone who was very helpful to the blog in the past, but being disruptive will only be tolerated for so long before actions are taken.  General internet etiquette formed in the mid 1990s is that no one should 'spam' or 'flood' a chat, forum, blog, etc.  I don't think this person necessarily intended to do this, but perhaps was blissfully unaware of the basic rules.  Either way, he upset the blog gods, thus for now he reaps the punishment. 

• I know I'm not the only football fan out there that wants a closer look at completely off-the-radar WR Terrell Hudgins, of Elon.  I just can't figure out why this kid isn't selling himself.  It's hard to google anybody these days without getting any hits, but Hudgins has really kept out of sight (and out of mind) since the end of the 2009 football season.  However, he did come out of his dorm room to take these pictures with former 49er great, Steve Young, and though it's hard to tell from the angle he looks clearly taller than Young.  Young is listed everywhere I could find as being 6'2".  From my judgment I'd say that puts Hudgins at over 6'3".  He is listed on several websites at 6'1" or 6'2".  Now the question - shouldn't a 6'3" 225lb WR that reportedly ran a 4.52 at his pro-day, (also had a 9'6" borad jump, 33" vertical) and put up the numbers he put up on the field, be all over the radar? 

• Speaking of wide receivers, former Syracuse bad-boy, Mike Williams held a personal Pro Day in NY that some scouts touted as 'amazing'.  The numbers were pretty decent - what you'd expect, but hardly amazing.  What was however was that he ran 100 routes during the workout and supposedly did really well in talks off the field as well.  The Dolphins were not in attendance but they worked him out privately last week.  I don't think they'd take him with the 43rd pick, or at least I wouldn't, but I have to believe he'd be either choice #1 or #2 with that 3rd round pick on the Trifecta's board.  Either way, don't be surprised if one of the following WRs is a Dolphin in less than 3 weeks:  Dez Bryant, Arrellious Benn, Mike Williams.

• Now when it comes to predicting the Dolphins' draft, no one knows exactly how it will play out, especially with that 1st round pick.  The Dolphins are clearly focusing on staying at 12 - based on the players' they've been working out privately (or maybe that's just what they want you to think) and I still think it'll come down to either Brandon Graham, Dan Williams or a potential faller.  The bad news - the recent Donovan McNabb trade may have a negative impact on the Dolphins, however, I don't think it will.  Before the McNabb trade, there were 3 teams ahead of the Dolphins that needed a QB, but only 2 QBs worth a top 12 consideration.  As it stands, nothing has changed, two QBs will still be drafted before the Dolphins pick, so we shouldn't miss out.  The wildcard is of course Oakland, but they really have no option but to take an offensive lineman.  The only possible wildcard is if they decide to take Rolando McClain or CJ Spiller instead which would be shocking.  I actually think Oakland may be the team that could most benefit by trading down out of the top 10.  The question is, if Miami and Oakland were to strike a deal....then who would you draft at the 8th spot?

• Since the draft is upon us, I thought it would be a good time to announce the first Tin's Fins contest of the year 2010.  Those of you who took part last year will remember that the overall draft order played a big part in the outcome, as several surprises (Tyson Jackson anyone?) threw a wrench or two in most of the entries.  Don't get screwed out of winning this year - go to a psychic - with pen and paper and write down the names.  As usual the prizes are supplied by NFLshop.com in the form of gift certificates.  The contest will launch on Friday, April 9th and will be locked down on the following Friday, April 16th.  Full details will be posted on Friday.

Tin Bits - Friday, 4/2/10

• In site news, I have added a page at the top of the screen to keep tabs of the pre-draft visits by draft prospects - I've got it arranged by position, more or less, and it also includes the confirmed players who will be at the local pro day.  Last year several of our rookie camp UDFA invitees came out of this group, but this year, a legitimate draft target in UM's Jimmy Graham will be attending.  The Dolphins probably didn't intend to spend a high draft pick on Graham but his stock has soared in the last month or so to the point some boards have him as a 2nd round pick.

