A Collection of Potential Dolphins QB Prospects [Video]

I figured that I would include a bunch of videos of potential quarterback prospects that the Miami Dolphins could end up drafting this year, so sit back end enjoy.


The first set of videos is a playlist of Robert Griffin III games.


Here is a video of Ryan Tannehill. His film is hard to find, so please let me know if you find anything.


Here is a long video of Brandon Weeden highlights.


And last, here is Kellen Moore.


Here are two videos on Brock Osweiler as well. Enjoy




Thanks for stopping by. Who's your favorite prospect in this class?


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In the Land of Smoke and Mirrors

With the start of the Combine comes a new season. So let the lying begin. If you are the type of person like am then you must hate the dishonesty that comes at this time of year.

As bad as the lying has been so far this year it is about to get worse. Starting this week on Monday the F word will begin to show up. The F word I am talking about is the Franchise tag. The Franchise period runs from Feb. 27th thru March 5th. As most of you know Paul Soliai would be the most logical choice for the Dolphins to place the franchise tag on. But this isn't about the franchise tag.

The end of the franchise period will end the lying for some of the players, but it will start the true deception all NFL fans are familiar with. As bad as the lies have been between Peyton Manning and the Colts that is but a tip of the iceberg that is about to come.

The Dolphins are already in the Smoke and Mirror deceptive mode. Just this past week we have heard Jeff Ireland talk about getting an explosive TE, and the Peyton Manning talk has been front page news for quite some time. Yet we are still at the beginning of the BS time of year.

So over the next few months up until the last draft choices are signed and sealed we will be talking about all the rumors that we hear. We are going to do our best to verify what the Dolphins are saying, but to be honest it will be nearly impossible to do that. There simply is to much lying going on to verify anything we may hear.

We will also be adding our own two cents into the mix, as you have seen Patrick do with his post about Sam Bradford a day ago.

Harry Potter has nothing on the Miami Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphin Franchise QB is... Sam Bradford

After two seasons, Sam Bradford is not exactly lighting up the world. His accumulative QB rating is 74.2, he’s 8-18 as a starter, having thrown 24 TDs and 21 INTs. After the Rams went 7-9 in Bradford’s rookie season, they floundered to 1-9 in 2011 prior to the high ankle sprain that ended his season. Bradford led his team on only one game winning drive in two seasons.

Jeff Fisher has publicly stated he is not interested in trading Bradford, but the temptation to draft RG3 may be too great for Fisher and the Rams to forego. Bradford won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt sophomore in 2008 and then missed most of the 2009 season after injuring and then re-injuring his shoulder, which eventually required surgery. He decided after his junior year to come out early.

Bradford has upside, he’s 6’4” and throws the ball well, but he can’t seem to shake the injury bug. Why is this relevant to the Dolphins? Because of Jeff Fisher’s history drafting mobile QBs and RG3 fitting his profile perfectly. If the right offer were on the table, it is conceivable that he could trade Bradford and draft RG3.

There is more to this hypothesis than meets the eye, Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract with $50 million guaranteed. Cam Newton signed a four-year contract worth $22 million and $14 million guaranteed. The bottom line is, RG3 being the second pick could expect a similar contract to Newton, and perhaps lower. This all adds up to some intriguing possibilities for the Rams.

Saint Louis could select RG3 at number two in the draft, make the same trade demands for Bradford and free up $7.5 million a year, for the next four years in cap space. Once the scenario is digested, it suddenly makes a lot of sense. The idea of trading for multiple 1^st round picks, freeing up significant cap space, and still ending up with a QB that better fits Fisher’s historical mold is less than farfetched; it’s perfectly logical and the right thing to do.

This is a win – win situation for both teams in the trade scenario. Bradford is no further along in Fisher’s offense than RG3. Fisher gets to start with a fresh QB, not encumbered by having learned a previous NFL offense. With the cap space, Fisher and the Rams can delve much deeper in the FA market than they could by keeping Bradford. Fisher can now put more of the necessary pieces around RG3 to make him successful.

The question then is, do the Dolphins or any other team looking for a QB consider Sam Bradford as the franchise? Bradford was the number one selection in the 2010 NFL draft. All of the measurables are there, he has a couple years experience in the NFL and he won a lot of games in college. The overwhelming answer has to be, the Dolphins or any other team desperate for a QB would make the same trade for Bradford as they would for RG3.

From a purely physical stand point, Bradford is more of what the Dolphins are looking for size wise than a 6’2 ¾” RG3 or a 6’2” Matt Flynn. Given Peyton Manning’s age and injury concerns, Bradford could be the prize Miami has sought since Dan Marino retired. At the price the Rams will be asking for the rights to the 2^nd pick in the draft, perhaps the wiser option would be to offer that price for Sam Bradford.

Bradford is young, more polished than RG3 or Flynn and has a better chance of being the illusive franchise QB the Dolphins have been searching for. Absorbing Bradford's contract could be a bargaining chip for lowering the trade value to two 1^st round picks, period. Miami would then only suffer two years without a number one pick and by the time Bradford began to gel, the team would be back in the first round of the draft.

The scenario could play out because the Rams would Draft RG3 at number 2, use the 8th pick on another need, have 2 first round picks next season and have cap space to be a larger player in free agency. Miami would have the Franchise QB they so desperately need without giving up as much in draft picks.

Don’t laugh now, but when Roger Goodell doesn’t announce a trade for the number 2 pick in the draft, it will be because Sam Bradford has been traded, not RG3. The “Fire Jeff Ireland” banner will certainly be grounded in Miami with Bradford in the fold. Perhaps Ireland is not that creative, but if he reads Dolphinshout maybe we can get the juices flowing!

COMBINE REMINDER , and a quick followup : )

The televised week of inside-out examinations will include the swabbing of character, outright physical strength, speed, quickness, positional skills drills, strengths, weaknesses, intangibles, and the all important Wonderlic test.

The actual positional drills won't be televised until the 25th.
Saturday: Kickers, Offensive-Line, and Tight-Ends
Sunday: Running Backs, Quarterbacks, and Wide Receivers
Monday: Line-Backers, and Defensive Line
Tuesday: Defensive Backs

Here's the NFL Networks positional drills television schedule, while if you don't catch the initial viewing it'll all be run time and time again up until draft day.
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/networkschedule?selectedMonth=February&field=selectedDate&selectedDate=02%2F25%2F2012

(NFL Network all day) beginning at 9am to 2 pm, and then repeated between 2 - 7 pm!!
Here's Saturdays Combine OL, and TE Participants, (just click on the position),
while you can use these links for Sundays QB's and so forth thru Tuesday !!!
http://www.nfl.com/combine/participants

The alphabetically arranged "ANALYSIS" on players at posted links are pretty cool!!
Check-out Tackle Riley Reiff (one of our most likely options) on page two of the OL participants!! It probably won't post correctly here, so go check-it out for yourselves, VERYYY COOLL "EXPERT" ANALYSIS !! http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/riley-reiff?i...

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/david-decastr...
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/jonathan-mart...
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/matt-kalil?id... (Probably gone by our pick) !!!

AWEEEESOMMMEEEEEEE-STUFFFFF :))) !!!!

You can track EVERY-FRICKEN-THING that takes place during the combine!! Heres the OL bench press results, If the link doesn't take you directly to OL bench press results, just click the ""Bar-Bells"", and Position !!
http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#year=20...

THANX for an Open-Minded Read, and I hope you ENJOYYY the combine process :)!!
PLEASE let us know what you see and hear so we can gather a SHOUT game plan for the draft!! GOFINS : ) !!

How can We Help You !!!

This is a slower time of the year when we compare it to the regular season. I don't have access to the numbers but I can see it by who is commenting. So this is a time we can ask you the die hards of the Dolphin Shout what you may like to see on the site. Do you have an idea that could improve the site. Maybe you have seen a different site that has a good idea and we can use it here. Come on now don't be shy. You never know, something you suggest could end up on the site.

Oh!! by the way. If you like what is going on here, it's OK to let us know that also. I would love nothing better to tell my Wife I am doing something right. :))

Joe Philbin

I was talking with my Brother this week and we were discussing what we thought we could expect of Joe Philbin. With his help this is my thoughts on what we have as our Head Coach.

