In my humble opinion, our biggest needs going into next season will be OLB and DB's.  So I would expect to grab a defensive playmaker within the first 2 rounds of the draft.  We all know how much BP likes his LB's to be monsters.

DL - We'll have a good young core to start with, but the depth is questionable.  Ferguson will be one more year closer to retirement, as will Vonnie Holliday, but Starks, Merling, and Langford should be a formidable starting front. 

• Vince Oghobaase, Duke - 6'6 310, the ideal size for a 3-4 NT.  He plays in the ACC, so it should be easy for all of us to catch him in a game or two.  Big guys like that are hard to miss.
• Sen'Derrick Marks, Auburn - A big, hulking DT prospect that could become a 3-4 DE, 6'1 290.  A little short, but makes up for it with bulk and quickness.
• Al Woods, LSU - 6'5 315, the kinda guy Parcells loves.  Might be one of the first DT's off the board if he performs up to potential this season.  LSU will be on tv alot, so make sure to check up on Mr. Woods.
• Tyson Jackson, LSU - Another stud on one of the best DL's in the country, is probably the best 3-4 end prospect, and should be fun to watch destroy those poor SEC tackles assigned to block him.  At 6'5 290, he can wreak havoc off the edge as well as stuff the run.

ILB's - If Crowder, Torbor, and Ayodele can hold the spot down, we probably won't be looking for a starter here.  But it never hurts to look for a sleeper late in the draft, ala Zach.

• Rey Maualuga, USC - Has the size and speed to play inside or outside in the 3-4, could be the best LB in the class, along with Laurinaitis.  Rey would instantly add some swagger to the middle of this defense.
• Brandon Spikes, UF - The man made 131 tackles last season, so he's pretty much a machine.  He's another guy with LB size and SS speed. 
• Sean Weatherspoon, Mizzou - One of the fastest LB prospects, he can play all over the field, and would ideal next to a run-stuffer in the middle like Crowder.

Continue reading this post »

Since most everyone here will agree we're still at least 1 draft away from being a playoff contender, I decided to look at which players we should be watching this College Football Season.  Everybody has their own ideas of positions of need for the Dolphins, so I'll do every position. 

QB's - Doubt were in the market for one, at least on Day One.  Could be looking at a late-round backup project, depending on the continued development of Henne.

• Graham Harrell, Tex Tech - most likely another system guy, but the numbers are ridiculous.  Wouldn't be bad to take a flyer on him late and give him a couple years on the bench to develop into a good backup.
• Nate Longshore, Cal - Big guy, strong arm, but actually got worse between sophomore and junior years. I'd like to see him perform this year without his top two WR's from the past couple of years.

RB's - As long as Ronnie returns to form at some point this season, RB won't be a concern going into next season.  The R&R Express will give be all the RB we need here.

• Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 1st round prospect, people say he's the second coming of Herschel.  We shouldn't need him, but he'll still be fun to watch.
• Arian Foster, Tenn - Big, strong back that fits the Parcells mold of RB's, could be a steal late, especially as injury protection.
• PJ Hill, Wis - Beast.  Plain and Simple.  The ultimate short-yardage back.

Continue reading this post »

BP!!  Fly to China.  Find Usain Bolt.  Offer him all of our current cap space, plus Josh McCown's Money, plus I'll throw in like 10 bucks.  Put him out wide.  Tell QB to say Hut.  Throw the ball as far as he possibly can.

In all seriousness, WOW.  That guy just ran a 9.69 100m, and probably could've ran a sub-9.6.  He started celebrating with 20m to go, and still won by 2 full tenths.  The margin of victory between Bolt and 2nd place was bigger than the margin between 2nd and last.  He makes Ted Ginn look like Tom Brady.  He would get a 148 speed rating on Madden.  He could score on a reverse before the defense started chasing him. 

BTW, I'm not serious about signing him, just figured I'd bring up this ridiculous showing of speed.  Usain Bolt didn't just set a new world record, he created a new category for speed.  There's Fast, World-Class, and Bolt.  I'm going to bed before I challenge him to race my car.

