SOTT answers DolFansNYC questions

The Dolphins have never beaten the Texans. You guys are the only NFL team we have never defeated, Think this will be the year?

I hope it is not the year, but you never know. The Dolphins have been embarrassed and are now on a mission to prove they are a good NFL team. The Texans have to prove they can come back from a good win and continue the success as the season continues. It is up to head coach Gary Kubiak to make sure there is no let down, but that has always been an issue since he has been here in Houston. I think with the addition of Wade Phillips to the staff, he has relieved Kubiak of some unwanted pressure of a faltering defense. We will see if it makes a difference.

Who was the biggest off season acquisition for the Texans in 2011?

I have said it before, even though Johnathan Joseph is the biggest signing in the team’s short history, but it has to be Wade Phillips. Bringing him back to his home state, Phillips has always been successful as a coordinator in his previous stops. He and Gary Kubiak make a nice team together, both have been ok as head coaches, now they almost co-exist as a joint head coach with Kubiak overseeing the team and offense and Phillips with total control over the defense. When I went to training camp, the pace for the defense was considerably different that previous years. Players look like they knew what they were doing and Phillips, LB coach Reggie Herring and DB coach Vance Joseph are not scared to tell players how it needs to be. It has translated to the field since the first preseason game, and Houston fans are in a frenzy because of it.

How has Mario Williams adapted to his new position change?

He seems to be one of the hot topics on Houston sports radio talk shows and fans were very hard on him. When you are the #1 overall pick in the draft uneducated fans expect him to have 20 sacks a season, but he doesn’t play like that. What he does for the Texans doesn’t show on a stat sheet, and as he has played for the Texans he has slowly turned himself into a complete football player in the pass rush and his run defense. Against the Colts he had two sacks and a forced fumble, but Dallas Clark (Colts tight end) was blocking one on one with him, It wasn’t William’s fault the Colts decided to do that, he took full advantage of the opportunity and made two huge plays. Williams will continue to grow and learn in this defense as the season carries on, but I really like the progression of him getting better since his first day of camp.

Andre Johnson is one of the best receivers in the game, besides the obvious what does he provide to the Texans?

Andre Johnson has to be one of the most well rounder players and individuals that play in the NFL. Texans fans knew last year when he put the “beatdown” on Titans Courtland Finnegan that something must have been said for Johnson to go off like that, because he is so soft spoken and rarely shows emotion. At training camp, he never takes a play off and constantly runs routes like you see them in the game, and sets a bar for his other teammates to achieve. He is the true leader of the Texans, and this game against the Dolphins is important because he is returning to his old stomping ground in Miami. He says buying all the tickets is a pain, 150 total to be exact, and that he just wants to go down and win the game with no distractions. Johnson is a once in a lifetime athlete and gives us Houston fans someone to be proud of.

I keep hearing of J.J. Watt and the noise he is creating on the defense, what can you tell me about him?

When the Texans drafted him #11 overall the fan base was dumbfounded with all of the talent left on the board. Watt has done nothing but good things for the franchise and has worked hard since day one. He instantly upgraded a defensive line unit and has actually made other players around him better. I know we talk about impact rookies, he definitely is one and against the Colts he had 5 solo tackles and a fumble recovery. He could have had close to 8 or 9 tackles if he would have not missed them in the backfield. He provides some great run technique with some pass rush skills but he will be tested by the better Dolphins offensive line than the previous one he lined up against. J.J. Watt is a great piece to the puzzle for the Texans, and at this rate he should be in the mix for defensive rookie of the year honors.

What is the biggest question mark with the Texans right now?

I think there are more than one, but the fact we cannot keep running back healthy has to be one and the fact that our defense needs a real test especially the secondary. In camp the hamstring bug got to every running back on the roster, Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Steve Slaton, then Derrick Ward had a concussion and is now ruled out on Sunday with an ankle injury. One of the positions we considered healthy is now a question mark with all of the injuries. One of my fellow bloggers, Mike Kerns, said the Texans would keep 4 running backs because of this heading into the season and he was right and proved to be a great decision.