• Looking at the visitor list, it's obvious that Miami has brought in just about every potential first round pick that they hadn't already seen in person (Dan Williams and Brandon Graham were at the Senior Bowl).  They've also brought in two potential Pat White replacements in Edwards and Webb, though both have been working out both as QBs and WRs.

• Chad Henne recently said he came back to Dolphins' home base in Davie at the end of January, essentially only taking a couple of weeks off.  Don't worry though, he'll get most of May and all of July off.

• If you haven't figured it out by now, the Marco Coleman interview was an April Fool's Day joke.  It never happened.  I do know a Katrina, but not the one who's married to him, and I have no idea if he attends Georgia Tech games or not - I made it all up.  Absolutely no one caught on.  "L.O.L.!"  However, here's a great photo of Marco patting down Jim Kelly.

• Ricky Williams arranged a Easter Meal giveaway and got a dozen Dolphins players to hand out full ready-made meals to some of the fattest, er, I mean poorest South Florida families so they could gorge, er, I mean enjoy a proper Easter meal - probably some syrup-glazed ham with macaroni and cheese or something equally representative of Jesus' ascension.  I'm all in favor of helping to feed the needy, but other than a handful of people in these pictures, who actually look like they may not own a refrigerator to hold the ham, most of the people getting these free meals look to be about 300 lbs and/or quite middle class.  There's one guy wearing a Dolphins polo shirt that probably cost more than the ham did.  And he was 50 lbs overweight.  Anyway, the Dolphins official website didn't have the decency to mention all the players by name, so I will here, based on who I see in the photos:  Ricky Williams, John Denney, Tyler Thigpen, John Nalbone, Jake Long, Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, Vernon Carey, Patrick Cobbs, Nate Ness, Richie Incognito, Lousaka Polite, and Tristan Davis.

• And now that I've been so snide about a charity event, I would like to say I wish you all the best weekend, regardless of your religious beliefs, and I thank the Dolphins players who sacrifice their free time (Fridays are non-workout days for the Dolphins) to go hand out food.  It's more than most of us would do.  I would suggest to any readers who feel charitable to go hand out some food to the poor, but may I suggest roasted Rabbit instead of a ham - it's so much more apropos, and I think there's a lot less sodium in a rabbit.

Tin Bits - Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Oh my, what a way to start the week:

• Justin Smiley is on the trade block.  While this is somewhat shocking news, he is the most realistic player to be traded in exchange for a much need mid-round pick - I would estimate a 4th rounder.  Still, it is a bit of somber news for right now as he was a fan favorite despite his injuries - he is a smart, nice fella who really bought into the system and took on Jake Long in a mentoring role and we see how that worked out in our favor.  The Dolphins obviously feel they need to get more quality draft picks or would like to move up in the draft and a package that included Smiley and a couple of draft picks could get us into a very good position - perhaps Top 5 (our main trade partner, Kansas City - 5th overall, needs more help on the O-line).   In my mock draft I have Eric Berry going 5th to the Chiefs.

• More bad news as Ronnie Brown has reportedly been arrested in Atlanta for DUI.  He failed to use his indicator when making a lane change (dickhead cop).  First of all, I need to mention that while I don't want any drunk drivers on the road, this should be noted - in a period of 6 months - as a 20 year old, I was pulled over by Georgia Highway Patrol a dozen times, and once the officer held his gun on me.  My father worked in Atlanta for a total of two years and got 3 DUI charges against him.  He's not really a drinker and I am the most law-abiding citizen on the planet and used to be even more obedient when I was younger - so while I'm not saying that Brown didn't break the law, I'm just letting you know some of my own experience in that area.  Still, it's important to remember that Brown is a single black man driving a probably nice or pimped out vehicle late on a Friday night in Atlanta and this is his first ever run-in with the law.

• Dolphins off-season conditioning officially kicks off today, but as I previously reported, several Dolphins were already 'getting their condition on' starting earlier this month.  Sophomores Sean Smith, Vontae Davis, and Kory Sheets have been taking advantage of the facilities for weeks now, and Ted Ginn Jr flew in from Cleveland last week.  The latest word from Cameron Wake sum it all up perfectly - "It begins today....... officially...all 3 phases are underway.... Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning...the transformation has begun!" 

