Orange and Teal

Best thing I heard all day...

It's game day eve and the best thing I heard all day (besides that our new home will be finished on time) is that Travis Daniels may play tomorrow. We need him. Dan Wilkinson being out could hurt but we have more strength at that position than almost any other on the team.

In non-Dolphin related news like I said earlier we visited our new place today under construction and it's almost done. We were shocked actually and can't wait for the move. For OAT readers there will be a 42 inch plasma HDTV in the living room, but that's it. I'm installing speakers in the ceiling and all the other equipment will be hidden. It should be cool. We're doing the whole wireless music too. I'll post some photos when it's all set up.

Also, I'm testing a BMW M4 Coupe for my "real job" at Cars.com.  If you can afford one of these go get one. It's one of the most amazing cars I've tested.

The Week in Fin News

Oh, man. Guys and gals I feel so delinquent in posting but I’ve devised a new gameplan for time management over the next month or so while I’m homeless. It’s long an involved and I won’t bore you with the details but I’ll be posting frequently, don’t worry.

First: Lee Suggs Could this have worked out better? He was going to be involved in a trade to the Jets and that fell through due to arthritis in his knee. How does that show up in a physical anyway? Suggs should provide that bruising back to complement Brown in the running game. And it didn’t cost us anything in return.

Second: Charles Rogers? Supposedly he’s coming for a work out. Him I don’t see as positively as Suggs. He’s been extremely injury prone and completely fallen out of favor with the Lions staff. However, how many times has Detroit shown they don’t know what the heck they’re doing? Exactly. If he plays like he did his first two years ever again he’ll be number two on the depth chart.

Third: Saban Owns a boxer! Sorry, as a boxer owner this is news. On the segment from Sports Center yesterday showing Saban relaxing at his lake home my wife keenly pointed out the coach’s brindle boxer. I knew this guy had taste.

Yep, Wright Is A Head Case

Other teams get rosters of criminals, we seem to get the clinically insane. OK, Manny Wright is not insane, but he’s in a shrink’s office for depression. Mainly because he’s not starting for the Dolphins. And he wants to go to another team. But from the Palm Beach Post’s story (good reporting huh? The Sun-Sentinel was quoting his family who didn’t know anything) it sounds like Saban did everything he could for the kid. And to think we gave up a 5th round pick on him. We couldn’t of gotten a ton of talent but Omar Jacobs was available.

It’s a sad story in some ways. This kid is from Compton and is depressed he’s not starting at 22 in the NFL. Get used to it. Of course he’s not going to get us anything in a trade either. Who would want him?

In other news we picked up another DB Chris Thompson. He played a bit for the Bears last year, but even though I’m stuck watching that team every week here in Chicago I don’t remember him. But I was just bitching about our DB depth wasn’t I?

Poole Gone, Injury Report

Former fourth round pick Will Poole was waived yesterday. Someone had to go to make room for this year’s first round pick Jason Allen. While it is a disappointment, Poole supposedly has a stress fracture and that led to his being booted from the roster. But I’m worried.

Our secondary doesn’t look particularly strong. Somehow Will Allen, who is above average but not stellar, is our best CB. Travis Daniels and Andre Goodman should be adequate. Then there’s Michael Lehan and Eddie Jackson as the backups. Eegads! Does Kansas City now have a better secondary than Miami?

Seth McKinney is also injured with a scary neck that is making his arm numb. That does not sound good. But at least we’re not Cleveland who just lost their second center for the year. 

Finally: Jason Allen Signs That 6-Year Deal

So this entire holdout and what happens? Jason Allen signs the six-year deal that he and his agent were so against at the beginning of this whole thing. According to the Miami Herald he gets around $9 million in guaranteed money and if he meets all the incentives in the contract he’d be one of the top paid safeties in the league. That’s a bit nuts. But I’m guessing those incentives include lots of INTs so who would complain?

Thanks to Tom in Nashville for the alert last night.

Two Browns at RB?

Chris Brown, who may be needed in Tennessee this year (I think LenDale will be good but that team is going to need every weapon it has), had his agent reach out to the Dolphins. This makes no sense. Brown doesn’t want to play second fiddle to a rookie RB but he will to a 2nd year RB?

I’d still rather pay for another WR and rely on Sammy Morris to spell Brown. Chris Brown’s contract will be an issue as well. Thoughts?

Deal or No Deal For Allen: No Deal

I knew this off-season was going too smoothly. It looks like Jason Allen is going to be a no-show for camp because he wants a five year deal instead of a six year deal. It’s interesting that only picks 1-16 can sign six-year deals though. Allen’s even left Florida to be with his family. And Huizenga even said he didn’t want holdouts this year. That doesn’t seem to be the case. This is the stupidest thing in the NFL right now. How do we fix it? Rookie salary caps?

Holy Toledo! Two Draft Picks Signed

In what hopes to be an upward spiraling trend both 4th round pick Joe Toledo and 7th rounder Devin Aromashodu were signed to deals yesterday according to the Sun-Sentinel. Obviously signing these picks isn’t that big a deal but it does clear the path towards the top of the draft order.

Picks still left to sign: Jason Allen, Derek Hagan, Fred Evans and Rodrique Wright.

Days left until camp: 8.

Jason Allen Ready For Camp, But Not Signed

Do you ever wonder how contract negotiations work? We learned last week (sorry I was on vacation) that Jason Allen had an arthroscopic knee “procedure” just “recently.” Let’s be more vague shall we? But his agent says he’ll be ready for camp and this was just a “cleanup procedure.” This post could stretch my use of sarcastic quotes to its limit.

The other thing I don’t’ understand is why they don’t negotiate these contracts well ahead of the camp’s start date of July 28. There’s no reason not to right? No league rules etc. So why isn’t someone like Allen signed, making us a bit more relaxed entering camp?

Do We Need To Know? Taylor Getting Divorce

It’s the most popular story on the Palm Beach Post’s website today. Katina Taylor has filed for divorce from Jason Taylor. I don’t want to put this on my Dolphins blog. I don’t want to know about JT’s personal life. Really I don’t. But…

I must say the marriage to Katina, Zach Thomas’ sister, is one of the better teammate stories in recent Dolphins/NFL history and Taylor is one of those nice guys that everyone can’t help but like. And JT and Zach have pretty much been the face of the post-Marino Dolphins. So this is a downer. Although the Palm Beach Post does say the couple is not giving up on reconciliation.

We’ll get back to real football news as soon as possible.