As for the secondary the Colts haven’t tested them and I expect the Dolphins to put pressure on them with their size with Marshall and speed with Bess at the slot. This will prove if the Texans have overcome the bad memories of a terrible 2010 defensive year. I think it will be a great match up to see if the Texans are ready to take the next step as a team.

Who on the Dolphins, do you think, will give the Texans the biggest issues on Sunday?

I hate to say this but Reggie Bush and Cameron Wake. Bush scares me with fact on what he can do catching the ball. I don’t know if DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing and match up with him is pass coverage so Glove Quin will have to help with this task. Bush poses a real threat and with his 20+ touches he will give the Texans D something to worry about. As for Cameron Wake he will probably be rushing from Eric Winston’s side and Winston has had some issues dating back to last year with his overall game. The offense needs Matt Schaub to stay upright and it will depend on Winston and Duane Brown’s ability to control Wake. It should be interesting on Sunday.

Have to ask the question is the year the Texans make the playoffs?

I will be bold and say yes. This year has been the perfect storm with all the change in the AFC South. That is how the NFL is, beggars can’t be choosers and we will take it the way we can, but it is a long season and anything can happen. I still the Texans have what it takes to finally get it done.

DolFansNYC answers the SOTT Questions

What do we make of the defense after the first game disaster against the New England Patriots?

The Dolphins are only one starter removed from the #6 defense last year and that defense would have been a lot closer to #1 if it weren’t for the hurt the Patriots put on them last year. The Dolphins have troubles with tight ends which is one of the reasons Kevin Burnett was brought into replace Channing Crowder but clearly they have not solved that problem. Honestly I think this defense will come around sooner rather than later. We brought back Will Allen and released Benny Sapp after last week and I think that will help a lot. I am positive this is a good defense and I think by week 8 people will realize that the New England game was a fluke.

Has Reggie Bush, in your opinion, made a big enough difference on the Dolphins offense?

Absolutely. Can he be the full time answer at running back? I doubt it. But he makes “Checkdown Chad” Henne much better instantly. Henne loves to dump it off to a running back and having Bush there makes even a little 3 yard dump off a possible big play. Ronnie and Ricky were pretty good inside runners but you never got the idea they were going to go the distance. Reggie also makes it a lot harder to double Brandon Marshall because if you put a safety on him you have to cover Bush with a linebacker and that spells trouble. Let’s just hope he can stay healthy.

Has Chad Henne made the step to become a better quarterback? He looked pretty good on Monday night.

I think a number of small things have come together to make him a better quarterback but he had some flashes of greatness the last two years he just couldn’t do it consistently so only time will tell if he can keep this play up. He led the team in off-season workouts and everyone has been talking about his leadership this year. He was elected captain for the first time in his career. He played four years at Michigan and was never a captain so I have to think that is a pretty big deal. As I mentioned before having Bush is going to make him a lot better and his relationship with Brandon Marshall has improved greatly. They didn’t have an off-season together last year and had a falling out towards the end of the season. Their chemistry seems to be there this year. They also have a new system under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll that Henne seems to love and Daboll trusts Henne and is letting him call audibles at the line. All of it have made Henne a lot more confident and if his brain can work with the outstanding arm he has he should be a force.

To me the strength of the Dolphins offense had to be the offensive line, what can we expect from them on Sunday?

I have to say that you are way off on this one. Tony Sparano was an offensive line coach before he was a head coach and his biggest failing so far has been the offensive line. He has invested a ton of money and draft pics on players that haven’t worked out at all. It’s been a disaster. This year he moved Vernon Carey from RT to RG and signed Dallas cast off Marc Columbo who has been awful so far. The left side of the line is a lot better with Jake Long, our undisputed best player at LT and Ritchie Icognito at LG. Ritchie has had a history for being a total scumbag but he was always a pretty good player. So far in Miami he hasn’t tried to stab anyone yet so I have to say he is working out pretty well. Mike Pouncey looks like he is going to be a pretty good player but he is still a rookie and has a lot to learn. He also has issues with shot-gun snaps going too high so look out for that. I would say over all that the Texans will be able to get a lot of pressure on passing downs on the right side and we are not really built for running between the tackles but if Bush gets behind Jake Long… watch out.

