Adam Schefter of NFL.com is reporting, maybe speculating is a better word, that former Kansas City Chief President Carl Peterson could reteam with his close friend and new Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross.

It’s also being reported on several local news sites as well.  In fact, one of those points out that Peterson was at the Dolphins/Ravens game on Sunday, on the sideline, wearing a Dolphins pin on his lapel, and referring to the Phins as “we”.  Not a good sign at all.    

The Dolphins finally appear headed in the right direction but that apparently could be changing.  Peterson was applauded when he finally turned his resignation into the Chiefs…not for the work he had done, but for actually leaving.

Here is what Adam Schefter had to say, and let me just say….I truly hope that King Carl comes nowhere near Miami.
The Kansas City Chiefs are throwing a grand going-away party for general manager Carl Peterson on Tuesday. Those who attempt to figure out where he will surface next need to look to the Stars.
The last owner of the USFL’s Baltimore/Philadelphia Stars franchise, for which Peterson was the president and GM, was Stephen M. Ross.
The same Stephen M. Ross who’s about to become the Miami Dolphins’ new owner.
Since the time they worked together in Philadelphia, Ross and Peterson have remained close. Their relationship dates well over 20 years. Peterson led the Stars to a 48-13-1 record and was twice selected as the USFL Executive of the Year.
Some in the Chiefs’ organization have maintained all along that Ross would provide Peterson with his golden parachute out of Kansas City, with Peterson not the type of individual to simply walk away from the game.
Multiple league sources believe that one day, possibly sooner rather than later, Ross will hire Peterson to help run his Dolphins franchise. What makes this scenario so intriguing is the recent word that Bill Parcells has a clause in his contract that would allow him to walk away from Miami, with salary, if the franchise changed hands from Wayne Huizinga, as it’s about to do.
If Parcells goes, Peterson is the logical successor. Even if Parcells stays, Ross might want to bring aboard Peterson anyway, which could create a lot of cooks in the kitchen.
Parcells got away from the drama in Dallas. But he could face more in Miami.

Forget about last season, it’s over with and done with.  

While it’s nice to revel in an AFC East Division crown, the truth is that aside from the hats that are still shipping out of Miami, the season is over with and done with and now, the hard work begins.

This team saw over 20 new faces last off-season and over 40 moves since training camp ended.  It’s likely that we see the same type, perhaps not as much, as we did last year.  The good news is that we will do so with Bill Parcells looking down over the coop from his perch.

Wayne Huizenga informed the media that two days ago, Parcells informed him that he was going to stay and not leave for another team.  Stephen Ross has indicated that he fully expects and wants Parcells to stay as well.  Parcells is a man who can change his mind on a dime, and has in the past.  However, he rarely will inform someone that he considers a friend,  one thing and then do another.  

The sale of the Dolphins will be completed within the next two weeks and the more change will brought to the team.  Stephen Ross is a local developer who actually comes to us from New York and other places but he is a Floridian and a Dolphins fan at that.

Ross was one of the investors who tried to buy the team from the Robbie Family but lost in his bid to Wayne H.  Ross has said that owning the Dolphins has always been his dream.  With the team now done in the playoffs, the focus for the upper management will shift away from football operations for the next couple of weeks and instead finalize the last 45% sale.  Wayne H. will maintain a 5% stake in the franchise.  

After the sale is complete, the next question will be what restructuring will take place in the management team?  No not Parcells or Jeff Ireland, we are talking Bryan Weidemeier who has been with the team some 20 odd years and is now the President of the team.  Those guys.  It’s normal for a new owner to bring in his guys.  

Shifting back to the football side, things are going to pick up for at least 5 guys or not at all.  Fans will certainly take an interest in what happens there.  Exit interviews will start the process sometime this week as Tony Sparano sits down with every player and goes over his thoughts on the season and what he expects next year and perhaps whether they will be back at all.

The Dolphins finished out the 2008 season roughly around the 100 million mark in salary.  That includes roughly 21 million in dead cap space for players no longer on the team.  The numbers may be off a bit.  The Phins will turn their attention to getting the salary cap in line again before March when FA starts and the new league year begins.  The salary cap for next season is expected to be in the 123 mill range which will give Miami around 25 to 40 million in spending cash depending on what drops off the dead money account (more on that in the coming weeks when actual figures are more readily available).

