Let's go around the internet and see what some people are talking about in reference to our floundering fish.
TRENT GREEN TO RETIRE?
ProFootballTalk, a site that is very credible in my opinion no matter what other people tell you, is reporting that there is talk, according to a "league insider," that Trent Green may be very close to announcing his retirement from the NFL. According to this source, an announcement could within the next 2 weeks. This comes just one day after ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported said that a "decision on retirement is near." Mort also said that, despite Green saying all his tests have come back good, Cam might hold Green back and not let him return (at least not this year). Remember that Cam is not only Trent's coach, but is also his friend. Kudos to Cam for doing the right thing!
In Monday's press conference, the only thing Cam said about Trent was that he will be undergoing more tests locally on Tuesday. Those results will likely be ready by Wednesday. He didn't say anything about a possible retirement, nor did he say anything about a return. In my opinion, at this point, I think Trent will retire and hope that he does. And I don't say that for selfish reasons, meaning I'm not hoping Trent retires so we can see John Beck play at some point. I'm saying it as a decent human being hoping that Trent can control his competitive fire enough to realize that he just shouldn't risk any further long-term damage. You had a great career, Trent. Call it quits now and ride out into the sunset.
GINN SHOWING FLASHES
That's right. Don't look now, but Ted Ginn is starting to slowly look like an NFL player!! And for the record, before I talk him up a bit, I just want to point out that I've never bashed him. On draft day, I wasn't happy with the pick. But that was more to do with thinking we had bigger needs elsewhere than at return man/receiver. I always thought Ginn could be a bigtime player. And he's starting to show signs that he might very well be just that. Like I said earlier, he's getting open pretty often when he is on the field as a receiver. It's just that the QB isn't throwing his way. In the return game, here's what Ginn's 5 kick returns would have been if not for stupid penalties: 9 yards, 20 yards, 33 yards, 57 yards, and 96 yards for a TD. Not too shabby, huh? Cleveland clearly was scared of him, as they squibbed or pooched the 2 kickoffs following Ginn's nullified touchdown.
Well, you may not, but the Palm Beach Post's Ben Volin agrees with me:
Maybe I'm dreaming, but I can envision a big return touchdown against New England on Sunday that puts the Dolphins on top in the final minutes!! Alright, back to reality now...
TEAR THIS THING DOWN?
In a blog entry that seems a bit over the top to me, Omar Kelly writes that the Dolphin should just start rebuilding now, including trying to trade Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas. Below is part of the article. Click on his name to read the entire thing.
The only question I'm wondering is what is salvageable, and it's time to figure that out?
Ronnie Brown's a keeper. Certain players on this improving offensive line's a keeper. Ted Ginn Jr., who has shown me enough to believe it's just a matter of time before he becomes a dangerous special teamer and decent NFL receiver, is a keeper. But what else is?
Stop going through the motions, piecing it together with old veterans like Donovin Darius, who can't seem to stay on the field for one reason or another. It's time to figure out if Jason Allen can play or not. Exactly how much more of a liability could Allen be than Cameron Worrell, who presently has one good shoulder, or Courtney Bryan, an UNDRAFTED rookie who was playing in his second game?
Can Allen play or not? It's time to learn.
It's time to put feelers out there to see what can be acquired for Chris Chambers, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, or any other aging veteran with value. Maybe a contender looking for a player to put them over the top will bite.
I was totally against that line of thinking at first considering you'll never get anything comparable back in value back - MAYBE if they are lucky some team will offer a third rounder - but exactly what does this team have to lose? Chambers, Taylor and Thomas will all be gone before this franchise gets back to being a playoff caliber at this point.
There's a lot to talk about from this article by Kelly. First, the idea of considering Bill Parcels is just idiotic. First of all, I don't agree with the idea that letting Cam Cameron go would benefit this team, no matter who is brought in. He is, after all, improving this offense, isn't he? And Parcels, in my opinion, is the most overrated head coach in NFL history, bar none! He didn't do anything in Dallas. He didn't do anything with the Jets. He did get the Pats to a Super Bowl, but that's still not overly impressive if you ask me. I don't understand why people consider him such a great coach. His career record is 163-123. Big friggin whoop. He won 57% of his games. And since he left the Giants, his record is just 86-74 and just 3-4 in the playoffs. Everyone thought he would take the Cowboys far into the playoffs, but he just got into the playoffs one time...and lost. Sorry, but this perception that Parcels is an all-time great coach is just a product of the media. I could easily name 15 coaches who are still able to be coaches that I would take before Parcels.
As for the other things that Kelly says, I'd say I agree with everything except the following. I don't think John Beck should get a series or two in the 2nd half of games. I do think that, after the bye week, he should be the team's starting QB for their remaining 8 games. I also don't agree with the idea of trading Thomas, Taylor, and Chambers would be wise. Why do I say that? Because there is absolutely no way you will get the same value in return that these players provide on the field for this team. I wouldn't give up JT or Zach for anything less than an early 2nd round pick (if that) and I wouldn't give up Chambers for anything lower than a mid 2nd round pick. But the fact of the matter is that these 3 aren't getting traded, at least not in the conceivable future.
Your thoughts below...