Mike Pouncey, the team’s 1st round pick, how has he made the Dolphins better and is there added pressure on him because of his brother’s play and being from University of Florida?

I am sure there is a lot of pressure on him as a competitive twin but honestly the Dolphins have a lot more to worry about than Pouncey. I think he is fitting in nicely and the kid seems to have a lot of confidence. I think with him and Jake moving forward our line could be pretty special for the next decade or so… Assuming we can figure out the right side…

Brandon Marshall had a big game against the Patriots, how has he adapted to the Dolphins entering his second year with the team?

Brandon Marshall had a pretty intense off-season. His wife got arrested for stabbing him but he refused to press charges and they were eventually dropped. It came out later that it was pretty clear he was responsible for the fight and he decided he would do anything he could to get his wife back. He got therapy and was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder which everyone should google to find out more about it. I don’t want to gloss over it, but it is a pretty serious condition that tends to lead to suicide and physical violence. Marshall held a press conference and was very open about it and is working on a documentary to help shed light on the disease. It was a pretty impressive move on his part and I think a lot of people understand him a lot better now but of course we are all worried that something bad could happen at any minute. Having these realizations about his disease has helped him deal with coaches and players a lot better and that seems to be paying off. On the pure football side Marshall had his first healthy off-season since he came into the league and is in the best shape of his life. He worked all off-season on improving his speed and quickness and everyone in camp has been really impressed with his new-found burst.

Who are some players on the Dolphins that the Texans fans should keep an eye out for?

As a pure dark horse have this fourth string receiver named Clyde Gates who is just flat out fast. If he gets behind your defense and Henne hits him he could break for some big plays. It’s going to happen at some point this season but I don’t know when or how often. Some of the more established players that Texans fans might not be aware of is another one of our receivers Davone Bess. Marshall calls him D Bess as in The Best because he is one of the best route runners Marshall has ever seen. The guy is an amazing slot receiver and always shows up on third downs. He will move the chains a lot. On defense if you guys don’t know about Cam Wake already you should. He got beat up pretty bad last week and still had our only sack. I have a feeling he is going to be looking for blood this week.

Is this a make or break year for Head Coach Tony Sparano?

Last year was a make or break year and he broke. Our owner Stephen Ross tried to get rid of him and failed much to the embarrassment of the franchise. I would say that if Sparano doesn’t win 10 games he is a goner. Personally I like the guy and the players seem to be behind him. I just don’t think our owner agrees with me.

What is it like without Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in the backfield in 2011 and how has the offense changed without them?

The whole philosophy of the offense has changed after Sparano decided that he needed to adapt to a post Parcells era. The Dolphins are going to be a lot more pass heavy this year and that starts with a much more agressive offense installed by Daboll. As much as I loved Ricky and Ronnie they were slow and this team has done everything it can to get faster. I am sure everyone wants to know about the Wildcat and I think it still has a place in Miami. We didn’t see it last week but I think that’s because Daniel Thomas was injured. He is back this week and Daboll ran the Cat with Josh Cribbs. I am pretty sure Bush has it in him to run it… he just needed a guy like Thomas to give the ball to. This week could be interesting…

A special thank goes to State of the Texans for helping out, you can visit their homepage or visit the Facebook page.

Hey, um, remember when this happened?  Me neither.

(Though honestly, I found the Dancing with the Stars appearance even more questionable than the New York Jets signing to begin with, but that’s besides the point).