Of the 5 main guys Miami has as unrestricted free agents, the likely first signing will be Yeremiah Bell and it will be a surprise if he isn’t resigned.  Bell has played tremendously this season and at times has kept the team in games and from losing games.  Bell seems like the logical choice to be marked priority and it is not out of the question for the team to tag him if a contract can’t get done by March.

Channing Crowder is perhaps the biggest name of the 4 and while the team has started preliminary talks with the LB, the truth is that his injury late in the season and the lack of impact plays could hurt the guys chances.  The good news is that Crowder is not a big name talent and therefore he is not likely to garner a ton of high-dollar interest on the open market, plus he really likes Miami, the coaching staff, and the fans.  Crowder will likely take less than market value to stay with the Dolphins, if it’s offered.

If Bell is the must sign and Crowder is the name, than Vernon Carey is the guy who has more than likely played his last game in Miami as a Dolphin.  Carey has heard nothing about a new contract and his play of late, especially against Baltimore has been nothing if not mediocre.  Carey has suffered along with the rest of the line when it comes to dealing with changing faces and that has hurt his consistency, something he has been known for.

Saying Carey is a bust would be a lie, saying Carey doesn’t deserve a contract would be a lie.  He has proven himself very valuable.  He can play both tackle spots and both guard spots.  The problem is that Carey is not the prototype lineman that Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells has employed int he past.  In addition, past free agent markets have inflated the price of a starting lineman.  If a 3rd tier no name can get a 45 million dollar deal to play guard, a 2nd tier starting LT, RT, RG should easily be able to get that same paycheck with more guaranteed.  

Miami however, may not want to commit to Carey for another 4 or 5 years and that makes him expendable.

Andre’ Goodman has been playing some really good football and his performance against the Jets alone was enough to warrant contract talks (no they have not started yet).  Goodman or “Goodie” as Sparano calls him will not likely hit the open market.  The Dolphins will be looking to continue their restructure of the team but Goodman is still young and has a year under his belt with Todd Bowles (who will not be hired in Detroit), plus he won’t be overly expensive.

The last of the big 5 is CB Renaldo Hill and while he has played well in the second half of the season and one of the reasons the secondary has improved, he may not be worth the money he could seek.  The Dolphins will probably work on a deal but it’s possible the two sides fall short and Hill goes out in FA and tests those waters.

The season may be over with, but the fun starts up very soon.  Consider that the NFL’s season has 4 weeks left.  A division weekend, a conference weekend, then two weeks to the Super Bowl.  Throw away the following weekend for the Pro-Bowl and your looking at just shy of mid-February.  In that time you will start hearing the words “transition” and “franchise” and contracts will be signed and sealed.

Then, in the first week of March, the league new year starts and free agency commences.  A few weeks later and the Combine begins.  A month after that and we are back in NY for the draft, mini-camps, schedule announcement, more mini-camps, draft pick signings, and your back in July and the Phins are back at camp.  Next thing you know…Voila…it’s September and we are doing this all over again.

Yeah, the season may be over, but the real work on building this team starts now…we are after all still rebuilding…albeit an AFC East Division Champion!

The Miami Dolphins could not do what the Baltimore Ravens could…pressure the QB. Joe Flacco looked like Tom Brady and Chad Pennington looked like the rookie today as the Miami Dolphins blew an early 3 point lead to a surrendered blow out.

Things looked like they could go the Phins way early with a fumble recovery and a 50 yard drive that stalled on 3rd and 1 from the 1 and settled for a field goal. The Ravens pretty much dominated from that point on.

The Ravens intercepted Chad Pennington 2 times in the first half, one for a pick-6 that gave the birds a 10-3 lead that would increase to 13-3 at half-time. Pennington, the comeback player of the year decided to show what he came back from when he turned the ball over to start the second half with his 3rd INT.