During his introduction interview with the Miami Press, he talked about Family. Now this is nothing new from a new hire. How ever I truly feel this is not Coach Philbin telling us what we to hear. A quick look at the Packers and I see a team that seems very close. When one of their players talks with the press you never hear them Poo-Poo the organization or a team mate.

In a recent interview Coach Philbin said about his coaching staff. " We need to all be on the same page, and have a united front. If we don't have that the players will also be divided " Now I have wondering mind, and began thinking why would he say something like that ? Well I think I have an idea about that. Could it be that there was a division in last years staff, and Coach Philbin was sending a message to the team and the fans that will not be the case this year. There will be no bickering in the locker room as there was last year, when a fire storm over flowed into the press between the offensive and the defensive players. Once again when I look at the Packers I didn't see that happening.

So when Coach Philbin talks about Family, he isn't just talking the talk.

I have included in this post all the links that Kenny worked on for the upcoming combine. I know he put allot of time into that post, and I wanted to make sure those links are kept in the forefront.

http://www.nfl.com/combine NFL official site
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/53924/nfl-combine-player-schedule-2 Player schedule
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/networkschedule?selectedMonth=February&field=selectedDate&selectedDate=02%2F25%2F2012 NFL network schedule
http://wftlsports.com/bigopodcast/ Big O podcast
http://www.dolphinstalk.com/2012/01/support-big-o-show.html Dolphin radio
http://thefinsiders.com/video Finsiders video

NFL Draft Combine

Heyy SHOUT-sters, and DOLPHIN-Addicts ;)

Well, the Draft Combine is upon us. Beginning Wednesday Morning Feb. 22-28, "More than 300 top prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft will be invited to participate at the combine in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. This event is a vital step in athletes achieving their NFL dreams. Follow this event on NFL.com and NFL Network." ( Courtesy of NFL.com )..
LOTS OF GOOD COMBINE and FA stuff!!
http://www.nfl.com/combine

Below I've also included the entire combine positional and player scheduling link..
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/53924/nfl-combine-player-schedule-2

The televised week of inside-out examinations will include the swabbing of character, outright physical strength, speed, quickness, positional skills drills, strengths, weaknesses, intangibles, and the all important Wonderlic test.

The actual positional drills won't be televised until the 25th.
Saturday: Kickers, Offensive-Line, and Tight-Ends
Sunday: Running Backs, Quarterbacks, and Wide Receivers
Monday: Line-Backers, and Defensive Line
Tuesday: Defensive Backs

Here's the NFL Networks positional drills television schedule, while if you don't catch the initial viewing it'll all be run time and time again up until draft day.
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/networkschedule?selectedMonth=February&field=selectedDate&selectedDate=02%2F25%2F2012

And, I just have to hook'ya'up with the Big-O radio show today so that you won't miss his interview process beginning February 22nd on Wednesday afternoon.
There is also a local radio sports host that attends the combine up close and personal, and his daily show can be experienced via the Internet from anywhere in the world for anyone that might be interested. This particular radio show is an absolute necessity for wannabe draft gurus! The host, Orlando Alzugaray (Big-O), has been covering the combine on behalf of Dolphin fans for some thirteen years and knows all the ins and outs of making the process a knowledge gathering experience. He's also extraordinarily enlightened about practically every prospect, extremely hip to the Dolphins needs, and intensely pursues interviews with every prospect that might potentially become a Miami Dolphin.

http://wftlsports.com/bigopodcast/

He has also already covered the Shrine and Senior Bowls.. So if your so inclined you can go over the past conversations he's had with prospects from those particular evaluation periods with whoever might catch your attention!!

ALL GREAT STUFF. Listening to the radio show in its entirety is like a blog on audio because the fans are calling in all day offering their thoughts and scenario's on every issue we discuss via text in this format here at The SHOUT!!

I personally get almost as excited at this time of year about Free Agency and the Draft as I do come September because, "Hi, my name is Ken Nicholas and I have an addiction to Miami Dolphins football possibilities." I hope that some of this works as a football fix for you.

Give the NFL Network's week long televised process a daily looksie (especially on Saturday through Tuesday), and tune-in intently to the BIG O SHOW during the combine, which extremely narrows down the Miami Dolphins point of view (It's Truly Must Hear Radio For FIN Fan Draft Gurus)!!!
http://www.dolphinstalk.com/2012/01/support-big-o-show.html

Here's another must view daily during the combine site for video's and interviews!!
http://thefinsiders.com/video

THANX for an Open-Minded Read, and I hope you ENJOYYY the combine process :)!!
PLEASE let us know what you see and hear so we can gather a SHOUT game plan for the draft!! GOFINS : ) !!

2012 Free Agent Corner Backs

Heyyy SHOUT-sters and Dolphin-Addicts ; ) ..

At the end of the 2011-2012 season the Miami Dolphins have only four CBs under contract. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis are due to become FAs in 2013, and Nolan Carroll and Jimmy Wilson are the only others we have under contract for the 2012 season..

On January 30th the Dolphin signed CBs Vincent Agnew, Marcus X. Brown and Jonathan Wade to future contracts.

This past Thursday the team announced the signing of defensive back Quinton Lawrence, who the Kansas City Chiefs selected in the sixth-round of the 2009 draft.

Here's a look at our Dolphins current corner-back lineup:
Jonathan Wade 27 5-11 200 5 Tennessee 4.36 forty yard dash time
Vince Agnew 24 5-10 192 1 Central Michigan 4.40 forty
Marcus Brown 25 6-1 190 2 Arkansas State 4.42 forty
Quinton Lawrence 27 6-0 184 4 McNeese State 4.40 forty
Nolan Carroll 25 6-1 202 2 Maryland
Vontae Davis 25 5-11 203 3 Illinois
Sean Smith 25 6-3 214 3 Utah
Jimmy Wilson 25 5-10 185 1 Montana

So, with that said your Dolphins are pretty well off at the CB position for 2012.

However, there's always room for upgrades and preparations for the likely loss of one or the other starting CBs in 2013.

Key:
RFA = Restricted Free Agent (requires draft pick to attain)
LCB = Left side CB
RCB = Right side CB primarily, though most can play either side.

Lardarius Webb (RFA),( LCB Ravens 3-4 ) Age: 25, 5-10, 182, 4.35 forty..
2009 draftee selected in the 3rd round out of "Nicholls State" at overall pick #88, the same draft where the Dolphins selected Vontae Davis at #25 of the first round, and Sean Smith in the second round at overall pick #61..
Webb has seven career interceptions, one forced fumble, two sacks, and one touchdown for his career.. He picked off five passes ( including one pick six of 73 yards ) while surrendering zero touchdowns on 20 passes defensed, as well as contributing one sack, one Forced Fumble, and one touchdown in 2011.. "One of the top corner-backs in the NFL"!!

Richard Marshall, ( LCB Cardinals 3-4 ), Age: 27, 5-11, 198, 4.42 forty..
2006 second rounder out of "Fresno State" Marshall has seventeen interceptions, seven sacks, three Forced Fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns for his career.. He had three interceptions in 11 passes defensed, and two sacks contributed in 2011.. "He has also been an effective player at the free safety position"..

Brandon Carr, ( LCB Chiefs 4-3 ), Age: 26, 6-0, 207, 4.44 forty..
2008 fifth round pick out of "Grand Valley State" Carr has eight career interceptions, one Forced Fumble, and four Fumble recoveries.. He contributed four interceptions toward the 2011 season in 15 passes defensed.. "He is a No. 1-caliber corner-back who will be rewarded with a big contract this off-season"!!

Eric Wright, ( RCB Lions 4-3 ), Age: 27, 5-11, 192, 4.36 forty..
2007 second rounder out of "UNLV" Wright has accumulated thirteen interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, one sack, and one touchdown for his career.. He contributed four int's in 16 passes defensed, and one forced fumble toward 2011..

Terrell Thomas, ( RCB Giants 4-3 ) Age: 27, 6-0, 191, 4.45 forty..
2008 second rounder out of "USC" Thomas has eleven interceptions, six forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two sacks, and one touchdown for his career.. One of those 11 int's came during his rookie season, while he accrued 5 int's in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.. He missed the entirety of 2011 with an ACL injury which occurred in August giving him an entire year to be ready for September 2012..

Tracy Porter, ( RCB Saints 4-3 ), Age: 26, 5-11, 186, 4.37 forty..
2008 second round draftee out of "Indiana" Porter has seven interceptions, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one sack, and one touchdown for his career.. He accounted for one interception, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 2011..

