Left-overs

The day after X-Mas means a few things.  You have to haul all of the gifts either home or to their respective rooms…and try and find a place for them, and of course the leftovers.  So this is our edition of leftovers.  A quick morning guide to what’s been happening in football world over the last day or so.  Get yourself caught up…the biggest game for the Miami Dolphins is only a few days away and there is one present that still hasn’t been delivered and for some Dolphins fans, that delivery will not come televised.

The NFL saw fit to choose NBC’s game for them.  Opting for the SD/Denver game rather than the NY/Miami battle.  The NFL said it was simply because their choice was a win and your in game and that with Miam and NY, the Jets are not assured of anything should they win.  Fair enough.  But the NFL went further.  They moved the Miami game to 4:15 so that CBS could air it as their main game of the week.  But they also moved the Baltimore and Jacksonville game as well and in the process managed to screw over Dolphins fans from central Florida north.  Orlando and the surrounding areas televise Jacksonville Jaguars games.  So while most of the nation will be glued to the Dolphins/Jets…if your a Phins fan living in Orlando…you probably won’t be.

The NFL went further in their explanation of the choosing the West over the East for that “flex” game.  The NFL wanted the Jets to go into the game with Miami still believing they had a shot at the playoffs.  See if the Patriots win, the Jets can still make the playoffs with a win and a Baltimore loss.  Which means that at 4 they are still playing for something.  The Jags/Ravens game originally slated for 1Pm would have been over with by the time the Phins and Jets kicked off and a win by NE and a win by Baltimore eliminates the Jets who in turn would be playing only for pride and as the spoiler.  The NFL felt that by moving the Baltimore game to 4, then the Jets will have more incentive to play.  What a crock.

Travis MacKenzie makes a “good point” in his assessment of the Dolphins this season.  He must really be happy considering that 2 games would have been enough.

Nate Jones has been stellar lately in the dime package…you can read all about that in this “standout” article.

Channing Crowder returned to limited practice on Thursday…yes, they did practice on Christmas day.  Does that surprise you?  He is still being hobbled by his knee injury and with what could be the last game of the season this weekend, his chances of proving to this front office that he is worth a new contract and reliable enough to get one is waning.

Jay Feely is one happy customer right now.  For all the talk of how more than a few NY Jets players are happy for Chad Pennington and the success he has found in Miami after so casually being kicked out of NY for Brett Favre, Feely is looking for the chance to kick the Dolphins, Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, and Tony Sparano squarely in the footballs for kicking his butt so casually out of Miami in favor of an undrafted rookie.  You can read more on that here.

Last week Patrick Cobbs kicked-off the coldest game in Dolphins history with an opening kick-off return of 60 yards.  He followed that with a couple of others that kept the Phins in good field position.  It appears that HC Tony Sparano chose Cobbs last week of Ted Ginn because of the weather and Cobbs’ low center of gravity.  It now looks as though the Dolphins will be employing that again this week against the Jets.  

"“This is not a knock on [Ginn], Ted is a speed guy, he’s a little bit more of a slasher, where Patrick is more of a vertical guy, built a little lower to the ground and still can go,” Sparano said."

On Saturday, I will have another webisode from the Miami Dolphins training center.  The press rooms and the entry hall for the players.

Will Allen returned to limited practice on Thursday with a groin injury sustained in the KC game.  HC Tony Sparano has said that Friday’s practice will be the determining practice as to whether or not he or Channing Crowder can play.  The team leaves for NY on Saturday morning.