Just to settle some of the arguments made supposedly "proving" why John Beck shouldn't start, or why he sucks, or anything people come up with to say he's no good.  These are points that various people have made about Beck that simply are not true.  I'm not one of those blind political supporters that think Beck should start even if someone is clearly better, but I think he deserves his shot, and I think he'll prove he CAN be a starter.  On to the Myths

Myth - "John Beck has small hands."

Fact - Beck has a bigger hand size than 3 of the top QB's in this year's draft, including our 2nd round pick, Chad Henne.  Beck's hand size is 9 3/4 in.  Compared to Matt Ryan's 9 5/8, Flacco's 9 1/2, and Henne's 9 3/8, Beck will not have a problem fumbling the ball because of "small hands."  His fumbling problem will disappear with better protection, because he won't be getting killed every time he drops back.

Myth - "John Beck doesn't have the arm strength to be an NFL QB."

Fact - Beck's velocity at the '07 combine was higher than every drafted QB except for Russell and Quinn, who didn't throw.  He threw it 61 mph, 3-5 mph better than Troy Smith, Drew Stanton, and Trent Edwards. 

Myth - "Beck is not a good decision-maker, and Henne is more accurate."

Fact - At BYU, Beck's career completion percentage was 62.4, including his senior year in which he completed 69.3% of his passes.  In comparison, Henne never completed more than 61.9% of his passes.  Beck also had 32 TD's compared to only 8 INT's his senior year, compared to Henne's 17 and 9.  This isn't to say that Beck will definitely be better than Henne, but it also doesn't bode well for people saying Henne is CLEARLY the better player.

Myth - "John Beck is not tough."

Fact - Beck is plenty tough enough to be an NFL QB.  In '04 he separated his throwing shoulder, only to play anyway the next week.  He played most of 2006 on two sprained ankles, and reinjured his right ankle during the season.  All he did that season was finish with the highest completion%, TD's, and yards of his college career. 

Bottom Line is, let's just stop with the misinformed arguments against Beck.  You can say you don't think he's a good QB, or you don't think he deserves a chance to start, but at least give a good reason why you feel that way.  More than likely, Beck will be our starter come Week 1, and I think he'll perform well enough to keep the job throughout the year.

I haven't heard much about this kid since we got him, and I think he'd fit in pretty well with the guys we have right now.  We don't have a true leadoff hitter, or a true #2 hitter, so could he fill one of those roles?  Maybe a lineup of 1) Maybin 2) Cantu 3) Ramirez 4) Jacobs 5) Uggla 6) Ross 7) Willingham/Hermida/Gonzo 8) Treanor 9) Pitcher...  Or keep Hanley at leadoff and bat Maybin 2nd?  And in the outfield, playing Ross in left, Maybin in center, and Willingham/Hermida switching up with Gonzo in right?  It would get Amezega out of center and give us a trade piece in the outfield for some starting pitching after the all-star break. 

So... does anybody if the kid is ready for the bigs?

Hey all just signed up wanted to say how much I enjoy reading here the past few weeks... I just decided to sign up and join the fun!  And that Ichto-  Ichytom- however u spell it sounds like a lotta fun...

About me..  Im 21, big Marlin fan since they were created.  Favorite all-time Marlin was Renteria because of '97, now its Uggla cuz he's a beast.  I live in Broward and try to go to games as much as possible.. 

Just read this on PFT, Greg Ellis is unhappy with his situation in Dallas right now, and feels like he's being pushed out the door.

Soooo, would anyone be on board with a trade of JT for Ellis and a 2nd day pick?  Say, a conditional 4th or 5th that can turn into a 3 depending on Taylor's performance?  I think it would benefit both player's, and both organizations as well.