William Middleton, ( Backup Jaguars 4-3 ), Age: 26, 5-11, 194, 4.42 forty..
2009 fifth rounder out of "Furman" has two interceptions in four passes defensed, and one sack for his career, with one interception in three passes defensed in 2011..
"William Middleton doesn't have much NFL experience, but he handled himself really well in relief during the 2011 season. He's a young corner with loads of potential."

Zackary Bowman, ( LCB Bears 4-3 ), Age: 27, 6-1, 196, 4.39 forty..
2008 fifth round draftee out of "Nebraska" Bowman has seven interceptions (one in 08 with six in 09), two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries for his career..

Jarrett Bush, ( Back-up Packers 3-4 ) Age: 28, 6-0, 200, 4.45 forty..
2006 undrafted free agent out of "Utah State" Back-up Bush has three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 1.5 sacks for his career while his sacks with two int's coming in 2011..

Patrick Lee, ( Back-up Packers 3-4 ) Age: 28, 6-0, 196, 4.41 forty..
2008 second round draftee out of "Auburn"..

Kelly Jennings, ( Back-up Bengals 4-3 ) Age: 29, 5-11, 180, 4.39 forty..
2006 first rounder out of "Miami Fl" Jennings has two interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recovery, and one sack for his career with the sack coming in 2011..

Antwaun Molden, ( Back-up Patriots 4-3 ) Age: 27, 6-1, 198, 4.39 forty..
2008 third rounder out of "Eastern Kentucky" Moulden had two interceptions in three passes defensed for his career occurring during the 2011 season..

Will Allen, ( Dolphins ) Age: 34, 5-10, 195..

Others;
Dimitri Patterson, Browns, Age: 29
Alan Ball, Cowboys, Age: 27
Will Blackmon, Giants, Age: 27
Justin Tryon, Giants, Age: 28
Justin King, Rams, Age: 25
Elbert Mack, Buccaneers, Age: 26
Roy Lewis, Seahawks, Age: 27
Brandon McDonald, Lions, Age: 27
Jonathan Wilhite, Broncos, Age: 28
Michael Coe, Giants, Age: 28

With all our other needs of priority I'd personally think that the tops guys aren't likely to end-up here, but the rest aren't out of the question (especially GB and Cincy guys).. What and/or who do you think might help-out our Miami Dolphins CB corps in 2012, and beyond??
THANX for an Open-Minded read, and we look forward to your suggestions :) !!

More Others;(including the likes of Red-Flagged Pac-Man Jones,and Cortland Finnegan)
http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2012CB.php

America Bleeds Aqua and Orange

As a writer on Dolphinshout, I always find it gratifying and interesting to see what we write reaches across this great country and helps keep our fellow fanatics informed in a comfortable place filled with their own. This article goes out to you folks, because it’s your comments and commitment to the Dolphins that motivates us to do what we do. Sites like this don’t pull in money, they are here purely for our enjoyment and the passion we have for the Miami Dolphins. Dolphin blood runs deep!

From Hawaii, where Finzone has, “been a dedicated fan since 72 & wish I lived in Florida, then I'd watch the games live. However, we host the Pro-Bowl & actually see/meet the players while they practice & walk around Waikiki.” When the man wants to leave a place like Hawaii to be closer to his favorite team, Dolphin blood runs deep!

In SoCal, we find Thorny, whose opinions I always look forward to. He “was born in Los Angeles Ca. I live North of LA about an hour or so. I became a Dolphin fan back in the seventies. Being a fan of Miami is hard these days. Since being a fan, I was able to enjoy watching numerous wins. But now with this team in the position it is, I have to admit, frustrating. All in All I will never stop being a Dolphin fan.” Dolphin blood runs deep.

Tony Nicoletti is “Now isolated up in the North East corner of Oregon. I don't think they ever heard of such a mammal as the Dolphin up here. This is why I enjoy this site so much. It keeps me in touch with our favorite team and I get to hear some unique insight from the fans themselves.” Yep, way out west from Hawaii, to SoCal, to North East Oregon, The Dolphins leave their mark on fans, some have immigrated there and some have found the team along the way.

abc18, who “grew up 1 block from Orange Bowl and went to MHS. Thanks to my father, have been a fan since inception in 1966.” He “now lives in Denver Broncos territory (ugh). Have been & will always be a Dophin fanatic!” This is awesome, even saintly Tim Tebow cannot change the color of Dolphin blood! Sorry Timmy, blood is thicker than holy water!

The middle of the country is well represented with Jake, “been a Dolphin's fan since they started. Live southwest of Dodge City Kansas.” To gadofan who, “adopted the Phins their 1st year in '66 as 7 year old growing up in Iowa, everyone up there follows the Packers or Vikings, I was in 7th heaven when Zonk mowed over the Vikes in the '73 SB.” Kansas and Iowa, in the breadbasket, who would think the Dolphins could reach the folks in the heartland, Dolphin blood runs deep.

A little further south finds TXDOLFAN, “been with the Dolphins since franchise awarded and was proud to be in the Orange Bowl for their first exhibition game (Chiefs won 55-0 or 55-6). Live in Texas today. Work for Government Contractors. Proud to say that, along with others on this site, that my love for our team has never wavered, God bless our team!” Now that’s some Dolphin love!

How about those folks up in West Virginia, Herdfan, “was born in WV and with the exception of living 2 yrs in Missouri, I have lived here all my life. The Dolphins acquired me when they signed Chad Pennington.” She, “can't explain it, but there was something about that team, that year, the turnaround, the excitement, whatever you want to call it, and I was hooked. I'm a Dolphin fan now.” Herd was certainly I nice free agent acquisition, thanks Chad Pennington! Big Man D also joins us from WV, but he was, “born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale,” and has, “lived in West Virginia for 16 years. Got to tell you that there are a lot of fins fans up here. Here's to the 2012-13 season... Maybe that will be our year!!!! GO FINS!!!!!!!!” Dolphin blood, thick stuff!

In the Northeast where I grew up in PA, there are not a lot of Fin fans, we’re all a bunch of rebels! Jimmy, “was born here in Maine and have been here for 23 years. It's tough being a Dolphins fan in Pats country, especially the last 8 years or so. My dad is a big Dolphins fan, so that is what I grew up with and I followed in his footsteps.” Deep goes the Dolphin blood, Shawn was, “born and raised in Hartford CT. Was a Steelers fan until 1981 when I watched a Dolphins game over my Uncle's house and made the switch. Deal with a lot of Pats and Giants fans, I am a Dolphins fan all day everyday.”

Polly Ann Murray, is somewhat of a matriarch to all of us at Dolphinshout! You can feel the warmth of good home cooking and fresh flowers when Polly joins us from, “Jamestown NY,” she “saw my 1st football game in 1966 of course it was the Dolphins. My friend told me this was Bills country and knowing how contrary I was, I said I should be a Dolphin fan. I have been a diehard fan ever since.”  Edge, “grew up in the Buffalo NY area. First game I ever went to was Buffalo vs. Miami in 1984 Marino's 2nd year. Been hooked ever since. Love busting chops on my home town Bills fans.” Talk about aqua blooded rebels, yea Polly and Edge bleed with us on Sunday!

A slide down the East Coast and we find Paul who brings us this great site from Charleston, South Carolina. Stuck between Georgia and North Carolina, Paul wanted nothing to do with the Falcons or the Panthers, this young man knows what it’s like to bleed aqua blood in enemy territory and he wears the colors proud. He keeps us all connected and allows writers like me the opportunity to reach all of you. Paul is the man!

Dolphin blood runs deep all across America and brings us all the way back to Florida, were passion for the Fins transcends the boundaries created by the NFL where television rights inhibit folks like Beach Potato, Who lives, “beachside in Brevard County! Lots of fellow Phinfans around here and lots of Dolphin tags on the back of many cars and trucks. My SSR is painted Aqua!” (Tator, my sister lives in Satellite Beach and I visit often.) In Brevard County, the NFL, in its infinite wisdom, decided if they declared the area Jaguar country the fans would adapt. What the NFL created was an unbridled loathing for all things Jaguar, Dolphin blood runs deep!