 

• The football season speculation just wouldn't be properly under way if I didn't dust off the EA Madden video game and see just how we stand - I traded for Karlos Dansby (let ting Ayodele go, keeping Torbor as backup) and I let Jason Ferguson go unsigned into free agency - I also traded away Gibril Wilson and stuck a rotation of Jason Allen and Chris Clemons at free safety.  Everything else I left the same, and then I started to play.  The difference in the middle was unbelievable - Dansby was ten times better at tackling and coverage than Ayodele, and he and Crowder always seemed to be in on the run plays together.  I played the first 5 games of the season and was 5-0 (though I had 4 cakewalks I almost lost one because I kept fumbling).  Then I simulated the rest of the season and quite shockingly ended with a 7-9 record and didn't make the playoffs.  So the moral of the story is to keep playing hard and never 'call it in'.

Tin Bits - Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

• I got a good laugh out of this ProFootballFocus.com article, a 2009 All AFC-East Team.  Forget the fact that it's the middle of March, 2010, which implies they've lost 'focus' a little bit, but they chose Anthony Fasano as the best tight-end in the division last season (Dustin Keller must be turning green...).  But at least they recognized Randy Starks, Jake Long, Lousaka Polite and Ted Ginn (kick returner). 

• I've been struggling for about a week to finish my Mock Draft for two reasons.  First - I can't seem to fit all the talent onto the board.  There are going to be some high quality 3rd and 4th rounders this year.  Second, anytime I do manage to squeeze as many in as I can, an NFL team makes a big Free Agent signing and ruins it for me - for example, I had the Bengals taking a WR in the 1st round but then they signed Antonio Bryant.  Then I have to figure out if that rookie receiver falls to where the next WR on my mock was or if another team takes him as BPA somewhere else.  I swear this was much easier last year.  Anyway, I'm warning you all now that my end result might be missing a top quality player somewhere because it's hard to keep track of them all - it took me 3 weeks to realize I didn't have Brandon Spikes on there at all.

• I watched a replay of the first Bills vs Dolphins game last year - you know, the one where Joey Porter was out and Cameron Wake lit up the place.  And I have to say, Channing Crowder was excellent in that game.  Sure he's not flashy and he doesn't get turnovers, but he does show consistency versus the run and often runs down missed tackles by the secondary.  Akin Ayodele had a big bone-crushing hit in the game on a screen pass and got all the 'oohs' from the crowd, but other than thumping people hard, he really didn't have any consistent skill-set. and couldn't outrun anybody.  I think the Dansby-Crowder project could be a huge change in the box for the Dolphins, but ultimately they need someone anchoring the middle in order for them to do their job.  I have the Dolphins taking Dan Williams in the draft (a little preview for you there), but lately I'm wondering about Mount Cody.  We all wrote him off after the Senior Bowl weigh-in, but he claims there was a clerical error there (you'd think the 100 or so journalists there would have gotten it right between them), and at his pro-day he weighed in at 349, twenty-one pounds lighter.  Ultimately I think it's a smoke-screen and he's on some kind of all-fiber diet, but it may work and he may be back to a 1st round choice.

• Speaking of smoke-screens, I love how the media claimed that the Dolphins are ga-ga over Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan.  Oh, please!  I'm ga-ga over vintage Gibson SG guitars, it doesn't mean I'm going to buy one next month, especially since I would then have to buy a custom case for it to fit into (like the Dolphins would have to switch to a 4-3 to utilize Morgan).

• My Small-School Sleeper defensive back, Akwasa Owusu-Ansah, has been projected as both a cornerback and a free safety, and is a real threat in the return game. Well, wasting no chances, he skipped his IUP pro-day and worked out instead at the Ohio State open house, running a 4.31 in the 40 yard dash.  A super fast ball-hawking guy with cover skills and just so happens to be the Trifecta's preferred Free Safety size...