1) Taylor would be out of Miami, reunited with Zach, and playing for a true Super Bowl contender.
2) Ellis would be out of Dallas, reunited with his old Dallas coaches, most notably DC Paul Pasqualoni.
3) Miami would end the circus that this has become, maintain a veteran presence at the OLB position, and add what could become a 3rd round pick.
4) Dallas adds yet another defensive playmaker, solidifying them as a Super Bowl contender/favorite, and allows Spencer (07 draft pick) to learn behind one of the best.

I would definitely want the pick to be conditional, because I'm almost positive that JT will exceed whatever numbers would be needed to up that pick to the 3rd round.  We would end up with a nice little draft pick, plus there wouldn't be a HUGE dropoff at that position, because Ellis is a good player (pro bowler last season when Briggs dropped out of it) and would probably be a good leader on a young team (comeback player of the year as well).
So what do you guys think?

[Editors Note by Matty I] This was originally posted by Little Nicky.  I just edited it for front-page posting.  Also, here's the link to some more info on each player.  [end note]

I'm disappointed that the rookie minicamps aren't open to the public.  I'm not sure how they've done it in years past, but I would definitely attend this year's if they allowed it.  My question is, how can we get Matty a media credential? lol.  Any ideas?  I want a first hand account of how the rookies look instead of getting a recap on the radio from a clueless Joe Rose or a drunk Jim Mandich. 

Anyway..  Here's the final list of signings and tryouts for the rookie minicamp this weekend.  The team officially announced 14 signings and 4 tryouts through UDFA.

Signings

1. Davone Bess WR (Hawaii)
2. Titus Brown LB (Miss. St.)
3. Mike Byrne OL (Delaware)
4. Dan Carpenter K (Montana)
5. Jayson Foster QB/WR (Georgia Southern)
6. Dan Gore OL (Boise St.)
7. Daren Heerspink OL (Portland St.)
8. Aaron Lane CB (Purdue)
9. Selwyn Lymon WR (Purdue)
10. Matt Mulligan TE (Maine)
11. Kelly Poppinga LB (BYU)
12. Kory Robertson DT (VA Tech)
13. Marcel Reese WR (Washington)
14. Justin Wynn WR (Grand Rapids Comm. College)

Tryouts

1. Willie Copeland QB (Valdosta St.)
2. Kris Kasparek TE (Akron)
3. Rolly Lumbala FB (Idaho)
4. Scorpio Babers CB (Sam Houston St.)

I figured since its tough to find news reports on UDFA's, I would start a fanpost for anybody to post news on some guys we've signed.  I hope we grab some guys at wideout, OLB, and in the secondary...

According to resman at the end of the Day 2 Overflow Thread, we already signed Davone Bess WR from Hawaii.  He posted a link to the story in a Hawaii paper here.  So thats one guy a few of us were looking at with a draft pick.

I'll update if I find anything, and I encourage everybody to post a comment here if they see a signing.

IBWT - In Bill We Trust.

~~UPDATE~~

The Dolphins will have 14 signed UDFA's and 4 unsigned rookie free agents at rookie minicamp this weekend.  The team officially announced 14 signings and 4 tryouts..

Signings

1. Davone Bess WR (Hawaii)
2. Titus Brown LB (Miss. St.)
3. Mike Byrne OL (Delaware)
4. Dan Carpenter K (Montana)
5. Jayson Foster QB/WR (Georgia Southern)
6. Dan Gore OL (Boise St.)
7. Daren Heerspink OL (Portland St.)
8. Aaron Lane CB (Purdue)
9. Selwyn Lymon WR (Purdue)
10. Matt Mulligan TE (Maine)
11. Kelly Poppinga LB (BYU)
12. Kory Robertson DT (VA Tech)
13. Marcel Reese WR (Washington)
14. Justin Wynn WR (Grand Rapids Comm. College)

Tryouts

1. Willie Copeland QB (Valdosta St.)
2. Kris Kasparek TE (Akron)
3. Rolly Lumbala FB (Idaho)
4. Scorpio Babers CB (Sam Houston St.)