Phins Sign Jamaal Westerman
By Brian Miller
The Dolphins keep adding pieces to the puzzle but still haven’t managed to find any of the actual pieces they need to have…like the edge pieces. Tonight it was announced that through a source of Rich Cimini’s, LB Jamaal Westerman a non-tendered NY Jets free agent has been signed by the Miami Dolphins. Westerman isn’t much of a third down pass rusher but is a solid special teams player but he isn’t a starter. He also doesn’t play guard, tackle, or wide-receiver on the offense.
I understand that all players can’t be names but it seems the Dolphins are not doing anything to fill their actual needs. Getting good or decent depth players is great but it simply seems as though the team is spending far too much time on Peyton Manning. The only two viable options for WR are Brandon Lloyd and Mario Manningham. While I would love to have either one of them, it simply doesn’t appear as though the Fins are all that interested. This years draft is full of WR talent so maybe they go that route.
While the draft will most assuredly give you options, it’s hardly the best way to fill all of your actual “needs”. It sets a team up to pass on the best players available when you are too focused on positions of need. In Miami’s case can they go after a pass rushing DE, a QB, a RT, RG, WR, and FS all in the draft and expect them all to be final solutions? Of course not.
Let’s not forget either, this is not a team that is competing for a playoff birth, it’s a team competing within itself trying to win back fans who have jumped off the bandwagon a long time ago. It’s about infusing the South Florida area with excitement and a driving desire to buy season tickets to cheer the team to victory. These moves are solid but unspectacular and unspectacular is not what this team needs right now.
The Dolphins also added free agent OG Artis Hicks. Hicks last played for the Browns. He is 33 years old and has a history of bad play according to our friends over at Finheaven.com. I would look it up to confirm, but frankly I simply take a wait and see approach. Maybe we should have kept Carey.