Patrick Cobbs was not about to be out-done and fumbled the ball on the Dolphins 20 that led to the first offensive TD of the game for the Ravens. The score would be 20-3 and would signal the end of the Miami Dolphins “Cinderella” season.

Pennington would try one more time to lead the team down the field against the immovable Ravens taking the team to the 10 yard line before giving Ed Reed his 2nd pick of the day and Pennington’s 4th. The Phins turned the ball over 13 times all season, the turned the ball over 5 times in 3 quarters today.

After stopping the Ravens to start the 4th quarter, the Phins would finally make their first and only appearance in the endzone on a nice catch by Ronnie Brown. Unfortunately, the game score would not close to within 10 as the Phins had their extra-point attempt blocked.

While the Phins were seriously outplayed most of the game, they refused to quit. Stopping the Ravens on a 3 and out, the Phins drove to the Ravens 30 and looked like they could make it a game again but a fumbled exchange between Pennington and Ted Ginn on an end around lost 30 yards and took the team out of FG range and left just over 7 minutes left in the game.

It was the only time the Phins would be left with hopes as the Ravens would put the final nail into the coffin with a TD drive to go up 27 - 9.

Outplayed, outhit, and everything else, the Miami Dolphins offense was so inept that in the entire 1st half they could only gain 47 yards on 6 possessions following their first possession. The second half produced much better statistics but it wasn’t until the 4th quarter that they began to play with some enthusiasm and it was too late at that point.

Todays loss can be pinned on the one thing they didn’t do all year long…turn the ball over.

The Phins will now turn their attention to the off-season where questions of Bill Parcells’ future will be known within a month and the finalization of the sale of the team to Stephen Ross. The team will look at the free agent market and prepare for another off-season of player turnover while they address the contract situations of Channing Crowder, Vernon Carey, Yeremiah Bell, and Renaldo Hill.

A season of hope and joy ends with a horrid defeat but as the sun sets on the 2008 season, it’s evident that this team is not the same team we have seen over the last 5 seasons, if not the last 10. This is a new Miami Dolphins team that is still finding it’s way…what a season it was. Nice to have something to finally cheer about.

Thank you Dolphins for a great and fantastically fun season!

From the locker-room to the weight room to the practice field.  Our tour continues.

But first, click on these two video links and check out the special Thank You message to all the fans from the Miami Dolphins!!!  GO MIAMI!!!

http://www.miamidolphins.com/thanks.asp 

Also, their broadcasting department is giving fans a “sneak peak” at the all-new video that will be played at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday when our team takes the field. 

http://www.miamidolphins.com/intro.asp

The NFL announced it’s league MVP award and it wasn’t even close, Peyton Manning of the Colts wins his 3rd while Chad Pennington’s name was barely mentioned at all.  Manning’s win puts him in elite company.  Only Brett Favre has won the award three times…hmmm, wouldn’t it be fun if the Dolphins faced the Colts in the AFC Championship game?  Then the Phins could be the only team to knock 2 3 time MVP’s out of the playoffs.

The news of Manning winning the individual achievement award is nothing to get irritated about.  Manning is a deserving candidate.  Still, only 4 members of the voters cast ballots in the direction of Chad Pennington.

In fact, Pennington tied for second with Atlanta Falcon RB Michael Turner.  32 votes went to Manning.  The fact that so few recognized Pennington’s importance to the team is a little odd.  Frankly, I expected votes in the teens.  

I suppose in the end it really doesn’t matter if you received any votes at all because only the winners are remembered.

Perhaps this will be one more feather in the cap for the Miami Dolphins who still are trying to find a little respect with their AFC East division crown.  They sure aren’t getting much from the media.  It’s like the ugly kid that gets invited to the dance.  Everyone is happy that he finally got asked, but no one is giving him a shot to actually walk through the door with the cheerleader.

Again this week I point out victory.  Yes, I think the Miami Dolphins can and will win this game.  I still believe that with the right attitude and desire, this team could be playing in the AFC Championship game in 3 weeks.  First thing first however and that is the Baltimore Ravens.  They are not a slouch and they will not be a pushover like the NY Jets were last week.  This team MUST be 110 percent comitted to this game or they will lose.  The margin for error is less than what it was with the New England Patriots a short while ago.  