To Indian River and Saint Lucie Counties where, Riverdog and 13kvFINS found themselves 4 miles apart, “we met in person for the first time yesterday.” Both of these two grew up in the Miami area, where KV, was ‘Born and raised in Miami Beach,” and RgD, “moved away from that area in 1974.” They are stuck in Jaguar territory as well, but it certainly doesn’t stop them from writing about their favorite team, right here on Dolphinshout! You know what color they bleed!

Rich9336, “was born in Fl.(west coast area). Never heard of the Dolphins until I returned from a 13 month tour to Asia I 1967.Watched my first AFL game in Cal. Came home and have been a Phins fan since, 22 years as a season ticket holder. I bleed AQUA AND ORANGE.” I’m on the West coast as well, here in sleepy New Port Richey, but I went to High School west of Fort Lauderdale at Plantation High and the Dolphins are still a serious passion.

Our Dolphinshout tour across America leads us back to Miami where iam305jules, “lives in Miami where I have lived for almost half a century. I have lived away for brief periods of less than a year each, but have always felt the need to come back home.” It is a little bit of a shame so many of us have roots in South Florida and several even went to the same High School, but life and work have changed the entire landscape of America. Not many folks remain where they were born.

It leaves us with one special commonality we can share on a site like Dolphinshout. It gives us a chance to reach each other when that would never have been possible and it’s my pleasure to know all of you enjoy the Dolphins and the writing as much as we do sharing it with you. For all of those who bleed aqua and orange, thank you for your patronage and I look forward to all of your comments on Dolphinshout!

A Slow day on the Shout

One of the hardest things to do on the Dolphin Shout is coming up with relative content for all of you that follow us on these pages. It isn't always easy I can tell you that. This is one of those times, so I'm going to ask you to tell us about yourselves.

We have always wondered where all of you come from, how you became Dolphin Fans, and what area of the Country do you live in at this time. Now please don't go giving us your addresses of where you live. A simple area of the Country would do. Here is an example and a small bio of myself.

I live about 2 hours north of Miami on the east coast. I have been a fan of the Dolphins ever since there inception. I was lucky enough to have season tickets during the glory years from 1971 - 1976. If I lived down in the Miami area today, I would still have season tickets and I wouldn't miss a game. Because some of you get a kick of these things I went to Hollywood Hills High School. Go Spartans !!!

So there you have it, and now it's your turn. Tell us a little bit about yourselves, and if you can think of anything you would like to see us do on the Dolphin Shout, tell us about that also.

The Dolphins Need to Look Past the QB Position

Prior to assessing what the direction the Dolphins will take this off-season, it is critical to understand what players the team will lose. What are the critical areas of need and finally how will this coaching staff shape the roster to fit the scheme they intend to run.

Currently the Dolphins have 15 players entering free agency…

Pos……Player…………………….FA Status
QB……Chad Henne………………UFA
QB……J.P. Losman………………UFA
RB……Lex Hilliard………………UFA
RB……Steve Slaton………………UFA
TE……Jeron Mastrud……………..RFA
OT……Vernon Carey……………..UFA
OT……Lydon Murtha…………….RFA
DL……Ikaika Alama-Francis……..UFA
DL……Kendall Langford…………UFA
DL……Phillip Merling……………UFA
DL……Igor Olshansky……………UFA
DL……Paul Soliai………………...UFA
LB……Jason Taylor………………UFA
CB……Will D. Allen……………..UFA
FS……Tyrone Culver……………..UFA

On this list, the obvious area of concern and is the defensive line. Two of the three starting DL in 2011 are slated for free agency, Paul Soliai and Kendall Langford. The deepest position on the Dolphins in 2011 could be disseminated by the loss of these two starters. Add the retirement of Jason Taylor and Miami stands to lose three of its prominent front seven players.

Losing these players leaves the Dolphins with Jared Odrick, Randy Starks, Tony McDaniel, Ryan Baker and Isaako Aaitui. With the team looking to move toward a 4-3 defense, they will barely be able to field a line and there are no backups. Olshanski, Merling and Alama-Francis could be re-signed without breaking the bank, but these are not frontline players.

The 4-3 requires a dominant defensive line with the pass rush generated by the defensive ends. It’s easy to see, without Soliai and Landford, the Dolphins will need an influx of talent on the DL to field a 4-3 defense. Soliai was franchised last year and will cost the Dolphins a chunk of change to sign but there is no way to replace him and Langford in the draft or find players of this caliber in FA.

With the soft cap in place for this season, the Dolphins should bite the bullet and sign these two players. Not signing them severely limits what the team can do in other areas of need.

There is a reason teams re-sign their own free agents and it’s because the guesswork is taken out of the equation. Miami knows what they are getting with these two players better than they can know another FA or draft pick. If the Dolphins expect to fill this need with lesser (cheaper) players, the need will not go away and the defense will suffer.

The next most pressing need is Offensive tackle, try as they may, the Dolphins have not been able to find a solution for the right side of the offensive line and the 53 sacks given up last year is all that needs to be said. Unfortunately, re-signing Vernon Carey will not solve this problem and Lydon Murtha is a bit of an unknown coming off injury.

Murtha is a restricted free agent and more than likely, the Dolphins will match any offer he gets within reason. The worst that can happen is the Dolphins end up with a decent compensatory draft pick, if a team falls in love with Murtha.

John Jerry showed some signs of becoming a dependable option and Nate Garner’s versatility will keep him on the roster. Marc Columbo is simply not an option and the fact that he manned the right tackle position last year is a testament to how dire this need is. This is without even mentioning the right guard position, which ended up belonging to Vernon Carey.

This is another reason why Soliai and Langford should be signed. There are no players on the roster that can fill the OL spots unless Jerry or Murtha step up. That is big chance when the ability of these players is still an unknown commodity.

Signing Soliai and Langford allows the organization to go outside to fill these spots. There are simply no internal options, free agent or not, that can fill these needs. By not signing the DL, the Dolphins leave themselves in a position where there are too many holes and not enough bodies to go around.

The irony is, five years after Bill Parcells made the edict to build the team from the inside out, the Dolphins are right back to the most glaring weaknesses being at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

The next area of need is tight end. Anthony Fasano is a fine TE, but he cannot man the position by himself in an era where many teams are moving toward multiple TEs capable of catching and blocking. Charles Clay is somewhat of a mystery, a tweener type of player that doesn’t quite fit the TE position and doesn’t quite fit the fullback position.

The Dolphins will use Clay and he does easy the burden on Fasano, but behind him, Jeron Mastrud is a restricted FA who barely made the field and Will Yeatman doesn’t inspire. To run the offense Joe Philbin is familiar with will require a true passing threat opposite Fasano. For four years the TE seems to have been an afterthought for the Dolphins and in today’s NFL, it is a position that is rising in prominence. The Dolphins will need to address it one way or the other.

Will Allen and Tyrone Culver filled nickel and dime roles for the Dolphins, with Allen in particular playing well at the end of the season. Losing these two players will hurt, but Miami has a lot of young talent in the secondary so the need is not as dire.

Either of these two players could be re-signed if the price is right, but neither should expect a big contract. Perhaps after a whirl around the FA agent market one or both of these players could return, but losing them will not impact the Dolphins as much as the DL.

It’s fairly obvious after this analysis where the Dolphins should spend their FA dollars.

Guess which position was not mentioned… QB!

With a Critical Eye

So who, or which players, underachieved last year? Or maybe I should say what unit underachieved last year? It was pretty easy to see for me, and my view point could be pretty controversial.

My biggest disappointment was in Jake Long who easily had his worst season in my eyes. I have not been able to pin down the number of sacks he gave up. It varies from the sources I have checked. I have seen some that say he gave up 4 sacks and another one that said 7. No matter what they say, he didn't have a good year by the standards he set for himself earlier in his career.

His run blocking grade was -1.1 for 2011, for the year of 2010 it was 8.5. Now I have no idea what that means, so I will have to take the word of Football Outsiders which say his run blocking was way off from his previous years also.

Please take note the only reason I have singled Jake Long out is because he was brought here to solidify the most important position on the offensive line. Although his play wasn't the best of his career, the rest of the offensive line was worse. At right tackle we had Mark Columbo who was nearly useless, not only against the pass but also in the running game. Between the 2 tackle positions a total of 17 sacks were allowed. As bad as that was the interior line was even worse. The entire line gave up 52 sacks which was 31st in the league. Which means the remainder of the sacks 35 of them came from between the tackles.

In my view the offensive line was the worst unit on the team. If that unit does not improve, will it really matter who the QB is ?

