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The Dolphins(1-2) play host to the San Diego Chargers(2-2) this afternoon. Miami was off last week, but the week before saw the fins upset the heavily favored New England Patriots by the score of 38-13.
One of the keys to beating New England, was Miami’s use of trick plays. What’s been termed the ‘Wildcat’. It worked great against the Patriots, but San Diego will come prepared. San Diego should be 3-1 now not 2-2. A blown call by a ref costing the Chargers a win in week two. Miami isn’t turning over the ball, and their last game was impressive, but I’m still not convinced. My prediction- San Diego 28, Miami 17.
The Fins(0-2) play at New England(2-0)this afternoon. Miami is coming off an embarrassing 31-10 loss to Arizona last week. The Dolphin defense unable to stop the Cardinal passing game, and the fin offense doing almost nothing till a late game drive for a touchdown orchestrated by rookie QB Chad Henne.
This week’s game has mismatch written all over it. If Tom Brady wasn’t out for the season, I well have predicted a five touchdown margin of victory for the Patriots. Instead I predict New England 28, Miami 7.
Note- I’ll probably tape the Dolphin game so as to watch the Ryder Cup live. I just hope NBC doesn’t give the football scores during the golf broadcast.
The one-time 3rd overall pick, now has to take a job as an NFL 3rd stringer if he wants to stay in football. From AP-
NEW ORLEANS — The “piano man,” Joey Harrington, has landed a new gig in the birthplace of jazz. He’ll be playing third fiddle behind Saints starting quarterback Drew Brees and backup Mark Brunell.
Harrington signed with the Saints and participated in his first practice Friday at the team’s suburban training center, a day before the Saints were set to leave for Sunday’s game at Denver.
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Harrington, a standout at Oregon also known for his talent as a pianist, has spent six seasons in the NFL since being drafted third overall by Detroit in 2002. He played for Miami in 2006 and for Atlanta last season.
He appeared in 12 games for the Falcons, completing nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,215 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
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The Saints opened training camp with three quarterbacks, but cut Tyler Palko before the regular season and settled on reserve receiver and special teams regular Terrance Copper as their emergency third quarterback.
This week, Copper is out with a pulled hamstring, so the Saints decided to bring in Harrington, who had worked out for New Orleans in Indianapolis, where the Saints practiced during Week 1 to avoid disruptions from Hurricane Gustav.
As a Miami Dolphin follower of some two decades, I am well acquainted with Harrington’s flaws as a NFL starting QB. He piloted the Fins for most of the remaining 2006 season after Daunte Culpepper was benched. Miami’s record from week 5 on? 5-7. Not all of it Harrington’s fault, but his record since coming in the league clearly shows he is no more than an NFL backup. A 3rd string job in New Orleans seems fitting.
Miami(0-1) plays at the Arizona Cardinals this afternoon. I had a longer post written about today’s game, one that recalled what happened after the last time these teams played. A 24-23 loss to Arizona causing Miami Head Coach Dave Wannstedt to resign two days later. The post was lost after a computer crash.
Tony Sparano’s job isn’t on the line today, but the outcome will be the same as 2004. A Bad Miami Defense + A Strong Arizona Receiving corps makes me predict Arizona 31, Miami 20.
This to replace the team’s present kicker, Mike Nugent, who got injured in last Sunday’s game.
Jay Feely watched Sunday’s Jets- Dolphins game from his home about 20 minutes away from Dolphins Stadium. Once he saw that Jets kicker Mike Nugent suffered a leg injury in the first half, Feely felt ready to spring into action.
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He’ll do the next best thing; Feely will be the Jets kicker when they host the Patriots on Sunday at the Meadowlands. The Jets signed the former Giants, Falcons and Dolphins kicker to a one-year deal yesterday. He will replace Nugent, who injured his kicking leg in the first half Sunday.
Feely, 32, was signed after a workout yesterday morning.
Jets coach Eric Mangini declined to specify how long Nugent might be out. Mangini said Nugent injured his kicking leg on his second kickoff Sunday following Brett Favre’s 56-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery.
Mangini said the injury happened during the actual kick, which traveled only to the 19 and came off like a squib kick “that wasn’t called,” Mangini said. He wasn’t criticizing Nugent, just making the point that as Nugent started to swing through the ball, that’s where the injury happened.
Nugent returned and kicked the extra point after Thomas Jones’ 6-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left in the third quarter that made it 20-7, but was clearly in discomfort coming off the field.
