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.