Zach Thomas Speaks About Taylor

Zach Thomas spoke out in a big way, yesterday on WQAM-560 with Sid Rosenberg.

"You've got to get a better spokesman, I'm sorry," Thomas told Sid Rosenberg Tuesday on WQAM-560 AM. "I'm not trying to be hard on [Dolphins General Manager] Jeff Ireland. But he's saying it wrong, especially for a guy who has so much history with the Miami Dolphins. He's the all-time sacks leader among active players, and you're going to talk about him like he's a first- or second-year player. He should know how to respect guys that have been great to the game. ... That's fine if you don't have a need for him. But you tell him up front. And you don't go through the media and act like you're shocked that it's being brought up. I don't like the organization to look bad that way."

About their decision to address Taylor after the draft.

"If you're not their guy, that's fine," he said. "But you've got to know to respect great players. You've got to know that. Jason is going to be a Hall of Famer. He's going to be in the [Dolphins Ring] of Honor. His name is always going to be in Dolphin Stadium, and that's big. And you know what, you can do it in a different approach. It might not be their approach. But I get disappointed when I see guys that have put everything on the line for the Dolphins organization and have a Hall-of-Fame career like Jason Taylor and it goes down like it has the last couple weeks . . .

"I know [the Dolphins] called a meeting and then they just canceled it," Thomas said. "So that's just another thing. I just wish they would have handled it better. Just be up front and let the guy move on. Look, I know everyone's going to be in an uproar because everybody hates the Jets -- I hate the Jets -- but he has to what he's got to do and get respect. You're driven by respect as a player, especially the good ones. And he's got that from Rex Ryan. Hopefully, [the Dolphins] will learn from this."

Taylor did not want to go, but the Dolphins inactivity left him feeling slighted.

"He's sad," said Thomas. "He waited as long as he could. Everyone wants to feel wanted. Jason wanted to be wanted. The Jets wanted him. They're a team on the rise. I hate to say it, they've got the No. 1 defense and now they're going to be even stronger."

Thomas also criticized the Dolphins use of Taylor later in the year.

"You don't think Rex Ryan has a game plan for Jason Taylor? It's going to be better than the game plan they were utilizing him last year. I hated watching it, when they were taking him out on third down. It's like taking Bruce Smith out on third down. That was frustrating for me. I'm a fan now. You want to take one of the best pass-rushers of all-time out on third down! I don't know how Dolphins fans are now, but I'm frustrated. ... I'm always going to be a supporter. I'm going to cheer for the Dolphins all year long. I'm not going to be a bitter guy. But, right now, I will say when it crosses the line and the way they dealt with Jason was disappointing."

He spoke of his own departure from the team as well.

"The only thing that was like a punch in the gut to me was the day I was cleaning out my locker the day they cut me, [agent] Drew [Rosenhaus] asked them if I could just say thanks to the fans through the media at the Dolphins facility and their answer was, 'No, he's not a Dolphins player anymore, he's got to do it off premises.' That's when you know, like, 'Wow,' the whole loyalty and everything they preach with team and things like that goes out the window."

Remember the 2 are brothers-in-law, so Thomas has better insight than anyone.

Another side note in all of this is that, the Dolphins offered him an extension at the end of October last season. At the time Taylor had 5 sacks through a little less than half the games, which would have put him above double digit sacks for the season. It was presented to him, much like Ricky Williams, on a memo from Bill Parcells, who also requested that Taylor (like Williams) leave his agent out of the negotiations. One glaring difference is that Ricky was offered about 3.5 million, and Taylor's offer was for about 1.5 million. Taylor at the time stated that it was the middle of the season, and he wasn't concerned with his next contract. It is widely believed that since Parcells reached out personally, his ego would not allow him to accept this rejection. It should also be mentioned that Parcells has a history of coming in to town, and getting rid of the players that may challenge his stature as the alpha dog. After all of this, it's a funny coincidence that all of the sudden, they pull him out of the game during obvious passing situations. Was it a ploy to drive down his value by the end of the year? Who really knows, but it is a strange coincidence.

At the end of the day, Taylor did what he had to do, and I do not blame him one bit. They should have been up front with him, and all of this drama would have been avoided.

What Brandon Marshall Could Mean For The Dolphins

Well, the Dolphins finally did it. They went out and made that bold move that everyone said they wouldn't make, and possibly brought in the best wide receiver in football (arguably), Brandon Marshall, in a blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos. His off the field issues are well documented, and those that have read my previous posts know how I feel about that. Though I do not condone their behavior, I still believe it is none of our business. I watch sports to be entertained by their performances on the field. So with that in mind here are some interesting facts.