It’s now official – Jason Traitor Taylor is coming back for his third stint with the Miami Dolphins.  He said so on his Facebook page and everything.  Aside from bringing leadership and a veteran locker room presence (and perhaps a copy of the Jets’ playbook?), the two-time Defensive Player of the Year is unlikely to see more than 15-20 snaps per game and add a handful of sacks to his 132.5 career total, barring an injury to Cameron Wake or Koa Misi.  The 36-year-old Taylor is clearly at the tail-end of his Hall of Fame career and should serve as the Dolphins’ third-down down pass rusher and outside linebacker.

Either way, pull out that aqua-and-orange No. 99 jersey from the bottom of your drawer (again) and cheer on one of the greatest Dolphins (and worst Jets and Redskins) players of all-time.  It’s yet another reason to forget all about 2010.

It’s probably safe to assume that most Fins fans don’t know all that much about the team’s newest quarterback.  He’s been the third-stringer behind Pennington, Henne, and (sigh) Pat White ever since he was acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs in September 2009, and had throw only one touchdown and three interceptions for Miami prior to last week.  In his most extensive game action to date, he threw two costly picks in a winnable game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 of 2009.

A mistake-prone QB going up against the Chicago Bears’ fourth-ranked defense that’s tied for the NFL lead with 14 interceptions on the season isn’t exactly a recipe for success, but that doesn’t mean that Thigpen can’t get the job done.

In 2008, Thigpen wasn’t just good in his final ten games for the Chiefs (we’ll conveniently ignore his first career start) — he was one of the best QBs in the NFL.  No seriously, take a look at these numbers from Weeks 7 through 17 of that season.

Only five perennial Pro-Bowlers and a QB playing with Randy Moss and Wes Welker at his disposal found the enzone more times.  The aggressive Thigpen threw the eighth-most TDs — three fewer than Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers — rushed for 386 yards and three more scores, and even caught a 37-yard TD pass.  Of course, the second-year player made his share of errors, and Kansas City lost 10 of the 11 games he started (though six of those contests were decided by seven points or less).  The spectacular numbers apparenty weren’t good enough for the Chiefs, who opted to trade for the marginally-better Matt Cassel and keep the legendary Brodie Croyle as the backup QB.

Last week, I speculated that Thigpen would get an extended look towards the end of the season to see if he can be the Dolphins latest QB of the future.  Miami hung on to him during the offseason despite getting plenty of offers, and instead cut ties with White, a 2009 second-round pick.  Don’t be surprised if the underrated Thigpen seizes the opportunity and establishes an immediate rapport with Brandon Marshall on Thursday night. 

At the very least, let’s hope he can make it through the game — I really don’t want to have to write anything positive about Patrick Ramsey.

A little over a year ago, when Miami started 0-3 and Pennington averaged only 138 passing yards per contest while committing four turnovers, the fans wanted him benched in favor of the up-and-coming Henne.  21 games later, there’s a growing sense of excitement about Pennington’s return to the field as a 4-4 team clings to its fading Playoff hopes.

According to beat writer Omar Kelly, the coaching staff felt that “Henne had become extremely predictable,” leading to decreased confidence in locker room.  Henne made too many bad decisions and committed far too many costly turnovers, throwing four interceptions without a single touchdown pass in Miami’s last two games.  Whether he’s still the Dolphins QB of the future remains to be seen, but it’s certainly not inconceivable that Tyler Thigpen will get an extended look later this year or during the offseason.

Offensive coordinator Dan Henning’s play calling has certainly raised a lot of valid questions, since his system has been more tailored to Pennington’s “water pistol” arm all along.  Henne averaged 6.9 yards per pass attempt and 10.8 yards per completion his season, both of which are below Pennington’s career averages.  After three surgeries on his throwing shoulder, Pennington doesn’t have the arm strength to throw deep passes, but then again, Henne has only two completions of over 40 yards in eight games.