Tin Bits - 2010 NFL Combine Edition - Part 3 of 3

• Every year, NFL Network hypes up the defensive back portion of the combine as the main event, due to the speed and athleticism usually shown there.  And as a former failed DB myself, I tend to look forward to these workouts the most as well.  But the last two years they've been rather drab, especially in the 40.  Well, I should say whomever is calibrating the official time clock is making it rather drab.  For the second year in a row, the official times were shockingly different and not in a good way from the unofficial hand times.  Now, it should be noted that the hand times will always be faster, because the timer wouldn't hit the button until the runner actually started moving forward, and would hit it again almost in anticipation of the finish line, whereas the electronic timer starts as soon as the player makes a motion out of his 3 point stance and ends exactly as he touches the line.  But still, the Taylor Mays times are so far off as was George Selvie's time the day before it makes you wonder.  Most NFL teams pay next to no attention to the official time anyway because they realize it's innacurate.  That's why you see them have half a dozen staff members all timing - some are only timing the first 10 yards, and the others time the whole thing, and then they average them out.  So Mays will likely be attributed closer to 4.3 than 4.4 when all is said and done.

•  With that said, there were some standouts in this group, and I thought the following statements to be true:

1. Eric Berry is the top safety in the draft.  He can play both free and strong but he's probably a better fit at Free Safety in the NFL.
2. Earl Thomas is a cornerback.
3. Taylor Mays is a safety, he's just not as good as everyone thinks he is.  Chad Jones and Nate Allen are better than him, but I have the Raiders drafting him in the 1st in my mock and I'm sticking to that.  But I see him as a strong safety in the NFL, not a Free Safety.
4. Joe Haden was the biggest failure of the whole combine, IMO.  I still think Patrick Robinson is the top corner in this draft (hence why I ranked him #1 in my top 10 CB list) and I think Devin McCourty's stock has been rising steadily all off-season.
5. Myron Rolle must have gotten used to the slower pace of life in the UK.

• Overall I didn't think there were many risers and fallers in this group, because I think the cornerback class is relatively weak in this draft anyway.  However, the Free Safety group is relatively deep, at least a lot deeper than last year.  

• The Herald is reporting that Miami is interested in Antrell Rolle of the Cardinals and may make an offer and stand a good chance because of the inability of 'The Drew' to not be able to come to terms with the Cards.  However, Rosenhaus himself reported that the Cards were going to release Rolle to avoid paying him a massive roster bonus, but that they were first in line to resign him afterwards.  He's quite expensive, but I'm sure they'll take him back with a little restructuring and a whole lot of savings.

• The Dansby and Boldin to Miami rumors are still white hot, and I still believe it's pure hearsay or Miami spreading the rumors themselves, which would mean they're trying to drive up the price.  Ultimately I expect the rumors are started by Dansby's agent.  I don't see J-Lo wanting to pay this much for anything outside her wardrobe.

• And finally, I noticed a little blurb on Patrick Cobbs the other day and how his rehab is going.  At this point in the year it's almost moot where he thinks he is in that process, what matters is how effective he'll be once he comes back from the injury in August/September.  Meanwhile, his main competition, Kory Sheets has been working hard in the gym since the end of the season, and has not taken time off like most of the other players.  Keep in mind this is the same work ethic shown by Chad Henne and Jake Long last year, and it turned out pretty well for them.

Tin Bits - 2010 NFL Combine Edition - Part 2 of 3

• Jason Pierre Paul ran a 4.67 in the 40, which is fast enough to play OLB.  He had a pretty good combine, but I thought he would do even better than Connor Barwin did last year.  Ultimately I think the main plus for JPP was that he showed flexibility and good movement for someone of his size (6'5", 270lbs).  Word is he showed well in interviews also.  He's not the most eloquent guy, but he gets his point across, and he said he wants to be better than anyone who's come before him, so he's indicated he's going to be a hard-worker in the NFL.  I know I said I would move on after last year's draft, but I'm still reeling from Houston drafting Barwin to play as a backup DE behind Mario Williams.  This guy should be competing to start at OLB in a 3-4.  Anyway, he had 4.5 sacks as Williams' rookie backup.