The Manning Plan: how it can work for the Dolphins

As most of you already know, I am a big supporter of Peyton Manning coming to the Miami Dolphins. I believe that he would be the piece we need to make a deep push in the playoffs. If he can return to close to full strength by the beginning of preseason, then signing him is a no-brainer to me.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to get Matt Flynn, but Manning is a better option to me. He is one of the smartest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. Want proof? Just look at his old game film. He doesn't wear a wristband with plays on it. As my friend John McAdams pointed out to me "Peyton is his own general and knows better what to call from that position than anyone else; even Tom [Brady] has that huge thing on his arm and often uses it." Manning would be perfect for Miami. The Dolphins have a lot of talent on offense, and he would be able to maximize that talent.

I will stop there, though; the point of this post is not to tell you all about what makes Peyton Manning so great. You already know that. I am writing this post to write out a simple plan that will allow the Dolphins to sign Manning for a few years and still be set for years to come.

My proposal is this: after signing Manning, trade down from the 8th/9th spot in the draft and take Ryan Tannehill with a late first or an early second round pick. That way Miami will get the full benefit of Peyton Manning for roughly three years and then Tannehill will step in once he retires. In the long run, I think this plan would work out even better than if the Dolphins signed Matt Flynn. In this proposal, Miami would have one of the best quarterbacks ever leading their offense for a few seasons, and then once he retires Tannehill, who would have studied under Manning during that time, would be able to step in and be wildly successful. It would be something similar to the Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers transition that the Packers made, but I would argue even better because Tannehill will have studied under the more cerebral (than Favre) Manning.

I have done some film study on Ryan Tannehill, and I have to say that I am very impressed. I do not have any statistics on him because I don't like to college at stats when it comes to scouting college football QBs, but I can say that I like what I see a lot. Tannehill is a very composed passer. He can stand in the pocket with an astounding calmness. It's amazing to me. He doesn't even flinch when a defender comes near him. He is always looking downfield.

Tannehill's biggest knock against him is his inexperience. He was a receiver in college until halfway through his junior season when he switched to quarterback. So basically, he has had a year and a half of quarterback experience. Well you know what? That is incredible. For him to be as good as he is after just a year and a half of being a quarterback in college, then I can't wait to see what he would be like after learning from Peyton Manning for a few years.

While I know that a lot of you are pretty set on wanting Matt Flynn (or even Matt Moore) as the Dolphins quarterback next year, I encourage you to give my proposal at least a little consideration. I feel like it could end up turning out really well for Miami if Manning is, in fact, healthy enough to keep playing.

Thanks everyone for stopping by, I hope you liked my post today, and, as always, I encourage you to leave your feedback below.

Also, I will call my proposal "Mannehill", which I think Kenny would like.

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2012 Defensive Free Agent Outside Pass Rushers...

Hey Dolphin-Addicts and Wanna-Be General Managers..

It's been reported that "currently" without the complete knowledge of where the cap will exactly be set, our Dolphins will have approximately eleven million dollars available toward Free agency, along with an additional recommended five million available for draft picks. The actual dollar amount is said to be in that neighborhood even without the restructuring of current contracts or the release of currently contracted players (which are transactions that will take place). This will allow us to pinch many more million's of dollars toward the shopping list..

I myself am of the optimistic belief that we'll end-up somewhere around the 20 million mark (give or take a few million) with the restructuring of contracts along with the outright releases of dead weight players that might not fit the new scheme's and/or coach's preferences.. Seeing that it's suggested every year that we won't have money to throw around, and every year we somehow land Big-Names for Big-Bucks, Ireland will again find the additional funds required to make a Big Splash in the 2012 free agency period :)!! Already in 2012 it's being suggested (early in the process) that we have far more available cap space than in recent years past, which should also lead others to believe that this upcoming Free Agency period will bring us a big name or two, along with possibly a few other more affordable, yet substantial pieces. Maybe 5 four million dollar guys, 4 five million dollar guys, 3 six million dollar guys, or 2 nine million dollar guys to go along with a few minimum wagers to start with would be my guess (give or take a few million on each). While in relation to my world the difference between 15 and 20 million is three packs of smokes rather than four, therefore the above "hypothetical" is a generalization, so don't hold me to it!!

It's been suggested at previous Free Agent entries that upon the opening of business on March 13th the Miami Dolphins will pursue a highly sought after Quarterback along with an Offensive-Lineman and/or a Tight-End, which is likely to take up at least one half of our/my optimistically projected 20 million.. So with that in mind, lets go on a lil-spending spree while realizing that your Dolphins are also in great need of a Defensive back or two (to be discussed in the near future) and an imposing pass rusher to play on the opposite side of Cameron Wake, which is what we'll be dabbling-in here!!

Here are my personal, thoroughly researched, DE/OLB rankings, and I'm thinking we won't be able to afford the top guys if we do indeed go after an expensive QB (No-Brainer), an OLineman, and/or a TE/WR. I have also included a link at the bottom with all the available Defensive-Ends and Outside Line-Backers..

Keeping other needs and the cap space you project in mind...
WHO DO YOU LIKE??

Defensive Ends and/or Outside Linebackers...

1) Mario Williams, DE/OLB (3-4 Base Houston Texans), 27, 6-6, 283, 82 games, 53 sacks, 11 FF, ( 5 sacks, 1 Forced Fumble in 2011 )

2) Cliff Avril, DE/OLB (4 - 3 Base Detroit Lions), 26, 6-3, 260, 57 games, 30 sacks, 14 FF, ( 11 sacks, 6 Forced Fumbles, 1 Int in 2011 )

3) Jeremy Mincey, DE (4 - 3 Jacksonville Jaguars), 28, 6-3, 270, 40 games, 15 sacks, 4 FF, ( 8 sacks, 4 Forced Fumbles, 1 Interception in 2011 )

4) Mark Anderson, DE ( 3-4/4-3 New England Patriots), 29, 6-4, 255, 93 games, 35.5 sacks, 7 FF,( 10 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles in 2011 )

5) Anthony Spencer, OLB (3-4 Dallas Cowboys), 28, 6-3, 257, 76 games, 21.5 sacks, 10 FF, ( 6 sacks, 4 Forced Fumbles in 2011 )

6) Ahmad Brooks, OLB (3-4 San Francisco 49'ers), 28, 6-3, 259, 58 games, 20 sacks, 7 FF, 1 Int, ( 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 2011 )

7) Kroy Beirman, DE (4-3 Atlanta Falcons), 27, 6-3, 255, 64 games, 12 sack, 1 FF, 2 Int, 11 ( 2.5 sacks, 1 Interception in 2011 )

8) Antwan Applewhite, DE (4-3 Carolina Panthers), 26, 6-3, 258, 42 games, 5.5 sacks, 3 FF, ( 2 sacks, 1 Forced Fumble in 2011 )

9) Wallace Gilberry, DE (4-3 Kansas City Chiefs), 27, 6-2, 268, 53 games, 14 sack, 4 FF, ( 2.5 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles in 2011 )

10) William Hayes, DE (4-3 Tennessee Titans), 27, 6-3, 272, 43 games, 8 sacks, 4 FF, ( 1.5 sacks in 2011 )

11) Robert Mathis, DE/OLB (4-3 Indianapolis Colts), 31, 6-2, 245, 135 games, 83.5 sacks, 39 FF, ( 9.5 sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles in 2011 )

12) Manny Lawson, OLB (4-3 Cincinnati Bengals), 28, 6-5, 240, 80 games, 16 sacks, 6 FF, 2 Int, ( 1.5 sacks in 2011 )

13) Erin Henderson, OLB (4-3 Minnesota Vikings), 26, 6-3, 244, 36 games, 1.5 sacks, 4 FF, ( 1.5 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles in 2011 )

14) Eric Walden, OLB (3-4 Green Bay Packers), 27, 6-2, 250, 51 games, 6 sacks, 2 FF, ( 3 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles in 2011 )

15) Kendall Langford, DE (4-3 Miami Dolphins), 26, 6-6, 295, 64 games,7.5 sacks,4 FF, ( 1 Forced Fumble in 2011 )

16) Phillip Merling, DE (4-3 Miami Dolphins),27, 6-4, 295, 47 games, 3.5 sacks, 1 Int

17) Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE (4-3 Miami Dolphins), 27, 6-5, 290, 35 games, 1 sack

Which Pass Rushing Free Agent Defensive-Ends and/or Outside Linebackers do you think might fit at an affordable rate and why ?? I need definition on all positions and players for a "quote fueled" final Free Agency article in early March, so don't be shy !!