One factor that can’t be understated is Pennington’s accuracy, which is miles ahead of Henne’s.  Pennington holds the highest completion percentage (66.1%) in NFL history among players with at least 1,000 pass attempts, and led the NFL in that category during his last full season in 2008 (67.4%).  He has the 12th-best career Passer Rating (90.1), and ranked second in the league behind Phillip Rivers two years ago.  While Henne has thrown four more INTs than TDs, Pennington has nearly twice as many scores as picks over 11 years (though it should be noted that he threw four costly INTs against the Ravens in Miami’s last Playoff game).

It’ll be interesting to see how the 34-year-old fares against the Tennessee Titans defense, which has given up the 10th most passing yards but leads the league with 3.3 sacks per game.   If Pennington improbably leads Miami back into the postseason, he deserves to win an unprecedented third Comeback Player of the Year Award.

• Why the hell do you go empty backfield on third and short all the time?
• Why have you stopped giving Polite the ball on 3rd and 1? I know he missed ONE 3rd and 1, but thats one out of 25.
• Why do you not keep handing the ball to the running back who is actually gaining yards?
• Why did it take you twice as long as we did to realize the Wild Cat isn’t working anymore?
• Why during the Baltimore game did you have a 10 play drive without handing off once?
• Why down 16 points with 3 minutes to go did you start running play action?

Seriously, our offense is garbage not because of Henne, but because of Henning. He is putting our players in a position to fail. Pennington might fare better than Henne, but it won’t be because he is a better quarterback. It will be because he is experienced enough and smart enough to play within this horrible system that Henning has created.  Everyone gives Henning all this credit for the brilliance of the Wild Cat, but that was all David Lee.  Let’s put David Lee in charge and send Henning to the nursing home.

What questions would you have for Henne if you were at his press conference tomorrow?

There were plenty of reasons for Miami to pass on Moss, who can be the best player on the field if he’s motivated, and a head-case who doesn’t respect his teammates or coaches and carries far more baggage than he’s worth if he’s disinterested. 

Despite playing for Bill Belichick, one of very few coaches who has earned Moss’s admiration, the wide receiver still found a ticket out of New England after questioning his role in the offense and getting into a spat about Tom Brady’s hair (I don’t actually think that last part is true, but it’s hilarious nonetheless). 

Through his career, Moss has been repeatedly chastised for his lack of effort, failure to finish routes and make blocks, and an alarming attitude in the locker room that largely contributed to his release from Minnesota.

But hate him or love him, Moss is one of the most talented WRs in NFL history, and players of his caliber are hardly ever so readily available.  He’s two and a half years removed from a season in which he recorded nearly 1,500 receiving yards and caught an NFL-record 23 touchdown passes.   For his career, he ranks second in league history in TDs (153), fourth in receiving yards per game (76.6), fifth in total receiving yards (14,778), and eight in catches (948).  Those skills didn’t suddenly diminish overnight.

Perhaps the Miami coaches didn’t think they could keep him happy in a run-first offense, or didn’t want to deal with the distractions and media circus that surrounds the outspoken and constantly unhappy Moss.  But his off-putting personality aside, the Dolphins sure could’ve used him on the field.

The team ranks 25^th in the league in passing plays of over 20 yards (17) with an anemic average of 6.7 yards per pass attempt.  Miami hasn’t had a true deep threat (at least one who can catch the ball) in years, and Moss would’ve commanded double-teams and opened the field for Brandon Marshall — who publicly lobbied for the acquisition — and slot receiver Davone Bess.

It would’ve been a relatively low-risk and low-cost gamble for the Dolphins, since Moss is owed $3.388 million for the remainder of the season, the final year of his contract.  Even he has to realize that at this point, no team would hesitate to cut him if he continues to exhibit an oversized ego and a poor attitude, and that he could find himself out of a job in the offseason if he burns yet another bridge.  

The Dolphins could’ve gotten a playmaker whose talents could’ve single-handedly brought the division title back to South Beach.  Instead, they’ll have to settle for seeing Moss catch passes only once this year, when the visiting Titans come to Miami on November 14.