I also thought about changing it up a bit, a “playoff” version if you will, then decided…if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!  Here is this weeks 5 Keys to victory.

Key 5:  Overcoming the unknown:  There is a good many Miami Dolphins starters that have never played in a playoff game and they are all key members of the team.  From the rookies to guys like Yeremiah Bell and Andre’ Goodman, to Ronnie Brown and Channing Crowder.  For every one of them there is a veteran who has.  Ronnie himself needs to look no further than running mate Ricky Williams or QB Chad Pennington.  Pennington and LB Joey Porter will have to be the vocal leaders.  A scene plays out in my mind from the movie “Hoosiers”.  The basket is 10′.  The same in the big arena as it is back in Hickory.  The same with the Dolphins.  The field didn’t get any larger just because the stage did.  The Ravens defense has been their before and most of the offense has too.  Joe Flacco hasn’t and the Phins defense needs to remember that.

Key 4:  Stop the run:  The Ravens are a very good rushing team.  Ranked 4th in the NFL in rushing yards, averaging 148 yards per game, the Dolphins will need to clamp that play if they want to emerge victorious.  La’Ron McLain leads their team in rushing with 902 yards and 10 touchdowns.  The offensive line is a stoudt group who can move the line of scrimmage.  Jason Ferguson who missed the early season match-up will do much better than his replacements in that game.  Channing Crowder must make tackles behind or at the LOS.  He tends to allow running backs to move him back 3 yards before he drops them.  That will not work against this team.  By stopping the run you put the game in the hands of rookie sensation Joe Flacco and while his play has been stellar, he is beatable.

Key 3:  Flacco:  The Dolphins have not been doing a good job of putting pressure on the QB’s.  Joe Flacco has been sacked 32 times this year and ranks 8th in the NFL for most times hitting the turf.  In comparison, CP has been sacked 24 times and will face a very tough defensive front.  Flacco doesnt’ get rattled and his poise in the pocket allows him to survey the field.  If the Phins can put pressure on him early they can keep him out of rhythm.  If he gets into rhythm he will pick the defense apart.  INT’s and fumbles will win this game and Flacco needs to get his cage rattled a few times to make him uneasy.

Key 2:  Time:  The Dolphins do well when they control the time of possession and control the ball.  At the onset of the game, it’s imperative that the Phins don’t worry so much about long time consuming drives as much as quick strikes and scores.  The Phins will not have a lot of long methodical clock consuming drives because the Ravens defense does not get run on often.  So, the Phins need to use a power aerial attack that works out of a spread formation and even an empty backfield.  The Ravens defense is built on speed and matching that speed will wear them down.  Slow developing plays will not help the Dolphins as the Ravens are just too fast, but quick 3 and 4 yard strikes in a no-huddle style offense will keep the running during the plays and to get back in position for the next one.  The Phins can take advantage of the Raven attack by beating them not at the line, but with their conditioning.  Wear them down fast and get them out of breath and you can rack up a couple of quick scores that could be the difference in the game.  Get a lead and then slow the game down.

Key 1:  Turnovers and composure.  The Ravens love themselves some turnovers.  The Dolphins don’t like to turn it over.  In week 7 the Phins turned it over one time and that was a game changing pick 6.  The Phins need to make things happen for themselves.  The defense needs to find a way to get the ball in their hands.  McLain doesn’t fumble, 3 on the year, and while that does say he puts it on the ground it does not say he is an easy target.  The Phins best chances are with picks from the young Flacco.  The Baltimore receivers are playing goo football but they are not great.  They are not Randy Moss, Laverneous Coles, Jericho Cotchery, or Wes Welker.  But they believe in their QB and they make things happen.  

Chad Pennington will likely be pressured all day and his composure will go along way to keeping the Dolphins in the game.  He must know when to tuck the ball and take the sack.  Miami can not afford to turnover fumbles from the offensive pocket and Chad can not throw up ducks to avoid them or the Ravens will take a few back.  It’s hard to imagine safety Ed Reed not chomping at the bit for at least 1 in the game.

Whichever team holds on to the ball will win this game.