THANX for an open-minded read and stay tuned for follow-up Free Agent reports!! Also, keep an eye-out at the top of the SHOUT home page for a "Free Agency" tab where past, present, and future FA articles can continuously be delved upon in gathering a well rounded, reasonable 2012 MIAMI DOLPHIN Free Agency Plan!! GOFINS :)

http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2012DE.php

http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2012OLB.php

RG3 Carries a Huge Burden into the NFL

When you read this, you will understand why I am writing in the first person. I would like to make it perfectly clear; this is my voice and not the opinion of Dolphinshout. The reason is the touchiness of this subject always draws out the worst in people, but that is not my intention. I believe I would not be doing my job for the readers if I ignored the subject, because it is reality and we deal with it everyday.

The phrase, “Black Quarterback,” has been finding its way onto the blogs and it is something I believe should be discussed rationally and realistically. The facts are there for everyone to see, but the moment they are brought up, it is an immediate indictment the writer is prejudiced. I am not racist in the least, so please take that out of the conversation before it starts and let’s delve behind the closed doors and the closed minds of a society that thinks one thing, but says another.

The fact is, Doug Williams broke the black-QB-winning-the-Super-Bowl barrier in 1988. No other black QB has been able to duplicate the feat, and 24 years later, it doesn’t look like it will happen again soon. To me it is very strange, because the opportunity has been provided and no one has succeeded. There have been many black QBs to follow in Williams’ footsteps, McNair, McNabb, Vick, Young, the list goes on and on and for some reason, it does not happen.

It reminds me of the old movie, White Men Can’t Jump, which uses this humorous catch-phase to say, blacks are better athletes than whites. In our society, it’s okay to stereotype whites as unathletic, but very politically incorrect to say whites make better QBs. Is 24 years enough to make a conclusion that perhaps this is true? Will there ever be a day when our society can look at certain races and say, one is better suited for a certain function? Can that ever be acceptable? Probably not…

It doesn’t really matter, of course, because people think this way whether they are willing to put themselves out on a limb and actually say it. Behind closed doors, even if the closed door is Jeff Ireland’s mind, the thought has to be running through it; will RG3 be the guy who breaks the trend? The barrier was broken a long time ago, but the lack of success has to be reckoned with or Ireland is not doing his job.

Ireland will never, ever, make light of these thoughts. After asking Dez Bryant if his mother was a hooker, I can just imagine the fallout if Ireland were to say, “I didn’t want to take a chance on RG3 because he is black.” The truth is, Ireland is wondering just that, he could say I’m putting thoughts in his mind, or words in his mouth and that’s fine. From the grandstand where I’m writing, I can say these things, he cannot.

Whether we accept it or not, every one of us knows there are differences between people, is it upbringing, education, anatomy, we may never know, but it is probably about time we admit it to ourselves. We are different, and some things one race does better and some things another race does better. I guess I am somewhat naïve to believe the world will be a better place when we can look each other in the eye and say, white boys can’t jump, but they make good QBs.

The question then becomes, is this a compelling reason to hesitate about giving up 2 maybe 3, 1st round picks for a player that has so much history going against him? Should it be taken into consideration? If I’m Jeff Ireland, I have to say yes, which means the conviction on RG3 has to be through the roof because selling out for him means putting everything on the line, including history. It’s a hell-of-a burden for Robert Griffin III to carry into the NFL.

That burden is not so high if the Rams were to take him because it would be their draft pick. He would land in his slot, without some team paying a king’s ransom. The Rams have already placed him on the trading block, which means some team is going to pay that ransom and by doing so, they give up their future for the next 2, perhaps 3 years.

I feel sorry for Griffin; the league has become so QB centric that he is walking on a minefield. Whichever team takes him has no choice but to play him, probably from day one and it begs to reason whether the situation he finds himself in, is a recipe for failure. The enormous price is not fair to this kid, the NFL and the Rams for their own good, without regard to his welfare, are using him.

The rookie salary cap does not consider this inequitable situation. If a team trades 3 first rounders for RG3, shouldn’t he earn the salary of 3 first round paychecks? If he is to carry this entire burden, shouldn’t he at least be paid for it? No, Griffin will earn the salary where he is slotted, but his team will feel the price of acquiring him for next 3 years.

For these reasons, I believe I would take the coward’s way out and stay away from RG3. The sad thing is, it has nothing to do with his talent. It has everything to do with the unfortunate place he finds himself. April 26th should be the greatest night of his life and yet he will be walking with trepidation up to that podium, knowing he will be looked upon as the savior of some franchise that has just traded their future for him.

What’s worse is, he is carrying the burden of his race on top of all that. It shouldn’t be, but his folks will be looking at him to break the trend and stop the foolish talk I outlined above. I find it ironic that so many people look at Tim Tebow as some kind of savior when the real savior will be selected with the 2nd pick of this draft.

Does Ireland have the conviction for the scrutiny that will follow a move bold enough to land RG3? Do the Dolphins have the wherewithal to overcome the vitriol that will follow should RG3 fail and the franchise be decimated for the foreseeable future? No…

The Dolphins will go the free agent route. There are simply too many things that stand in the way of RG3 landing in Miami. I like the kid and I think he has the strength to overcome what is ahead of him, but it will play out in another city, for another team. Jeff Ireland will never place himself in the precarious position of trading away his own future. History makes RG3’s chances of success an incredible exception to a very politically incorrect reality.

Peyton Manning is Fools Gold in Miami

In the Miami Herald this week, Armando Salguero compared Peyton Manning to Fools Gold for the Dolphins and the quote could turn out to be prophetic. Like Jeff Fisher before him, Manning’s agent Tom Condon will play Boss Ross for the fool in order to stoke up the price for Manning… In the meantime, Matt Flynn will sign with another club, leaving Ross looking like a fool standing at the Alter without a franchise QB…

Manning is 35 years old now and will be 36 before the draft. It’s no coincidence or freak hit that is responsible for Manning’s injury, he’s had 3 surgeries for the same problem. Manning can’t be compared to Drew Brees who was 26 at the time of his shoulder injury. Dan Marino began to decline at 35, the same is true of Joe Montana. Steve Young didn’t start until his 6th NFL season and was out the league at 38.

It takes a team of graduates from sports medicine schools to get these players back on the field.

Manning's nerve condition effects the triceps in his throwing arm and has weakened his ability to throw. Salguero reported Manning's arm strength has diminished by as much as 40 percent and if Peyton Manning plays in the NFL in 2012, he will be the second-oldest starting quarterback in the league. If Manning can regain his strength, how long will he be a viable solution for the Dolphins? Signing Manning is a desperation move and desperation always leads to heartbreak.

The Dolphins have been played the fool for decades in an attempt at a quick fixes that never materialize. Manning will be another failure in a long line of failures because great teams grow together. The fact that a QB has never won a Super Bowl with two different teams may be over used, but there is a reason it is a fact, great teams are built around great young QBs. Teams that bring in veterans can be one hit wonders, but a dynasty is never built around a 35 year old QB.

It is time for Stephen Ross to learn the NFL bartering game and not be the brunt of the wheeling and deal of others more savvy than he is. Ross is like a young QB that enters the league not knowing the defenses enough to be cool in the pocket. It’s time for Ross to become a franchise owner and understand, nothing in the NFL is easy and a player who looks too good to be true, probably is.

Peyton Manning has all the glitter of a tired showgirl, she looks lovely until close inspection reveals the passage of time. Peel away the makeup and the fancy clothes and she can never go back to what led her to the stage in the first place. Time is unkind to everyone and the fountain of youth is as much a fantasy as it was for Juan Ponce de León when he sailed into Florida 500 years ago.

The formula for the Dolphins is no different than it has been in the NFL for its entire existence; thinking that formula can be circumvented with an aging, injured QB is like turning lead into gold. It’s not going to happen. Perhaps a young Tim Tebow can turn water into wine, but Peyton Manning has seen his days as the chosen one and it happen in Indianapolis.

The Miami Dolphins need to chart their own course. Forget about Manning and the lure of instance success. Short-term gains no long-term returns. Perhaps Manning returns and lights it up for a season, maybe two, but the inevitable is bound to happen and he limps out a beaten man. Like Unitas, Namath or Montana he will leave the Dolphins in no better shape than when he arrived, without a title and without a future.