There is always debate over who makes who look good. Is it the quarterback? Is it the wide receiver? I believe you have to look at individual situations, and you will find that it works both ways. Such is the case with Peyton Manning, who makes any receiver look like an all-pro. Do you really believe that we would know who Pierre Garcon is if it wasn't for him? Marvin Harrison would never have had that career had he played with anyone else. Some receivers have left their Pro Bowl caliber quarterback, and failed miserably. Deion Branch leaves Tom Brady, never heard about him again. T.J. Houshmanzadeh leaves Carson Palmer, did you know he was even playing last year? I could go on, but there is the other side. Terrell Owens has had success with multiple quarterbacks, so did Jerry Rice, and to a certain degree, Randy Moss.

With all of this in mind I looked up some numbers over the past few days, and found a trend that could bode well for our prospects this season. Marshall has played for both types of quarterbacks. The prototypical one (Jay Cutler), with all the physical tools and attributes to deal it all over the field. As well as the so called "game manager" (Kyle Orton), who is more like a coach on the field, and is simply counted on not to make mistakes. Here's a look year by year, at the stats for Marshall, Cutler, and Orton.

2007:

(Marshall, and Cutler's first full season as starters.)

Marshall - 102 receptions, 1,325 yards, 7 touchdowns

Cutler - 63.6% completions, 20 touchdowns, 14 interceptions

2008:

(Orton's first full year as a starter)

Marshall - 104 receptions, 1,265 yards, 6 touchdowns

Cutler - 62.3% completions, 25 touchdowns, 18 interceptions

Orton - 58.5% completions, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

2009:

(Orton and Cutler are traded for each other, Orton now gets to throw to Marshall)

Marshall - 101 receptions, 1,120 yards, 10 touchdowns

Orton - 62.1% completions, 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

Cutler - 60.5% completions, 27 touchdowns, 26 interceptions

In their lone season without Marshall, Cutler's leading receiver was his tight end, (Greg Olsen - 60 receptions, 612 yards, 8 touchdowns), and Orton's was a runningback, (Matt Forte - 63 receptions, 477 yards, 4 touchdowns).

For a while, Cutler's tendency to throw interceptions was blamed on Marshall's poor route running. Yet when you look at his numbers, each year gets worse than before, and in his first year without him turns it over 26 times. On the flip side, Marshall scores the most touchdowns with Orton in their first year together. Coincidentally, Orton had his best year with Marshall. Keep in mind, there was also a coaching change in Denver from 2008 to 2009. The one consistent performer in all of these years is Marshall. Cutler has a gun, but makes too many poor decisions, Orton is very similar to Jay Fiedler (who really gets the shaft down here), and we all know what that's like. Not to knock Jay, or Orton, they both were good generals on the field, and did the more with less when they had to.

The bottom line is that Marshall is a game breaker. He's impossible for a corner to tackle one on one, and would be a challenge for most safeties to handle. He brings an explosive element that we have not had since Marino and the Marks brothers. He immediately makes everyone around him better by default. Can you imagine sure handed Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, and Brian Hartline free to roam the field while they focus on Marshall? Oh, and defenses stacking 8 in the box is a thing of the past, leaving more room for the NFL's 2nd ranked rushing offense to gain some momentum. We will now know for sure what we have with Chad Henne as well. This has the potential to be an exciting offense.

It appears he's gonna be fun to hear from as well. Here's a clip of his press conference.




I'm not making any predictions, but this is gonna be fun.

Marlins and Tiger and Fins, Oh My!

I'll start of with hockey. I know it's not in the title, but it didn't fit into my snazzy, uber-catchy, rolls of the tongue title. Now that I'm done patting myself on the back, on with the post!

I love the Florida Panthers, just about as much as I love the Dolphins. They continue to be, in my opinion, the best ticket in town in terms of a live sporting event. There is nothing like a live hockey game. However, we are coming up on a decade since the last time they reached the playoffs. In their defense (or defence for my Canadian brothers), they had an over 90 point season last year, but in a stacked Eastern Conference, it wasn't good enough. For years, we have had excellent defense and goaltending, but no threat on the net. Not since Pavel Bure anyhow. They have a good young nucleus of offensive talent (let's see if they keep them around), but it still wouldn't hurt to have a veteran scoring presence to help mold these young guys. Now, things may have been different this year had David Booth had not missed 60 or something games stemming from a dirty hit against the Flyers early this year. As foul as that hit was, it came from him not keeping his head up and plowing forward full speed, something a veteran would've pulled him aside and informed him of. In short, I still remain hopeful of the future of this team. I think they have a good coach in Pete Deboer, but patience is running thin with the fans.

