Join the Miami Dolphins Draft Contest With Phin Nation

Here's something exciting that I think you guys might like. Dolphin Shout is partnering with PhinNation to bring you a Dolphins Draft Contest.

I can't really take too much credit for the contest because it was all organized by Bill over at Phin Nation, but I am contributing the third place price of a Black Chad Henne Jersey! I know you guys have been searching all over for one, so I figured I would give it to a winner out of the kindness of my heart.

Here's how the draft contest works.

1. Go here and download the Dolphins Draft Contest Form. To download the contest click on 'File' in the top left corner and go down to 'Download'.

2. Fill out the yellow boxes in the form.

3. Email the form to PhinNationContest@gmail.com.

This is an exciting opportunity to prove that you are a true draft guru, and you can win prizes. The prizes are as follow:

1st Place: Dolphins Jacket (XL) [Contributed by Phin Nation]
2nd Place: Dolphins Cheerleader Calendar [Also contributed by Phin Nation]
3rd Place: Black Chad Henne Jersey (M) [Contributed by Dolphin Shout]

For full rules and information click here.

Let's show those guys over at Phin Nation that we know our stuff! I am expecting you guys to take all three prizes.

Thanks for stopping by. Email any questions to me at paul@dolphinshout.com or PhinNationContest@gmail.com.

Jeff Ireland is Hanging by a Thread

Joe Philbin once said, "in nine years offensively in Green Bay we never had one guy come in there as a free agent and really contribute. So, my mindset is more let’s get guys into our culture. Let’s develop our own people. Let’s have faith in our ability to teach, develop and motivate guys.”

Miami fans were certainly sold the bill of goods with the hiring of Philbin. Gone were the failed attempts at buying players in free agency. The Dolphins were turning over a new leaf and Joe Philbin was going to bring some of the ingredients Green Bay used so successfully to build a winning franchise.

Joe’s offense had no need for an alpha receiver, “Part of the philosophy of the offense is to have balance. We want our quarterbacks typically to have what we call progression reads where they’re not necessarily isolated on one specific individual. With that being said, we’re going to play to our hot hand. We’re going to certainly strive to create mismatches and take advantage of the guys that we do have. But the offense, once we install the passing game, is not necessarily built upon okay, you’re the number one guy, you’re the number two guy, you’re the number three guy. As we put the plays together for the quarterback, in his mind there’s a progression of who’s the first receiver, who’s the second receiver, who’s the third receiver."

Even Boss Ross was on the same page, "Free agency certainly isn't the answer. We've all seen that oftentimes there's a reason why a guy is out there as a free agent." But the supposition Jeff Ireland would make the leap along with Philbin was obviously wrong.

It would seem Boss Ross oiled up Joe Philbin with what he wanted to hear, but left Ireland as the man in charge. At least until Ireland proved incapable of leading Joe out of the Greenbay backwoods. This is Miami and in Miami, things are insane, why else would the Dolphins continue doing the same things over and over and expect different results?

Ross isn’t a billionaire from the inability to recognize talent, he sees it in Jeff Ireland. “His football intelligence, his knowledge, his hard work. He has the respect of his peers and he is one of the youngest general managers around. I like dealing with youth and enthusiasm. And I think he has the knowledge and desire. He is smart, and he is committed." Ross understands Ireland didn’t really sign Jake Grove, Justin Smiley, Karlos Dansby, Gabril Wilson, Kevin Burnett, Legedu Naanee, Marc Columbo, Ernst Wilford, those were players Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano wanted on the team.

Jeff Ireland knows where to put the big money, Ross is sure. "Certainly all my resources are there, and if the right players are there, I don't care what it costs, we'll go after them." Ireland knows Wallace won’t be another Dansby, nor could he ever be an Nnamdi Asomugha or Albert Haynesworth. The second guessing matters little now, with the ink on the paper, the hand will just have to be played out.

Where does Joe Philbin truly fit into all these signings. It wasn’t long ago he said, “you can’t necessarily fix everything in free agency nor do you want to. I don’t envision us being deeply, deeply involved. I think when you’re doing things the right way you’re developing your own guys, you’re resigning your own guys so just the business model of the NFL that’s going to prohibit you from being overly active all the time in free agency. Now we’re going to hopefully take the best players that are available based on our film evaluation when the draft comes around later this month.”