The Dolphins released Feely after the first pre-season game in order to go with a rookie kicker, Dan Carpenter. To me it seemed like Miami’s new coaches wanted to go with their own players, rather than leftovers from the previous regime. This reminding me of when Miami in the mid-90’s under Jimmy Johnson dumped All Pro Placekicker Pete Stoyanovich for then novice kicker Joe Nedney. Nedney was so unimpressive, he lasted just one season in Miami and was replaced with Orlando Mare. Then Miami dumped Mare after 10 years as their starting kicker for Feely. Does anyone see a pattern?
Where as Nedney’s tenure was poor, Feely was one of the few good points for the Dolphins. Carpenter’s start last Sunday wasn’t impressive, particularly when a kickoff went out of bounds setting up the Jets with excellent field position. The Jets then drove down the field for a touchdown. Sunday was just one game, but Carpenter better show more the rest of the 2008 season or Miami may be looking for a new kicker for the 3rd straight season.
Today marks the first Sunday of the 2008 NFL football season. The Miami Dolphins play host to the New York Jets. Both teams I either root for now or in the past. I grew up in New York before moving to Florida in 1976.
Both teams were dreadful in 2007, Miami(1-15) and New York(4-12), and are presently re-building. Both teams are fielding new Quarterbacks too. Bret Favre for the Jets and Chad Pennington for Miami. Today will also mark Tony Sparano’s of the Dolphins regular season debut as an NFL head coach.
I was 15-1 predicting Miami(11-5 in 2006) to win or lose last year. My only mistake being to pick them to win against Cleveland. 2008 will be a better year for fins fans, but how much? I safely think they can win 4 or 5 games. More is possible because the schedule is weak, but Miami on the other hand has too many gaping holes still.
If Miami doesn’t win today, their first win may not come till October. They play Arizona, New England, and San Diego in a row after this week. Going out on a limb, I predict Miami 20, New York 17.
In the NFL since 1999, Culpepper last played for the Oakland Raiders. From AP-
Daunte Culpepper, unable to land a starting or backup job this offseason, announced his retirement at the age of 31.
Culpepper had one-year offers from the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason for backup jobs, but didn’t find those offers suitable. Though his surgically reconstructed knee was healthy and his arm still strong during visits to those teams, Culpepper decided to end his career.
“After taking a long look at my career and my personal convictions, I have decided to begin early retirement from the NFL effective immediately,” Culpepper said in an e-mail.
“Since the beginning of training camp, I was told my opportunity would come when a quarterback gets hurt. I cannot remember the last time so many quarterbacks have been injured during the preseason,” Culpepper said. ” I have been strongly encouraged from family, friends and league personnel to continue to be patient and wait for an inevitable injury to one of the starting quarterbacks in the league.
The 11th pick in the 1999 draft, Culpepper played nine seasons for three teams — the Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders. His best days were in Minnesota where he established himself as one of the league’s top quarterbacks.
During his career, Culpepper completed 1,867 of 2,927 passes for 22,422 yards and 142 touchdowns. His career quarterback rating was a lofty 89.9. His best season was in 2004 when he threw for 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns for the Vikings.
But he blew out his knee the next season, and his career wasn’t the same afterwards.
That didn’t prevent the Miami Dolphins from throwing away a 2nd round pick on Culpepper, when Drew Brees was available also. We all know what happened after that deal. Culpepper played just four games in a Dolphin uniform before being benched. He was released in early 2007.
Culpepper was a rarity in the NFL in that he represented himself rather than hire a agent. Good luck in retirement Daunte.
This in order to make salary cap space for recently acquired Brett Favre. From ESPN-
The Jets released Pennington at 4 p.m. Thursday to clear salary-cap space for Brett Favre’s arrival, but a half dozen teams already have contacted Pennington’s agent, Tom Condon, to express interest in signing the eight-year NFL veteran, a source told ESPN.com.
The source also said Pennington probably wouldn’t find a new home for two or three days because the interested clubs are busy with preseason games.
Pennington wasn’t a bad QB during his Jet days, but he was considered a disappointment. The Jets have been looking for the next Joe Namath for over 30 years.
Note- The Jets were my favorite team while growing up in New York and after my move to Florida. After leaving the Navy in 1989, I gradually changed allegiance to my local team, the Miami Dolphins.
Pennington, who is 32 years of age, was comeback player of the year in 2006. So his services are likely to be sought by other NFL teams.
