Off-Off Season: Miami Making News By Not Making News
By Brian Miller
When the NFL season ends the off-season begins. And you thought I wasn’t all that smart. In actuality what happens after that final game often leaves fans talking or speculating. There is the changes in coaching staff, the early cuts, the retirements, the turning of stones to find that street free agent. There is the Super Bowl and then the short countdown to free agency. The Combine, the pro-day’s, and then the draft. It’s a flurry of 3 months of activity all designed to ready the teams for the next season. Then, there is the off-off season. That time between the draft and rookie mini camp that just lingers on and on and on. For the Miami Dolphins, this odd offseason has the Phins making news by not making news. Make sense?
The Dolphins have signed a free agent Olineman in JD Quinn. O.k. but no one is going to stop the presses on that one. The Dolphins made news with the Jimmy Buffet mini-concert announcing the renaming of Dolphin Stadium to Landshark Stadium. O.k. Aside from the giggles, outright laughter, and the few that actually think it’s cool, that news came and went quicker than Tony Romo’s attempt to qualify for this years U.S. Open.
There has been no news on the Jason Taylor front which is of course making more news than if there was. Today, Greg Cote of the Miami Herald made clear speculation that JT will in fact head to New England and that the Dolphins have zero interest in him. What’s up with Herald writers and the New England Patriots anyways? Oh nevermind, that isn’t news. Speaking of newspapers, why do the online editions only give you a few paragraphs before making you click on the page two link for the remaining few? Isn’t that something that blogs do?
The Miami Dolphins made even less news yesterday by announcing their pre-season schedule times and dates. That would have at least been somewhat newsworthy if not for the fact that three of the teams they play in the pre-season had already announced their schedules. So the Phins waited on Carolina. Here is the pre-season schedule:
"Mon, Aug. 17 – 7:30 p.m. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS LAND SHARK STADIUM WFOR Sat, Aug. 22 – 7:30 p.m. CAROLINA PANTHERS LAND SHARK STADIUM WFORThurs., Aug. 27 – 8:00 p.m. at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium FoxThurs., Sept. 3 – 8:00 p.m. at New Orleans Saints Louisiana Superdome WFOR"
While this period in the NFL season is ugly there is some hope. The training camps begin to open in late July which is only 2 and a half months away…o.k. that’s eternity. Perhaps it’s because of the daylight savings time that this period seems so long.
I suppose we could talk about the prospects of Anquan Boldin, Plaxico Burress, Braylon Edwards, and Marvin Harrison joining the Phins but would anyone really believe me if I said we would land them? Oh, wait, an awful lot of people thought I was serious when I asked if we should trade Chad Henne.
Perhaps the biggest news for me this week is that I bought a new car. A Prius. I have driven a truck for the better part of 14 years and this is the first car that I can remember owning since a few month stint with a convertable way back when. I have to say, I love it. Or do I love the gas mileage? I have traveled almost 260 miles around town in two days and have used 5 gallons of gas. Roughly. Incredible. That isn’t news though.
At this time of year the only real news is surprising news and part of me believes that Greg Cote might be right and that Jason Taylor will soon ink his name to the Patriots payroll. So JT goes to NE, NE could go to the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl is in Miami, JT would win his only SB in Miami. Now that would actually be news. Sick, but news nonetheless.
I know, I really had to reach on this one. But fear not, join me tonight at 8PM Eastern time as I dig up some more stuff to talk about on tonights Finsradio.net show, “On the Fin Side“. You don’t want to miss it.