My thoughts on Tiger:

He's baaaaack! Tiger took to the course for the Masters, the first tournament since the revelation of his massive infidelities. He received a standing ovation on his first tee, and I'm actually glad for that. As egregious as his actions were, I am still of the belief that it is NONE OF OUR FREAKING BUSINESS! We have much more important things that we need to be informed of, that carry a hell of alot more weight than Tiger's "little black book". The only thing that we should be concerned with is his golf score, if you even care about that.

Marlins:

Baseball is upon us once again, and there is reason to believe in the Marlins. They have actually stepped up their payroll by about 20 million, and have shown a commitment to retain their promising prospects for the first time in a few years. They are loaded with starting pitching talent, which is also the youngest rotation in baseball. The offense/defense is pretty much identical to last year, which set franchise records for Home Runs, and scoring. The big question is still the bullpen. Already in the first 2 out of 3 games, they have blown big leads. The first game, Josh Johnson left the game down 2-1, a manageable deficit, until Pinto (as usual) came in and opened the flood gates for a 6-1 loss. The second game wasted a masterful outing by Ricky Nolasco, this time leaving with a 6-1 lead, and can you guess who ruined it? It took extra innings, to win the game 7-6, but a win is a win. They will not survive if this keeps up. In last nights game, we may have seen our best reliever, Burke Badenhop with a nice pair of 1-2-3 innings to set it up for Leo Nunez's first save. Unless they plan on using Badenhop over 200 innings as a reliever, this may be a horrible trend all year.

On a positive note, with last year's NL Batting Champ, Hanley Ramirez, Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu, we can slug it out with anyone in the batter's box. Can you imagine if prospects Cameron Maybin, and Mike Stanton work out?

Dolphins:

Let's start with the obvious. Jason Taylor may be a New York Jet. I'd hate to even say it, but I think it may happen, and I just threw up in my mouth a little. The Dolphins have shown him little love if any, and the Jets are closer to being a serious contender than we are, (now I actually threw up). I don't blame him one bit, he would fill an obvious position of need for us, and his leadership and wisdom for the younger players is valuable beyond his salary cap number. I have a bad feeling that , in the Jets defense he will thrive, and most likely come back to haunt us. There is no loyalty in sports anymore, especially not from the organizations, but that's a whole post by itself.

Anyhow, the draft is coming up soon, and I think our most glaring needs are on defense. There were too many games last year, that we scored enough points to get the job done, and the defense caved. Most notably, right up the center, starting with the Nose tackle position, Middle Linebacker (which they may have solved with Karlos Dansby), Outside Linebacker, and Free Safety. Way too many times we gave up chunks of yards, usually right over the top of our Safeties. Teams were able to come back with ease in the second half.

That being the case, there is one glaring need on offense, a true #1 Wide Receiver. There are no sure things in the draft when it comes to receivers, but I would take a chance on Dez Bryant at #12. He's the only one worth that high of a pick. There are plenty of others to be had in the second to third round.

One good thing is, we can simply take the best player available at that spot. No one position would upset me with that pick (unless they draft a QB, which is not going to happen).

With that in mind, I'm going to rank a few players by order of need vs. projected availability:

1. Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee - Fills an immediate need for a true 3-4 Nose tackle. He'll absorb blockers and let the Linebackers run wild.

2. Rolando McClain - LB, Alabama - Pass rushing specialist that we need. Well coached (by Nick Satan), and a very intelligent player. Which is what this group of coaches likes.

3. Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State - With size and good "football speed", would be a great addition to a corps full of excellent complimentary receivers.

4. Earl Thomas, FS, Texas - Has 4.37 speed in the 40 yard dash, ridiculous for a safety, and will not get burnt deep by a Tight End or slot receiver.

Those are the only players I would spend a #12 pick on. If none of these are there, I'd trade down. This is a draft that is deep at alot of positions, not necessarily top 10 guys, but plenty of solid football players that can play right away.

This is this regime's 3rd draft, it's time to see some major progress.