If you travel back in time, back to the start of free agency last year, the New York Jets and not the Buffalo Bills made the biggest splashes.  The Jets spent money and the Bills quietly went about their business.  You didn’t hear from them, you didn’t really think about them.  When the season got underway, the Bills were the team that was lights out and looked like they could lead the division from week 1 to week 17.  That didn’t happen of course but because of the Jets and Bills, the AFC East was a roller-coaster ride from start to finish.  

So why didn’t they win?   Continue Reading »

UPDATE:  For his roll in handing the Jets their season ending loss and the Dolphins 1st division championship since 2001, Chad Pennington was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week today as well.

For the second time in his career Chad Pennington has won the AP NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.  

Pennington won the award the first time while with the NY Jets in 2006 after coming back from two rotator cuff surgeries.  This time around he cameback from being benched last year and cut two weeks before the season began.

After leaving New York to make room for the acquired Brett Favre, Pennington was immediately contacted by the Dolphins and was given a contract that was identical to the one he held in NY.  The Phins made no attempt to restructure his existing deal.  The risk payed off.

 

“I think in my experience over the last nine years is that when you’re winning, you feel appreciated; when you’re losing, it gets a little tough,” he said. “That’s just part of winning and losing, especially in this league because the stakes are high, a lot of eyes watching you, both individually and as a team.

“I don’t think the appreciation level ever changes, you just have to understand that there’s always going to be highs and lows. And it’s always to the extreme because the middle of the road doesn’t sail and it’s not exciting. The extremes, that’s what’s exciting, and that’s what everybody leans on.”

 

Chad Pennington came to Miami and immediately embraced his teammates and the team itself as his own.  On his first night as a Dolphin, Pennington was shown introducing himself to the team during the Phins pre-season game against the Chiefs.  Pennington who has been the leader of the team and an inspiration to the defense as well quickly made his presence known in his first days of training camp with Miami.

The Dolphins had an issue with receivers consistently dropping passes from the array of QB’s on their roster.  Pennington, after seeing the same degree of effort on his first outing openly voiced his displeasure to the young wide-outs.  The Dolphins have been one of the teams with the lowest amount of dropped passes all season.

Chad Pennington won the award by 3 votes over Jake Delhomme of Carolina and Kerry Collins of Tennessee.  Fellow teammates Joey Porter and Ronnie Brown also each received votes.  3 for Porter and 1 for Brown.

The regular season is over and like most fans, I have been sitting in front of a television as if it were the media week prior to the Super Bowl.  With the way fans have been jumping up and down, you would think it was.  Looking for any and all news, a high-light reel, a player comment, quote, or a coaches “We need to stay focused” soundbite, has been pretty easy…once you listen to all the Dallas Cowboys blew it talk.  Still, props, a predicted victory, something that says “Hey, the Miami Dolphins are a good team”…nope.  Not a bit.

On NFL Network, Jim Mora said that “the best team in the AFC East didn’t make the playoffs”.  That of course in his opinion, the New England Patriots.  If they were the best, they would be in the Playoffs.  They might have even won the division.  But of course they did beat up on Seattle and Arizona.

Pick up the remote and change it to ESPN and you hear, “hey the Dolphins did really well this year, but they don’t match up with the Baltimore Ravens.”  Or…”The Dolphins offense can’t score on their defense.”  Or…”This game is Baltimore’s and the Dolphins better hope they can hold onto the ball or it will be a very long day“.

Yep, no respect.  Which of course is a good thing.  It gives the Phins the opportunity to focus on something other than “We made the playoffs”.  It gives them something to shoot for, some pride that still needs a bit of catering too.  It gives them a reason to be angry and wan’t more.  The Ravens by the way are favored by 3.

I spoke to a friend of mine who knows quite a bit more than I do about betting lines…I don’t gamble, and he told me that had the NE Patriots won the division they would have opened around 7 point favorites against the Ravens.  That’s quite a bit and a 10 point swing from the Dolphins.  So, if the Patriots are so good and the Dolphins so bad, then why didn’t they win the division?  Here’s a look at the rest of the AFC East. Continue Reading »