Short-term gains no long-term returns, let it go Boss Ross, let it go.

Miami Dolphin 2012 Free-Agency Period (Offense Beyond QB))

Heyy SHOUT-sters, and ALL Fin-Addicts :) !!

CONGRATULATIONS to the New York Giants!!
Who's ready to move forward toward a 2012/13 MIAMI DOLPHIN CHAMPIONSHIP ??

Well it's that time of year again when we fans like to pretend that on a food-stamp budget we can treat ourselves to a buffet of Lobster, Steak, and all our taste-buds favorites.. More times than not a patron is lucky to land one brick of GubMent Cheese per year to melt upon their nachos, while two or more of the most talked about town, pleasantly propelling moisture to the mouth entries being attainable is an extreme rarity!!

Regardless of delayed, non-traditional and/or heavily Restricted 2010 & 2011 Free-Food Periods!! The Miami Dolphins have been able to nourish our suffering from malnutrition team with tasty starters the likes of WR Brandon Marshall with this recent years 1,214 yards, ILB Karlos Dansby, OLB/Pass rusher extraordinaire Cameron Wake, ILB Kevin Burnett, and QB Matt Moore among several others.. They were also able to sneak a highly sought after delicacy into their plastic-bag lined pocket with a refreshing portion of Tail-Back Reggie Bush in order to keep him from hitting the bidding-war of an open market in a bold tasting though affordable Pre-Free Agency trade with the New Orleans Saints!!(Bush accrued an amazing 1,086 rushing yards at a five yard average per-carry pace, 296 receiving yards and 7 TD's in basically half a season) which is approximately how long it took for us to pre-heat the oven!! All these moves took place in a highly-irregular, non-traditional, impersonal drive-thru format with General Manager Jeff Ireland at the wheel of the grade strand, and in charge of maneuvering between the barriers while counting his available change!! For the most part 2010's UN-restricted Free Agents were all rendered Restricted, and 2011's Free-Food appetizers were dished-out after the main course, all due to the CBA fiasco and subsequent lockout!!

Now that every thing is back to business as usual!! According to the 2011 season (Beyond QB), Our Miami Dolphins of 2012 would seem to be in the market for at least one Offensive Lineman due to a weak-link or two, while aging veteran Vernon Carey is himself due to become somewhat marketable be it for us or some-other team, and/or an inner-division rival.. I don't know about you but if given the chance, I'd take D'Brick Ferguson over VC in a micro-waved-second, (though the Jets will likely Franchise Ferguson)!! However, at this moment I have us going with "Can't Miss" eventual superstar Tackle Riley Reiff in the first round of the 2012 draft.. Therefore, one FA Lineman and/or simply retaining always reliable somewhere Vernon Carey might do the trick?? The Dolphins might also be scanning over the NFL's new favorite flavors in search of a Big-Play-making TE, while the Diva receivers could be stirred, smelt, or tasted via the desert, "whine", fine-wine, and coffee selection..

This particular 2012 Miami Dolphin Free Agency period offers a wide range of highly touted players at positions of great need.. Many players that will actually be looking forward to jumping in the basket of those doing the shopping, because of the new chefs, while those same hired hands have first hand knowledge in experimenting with several of these particular spices over the last four years or so!! Below is a narrowed-down briefly entailed menu of players I believe might help our situation at offensive positions of great need (Beyond QB)!! They aren't necessarily the top ranked guys at each position, just my personal preferred rankings of the guys that most fit what we might desire based on size, age, upside, ability, versatility, speed, and so on, In My Humble Opinion :) !!

QB/LOBster (comes with your choice of two side-dishes and there inclusions)
For the sake of gathering a "community" consensus towards a wide-ranged positional Free Agent Plan :)!! Lets pretend that each and every one of you already has the LOBster of your choice on your sizzling tray, and all you need are a few other affordable yet palatable garnishing that would define your free agency meal..

Offensive-Line, (served with a hearty stack of pancakes)

1) De'Brickashaw Ferguson (New York Jets) Starting Left Tackle, 28 , 6-6, 310
2) Carl Nicks (New Orleans Saints) Starting Left Guard, 26, 6-5, 343
3) Ben Grubbs (Baltimore Ravens) Starting Left Guard, 27, 6-3, 310
4) Barry Richardson (Kansas City Chiefs) Starting Right Tackle, 25, 6-6, 319
5) Jerad Gaither (San Diego Chargers) Starting Left Tackle, 25, 6-9, 340
6) Demetrius Bell (Buffalo Bills) Offensive Tackle, 28, 6-5, 311
7) Breno Giocomini (Seattle Seahawks) Starting Right Tackle, 26, 6-7, 318
8) Guy Whimper (Jacksonville Jaguars) Starting Right Tackle, 29, 6-5, 302
9) Jeremy Zutah (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Starting Left Guard, 26, 6-4, 308
10) Lydon Murtha RFA (Miami Dolphins) Right Tackle, 26, 6-7, 315
11) Vernon Carey (Miami Dolphins) Starting Right Guard, 30 , 6-5, 340
12) Geoff Hangartner (Carolina Panthers) Starting Right Guard, 29, 6-5, 301
13) Evan Mathis (Philadelphia Eagles) Starting Left Guard, 30, 6-5, 302
14) Max Starks (Pittsburgh Steelers) Starting Left Tackle, 30, 6-8, 345
15) Mike Brisiel (Houston Texans) Right Guard, 28, 6-5, 300

Wide-Receiver, (includes Fries, Desert, "Whine", and or Coffee)

1) Marques Colston(New Orleans Saints),28,6-4,225, 449 receptions, 6240 yrds, 48 TDs
2) Robert Meachem(New Orleans Saints),27,6-2,210, 141 receptions, 2269 yrds, 23TDs
3) Steve Johnson ( Buffalo Bills ), 25, 6-2, 210, 170 receptions, 2189 yrds, 19 TDs
4) Mario Manningham(New York Giants),25,6-0,185, 160 receptions, 2315 yrds, 18 TDs
5) Pierre Garcon (Indianapolis Colts),25, 6-0, 210, 188 receptions, 2519 yrds, 16 TDs
6) Wes Welker ( New England Patriots ), 30, 5-9, 185, 650 receptions, 7226 yrds, 32 TDs
7) DeShawn Jackson(Philadelphia Eagles), 25, 5-10, 175, 229 receptions, 4085 yrds, 21 TDs
8) Laurent Robinson (Dallas Cowboys), 26, 6-2, 194, 143 receptions, 1858 yrds, 15 TDs
9) Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City Chiefs),27,6-2,221, 356 receptions, 4927 yrds, 36 TDs
10) Andre Caldwell (Cincinnati Bengals),26,6-0,190, 124 receptions, 1172 yrds, 6 TDs
11) Plaxico Burress (New York Jets), 34, 6-5, 232, 550 receptions, 8457 yrds, 63 TDs
12) Jericho Cotchery (Pittsburgh Steelers),29,6-1,200,374 receptions,4751 yrds, 20 TDs

Tight-End, (Miss-Match or mix and match to your taste)

1) Jermichael Finley (Green Bay Packers),24,6-4,247,137 receptions,1818 yrds,15 TDs Extremely likely that GB will find a way to keep him!!
2) Martellus Bennett (Dallas Cowboys), 24, 6-6, 270, 85 receptions, 846 yrds, 4 TDs
3) Scott Chandler (Buffalo Bills), 26, 6-7, 263, 39 receptions, 397 yrds, 6 TDs
4) Danial Fells (Denver Broncos), 28, 6-4, 252, 88 receptions, 1001 yrds, 8 TDs
5) Jacob Tamme (Indianapolis Colts), 26, 6-3, 236, 92 receptions, 855 yrds, 5 TDs
6) Kellen Davis (Chicago Bears), 26, 6-7, 267, 28 receptions, 300 yrds, 9 TDs
7) Leonard Pope (Kansas City Chiefs), 28, 6-8, 264,102 receptions, 973 yrds, 9 TDs
8) John Carlson (Seattle Seahawks), 28, 6-5, 251, 137 receptions, 1519 yrds, 13 TDs
9) Fred Davis (Washington Redskins),26, 6-4, 258, 131 receptions, 1648 yrds, 12 TDs (Four 2011 games missed due to league substance abuse policy, one violation away from 1 yr suspension)!!