• I almost shat myself when they posted George Selvie's 40 time.  I knew he wouldn't run fast because he's a long-stride guy with giant feet and has never been a good runner, but 4.91?  After the official times came out it turned out he actually ran a 4.77 which is much more respectable.  Sources say Selvie did very well in the interview portion.

• I'll admit I don't "get it" when it comes to the McCoy/Suh debate.  All the talking heads went from crowning Ndamukong Suh as the top prospect in the draft to suddenly switching their minds to Gerald McCoy.  Part of the argument is that McCoy is a better pass-rusher than Suh.  Suh didn't seem to have any issues with applying pressure when he was asked to in the games I watched.  I see it happening before my eyes, and I think the pundits are getting this one wrong, and that Suh is the better overall football player, not to mention the better 'face of the franchise'.  In any event, if the Rams pick a QB, and the Lions go with McCoy, would you trade up to the 3rd spot to get Suh?

• Taylor Mays was said to run an unofficial 4.24, but his official time was a 4.43.  Between the Selvie time and this one, it's obvious that someone is having an off day (or week) with the stop-watch.

• Mike Mayock stated that Rolando McClain, the talented ILB from Alabama, had been undergoing hamstring treatment since the Senior Bowl.  I didn't really understand the statement since McClain was not attending the Senior Bowl since he wasn't a Senior.  The question then becomes was he injured in the National Championship and if so, it probably isn't a simple hamstring tweak.  I love the player, but I'm not drafting anyone who can't pass the physical, so we'll have to keep a close eye on this - I assume he went through medical exams at the Combine and that info will come out soon enough.

• At this point, I think it's clear to say that 2009's Andre Smith and 2010's Terrence Cody are, in fact, the same person.  Cody had a shocking Senior Bowl week and need to prove something this week and decided not to bother.  He must be of the mindset that he is a top of the board draft pick, when logically he's got to be considered lower than a lot of DTs at this point behind Suh, McCoy, Williams, Price, and a few others.

• It's official!  Mike Berardino has an agenda.  Last week he posted a story about how sweet and cuddly Rex Ryan is, and this week he's touting the Jets again.  If I was a betting man, I'd think he was a Jets fan.  I know they say reporters shouldn't cover the teams they follow, so I'm  not expecting him to be a Dolphins fan, but a Jets fan covering the Dolphins?  

• I'm quite shocked that certain WRs have been all but forgotten.  If you had asked me a few months ago what round we could draft Minnesota's Eric Decker in, I would've told you late 1st, early 2nd.  These days I'm all but convinced he could be had in the 4th round unless he starts making some noise in the next few weeks.  And despite several media-scouts grading Elon's Terrell Hudgins as a 7th round or undrafted free agent, in my gut I felt he wouldn't last past the late 5th/early 6th.  But out-of-sight is out-of-mind when it comes to football, and these two guys need to start the PR campaign.  I'm especially surprised by Decker's (seen in the photo scoring after beating our own Vontae Davis) absence, since he had recently committed to football and eschewed a shot at Major League baseball.

• Latest 'tweet' from Omar Kelly: "I'm disappointed to admit I was invited to watch USF DE Jason Pierre-Paul workout before the combine & didn't follow up. I'm slipping."

• And finally, a guy I really like coming out of the past week is UCLA's Brian Price.  No one is projecting him as a NT because of the way he gets into the backfield, but he reminds me so much of Jason Ferguson at times, more in personality than playing style.  I think he's got good character.

Tin Bits - Weekend Edition

• This is unrelated to the Dolphins and the NFL, but I had to share this with someone and since my non-sports loving co-workers and family wouldn't give a toss, I'm sharing it with you kind folk.  This kid is clearly the next Ocho Cinco.

• More details on the Jason Taylor shoulder surgery.  Since Taylor would be unable to work out for 3 months, he wouldn't be able to pass a physical therefore I don't think he could sign with anyone until after the draft.  He gets to avoid yet another set of voluntary OTAs.  I think we may want to plan to move on without him at this stage.  I'm not saying we shouldn't re-sign him, but that we should PLAN that he will not be starting for us in 2010.