In comes KR/PR Clifton “Batman” Smith, who could end up rivalring Brandon Marshall as the team’s most impactful and game-changing addition of the offseason.  After being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, the return specialist chose to sign with Miami after also working out for the Green Bay Packers.

The 25-year-old was initially signed to the Bucs’ practice squad as an undrafted free agent in 2008, and went on to be selected to the Pro Bowl after ranking second in the NFL in punt return average (14.1) and sixth in kickoff return average (27.6).  Despite appearing in only nine games, he finished sixth in total punt return yards and (324), and scored on a 97-yard kickoff return and a 70-yard punt return.  Smith went on to improve his yards per kickoff to 29.1 (second in the league) in 2009, and his career average of 28.3 tops all active players and is the fifth-highest in NFL history.

Smith will likely take over primary punt-return duties from Davone Bess, who’s quietly been one of the worst at the position in the NFL.  Over the last two seasons, Bess has returned 49 punts, the 11th-highest total in the league, but his 8.98 yards per return rank 25th out of 35 qualified players.  Smith’s 12.09 average, on the other hand, is second behind only the New York Giants’ Dominik Hixon (12.15).

In even better news, Patrick Cobbs, who’s coming back from knee surgery, will now be relieved from handling kickoffs.  Since entering the league in 2007, he’s posted the second-lowest kickoff return average (20.48) among 72 players with at least 25 returns.  Fifth-round pick Nolan Carroll was also in contention for the job, but didn’t fare much better during the preseason by averaging 22.8 yards on nine returns.

Of course, Pro Bowl-caliber players in their prime don’t get released for no reason.  For all of his special teams contributions, Smith is virtually non-existent on offense, rushing four times for just seven yards last year.  There are legitimate concerns about his durability after a pair of concussions limited the 5-foot-8, 190-pound dynamo to 11 games in 2009 and lingering knee pain forced him to miss two 2010 preseason games.  He’s has also been extremely fumble-prone, losing the ball a whopping seven times (tied with Bess and Ginn, among others, for ninth among non-quarterbacks over the last two years) in only 20 games.

Despite the concerns, there’s no question that Smith is one of the best return specialists in the game and presents a significant upgrade for the Dolphins.  Barring injuries, he’s not likely to receive a lot of carries as the team’s fifth RB, but running behind a better offensive line in Miami should allow him to be a bigger factor on those rare occasions.

Smith will get his first test against the Buffalo Bills, who were held opponents to 21.5 yards per kickoff return (7th-best in the NFL) and 7.7 yards on punt returns (11th), on Sunday.

Pat was White trash to the Dolphins... (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The Dolphins never gave White much of a chance to succeed.  During the regular season, he was inserted into the occasional ”Wildcat” formation in which he could never fully show what he had to offer aside from scrambling on the ground.  In the final game, he was thrown into the fire against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense in the thick of the Playoff hunt.  And then, in the 2010 preseason, White took nine total snaps (none in the fourth game), kneeling down three times and throwing (and completing!) four short passes in garbage time.

It’s clear that the Dolphins front office was convinced that White wasn’t part of the team’s future plans before the preseason started and didn’t bother to give him an extended look or attempt to increase his trade value for QB-needy teams.  And that’s the part that I’ll never understand.  The Dolphins are hardly the first team to give up on an early-round draft pick — hell, the Arizona Cardinals released Matt Leinart, the 10th overall selection in 2006 — but the fact that White wasn’t on the field for even a single quarter at the expense of injury-prone veteran Chad Pennington, who hardly needed the extra work, or given the opportunity to battle Tyler Thigpen for the third QB spot doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Of course, White isn’t without fault himself.  There have been indications that his heart wasn’t fully into football after he took a vicious hit that knocked him unconscious during last year’s finale.  Despite possessing the quickness (4.44 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine) and shiftiness that would make him well-suited to play part-time wide receiver, a la Brad Smith and Joshua Cribbs, White refused to switch positions and indicated that he’d rather play baseball.  Those aren’t exactly the kind of words that management wants to hear out of players on the roster bubble.

