A Long Week Comes To An End
By Brian Miller
Wow, aren’t vacations supposed to be fun and carefree? Well, after a long week of vacation, it’s good to be back here writing about the Miami Dolphins and the NFL. A lot happened this week and it was very difficult to keep up with it from my iPhone…which by the way…we have an App for that. So this morning, I will try and get you all caught up on a few things in case you haven’t heard already.
First, I want to welcome the newest member of the Fan Sided Network, DCProSportsReport.com. DC is one of the best mock draft data bases on the web. The site joined our network late last week and will make a great addition to Fan Sided. Head over and check them out and click on some of their mock draft links to see who is being projected to the Dolphins.
The New York Jets have once again been very active this off-season. Late last night they traded a 5th round pick for Pittsburgh Steeler WR Santonio Holmes. Holmes will line up opposite their other troubled loud mouth receiver Braylon Edwards. Holmes may still face a 4 game suspension but the Jets have added some very good if cheap fire power. And the Dolphins have Ted Ginn.
What is a rumor? Mid-week someone reported that the Phins wanted to trade Tyler Thigpen before the draft. Yeah, Thigpen has some decent upside but in reality, there are cheaper back-up’s available for free on the street. With the draft only a week away, teams are not looking for potential starters at this point.
If Thigpen is traded, it will be either on draft day or during training camp when a QB goes down to injury.
Continuing with the “rumor mill“, Adam Schefter reported “Tweeted” that Miami Dolphins RB, Ronnie Brown was on the trade block. What he really said was that he wouldn’t rule out Ronnie Brown being on the trade block. That got more than a few people talking about where he was going. So far? He isn’t going anywhere. That of course could change but as pointed out by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, until Brown signs his tender, he can’t be traded.
Speaking of Armando, I really can’t help this one, the website Rotoworld.com had used a blurb about the Dolphins in one of their updates and referred to him as a “Miami Dolphins beat writer”. In Armando’s next article, he pointed to Roto in a comment that said, “I’m not a beat writer, I’m a columnist“. Rotoworld went back and lined through the “beat writer” and wrote “columnist”.
For the record, I could care less, but when was the last time that the Miami Herald columnist wrote a column? Isn’t he more of a blogger these days? For what’s it worth, Roto-dudes…you can call me anything you want!
On to much better topics, like the NFL Draft, league sources are saying that the Dolphins are looking to trade down next Thursday and grab another pick. First things first, don’t immediately think that the rumors of a Dallas-Miami trade are anymore real than they were 3 weeks ago…when they hadn’t started.
Jeff Ireland made mention in his last press conference that he had offers to move up and to move down and that they of course could stay put. Understand this. Teams that are below another team will often call teams behind them and throw out “feeler offers”. See what other teams are thinking. The same works in reverse.
Do the Dolphins really have an offer to move in any direction? Doubtful. At least no more than any of the other 31 teams. As the draft gets closer, so does the posturing, grandstanding, and more importantly the misdirection.
The significance however tends to make one consider that if the Dolphins do in fact want to trade down, Dan Williams would appear to be the target. At least in my opinion. Personally, I really like that guard Iupati.
The Draft this year will be especially fun for the Fan Sided Network and for this site as well. Patrick Allen, the AFC Director of Blogs for the network and lead writer for ArrowheadAddict, has gained a press pass for next weeks draft.
Patrick will be on the floor with the rest of the media for draft weekend and will be calling me and updating me when he can and when he hears about anything from the floor as it relates to the Miami Dolphins. Great job Patrick!
Staying on the draft theme for another minute, Phinphanatic.com will have the “LIVE CHAT” room available for the entire weekend. Click on the menu tab that says “CHAT”. Log in as we break the draft down and discuss what is going on.
This years draft is fully interactive for our readers. The Fan Sided Network has partnered with CBS Sports to bring you a “live” NFL mock draft that will be debut next week. More information and links will be provided for you when the time comes.
Also want to let you know that I am considering…CONSIDERING…doing either a “LIVE” broadcast on the night of the draft from Finsradio.com. The two hour show would either start at 7 or 8PM Eastern time. The other option I am looking at is a “LIVE” 2 hour draft eve show that would air next Wednesday from 8-10.
Let me know if a draft show of any kind is of interest to you.
As always, continue to check back as we will keep you updated on all the rumors and of course the unmentioned status of Jason Taylor and the crop-dusters.