• Speaking of aging Dolphins, when is Miami going to sign Zach Thomas so he can retire a Dolphin?  I don't see why they haven't done it yet, but if they don't do it by the opening home game of the regular season I will have to burn something with a Dolphins emblem on it in protest.  I'm worried that the complete change of front office staff means there's no one who even remembers as far back as a few years ago.  If Stephen Ross wants to improve the atmosphere and sell more tickets to the...err...Stadium (what's it called this week?), he may want to think about honoring some football people rather than Tennis, Baseball, and Real Estate moguls.

• Are you happy with Miami's tight-end situation?  Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc had this to say: "In Miami, I can live with Anthony Fasano Of course he isn’t real flashy, but he does sure fit the Bill Parcells mold at the position. He is smart, tough, a hammer in the run game and has been productive near the goal line. The problem here is that Miami is just so weak at wide receiver that Fasano’s lack of big-play ability is exposed. But this is a solid football player. Backup Joey Haynos gets a lot of playing time, but his role as a blocker is pretty clear. He isn’t going to cause any mismatches in the passing game."  If Fasano has been productive near the goal line, it's only in comparison to his production on the rest of the field.  He's got hands of stone, my friends.  Tony 'Stone Hands' is what they call him back 'in the neighborhood'.  IMO, Haynos has much better hands, but he's a bit too big and cumbersome to make many plays downfield.  I was disappointed the Dolphins didn't use Kory Sperry more because Fasano certainly didn't deserve to come back into the line-up after he healed from injury.  For what it's worth, I would re-sign Fasano to a reasonable contract, then trade him before the draft.  The re-signing would bump up his trade value.  I think this year's draft has a pretty good TE crop and we should be able to go there in the 4th or 5th round (after we package together a couple 6ths to move up of course).

• This is noteworthy from 2009 - with Jake Grove in the line-up, the Dolphins ran the ball for 44 yards more per game than when he was out of the line-up.  When Jason Ferguson was in the line-up, the Dolphins held their opponents to 44 yards less per game than when he was out of the line-up.  Therefore, Grove + Ferguson = 88 yards. 

• Now, we hear this rumour all the time as Dolfans, but whispers that Miami is close to a trade for Anquan Boldin have re-surfaced and I even heard a rumour that Chad Henne himself believes this is happening.  Personally, I think it's an expensive upgrade for an aging, injury-prone player, but when he's healthy he's a game-changer.  But I don't believe the rumours until I see an actual report and not some beating around the bush hearsay from the Miami Herald.

 
 

Tin Bits - Tuesday, February 16th 2009

• Kudos to all my readers, the comments and the love have been great here in the past few weeks, and despite my IT issues, the blog has been rolling without too many hiccups. It's more up to you folks than it is to me, so thank you very much, and I'll have a little something fun for you guys up this week.

• It's been a very busy week for me despite the 3 day weekend. First of all, I didn't know I had a 3 day weekend until Friday, when the Division office decided to switch Good Friday and President's Day on the Holiday Calendar. Of course Sunday was Valentine's Day, and being home on Monday meant having my 3 1/2 year old son attached to my hip. Late last week my favorite aunt passed away at 75 years of age to cervical cancer. It was a bit ironic that she got cervical cancer since she was a nun and never had use for her cervix in her life. I think it says something about a person who can become the favorite aunt (I have many aunts/uncles) of an atheist despite being a mother superior. She was a really pure and ultra-positive person, and I wish there was a heaven, because if anyone deserved to get there, it was her. And if you are reading this and you are religious, then yes there is a heaven and I'm just a cynical bastard. Although any God who would force a woman who gave up 60 years of her life to promoting him to undergo months of chemo, radiation, agonizing pain, etc is a complete and utter twat and should not be followed by anyone, lest he stabs you in the back also. But believe what you want to believe. Personally I feel the most important human right is the right to live your own life. I'm a firm-believer in the football gods.