Be that as it may, White is gone and somewhat surprisingly, wasn’t claimed off waivers despite having most of his 2010 salary paid by the Dolphins.  I asked Sun-Sentinel reporter Omar Kelly to do some NFL Betting on where White will end up — the CFL, the New England Patriots, or the New York Yankees.  Kelly didn’t even rule out a full retirement from football to be a “regular Joe” in White’s hometown.

Other News and Notes:

*Did the Dolphins think they could save some money by releasing TE David Martin and then re-signing him after the first week?  It’s hard to believe Miami was prepared to rely on John Nalbone, who entered training camp fourth on the depth chart and didn’t blow anyone away during preseason, in its two tight end packages.  Martin ended up signing with the Buffalo Bills, who quite coincidentally, I’m sure, happen to play the Dolphins in Week 1.  The Dolphins could quickly end up regretting their decision.

*In a less surprising move, last year’s third-round pick, WR Patrick Turner, was released over the weekend and signed with the division-rival New York Jets.  Undrafted rookies Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace must have extremely impressive during practice for the team to keep them at Turner’s expense, because there isn’t a glaring difference in the preseason numbers.

Player	Rec	Yards	YPC	Long	TD
Marlon Moore	9	106	11.8	34	1
Roberto Wallace	8	101	12.6	31	1
Patrick Turner	5	90	18.0	34	0

Turner could revive his career with the Jets while playing alongside his former USC QB Mark Sanchez, but chances are slim after he couldn’t get on the field last season and was beaten out by a pair of undrafted rookies in camp.

UPDATE: Yep, Turner has already been cut and is now on the Jets’ practice squad.  So the Dolphins paid him a $714,000 signing bonus and $310,000 in salary to make zero regular season catches and become a practice squad player on a division rival a year later. Awesome. 

*Finally, the Dolphins opted to cut veteran defensive linemen Marques Douglas, Donald Thomas, Charles Grant and OL Cory Procter, and placed cornerback Will Allen on season-ending injured reserve.  Money certainly played a role since the waived players’ contracts would have been guaranteed for the full season, but once again, it’s curious that Miami is relying so heavily on unproven players while presumably still in contention for a division title.

Here’s a quick run-down of the new faces — DEs Clifton Geathers and Robert Rose were cut by the Seahawks and Browns, respectively; Bobby Carpenter, a former Bill Parcells draft pick, couldn’t make the St. Louis Rams’ final roster (not a good sign); OLs Joe Reitz and Jermey Parnell spent last season on practice squads; and OT Pat McQuistan never started a game in four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys while mostly playing on special teams.

By all indications, Will Allen was expected to be ready to go as soon as early October, but we don’t know what the team doctors said about his recovery that made the Dolphins put him on IR.  Following Sean Smith‘s unimpressive camp, Jason Allen, who’s been routinely burned by receivers while starting only 12 games in four years, has been promoted to the starting cornerback position.  Miami’s secondary, which allowed a league-high 8.2 yards per pass attempt last year, could be in big trouble against Buffalo’s speedy WR Lee Evans.  Then again, they can’t possibly be any worse without Gibril Wilson, right?

Sunday can’t get here fast enough.  See you at 1pm at Third and Long on 35th Street and 3rd Avenue.

Ah, good times.  It’ll go down in Dolphins history as the team’s version of the improbable “David Tyree catch” in Super Bowl XLII.  But much like Tyree, who suffered a season-ending knee injury the following and wasn’t resigned by the New York Giants despite his heroics, Camarillo lost much of his speed after tearing his ACL in 2008 and was set to enter the 2010 season as the team’s fourth receiver, at best. 

