Zach Thomas and Other…Stuff

The Senior Bowl week is in full swing, Jeff Ireland is in Mobile, Al, talking shop with anyone who wants to ask him a question or 10, Tony Sparano is in Miami trying to finish the coaching hires and formulate a plan for reparing the Miami Dolphins, and Bill Parcells is, is, well, I’m not quite sure what he is doing, but according to Ireland, he is watching the Sr. Bowl stuff on NFL Network.  So with all that being said, here is some information about Zach Thomas’ future, and other stuff going on you may have missed.

It appears that the future of Thomas is more cloudy now that it was a few weeks ago when he was video taped swiping his personal parking sign from the training facility.  Widely regarded as a move that would leave the leading tackler in Dolphins history looking for work, it now appears that may not be too far from the truth.

During an interview yesterday, Jeff Ireland was asked about some of this veterans,  he said that he reached out to Jason Taylor but did not make contact with Zach Thomas.  When pressed on the issue of Thomas’ future, Ireland said “he is on our roster, so he is in our plans”, and left it at that.  Far from any sort of endorsement.

Thomas is in his mid-30’s and missed most of last year with a severe concussion, his wife has told him to call it quits, but Zach has publicly said he wants to play at least one more year, here or elsewhere.  It may end up being elsewhere.

The problem lies with two things, he has 1 year, maybe 2 at the most, and his contract next year is over 5 mill.  A trade for Zach is unlikely and a player of his stature surely demands more than a late 2nd day pick.  However, at best a 5th or 6th is all that the man will likely garner in talks…if anything at all.

Zach has been one of only two bright spots on this team in the last 12 years.  Consistent when healthy, a leader in the lockerroom and on the field.  Many liken him to Barney Rubble or a “lego” guy, but he has always been the “little engine that could”.  Playing far beyond what many imagined, Zach may not get the chance to finish his career here in Miami…if it isn’t all but officially over already.  The removal of his parking sign is becoming a little more ominous as the weeks move on.

So…Do you miss Cam Cameron yet?  Well by now I am sure you have heard that he is in Baltimore running the Ravens offense.  If you do miss him and his somewhat mundane pressers, you can at least read his formal introduction statements here.

The number 1 pick is officially up for sale, even if a trade officially can not be consumated until after the Super Bowl.  Yesterday Jeff Ireland told NFL Network that he would be willing to part with the number 1 overall and was now shopping it.  He also spoke about his dissappointment in not being able to see QB Matt Ryan at the Senior Bowl…interestingly, it is speculated that the Falcons may have interest in the BC QB, could be an attempt to find a trading partner.

Still stewing over former Dolphins Coach Nick Saban taking Ronnie Brown over Cadillac Williams?  Well according to ProFootballTalk, Cad may be done.  A patellar tendon tear which put him on IR last year, has folks at the combine thinking that the Bucs’ RB is finished.  Brown is looking like the better back now…even with his ACL injury.

3-4 or 4-3?  Jeff Ireland was asked that question yesterday.  “We have not looked at what we are going to run on defense yet”  Well, stop thinking about it and debating it, the Dolphins will be a 3-4 regardless of whether the personnel to do it is on the roster or not.  Dallas was a 3-4 team, Parcells is a 3-4 guy, and Tony Sparano just hired 3 coaches who run 3-4 defenses.  If it looks like a duck…you get the idea.