• On another note, there was a football game after the East West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, but due to it being shown on a Network that no one gets, it took me a while before I was able to watch it. The Texas vs The Nation Game should probably be put out of its misery due to the fact that it's a bit archaic in it's concept, that is that the Texas boys are good enough to make up their own all-star team. Lately it seems like Californians are taking over the crown although Florida still ranks above Texas statistically. The rosters are watered down by the other two games anyway so these tend to lack the best players in Texas and the Nation anyway. With that said, the clear MVP of the game was someone who I've had the Dolphins picking in the draft for months now and his name is Trindon Holliday. I see no reason not to draft this kid purely as a return specialist. I remember a time when every team had a return-only guy, but the Dolphins amongst others have moved away from that. Personally, I'd rather have a guy who returns kicks and punts (about 10 plays a game) and occasionally gets a snap here and there than an offensive lineman who is never going to dress for the game on the roster.
  
  

• In other notes from the Texas vs Nation game, Tennessee QB, Jonathan Crompton, when asked by the sideline reporter which team he would like to play for in the NFL, without hesitation said the Carolina Panthers. What a complete tool. You never answer that question, you idiot. And Minnesota LB, Simoni Lawrence shored up a spot on my draft board. If we are talking late rounds, then he's worth a look. And finally, former Miami QB, Bernie Kosar, was the Nation's QB coach. Kosar sounded like a pirate during a sideline interview.

• So, Jason Taylor underwent shoulder surgery last week, eh? Sorry guys, when someone of his age undergoes surgery the recovery time is longer and he loses a step. He may not be a QB, but shoulder issues are tough on an outside linebacker too. Time to groom his replacement and if we resign him, it should be as a backup.

• Tony McDaniel's signing last year set off alarm bells for me, and I wrote about it here, as I worried about his off-the-field issues with violence. By mid-season, however, he had won me over because of his play on the field. However, the latest news about his domestic issues leave only one option in my mind, and that is to let him go. This latest arrest is not a one-time thing, and unless he splits up with this girl and is given one final chance, I see no reason to keep him. The thing is, if he is given another chance and messes up again, then he is worth nothing, and would further bring down the team. However, if the charges are reduced or dropped, the Dolphins could probably trade him for a 6th round pick before the draft. We traded a 7th round pick to get him from Jacksonville. Take the pick.

• Will Allen declared he's going to start next season, and the Miami Herald said, 'Oh no he won't!' because the Herald is clearly a part of the Dolphins decision-making team. The truth is, that there will be an open competition at cornerback and whoever 'gives the team the best chance to win' will be the starter. Granted, I think Vontae Davis will likely move to the other side should Allen beat out Sean Smith in training camp. While I like every player to be confident in his abilities, Allen should keep the 'entitlement' attitude to himself, because he's starting to sound a bit like Joey Porter.

• In draft related news, St Louis QB, Marc Bulger has cleaned out his locker, which gives rise to more speculation that the Rams will pass on Ndamukong Suh to draft a QB. There's also that rumour that they'll go after Michael Vick. Obviously it's too early to tell what the Rams will do, but the passing on Suh would have significant ramifications on the top of the draft. Keep in mind that there are about 6 teams who could be willing to draft a QB in the top 10, and there are only 2 QBs in the class that could even be considered. So if Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford are taken in the top 10, then there's a good chance that someone of top quality falls to us at 12, i.e. CJ Spiller.

• One last bit, on Dez Bryant. I noticed a lot of comments about him over the weekend. I have very mixed feelings about Bryant. On the one hand I think he's the prototypical WR and is probably the most athletic receiver in the draft, yet his Wonderlic score could give Percy Harvin a run for his money. Then again, Harvin's 12 hardly hurt him in his rookie year. Ultimately I think the money that Bryant will cost is too much considering Eric Decker will be available in the low 2nd/early 3rd and possesses some similar abilities. Decker may not be as flashy as Bryant, but he brings some similarities to the table. But then I think Bryant is something special and will likely be a beast in the NFL. Like I said, I have mixed feelings. Ultimately I think the Dolphins will stick to drafting players they want to work with rather than players who are necessarily the popular choice. And I'm really starting to drift away from any possibility of Miami picking an offensive player in the 1st round. I don't think Jason Ferguson will be back, and the Tony McDaniel issue is yet to play out. Karlos Dansby is too expensive, Scott Fujita is too old, and Channing Crowder can't stop talking. Akin Ayodele can't tackle and Reggie Torbor can't run. I just don't see us going anywhere other than defense with the first couple of picks.

