The 2009 football season is now officially over. Super Bowl XLIV was entertaining and fun to watch. In the end, the Saints were clearly the better team on Sunday. And that's why they will head back to New Orleans with the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Kudos to Sean Payton as well. He showed that he has some freakin' balls. Did anybody see that onside kick coming? Of course, if the Saints don't recover, people would probably be criticizing Payton. But the Saints did come up with the recovery and now Payton looks like a genius. That's just how this sport goes, though. There's a fine line between "gutsy decisions" and "stupid decisions."
While the Super Bowl was the big story of the weekend, there were some Dolphin nuggets to chew on. Let's touch on some:
Boldin for a 2nd rounder?
On Friday, Armando Salguero posted an item in his blog that touched on a number of topics. A lot of what he wrote made sense - including Salguero's declaration that the Dolphins will not go after Elvis Dumervil (which I've been saying since Adam Schefter's tweet a couple weeks ago). Armando also touches on the Anquan Boldin subject - a subject that is going to be getting more and more attention between now and March.
Salguero writes that he believes the price tag for Anquan has dropped. And I'd agree. He also writes that "the Dolphins like Boldin. He's tough. He's big. He is not a diva. Did he complain about his contract? Yes. He had a legitimate complaint. Does that make him a bad dude? Absolutely not."
Again - it's easy to see why the Dolphins would like Boldin. But here's my issue. The price tag for Boldin has gone down for a reason. Because of his physical play, Boldin gets hurt a lot. He'll be 30 in October and hasn't played a full 16 game season since 2006. Since his rookie year, Boldin has missed 18 regular season games. And ESPN's Ron Jaworski said it best, calling Boldin a "descending player."
Of course, it's now likely easier than ever to acquire Boldin from Arizona. Salguero believes that the Cards will ask for only a second round pick and probably "could be had for a third." If that's the case, should the Dolphins make a move? Is giving up a second round pick for a 30 year old injury prone receiver - who is a superstar when healthy - a good idea?
I don't have the answer to that. I'd be more than happy giving up a third rounder for Boldin. But I'm much more hesitant of surrendering the draft's 43rd pick for "Q."
Henne hopes for a receiver
Chad Henne really made the rounds late in the week last week. That's fine with me. And one of his more interesting comments came when asked if he had a wishlist for the team's first round pick:
"A big receiver. Somebody who's 6-3 and can run. I like our receivers, but we don't have a power guy. We do a lot of finesse stuff."
(Braylon Edwards?)
"I didn't say Braylon, but somebody like him would be good."
Well you can't blame Henne for saying this. Any quarterback wants new weapons to go to war with. And it makes sense that Henne would agree with many Dolphin fans out there who thinks this receiving corps is only missing one player. You get that big receiving threat and then the guys like D-Bess, B-Hart, and even Teddy Ginn become that much better.
So which draft prospects fit the description? Nicky wrote at length about the receiver position a few days ago. And from where I sit, it seems like Dez Bryant, Arrelious Benn, and Brandon LaFell present the measurables Henne is looking for.
Speaking of Henne and Miami's need for a playmaking receiver, Phil Simms told the Miami Herald this:
"[The Dolphins] are really close. I always liked Chad Henne, and I'm now more reinforced he's the guy. They need a playmaker, but it doesn't have to be the prototype receiver. Maybe a Percy Harvin type.''
Porter at it again, looking more and more like a complete ass
Does anyone still think Joey Porter was actually a leader in Miami? Because it's becoming more and more clear that he's as selfish a player as they come and is in no way a player I want around my young guys.
Appearing on NFL Network during their pre-game show, Porter had this to say about his situation in Miami:
"Probably as a Dolphin, but not the last time you’ll see me in this stadium. I still have a lot of years of football left … but strapping on that jersey, yes, this year is the last time."
"If it was a situation where the guys were better than me, then you just have to move on. But if it’s not a changing of the guard, they just have to sit and wait their turn. Nobody is that good enough behind me to be stepping on my toes."
My only question right now - what the hell is taking this team so long to release this selfish piece of garbage?
Random quote of the week
Deion Sanders said to the Miami Herald regarding the Dolphins:
"Their young corners are great, but their front seven must get better."
Well said, Deion.