One of the teams is the Miami Dolphins, who open their preseason Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One columnist at the Palm Beach Post has already written how Miami should try to sign Pennington. My feelings are pretty mixed. The Dolphins have spent the last four years seeking QB solutions. AJ Feeley, Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon, Trent Green, Joey Harrington and Josh McCown, are other quarterbacks brought in by Miami to fill in at QB. We know how all of them turned out with the exception of McCown who has yet to play a down. Pennington may lead Miami to 5 wins in 2008, instead of 4 with McCown and Company. Bottom line- Chad Pennington will be just another stop gap QB patch job by the Dolphins. One that is not likely to be any more successful than those already tried.
The Dolphins get two draft picks, including a 2nd rounder next year, in return for the 2006 NFC Defensive player of the Year. From the Sun-Sentinel-
Jason Taylor is leaving the only NFL team he has known, his wish to be traded to a contender granted Sunday.
The Washington Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round selection in 2010 to acquire the six-time Pro Bowler, who had spent 11 seasons anchoring the Dolphins’ defense.
“We’re fortunate there was a guy that caliber on the market when somebody got hurt,” Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato said. “Normally, in most years, there’s not a guy of that caliber on the market.”
The Redskins’ need for a pass-rushing end became evident Sunday when they lost defensive end Phillip Daniels to a torn left ACL and Alex Buzbee to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in the team’s first-day practice.
Tired of the Dolphins’ constant rebuilding, Taylor pushed management to trade him to a contender this offseason. Pre-dating the draft, the Dolphins talked with a handful of teams. But none of the offers brought suitable value for a player who contributed 55 tackles and 11 sacks last season. Until now.
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Taylor, who will turn 34 on Sept. 1, is due $8 million this season, which includes a $500,000 roster bonus, and $8.5 million next season. The Redskins have the cap space to absorb the lofty contract, which has Taylor ranked among the NFL’s highest-paid defensive linemen. The majority of his salary comes off the Dolphins’ books, putting the team well under the salary cap.
The front page of the Palm Beach Post’s sports section has a list of Taylor’s accomplishments that include 11 year veteran, 6 Pro Bowls, 172 games etc, all under a caption that reads “What the Dolphins lose”
What lose? None of those accomplishments disappear because Taylor is now with a different NFL team. What Miami does lose is whatever productivity Taylor has for the rest of his career.
Which may not be a heck of a lot. He’s 34 year old Defensive lineman. Most players are out of football at this age, and those who are still in it are almost all in their decline stage of the career. Taylor didn’t have a bad 2007 considering the train wreck the Dolphins season was. However trading him for a 2nd round is a good deal in my book. A 2nd rounder could be a star or a very productive long-term player. It’s a bit of a gamble, but Miami is a few years at least away from even contending for a playoff spot. Taylor wasn’t Miami’s future, but rather its past. I think Miami made the right move.
Coming off a 1-15 season riddled with injuries, my favorite Florida team can’t wait until training camp before one of its players gets hurt.
Dolphins quarterback Josh McCown cut the index finger on his throwing hand during an accident involving a chainsaw on July 3, but said that it wasn’t serious and he will be ready to compete for the starting job when training camp opens next week.
McCown said he needed six stitches to close the wound on his right index finger after his brother, Luke, a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he “miscommunicated,” while shaving down a tree stump at his lakefront home in Jacksonville, Texas.
“We were clearing some brush and wanted to cut up some stumps and stack them,” said Josh McCown, whose family owns a sawmill business in East Texas. “I was holding down a little piece of a tree trunk and my little brother, Luke, had the chainsaw. He hit a knob and the chainsaw jumped.”
McCown was initially alarmed by the amount of blood, but was relieved when the finger was intact and the emergency room doctor told him there was no damage to the tendon.
If what Josh says is true, that’s good news for him. To be honest, a person who makes their living with their hand(s) should stay away from dangerous machinery. MLB pitcher Bobby Ojeda’s career may have been adversely affected after he lost a fingertip on his throwing hand as a result of his trimming some hedges. Ojeda only having one decent year after the injury.
McCown said he realized that he was fortunate and would refrain from operating chainsaws until after his playing days are over.
Add McCown to the long list of people who only learn through trial and ERROR there are just some things we shouldn’t be doing. Ojeda didn’t wise up after his accident. Five years later, he went boating with at least one drunken teammate. Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed when the boat they were riding in along with Ojeda collided with a pier.
The Dolphins were investigating the matter
If I was feeling real snarky, I’d say someone should investigate why a football franchise coming off its worst season felt the need to sign a Quarterback who has thrown more INTs than TDs lifetime. Oops looks like I just was a little snarky.
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