• Per Armando Salguero, the Dolphins have signed OL SirVincent Rogers. The Dolphins signed him as an undrafted rookie last year but he quit during training camp. I'm not so sure they signed him as opposed to reinstated him off the reserve list before officially releasing him.
  

Tin Bits - Thursday, 2/11/10

• Asked who was the toughest receiver he ever covered, Boise State cornerback, Kyle Wilson (the guy with his own customized RV at the Senior Bowl) said:
  "Hmm, the toughest? Davone Bess from Hawaii. When he's bad, haha, he's bad. He's a tough guy to guard in the slot. Especially that year, my sophomore year when they had Colt Brennan. Definitely one of the best. What I noticed about him was that he had really had good footwork. And in that offense, where they were very accurate and on the same page, the combo was deadly."

• Chad Henne, fresh off his win in the Rachel Ray Super Bowl Cook Out Competition, won the Audi Efficiency Challenge as well, and has thus been the winningest NFL QB so far in the off-season. In the event, Henne had to drive from Washington D.C. to Miami in a lovely new Audi Q7 TDI.  In a Top Gear-style of logic, Audi decided to use a V-12 to showcase their fuel economy.  He competed against Osi Umenyiora and several media members including Bill Simmons of ESPN.com and Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports.
  
  
• Former Hawaii slotback and newly signed Miami Dolphin WR, Ryan Grice-Mullen was a guest instructor at last weekend's Hawaii Speed and Quickness clinics on the UH campus.  Word is that Davone Bess was also an instructor....you know what they say, those who don't have speed, teach speed.  One thing I can say about these two guys, they are really loyal to Hawaii for giving them a chance. 

• The rumor buzz is really starting to grow about the Bills trading for Dolphins' backup QB Tyler Thigpen.  The speculation really only started to take foot after Chad Pennington 's agent announced he wanted to come back to Miami.  Thigpen is linked to new Bills head coach, Chan Gailey, as he was the Kansas City offensive coordinator in 2008.  Some people are also saying that since Buffalo's O-line is so shoddy, a mobile QB like Thigpen would be the best fit.  Well that doesn't really take into consideration that Buffalo's O-line was shoddy due to trading Jason Peters and losing a handful of players to injury.  They actually have a lot of young talent on their O-line, including Eric Wood, Jamon Meredith, Andy Levitre, Richie Incognito, Demetrius Bell, etc.  There's a good chance that their O-line will be head and shoulders above the unit they had in 2009.  In any event, I don't see them drafting anymore, they are young enough on the line.  This gives them some freedom with their draft picks, of which they have 9.  Keep in mind that Miami traded their 5th round pick for Thigpen last year, so Buffalo would probably have to offer up something better than that to Miami, especially considering it would be an inside the division move, which in itself makes it unlikely.

• Speaking of the draft, there are six teams that currently only have 5 draft picks.  Chicago is the worst off because they don't pick until the 3rd round (74th overall) due to the Jay Cutler trade.  You may recall last year, the Dallas Cowboys didn't pick until the 69th pick due to the Roy Williams trade.

• The NY Jets are one of the teams with only 5 picks, and considering they have a lot of aging players to replace, their foray into the playoffs could be a bit of a one-hit wonder.  They have 16 players who will be in their 30s in 2010 including all 3 of their nose tackles, two of their running backs (Tony Richardson is 38), 3 of their 4 starting linebackers and almost all of their special teams specialists (Feely - 34, Izzo - 36, Dearth/LS - 34).  They are a team that also can not sign any Unrestricted Free Agents or make any trades during the off-season unless a new CBA is agreed and signed in the next few weeks.  This means they could be up shit creek in a year's time, having to play catch up.  The concept of a lockout in 2011 means the whole team could be using walkers by the time play starts up in 2012.  They need to replace several players and just don't have the picks to do it.