Is this a one season, Miami has to spend 89% of the cap in a hogs-gone-wild rampage, or the opposite of the sound business model Joe talks about. The old adage, “actions speak louder than words,” is ringing through the Miami off-season moves. There is another adage heard locally, “either you’re all in or you’re all out.” Where does that leave the fans witnessing the words not matching the actions? Their skepticism is no longer acceptable, no questioning the hole in the boat… The water will stop when the ship hits the bottom, are you in or out Ahab?

The deep rooted and nagging issue is one of desperation, the win or else mentality that rarely leads to success. Perhaps the leadership in the Miami locker room did not undermine Joe Philbin’s authority, perhaps those players questioned the man who cut them loose, Jeff Ireland. The numbers don’t lie, only four free agents signed by Ireland have made a single pro bowl in five years and yet here we are again spinning the free agency roulette wheel.

When a coach plainly states, “my mindset is more let’s get guys into our culture. Let’s develop our own people. Let’s have faith in our ability to teach, develop and motivate guys.” The coach is the first individual football person hired by the billionaire owner. The desperation is apparent in the lack of a contract extension for the GM signed by the former regime. Again, the actions speaking what the words do not say.

The GM ignores the coach’s words, is on the hot seat and makes radical changes… Added up, it reeks of desperation. Jeff Ireland needs Wallace, Ellerbe, Wheeler, Gibson and Keller to show up in a big way or his days in Miami are over. Ireland must also make the right choices in the draft and this should scare Miami fans.

Desperation is never a good formula when selecting the future, it puts too much impetus on the present. A player that could anchor a tackle position or become a franchise TE is overlooked for a luxurious flash in the pan. The thread of desperation, when having “faith in our ability to teach, develop and motivate guys” is the proven formula for success, is worn thin and starting to fray.

For Jeff Ireland the only hope is...

The thread does not turn into a rope long enough to hang himself.

The Miami Dolphins in Joe Philbin's Image

Wow! What a difference a year makes. One year ago the Dolphins had about $13 million of cap space, which is the same amount they have at this time.

Since the end of last year's season, which was only four months ago, the Dolphins have potentially six new starters just from free agency. We could also see two or three more starters coming from this year's draft. With the release of Reggie Bush and his replacement (whoever it will be) and the development of guys like Vernon and Kaddu we are not going to see the same team on the field as last year.

Joe Philbin used last year to see what he had and how the players reacted to not only the losses the team accumulated, but how they adjusted to the moves that he made. Some of them didn't react the way he wanted them to react. When he traded Vontae Davis, Brandon Marshall, and released Chad Johnson (who seemed to be doing well in camp until he self-destructed) he learned what the team was made of and he didn't like what he saw.

The team leaders did not rally the troops, but they did question Philbin about his release of Johnson. Obviously that wasn't the best form of reaction from them, and I don't think he expected that. He was expecting something different. And like Marshall, Davis, and Johnson before them the trio of Long, Dansby, and Bush received the same treatment: release!

That was Philbin's way of saying this team is looking for new leadership. I believe he is looking for that leadership to come from Ryan Tannehill, Cameron Wake, and Matt Moore. Yes Matt Moore. Moore is not the starter, but he is no less a leader on this team. Moore is Ryan Tannehill's mentor. Moore has been through everything a quarterback could have gone through. If there is a guy on this team that can teach a quarterback and the other players how handle adversity, it is Matt Moore.

In Jason Taylor's last year with the Dolphins he saw what Matt Moore meant to the team, and Joe Philbin saw that also. That's why the Dolphins re-signed Moore to a new contract in the first few days of free agency.

Philbin is no dummy. The team is being rebuilt in his image. Make no bones about who is in charge with the Miami Dolphins. It is Joe Philbin. I don't know where that will lead. I do know the team has been bold. They have an idea of where they want to go with the team, and there actually seems to be a plan in place and a direction.

Yes indeed, what a difference a year makes.


This is Paul here with a quick message: this is Dolphin Shout's 1000th post. We would like to thank you guys for your continued support and contributions to this great community. Here's to another 1000 posts filled with great content and complemented with great discussion. Thank you.