In return, Miami will receive defensive back Benny Sapp, who’s started only 17 of 86 career games, recording 140 tackles, 4 interceptions, and six fumble recoveries.  He’s not likely to significantly help the Dolphins’ secondary, aside from adding a little depth and injury insurance while Will Allen recovers from knee surgery.  Hell, 37-year-old Warren Sapp would’ve been a more exciting pick up, but alas.

The bigger outcome, is that Patrick Turner, last year’s third-round pick, will now almost certainly make the final roster.  Turner, who was active for only two games and failed to register a catch in 2009, wasn’t a lock to make the team going into training camp.  While his size (6’5″, 220 pounds) and athleticism make him a tough cover, the former USC standout had trouble grasping the fundamentals and getting off the line of scrimmage.  Turner certainly didn’t help matters by missing time with a back injury and reportedly not exhibiting a strong work ethic or sense of urgency during training camp.  He was even listed behind undrafted rookie Marlon Moore on Miami’s initial depth chart.

Jason Taylor hugs Bill Belichick after the Patriots defeat the Dolphins 27-17 on Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

It was a football decision for both sides, plain and simple. The Dolphins wanted the leverage of waiting until after the Draft, while Jason Taylor jumped at an offer he feared wouldn’t be there come April 24.

The 35-year-old linebacker claimed that the New York Jets were the only team that showed interest in signing him, and wanted to continue playing football at the risk of waiting for the Dolphins to make up their mind. A part of me hates him for choosing to go to a rival he’d publicly hated and ridiculed for a dozen years, whose fans, in his own words, “take the ‘cl’ out of class.”

But as Taylor himself has shown, there’s no such thing as loyalty in sports, and I don’t fault him for going to a team that wanted him more (although it still troubles me that Taylor would be satisfied with getting the only ring of his career as a member of the Jets).

I fault him for berating the Dolphins front office for not showing him the respect he deserves when he’s continuously failed to give them the same courtesy.

Two years ago, after the Dolphins finished 1-15, Taylor wanted out of Miami in order to play for a Super Bowl contender in the latter stages of his career. The 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year opted to compete on Dancing With the Stars rather than attend the team’s offseason conditioning program, enraging new head of football operations Bill Parcells. Despite having two years left on his contract, Taylor announced that he only planned to play one more season.

When he was shipped to the Washington Redskins in July 2008, he quickly reversed course and said he’d honor the remaining two years of his deal. Despite his worst season in a decade — just 3.5 sacks in 13 games — the ‘Skins, who finished last in their division, wanted to keep Taylor for another season. But in a feud reminiscent of Dancing-gate, he refused to work out with the team during the offseason in order to spend time with his family, and was soon released.

In May 2009, he signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins, insisting that his heart was always in Miami. After Taylor turned down an extension in November because he felt “it wasn’t the right time,” he said Miami withdrew the proposal and never spoke to him again.

But according to a recent report, he actually declined another offer after the season, which included a significant raise, and the team was unsure if he wanted to continue playing after he underwent late shoulder surgery. By the time he was finally ready to talk, the Dolphins wanted to wait until after the Draft before making a commitment to a player who was on the downside of his stellar career.

Regardless of who’s to be believed, Parcells is as old school as they come and doesn’t let fan sentiment or presumed loyalty influence his business decisions. Hell, he cut Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, who’d just set the NFL rushing record, shortly after coming over to the Dallas Cowboys. Parcells likely believed the team was better without the aging Taylor, even as a situational pass rusher, and certainly wasn’t going to reward him after he turned down at least one confirmed offer.

Watching Taylor line up against Dolphins in Jet green next season will be heartbreaking for many fans, many of whom will never forgive him. The irony is, he essentially chose to sign with the AFC East version of the his old Redskins squad, a New York team that has acquired numerous over-the-hill players to assemble a paper champion that’s destined to finish around .500.

Thanks for the memories, JT, and good luck with your future acting career. And thanks for at least not pulling a Brett Favre and dragging this soap opera through the entire offseason.