Ionlyhavesomuchspaceonmyplateso,there's also the unmentioned least required yet potentially approachable Running-Back position (where residing are four young 2011 starters if not superstars), and remember there are hundreds of other very intriguing names to be had at the positions of most need!! While various free agent listings don't include some of the same names.. (D'Brick, G Olsen, M Lewis) Hmmm?? Maybe you have first hand knowledge of some unknown diamond in the ruff, or the exact free agent status of some name that may be in question (according to the listings provided)??

Barring the re-signing and/or franchise-tagging of said platters??
My Personal Surf & Turf tray would taste something like this..
"Yess Mammm I'm ready to order,to go along with my one-clawed crustacean I'd like"

Steak = Guard Carl Nicks ,with a possible second helping of RT's Barry Richardson or Breno Giocomini, (so that we'll have an option of choosing a skill player, pass rushing DE, or DB in 2012's draft)!!

A Melted brick of the "possibly available" imported spicy flavored Wisconsin cheese in Jermichael Finley would vault the entire cuisine to a rating of FOUR STARters!!

If not-yet quenched, I might consider an extra sideline dish of
Desert=4.39 speedy field-stretching WR Robert Meachem,though I Luv Gates..
Whine = Dwayne Bowe(not a desirable option with desert),or B.Marshall..
Fine Wine = Wes Welker (though not likely to leave the chill of New England)..
Cough-ee = Redzone flavored Plaxico Burress..
When wearing my stretchy pants, I really have a craving for Mario Manningham, and "should" Brandon Marshall be traded Marques Colston might quench the void..

A "community" consensus of this articles results will follow, as will a Defensive Free Agency menu, and "community" consensus plan, so give us your quotable suggestions!!

THANX for an Open-Minded Read of Just One Mans Taste!! Hope you Enjoy this kinda-feast as much as I do.. So who's hungry, what do your Big-Eyes have in mind to accompany your unnamed Lobster in quenching your belly's overall appetite, and why??

Here's three entire list of currently soon to be 2012 Free Agents via team by team, position by position, and/or top fifty (barring Franchise tags or the re-signing of by current teams)!! GOFINS!!

http://www.kffl.com/static/nfl/features/freeagents/fa.php?option=By+Team&y=2012

http://walterfootball.com/freeagents.php

http://nfltraderumors.co/2012-nfl-free-agents/

The Miami Dolphins in Attack Mode

How close were these Dolphins to being more than afterthought? Miami was leading the Giants by 11 and the Patriots by 17 points at the half. These are the two teams playing tomorrow for the NFL title and the Dolphins had the opportunity to beat both. There is a fine line between success and failure in the NFL, on many levels.

The QBs in this game are the same that were behind by a combined 28 points at half to the lowly Dolphins. Matt Moore was behind center for the Dolphins in both of these games and it could be used as a case in point for why an upgrade is needed at the QB position. Moore certainly did not help himself in these performances but there is more in the big picture than just the QB.

The Dolphins had fallen into a mentality of hoping for victory instead of expecting it and these two games highlight what needs to change in Miami. It was apparent at halftime, the coaches told the team something like, “all we have to do is hold on for 30 more minutes and this game is ours!”

In the NYG and NE locker rooms, something completely different was going on. The coaches for these squads were not even concerned with the score. These coaches had gone through every 1st half snap and found the keys to attacking Miami in the second half. While the Dolphin coaches, said, “stay with the game plan and ride this thing out.” Their opponents were going into attack mode.

Tony Sparano and Todd Bowles never understood, teams that win in the NFL never take the foot off the gas. 11 and 17 points are not safe leads, 24 or even 30 points are not safe. In professional football there is no such thing as a safe lead and conservative coaches are destined to lose.

Moore could have defined his career in either one of these games, but it's very possible he was held back by his own coaching staff’s conservative approach to losing. The offense that worked in the first half was abandoned in an attempt to run out the clock. The killer mentality of scoring points until your opponent gives up was foreign to these coaches and is what desperately needs to change in Miami.

What would Dolphin fans think of Matt Moore today had the Dolphins come out of both or either of these games with a defining victory. Maybe the franchise moniker would not seem so much of an afterthought. The style of play and the mentality were not conducive to a team that expected victory. The style was of a team hoping to win and Moore played like a man trying to guard a victory, instead trying to win it decisively.

Joe Philbin brings a different mentality to the Dolphins and it should be interesting to see how players like Matt Moore respond. Conservative coaches have priorities like; PROTECT THE FOOTBALL! As the main constructs that define the style of play they wish for the team. Attacking coaches have priorities like; THROW THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD, even when a receiver is well covered by a single defender.

It’s huge difference because the conservative style inhibits taking chances and scoring points. The players are focused on mistake free football being the key to winning football. Attack football allows players to take chances and use their athleticism, leading to scoring opportunities and pressure on the defense.

The key is discipline, throwing intercepts in a quest to score points is not what attacking is about. Attacking is finding the receiver who is single covered and allowing him to make a play on the ball, whether he is covered or not. Throwing the ball into triple coverage never works. Looking at the stats, many times a conservative approach leads to more turnovers because players think so much about not turning the ball over, that it is exactly what they do.

Miami has not played this style of football since Dan Marino and perhaps the reason Miami has not been able to find the illusive franchise QB has as much to do with the mentality of the coaching staffs as the QBs themselves. It’s very hard to find a great thrower when your prime directive is a conservative running game, just like it is hard to find a great running back with a throwing QB.

The rare offensive lineman that is great at both pass blocking and run blocking, also predicates the style an NFL team will play. A team can spend years looking for an entire line that can do both, (see what happened with Sparano) when settling primarily for one or the other is a more realistic option in the NFL.

It doesn’t mean a team cannot run the ball with a passing mentality, it means the style of running play is going to be different. Mis-direction, draws, screens and 3 step routes take the place of a power running attack. Philbin has been in the modern attacking NFL offense his entire time in Green Bay and that is what he brings to Miami.

The hope here is, the style and the system that dictates it, will lead to the player that can make it work, a franchise QB. That player could come from an unlikely source, like Matt Moore or an unheralded draft pick. It could from Matt Flynn, but Joe Philbin must force the system even if the players don’t fit. It seems like a contradiction from great coaches getting the most out of what they have, but in this case, the Dolphins already have a 6-10 team. It is not like the team will be stepping back from 12-4.

Here’s the hope that an attacking approach leads to an attacking QB. An attacking approach leads to 28 point halftime leads turning into 40 point victories. Here’s to beating teams when they are down and letting off the gas pedal when clock reads 00:00.

Here's to Miami riding out of Fox Borough after crushing the Patriots!

Voting Is Open For Dolphin Shout's Mascot

Voting is now open for the name of this adorable little girl. There are a lot of choices, so be sure to read them all before casting your vote.

You can vote for multiple names. Select the names that you like the most and submit them.

Here are the options for your official Dolphin Shout mascot:

Name Me

- Finette
- Shout-zie
- Ross
- Winner
- Mahi
- Taco
- Goldie
- Dazzel
- Dynasty
- Victory
- Marino
- Dolphie
- Snowflake
- Lit'l Bit
- Pugsly
- Flynn
- Bella
- Dolly
- Shula
- Me-ami
- Finkle
- Erin
- Flea Flicker

To vote just go to the poll on the right side of the page and submit your selection.

Thanks for stopping by, and the winning name will be announced after the poll closes on February 9 at 11:59 PM.

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What's to eat ?

As we prepare for the Super Bowl I thought it would be fun for everyone to tell us here at the Dolphin Shout where you plan on watching, and what will be your choice of food and drink for Super Bowl Sunday.

While you are making food and watching the
Super Bowl, you can have Article Writing
Services write content for your blog.

I have supplied you with one of our traditional foods for the Super Bowl. It's easy to make and goes great with Ice Cream.

Brownie's

Preheat oven to 350
¾ cup flour

1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt

1/3 cup coco
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs


nuts optional.
Melt butter in microwave 30 seconds at a time on high. 1 Minute. Add cocoa and vanilla to the melted butter, Combine all ingredients sifting the flour and mix using a spatula. Do not over mix, but make sure all lumps are gone.
Place in a 5 X 9” greased pan and bake at 350* oven for 27 minutes and remove from oven.